284 
health, were renewed, in the Houfe of 
Commons, by Mr. Grey; in the Houfe 
of Peers, by. the Earl of Fitzwilliam. 
The anfwers., were fo fatisfactory re- 
fpecting the King’s recovery, as to leave 
no room for the prepofition of any new 
meature in- Parliament, relative to the 
fupreme funétions of the Executive Go- 
verniment. 
On the 14th, Mr. Creevey propofed an 
enquiry into the cendu& of the Britith 
Government, and its fervants, towards 
the native inhabitancs of the ifland of 
Ceylon; reprefenting, with a full detail 
ef particulars, that it had been highly 
inconfiderate and unju&. But, he failed 
te perfuade the Houfe, that it ought to 
yield to fis motion.—Mr, Francis moved; 
the fame day,’ and with no better fuccefs, 
for an enquiry into the origin and juf- 
ticé-of the prefent war with the Mah- 
rattas. 
But the moft important moticn of 
enquiry that has been lately made, was 
that propofed by Mr. Pitt, relating to the 
Naval Defence of this country. He re- 
refented the ftrength and attivity of the 
Nevy to be, now, confiderably leis, than 
in the late war. He complained that 
there was in particular, a great defigjency 
in thofe {mall armed iveffels, which muft 
naturally be the fitteft to cope with the 
gun-boats of the French. He lamented 
the want of due aétivity in the dock- 
yards, and the negleét of the convenient 
policy of having fhips of war built by 
the merchants, upon commiffion. The 
diftribution of the fquadrons, the general 
fyitem of the operations of the fleet, the 
manner in which the Navy is now fup- 
plied with feamen and marines, but efpe- 
cially the fiate of the naval defence of 
the coaft, and the tone and tenor of the 
conduct of the Admiralty, were reviewed, 
in his {peech, with ftrong and poiated 
cenfure. Mr. Tierney defended the pre- 
fent adminiitration of the Navy; and 
reprefented the whole naval force of the 
Empire now to confift of not fewer than 
1500 fhips of war. Sir C. M. Pole 
zealoufly reprefented the prefent plan of 
“ our naval operations offenfive and defen- 
five 'o be the bett adapted of any that a 
profcflional feaman could well imagine, 
for fuccefsful oppofition to the force and 
defigns of the enemy. Sir Edward Pellew 
gaye a fimilar opinion; and informed the 
Houle that within every three weeks, the 
fhips of war under his command, on the 
fiation he lately’ occupied had been re- 
lieved regularly ; and that gun-brigs and 
other fuch veflels as now formed the 
SEES 
State of Public Affairs in March, 1804. 
[April 1, 
blockade of the port of Boulogne were 
‘much fitter than any fmaller ones to 
act fuccefsfully againft the French gun- 
boats. He even added, that he thought it 
impoffible for any French force fufficient 
to make a defcent on the Britith or Irifh 
coafts, to efcare acrofs the Channel, un- 
difcovered by the Englith fquadrons, as 
thefe are now diftributed, and main. 
tained in adtive-vigilance. Mr. Sheridan 
zealoufly vindicated the conduét of the 
Earl of St. Vincent’s at the head of the 
Admiralty; and pronounced a very high 
eulogy on the vigour and integrity with 
which that illuftricus nobleman has fup- 
prefied peculation and embezzlement in 
different departments of the naval fer- 
. Vice ; as well as on the energy, the vigi- 
lance, the comprehenfive and difcerning 
pro'effional judgment with which he has 
managed the equipment and the diitri- 
bution of the fleets, convoys, and cruizers, 
and on his care not only to fupply by 
ew equipments, the conftant waite of 
war and navigation, but ftill, likewile, 
to increafe the force of the Royal Navy, 
and the numbers of its fhipping. Mr. 
Fox cordially joined in the praifes of 
Lord St. Vincent’s, but was not averfe 
from an enquiry, the refult of which 
could not, in his judgment, fail to crown 
that nobieman’s charaéter with new ho- 
nous. Mr. George Ponfonby called, 
alfo, for an enquiry, Many other mem. 
bers {poke in the debate; and it was 
continued to great length. The Chan. 
cellor of the Exchequer fpoke ftrenu- 
oufly againft the motion. The Houfe at 
Jaft, divided on the que(ltion. Not fewer 
than 130 voted with Mr. Pitt; but his 
motion of. Enquiry was reje&ted by a ma- 
‘jority of zo1. There was a felicity in 
the choice of this queftion, inafmuch as 
it was almo the only one on which the 
friends of Mr. Fox and thofe of Mr. Pitt 
could divide together againft the Admi- 
niftrarion, without any very confpicuous » 
dercli&tion of the principles upon which 
they had been before in mutual hoftility 
between themfelves. It was obferved, 
that, in this initance, not only Mr. Sheri- 
dan, but alfo the other fervants of his 
Royal Highnefs the Prince of Wales, 
gave their votes with the Adminiitration, 
FRANCE 
Has been lately the {cene of events which 
fhew its Confular Government not to be 
as yet ina flate of full ftability. The ~ 
Jacobins, the fureft guardians of the re- 
publican eftablifhments have heen almoft 
difipated and annthilated as a party, by 
the general abhorrence of their revolu. . 
‘ tionary 
