GENERAL 
&hat head; and his own proclama- 
tions proved that he had meant to 
wiolate the treaty on the first op- 
portunity, and to resume his 
power. This resumption was 
therefore a positive and undenia- 
ble violation of the treaties of 
Fontainbleau and Paris, and gave 
this country a just cause of war 
against Buonaparte wielding the 
power of France. His lordship, 
however, did not mean to say, 
that because a war was just, it 
should therefore be entered upon. 
The policy of it was another part 
ofthe question. It was impossi- 
ble to conceal the dangers with 
which this event threatened the 
country, but he did not wish that 
the House should be pledged to 
any inconsiderate declaration. 
Between the two alternatives of 
armed and defensive preparation, 
and actual war, he requested that 
there might be no immediate de- 
cision, since it was not merely a 
British, but an European ques- 
tion; and nothing more was at 
present called for than what the 
message required. He then mov- 
ed the address. 
The following speakers, who 
were lords Grenville, Wellesley, 
and Grey, all approved of the ad- 
dress, but made various remarks 
on the circumstances which had 
brought on this awful crisis. 
The address was then agreed to 
nem. diss. 
On the. same day the message 
was taken into consideration by 
the House of Commons, where 
the subject was introduced by 
Lord Castlereagh, He took in ge- 
neral the same ground with his 
colleague, but more at length, as 
having been personally engaged 
in many of the previous transac- 
HISTORY. 
tions. With respect to the situa- 
tion of Buonaparte in Elba, and 
the imputed neglect of a precau- 
tionary security against his future 
enterprises, he said that the pow- 
ers who had concurred in the 
treaty of Fontainbleau had never 
intended to exercise a system of 
police or espionage with regard 
to him. He was invested with 
the sovereignty of the Island, and 
had a sort of naval equipment 
under his flag, which the British 
officer on that station had no 
power of visiting. Col. Camp- 
bell, who had been one of his 
conductors to Elba according to 
treaty, had indeed been suffered 
to remain between that island 
and Leghorn, for the purpdse of 
conveying occasional intelligence 
to government, but his visits had 
latterly been discouraged by Buo- 
naparte; and a sort of English 
vice-consul who resided on the 
island; was placed under the in- 
spection of two gendarmes at the 
time he was making his prepara- 
tions. With respect to the pen- 
sion allotted to Buonaparte and 
his family, his lordship said, that 
having heard, whilst at Vienna, 
of some complaints on that head 
he had inquired concerning the 
circumstance of the French mini- 
ster, who had addressed his go- 
vernment on the subject.. The 
reply was, that Buonaparte had 
manifested a spirit of infraction 
of the treaty on his. part, by re- 
cruiting for his guards in Corsica 
and other places. Lord C. after- 
wards being told that he was un- 
der certain pecuniary embarvass- 
ments, he spoke to Louis 18th 
on the subject, who caused a per- 
son to be. dispatched to Elba for 
the purpose of affording him 
[11 
