GENERAL HISTORY. 
lowed was carried on by all the 
powers of eloquence on both sides 
of the House, but necessarily by 
the same arguments as had been 
produced inthe other House. The 
result was a division, in which the 
motion was rejected by a majority 
of 149 to 65. 
On an impartial survey of the 
discussions on this topic, and the 
circumstances leading to them, it 
will probably appear, that although 
retrospective wisdom might find 
much to blame, yet that there 
existed causes for the lamented 
events which rendered them al- 
most unavoidable. The plain 
fact seems to have been, that the 
allied sovereigns at Paris found 
themselves in a situation which 
took from them the feeling of se- 
curity as long as Buonaparte re- 
mained at the head of an army ; 
and there being no medium be- 
tween forcing him to a surrender 
of his person, and negociating 
with him on a footing of indepen- 
dence, they hastily concluded a 
treaty which, in various points was 
inconsiderate, and left him much 
power of future mischief. The 
unbroken attachment to him of 
the whole French army, and the 
small hold which the Bourbon 
government had upon the affec- 
tions of the nation, rendered his 
return to power a matter of cer- 
tainty as socn as he had effected 
a landing upon French ground; 
and it would be difficult to point 
out any plan by which such a 
man, recognized as possessing 
personal liberty and an imperial 
title, with a large command of 
money, could in any part of Eu- 
rope have been restrained from 
access to that country. 
The treaty with America was 
[15 
another topic of parliamentary 
discussion which afforded scope 
fer the inculpation of the minis- 
ters. On April 11, Mr. Hart 
Davis rose to move an address of 
thanks to the Prince Regent for 
the treaty of peace entered into 
with the United States of Ame- 
rica. He said, he believed there 
were few men in this country 
who did not agree that the war 
declared by America was unpro- 
voked on our part, at the same 
time, that person must have sin- 
gular views of the policy of Great 
Britain, who should think that it 
ought to be continued by us for 
the purpose of territorial aggran- 
disement, or from vindictive feel- 
ings. Our sole object was to re- 
sist aggression, and to support 
our maritime rights. We had 
gloriously defended Canada, had 
surrendered no rights, and had 
made a peace in the spirit of 
peace, which would open again a 
wide field for the commerce and 
manufactures of this country. 
He concluded his speech with a 
motion for an address expressing 
perfect satisfaction with the ar- 
rangement by which the negocia- 
tion had been terminated. 
Mr. Ponsonby declared that no 
man in'the House could’more sin- 
cerely rejoice than himself at the 
termination of the contest with 
America; yet he could not agree 
to the address, as he thought it 
their duty to inform his Royal 
Highness of what he conceived 
the gross misconduct and mis- 
management of ministers in the 
progress of the negociations. In 
this treaty no one subject of dis- 
pute between the two countries 
that existed before its signature, 
does not still exist; and all the 
