The difcuffion on the general ftate of the nation was fpeedily followed by a motion of a more specific nature; namely, an inquiry into the breach of the treaty of El-Arith. On the 27th of March, Mr. T. Jones rose to bring forward a motion of which he gave notice on the meeting of parliament :the fubject was the evacuation of Egypt. To eftablish the propofition which he was about to make, he faid it was neceffary to call the attention of the house to the failing of the armament from Toulon, and from that to the convention of ElArish; and from the breach of that convention to the prefent confequent ftate of Europe. On the failing of the armament, every one muft recollect the dreadful suspenfe which hung over the minds of the people till the tidings of the brilliant victory of Aboukir arrived: on that victory he fhould not dwell, but on the refult he muft. He referred gentlemen to the debates, thanks, king's fpeeches, and penfions, on that occafion. His prefent object was to prove, that, from this victory, every Englishman contemplated with joy the deftruction of the expedition to Egypt, and the falvation of India. Juft at this period a memorable publication was ushered into the world-the "Intercepted Correfpondence" under the peculiar aufpices of government, with an admirably written preface, of which it was the defign to imprint an idea that the naval part of that expedition being deftroyed, the military one would inevitably fall a prey to famine, difeafe, and diforganisation; and thereby our poffeffions in India would be fecure. That correfpondence was funs et origo mali. In the mean time, notwithstanding these intercepted letters, we could trace the progrefs of the French from battle to battle, from victory to victory, to the poffeffion of the capital of Cairo. Nor was their career ftopped but by the gallant and extraordinary defender of Acre-the negotiator of the convention of El-Arish, the preferver of the Ottoman and Indian empires, and the only man who had ever yet foiled Bonaparte: for all which fervices his majefty's ex-minifters, by way of a last act, recommended the paltry reward of 1,000l. per annum. Mr. Jones here observed, that, to all the plain queftions which he had put to the oppofite bench, he never had received one direct anfwer. Every paper which he had demanded had been refufed, though these papers and questions were well known in London, in Paris, and in Egypt; and as to the fentiments thereon, of the exwar-minifter (he mentioned it not as a matter of triumph to himself, but regret for his country), part of the aufwer of July the 8th to him had been fent by Bonaporte to the army of the eaft; it had been imprinted and emblazoned in the ftandards of Abdallah Menou; it had conciliated the French, the Jews, the Greeks, Syrians, Copts, and Turks, and animated them with one common zeal for glory-on the one hand urging them to threaten the Ottoman empire, and on the other to accomplish the deftruction of our territorial poffeilions in India. The breach of the convention of El-Arish had afflicted England and haraffed all Europe; the existence of the Ottoman empire depended upon it; all Afia trembled at it. It had been agitated not only in that houfe but in moft of the European courts; nay, it had convulfed moft of the cabinets in Europe; and only in one point of view had it rendered fervice, by being the caufe of the difmiffal of Thurgot from the councils of the emperor of Germany, and having laid proftrate the moft defpotic and yet unpunished minifters that ever ruled in Britain. It had crippled and nearly defroyed our grand ally Auftria, fubjugated Italy, acquired Egypt to the French, and poftponed the general peace. It had aggravated the mifery of millions, and confirmed the bondage of the whole human race. It was by the violation of this convention that Egypt was now fecured to the French, which must be confidered as a real compenfation for her vaft colonial loffes. Europe complained of the breach, and he flood forth that day the accufer of the ex-minifters, and an advocate for humanity and the law of nations. Sir Sidney Smith was commiffioned to make the convention. He pofitively affirmed in his letter, that the Porte would not fail to act in concert with the powers which he had the honour to reprefent. Surely this proved the refpective interefts of the parties, and the diplomatic character of the agents; it established the right of England to interfere in the negotiation, not as an auxiliary but as a principal agent; and fir Sidney figned himfelf minifter plenipotentiary of his Britannic majefty. In another letter (further evidence of his powers) he cites the treaty of triple alliance of January 5, which he profeffed himself authorised to make. Thus, according to the letters, his powers are unlimited respecting Egypt, and only restricted as to a general peace. The diplomatic character and the military appointment of fir Sidney were here fully exhibited; nor could any affertions of the ex-war-minister remove facts. Tha, honourable gentleman had stated fir Sidney to be a fubordinate officer, though, as an excufe for the late arrival of his penfion, he had inconfiftently pleaded fince, that fir Sidney had given up the command. How was it that fir Sidney Smith, before the convention a minifter plenipotentiary of his Britannic majetty, fhould, fince its violation, be turned into a fubordinate officer, without powers and without inftructions? It was afferted that lord Keith alone was authorised to negotiate; but if fir Sidney had not fome powers, how could a reference be made to any capitulation? The ex-minister ftated, that the firft moment it appeared that a British officer had a fare in the convention, though unauthorised, and though the treaty was contrary to the interefts of Great Britain, they gave orders to acquiefce in it. condefcending What was this acquiefcence? Why, that the army of Egypt, having, in reliance on British faith, fuffered itself to be entrapped in the Delta; and having given up its ftrong holds, Damietta, Salahieh, Belbeys, and the wells of the defert; and having opened the doors of Egypt to the Turks, and after having been weakened by the Turks and cannonaded by the Englifh fhips; then the British government allowed its admiral to permit the wretched remains of this gallant army to have a fafe pafiage; that is, all of thofe who, in the horrors of a premeditated maffacre, fhould be able to escape the fire of its fhips, and the fwords of Ottomans, Arabs, and Mama lukes. - lukes. Such was their glorious acquiefcence! The next fubject of confideration was, the miffion of Mr. Morier, fecretary to lord Elgin at Conftantinople: this was to induce fir Sidney to agree to a rufe de guerre, relative to the evacuation of Egypt. This miffion proved again the appointment of fir Sidney minifter plenipotentiary. The letters to general Blanket and to Kleber, on the convention, removed all furprise; and none of the French generals expreffed any, till Kleber read the old letter of lord Keith to his foldiers. This old letter (as Mr. Pitt called it), fent first to Kleber, and then to fir Sidney, occafioned the deftruction of 20,000 of our allies! Now, let fir Sidney's letter of the fame date, and on the fame occafion, be well marked. How could minifters have the effrontery to withstand this proof? Was it not evident that former inftructions must have authorifed him before, fince the contrary came on the 10th of January? "The intercepted correfpondence" (in which minifters unfortunately confided) arrived at this period of time; and the reprefentation therein made of the ftate of Egypt caufed the former orders to be changed. It feemed to have been the opinion of minifters, that the army there ought to be made an example of (according to Mr. Dundas's fpeech); and having implored the protection of a British officer, they hefitated in fanctioning the good offices of fir Sidney Smith. Indeed lord Elgin was to antwer one purpose, and fir Sidney another; and by this double embaffy and double faith, the Turks were to crofs the defert, and make themfelves mafters of Egypt. But when the French army were out of Cairo, the rufe de guerre was to be put in force and fuperfede the convention. This convention, in defiance of humanity and the laws of nations, was to be immolated at the shrine of minifterial vengeance, by the combined efforts of the vizier and the English minifter. One more obfervation he would make on fir Sidney's conduct. His local knowledge muft have given him great advantages, and the army was much creft-fallen at the departure of Bonaparte. An effential reafon for entering into the convention was, that Kleber had prefled the grand vizier much upon this head; and had it been concluded (which the orders fent to lord Keith prevented), how much of human blood would have been unihed! To England must be attributed the mallacre of our allies the Turks! Surely the grand vizier, fighting on his own territory to restore to the Ottoman empire one of the provinces conquered by the French, had a right to treat alone in the abfence of its allies; and if he had this right, the ftipulated conditions became a law, which England and Ruffia could not violate without injuftice. On the part of fir Sidney, he would contend, that the convention of El-Arifh was an act of grand diplomacy, and the breach of it as difgraceful as it was difaftrous : but fetting fir Sidney quite out of the question, ought two officers, each commanding brave, veteran, well-matched troops, to fight for ever, to fight to extermination, at a diftance from their respective governments? What reason, what policy, fanctioned such a waste of exiftence? Fatal would be the confequences of our violation of this treaty! Wherever, hereafter, it might be neceflary for England to carry her arms, no power would confide 1 in English faith. And for whom had this direful facrifice been made?-For Auftria-Auftria, who had deferted us, and made a fe-, parate peace! No military convention would now be fecure against the orders of the English government to its admirals and cruifers: the evacuation of Egypt would be eternally before their eyes; and a general must fight for his army to the laft, expecting neither faith nor mercy from us! It was probably the breach of this convention which gave rise to the northern confederacy, and raised a fpirit to attempt the alteration of the maritime law. Mr. Jones then expatiated on the triple alliance between the emperor of Rutha and the emperor of the Ottomans, and the different objects of the Porte and England, in this treaty. Ruffia he conceived to be a mere cypher in it. The object of England was the fafety of India; that of the Porte the fafety of the Ottoman empire, and the evacuation of Egypt: perhaps another object of England was, to induce the Turks to wage war with France; but Egypt, Syria, and the iflands of Dalmatia, were the only points in the univerfe where England and the Porte could have one common intereft. In this treaty, all objects but the expulfion of the French out of Egypt were foreign to it. It was not the war in England or in Germany, but the war in Egypt and Syria, which bound the Porte. The evacuation of Egypt was the only grand object; and that being accomplished (which it would have been but for the intervention of the minifters) all was over. Thefe minifters had impofed upon our nation, upon parliament, and upon all Europe; first by giving fir Sidney orders, and then denying them; treating him as a military commander and a diplomatic agent, and then representing him as a fubordinate officer. They had deceived our ally, trampled upon humanity, and the refult was too well known-the poffeffion of Egypt by the French! And what was our fituation in confequence of this breach? Why, a vast armament was reported to have reached Egypt under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby. The Condéan army was alfo faid to have received orders to embark for Egypt; they would not ftir. Another co-operation was deftined from Bombay to land at Suez; and no doubt fir Home Popham would bring them fafe through the RedSea to Suez. Suppofing they landed there 10,000 ftrong, they would have feventy miles of defert to march over, before the flightest co-operation could take place. English troops were not inured to the climate, as the French; and fir Ralph Abercromby was to land the fame number of men as that to which the French was reduced. It was reasonable to expect that our army would decrease as well as theirs. The Copts, Greeks, Syrians, and Turks, had joined the ftandard of Abdallah Menou and Reynier, in vaft numbers, and embarked in one common caufe. The French army was composed of 16,000 firong effective men, and the force of the natives trebled it. The army of Egypt was in the beft ftate of difcipline, and had reinforcements amounting to fix or 7,000 men, with fupplies of ammunition and fiores. The foldiers confidered themselves as the children of Bonaparte-he addreffed them as fuch, and they would preferve Egypt for him by voluntarily enduring enduring the greatest privations. When Kleber concluded the treaty of El-Alrifh, Bonaparte's fate was not known, and this circumstance made them defirous to return; but, fince the violation of faith on the part of the English, the darling object of Bonaparte was that of his whole army. The plague raged in the grand vizier's camp; and fuch was the jealousy of our allies, that on fir Ralph withing to lodge in Rhodes, he was refufed. Nor was the breach of the convention only difaftrous in Egypt: the internal state of our country was materially affected by it: 28,000,0001 had been already voted, while the minifters had been forging taxes and chains for the natives of Britain. Heaven had defeated their machinations by a famine, a famine which had reached the gates of the capital, and a committee upon it had fat within the walls of the parliament houfe! In this corrupted age, fuch conduct might efcape in veftigation and impeachment; but it would not escape the righteous judgment of God. Mr. Jones then again recapitulated our miffortunes. Auftria, our grand and best ally, almost demolished; Italy conquered; Portugal driven to war; Egypt in the hands of our enemies; Conftantinople paralysed; and the government of India fhaken to its very basis. The confederacy of kings was broken; that rope of fand, moiftened with the blood of millions and the tears of Europe, from the Euxine to the Atlantic, diffolved! was day which fent out orders to lord Keith was indeed a day of mourning to Great Britain The Ille dies lethi primus, primufque malorum, Caufa fuit! 1801. Our evils followed in terrible fucceffion. Hac fonte derivata clades After the lofs of feveral thou fands of her foldiers, by drowning, conflagration, and rebellion-after having reddened the ocean and offered up human hecatombs as a facrifice to the pride and intemperance of the ex-minifters-Great Britain beheld a powerful and avenging confpiracy raised up against her. May the genius of her former profperity not forfake her in this time of need! restoring peace and plenty to her impoverifhed fons, humanity and juftice to the moft benevolent (and thanks to heaven! now conva lefcent) fovereign that ever fat on the throne of England! Mr. committee be appointed to inquire Jones ended with moving that a committee be appointed to inquire into the breach of the convention of El-Alrish. Mr. Dundas rofe. He faid he did not feel any refentment at the honeft warmth, and even indig nation, which the honourable gentleman had expreffed, though much of it had been directed against his conduct in his late official fituation. He affured the houfe, that he felt eafy under the opprobium heaped upon him as a member of the late adminiftration, and the threats denounced upon the country refpecting the fuppofed breach of faith in that convention. It was a complete mifapprehenfion of the whole. There had been no violation of faith on the part of England, and, in difcuffing the fubject, he would prove it. Sir Sidney Smith had no powers to conclude fuch a convention; he had powers only to act as a military officer in Egypt. His brother, Mr. Spencer Smith, H was |