184 
ment, more efpecially as he confidered the 
Conful’s impatience as a confeffion of his 
weaknefs. He added, that his ufurpation 
might yet be completely overthrown, by 
the united and continued efforts of Great 
Britain and her Allies, if it did not fall 
a victim to thofe internal attacks which 
the power of a ftranger and a defpot had 
to dread. 
Mr. Fox, whofe expected appearance, af- 
ter fo long an abfence, had crowded the gal- 
leries and all the avenues leading to the 
houfe of Commons, began by obferving, 
that although we were now at a new zra of 
the war, yet we were led back to the very 
commencement of it, forits motive. Af- 
ter feven long years of calamitous hoftilities, 
fhere was nothing before the houfe but a re- 
petition cf the fame fanciful calculations 
refpecting financial refources, and the 
{prings of human action, by which they have 
been fo often deceived. He was free toavow 
that in his judgment we were theaggreflors, 
in re{pect to the prefent conteft; the. fame 
was alfo clear in regard to Auftria and 
Pruffia. The late French king had no 
~ @oubt perifhed cruelly; there was howe- 
wer a moral certainty that he had a&ted 
in concert with Auftria: and in refpeét to 
the declaration of Pilnitz, if any twopow- 
ers on the Continent had figned fuch a 
paper with a view to our internal govern- 
ment, we fhould moft certainly have con- 
fidered it asa violent agegreflion. France, 
as Mr. Fox was willing to allow, had dif- 
gufted all Europe; but many of the in- 
Rances quoted, wereincorrect. Sardinia, 
when attacked, was actually one of the 
belligerent powers, and fubfidifed by this 
country. What had been faid of her, in 
refpect to Switzerland, might be ‘applied 
to the allied powers in regard to Poland. 
But it might be afked, who firft endanger. 
ed the liberty of Switzerland, by endea- 
vouring to force her from her neutrality ? 
Wiio, but Great Britain? His noble 
relation, Lord R. Fitzgerald, was the 
perfon charged to fay, that her neutra- 
kity was regarded as criminal. Our con- 
duct was precifely fimilar, both in refpe& 
fo Tufcany and Genoa ; and this war 
had in faét been remarkably productive 
of the infolence of the greater towards the 
. fmaller ftates. 
He then proceeded to notice our former 
Wegociations with France, and afferted, 
that every objection to treating at prefent, 
went equa!ly‘againit the negociations of 
£796, and 1797. The minifter now, for 
the firft time, had given an honeft account 
of thefe tranfactions; for hehad ftated that 
he was apprehenfive of danger from the 
fuccefs of a treaty,’ and that he was led to 
megociate, only inconfequence of the wae- 
State of Public Affairs in February, 1300. 
[Mareh 4, 
quivocal voice of the people: but he could 
not believe him fincere in the firft negoci- 
ation, when he was apprehenfive of danger, 
and was dictated to by a voice to whick 
he was fo unaccuftomed to liften ! 
The premier had faid, that he did not wifla 
to prefs the Bourbon family onthe people of 
France; but he has only pointed out that 
path to peace, without mentioning any 
other: he has not even afked for their coz- 
tre-projet, nor does it appear that he wilk 
liften toit, if offered. Was the conteft to 
be continued through every change of cir- 
cumftances, until either a Bourbon was 
placed upon the throne, er a Bonaparte 
was enabled to tread on our necks? He 
then begged leave to make a folemn appeal 
to the houfe, and to afk, whether, if the 
Minilter had aéted on the declaration of 
1797, and entered into & negociation, they 
would net have been ready to vote an ad- 
drefs of thanks? He concluded by hoping 
that the Adminiftration would at length 
take fome pity on the condition of man, 
and not continue the war for a mere thro- 
ry. The houfe then divided. Ayes 265. 
Noes 64—Maijority for the addrefs zor. 
Since cur laft, a debate has taken place 
in both houfes of parliament, relative t» 
the late unfostunate expedition to Holland, 
Mr. Sheridan, on the roth. of February, 
made a motion in the Houfe of Commons, 
for a committee of inquiry on this fubjeét, 
but it was negatived by a majority of 171. 
—A frefh fufpenfonof the Habeas Corpus 
A&; has recently taken place, notwith- 
ftanding fo {trong a meafure does not feem 
to be in the leaft juftified by the prefent 
quiet ftate of the nation; but, wonderful 
as it may feem, this was actually urged as 
a motive.— The prefent high price of corn, 
added to the apprehenfion of a fcarcity, 
are fubje&ts which have arouzed and oc- 
cupied the attention of Parliament. Tn 
confequence of this, a bill for the regu- 
lation of bakers has juft obtained the royalk 
affent; it muft be allowed however, that 
a real] want of bread-corn can never be al- 
leviated to a great degree by any other 
mode than that of an increafed importa- 
tion.—Earl Stanhope, who lately refumed 
his feat in the houfe of peers, has earneftly 
invoked its attention to the increafing 
accumulation of our public debt. He 
was at the fame time pleafed to attribute — 
the prefent fearcity tothe war, and to au- 
gur a numerous train of evils in cafe of 
its continuation. On this occafion, he 
alluded to the fyftem of education lately 
introduced into his dominions, by the 
King of Pruffia ; and, afterdefcanting on. 
the abufe of the term ‘facebini/m, aflerted, 
that he fhould always be proud tobe rank- 
ed with fuch men as Jacobin Chatham, 
i Taco. 
