Mr. Ponsonbysaid, inconsequence of what had fallen from the right hon. gentleman (Mr. Vansittart), who had just made a communication to the House by the authority of his royal highness the Prince Regent, he begged leave to ask, what duration it was his intention to give to the next adjournment? When they last had some conversation on this point, the right hon. gentleman said, that the adjournment would be of the usual length, which would carry them to that day fortnight; for he believed, the ordinary practice was, to adjourn on the Thursday before Good Friday, to the Monday week following. The right hon. gentleman had told the House, that they would not have any information immediately from their own government on the subject of the negociation, but that they must wait till the Allies had published their Declaration on the continent—which, when received in this country, would be laid before parliament, accompanied by such papers as would enable the House to form a correct judgment on the circumstances. He recollected the right hon. gentleman (when the conversation took place to which he had alluded,) observed, that the adjournment would not be of greater length than usual, but that it might probably be shorter. Now, it was material for the House to know, whether the right hon. gentleman intended to propose an adjournment of the ordinary length, or to shorten it. Because if they were to depend on the Declaration of the Allies being sent to this government, before any communication could be made to the House, it must be evident to every man, 413 that the time might be prolonged at the pleasure of those Allies; and the House, during the whole period, might remain without any communication from his Majesty's ministers on this most interesting subject, in consequence of the Declaration being kept back. This would be a very awkward situation both for parliament and the country. The proper course of proceeding he therefore thought would be, not to adjourn, in the first instance, for so great a length of time as was intended, but to shorten it considerably. Parliament would thus have an opportunity of acting according to circumstances. In that view, the shorter the period of adjournment the better, and he could not conceive any reason which called for a recess of more than a very few days.
The Chancellor of the Exchequersaid, it was intended to adjourn the House, on Thursday next, till Monday fortnight.—With respect to the Declaration of the Allies, it was clear that they must be most desirous to lay their conduct before the world as speedily as possible. Therefore, little doubt could exist, but that they would publish their Declaration immediately after the rupture of the negociation. He hoped, however, that, about the time when the intended adjournment would terminate, his noble friend (lord Castlereagh), who was best able to explain the circumstances connected with the subject, would have arrived in this kingdom. If, however, the allies should change their intention of publishing a Declaration, it would, of course, be the duty of government to give to the House such information, with respect to their conduct and principles, as might be deemed necessary.
Mr. Ponsonbysaid, in all former cases of that kind, it was not customary for this country to wait for information, and to stay proceedings in parliament, depending on a Declaration to be published by their Allies. He admitted, that a Declaration of their Allies generally preceded the notice, in parliament, of subjects of this nature; but the present proceeding was entirely different—because the right hon. gentleman expressly stated, that they were not to receive any information until the Declaration of the Allies was received in this country. But if they vacillated in the course they proposed to pursue, or if they changed their intentions altogether on the subject of a Declaration, then government would state something on the 414 subject themselves; so that, in fact, it all depended on the conduct of the Allies. This was a most novel situation—that they were to depend on the conduct of other powers for information, and not on the act of the British government itself. This was a state of things perfectly new, and such as was never before known in parliament. Nor did he think a proceeding such as this could be defended, by which parliament and the nation were kept waiting for information on a point of the utmost magnitude, until certain acts were performed by other states.
The Chancellor of the Exchequersaid, the right hon. gentleman had misunderstood him. He did not mean to state, that the information to be laid before parliament was entirely to depend on the Declaration of the Allies; but that, as the Allies intended to publish such a document, it would be better to wait for it, that it might be submitted to the House, in conjunction with the other papers relating to the same subject. Besides, the whole of the Allies would join in the Declaration to which he had alluded; it might, therefore, be considered as affording an explanation of the conduct of this government.
Mr. Ponsonbyobserved, that, according to this explanation, he certainly must have mistaken the right hon. gentleman. He understood him to have stated to the House, by authority of the Prince Regent, that it was the intention of the Allies to publish a joint Declaration; and that, when it was received in this country, it should be laid on the table of the House, with such other papers as were necessary to elucidate the subject. If, however, he had not understood him correctly, he had nothing more to offer on the subject.