thing. By now it had paffed and a fupply was demanded, they argued that the House had bound itfelf by the addrefs to grant it. The fame cheat was again attempted to be played off. The grant of a fupply, it was faid, did not bind the Houfe to any specific appropriation of it and thus the Houfe was to be led on by a train of delufions to give its fupport to a continuance of thofe ruinous measures, which even minifters themfelves no longer dared openly to defend.

To allow that parliament poffefled the privilege of withholding the fupplies, and in the fame moment to pretend that the exertion of it must prove an act of political fuicide, was to leave us nothing of the conftitution but the name. The king, in virtue of his prerogative, had the power of involving the nation in hoftilities at his own difcretion. An event of this kind was ufually announced to his parliament at the opening of a feffion; and was it now contended that how much foever parliament might difapprove of fuch a meafure, it was bound to furnish the neceffary grants for its fupport?

If no inftance had occurred fince the Revolution of a refufal to grant fupplies, this invariable acquiefcence rested on a fuppofition, that no circumstance had occurred to justify a deviation from the general practice. But did the prefent times afford no fuch grounds: Was it not even prefumable from the past conduct of minifters, that, with refpect to the fupport and defence of the empire, it was a matter of indif

ference whether the supplies were granted or not? Could the na tional misfortunes, which had thickened over the courfe of the preceding year, have poffibly proved more numerous or more fatal if no money whatsoever had been granted for the fervice of that period? Had those grants paid any intereft to the public either in victory or honour? Had they not even contributed to the annihilation of our fleets and to the lofs of our armies, as much at leaft as a temporary fufpenfion of fupply could do?

In exculpation of the mifconduct of one department of government, it had been faid that all the maritime refources of this kingdom were unequal to a conteft with the naval forces of France, when the chose to exert them to the utmost. For what purpose then, except their own bafe and felfifh purposes, could they who held fuch doctrines, call on parliament to fupport an establishment, confeffedly under their management, inadequate to its end? The difbanding of the land-forces would certainly be the confequence of an abfolute refufal to raise fupplies; but even if this were the cafe, would the House choose rather that the third fecretary of ftate fhould fend them across the Atlantic, in order that General Washington might receive at their expence a third army prifoners of war?

With refpect to the pledge required, the difficulties that had been ftated were rather affected than real. If parliament retained a proper fenfe of its duty, and was zealous and fincere in the [7] 4 performance

the theories of jurifprudence in mitigating the calamities of war; and arguing from thence the neceffity of interpreting the maxims of law, even in the prefent improved state of that code in the moft mild and favourable fenfe. He therefore contended, that from the moment of fubmiffion, the vanquished parties were entitled to the fecurity of fubjects; that where hoftilities end, there protection begins; and that though the inhabitants of St. Euftatius were not abfolutely claimants of a privileged protection, yet they fhould have found, in the equity and compaffion of the conquerors, a fhelter from all violence and depredation.

Having established and elucidated this general doctrine, Mr. Burke entered into a detail of the enormities charged on the conquerors of St. Euftatius. As foon

as they had got poffeffion of the fettlement, a general confifcation of property took place; every warehoufe was locked up; every inhabitant was compelled to give in an account of his plate, jewels, aud ready money; even the neceffary fupply of provifions was ftopped; and in this general order no diftinction was made between friends or foes; no rank, fex, or age was fpared; and finally, to prevent the poflibility of difcriminating their property, and to impede any future attempts for the recovery of its value, the books of all the merchants were feized, and their wares and goods thrown into one common mass.

The next mealure was a general profcription of the inhabitants themfelves, by which they were obliged, all without exception,

English, Dutch, Jews, French, and Americans, to quit the ifland. This order was executed without mercy; the miferable exiles underwent a strict search before their departure; and the clothes of fome of them were ripped open, in order to come at a few pieces of money which they had concealed as the only means of present fubfiftence.

The confifcation of property being determined on, and the inhabitants removed, the fale of their goods followed next in order. A proclamation was iffued, offering free ingrefs and regrefs to every purchafer; fecurity that his money fhould not be taken from him; and full permiffion to tranfport to any place he chofe, whatever merchandize he fhould pur chafe. Seventeen veffels, principally French, were accordingly freighted with ftores and other articles, purchafed fifty per cent. under the intrinfic value, for the fervice of our enemies; and left they fhould become captures to the British privateers, which were hovering round the island, and waiting for the return of the purchafers, they failed under the convoy of an English ship of war.

Three months were spent by the British commanders in difpofing of and fecuring the plunder of St. Euftatius; the confequences of this conduct, with respect to the events of the campaign, both in the Weft Indjes and America, were next adverted to by Mr. Burke. The fleet, under the command of Sir George Rodney, even after the departure of Commodore Hotham (who had failed with a fmall fquadron to convoy a part of the treafure found in St. Euftatius

to

to England) amounted to 21 fail of the line. The whole French force, previous to the arrival of Monf. de Graffe, confifted only of eight fhips of the line, and one fifty. This favourable opportunity of recovering fome of our former poffeffions, or attacking thole of the enemy, was entirely neglected; the whole fleet, and near 3000 chofen troops, being kept upwards of two months in a state of total inaction, for the important fervice of protecting the fales of St. Eustatius. The fecond misfortune that had fprung from the fame difgraceful caufe, was the weakness of the detachment fent under the command of Sir Samuel Hood, to prevent the junction of the French fleet in the West Indies, and that which arrived with De Graffe from Europe. Three fail of the line were detained by the commanders for the fame laudable purpose of fecuring the plunder of St. Euftatius; and this feparation of our naval force, in all human probability, brought on the whole train of calamitous events which followed: the junction of the French fleets; the lofs of Tobago; and finally, the dreadful difafter in the Chefapeak.

Having ftated thefe charges, Mr. Burke declared himself ready to fupport them by evidence at the bar. He trufted the two honourable commanders would feel their honour too deeply concerned, not to with to vindicate their conduct in the fullest and moft open manner; that the Houfe would feel for the credit and character of the nation, which had fuffered in the opinion of all Europe; and that, as to himself, the magnitude and

enormity of the charge, the wealth and power of the accufed, the wretched and deplorable condition of many of the unhappy fufferers, whofe caufe he had undertaken to fupport, would shelter him from that odium which was generally attached to the character of an accufer.

In answer to this weighty and pointed charge, Sir George Rodney, after a virulent invective against the Dutch, declared that their perfidious attachment to the enemies of Great Britain had determined him to adopt the line of conduct he had purfued in the capture of St. Eustatius; and that, in his opinion, it fully juftified the entire confifcation of the property found on the island. He could not have been actuated by any mercenary views in this determination, as he had avowedly made the feizure for the fole and exclufive benefit of the crown; and had not received intelligence till long after the confifcation, of his Majefty's gracious intentions of relinquishing his right in fa vour of the fleet and army, to whom the island had surrendered. With respect to the outrages that were alleged to have been com mitted, or any wanton and lawless exercife of power, he afferted, that as far as the accufation related to himself, it was abfolutely groundlefs. He further declared, that if any act of inhumanity had been committed, it had never reached his ears. On the contrary, protection and affiftance were liberally extended to all who stood in need of them.

In regard to the charge of having fuffered ftores and provifions to be purchased for the fer

vice