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Article PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS. Page 1 of 7 →
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Parliamentary Proceedings.
PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS .
HOUSE or LORDS , JAN . 26 . I- 'HE Duke of Bedford rose to make a motion , conformable to -notice which - he had given on a former night . It was not his wish , he said , to envelope the question in darkness and obscurity , but he would state it fairly , in hopes that his Majesty ' sMinisters would be induced to agree to his proposition . HisGrace said , that it would be a considerable satisfaction to the people to know the object tor which Government was fighting , which was equally unknown to this country as to France . "
He trusted that Ministers had abandoned the monstrous idea of subduing the , French by famine , an idea so barbarous , as would disgrace the most savage times . Such sentiments of barbarity shocked the feelings of Englishmen , whom Ministers must now know were anxious for peace ; for never , he believed , and lie would not except the American war , had affairs taken , in so short a compass , so extraordinary a turn . After having , spoken a considerable time , his Grace , concludedwith moving"That it is the inion of this Housethai the existence
, , op , of the present Government in France should not be considered , at this time , as precluding a Negotiation for Peace . " Lord Grenville conceived , that there was a total misapprehension of the sentiments of Ministers , -and what he was going io ' advalice would go chiefly to cor- _ rect this mistake . The motion of the Noble Duke was capable of two different and opposite interpretations . To the proposition in the abstract he could freely , assent , but its application to the circumstances of the present case he would
most firmly oppose . On the first day of the Session he had been asked a very unusual question , What was the object of the War , and what we . re the conditions of Peace ? and lie was required to give an answer in two words . He answered the question in one , Security . He never had said , that he would not treat with a .-Republic , and those who supposed that he had ever uttered such a sentiment , had entirely-misapprehended his meaning ; all he wished for in France was , the establishment of such a Government as was consistent with the safety of this country and the tranquillity of other kingdoms . After several observations he begged
leave to move the following amendment : " Resolved , that under the present circumstances this House feels itself callec ? upon to declare its determination firmly and steadily-to support his Majesty in the vigorous prosecution of the present just and necessary war , as affording at this time the only reasonable expectation of permanent security and Peace to this country ; and that for the attainment of these objects this House relies with equal confidence on his Majesty ' s intention to employ vigorously the forces and resources of the country , in support of its essential interests ; and on the desire uniformly manifested by bis Majesty to effect a pacification on just and honourable grounds with any Government in France , under whatever form , which shall appear capable of maintaining the accustomed relations of Peace and amity with other countries . "
A long debate took place , in which the Duke of Norfolk , the Bishop of La ; i « - daff , the Marquis of Lansclown , the Earl of Lauderdale , the Marquis of Abercorn , the Duke of Leeds , and the Earl of Guildford spoke in favour of the original motion ; and the Earl of Darnley , the Duke of Athol , Lord Hawkesbury ,. Lord Auckland , the Bishop of Durham , and ihe Lord Chancellor , in favour of the amendment ; at half past four in the morning their Lordships divided on the Duke of Bedford's motion , Contents , 15—Non-Contents SS . 29 . The Attorney-General , Mr . Pitt , and several other ' Members from the
Commons , brought up the Bill for continuing the suspension of tlie Habeas Corpus Act , which was read the first time , and ordered to be read a second time . Vol . IV . R
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Parliamentary Proceedings.
PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS .
HOUSE or LORDS , JAN . 26 . I- 'HE Duke of Bedford rose to make a motion , conformable to -notice which - he had given on a former night . It was not his wish , he said , to envelope the question in darkness and obscurity , but he would state it fairly , in hopes that his Majesty ' sMinisters would be induced to agree to his proposition . HisGrace said , that it would be a considerable satisfaction to the people to know the object tor which Government was fighting , which was equally unknown to this country as to France . "
He trusted that Ministers had abandoned the monstrous idea of subduing the , French by famine , an idea so barbarous , as would disgrace the most savage times . Such sentiments of barbarity shocked the feelings of Englishmen , whom Ministers must now know were anxious for peace ; for never , he believed , and lie would not except the American war , had affairs taken , in so short a compass , so extraordinary a turn . After having , spoken a considerable time , his Grace , concludedwith moving"That it is the inion of this Housethai the existence
, , op , of the present Government in France should not be considered , at this time , as precluding a Negotiation for Peace . " Lord Grenville conceived , that there was a total misapprehension of the sentiments of Ministers , -and what he was going io ' advalice would go chiefly to cor- _ rect this mistake . The motion of the Noble Duke was capable of two different and opposite interpretations . To the proposition in the abstract he could freely , assent , but its application to the circumstances of the present case he would
most firmly oppose . On the first day of the Session he had been asked a very unusual question , What was the object of the War , and what we . re the conditions of Peace ? and lie was required to give an answer in two words . He answered the question in one , Security . He never had said , that he would not treat with a .-Republic , and those who supposed that he had ever uttered such a sentiment , had entirely-misapprehended his meaning ; all he wished for in France was , the establishment of such a Government as was consistent with the safety of this country and the tranquillity of other kingdoms . After several observations he begged
leave to move the following amendment : " Resolved , that under the present circumstances this House feels itself callec ? upon to declare its determination firmly and steadily-to support his Majesty in the vigorous prosecution of the present just and necessary war , as affording at this time the only reasonable expectation of permanent security and Peace to this country ; and that for the attainment of these objects this House relies with equal confidence on his Majesty ' s intention to employ vigorously the forces and resources of the country , in support of its essential interests ; and on the desire uniformly manifested by bis Majesty to effect a pacification on just and honourable grounds with any Government in France , under whatever form , which shall appear capable of maintaining the accustomed relations of Peace and amity with other countries . "
A long debate took place , in which the Duke of Norfolk , the Bishop of La ; i « - daff , the Marquis of Lansclown , the Earl of Lauderdale , the Marquis of Abercorn , the Duke of Leeds , and the Earl of Guildford spoke in favour of the original motion ; and the Earl of Darnley , the Duke of Athol , Lord Hawkesbury ,. Lord Auckland , the Bishop of Durham , and ihe Lord Chancellor , in favour of the amendment ; at half past four in the morning their Lordships divided on the Duke of Bedford's motion , Contents , 15—Non-Contents SS . 29 . The Attorney-General , Mr . Pitt , and several other ' Members from the
Commons , brought up the Bill for continuing the suspension of tlie Habeas Corpus Act , which was read the first time , and ordered to be read a second time . Vol . IV . R