15 E midable empire, the treafure would perhaps have been lefs fruitlessly expended than in most of the wars in which this nation has lately engaged. com Tope has more than once been overwhelmed by hordes of favages from the frozen regions of the north; nor is it entirely vifionary to fay, that it is at leaft within the bounds of poffibility, that, while the civilizedAs, in the courfe of the precedAtates of Europe may be internally ing feflion, a confiderable difference agitated by the difficult procefs of of opinion had exifted relative to meliorating and correcting their the fuppofed flate of the national forms, of government, they may finances, the chancellor of the exfall a prey to a favage defpot, whofe chequer, on the 8th of April, moved refources are inexhauflible, and for the appointment of a felect whofe ambition, avarice and cru-,mittee to enquire into, the ftate of elty are relentless, But fhould no- the public income, and expenditure. thing like this be the cafe, fhould To this he added, that, the number there be no reason to apprehend the of the faid committee be nine, and forcible fubverfion of the free, and that they be chofen by ballot. On civilized ftates of Europe, it is a the Monday following the commitmatter of fome moment that a pow-tee was chofen; and, with a great er, with a temper and difpofition degree of diligence and attention, fuch as we have defcribed, fhould they produced a very accurate report be able, on any occafional caprice, fufficiently carly, in the feffion to to plunge all Europe into the cala-meet the opening of the minifter's mities of war, The arrangements budget on the 18th of May too which fuch a power may eftablish with refpect to other nations, will probably on fome occafion be found bmaterially to affect the commerce and the other external interefts of this country. If therefore, in conjunction with fuch a force as that of Pruffia, Great Britain had expended a few millions in diminish. ing the enormous power of that for 2 C In ftating the articles of expenditure, and of ways and means for the current year, Mr. Pitt defired to keep them entirely feparate from the expences of the armament on the difpute with Spain, which had been already provided for. This being the cafe, the other annual expences of the nation stood as follows: Army 1,853,900 Ordnance 443,000 Deficiency of land and malt tax 400,000 207,000 Mifcellaneous fervices 694,000 Sum total of the fupplies £5,728,000 The ways and means for railing that fupply were as follows: Surplus of the permanent taxes, deducting the intereft of the public debt and the civil lift power threatened to be fatal to Poland and the northern states, and was formidable to all Europe. Lord Fitzwilliam's motion was negatived by a confiderable majority. It that th I our trade with Poland entirely de. pendent on the will of the king of Pruffia. Oh the e other hand it was con tended by lord Mulgrave and others, not till the 9th of May That it was a well-known fact topic was renewed, when that Ruffia, ever fince the had the ftate of the negociation ap- emerged from barbarism, about 200 peared to warrant oppofition in years ago, had been pursuing one bringing forward a motion ground- regular scheme of ambition to exbed on the importance of the Ruffian tend her conquefts far and wide!" trade. In oppofition to their argu-The motion was negatived by 96 ments on the occafion, however, it againft 29. V was ftated by lord Grenville, that A feeble attempt was made in • the trade was infinitely more advan- the house of lords, towards the clofe tageous to Ruffa than to us; and if of the fellion, to prevent the proroBritish commerce had been carried bigation of parliament till the Ruffian to any extent in Ruffia, it was not difpute fhould be terminated; but on account of any exclufive pri- it was negatived without a divifion. vileges we poffeffed, but for this In a former chapter we have briefly reafon because the Ruffian con- ftated in what manner and upon fumers found themfelves better fup- what terms the peace was concludplied from Great Britain than fromed between Ruffia and the Porte. any other, market and, on the As the war was certainly unpopular other hand, the Ruffian merchant in England, it is probable that our 16 found a better market for his com- miniftry thought it prudent to abate modities in Great Britain than elle- of their demands. As a concef, ***where" no asif q:32 01 fion to popular opinion, every friend to liberty will rejoice in the circumftance; but the politician, who looks deep into the designs of courts, and the probable caufe of events, will hefitate before he abfolutely condemns administration for their interference on that occafion. the Lord Rawdon obferved, that on a former day it had been stated, that Great Britain was under no specific engagement to the king of Pruffia to enter on this war, but that expediency had dictated the measure. If, inftead of that ground which had been ftated by his majesty's minifC ters, they had stated, that a fecret treaty had been entered into with Pruffia, he should have commended them for their prefent conduct in ftanding to their engagements. The marquis of Lanfdowne cor roborated much of what had fallen from ford Rawdon, and remarked, that it had been the policy of for mer times to try at all hazards to keep Dantzick out of the hands of Pruflia; and we were now endea vouring to put Pruffia in poffeffion of that place, and thereby render C 1. Difapproving, as we unrefervedly do, of the Pruffian alliance, we cannot help thinking that every ftatefman who wishes well to the peace, profperity, and liberties of Europe will look with a jealous eye on the proceedings of Ruffia. The rage for univerfal dominion is a rage which will in general-only poflefs the mind of a barbarian but the evidence of hiflory affures us that it is as natural to man in a certain ftate of fociety, as it is contrary to his feelings in a state of high cultiva tion and luxurious enjoyment. Eu rope 4 midable empire, the treafure would perhaps have been lefs fruitlessly expended than in moft of the wars in which this nation has lately engaged. As, in the course of the preceding feflion, a confiderable difference of opinion had exifted relative to the fuppofed ftate of the national finances, the chancellor of the exchequer, on the 8th of April, moved for the appointment of a felect com rope has more than once been overwhelmed by hordes of favages from the frozen regions of the north; nor is it entirely vifionary to fay, that it is at leaft within the bounds of poffibility, that, while the civilized Atates of Europe may be internally agitated by the difficult procefs of meliorating and correcting their forms, of government, they may fall a prey to a favage defpot, whofe refources are inexhaufible, and whofe ambition, avarice aud cru-mittee to enquire into, the fate of elty are relentless. But fhould no- the public income, and expenditure. thing like this be the cafe, fhould To this he added, that, the number there be no reason to apprehend the of the faid committee be nine, and forcible fubverfion of the free and that they be chofen by ballot. On civilized ftates of Europe, it is a the Monday following the commitmatter of fome moment that a pow- tee was chofen; and, with a great er, with a temper and difpofition degree of diligence and attention, fuch as we have defcribed, fhould they produced a very accurate report be able, on any occational caprice,fufficiently carly in the feffion to to plunge all Europe into the cala-meet the opening of the minifter's mities of war, The arrangements budget on the 18th of May. too which fuch a power may eftablish In ftating the articles of expenwith refpect to other nations, will diture, and of ways, and means for probably on fome occafion be found the current year, Mr. Pitt defired bmaterially to affect the commerce to keep them entirely feparate from and the other external interefts of the expences of the armament on this country. If therefore, in the difpute with Spain, which had conjunction with fuch a force as been already provided for. This that of Pruffia, Great Britain had being the cafe, the other annual expended a few millions in diminish- expences of the nation food as folng the enormous power of that for lows: C. Navy 443,000 Deficiency of land and malt tax 400,000 Deficiency of grants 297,000 Mifcellaneous fervices 694,000 The ways and means for railing that fupply were as follows: -Surplus of the permanent taxes, deducting the interest of the public debt and the civil lift Land and malt Surplus of last year Lottery £2,750,000 1303,220 300,250 emprefs, and the therefore wanted Oczakow as a place of defence for her own territory. He next mentioned the importance of our trade with Ruffia, and observed that ford Chatham had refufed, when preffed by the king of Pruffia, to fend a fleet into the Baltic, for fear of interrupting that commerce. He did not wish to alarm the country with refpect to its refources; but he was fure that every additional burthen, in its prefent fituation, mult be feverely felt. Mr. Grey concluded his remarks with propofing the following refolutions; which we infert at large, as they exhibit the fubftance of the arguments of oppofition on the Ruffian armament in a peculiarly clear and condenfed ftate: I. "That it is at all times, and particularly under the prefent circumftances, the intereft of this country to preserve peace." II. That it is neither reafonable or juft to take up arms for the purpofe of dictating terms of peace between two nations engaged in hoftilities, without any "reference either to the cause of "the difputes, or the circumstances "of the war." III. That the refufal of an "offer of mediation is no juft caufe " of war." under the prefent circumstances, "as far as this houfe is informed, "highly inexpedient and unneceffaryen das f The refolutions of Mr. Grey were oppofed by lord Belgrave, Mr. Pybus, Mr. Ryder, Mr. J. T. Stanley, fir William Young, and Mr. Dundas; and fupported by major Maitland, lord North, Mr. Powys, Mr. Whitbread, and Mr. Sheridan. On the fide of the miniftry a degree of confidence was claimed, not on vague or indefinite ground, but on the unequivocal and fure one of their former merits. Peace, it was faid, was certainly preferable to war; but even war was preferable to difhonourable tranquillity. Ocplace of IV. That during the progrefs zaków was reprefented as a c of the war betwcen Ruffia and "the Porte, and fince the taking "of Oczakow, this houfe has received repeated affurances from "the throne, that the fituation of af"fairs continued to promife to this country the uninterrupted enjoyment of the blefings of peace." V. "That, convinced of the truth of the affurances which we have received from the throne, this houfe has hitherto confidered little importance; but it should be remembered that it was the key of Conftantinople, and thened led to the acquifition of the lower Egypt and Alexandria, &e. It was acknowledged that we were hot bound by treaty to affi Pruffia on the prefent occafion, and that it would be even imprudent in this country to promote the defigns of the court of Berlin in any plan of national aggrandifendent or conqueft! But be though སྙུ ཙ though, qur interference might not be, expressly called for by treaty, it might be effentially neceflary to the welfare of Europe, and our own fafety fuch was the cafe with refpect to Holland, where we were under no federal neceffity of becoming parties; but the balance, of power required that that country fhould be prevented from falling under the direction of France. Setting afide every idea of the intrinfic importance of the Turkish empire, the unprecedented aggrandifement of Ruffia was a moft alarming circumftance, If he were fuffered to realize her obvious fchemes of conqueft and dominion, fhe would certainly hereafter do us more harm than her friendship could do us good. Her ambition extended to the annihilation of all the powers of the north, of Denmark, Sweden, and Poland; with the latter of which our interefts were materially connected. The hemp which we received through Ruffia, was chiefly the growth of Poland; and if it could not be exported through Riga, there were other ports to which our merchantmen could have accefs viz. Memel, Dantzick, &c. But if the emprefs was fuffered to proceed in her fcheme of univerfal empire in the north, he would haye it effectually in her power to withhold our naval fupplies when ever he might think proper. Circumftanced as he was at prefent, it was urged, a war would be lefs difadvantageous in a commercial view to us than to her. The balance of trade in favour of Ruffia was lated to be 1,500,000l. The iniquitous tranfactions of the court of Peterburgh, in attempting to unite the powers of the Baltic against us in the time of our diftrefs, in wresting the Crimea from the Forte, and above all, in dif membering the unhappy kingdom of Poland, were ftated in glowing colours. Our trade with Turkey was noticed as being far from contemptible, as it was a rifing trade and, in the last year, the exports amounted to Soo 'T was In addition to the former argu ments of oppofition, it was now contended that minifters had, profelfed that the late armament to enfure permanent tranquillity to the country. It was, further faid, that if even the interests of an ally were concerned, that was no reafon why we should not attend a little to our own. This was a favourable opportunity for reducing our eftablishment, and turning our attention to the cultivation of peace, The aggrandifement of Ruffia was acknowledged to be a formidable circumftance to this country; but how could it be proved that Oczakow in the hands of the czarina could hurt either the interefts of Pruffia or this country? It was even fuggefted that Oczakow was held out to the world as the pretence for this armament, when in fact its object was the aggrandifement of the king of Pruffia; and that the ac quifition of Thorn and Dantzick, which were guaranteed to Poland by us, was the object, with that ambitious monarch. Mr. Sheridan in particular, in a happy vein of irony, ridiculed the filence of miniftry, the doctrine of implicit confidence, the devotion of our court to the views of Pruffia, and particularly the delufions of the minifter with refpect to the fi nances. He asked whether the right honourable gentleman recollected the very different profpects to which we had been directed to turn our eyes in this year? Did he recollect that this was the promifed millennium? that halcyon year, |