all things, we ought to do that which of itself will be a powerful British armament by sea and by landrepeal without delay the Foreign Enlistment Bill-a measure which, in my opinion, we ought never to have enacted, for it does little credit to us either in policy or justice. I will not, however, look backward to measures on the nature of which all may not agree; I will much rather look forward, to avoid every matter of vituperation, reserving all blame for the foreign tyrants whose profligate conduct makes this nation hate them with one heart and soul, and my co-operation for any faithful servant of the Crown, who shall, in performing his duty to his country, to freedom, and to the world, speak a language that is truly Britishpursue a policy that is truly free-and look to free states as our best and most natural allies against all enemies whatsoever; allies upon principle, but whose friendship is also closely connected with our highest interests;quarrelling with none, whatever may be the form of their government, for that would be copying the faults we condemn; - keeping peace wherever we can, but not leaving ourselves a moment unprepared for war;-not courting hostilities from any quarter, but not fearing the issue, and calmly resolved to brave it at all hazards, should it involve us in the affray with them all ;-determined to maintain, amid every sacrifice, the honour and dignity of the Crown, the independence of the country, the ancient law of nations, the supremacy of all separate states; all those principles which are cherished as most precious and most sacred by the whole civilized world. MR. PEEL'S CHARGES AGAINST THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE. HOUSE OF COMMONS -JUNE 23, 1819. AFTER the speech of the Right Honourable Gentleman, the House, I feel confident, will extend its indulgence to me. Suddenly called upon, without any the least notice, to defend my individual conduct, and that of my colleagues in the Committee, whose confidence I am proud to have enjoyed from the first day that I filled its chair, to the last when I reported its proceedings, I rise under the additional disadvantage of almost every one of its members being absent, to meet, thus unprepared and unsupported, the long premeditated and much-laboured harangue of our accuser, surrounded by those who were doubtless well aware of the charge about to be preferred against us. (Some members here were observed leaving the House.) And, Sir, while I lament the absence of the Committee, I cannot but laud the exemplary conduct of those who, having been present during the attack, are taking this opportunity of departing that they may not listen to the defence. They hardly yield in fairness to their Honourable leader. He, with a singular delicacy and equal fairness, has selected a moment for his onset, when he thought he should catch the accused unprepared, and so have him convicted without a defence. They, contented with listening to the charges, are leaving us, quite satisfied with my inability to repel them. Το repel all and each of them, however, I shall instantly proceed. I delay not a moment to perform this duty, which I owe to others no less than to myself; and in order to meet the peculiar fastidiousness which the Right Honourable gentleman has shown on matters of form-to satisfy that very nice and even morbid sense of order by which he is tormented, and of which he has made so mighty a parade in his solemn lecture upon Parliamentary procedure-I begin by stating that, before I sit down, I shall move to refer the Education Committee's report to a Committee of the whole House. I feel, indeed, my situation to be almost unexampled. Without any kind of notice anything that could give me a suspicion of such a discussion by possibility arising, as that into which I am thus hurried; without reflection or preparation, or one document, or a single note to help my memory of the details, I am called upon to answer a laboured and artificial invective against my conduct and that of my colleagues, from the year 1816, down to the present day. But meet it I must. I well know how I should be treated, were I to withdraw from the conflict. It would be said that the Right Honourable gentleman's observations were too strong to be faced-that they cut too deep, and went too near the bone-that they were not loose insinuations or vague invectives-that his performance was not composed of schoolboy rant or college declamation-that he, a business-like personage, gave chapter and verse for all he alleged, dealing largely in names and dates; and if his charges were left unanswered, it was only because they were unanswerable. The Committee's absence would be accounted no reason for delay; I, at least, it would be said, was present, and could require no notice of that which I should at all times be prepared to defend my past conduct, no matter how arraigned, or how unexpectedly the charges so maturely prepared, so industriously gathered from so many quarters, might have been brought forward |