Vatel, to fhew that this great authority was rather favourable than otherwife to the proceedings of England on this emergency. Again he adverted to interference in internal affairs, and demanded what must become of the balance of power without fuch interference; for he argued that the internal regulations of all countries did frequently, and thofe of France at prefent efpecially, affect the neighbouring powers. Who fo precife, who fo folemn, as the French had been in inftituting rules? Who fo apt at breaking them? The fate of the Briffotines too had been deplored: for his part he faw, it was true indeed, that they did but teach bloody inftructions, which being taught, returned to plague the inventor. Even-handed juftice gave back the ingredients of the poifoned chalice to their own lips." The Honourable Member afked, if we, the inhabitants of Britain, could be mean and daftardly enough to fay, that we could not contend against Frenchmen? He begged pardon of our gallant troops. He knew that was impoffible, and confidered them as the faviours of the world: He did not fee how the war could be fafely and fecurely terminated at the prefent moment, without facrificing every thing that was moft dear and valuable to Englishmen. Mr. Dundas bestowed very high encomiums on Lord Mornington. He was ready to pafs over Mr. Sheridan's obfervations, by referring the Houfe to the fentiments, detail, and abilities of his Noble Friend, whofe admirable fpeech would not foon be forgotten, having made a just and strong impreffion on the minds of his auditors. After the many excellent and important remarks made by his Lordship, it would be unneceflary for him to add any thing more. But Mr. Dundas obferved, that there was one ground of obfervation which had fallen from every Gentleman who had spoken on the oppofite fide, and to which no reply had been given; he meant with regard to the exertions that had ben made by his Majefty's fervants fince the commencement of the war, and relative to the conduct of the war, as far as it had hitherto proceeded. The Honourable Member talked about a Parliamentary Enquiry. Whether the Houfe would think it proper to enter into a Parliamentary Enquiry without any fpecific charge before them, was for them, not for him, to determine. He was perfectly ready to admit that he, for one, if any error had been committed, had not yet repented of it; and if the fame operations were to be repeated, he had no dificulty in declaring, that he should advife and purfue precifely the fame conduct which had been hitherto obferved. The general allegation brought against his Majefty's Minifters was, a want of vigour and activity in bringing forth the refources of the country! The queftion which he was to fubmit to the Houfe, and which he should do by ftating a few circumftances, was, that the utmoft exertions had No. 2 **** H been been used which it was poffible to make at the commencement of the war, and exertions that exceeded before any that occurred in any part of the naval or military history of this country. It was the policy of the country, previous to the war, to adopt a low peace eftablishment. The whole naval eftablishment of the kingdom did not amount to more than 15,000 feamen. As to the land forces, after deducting thofe neceflary for the garrifons placed in our foreign fettlements and dependencies, the whole military force of Great-Britain did not amount to 9000 men. He therefore wifhed to put it to the candour of every Gentleman, whether it was poffible for any confiderable force, by fea or land, to be ready at the commencement of the war? He begged to be permitted to afk, whether the progrefs of the fleets and armies, fince the beginning of the war, and the additions that had been made, would juftify the Honourable Gentleman's remarks, that the King's Minifters had fhewn a want of vigour and activity, in not making ufe of the refources with which the country furnished them? The addition that had been made to the seamen was no less than 54,000. At the commencement of the war, we had only thirteen fhips of the line and thirty frigates. Now we had above eighty fhips of the line and one hundred frigates; and therefore he challenged any Gentleman to produce a fingle inftance in any war of this country, when fuch great exertions had been made in fo fhort a period. The army had also been greatly increased by independent companies, and by adding to old regiments; and he would venture to affirm, that the moit steady, effectual, and œconomical mode had been adopted, in order to collect, as quickly as poffible, the greatest of military force. Above 30,000 men had been added to the army. He did not mean to fay that an army confifting of raw recruits, was fo fit for the public fervice as more experienced troops; but he only meant to affert, that the operations were as extenfive, as full, and as rapid, as the circumftances of the cafe would admit, and more fo than in any inftance recorded in our hiftory. Mr. Sheridan, in the plenitude of his accufation, exclaimed, "Your trade has been neglected: things have been conducted by his Majefty's Servant's without care, without vigilance, and without attention! The war commenced about the beginning of laft February; and fo early as the month of March, information was received, that a large French fquadron had failed for the Weft Indies. We must watch the motions of our enemies, in order to know how to direct our course. We did not know whether they would fail to the West Indies, to our own coafts, or to the Mediterranean. About About the 9th of March, the information received by Government led them to believe, that a large fquadron had failed for the West Indies. Our fhips were then getting ready but flowly. It was ftrongly obferved, and truly, by thofe who fpoke against the war, that France would cover the Channel with cruizers and privateers, and therefore it was indifpenfably necellary to get ready a large fleet, and a great number of cruifers, to perform thefe two fervices at the fame moment. A large fleet was necellary to go to the West Indies, and the cruizers to protect our trade in the Channel. Accordingly the French fleet was followed by Admiral Gardner, though they did not proceed to the West Indies. Mr. Dundas flattered himself, therefore, if any man would but paufe for a fingle moment, he would clearly fee that the earliest attention of Government had been directed to the fecurity of our valuable property in the West Indies, upon which fo much of our trade and capital was at flake. Very foon after, the trade in the Mediterranean, which exceeded one million fterling, was attended to. So early as the month of May, the large, powerful, and important fleet under Lord Hood failed to the Mediterranean, to act against the French in that quarter, and to protect our trade. However paradoxical it might appear, yet it was true, that, in proportion to the extent and profperity of our trade, was the difficulty of fitting out a naval armament. Our failors were fattered over the whole globe; in the Mediterranean, and the ports of Italy, on the coafts of Africa, in the West Indies, on the coaft of America, in the Baltic, and wherever the immenfe riches and capital of this country extended itself. Thefe were additional drawbacks againit a fpeedy naval armament; and yet, with all these impediments in the way, and our Eaft India fhips not come home, are made all thefe preparations. This, therefore, was the general view of our naval and military frength at the commencement of the war, and of the additions that had been made from that time to the prefent. At that late hour he wifhed the little he had to fay might be faid as quickly and rapidly as poffible. If it were necellary, he might have greatly enlarged on thefe feveral points. It had been obferved, that this was all chance, all fortuitous; that we owed a great deal to Fortune, and nothing to Wisdom and Prudence. If fo, it was the most extraordinary thing in the world, that the enemy fhould be reprefented as destroying our whole commerce and ftrength; and yet by fome range Providence, notwithstanding all the vigilance on the part of our enemies, and all the prophecies of our friends, our fleets had all come fafely into port; and fill, it feemed, all this was accident. He confelfed, he knew but two ways of protecting H 2 trade; trade; either by having large fleets collected at fea, or by diftinct convoys for each difint fleet. By thefe means the trading fleets of this country had been completely protected. Exclufive of the protection of the coafting trade, he flated that no less than fifty flects of merchantmen had gone from the ports of this country to the ports of our colonies, or of foreign nations, each of them being provided with dillinet convoys: and after this enumeration of facts, which were notorious, would any man tell him that our trade had not been protected? Although fome fhips had, for the fake of a good market, run without convoys, yet he could declare, that of all merchantmen that had failed under convoys by the admiralty, not one fingle fhip had been taken. He had understood to that moment, that the commercial world had been dealt with in the most handfome manner. There was no period when the admiralty had done their duty fo effectually. They had done every thing which the means of the country had enabled them to do. He therefore left it to the Houfe to fay, whether greater exertions could be made than were made. If there was any one thing that threw greater luftre on the British name than another, it was the conduct of our fleet at Toulon. Lord Hood's fleet confifted of twenty or twenty-one fail of the line; but his Lordfhip was obliged to detach a number of thefe fhips to protect the homeward-bound trade coming from the Mediterranean, and the ports of Italy; and that fervice was performed with complete fuccefs. And what added to the glory of the British name, Lord Hood, for the fpace of ten days, only with thirteen fail of the line, blocked up the French fleet in the port of Toulon, confifting of twenty fail of the line. His Lordthip, during all that time, was ready to give them battle in the face of their own coat. Whether, therefore, they considered the protection of our trade, or the glory of the British arms, both were equally attended to. And the small States of Italy, that were infulted, invaded, and attacked by France, crept, as was expreffed by an Honourable Gentleman, under the wings of Britith protection. Thefe States had lifted up their heads, and had been proud from that moment. With regard to the Channel Fleet, Mr. Dundas asked the Houfe if there was a fingle moment after the Noble Lord had gone to fea, in which he did not endeavour to bring the Bret Heet to action? And was there a fingle moment in which the French fleet did not decline it? If they would not come to an engagement, the Noble Admiral could not help it. This was fhortly and correctly the state of Lord Howe's feet. When the fituation of Torbay was confidered with refpe& to Breft, he was informed, by those who were skilled in maritime affairs, that it might equally answer the purpose of military atchievements, and alfo ferve for a protection to our trade. He took notice that about fixty thips had been taken from the enemy during the war, the largeft of which only mounted forty guns, and more than half of them not twenty guns. We had loft the Thames frigate; but the Commander had neither loft his character nor his reputation. Mr. Dundas here fpoke of the expedition to Martinico, and hoped that it would not turn out fo bad as had been reprefented by fome Honourable Gentlemen. Information had been received, that, with the affiftance of 1400 men, they might get polletion of a confiderable part of the island. And though the expedition was never very promifing, it had been attempted; and he was certain that every man engaged in it had behaved with the utmost courage and valour. He obferved alfo, from our reception in the ifland of St. Domingo, it was evident that the inhabitants of many of the French Weft-India Iflands withed to put themfelves under the protection of his Majefty, if we had been able to affiit them with effectual operations. When Martinico, Guadaloupe, &c. were in the possession of France, we had but a flender fecurity for many of our WeftIndia Islands. He obferved, that there were numbers of Blacks fent as emillaries from the French West Indies into our islands, with a view to feduce our flaves, and to entice them to commit the fame horrid atrocities and mafiacres as had taken place in St. Domingo. The defigns of thefe Negroes had been discovered, and fortunately prevented. Mr. Dundas was warm in his commendations of the officers whofe conduct feemed to be afperfed by Oppolition. He moft earnestly intreated that Gentlemen would refrain from their wanton criticifms on gallant men abfent in the fervice of their country. If there was any blame in the meafures which attracted their cenfure, Miniftry alone were to blame; and he once for all begged, that Gentlemen would bring forward their accufations against himself or colleagues, none of whom would ever fhrink from the moft public investigation of their conduct. In the Eaft Indies, not a fingle factory was left in the poeffion of our enemy; and he hoped that our laurels in the West Indies were not fo much blafted as had been stated by fome Honourable Members. By the manner in which Toulon had been evacuated, a fatal and decifive blow had been given to the maritime power of France. It had been a glorious and fuccefsful campaign, in which we had weakened our enemies, and added to our own refources, by which we would be enabled to profecute the war. He faw no reafon to despond, and conceived that it was their duty to proceed in it with energy and fpirit, fince upon |