ment at the King's filence as to the great fource of all our calamities, the American war. And he wished to be informed by fome of the confidential fervants of the throne, whether by his Majesty's filence he meant to renounce his fovereignty over the United Colonies.

neceffity of unanimity in the prefent critical fituation of national affairs as clearly as the noble lord who moved the addrefs; but it was unanimity in approving the amendment just propofed. The events of the last campaign had Aftamped on the minds of the people fuch indelible marks of the incapacity He complained of the flagrant injuf- of the pretent adminiftration to plan, tice of ministers in modelling the army; and of their want of refolution to carry the experienced veteran obliged to give their wretched projects into execution, place to the raw fubaltern; the com- that, were it not to remind the Houfe of manders in chief, in whom the nation B fome glaring facts, he would hardly put confidence, difgraced or difgufted; have troubled the Houfe on the fubject. favourites preferred without regard to profeffional merit. In fhort, fuch glaring abfurdities, criminal omiffions, and fcandalous inconfiftencies practifed, that unless the prefeat administration are banifhed from the royal prefence, the nation must inevitably fall a prey to its enonies. To prevent fo fatal a misfortune, he moved the following amend

ment :

Plymouth, the great naval key of the kingdom, expofed without delence to the mercy of the enemy; Dominica captured; St. Vincent wrefted from Cus; and Grenada once more reduced to the obedience of France; the fortunes of many of our moft opulent merchants crushed, if not annihilated; our markets and fairs at home almost abandoned for want of circulating cash to pur"To befeech his Majefty to reflect chafe the ufual commodities, the money `upon the extent of territory, the power, of the country taken out of trade, and the opulence, the reputation abroad, abforbed by government at a most exand the concord at home, which diftin- orbitant intereft; and, to fum up all, guished the opening of his Majesty's the rents of our lands rapidly reduced; reign, and marked it as the most fplen- and eftates, which formerly fold from did and happy period in the hiftory of E 30 to 40 years purchase, fallen to 25, this nation; and on the endangered, nay even to twenty years purchase. Add impoverished, enfeebled, distracted, and to thefe, he faid, the diftrefles of Ireland, even difmembered state of the whole, which, whether confidered in a figuraafter all the grants of fucceffive parlia- tive or definite fenfe, were the diftreffes ments liberal to profufion, and trufting of England, and the fum total portendto the very utmost extent of rational Fed nothing but inevitable ruin, unless confidence, his Majefty will naturally prevented by the interpofition of new expect to receive the honeft opinion of counsellors and new councils. He wished a faithful and affectionate parliament, to know what must become of the miwho would betray his Majefty, and nifter when the great day of national thofe whom they reprefent, if they did account arrived, and national retribunot diftinctly state to his Majesty, that Gtion; when he should be abandoned if any thing can prevent the confum- by thofe friends who had blindly fol mation of public ruin, it can only be lowed him in his purfuits, and impli new councils and new counsellors with- citly approved of his ruinous projects. out farther lofs of time, and a real The awful moment, he faid, is now change from a fincere conviction of approaching, when the representatives paft errors, and not a mere palliation are to deliver up to the reprefented the which must prove fruitless." H charge with which they were intrufted. What advantages will they be able to produce as an equivalent for the heavy taxes they have voted, and the many millions fquandered without any enquiring into the neceffity of the expen

Mr. D. H-tly feconded the motion for the amendment, and particularly reprobated the commencement and conduct of the war.

Mr. J. Gole faw, he faid, the

6

d.

Summary of Proceedings in the prefent Parliament.

aiture? To a people already loaded with perate as it had been reprefented. The
debt of near 200 millions, how can nobleman who moved the amendment,
they answer for voting additional fums defied administration to point out a pe-
only to involve their country in deeper riod, when the flag of the enemy rode
and more certain ruin! He faw no re- triumphant in the British Channel.
medy but voting for the amendment. A Though he was totally unconnected
Mr. Ad-m declared he could no with adminiftration, he faid, he could
longer continue to oppose adminiftra point out a time to his lordship when
tion, as he had difcovered by the en- we were twice beaten in one year, onte
quiry that had been inftituted during off Banery on the coaft of Ireland, and
the laft feffion, that miniftry had not a fecond time off Beach-head, and that
been folely to blame for all the mifcar- B was in the year 1690, when the French
riages that had happened in America, burnt a town on our coat, funk or de-
nor for all the revolutions that had ftroyed feven fhips of the line; when
happened in our negotiations with other our admiral (Herlert Ld Barrington)
powers.
was obliged to fly for the river, and to
order the buoys and the fea-marks to be
Cpulled up to avoid purfuit; when Ire-
land was in a ftate of moft formidable
refiftance, and her whole force com-
manded by an able foreign general (St.
Rath); when, finally, the moft dan-
gerous divifions fubfifted at home, one
half of the people at leaft abetting the
caufe of the exiled king, and the other
half far from being united; yet, not
withstanding all thefe furrounding pe-
rils, fuch were the wifdom, the refolu-
tion, the vigour of the then ministry,
that in less than two years the luftre of
E
the British flag was restored, the French
were totally defeated, and the nation
triumphant. If fuch was the cafe at
that time, why not now? Because mi-
nifters have been unfuccefsful, is that a
just reason why they should be discard-
Fed? A reverse of fortune may in one
trial more recover their credit, reani-
mate the nation, and enable them to
terminate the war by an honourable
peace.

Befides, to remove all the prefent
minifters, which feemed to be the
great object of the amendment, would
be perfonally injurious to individuals,
and highly prejudicial to the ftate, as
there were fome men of acknowledged
abilities in adminiftration fully pofleft
of the national confidence [A cyD
throughout the Houfe, Name them! name
them!] Mr. Ad-m, as foon as the
clamour ceafed, pointed at two noble-
men, one at the head of the law, fup-
pofed to be the lord chancellor, and the
other lately promoted, fuppofed to be
Ld St-rm-t. But, faid he, there
are ftill more cogent reafons against
new councils and new counfellors, for a
mong the whole group of candidates
for office, he could not fingle out one by
whom the veffel of ftate was likely to
be better guided than by the prefent pi-
lots, who, though they had not been
able to avert the ftorms, had hitherto
directed the helm with admirable dex-
terity. They had preferved the vetiel
without throwing her guns over-board; Mr. T. T-fb-d gave other reafons
whereas those who were ftriving for the for Mr. Ad-m's defertion than thofe he
direction had already betrayed their in-Ghad affigned himself. He lamented the
tentions to part with a moft valuable
part of the cargo, fo they could but
bring the empty veflel fafe into port.
To peak without a metaphor, he fear-,
ed, that instead of carrying on the war
with vigour, they would terminate it,
with an humiliating peace. He be-
held, he faid, while he was speaking, a
political phenomenon, an unfuccessful
miniftry, and an unpopular oppofition.
As to our fituation, it was not fo def

degeneracy and venality of the times, and afcribed to treachery thofe evils and oppreffions under which the nation was groaning. He could never be perfuaded that the British empire, fo glarious in the annals of Europe at the H commencement of the prefent reign, could be fo fuddenly reduced to its prefent abject state, did not treachery, base treachery, lurk fomewhere about the throne. The hiftory of the late cam

paign

This doc

gn confirmed him in this opinion. whofe protecting arm every fpecies of Was it poffible to believe, that our na enormity is to be defended. tional ftrength could have been found trine, fo fatal to thofe by whom it was fo weakened and debilitated on the ap- first broached, will prove but a flimfy proach of an enemy fo long expected, defence to fuch as adopt it. if those who were intruffed with her corrupt parliament will know where reprotection and prefervation were not Afponfibility ought to reft, and where to biaffed by fome invifible agency? apply punishment. In former wars, Would the navy of Great Britain have minifters were careful to cukivate albeen found in fo miferable a condition, liances to counterbalance the force of as, under fo experienced a commander thofe powers that were forming confeas Sir Charles Hardy, instead of feeking deracies against us; but in this, we laurels abroad, to thun the enemy dif- B ftand alone against the two most formiplaying her banners in the British chan- dable powers in Europe, aided by a nel? Would Plymouth, the fecond na powerful combination of our own reval arfenal in the kingdom, have been volted fubjects, driven to defperation left fo naked and defenceless, as not to by the most violent measures. Our have been able to make the moft feeble prefent minifters have either neglected refiitance, had the French but attempted Cor defpifed continental connections; and to land; and, but for Providence, as he thought himself warranted in saying, his honourable friend had well re- we had not one ally, from the confines marked, muft at this hour have been in of Siberia to the Streights of Gibralafhes, or in poffeffion of our enemies? tar, nor from the North Cape to the Could minifters plead a furprize, or fay Cape of Good Hope; in confequence that they had no reason to fufpect the ene-Dof which, fuch a train of evils have my's defigns; or, could they pretend, that already befallen us, and he forefaw so the defence of our other important de- many more that were likely to follow, pendencies, had occupied their atten- that, unlefs parliament would interpofe tion, and had neceffarily taken off a to fave the kingdom, by agreeing to part of that force, which otherwife the propofed amendment, he knew no would have been more than fufficient to E other method to prevent its ruin. encounter the united fleets of France Mr. M-nch-n acquainted the house, and Spain? No fuch thing could be that he was at Plymouth when the pretended, for our Weft-India islands, French appeared before it; and fo weak the most valuable of all the British de- did he affirm the garrifon to be, that, pendencies, were found in a still wore had the enemy landed their men, they fate than our own coafts. And as for F must have deftroyed the town. "We America, the profpect was to gloomy would have met them, faid he, with and unpromifing, that his Majesty has the fpirit of Englishmen; but fure I thought fit to pals it over in filence. am, that to a man we must have peIf we caft our eyes to the Mediterra- rifhed. Our feelings were mortified to nean, there we lee our forts untup- fee one of our fhips taken within fight ported, and our merchantmen unproof the port, and the French flag proudly tefted in short, wherever we caft our waving and challenging to action. Our eyes, nothing is to be feen but defertion fleet, he faid, fkulked between the and imbecillity, as if nothing was wor- rocks for fhelter, and in the night thy the care of minifters but the pre- fiole into the channel, without daring fervation of their lucrative employ- to fire their fignal guns, while those of ments. To cover this moft fhameful the enemy were thundering in our difregard for the prefervation and effen-Hears." This, he afferted, was the aftial interefts of this kingdom, a moft dangerous doctrine had been propagated by the runners of administration, "That the King is his own minifter;" and thus his majesty is made the fhield, behind

flicting state of Plymouth, and our fleet; and to Providence, and Providence alone, he afcribed our prefervation.

Ld Geo. G-rd-n inveighed against miniftry;

miniftry; faid they were no lefs odious why not purfue the charge, and endea in Ireland and in Scotland, than in vour to fix the guilt, and bring it home England; the grievances of Ireland to the mifcreant, whoever he is, that were grown intolerable, and the peo- he may undergo the punishment that ple were determined to have a free treachery deferves? Another gentleman trade; and if that was to be granted, had asked him, what he would do when he begged the noble lord in the blue A he found himself deserted by his friends ribband to give him timely notice, that in parliament? He was prepared to anhe might write down to Scotland to fwer him; he would retire. The voice warn his countrymen to establish an of parliament, he knew, like a torrent, Eaft-India company of their own. In muft fweep minifiers as fand before it. Scotland, he declared the people were And God forbid it should be otherwife! as ready to break with minifters as in B But whenever the day of account should Ireland. The indulgencies given to come, he fhould meet it without fear. papifts had enraged the whole country. There are laws for the protection of He did not fpeak his own fentiments innocence; thus fhielded, he should fet only; there were 120,000 men at his his enemies at defiance. back ready to fupport them, whofe zeal for their religion was ftill greater than his own. They had fent petitions to minifters, to minifters who had difregarded them; to the chancellor, to the fpeaker and fhortly he fhould wait upon the King. The coaft of Scotland, he faid, had been left defencelefs; and, to his certain knowledge, Paul Jones might have ravaged it from one end to the other. They had applied for arms, and had been refufed; they were irritated at this partiality. Sir Hugh Smithfon, Earl Percy [Duke of Northumberland], armed cap-a-peé, marches at the head of all the cheese mongers and grocers from Temple-bar to Brentford; and the great Ear! Douglas is not to be trufted with arms. The people of Scotland, he faid, thought the King was a papift. He was going on; when the fpeaker thought it time to put a stop to his proceeding.

E

That we were without alliances was Cnot the fault of minifters, but owing to the prevailing politics of the continental powers. Had a continental power been attacked, other powers would have immediately interpofed, in order to preferve a balance, and proDbably Great Britain would then have been called upon to make up the weight against the heavier fcale. But Great Britain being attacked, with whom thofe powers did not think themselves immediately connected, the whole force of the Houfe of Bourbon was fuffered to be collected uninolefted, which it was impoffible for Great Britain alone to prevent. Can it therefore be wondered, that France and Spain out-numbered us in fhips; or, that we should not be pro. vided to refift them in every particular F place against which they fhould think fit to direct a part of their force! He was of opinion, however, that, all things confidered, the difgrace of the laft campaign refted with them. They acted upon the offenfive, and effected G nothing; we, on the defenfive, and rendered the great objects they had projected abortive. Gentlemen on the oppofite benches affect to attribute all this to Providence; but not to deride Providence, furely fome fhare of human fagacity must be allowed to him, who, with forty fhips of the line, could keep in continual alarm a fleet of fixty-fix fhips of the line, and prevent them from directing their operations to dif tant enterprizes, by which our trade

Lord N-th rofe in this early ftage of the debate, left his filence, he faid, hould be interpreted as a defign to evade the conflict. Being one of thofe coun fellors whose removal was fought by the amendment, he found himself materially affected by what had fallen from the noble lord who moved it, and by the two honourable gentlemen who had followed him on the fame fide. An indirect charge of treachery had been made against him, as included among his majesty's other confidential tervants. This feemed, of late, a favourite topic with gentlemen in oppofition. But