in honour, it should be fpurned by a nation hitherto famed for thofe diftinguished virtues. The arguments adduced to prove the neceffity of continuing our warlike operations against France, may be reduced to three heads. It is faid, that we must go on:

I. Because it is necessary to oppofe the progrefs of the French

arms.

II. It is neceflary thereby to prevent the propagation of French principles.

III. We muft perfevere, until fuch a government can be eftablished, that will induce us to treat under the fairest prospect of obtaining a lafting and honourable peace.

I mean not to deny, my Lords, that the progrefs of the French arms was at one time very alarming. It threatened the annihilation of the Dutch, our most valuable allies; and if it had not been timely checked, it might have endangered (I fcruple not to fay it) the falvation of this country. The ftate of things is, however, now quite reverfed; the French are feparated from them by a fufficient distance; and fome regard ought to be paid to their public declaration, viz. " That they do not mean to interfere in the internal government of any country, nor will they make war upon any nation that is not the aggreffor." But have His Majefty's Ministers calculated the force and the refources by which they are to accomplish this important end? Much reliance, no doubt, must be placed upon the affiftance of our allies, who, as the Speech expreffes, have entered into an almoft general confederacy; but our hopes cannot be much brightened by the profpect of affiftance from thofe whom we are obliged to fubfidize for their own prefervation. It is notorious to all Europe, that the refources of Auftria are exhaufted. The Emperor can no longer levy fresh impofts upon his fubjects; and he is left to the precarious fupport of private benevolences, and the loyal contribution of individuals. As to the King of Pruffia, lefs referve is neceffary. Notwithstanding the late fhameful addition which he has made to his Territories, by the plunder of the innocent and defenceless Poles, he either cannot, or will not, contribute any material affiftance to another Campaign. But it is urged, that we muft at any rate prevent the importation of French principles, that are deftructive of the peace of every civilized and well-regulated government. The doctrine is not more exploded, that you cannot make converts by the fword, than that you cannot prevent the diffemination of political, or any other principles, by the aid of arms. But what more apt means than thofe ufed by the allies could have been devifed to fpread the falfe philofophy of the French, which is juftly reprobated by every wife and good man? If you wifh to crush the Jacobins of this country; if you defire to render abortive the machinations of a British Convention; if, my

Lords

Lords, you would imprefs upon the minds of His Majesty's fubjects, a fenfe of the ineftimable blefings refulting from our excellent Conftitution of King, Lords, and Commons, prove to them that they have a government that will fecure to them their liberty and property, together with all the advantages of peace and profperity. Many confiderations lead me to reflect, that the people of this country may foon be difcontented with the conduct of our public affairs; and when that begins to appear, it is not by arguments or fyllogifms the people will be fatisfied. It is in vain that you tell them the British Conftitution is the wifeft and best that was ever framed, you must make them feel that they actually enjoy under it those advantages which it is calculated to afford them.

Laftly, it is faid that you have no perfons to treat with who have the power or inclination to fecure to you a lafting peace. If I were afked who thofe are with whom we ought to open a negociation, I would answer, thofe men (be they whom they may) who have the direction of the arms and of the force of the country.

I cannot fufpect that there is a Noble Lord prefent who is not convinced, that if you offer them terms which are fair, they will clofe with you; and the treaty which it is their intereft to conclude, the fame intereft will bind them to obferve. No difficulty ought to arife from the form of the government with which I propofe you fhould negociate peace. We are at peace with governments that bear a ftrong refemblance to that now exifting in France. We have treated with thofe of the fame defcription, and we are actually in alliance with Dantzick. I fhall, therefore, submit an Amendment to be inferted after the third or fourth paragraph of the Addrefs. His Lordship then read it to the following effect:"That this Houfe do thank His Majefty for the gracious Decla"rations which he has been pleafed to make of the Views and "Principles by which he is guided in the Profecution of the pre"fent War; but they hoped His Majefty would feize the earliest "Opportunity to conclude a Peace, by which the permanent fafety

of his Subjects, and the Independence and Security of Europe, "may be provided for; and that they humbly hope no Difficulty may prevent the Attainment of fo defirable an Object from the "Form of Government which may be established in France.”

I fhall only trouble the Houfe, added his Lordfhip, with one or two more obfervations. The refources of this country are unqueftionably great, but it behoves His Majefty's Minifters to refect on the inevitable loffes which we have fuftained fince the commencement of hoftilities, and the heavy diftrefles under which our manufacturers, and all the lower claffes of the people, labour. When new burthens are laid on, I believe their ability to fuftain them has not been eftimated. However the war may be terminated, there is no poffibility of our being reimburfed'; and when

it

it may terminate, the Noble Lords can only form a very uncertain guefs. One thing appears clear, viz. that there is no probability of its ending fuccefsfully under the management of thofe who have the prefent direction of it. If we must go on, let the business be entrusted to those who have abilities to conduct it more fuccefsfully; and if, from the justice of the cause in which we are embarked, we have reafon to hope for the interpofition of Him who is the Ruler of all the Nations of the Earth, let us feek for agents to whom he may be more propitious than to those who have hurried us, and wish to plunge us deeper, into the miferies of this illfated war.

The Duke of Portland faid, he felt it fo ftrongly incumbent upon him to give fomething more than a filent vote upon the occafion, that he was thus early anxious to offer himfelf to their Lordships' notice. He had, at the commencement of the war laft year, acknowledged his opinion of the juftice and neceffity of it; and he was now more convinced of both. He thought it the duty of every man to concur in ftrengthening the hands of Government, as a vigorous profecution of the war appeared to him the only means of faving the country, and bringing the war to an honourable and favourable end. His Grace confidered the war to be merely grounded upon one principle, and that-the prefervation of the CHRISTIAN RELIGION; against that ineftimable bleffing he conceived all the thunder of our enemies to be aimed; and we had no other means to preferve that, together with our Conftitution and property, but the humiliation of a power founded in rapine, cruelty, and fraud, which threatened equally the deftruction of all.

He obferved, he did not know to what the Amendment could tend, unless it went to recommend a breach of all the treaties which exifted between this country and foreign powers; a meafure which it would unquestionably be difhonourable for this country to pursue, and which muft ultimately end in our ruin and disgrace. His Grace faid that he would give his fupport to Minifters, and therefore would vote for the Addrefs.

The Earl of Guildford explained the nature of his motion, which feemed to him to have been mifconftrued by the Noble Duke. It was not his view to advife his Majefty to make a feparate peace, or to dictate to his Majefty any peace whatever, but merely that his Majefty might order a negociation for fuch terms as to his Majesty might appear juft and realonable.

Earl Spencer faid, he was perfuaded of the juftice and the neceffity of the prefent war; and that the prefervation of all order, and every thing that was valuable in civil fociety, depended upon it. He could not help uniting, with every other well-wisher of this country, to ftrengthen the power of His Majesty's Ministers, in fupport of the fentiments this day delivered from the Throne, which

were

were for the profecution of the war with vigour and perfeverance. He warmly fupported the Addrefs, and gave the juft tribute of praise to his Majesty's Minifters for the uncommon merits and ability of their conduct during the laft campaign. He faid they had atchieved that which in the reign of Queen Anne was the mafter-piece of policy; and they had even brought about a greater combination of powers to oppofe the progress of the French carnage and devaftation; they had alfo in a great measure stopped the mischief of the diffemination of the French principles and doctrines, fo fubverfive of all peace and tranquillity, the effects of which had abolished religion and humanity in France. His Lordship reprobated the idea of making peace with a country who had declared perpetual war against all ftates where the laws of civil government opposed a barrier to their wild and extravagant system of equality; a fyftem maintained by murder and rapine. This war appeared to him to be a just and a neceffary war; and nothing had been done on our part to render it lefs juft than it was at the commencement: he was therefore for a vigorous profecution of it, as the only means we had of preferving the Conftitution of this Country. Whenever we were to itipulate for a peace, it thould be for fuch a peace as fhould give us fecurity for the continuance of it as well as for our own honour. For thefe reafons, he gave his decided vote for the Addrefs, as originally moved, and against the Amendment.

Lord Coventry faid, if the Miniftry of this country did not oppofe the mad politics of France, if they did not put a stop to the wild enthufiafm of the Republic, our wooden walls would be ufelefs; he would not give five years purchase for the existence of England. What would have been the confequence, had the arms of France over-run the United Provinces? he would not hesitate a moment to affert, that Britain would fall, her proud navy could not protect her. He gloried in the caufe in which the Ministry had embarked, and they fhould ever have his fupport.

The Duke of Norfolk faid, there was no man in the Houfe more anxious for the maintaining our happy Constitution than he was; yet he could not induce himfelf to fuppofe that thofe imaginary dangers warranted Miniftry in continuing the war. He hoped in the laft Seffion, when he had often been told in that Houfe, that Miniftry embarked in the war to protect the United States, that when they had accomplished their object, they would have withdrawn their troops, or elfe contented themfelves with forming a barrier to protect thofe allies for whom we were fo dreadfully alarmed. But he was forry to fee the object now difclaimed, and lamented feeing the country plunged into a continental war, which was likely to exhauft her finances, and which had already plunged the people of this country into fuch unheard-of calamities. Minif

ters rushed into the war, fupported by popular caprice; but he denied the people were now anxious for the continuance of hostilities. He had, from his fortune, his connections in the country, an opportunity of knowing their fentiments; and he pledged himfelf to the Houfe, that he could meet with no perfon now approving of the meafures of Miniftry. He faw the people lamenting their ill-judged ambition, and regretting that imprudence which encouraged their deftru&ive career: he was now convinced of what he ever had fuppofed before, that there were no grounds for the panic of Government, no danger of the introduction of French principles into this country. The people faw too dreadful an example in France to imitate fuch conduct here. He condemned the conduct of Miniftry in rejecting all negociation with France; that alone which could fave the blood of Europe, and terminate thofe dreadful calamities.

He feared that an unfair advantage had been taken of the public in this bufinefs, from the commencement of it; the generous feelings of Englishmen had been worked upon unfairly; for, by perpetually bringing to view the affaffinations and other atrocities of the French, the anger naturally raifed against thefe was made ufe of artfully as a pretext for the war. To this was to be added falfe alarms, that were raifed last year, and continued for fome time afterwards; and ftories were told about vifionary plots, and invifible infurrections; fo that the whole being patched up together, there appeared fomething like popularity about this war, and he knew not whether the delufion was yet entirely at an end: be that as it might, it was the duty of that Houfe to prevent the continuance of an unneceflary and a ruinous war; and, impreffed with that idea, he fhould vote for the Amendment of his Noble Friend.

Earl Derby, in voting for the Amendment of the Noble Earl, declared it to be his with that it would admit of even yet stronger language, fo that he could bring his mind to fome fixed point or condition, upon which His Majefty's Minifters might be induced to fay they were ready to negociate for fo defirable an object. He expected that Minifters, or their friends, would have defined the object of the war: as for his part, he could not conceive why it was continued. Was it to extirpate Republicanifm, and establish Royalty in France? If fo, we must wait for the extirpation of every man in it; till then, we cannot hope to accomplish our object. He had been told of the flourishing flate of our revenues by one Noble Peer, and he was informed it had equalled any year of our peace establishment, and this as an inducement to continue the war.

[He was told here that the average was only meant, and then the year 1791 was mentioned.]

Earl