222] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



^t-anted, there would probably be 

 ^ a difference of opinion, but, con- 

 sidering the occasion, it obvi- 

 ously would be improper that it 

 should be a scanty or penurious 

 grant. He concluded with mov- 

 ing "that a sum not exceeding 

 200,000/. should be granted to 

 his Majesty, to be applied to- 

 wards the relief of the sufferers in 

 Russia." 



Mr. Ponsonby said, he should 

 Tote for the grant, but not for 

 the reasons assigned by the last 

 speaker. It would not afford 

 either speedy or effectual relief 

 to the sufferers ; but he looked 

 upon it in the light of a gift 

 to the Emperor of Russia, and 

 as a mark of gratitude for the 

 extraordinarj"^ efforts made by that 

 country in resisting the power 

 of France, and opposing the 

 continental system, which Avas at- 

 tempted to be forced upon it. 



Mr. Bathurst defended the 

 words " speedy and effectual" 

 applied to the grant, as being 

 used relatively, and in conjunc- 

 tion with other measures of re- 

 lief. 



Mr. Whitbread said, that after 

 fiilly exercising his judgment up- 

 on the question, he could not 

 suffer the vote to pass unani- 

 mously. He thought the pro- 

 posed grant would prove inef- 

 fectual, and that it was incon- 

 sistent with the sentiments of 

 justice which the house was 

 bound to entertain for the dis- 

 tresses of their own countrymen. 

 The sum was too paltry to be 

 of any real use; and it was the 

 duty of t\ie Russian government 

 to protect its people, and to 

 alleviate their wretchedness, oc- 



oasioncd by an act unparalleled 

 in the history of the world — 

 the conflagration of Moscow. 

 The sum appeared to be in 

 reality a contribution to carry 

 on the war, and no other than 

 a paltry and contemptible sub- 

 sidy. • ' • 



Lord Castlereagh strongly' dis- 

 claimed the appellation given 

 to the grant by the last speak- 

 er, and said, that by the vote 

 now proposed, we were sx>bsidi- 

 zins the sensibilities and ije- 

 nerous feelings of all the world. 



Sir Francis Burdett could not 

 consent to give away money 

 which, whilst it could not be 

 effectual to relieve the calamities 

 of Russia, would add to the bur^^ 

 dens already so severely felt by 

 the community at home. He 

 thought it was hard that the 

 people of this country should 

 be called upon to support the 

 emigrants of all nations ; and yet 

 when relief was requested for 

 our starving manufacturers, the 

 answer was, that in times like 

 this, economy must be attend- 

 ed to, and it was impossible 

 for the house to grant relief to 

 an extent tha^ would be of any 

 avail. 



Mr. Wilberforce did not doubt 

 that the sum asked for would 

 be of material benefit' to the 

 Russians, as similar grants had 

 been in other cases* It would 

 shew at least the sympathetic 

 feelings of the house for the 

 distresses of the Russian people ; 

 and he could not conceive why 

 nations should not be generous, as 

 well as individuals. 



to. 



The resolution was then agreed 



Nothinc 



