with the prefent miniftry; he meant not, however, to covet their places; frequent minifterial changes he ftrongly reprobated, and thought that country the best governed, where minifiers remained fuch; while their abilities, their diligence, and their honefty, flood unimpeached.

A variety of hiftorical paffages were adduced by lord Mulgrave, on this occafion, in favour of the minifterial determination to perfift in the war. The French, he obferved, had frequently met with the moft fignal reverfes of fortune, after obtaining the most aftonishing fuccefies. Lewis XIV. was a remarkable instance of this, in the laft, and in the beginning of the prefent, century; no monarch had been more victorious, but none was finally reduced to more diftrefs. In the memory of living witneffes, the French had begun with triumph, and ended with difgrace; as particularly in the war of 1755. It was unmanly, therefore, as well as unreasonable, to look on the prefent progrefs of the French as irresistible. Whatever were our fufferings, they ought chearfully to be borne, when it was reflected, that we were ftruggling for our national prefervation. In fpeaking of Cofica, he noticed the intrinfic unimportance of Minorca and Gibraltar, which, however, by their local fituation, were highly ufeful to Great Britain.

Lord Stanhope feconded, with his ufual emphafis, the amendment moved by lord Guildford, and was replied to by lord Mansfield. This fpeaker reprefented the pecuniary refources of France as totally exhaufted. The expenditure of France in the last campaign amounted to one hundred and forty-four millions

fterling; the affignats, in actual cir culation, were two hundred and forty millions, and the quantity of forged affignats was immenfe: hence they were altogether fo depreciated, that no perfon would take them but at an incredible difcount, reducing their value almoft to nothing.

It was remarked, on this fubject, by lord Lauderdale, that if the fi nances of France were in reality fo reduced, the French would never retain fo haughty a ftyle; nor ought they to be fo heavily charged with ambitious views, when it was well known they were, at that time, foliciting peace from one of the coalefced powers; and had fcrupuloufly obferved the ftipulations with neutral ftates. He dwelt feverely on the profpect, held out by lord Spencer, of the most formidable navy, in a few months, ever put to fea; while, at the fame time, the admiralty were not apprized, that the French were masters of the entrance of the Channel. He cenfured the miniftry for not fending out a larger force to the Weft Indies, where the French were most vulnerable; and afcribed to their weaknefs, in rendering the public a fecurity for the imperial loan, the facility with which it was procured by the Auftrian agents.

The arguments, that had been alleged for and against the con tinuance of the war, were reviewed by lord Grenville, who concluded for the prudence and propriety of continuing it with additional fpirit. The marquis of Abercon, and the duke of Leeds, rejected the amendment; though they refufed to bind themfelves with the minifterial party to the support of the war.

The

The fpeech of the duke of Bedford, like thofe he had already delivered, was extremely animated. It had, he faid, been explicitly affirmed, by minifters, that the French were utterly unable to defray the charges of another campaign; and vet, experience had fhewn that they had, in the laft, baffled all the calculations founded on their inability. It was abfurd to infer their want of means from the prodigioufnefs of their expences; and of these no va lid proofs had been stated. He condemned, with great warmth, the idea of a war of mutual extermination, which was, in fact, the object purfued and recommended by minifters. He concluded with pointed ftrictures on the exhortation of minifters, to unite in fupporting what they ftyled the generous exertions of war: thefe words he ftygmatised, as inconfiftent with the miferies and diftreffes accompanying a military life; and, more than all, with the fenfations that must be felt, by men torn from all domeftic comforts, and compelled to leave their dearest relatives expofed to want and wretchedness.

Lord Grenville ended the debate, by declaring that, notwithstanding the infinuations, that the royal fpeech purported no peace would be made with France while it continued a republic, fuch a conftruction was erroneous, and could not be warranted by any part of it. On putting the queftion for lord Guildford's amendment, it was rejected by one hundred and feven votes against twelve.

In the houfe of commons, it being ufual, previously to moving the addrefs, to read the bill for the profecuting of clandeftine out-lawries, the fpeaker, of course, prefented the

bill; but Mr. Sheridan oppofed its reading. His reafon was, that it being a cuftom eftablished, merely to affert the right of the houfe to proceed to any business they judged proper, before that of the royal fpeech, they ought to realize that right, with which they were, doubtlefs, invefted for useful purposes. Inftead of reading, therefore, the outlawry-bill, he would move the reading of another of much more importance, at the prefent juncture. They were called together to give their advice to the king, on fubjects of the higheft confequence to the nation; but before they could confider themselves in a fituation to advife with freedom and impar tiality, it was proper they fhould be in a state of liberty; and this they could not be while under the terrors of a fufpenfion of the habeas corpus act: his intention, therefore, was to move for a repeal of that fufpenfion.

This motion was warmly opposed by Mr. Dundas, who declared himfelf of opinion, that instead of being repealed it ought to be renewed. He was fupported by the folicitorgeneral, who, in a fpeech of fome length, afferted that the evidence on the late trials had proved the reality of a confpiracy, though by the verdict of the jury, the perfons acquitted could not be brought to a fecond trial. Others befide himfelf were, he faid, of this opinion. He then detailed the proceedings of the feveral focieties, and concluded by condemning, in violent terms, their claim to univerfal fuffrage.

The folicitor-general was oppofed by Mr. Fox. According to the fpirit as well as the letter of the law and the conftitution, it appeared to him, that a jury's acquittal established [L4]

the

the innocence of the party accufed; but the fpeech he had now heard tended to overturn the validity of a jury's verdict, which was the ftrongeft fence of the conftitution, by fecuring the perfonal freedom of the fubject. The intent of that fpeech was to maintain the doctrine of conftructive treafon: which, if it were not vigorously oppofed by the houfe, might, in time, be held out as the law of the land. If the folicitorgeneral thought himfelf better informed than the jury, why did he not communicate this fuperior information to them on the trial, or to the houfe at prefent but the truth was, that jury confified of difinterefted nien, who had no favours to afk, nor to expect from government. Was it the opinion of a crown-lawyer, or of an English jury, that would have the greatest weight in deciding the character of an individual?

In aufwer to Mr. Fox, Mr. ferjeant Adair reviewed the proceedings of the focieties, and demanded whether it were probable that their defigns did not aim at the deftruction of the monarch, or the conftitution? The guilty were often acquitted in courts of juftice; not because they were confidered as innocent, but merely because there was no ftrictly legal evidence produced again them. A doubt of their guilt was fufficient, in the breaft of the jury, for their acquittal; but that did by no means clear the character of the accufed. There was no reafon, Mr. Pitt alleged, for repealing the bill, unlefs it were proved that it had been enacted upon erroneous grounds, and without fufficient deliberation; or that government had abufed the power it had entrusted to them.

Thofe caufes of alarm that had oc cafioned it had not been difproved, nor that the accufed were involved in a confpiracy as dangerous as treafon itfelt. The verdict in their favour could not, therefore, operate as a motive for repealing the act, even admitting that their indictment for high-treafon had not been fupported by legal proofs; and if the judicious and unbiased public looked upon them as guilty of an attempt, for which the law had not provid d a due puniti.ment, it was the duty of parliament to make fuch provifion.

In reply to Mr. Pitt, it was af ferted, by Mr. Sheridan, that the bill had been hurried through the houfe in two days, without the usual notice, a circumftance far from implying requifite deliberation. He was convinced, by what he had heard, that a farther fufpenfion of the bill was determined upon; but he was refolved to oppose it with every argument he was able to adduce, that minifters might have no opportunity of grounding it on apprehenfions of their own creating, and reafons which, if not combated, they might reprefent as unanfwerable.

Mr. Sheridan proceeded next to call in queftion the propriety of Mr. Dundas's appearing in the houfe as a member. By Mr. Burke's bill of reform, the office of, third fecretary of state had been abolished, and an act paffed, that if it should be revived, and confered on a member of parliament, his feat should thereby be vacated. Mr. Pitt anfwered this objection, by intimating that the duke of Portland was the third fecretary of ftate: an explanation that Mr. Fox and Mr. Sheridan thought difrefpectful ta

that

that nobleman, who had formerly concurred in the abolition of that

Ece.

Thefe difcuffions being thus terminated, the addre's was moved by is Francis Knatchbull, and fecondelby Mr. Canning; who obferved, tat though unfavourable circumfarces had occurred abroad, they eight not to prevent a vigorous prolecution of the war: they had on occafioned by the delertion of our allies, and not by the mifcoduct of minifters. The fall of Robelpierre, and the fubfequent changes in the government of France, did not warrant this country to attempt a treaty. The French divided their enemies in two claffes: the initigators of the coalition against them, and those who had joined it through compulfion. We were in the fit clafs, the Dutch in the fecond: their treatment of the latter would fhortly fhew what we had to expect; but a pacification with them, at prefent, would bring fo little fecurity, that no diminution of our fleets and armies could enfue, and our expences must remain as great as ever.

Mr. Wilberforce objected to the addrefs, as pledging the houfe to carry on the war till a counterrevolution were effected in France. The alterations in that country made it appear, in his opinion, more inclined to moderation than heretofore. Jacobinifin had been fuppr. red; and the government had aflumed an afpect of lenity, in compliance with the general fenfe of the people, who were fincerely defirous of peace. The coalition, he obferved, was diliolved, and we could not expect to overcome, with our fingle firength, a nation that had renlied fo powerful a confederacy,

preffing upon them from abroad; while they were, at the fame time, affailed with near fifty infurrections at home. He did not think a monarchy the-fitteft form of government for the French, at the prefent juncture. Were monarchy reitored, the country would not be pacified, as its friends and enemies would ftill preferve their animofities, and the latter ftill remain the fuperiors in number. It ought to be recollected, by thofe who thought a counter-revolution in France, practicable, that fix years had now elapfed fince the firft revolution; during which pace, a new generation of young men had been carefully trained, and brought up, in republican principles; and numbers of the elderly, and others averíe to thefe, were either dead, or had emigrated to other countries. He concluded by moving a negotiation for peace, which, whether fuccefsful or not, would prove to the people that the government defired peace. The nation would then feel the neceflity of uniting with minifters, whofe offers of reconciliation had been rejected by thre enemy, and would cordially give their vigorous fupport to what no one could deny, in fuch a cafe, to be a just and necessary war.

The motion of Mr. Wilberforce was feconded by Mr. Duncombe and Mr. Burdon, but oppofed by Mr. Windham. The ill fuccefs of the war he folely imputed to the mifconduct of fome of the allies. Comparing the events of the prefent with thofe of former wars, he afferted, that all that could be faid on this fubject was, that hitherto it had only been negatively fuccefsful The most alarming circumftance attending it,

was

was, he faid, that we were not true to ourselves. The political focieties, in England, had propagated principles inimical to it. The acquittal of thofe members belonging to them, by a jury at the late trials, he reprefented in the most odious light, ftyling them no better than acquitted felons.

This expreffion was to highly refented, that he was immediately called to order. He explained himself by saying, that though proofs had not been adduced of their legal guilt, it did not follow that they were free from moral guilt. He juftified the interference of Great Britain in the affairs of France, by the authority of Vattel, whofe opinion was, that every government, that is threatened, has a right to refift the power that threatens it, till it is fecure from that power. Henceforth, he faid, the characters of men would be known, by their condemnation or approval of the French revolution, to which thofe who had hitherto acted as enemies, could not, with propriety, change their conduct, and declare for terms of conciliation with that people. He deprecated the opening of a treaty with them, -as it would lead the way to an intercourfe, between the two nations, that might introduce into England all the calamities and horrors that defolated France. We were not yet reduced to the neceffity of recurring to fo difgraceful a measure ; ftill were able to make the moft fpirited and powerful exertions, without fuffering from them; all claffes were competent to the weight of the burdens laid upon them; neither the rich nor the

we

poor had yet reafon to complain: while the former felt no inconveniences, the latter would feel none, as the expences and luxury of the wealthy were the support of the indigent. He concluded with an exhortation, to difplay as much firmness and perfeverance in a good caufe, as the French did in a bad one.

The defire of terminating a ruinous war was ftrongly approved by Mr. Bankes, as equally juft and indifpenfible; after the fruitlefs trial to reduce the enemy to our own terms. If no peace were admiflible, while France was a republic, the war might be endlefs. The time muft, nevertheless, arrive, when we must treat: the fooner, therefore, the better, for both parties. The defertion of our allies, in particular, afforded a motive, which alone was fuf ficient for putting an end to a conteft, of which they were the original movers. Sir Richard Hill expreffed himself of the fame opinion.

Thefe explicit avowals of a difapprobation of farther hoftilities, on the part of members who had hitherto coincided with the minifterial fyftem of war, feemed to ftrike Mr. Pitt with great furprize.

He denied the tendency of the King's Speech, to incul cate the continuance of the war, till France reassumed a monarchi cal form; though he acknowledg ed his perfuafion, that no peace could be depended on, till a royal government was re-establish ed; the only proper one, in his opinion, for all the European nations. The coalition, once dif folved, would not eafily be reftored; and we then fhould be

left