the deviation that had taken place in the manner of laying the accounts before the house, and thought there would be a confiderable deficiency in the fupplies. Mr. Steele faid that what Mr. Pitt had ftated was very fair at the time, and reafonable in the expectation, although many of the items fell very far fhort of the estimate; the confequence of which was, that exchequer bills were iffued to fupply the defect, and those were paid off when they become productive. There was now due on the land tax of 1799, 344,000l. on the year 1800,900,0001. Thefe fums belonged to the year ending laft April. They were in the hands of the receivers, in their progress towards the exchequer; all of it would be paid, and would difcharge what remained due on the confolidated fund on the 5th of April laft.

It was wifer for the chancellor of the exchequer to flate what remained due on the former years, and to affume that it would be paid in the enfuing year, than to pafs it by altogether as unproductive, on account of its not being received; because the money might be raised, by exchequer bills, as it was wanted.

After a little converfation between Mr. Addington, Mr. Lee, and fir J. Parnell, the queftion was put, and the refolution voted. Mr. Addington then moved the next refolution, and it was ordered that bills be brought in upon the faid refolutions.

The only fubfidy granted this year was a small fum for the defence of Portugal, and it occafioned fome debates which it is proper briefly to notice.

The houfe, on the 18th of May, having refolved itself into a com

1801.

mittee of fupply, and a meffage from his majefty relative to granting a fubfidy to Portugal of 300,000l. being read, lord Hawkesbury faid, if it was ftated that fubfidies were wrong, with reference to British objects, he fhould only anfwer, that hiftory proved that the only war in which, in the course of the laft century, this country had failed, was that in which it had no continental alliances, and confequently no fubfidies to grant-he meant the American war. He could easily conceive that many gentlemen might object to fubfidies. for offenfive operations, fuch as thofe to Auftria and Ruffia, and yet would admit that a fubfidy to an old ally, not for offenfive but defenfive operations, might not only be right, but that it was a duty of parliament to grant it. The power for whom he rofe to propofe a fubfidy was one which, for more than a century, had behaved with fidelity towards us, and afforded us its affiftance and co-operation. It was a fubfidy to a power that we were engaged to fupport. The. only reason that could be stated againft the motion was, that it was equally the intereft of Portugal and of this country that the former fhould make a feparate peace with France; that, alfo, fuch a peace could not be made without great facrifices; yet that it would be better to make them than continue the war; and that if the object of the fubfidy was to induce Portugal to continue the war, it would be detrimental, inftead of being of fervice. A short statement would convince thofe who reafoned thus that there was no ground whatever for their arguments. He was ready to admit that his majefty had thought it right to abfolve Portugal

D

from

from any engagement not to make a feparate peace, if it could be obtained on terms confiftent with its honour? but it was impoffible for any one to look at the ftate of the continent and the conduct of the French government towards Naples, and doubt whether Portugal could make peace on any terms confiftent with her honour and independence. Under thefe circumftances, he would leave it to the houfe to fay, whether, if fuch affiftance as he fhould propofe might have the effect of enabling Portugal to nego. tiate on better terms, or, in cafe of negotiation failing, of preparing for more effectual refiftance, there could be any objection to grant it. Every motive of policy demanded fuch a fubfidy, whether we wifhed Portugal to make peace or not. When he observed that it was only intended to enable Portugal to maintain an army of 20,000 men, it might not appear inadequate.

Mr. Grey faid, he admitted that it was of importance to preferve Portugal from being over-run by the French he admitted alfo that fhe had the most powerful claims to our protection; but he disapproved of the affiftance which was propofed to be fent to her, becaufe he doubted of its efficacy. From the conduct of the predeceffors of the noble lord and his bold defence of all their measures, it might be inferred that fubfidies were politic in all poffible cafes, and that nothing was fo defirable as an opportunity to grant one. Examine the hiftory of the prefent war, calculate the extravagant amount of the fums they had thus fquandered.. "For what purpose," faid Mr. Grey, "is this fubfidy granted? not to flir up Portugal to make war, we are

told; but to enable her to negotiate with advantage." He was affured that the fubfidy propofed would raise the demands of the invader. Laft fummer, general Berthier went to Madrid, and no one doubted the object of his miffion yet minifters remained inactive, and took not the smallest notice of the danger which thus threatened our ally. When twenty or thirty thoufand French were joined to the troops of Spain, would any one say that Portugal had the leaft chance of fuccefs? When Portugal was not threatened with invafion, when Spain fhowed difpofitions rather friendly, when every foldier that could be raised in France was fent to Italy and the banks of the Rhine, then a formidable British force was kept up in Portugal under fir Charles Stewart, When the continental war was over, when our enemies had the ability, and teftified the ftrongeft inclination, to attack our ally, what did we do for her? Portugal was left without a fingle British foldier, an ealy prey to the conqueror. Had the convention of El-Arifh been fuffered to remain unbroken, we should have been able to support our allies in other quarters. All the bloodfhed that had happened was therefore afcribable to the authors of this difgraceful measure. While we were ftruggling for Egypt, and fhedding our belt blood in the ftruggle, Portugal was certainly ravished from us, an old and faithful ally was over-run and ruined on our account.

Mr. Pitt faid, that if any gentleman would look back to the hiftory of the war, he would find that, whatever had been the fate of the continent, we had given to the different powers the beft chance

for

for their fafety; and that the money we had laid out on thefe occafions was in the best way of laying it out, and conftituted the cheapest bargain on our part in the prefent war. Mr. Grey admitted he had no objection to make againft the particular fubfidy now under confideration of the houfe; but under the semblance of difcuffing this queftion, he took an opportunity of renewing his attacks upon his majesty's late minifters. He took the opportunity of collaterally making charges against them, though notice had been repeatedly given of a specific motion on that fubject, which motion had never yet been brought forward. Leaving then the importance of Egypt out of confideration, he made it a charge against the king's late minifters, that they were prevented from affifting Portugal because fo large a force had been fent to Egypt; and he faid he would now recommend their being employed in the defence of Portugal. The queftion which his majefty's late minifters had to confider at the period to which the honourable gentleman alluded was, whether it would be wife to have permitted fo many of the veteran troops of France to have been landed in Italy, at a moment when the fate of the campaign in Europe, of every minor ftate, and especially of Portugal, was at ftake. If any rational man at that moment had been asked, whether the fecurity of Portugal was moft likely to be maintained by keeping thefe veteran forces in Egypt, rather than by fuffering them to land in Italy, it was impoffible to entertain a doubt with respect to his answer. The confideration of Egypt, though an object of great importance to us, was

poftponed as long as there was any chance of fuccefs in the general caufe; but when the Auftrians were defeated, though they lamented their reverfes, he faid they did not neglect our own interefts, and the expedition to Egypt took place. Mr. Grey thought this fum was advanced to Portugal to induce her, againft her judgment, to continue the conteft. "We do not defire Portugal (faid Mr. Pitt) to brave danger; but we fay, if for their own fakes they think it more wife, more manly, more dignified, and more fafe, to meet the danger, rather than to agree to unknown conceffion, indignity, and insult, then Great Britain will be true to her engagements; and though we abfolve them from their promife to us, we will not make that abfolution a mask for our avarice or our pufillanimity, as long as they have fpirit and courage enough (which no fubfidy could give them) not to compromife with an oppreffive and perfidious enemy."

Mr. Grey, in reply, obferved, that, at a moment when dangers furrounded the country on every fide, he could not as an Englishman fail to take a retrospective view of the meafures of the late adminiftration. Mr. Pitt had endeavoured to vindicate the conduct of the minifters with regard to the violation of the treaty of El-Arish: the orders which left lord Keith no alternative respecting the evacuation of Egypt were fent out on the 28th of December 1799. Bonaparte was then but newly installed in his office, and foon after his propofals for peace were received, but contemptuously rejected. Did not these minifters tell us the French were bankrupts in refources and in power? that their armies were annihilated? and, fo confident were thefe minifters of

fuccefs, that he who dared to doubt this was liable to be loaded with the foul charge of jacobinifm. But Mr. Pitt accufed him of being a doubting and hesitating politician. Mr. Pitt had confumed our refources, diminished our comforts, -impaired our enjoyments, and, after nine years of conteft, left us expofed to all the dangers which threatened us at its commence

ment.

Mr. Jones conjured the noble lord (Hawkesbury) not to pafs this horrible fubfidy, and conjured the chancellor of the exchequer not to favour this fyftem of fubfidifing at the end of a nine years' war. " I," continued he, "conjure him by the bloody ghoft of the brave Abercromby, by the manes of the noble army of martyrs in Egypt. These honourable gentlemen will certainly repent it."

The motion was then put and carried.

When Mr. Bragge brought up the report of the committee of fupply, for the purpose of granting a fubfidy of 300,000l. to the queen of Portugal, Mr. Robfon objected to the measure. The house ought to have known that Portugal had last year 263,0001. besides a variety of other expences incurred by this country on her account. His imperial majesty had had a remittance of 150,000l. fent him by minifters to replace his magazines. He had wifhed for an account of the difìribution of the vote of credit of one million and a half, but that had been refufed. He objected to granting this fubfidy, from the dear-bought experience of the effect of fubfidifing the allies. Mr. Nicholl alfo objected to bringing up the report, and inferred from the example of

Auftria, Ruffia, and Pruffia, that no dependence ought to be placed on Portugal: he faid that the exminifters laid the foundation for this application by their violating the convention of El-Arifh: and concluded by entreating the house not to fuffer the fubfidy to proceed. Mr. Grey fpoke a few words, and the chancellor of the exchequer replied. The report was then received, agreed to, and a bill ordered to be brought in upon the refolution.

In the house of lords on the 20th of May, the order of the day having been moved, and his majefty's metfage read, the fecretary of state (lord Hobart) rose to move an addrefs which he hoped that houfe would be unanimons in voting, viz. to thank his majefty for his gracious meffage, and to affure his majesty of the cordial fupport of that houfe with refpect to the relief that Portugal food in need of. It would not perhaps at this moment be convenient to this country, with fo many expenfive engagements upon her hands, to grant a very large fubfidy; but if we could not affift an old ally with a great fum, we ought to vote her fome affiftance; and therefore he trusted that no noble lord would object to the addrefs which he was about to move. His lordship concluded by moving

the addrefs.

had a right to keep in view; viz. the use to which the fubfidy about to be voted would be put, and whether it might not ultimately come into the pocket of Bonaparte. He was warranted, in entertaining a fufpicion, that Portugal had been brought into her prefent fituation through the interference of his majefty's minifters, on a recollection of what had been the conduct of his majesty's late minifters in refpect to Auftria and Holland. They had encouraged those countries to forbear a timely treaty of peace with France, only the more effectually to enfure their deftruction; and from the bad ufe that had been made of the large fubfidies voted for Auftria, Sardinia, and Naples, he dreaded the idea of granting fubfidies to other powers; left, by the baneful advice of his majefty's minifters, the fame ruinous and difaftrous effects might follow, that had uniformly refulted from the mischievous interference of Great Britain.

The marquis of Sligo faid he had long refided in Portugal, and witneffed fucceffive inftances of the fortitude, the firmness, and the honourable adherence of that court to their alliance with England.

They had repeatedly refused, at every hazard, to make a feparate alliance with the enemies of England; they had armed their fleets to join ours, as in a common caufe; and the late king of Portugal had declared, that he would fee bis palace in ruins, and his coffers firipped of the laft fhilling, before he would violate a fingle principle of his alliance with England. The people of Portugal, man, woman, and child, in an honourable and enthufiaftic fpirit of attachment to this country, had one and all declared their readiness to spill

the laft drop of their blood in maintaining the connection. Having been a witness of these facts, he felt it his duty to ftate them. He could wish that the fubfidy voted had been confiderably greater; but he fhould fanction the principle of aiding Portugal at all hazards, and of fupporting the motion.

Lord Moira fully coincided in all that had been faid of the value of our alliance with Portugal, and the duties of aid and protection which this country owed to that; but he begged the houfe to confider for a moment what fort of proportion the propofed fubfidy bore to the occafions of Portugal, at a moment when the hoftile armies of France and Spain were upon the borders of her territories. A fum fo utterly incommenfurate to the occafions of Portugal, at fuch a crifis, was as three half-pence, compared with her wants, and what we ought to give. Did the noble fecretary, whofe prédeceffors had boafted fo pompoufly of the inexhauftible refources of this country, mean now to acknowledge that those resources were fo utterly exhaufted, and the country reduced to fo low an ebb, as to be merely able to afford her only, her beft, and truly faithful ally, the paltry aid of 300,000l. after fquandering fo many millions in fubfidies to falfe friends who had deceived us, and lavishing fo many thoufand gallant lives on fruitless acquifitions, untenable conquefts, or abortive expeditions? For St. Domingo alone 15,00.0000l. were expended, and to what purpose ?

And how had the remainder of the troops fallen? Not gloriously in the field, fighting against the enemy, but victims to a peftilential climate. The earl of Suffolk reaD 3

foned