- 
ae ak 
concur, and voted for ‘the inquiry.. He 
paid many compliments to the late Admi- 
niftration ; but fpoke in terms of unqua- 
lified coniure of the prefent, which he 
charaéterized as a ‘thing of fhreds and 
patches,” forming God knows what, and 
confifting of God knows whom! They 
might poffefs talents, but that was a 
chance. Hitherto they had remained hid 
in s ator buried in fecuriiy. 
. Pitt obferved, that the honourable 
chap who had brought forward the 
prefent motion had employed a great part 
of his fpeech in proving the unworthinels 
‘of the late Adminiftration. Here Mr. 
Pirt entered into an individual analyfis of 
the character of the different new Muini- 
fters. He next took notice of the Northern 
Confederacy, and acknowledged himfelf 
the moft retponfible man, the deepeft im- 
plicated in the meafure of any of his Ma- 
jefty’s Council. With refpeét te Catholic 
Emancipation, he certainly was not anxi-_ 
ous that the queftion fhould be now agi- 
tated. It certainly was his with, in con- 
fequence of the union of the two king- 
doms, to releafe the Catholics from thofe 
partial reftri€tions under which they ftill 
laboured. He could fay with ftriét truth, 
that no pledge was ever given to the Ca- 
tholics; and turther he was authorifed to 
add, that the Catholics never underitood 
him tovhavedonesi.. Heber sheld’ it 23 
a fixed opinion, that the reftoration of 
monarchy in France would effentially con-_ 
tribute to the fecurity of Europe; but he 
never confidered it as the five qua non of 
eace. He then entered upona retrofpect 
of the ftate of the finances of the country, 
which he contended were infinitely detter 
known, and more generally underfiood, 
fince hid coming into office than formerly. 
From this fubject Mr. Pitt turned to the 
circumftances ‘of the Northern Confede- 
racy, and the rights of neutral nations. 
‘The object of the meafure lately adcpied, 
he faid, was to vindicate our effential 
rights ; but at the fame time to neglect 
no.opportunity of obtaining redreis, if 
practicable, in a pacific manner. He 
fhould mention the five points at iflue, to 
which he hoped gentlemen would confine 
themicives, whether they meant to argue 
the queition cither as lawyers or as ftate- 
men. Thefe were, 1ft, ‘Themaxim, that 
“free bottoms made free goods.” 2d, The 
definition as to the ftores which were to 
be confidered as contraband in war. 3d, 
Under what circumftances a port was to 
be confidered in a fate of blockade. th, 
The right of neutrals to ¢arry on a com- 
merce to which they were not entitled in 
State of Public Affairs in April, 1801, 
time of peace: and sth, The right of 
fearch, without which all the reft were 
nugatory. The maxim that ‘ free bot- 
toms made free goods,”” he obferved, was 
controverted by all the beft writers on the 
law of nations, and by the uniform deci- 
fion of our own tribunals. The ftores which 
were to be confidered as contraband, of 
war,had been defined by the exifting trea- 
ties with Denmark and Sweden. With 
refpect to the right of fearch, it’ had never 
been formally aneeded to us, but'it had 
been feveral times regulated by treaty, 
which in tact amounted to a tacit admif= . 
fion of the right. The fact at prefent 
3s, that four nations have leagued to 
procure, in defiance of the moft folemn 
treaties and engagements, a new code of 
maritime laws, which they endeavourar bi- 
trarily to force upon Europe. It is a vi- 
olation of public faith and the rights of 
England, and calls upon Englifhmen to 
refilt it even to the lait fhilling and the 
laft drop of blood, rather than tamely 
fubmit to desrading conceflicn, or meanly 
yield the rights of the country to fhameful 
ufurpation. 
Mr. Fox, in a moft mafterly fpeech, ad- 
verting to the expreffion made ule of by 
Mr. Pitt, that the- principle affumed by 
the Northern Coufederacy was a Jacobin 
principle, obferved, that he believed the 
principle was firft broached by Frederick 
the Great of ee He agreed with 
the Right Hon. Gentleman, in denying 
that ‘ free feos made free goods;”° 
nor did his honourable friend (Mr. Grey) 
contend for the principle; but upon a 
queftion of policy whether it ought to be 
mace the grounds‘of a declaration ofwar. If 
the conduct of his Majefy-Minifters (faid_ 
Mr. Fox) was fuch as it ought toe be, why 
fhrink from inquiry? Did net the dif- 
graceful retreat from Holland demand in- 
quiry, where we purchafed our permiftion 
to depart by a furrender of 8,000 troops ? 
Afterdwelling for fome time in deferibing 
the battle of Marengo and the afcent of 
Eonaparte upon the Alps, after which he 
gained feveral battles, which put an end 
to .the German war, he condemned our 
refufal to treat fingly with the Firft Con- 
ful, and faid we were now reduced to the 
ss taho of doing fo. After all the powers 
on the continent had withdrawn from the 
conflict, to the difgrace of England, fhe 
was left to fhift for herielf, and'was re- . 
duced below the dignity of one: of the 
moft petty princes of Germany, by not 
being confulted in any one article of a 
peace, which involved. the’ balance of 
power in Europe in a much greater de- 
gree 
[May 3, 7 
i 
f 
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Ms 
