The Parliamentary Debates From The Year 1803 To The Present Time Volume 32 PDF Download

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1816 edition. Excerpt: ...from one circumstance of striking peculiarity--that when the illustrious commander came to the spot which had since been the scene of his triumph, he observed, that if ever he had to contend for the Low Countries, Waterloo should be the position which he would choose for maintaining the struggle. The opinions of a man, whose anticipations had been so completely confirmed by subsequent events, became doubly important; and, acting from such suggestions, the allies thought it highly expedient that a part of the French contributions should be applied to the restoration of those Belgian fortresses--a mode of applying them, which was considered at once as most useful to the Netherlands, and least wounding to any honest pride of the French themselves. At the same time, the allies felt themselves entitled to possess such of the opposite French fortresses as were not surrendered by military occu pation, .till the works of the fortifications (2T) ort the Netherland frontier should be perfectly finished. The great object was to establish a sufficient frontier, partly by cession, and partly by military occupation--an object of equal importance to the safety of the external territory and to the internal tranquillity of France. He was, however, still prepared to state, and to state it as a justification of the policy pursued by the allies, that a considerable majority, at least three-fourths of the people of France, were sincerely and ardently attached to their legitimate king, Louis 18. This opinion he had asserted in a former debate, and every thing he had heard or seen confirmed him in that opinion. There had been, as their lordships inew, two legislative assemblies called together within the course of the last year; one elected under the direction..