Mr. Secretary Canningbrought up a message from the king, which was read from the chair as follows: "G. R. His majesty thinks it proper to acquaint the house of commons, that he has entered into certain subsidiary engagements with the king of Sweden, copies of which, as soon as the ratifications shall have been exchanged, his majesty will direct to be 973 communicated to the house.—His majesty also thinks proper to acquaint the house of commons, that his majesty's minister to the king of Prussia has, in consequence of authority from his majesty, and of the urgency of affairs upon the continent, advanced to the Prussian government the sum of 100,000l. sterling; and that his majesty has, in the course of the campaign, furnished to the Prussian government supplies of arms and other military stores to an amount not exceeding in the whole the sum of 200,000l. sterling; and his majesty trusts that the house will enable him to make good the same."
Mr. Secretary Canningsaid, that in moving that his majesty's most gracious message be referred to the committee of supply, it might perhaps be agreeable to the gentlemen on the opposite side of the house, that he should shortly state the nature of the treaties mentioned in the message. The one was a subsidiary treaty with the king of Sweden, by which we had agreed to pay for the furnishing a further contingent of men for the defence of Swedish Pomerania and of Stralsund. The number before employed for those purposes, for which this country paid, was 14,000 men, and it was proposed to make an addition of 4,000, which were to be paid for at the same rate as the others were. This was not, however, the contingent to which he had alluded on a former day. It would be recollected that a question had been put to him by an hon. gent. some time ago relative to treaties with the northern powers, and he had then mentioned that there were contingencies which were not then finally settled, which prevented the necessary communications on that subject being made. Those contingencies were certain subsidiary treaties which his majesty's ministers had entered upon with the king of Prussia, and which the unfortunate circumstances that had put an end to the war on the continent, had prevented from being brought to a conclusion. Had they taken place, the 100,000l. paid to the king of Prussia would have been included—and something less than 200,000l. in arms and ammunition furnished by his majesty's government to the king of Prussia would have been included in the sum to have been granted; but As those treaties, from the circumstances before alluded to, had not been concluded, his majesty had ordered them to laid 974 before parliament, that the money might be provided for by them. He moved, therefore, that his majesty's message be referred to the committee of supply.—Ordered.