1800. ] 
this country, when even the man whe wrote 
the juftification knew the contrary to be the 
fa&t. He added, that the treaty of Pavia 
was a glaring forgery; and that the con- 
ventyon of Pilnitz had been officzally oppof- 
od by our minifters. 
Lord Grenville then denied that the late 
profeffions in behalf of peace were ferious: 
and affirmed that France had been at war 
with every power in Europe except Sweden 
and Denmark. Spain he confidered asin 
perfect fubordination to the Gallic yoke ; 
and the tyrannical fubjeétion of Holland 
was, according to him, notorious. 
His Lordfhip concluded, by obferving, 
that whenever the rulers of France fhould 
abandon their prefent principles, and be- 
come able to preferve the relations of 
peace and amity, they might fafely be 
treated with ; but, in the mean time, he 
hoped, that the houfe would fully unite in 
an humble addrefs to his Majefty on the 
prefent occafion, 
The Duke of Bedford, in an able and 
energetic fpeech, attempted to point out a 
variety of mifreprefentations on the part 
of his Majefty’s Minifter for the foreign 
department : he then obferved, that he had 
always been defirous of making an accom- 
modation for the benefit of his native 
country, whenever an opportunity, like 
tbat which lately occurred, had prefented 
itfelf; but as he found, that all attempts 
of this kind were now unavailing, he had 
formed the refolution of retiring totall 
from public affairs, and refting fatished 
with the practice of benevolence within 
his own confiped diftriét. He'then moved 
along amendment to the addrefs, which 
was oppofed by the Earl of Carlifle, while 
Lord Romney declared, that as he did not» 
approve of the meafures of Minifters, he 
would not votecn the fubject. 
Lord Borringdon and Lord Holland fup- 
ported the amendment, and the latter of 
thefe noblemen afterwards entered the fol- 
lowing proteft on the journals. 
Die Martis 28th Fan. 1800. 
The original motion being pitt, that an 
humbie addrefs be prefented to his Majef- 
ty; &c. 
The fame was carried in the affirmative. 
DISSENTIENT, 
Becaufe the addrefs adopted by the 
houfe directly approves of the rejec- 
tion of an overture for peace, when 
that invaluable bleffing might very pro- 
bably be attained with honour and {e- 
curity, by opening a negociation with 
the French Republic, and indirectly ap- 
proves of the language in which the re- 
jection of the offer was conveyed to the 
State of Public Affairs in February, 1800. 182. 
French government ; a language which, in 
my opinion, can only tend to widen the 
breach between the two countries, to ex- 
afperate the enemy, and prolong the ca- 
lamities of war. HoLLanp. 
Whenthe fame fubject was canvaffed in 
the Houfe of Commons (February the 3d), 
Mr. Dundas, in language fimilar to that 
made ufe of by Lord Grenville, declaimed 
againft the French government. 
He afferted that Bonaparte’s offers of 
pacification were not to be attended to ; 
and, as a proof of this, he adverted to his 
condué in refpeét to Venice, which he 
had facrificed to Auftria; his agereffion 
in regard to Egypt; his duplicity to the 
Ottoman Porte, &c. &c. He allo infifted 
that he had violated the public faith with 
feveral nations. 
Mr. Whitbread, in reply, was aftonifh- 
ed that the right honourable gentleman 
fhould accufe France of having been at 
war with every country in Europe except 
two, when it was recollected, that his 
Majefty*s Minifters had invoked the force, 
and called down the vengeance, of all the 
neighbouring nations. 
He then befought the attention of the 
houfe to the conduét of the Britith Go- 
vernment, with refpeét to Hamburg ; he 
defired to know, if Minifters forgot the vi- 
olation of the rights of nations by Lord 
Harvey at Florence? Did they recollect 
the threat of bombarding the City of Ge- 
noa? 
He fully infifted on the propriety of treat- 
ing with Bonaparte, and attacked the con- 
duct of Adminiftration in reviling the perfon 
of the French Conftl, and countenancing 
an intercepted corre{pondence from Egypt. 
Mr. Pitt, in along and brilliant {peech, 
remarked that it was impoffible ta feparate 
the prefent queftion either from the ante- 
cedent crimes and exceffes of the French 
revolution, or the horrors of the war. He 
then entered into a hiftory of the fuccef- 
five negociations with France, both at Pa- 
ris and at Lifle. The rupture of thefe was 
followed by agegrefiions in italy, in confe- 
quence of which, Sardinia, Modena, Ge- 
noa, Wenice, Rome, and Naples, had been 
overrun, plundered, and deceived ; amu- 
fed with treaties, or diftracted by perfidy. 
In fhort, the victories, the armiitices, the 
marches, the treaties of Bonaparte were 
nothing but a feries of a&ts of oppreffion, 
of plunder, of perfidy, of tyranny, of in- 
juftice, of evei y vice and every wickednefs 
which could corrupt a people and fubvert 
a government. He concluded, by declar- 
ing his opinion of the danger and impolicy 
of treating with France at the prefent mo- 
Vee Wes ment, 






