I have seen, which are dated September last, the situation o the island became every day more alarming: the Candians, elated with the expulsion and destruction of the British, had, in im-, mense numbers, invaded our settlements from one end of the island to the other, and according to the latest accounts, had left us nothing but our forts. The natives, or Coolees, who live under our dominion, men of the most ferocious natures, encou raged by the example and suc-. cesses of the Candians, were beginning to display the most alarming spirit of disaffection to us. Such of the king's troops as remained alive, were still under the influence of the diseases they had contracted in the Candian expedition, and, in short, such was supposed to be the danger of the colony on the continent of India, as well as at Ceylon, that in the beginning of September, an expedition was fitting out at Calcutta for its immediate assistance.-The latest letter that I have seen on this subject, is of the 15th September, from Madras; the writer states, as a most extraordinary circumstance, that no tidings from Columbo have been received since the 4th, and from this, and from other circumstances I have stated, expresses the most serious apprehensions for the safety of the island. Now, Sir, if this statement be correct, (and I think in most parts that it is so,) it is, I think, a little extraordinary, that His Majesty's ministers should never have communicated a single syllable of information to parliament, upon a subject of so much importance. I apprehend the facts I have stated are perfectly sufficient to induce parliament to During all this time, Sir, the: garrison of Candy were daily diminished and enfeebled by death and sickness there were only left, of British troops, the nineteenth regiment reduced to 200. men, and a Malay regiment. The house will know how to appreciate the climate of Candy, when I state to them, that of the 200 of the nineteenth regiment, 160 were sick in their cots, and perfectly disabled. At this period, Sir, the town of Candy was surrounded, I have heard, by 20,000 Candians, certainly I believe not less than 10,000. Our troops, cut off from all provisions, reduced by, death and sickness, as I have mentioned, and the Malay regiment beginning to desert, surrcudered, and laid down their arms. The termination of this dreadful tragedy we all know-upwards of twenty British officers, with the 200 unfortunate troops of the nineteenth regiment, were led out, two by two, in the streets of Candy, and then by the orders of the very adigar we had guaranteed in this government, they were knocked on the head, and had their throats cut, and this not even with the exception of the 160 men of the nineteenth regiment, who were dragged from their cots and murdered. About the same period, all our fortresses in Candia were attacked, all the garrisons compelled to evacuate, and all the sick in those fortresses were lett and murdered. Thus ended, Sir, our invasion of Candia. It began in January, and before the end of June our invading army was all, either expelled, had died, or were murdered. From the date of the event I have last alluded to, the destruction of our garrison in Caudia, to the latest accounts call were never again repeated.-- 66 call upon ministers for the most full and minute particulars respecting a war apparently so destitute of all advantage, and so evidently fatal and disastrous in its effects. It is the duty of parliament, at all times, to examine into and ascertain the objects for which the brave defenders of our country are sacrificed, and it is more peculiarly the duty and the interest of parliament to do so, at this present time. There are, Sir, likewise circumstances connected with this war, and consequences arising out of it, that more imperiously call upon us, to inquire into the conduct of the governor, and which I will briefly state to the house. When we first took possession of Ceylon, it was not the least of our advan-"which might have rendered this› fages that we took with it all the experience of the preceding settlers-The Dutch had made this particular experiment of subduing the Candians over and over again. They had twice, with as little loss as ourselves, seized the capital, and expelled the king:but on every occasion, their army was finally destroyed by the same causes which destroyed ours. It is singular, Sir, that on one occasion, the precise calamity which has lately befallen our garrison at Candia, befel the Dutch. The Durch garrison at Candia were compelled to capitulate, and on their march, and within two days of Columbo, were, to the amount of 400 men, all murdered. The effect of these experiments upon the Dutch, was to convince them, that all attempts upon the interior of Candia were not only fruitless, but fatal to themselves, and, accordingly, for the last twenty years of their settlement in that island, such projects "island one of the most valuable: "colonies in the world."-Wuth: respect to the consequences of this war, independent of the unprofit able termination of it, and the mortification we must feel at having our brave troops apparently so idly sacrificed, they are really, Sir, of the most alarming nature. I need scarcely remind the House of the contiguity of Ceylon to the continent of India. India is allowed to be the great object of French ambition; we act upon this supposition in all our political calculations: it is with reference to this that Ceylon derives its greatest importance as a conquest; it is with reference to India that Trincomalle is beyond all value; and yet, Sir, with a war carrying on in India on an enormous scale, with a French squadron in the East Indian seas full of troops, so often said to be captured, but still unaccounted for; with the French ports full of vessels and troops, ready for expeditions, peditions, with a necessity at home for our regular army, more urgent than was ever known, and with that regular army more than ever neglected, we are placed in the distressing dilemma, that we must, either by withholding assist ance from the government of Ceylon, endanger our possession of that most important colony, or we must, in this hour of need and necessity, deprive ourselves of a part of our most valuable and rare species of defence. I am informed, Sir, that 10,000 troops of the line are now embarking, or have embarked already for Ceylon. I am sure such supply is necessary for the security of the colony; but I ask the House if they will permit the country to make so important a sacrifice, without a full and most minute inquiry into what has caused the necessity for so unfortunate a measure.-Sir, there is another most dreadful consequence of this war; after the little discretion our government has hitherto shewn in going to war for apparently so trifling an object, I am afraid, when the passions and resentment of our countrymen are rouzed, by the recollection of what has lately passed at Candy, I am afraid that any prospect of peace with these Candians is very remote. I am afraid we are doomed to an eternal war with this race of people, and that CeyJon, instead of being the valuable acquisition it is so naturally made for, will only prove to be the grave of our armies. I do hope, Sir, that ministers, in their dispatches to the governor, will not fail to remind and press upon him, the past experience of this island. I hope, Sir, they will remind him of the great lesson for all Euro peans, the late fate of St. Domingo, As long, Sir, as the natives of Candia, or St. Domingo, shall possess the local advantages they now do, as long as the inhabitants of Europe shall be subject to the diseases they now are, I believe, Sir, that all our attempts to subdue the natives of these countries must prove, not only fruitless, but fatal to ourselves. I think, Sir, if this war shall appear to have been as rash and impolitic in its origin and commencement, and as calamitous in its consequences, as have been stated, I think the opinion of this house will be, that there is abundant matter for inquiry into this subject. There are, Sir, also, transactions of this war, that I have touched upon before, which I ap prehend the house must likewise think call for particular inquiry. -I allude to our interference in the politics of Candy, to our dethroning and making of princes and new forms of government in that country. If, Sir, we are really in earnest, when we profess our respect for established governments, and our abhorrence of all usurpations; if we really wish for any character of consistency in the eyes of Europe upon this important subject, it is high time that we bestow some criti cism upon the very singular transactions of our colonial governors, I am not aware, Sir, of any other reasons I can adduce in support of the inquiry I wish to be insti tuted: but before I conclude, Sir, I beg to advert to a very cruel and unfeeling account, that has lately been published by His Majesty's ministers, purporting to be a dispatch from the govern= ment of Ceylon, and giving an account of the murder of our garrison the best, not only for himself alone, but for the whole garrison of Candy.-Mr. Creevey concluded by moving, for "Copies of all papers, letters, and dispatches from his majesty's governor of Ceylan, to the government of Candia, in that island, and from the Candian government to his majesty's governor, respecting the cause or origin of the war in Ceylon. 2. Copies of all correspondence between his majesty's governor of Ceylon, and officers commanding his ma jesty's troops in that island, dur garrison at Candy. This letter, Sir, is an attempt to account for the final disasters of this war, and which rest entirely with the governor, by insinuations the most fatal to the honour and character of a British officer, who has fought, and who has perished, in the service of his country; and this, Sir,. in the absence of any species of testimony on which such insinuations could be founded. I do entreat this house on behalf of the character of that most unfortunate officer, to recollect how he was situated.-ing the war in Ceylon. 3. Copies There were only 200 troops, 160 of them were sick in their beds, the remaining forty I presume were not very healthy. They were surrounded by (at least) 10,000 Candians, they were cut off from provisions, and were sixty miles from our nearest settlements. In this situation they were ordered by our new ally the first adigar to lay down their arms, and they were deserted by the Malays in our service. Does any man believe it to be physically possible, that these forty men, so unhappily circumstanced, could have cut their way through all these difficulties? Of this, at least, we may be certain, that had they attempted so to do, the 160 who were sick would have been murdered. I contend then, that if, in the absence of all testimony respecting the conduct of that unfortunate officer, we allow ourselves to speculate upon his motives, we are bound in fairness to believe, that he was influenced by a very natural and generous sympathy for this great majority of his sick and helpless fellow-soldiers, and that in acting as he did, he consulted what he conceived to be of all treaties entered into between his majesty's governor of Ceylon and the Candian government. 4. All the returns of his majesty's forces in Ceylon from January 1, 1803, to the present time. On the first motion being put, LdCASTLEREAGH said he should trouble the house with as few words as possible, as when the papers were laid before the house, they would then have an opportunity of forming an opinion upon the subject. He assented to the general principle, that when a war was entered into in any part of our colonial possessions, unless government could give some reason of expediency for not producing such information, that parliament had a right to possess itself of full information with respect to the origin and causes of that war. To this point the present motion went, and so far he had no objection; but be should certainly object to any motion that went to produce iuformation as to the state of our force in Ceylon, as that would be shewing the enemy the number of troops we had to defend the island, and might tend to invite an for information which it would be inexpedient to produce, and therefore moved the previous question. Mr. Fox was utterly astonished at the language held by the Noble Lord as to the production of this paper. The Noble Lord had asserted that a time would come when no objection could exist to the production of the papers; but had he given the least argument against its production at the present moment? had he offered a single tittle of reasons to prove that the present time was not the fit moment for its being laid before parliament? Was it a matter undeserving of instant inquiry that a part of our force in Ceylon had sustained, not only disaster, but disgrace; that blame had been thrown on the conduct of the officer who commanded the party of troops by the governor; aud that no document was laid before parliament to enable them to ascertain whether such an imputation was, or was not, an attack. It might also be inex pedient to disclose the state of any negotiation carrying on in the island by the governor. He only wished that no prejudicial impression might remain in the mind of gentlemen. The Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Creevey) had stated the war to have originated in a dispute about property to the amount of only 3001 but the value was of little consequence. The Government of Candia had long demonstrated an hostile mind towards us, and the detention of property, about which the first dispute took place, was only one of the symptoms of that hostile disposition. The form of the motion was, he said, not accurate, as Ceylon formed no part of the dominions of the East India Company, but was annexed to the crown: he had, therefore, framed a motion which he would make if the Honourable Gentleman would consent to withdraw his: he concluded by reading his motion, ** that an humble address be pre-well founded? He could not consented to his Majesty praying ceive a stronger ground of parlia"that his Majesty would be graci- mentary inquiry than that laid ously pleased to order to be laid down by his Honourable Friend. before the house, copies or ex- It was really extraordinary to 'tracts of such letters and papers, have ministers resisting the proas have boen received from the Ho- duction of information on a subnourable F. North, governor of ject when the necessity was ad Ceylon, relative to the causes of mitted by every description of the hostilities which had taken mankind, who chose for a meplace between his Majesty's go- ment to exercise their judgment. vernment and the King of Candy." If this was not the moment for inMr. Creevey having consented to quiry, he wished to know when withdraw his motion, the motion that moment would arrive? Did of Lord Castlereagh was agreed the Noble Lord mean to say, to. Mr. Creevey then moved for that no inquiry should be made the copies of all dispatches and till the conclusion of the war? letters from the Governor of Cey- If that was to be the case, the Jon to the British Officers em-grand object of the motion would ployed there, and from the latter to the former. Lord Castlereagh objected to this motion, as calling be lost. Nothing could then be gained, but the punishment of the criminal party. But the great object |