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in times like the prefent, he could hardly think it was meant as a finecure. This circumftance, added to a declaration he had heard from one of his Majefty's fervants in the former debate, "that we must make the Ame"ricans feel the calamities of war, "in order to make them wish for "peace," had, he must confefs, given him the most serious and dreadful apprehenfions.

He, laftly, cautioned the Houfe against the fallacy of an argument that had been urged with great confidence from the other fide: Look, fay they, at the army eftimates, and you will find unquestionable fecurity, that govern ment does not mean to carry on offenfive war in America. General Conway reminded the Houfe, that though 73,000 men were voted and paid for, we had never above hal that number in actual fervice. Government had, therefore, only to complete the regiments, and they would have more men in America than ever they had before.

The motion was feconded by Lord Viscount Althorpe, and oppofed by Lord North, in a long and able reply. He objected to it as unneceflary, after the affurances that had been given by government; as dangerous, on account of the information it conveyed to our enemies; as impoJitic, because it entirely took away from the executive government the ufe of its difcretion; as tending to retard rather than to advance the attainment of peace, the great object in view by both fides of the Houfe. He therefore could only confider the motion as a party measure, and, in that light, he thought it not lefs ex

ceptionable. If, faid he, the Houfe fufpects the fincerity of the fervants of the crown, if they have any doubts of their ability or integrity, it is not by fuch a motion as the prefent that they ought to exprefs their fentiments; they ought to addrefs the crown to remove thofe ministers in whom they could not place confidence, and to appoint others in whom they could confide. A minifter, he faid, ought no longer to continue a minifter after he was fufpected by that Houfe. He fhould be like Cæfar's wife, not only free from guilt, but even from fufpicion. If, indeed, the Houfe fhould fhew that they had withdrawn their confidence from him, it would be his duty, without waiting for an addrefs for his removal, to wait upon his Sovereign, and, delivering up the feals of his office, fay to him, "Sir, I have long ferved you "with dilligence, with zeal, and "with fidelity, but fuccefs has "not crowned my endeavours; "your parliament have with"drawn from me their confi"dence; all my declarations to

them are fufpected; therefore, "Sir, let me refign to you thofe

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employments, which I ought "not to keep longer than I can "be ferviceable to your Majefty "and your fubjects."

Lord North was followed by the Attorney-General, who obferved, that there were many more obftacles to be removed, in order to treat of peace with the Americans, than the Houfe feemed to be aware of. At that moment, feveral acts of parliament were in existence, which would prove infuperable bars to fuch an attempt. He therefore fhould recommend,

as

"measures as fhould appear to "him to be most conducive to "the refloration of harmony "between Great Britain and the "revolted colonies; and that his "efforts fhould be directed, in the "most effectual manner, against

The thanks of the Houfe being unanimously voted to the King for his gracious anfwer, General Conway rofe again, and, after exprefling his concern at having been reduced to the neceffity of trefpaffing fo frequently of late on the patience of the Houfe, moved another refolution, to the following effect: "that the House "would confider as enemies to

as the first neceffary step, a truce; during the continuance of which, the enmity, occafioned by the violence of the conteft, might fubfide; and each party, being at leifure to confult their real interefts, might accede to terms of peace, which, having undergone our European enemies, till fuch a flow and temperate difcuffion, "a peace could be obtained as might prove more honqurable and fhould confift with the interest advantageous, as well as more "and permanent welfare of his likely to fecure a permanent uni- "kingdoms." on, than those refulting from fudden overtures and fudden acquiefcence. He declared his intentions of bringing in a bill, with the permiffion of the Houfe, for thefe purposes; and he should therefore move," that the pre"fent debate be adjourned until Wednesday, the thirteenth of the enfuing month of March." Several other members took a part in the debate, which again continued till near two o'clock, when, though the propofition of the Attorney was fuppofed to have brought over a few irrefolute votes to the fide of the minifter, there appeared for the adjournment only 215; against it, 234, exclufive of the two tellers on each fide. The number of those who were prefent at the beginning of the debate, but had paired off in the courfe of the evening, were faid to have amounted to 14. The original queftion, and an addrefs to the King, formed upon the refolution, were then carried without a divifion, and the addrefs was ordered to be prefented by the whole House.

On the Monday following, his Majefty's anfwer was reported to the Houfe; in which he affures them, "that in pursuance of their "advice, he should take fuch

his Majefty and the country,

all thofe who fhould advise, or "by any means attempt, the fur"ther profecution of offenfive

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war on the continent of North "America, for the purpose of "reducing the revolted colonies "to obedience by force."

The neceflity of this measure, in order to fecure and render permanent to the nation the beneficial confequerces of their former refolution, had arifen, he said, from two circumftances. The first was, that minifters had declared, that though they should think themselves bound to comply with the fenfe of the majority of that Houfe, yet they still retained their former fentiments refpecting the want of wisdom and policy in the meafures recommended. The unwilling obedience of perfons, who could bring themselves to act in direct oppofition to their

own

own judgment, he thought could not be too strongly fecured. The anfwer they had advifed his Majefty to return to the addrefs of that Houie, was another circumftance, affording just ground of jealoufy and distrust. In that anfwer, all reference to the profecution of offenfive war was cautioufly avoided; the Houfe was informed, in general terms, that he fhould take fuch meafures as might appear to him moft conducive to the restoration of peace; but the House had no reafon to fuppofe but that a more vigorous protecution of the war might be deemed one of thefe conducive measures. The motion, after a feeble oppofition from govern. ment, was at length fuffered to país, without a divifion.

These refolutions were received by the public with general de monftrations of joy; in the midft of which, the rare fortune of the right honourable gentleman who took the lead in this bufinefs, was much envied and admired, in having thus, a fecond time, given peace to America, and happily put a stop to the alarming progrefs of thofe dreadful calamities which he had before, but unfortunately in vain, fhewn the way to prevent.

Whilst these great March 6th. and important quef

tions were agitating in the Commons Houfe, the conduct of government, with refpect to the late campaign in North America, underwent a strict and fevere fcrutiny in a committee of the lords. After feveral intermediate debates, which chiefly turned on the propriety of producing certain papers and documents from the

public offices, the bufinefs was at length brought to a conclufion, on a motion by the Duke of Chandos, "that it was the opinion of "the committee, that the imme"diate caule of the capture of the

army under Earl Cornwallis, in

Virginia, appeared to be the "want of a fufficient naval force "to cover and protect the fame." This motion was negatived, by a majority of 72 to 37.

The manly and public-spirited language held by the minifter in the debate of the 27th of February, had railed a general expectation that the lofs of the question on that day, and the fubfequent measures of the 4th of March, would have been followed by his immediate refignation. It can fcarcely be doubted, from the daily mortifications to which his continuance in office exposed him, and the extreme improbability of his being able to regain the ground he had loft, but that this would have been the cafe, had he not been induced by other caufes to act contrary both to his principle and inclination.

The crifis was

doubtlefs, in the utmost degree, alarming to the court. Had a mere perfonal change of minifters been the point at iffue, it is probable that little ceremony would have been used in gratifying the wifhes of parliament. But it was well understood, that a complete revolution in the internal policy of government would be the inevitable confequence of their removal: a revolution not lefs important in its effects, nor lefs dreaded by the court, than any other which the nation had before experienced.

It was therefore very generally fuppofed,

by Lord John Cavendish, and feconded by Mr. Powys:

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"That it appears to this "Houfe, that fince the year 1775, upwards of one hundred mil"lions of money have been ex"pended on the army and na" vy in a fruitlefs war:

"That it appears to this "Houfe, that during the above "period, we have lost the thir66 teen colonies of America,

fuppofed, that the noble lord at the head of the treafury was prevailed on to continue in a fituation that was neither honourable to himself nor without injury to the country, till every means were tried of averting what was confidered as the most dreadful of evils. The obfcure language which he held, when preffed on that ground in the House of Commons, afforded a ftrong prefumption of the truth of this fup- "which anciently belonged to pofition. He declared, at dif- "the crown of Great Britain ferent times, that he kept his post" (except the pofts of New York, from a principle of gratitude, and "Charles-Town, and Savannah) not from inclination; that he re- "the newly acquired colony of mained in his employment to pre- "Florida, many of our valuable vent confufion; that he fhould "Weft India and other iflands, quit it as foon as he could retire" and thofe that remain are in with honour; but that particular "the most imminent danger: circumstances stood in the way at prefent, which he could not farther explain. It was to no purpofe, that the indecency of his clinging to office, under the circumstances in which he then stood, and after the declaration he had himfelf made, was, day after day, urged by oppofition with an unufual degree of acrimony; he contented himself with retorting on his adverfaries their indecent impatience to get poffeffion of his employments; and with defending himfelf on the latter part of the charge, by faying, that though parliament had interfered by its advice, and had taken a ftronger measure than he thought neceffary for fecuring obedience to it, yet it did not appear, from any vote or refolution they had yet paffed, that the Houfe had totally withdrawn its confidence from the prefent administration. March 8th.

"That it appears to this "Houfe, that Great Britain is at "prefent engaged in an expen"five war with America, France, "Spain, and Holland, without a fingle ally:

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"That it appears to this "Houfe, that the chief cause of "all thefe misfortunes, has been "the want of forefight and abi. "lity in his Majefty's minifters."

The debate, as far as related to the merits of the queftion, lay within a mall compats. In fupport of the conclufion drawn in the laft refolution (for the facts contained in the three first were admitted on all fides) it was argued, in the first place, that a long and uninterrupted feries of misfortune and difgrace was in itself a fufficient proof of mifconduct; and fecondly, that the feparate meatures of administration were fo ftrongly marked with To bring the mat- weakness and folly, as to carry ter to this iffue, the their own condemnation on the following refolutions were moved face of them. On the other fide,

it was contended, that misfortune could not be allowed to infer mifconduct; and that even granting this, thofe who planned meafures were not folely responsible for them. The fault might be in the execution; and therefore, it would ill become the justice of the Houfe to proceed to a partial cenfure, without any previous hearing or enquiry.

This ground, however, appeared fo weak, even to the friends of administration, that it was almoft entirely deferted, except by the minifters themtelves; and the queftion was taken up with great art and ingenuity on other topics. It was faid, that the motion being intended to operate as a vote for the removal of the prefent miniftry, the Houfe would do well, before it adopted to serious a meafure, to take a view of the pinciples and opinions of those who moit probably would be their fucceffors. It was afked, if the Houfe was ready to vote the independence of America? If it was prepared to new-model the conftitution, to alter the duration of parliaments, and the rights of election? Would it be willing to give up its exclufive privilege of framing money-bills? or was it curious to fee the effects of thofe latent powers which a noble eat had, in the courte of his reading, difcovered to exift in the Houfe of Peers? Would it confent to a violation of the national faith with the crown, by adopting a celebrated bill of reform in the civil lift of expenditure?

It was then demanded, whether that harmony and concord fubfifted amongst the new candidates for power, the want of which had

been so often and fo vehemently urged against the prefent adminiftration? How would the inflexible fpirit of a noble earl, who had pledged his word in the other Houfe, that he would under no circumftances confent to the independence of the colonies, be brought to bend to the opinion of thofe who feemed fo ready to acknowledge it? The fame noble perfon had declared, that he should always wifh to fee the King his own minifter: a doctrine of no trifling political importance, and yet, which would found very heretical in the ears of most of his friends on the oppofite fide of the Houfe. With respect to the different fects of political reformers, they were equally numerous, and more at variance with each other than thofe of religion.

Thefe topics were urged with great eloquence and ability by Mr. Adam and the Lord Advocate of Scotland; the latter of whom called particularly on the member for Westminster to declare, whether, in cafe he should find himfelf, when minifter, in a minority, he would pay that deference to the opinion of the Houfe which he had fo loudly called for from the noble lord? or whether he would not appeal to his other parliament out of doors, and tell them they were betrayed by their reprefentatives? It nearly concerned the Houfe, he faid, to have these various matters well and tho roughly understood, before they proceeded to ditcharge the prefent minifters from their offices, and threw the whole government of the country into the hands of their opponents.

In defence of his principles and

conduct

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