HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



55 



and Richard Wharton, esq., all 

 three members of the Housl-, and 

 attending in their places. 



House of Consmons, Feb. 23- 

 Mr. Whitbread rose to make a 

 -motion, of which he had given no- 

 tice, respecting the earl of Chat- 

 ham's narrative. As many more 

 members were now present than 

 there were in the House when lord 

 Chatham's examination, before the 

 committee, closed, on the preced- 

 ing evening, he would slate some 

 circumstances which occurred at 

 that period. Those honourable 

 members, who were present last 

 night, would recollect that lord 

 Chatham had been questioned on 

 the narrative, which he had 

 thought proper to present to his 

 Majesty ; and that the noble lord, 

 after being repeatedly asked, whe- 

 ther he had, on any former occa- 

 sion, presented to his majesty any 

 other narrative, paper, memoran- 

 dum, or memorial, respecting the 

 expedition to the Scheldt, de- 

 clined to give any answer to the 

 inquiry. This circumstance ex- 

 cited a strorg suspicion, that the 

 noble lord had actually presented 

 to his majesty some such docu- 

 ment. Lord Chatham, as a peer 

 of the realm, could not be pressed 

 by the committee, with a question 

 which he didnotchoose to answer. 

 But the House might address his 

 majesty, for the production of such 

 a paper if it existed. — Lord Chat- 

 ham, in his dispatches, had ex- 

 pressed hismostunqualifiedappro- 

 bation of the conduct of the nav3^ 

 But in the noble lord's narrative, 

 he had thrown imputations on the 

 navy, calculated to put the two 

 services at issue. 



As the noble lord had not de- 

 nied, that the narrative on the 



table was not the onljt^paper of a 

 singular description, which he had 

 presented to his majesty, it wrs 

 reasonable to assume, that before 

 the construciion of that document, 

 some other report i)ad been made 

 by lord Chatham to the king on 

 the subject. Taking this for 

 granted, the House, in justice to 

 the navy, and in maintenance of 

 the principles of the constitution, 

 should deteimine to address his 

 Majesty, for the production of 

 that prior document. Themost de- 

 termined democrats neverbrought 

 a stronger cliarge against any mo- 

 narchy, than that fiivourites had 

 ready access to the ear of their so- 

 vereign, and secret opportunitiesto 

 poison his royal mind against brave 

 and deserving men, who had no 

 means of defending themselves, 

 inasmuch as minions had always 

 ready access to thesovereign, when 

 they had not. It was impossible 

 that the House should allow any 

 feelings so insidiously created, to 

 exist in his majesty's bosom, with- 

 out asking him to communicate 

 them to his people. If any other 

 document than the narrative al- 

 ready presented, existed, it was to 

 be presumed, that it contained 

 charges ; for that narrative con- 

 tiiined imputations, only short of 

 charges. As the noble lord had 

 refused to answer the questions 

 put to him yesterday evening, the 

 House of Commons were called 

 upon to adopt the precedent of 

 the gallant general, and to address 

 his majesty, for the purpose of 

 endeavouring to obtain any further 

 document, if any such existed. 

 Mr. Whitbread concluded with 

 moving, "That an himible ad- 

 dress be presented to his majesty, 

 praying that he would be gra- 



