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to minifters upon the conduct of these commanders in the Weft Indies, as far back as the month of Auguft laft; but no anfwer had been obtained from them until the following April. And as he did not make this motion as a matter of course, but upon the ground of facts, the delay became unavoidable. The first anfwer from the Duke of Portland to Lord Penrhyn, was, that the law officers of the Crown were not fully prepared to make their report upon the business. This was on the 7th of April: On the 4th of May, he made his motion for certain papers to be laid before the House. When thefe papers were produced, he gave notice of the prefent motion, which he appointed for the fecond open day, which was afterwards deferred at the exprefs defire of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. So much for the delay. A great deal had been faid on the order of the proceeding. It appeared to him that in that point of view also he had taken the best course, and the most regular and Parliamentary one. For this he had confulted very high authority. It had been stated also that the proceeding on his part was prepofterous; why, he did not know. It appeared to him, when an allegation was made on one fide, and difputed on the other, to be proper to make it the fubject of investigation, provided the point in contest be suffitiently important to occupy the attention of that House. One Gentleman, when this matter was before the Houfe, had objected even to the granting of the papers which were then upon the table, unlefs he who moved for them should pledge himself to follow up that motion with another, for an inquiry into the conduct of thefe commanders, because the granting. of fuch papers had fomething of the tendency of a cenfure on these gentlemen. From the fame premifes he drew a contrary conclufion; for it appeared to him, that if papers relating to the conduct of commanders be brought forward in the Houfe of Commons, and afterwards the perfon moving for them did not chufe to call for an inquiry, it must neceffarily follow that he was fatisfied with that conduct which the papers had ferved to evince. If he had been of opinion that no blame was imputable to these officers, he fhould certainly not have come forward then, and he was forry to fay, that however good the characters of Sir Charles Grey and Sir John Jervis might be, the perfons who complained of them had not, in his opinion, complained without foundation. He was willling to confefs the characters of thefe commanders were high in every respect, except as to their conduct in the West Indies: But if it was fuppofed that he made this acknowledgment, not from the dictates of his own feelings, but to pacify his opponents, and to avoid the high tone which they might otherwise adopt,

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that was a mistake, for he was fincere in the praifes which he was beftowing on the characters of thefe commanders, and what he faid upon that part of the fubject arofe out of the impulfe of his own mind.

With regard to the letter of Sir Charles Grey, by which he ftated that he kept no copy of fome of the proceedings, particularly a proclamation in the iflands, he apprehended it to be of itself evidence of fome blame, or he confeffed he did not understand the matter at all. When he found that this proclamation was complained of there, and difapproved of at home, did he not think fit to order and preferve a copy of it? Did not minifters afk for copies? If there ever was a copy of the proceedings in the lands, when did it difappear? Did it difappear when it was fufpected that an inquiry into the whole proceedings would take place? All thefe queftions ought to be answered plainly and unequivocally. If fuch papers as thefe were not to be returned by commanders, there would be an end at once of all the inquifitorial power of that Houfe, and he would defy any Gentleman in it to fay that there was any check on the conduct of any commander, be it ever fo atrocious. This letter of Sir Charles Grey stated also, that the accounts which had been fent home were not correct. What reafon there was for that affertion he did not know. He knew of no inaccuracy in them; but although they were accurate as far as they went, they were not complete. There were fome papers of great importance, which were not yet before the Houfe; he, however, had the good fortune to be fupplied with one, which he fhould make the Houfe acquainted with, by reading it as part of his fpeech, before he concluded what he had to fay upon the fubject. If Gentlemen who might oppofe him fhould deny the authenticity of the document, he would undertake to prove it; he should beg to be understood as being at iffue with his opponents upon that point; and that he was ready to rifk the whole queflion upon that fact :-This was a petition of fome of the inhabitants of St. Lucia.

Before he proceeded to flate the grounds of the motion with which he intended to conclude, Mr. Barham faid, he should inform the Houfe that his motion was not for a Committee of inquiry into the conduct of Sir Charles Grey and Sir John Jervis, and this for two reafons: One, that he was not at all pledged to make any fuch motion; nor could he tell what motion would be proper, until he had feen the papers which he moved for. The other, that he did not think he fhould obtain it if he moved for it; and that a great part of his object might be obtained without inquiry; however, if his opponents fhould propofe an inquiry, he could have no obVOL. III. jection.

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jection. It had been faid, that the memorials of the commanders had been in his poffeffion for four months. They had never been in his poffeffion; they were laid before the House. With regard to fome of the proceedings of the commanders in the West Indies, they needed no evidence, they spoke for themselves intelligibly enough, and to them he fhould confine the grounds of his motion. Out of them he did not intend to travel, unless his opponents fhould fet him the example. If they fhould, then he must oppofe affertion to affertion, opinion to opinion. If there were letters in extenuation from Mr. Soran, as was once afferted, he fhould affent that he knew nothing of Mr. Soran, or that they might be merely letters of gratitude to his benefactors. If he fhould be told of the fervice of plate that had been given to thefe commanders, and that this was a proof of the eftimation of their fervices in the islands, he fhould anfwer, that this was nct expreffive of the general fentiments of the inhabitants, but was the act of a few perfons who were dependent upon the commanders. If they fhould fay any thing of the teftimonials, he fhould answer, that the inhabitants of the islands are now complaining in courts of justice of the conduct of thefe commanders-a proof that thefe inhabitants think their conduct illegal, as well as unfair. There was a document on the table which fome Gentlemen might rely upon a good deal, in the difcuffion of this matter. He meant the affidavit of General Myers. He had nothing to fay against this officer, but he must remark that as the document had been laid on the table without any notice to him or any other perfon interested in the part he took in this difcuffion, it would have been but fair to allow time to them to answer it. Befides, this allidavit was nothing but ex parte evidence, and that too from a witnefs who was fomething of a party in the business.

In order that the Houfe fhould clearly understand what part he fhould take, and what he fhould decline, it was necessary for him to fat, as he had faid before, that if his opponents fhould, by way of amendment to his motion, move for an inquiry, le fhould vote for fuch an amendment, but he should not, for the reafons he had already ftated, move for any inquiry himfelf. There were feveral points to be confidered in this bufinefs. One, the original promife of protection from the commanders to the inhabitants of the islands. A fecond, how far the conditions had been complied with? Thirdly, how far they had been forfeited by the conduct of the inhabitants? This could not be done, however, without inquiry. The next thing would be, the degree of refistance which the inhabitants made to his Majesty's troops in the islands, and whether it juftified the feverity and the force of military law

which had been adopted. These were points which could not, he faid, be fettled without inquiry, and therefore he put them by for the prefent; nor would it be neceffary for him at all to notice them, unless the inquiry fhould be entered into ; and in order to give his opponents full benefit of every thing that could be urged on thofe topics, he would admit beforehand every thing that it was poffible for them to prove. Suppofing then the refiftance to have been made, he would confider how far the proclamation of the commanders could be juftified according to the practice of war in modern days, and according to the law of nations; how far it fuited the particular fituation of the West India islands at the time, and how far it was compatible with the general intereft of the ftate.-With regard to the refiftance made by the inhabitants of the islands to his Majesty's troops, he was perfuaded that all the accounts which had been given of it, were very much exaggerated. What he complained of did not apply particularly to the particular acts of feverity of the commanders; they, many of them, were now in a course of legal difcuflion; but it was the principle of the proclamation on which thofe acts proceeded. And he could not help obferving, that the conduct of thofe who defended the commanders, was a little curious. If he complained of the acts, they referred to the proclamation. If he complained of the proclamation, they referred to the acts. With regard to the proclamation, he fhould confider it in a general way, and examine the fpirit of it, for it was not at all neceffary to examine it by verbal criticifms, or nice diftinctions; the plain and broad meaning of it was obvious. He proceeded to read extracts from the printed papers, in the courfe of which he made feveral comments. In the first place, the inhabitants, he obferved, were told," that all thofe who availing themfelves of the invitation, in a quiet and peaceable manner, fhould Lubmit to the authority of the King, and put themselves under his Majefty's protection, fhould be affured of perfonal fafety, as well as a full and immediate enjoyment of all their lawful property, according to their ancient laws and cuftoms, and on the most advantageous terms, thofe perfons alone excepted, whose removal fhould be found neceflary for the fafety of the ifland; and even to perfons of this defcription, whatever may be their conduct, we promife a fafe conveyance to France." In this nothing was faid of confifcation. He then came to the two proclamations of the 10th of May and 21st of May 1794, on which he chiefly founded his motion, and figned by General Prefcot, under the order of the commanders.

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By his Excellency Robert Prescott, Efq. Lieutenant General of his Biżtannic Majefty's Forces, Governor and Commander in Chief of the Inland of Martinico and its Dependencies.

The inhabitants of the different quarters of the island of Martinico are defired to meet in their refpective parishes, for the purpose of choofing, by ballot, for their reprefentative, an intelligent perfon of known integrity; and thofe deputies, after they are chofen, are requested to affemble next Sunday, the 18th inftant, in the town of Fort Royal, to meet the Commiffaries appointed by their Excellencies Sir Charles Grey, K. B. and Admiral Sir John Jervis, K. B. for the purpofe of fixing, in an equitable and efficacious manner, a general contribution (the amount of which shall be made known to the reprefentative of each parifh), to be paid by all those who poffefs property in the colony: The commander in chief having decided, that fuck an arrangement would be much more convenient than a general confiscation. Other matters concerning the welfare of the colony will alfo be propofed to them.

Given at the Governor's Houfe at St. Pierre, on the tenth of May, onethousand seven hundred and ninety-four, in the thirty-fourth year of his Majuly's reign.

(Signed)

By order of the General,

(Signed)

ROBERT PRESCOTT.

B. CLIFTON, Secretary.

By Order of their Excellencies, General Sir Charles Grey, and Admiral Siz John Jervis, Commanders in Chief of his Britannic Majefty's Fleet and Armies in the Weft Indies.

No attention having been paid to the proclamation of the 10th inftant, iffued by his Excellency General Prefcott, defiring all the good people of this colony to affemble in their respective parishes and quarters, for the purpofe of choosing perfons of known intelligence, and approved integrity, to reprefent them in an effembly, which, according to the faid proclamation, was to be held at Fort Royal, Sunday, the 18th inftant, to meet the Commiffaries appointed and duly authorifed by the commanders in chief, and to confer with them on the moft equitable and most expeditious way and means to raise a fum of money adequate to the value of the conqueft deftined to reward the valour, to compenfate the exceffive fatigues, and their confequences, sickness, and mortality, and to make good the heavy expence incurred by the British officers, foldiers, and failers, who, with unfhaken firmnefs, and matchlefs perfeverance, have atchieved the conquest of this island, fubjected it to the British Government, refeued from a wretched exile the greatest number of its inhabitants, and reitored them to the quiet poffeffion of their property, the confifcation of which had already been decreed :

And the procraftination of this general arrangement being the caufe which prevents many well-difpofed inhabitants from carrying their commo. dities

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