The Earl of Liverpoolsaid:—My lords: Before I move that this House do adjourn, I have to inform your lordships, in pursuance of the commands of his royal highness the Prince Regent, that the Negociations entered into by our Allies, and on the part of his Majesty, with the French government, 408 for the purpose of obtaining the blessings of peace are at an end. It is with great satisfaction, however, that I am able to state, on this occasion, that both with respect to the principle of the negociation itself, and with reference to the circumstances that accompanied it, on which it ultimately turned, the most complete concert and agreement have subsisted among all the allied powers.—This House and the public will naturally expect due, information on the subject. In this view, I have to state, that it is the intention of the allied powers to issue a formal Declaration, setting forth the grounds and motives of their conduct on this most important occasion. And it becomes the duty of the confidential advisers of his royal highness the Prince Regent to lay upon the table of parliament a copy of such document, together with such other information as may be deemed necessary for the due illustration of the subject. Under these circumstances, I am of opinion that it would be premature and improper to say more at present. I have thought it my duty to make this communication to your lordships, and shall conclude with moving, "That this House do now adjourn."
§ Earl Greyobserved, that he derived a great consolation from the statement of the noble lord, that not only in the principles on which the negociation was carried on, but also in the causes which led to the termination of that negociation, there had been the most complete agreement among the Allies. When that information promised by the noble lord should be communicated to the House, he trusted that they would have the farther satisfaction of learning, not only that the Allies had agreed in the principles of the negociation, and the circumstances and conditions upon which it was terminated; but that those circumstances and conditions would prove that the negociation had been broken off by the ambition and injustice of the enemy. The noble lord had said, that the Declaration of the Allies, and such further information as might be wanted, would, in due time, be laid before the House. It was undoubtedly his wish, and the wish of all their lordships, he believed, to examine these documents as soon as possible; and he wanted to know from the noble lord, whether they had any reason to expect that the papers would be laid before the House before the adjournment, that they might come prepared 409 to the discussion of the subject as soon after the recess as possible.
The Earl of Liverpoolsaid, it would not be possible to produce them to the House before the recess; but they would be ready, he believed, very day on which parliament should first meet after the period for which it might be found convenient to adjourn the House during the approaching holidays. Care would be taken in the mean time to have the papers printed, that they might be laid before the House in that shape when they met; and he should propose as early a day after the recess as was consistent with a due understanding of the subject, for taking the papers into consideration.
§ Earl Greyexpressed himself satisfied with the declaration of the noble earl. A day too early would not be satisfactory, when very extensive and voluminous papers were to be the subject of discussion.
The Earl of Liverpoolsaid, there was no intention entertained of hurrying on the discussion. What he meant was, that as early a day as possible, but not that too early a day, should be fixed.