This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1804 edition. Excerpt: ...war as truly experimental in their hands, as their late-C unfortunate and ill-omened peace f The noble lord on the other side (Westmorland) has told us, in justification of the conduct of ministers, in the interval called peace, that it was the known and declared intention of parliament, and the wish of the nation, to preserve the peace at any rate, and by any concessions; and that ministers, in obedience and conformity to these sentiments, acted prudently in not communicating to parliament every humiliating step they took to preserve the peace; as such communication would only have mortified parliament and exasperated the people. This is the only defence we have yet heard for compromising the honour and dignity of the nation; by temporising and unequal conduct, amidst increasing provocation and insults; this is their defence for deceiving parliament and the nation into the belief of uninterrupted peace and harmony, whilst they knew (as their own declaration manifests'), that from the signature of the treaty of Amiens nothing but violence, aggression and. encroachment, characterized the conduct of France, and whilst they themselves (in one short-lived interval of humiliating submissions), actually commenced hostilities, by private orders for the retention of the Cape, which they soon after revoked without any communication to parliament? Under these circumstances is it possible to doubt that this s a proper subject for our investigation, and that it is so at th's Vol. III.--1303. 8 R moment, Lord SPENCER contended that the peace was uncalled for, and was only sanctioned on the repeated assurances of its permanency.: Lord MELVILLE supported the motion for an adjournment, on the ground that we otsght at present only to discuss the best means for...