HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



G3 



abstract violation of the constitu- 

 tion, and not aggravated by the 

 consequences of any actual evil ? 

 See, said Mr. Whitbiead, what 

 the noble lord has done, and 

 extend j'our thoughts to what 

 might probably have been the con- 

 sequence of such conduct. Could 

 he have devised any tiling more 

 likely to produce dissensions be- 

 tween the military and naval ser- 

 vice, and all that frightful train of 

 evils, to which such a calamity 

 would lead ? But, as circum- 

 stances have now unfolded them- 

 selves, I am not at all apprehen- 

 sive of such consequences. Now, 

 that the dark and clandestine in- 

 trigue is exposed in open day-light, 

 no difference between the two 

 branches of the public service can 

 exist. I will not charge the noble 

 lord directly with the intention of 

 creating any disunion between the 

 naval and the military branches of 

 the service, but I beg leave to call 

 the attention of the House to the 

 contradiction which existsbetween 

 his own statements, together with 

 their variance with the truth which 

 his majesty's answer has unfolded. 

 Mr. Whitbread having enumerat- 

 ed instances of this, proceeded ! 

 " Compare these statements with 

 what we now know to have passed 

 before, and there is, I contend, 

 no necessity for comment. Com- 

 pare his examination on the 22nd 

 of February with his examination 

 on the 27th, and there is, I con- 

 tend, no necessity for comment. 

 Yet, after all these statements, 

 shall it be contended, that, al- 

 though twelve direct accusations 

 are conveyed against the navy, 

 there existed no intention or wish 

 on the part of the noble lord, to. 

 impute blame to that quarter?. 



What I was the noble lord to 

 throw fire-brands in sport ?" 



Mr. Whitbread concluded with 

 moving, 1. " That it appears to 

 this House that John earl of Chat- 

 ham, having requested his majesty 

 to permit him to present his re- 

 port to his majesty, and having 

 also requested that his majesty 

 would not communicate it for the 

 present, did, on the 15th of Ja- 

 nuary last, privately transmit to 

 his majesty a paper, bearing date 

 the 15th of October preceding, 

 and purporting to be a narrative 

 of his proceedings as commander- 

 in-chief of hismajesty's land-forces 

 in the late expedition to the 

 Scheldt ; and that he withheld all 

 knowledge thereof, both from his 

 majesty's ministers, and the admi- 

 ral commanding in the said expe- 

 dition, whose conduct is materially 

 implicated in the said narrative; 

 that the same was, on the 10th of 

 February last, returned to him by 

 his majesty's command, in conse- 

 quence of his own request ; and 

 that, on the 14th of February, he 

 again tendered the said narrative 

 to his majesty, the same having ^ 

 been altered, by the suppression 

 of a paragraph, containing matter 

 of opinion, the substance of which 

 this House, by the examination of 

 the said earl of Chatham, has not 

 been able to ascertain. — 2. That 

 the earl of Chatham, by private 

 communication to his majesty, ac- 

 companied by a desire of secrecy, 

 did unconstitutionally abuse the 

 privilege of access to his sove- 

 reign, and thereby afford an ex- 

 ample most pernicious in its ten-, 

 dency to his majesty's service, 

 and to the general service of the 

 state," , , 



The chancellor of the Exche- 



