§ Earl Grey, disclaiming the intention to interfere with any pending negotiation, thought it necessary to ask the noble earl at the head of the Treasury, whether a negociation of some sort had not been recently entered into respecting Norway; whether with that view commissioners had not been sent to both Denmark and Norway; and whether thosé commissioners were directed to demand the cession of Norway to Sweden, as a sine qua non, of whether any alternative were offered?
The Earl of Liverpoolsaid, he was sure the noble earl must feel that it would not be proper on his part to give a precise answer to the question which he had just 654 stated; but he was free to say, that on the part of his Majesty and his allies commissioners had been sent to Denmark and Norway, relative to the cession of the latter to Sweden.
§ Earl Greycould not feel satisfied by the answer of the noble earl; for it was impossible to collect from it what was the intention with respect to Norway, whether it was intended to allow the Norwegians to preserve that independence for which they were so nobly struggling, against the privations of famine, and the pressure of various misery; or whether their submission to the government of Sweden was to be the sine qua non. He was anxious for information upon this subject, because the course which he should think proper to pursue must be regulated by that information; and he could not consider it as at all inconsistent with the duty of the noble earl to answer his question. If, however, the noble earl should not make the answer required, he (earl G.) should feel it his duty to persevere in the motion of which he had given notice for Tuesday, with respect to the production of certain papers upon this subject.
The Earl of Liverpoolhad no difficulty in stating the existence of the negociation alluded to; but he thought their lordships must feel the danger of any explicit answer to the noble earl's question, as to what might be the sine qua non of that negociation; for by such an answer he wag persuaded that the object of the negociation would rather be impeded than promoted. If was, however, open to the noble earl to pursue such course as his sense of duty suggested.
Lord Hollandobserved, that he never, recollected a minister who did not declare, that any answer to a question of this nature would rather embarrass than promote the object of a pending negociation. But still he must say, that it would not become the ministers or that House to suspend the declaration of a decisive opinion upon this interesting subject, until the poor but brave population of Norway were reduced to submission by force and famine.
§ Earl Greysaid, that being told, on the one hand, that an explicit answer to his question would impede the object of a pending negociation, while apprised, on the other, that measures of violence and injustice, totally inconsistent with, the honour and character of England, were using to force the submission of a country 655 to a foreign state, he felt himself in some difficulty as to what course it might be proper to pursue. He should, however, persevere in his notice for Tuesday, particularly in consequence of some authentic information which had reached him. For he understood from a note of the Swedish minister's, that a special mission had been sent to Denmark and Norway for the purpose of officially declaring, that if the latter should not consent to be annexed to the Swedish crown, England and her allies were ready to support the pretensions of Sweden, with a view to that annexation. This was the sine qua non to which he had alluded; namely, that if Norway should not voluntarily submit to Sweden, arms would be employed to force that submission. If, indeed, in addition to the statements of the noble earl, that the object of the pending negotiation would be impeded by answering the questions he had put, and that therefore that House should suspend the declaration of any opinion until the negociation terminated, it were also communicated, that in the interim the use of force against the Norwegians and the blockade of the ports of Norway should be suspended, he might be reconciled patiently to wait the result. But while measures were pursued, in his opinion, inconsistent with all the principles which this country held sacred, and which must be held sacred among all people who respected the rights of humanity, he could not consent to postpone his motion for Tuesday.