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had of us, and I fear it will be long before the fame fentiments of this country can be found reigning in the fame Affembly."

My Lords, they tell you there is no Religion; that thofe atheiftical Jacobins defpife the idea of a God. Are there not documents, moft numerous, of the reverential awe in which they hold the Deity? There is one inftance, too memorable to be forgotten: At one of their meetings, Hebert rofe in the debate, and confeffed there was a God; nor was the opinion confined to himself, they all imitated his example-man after man, they re-echoed this fentiment, and every one acknowledged there was a God; but with the Conftitution in 1789 vanifhed Religion. My Lords, even that virtuous Ariftocracy, for whom we grieve when we reflect, even they had fome fimilar fcruples with the Members of the Convention. His Lordfhip faid, he would never advance an affertion which he could not fupport by argument or experience; how then would he convince them of the prefent? About twenty years ago he was in France; other Noble Lords might have been there at the fame time: (turning round to Lord Mansfield) this Noble Lord was likewife there at that period; as a ftranger, he frequented every place of refort; he pryed with the inquifitiveness of a foreigner; he went to a large party, compofed of feveral very diftinguifhed characters of the nobles. As ufual, two were clergy, confpicuous for their humour; others threw in a few by fhots, which contributed to the general conviviality. The topic was religion. One of the adverfaries was a man celebrated for his learning; the other, the Ambaffador of an European Monarch; they difputed with warmth, they maintained it with animation; but the final refult of the converfation, and the conclufion that all-Priests too, my Lords-drew, was, that it was farcical, and only misled the public mind. You fee then, my Lords, that these fentiments were in France before this infamous Jacobi.. Club had the honour of prefiding: but, my Lords, it is not furely wonderful, that these men fhould be no way attached to that which was wrapt up in fuch abfurdity and fuperftition. Thefe mitred Prelates in France, with their robes and their croffes, dazzled the ignorant, and deluded the people. But, my Lords, you fay it is dreadful to plunder thefe venerable ecclefiaftics; it is no fuch thing; the Clergy of France are ftill paid for their exertions. Some get penfions, others continue their functions, and are rewarded for their fervice: but if France did not pay her clergy, fhe is not the only country which acts fo; there is one province in America which has no establishment; and the principle the inhabitants go on is, that the Clergy, by their perfonal attendance and affiduity, fhould deferve it, and obtain it from voluntary contribution. But let us examine into this delufion of the people; let us fee whether they have juft ground for condemning the conduct of thefe worthy Divines. On

the deftruction of the Royalift army in La Vendée, what was the artillery which was recovered by the Republican army? What was it that they found confpicuous in their baggage? I will tell you, my Lords, I have a little memorandum which will inform you. [Here his Lordship took up a Paper, containing an Account of Images, Crucifixes, Golden Saints, Chalices, Mafs Ornaments, Hofts, &c. &c.] when he was called to order by the

Bishop of Durham, who obferved, that fuch a mode of difcuffion as that adopted by his Lordfhip, was fo indecorous and irrelevant, that it could be borne only from him, if he were a Member in the Convention. He was forry to fee the Noble Lord hurried forward, by his zeal for liberty, into fuch dreadful defcriptions; and he hoped he would confine himfelf to the Motion he underftood, he meant to propofe. And when he reflected upon the decency of that Houfe, its dignity and gravity, he trufted their Lordfhips deliberations would not be fullied by any remarks of such a reprehenfible nature.

Lord Abington begged to make a fhort remark-He faid, that the Noble Earl had faid in a part of his fpeech, he wished to be hanged, and if the Houfe would allow him rope enough, he would foon accomplish that purpose.

Lord Stanhope. My Lords, faid the Noble Earl, I will take care and give myself rope enough; but fhould I ever be called on, in fupport of the liberties of my country, I never fhall fhudder at the rope, or be difmayed by the guillotine. My Lords, I fee the detail is difagreeable to the Reverend Prelates, and I am sure, whenever I fee the Houfe averfe to any propofal of mine, the flightest expreffion of their difpleasure will ever caufe me to relinquifh the object. I cannot but confider it at prefent unfortunate, for it was certainly material; but I will tell the Noble Prelates, I will not be fhook from my further intention. [Here his Lordship read an Extract from a Tranflation of the Paris Papers of a Report of one of the Sittings of the Facobins.] "My Lords, I put my hand on my heart, and I offer it as my fincere advice to my country; I will recal to the recollection of my Noble Relative, that advice which the great Earl of Chatham gave to this House relative to the American War-"Tear thefe Papers which lie on your Table, thefe National Bonds, thefe Charters, thefe Scraps of Parchment; acknowledge the Republic, the Independence of America. This alone can restore the Injury you have committed; this will pour a balm into the wounds of your afflicted brethren; this can alone accomplish a reconciliation." I advife you, my Lords, inftantly to recognize the Republic, as the only means of procuring a wifhed-for, fecure, and lafting peace; and I do it on the principle of that article of their Conftitution, not difcuffed in the hour of levity, but in the time of ferious reflection, which was approved, not only by the National

National Convention, but by the Primary Affemblies; and being fent into the petty diftricts, are there fealed with unanimous approbation. When we have this article thus univerfally agreed on to direct us, what have we to fear? Why fhould we be apprehenfive? Recollect, too, my Lords, they fay that with the government of any country they will not interfere; with Auftria, with Germany, nor with Pruffia. What reafon then have we to expect, that they will make any attempts to fubvert that of England? My Lords, I am fenfible of the indulgence you have given me; I have acted from confcientioufnefs; and I am certain, in my own mind, of acting from rectitude and integrity. He therefore moved their Lordships,

"That an humble Addrefs be prefented to his Majefty, advising His Majefty to difcontinue Hoftilities; as it appeared from an Article of the French Conftitution, that her Government did not mean to interfere in changing any Government, nor fuffer any Power to alter that which the had formed. Praying, That His Majefty, fecing the deftructive Nature of the War, and the delufive Hope held out of Succefs, would order his Minifters immedi ately to acknowledge the French Republic."

Lord Abingdon faid, that if the Noble Lord's Motion had been, that the prefent republican anarchy of France was the beft government for the blood-thirfty robbers and impious murderers of that country, and that we, acknowledging this, fhould bind ourfelves to keep them in that state as the one beft adapted for fuch a race of monsters, and not fuffer them to have a monarchical or any better form of government whatever, he would, with heart-felt pleasure and fatisfaction, fecond the Noble Lord's Motion; but the Noble Earl's fpeech, he contended, was a defence of the most diabolical fyftem of arbitrary government that ever difgraced the annals of hiftory. What were the French? Murderers, aflaffins, common plunderers; without humanity, without religion, without honefty, without any one attribute which could entitle them to the fraternal embrace of European fociety. He therefore, for his part, thought, that the only mark of attention which the Houfe ought to pay to the Noble Lord's Motion, was a HEARTY HORSE

LAUGH.

Lord Darnley faid, on a former night, when their Lordships were exhaufted, he would not prefs himself on their attention; he could not now but ftand forward to condemn the Motion of the Noble Earl; he would fhudder, if he fuppofed the Ministry of the Country would ever treat with thofe, whofe defign was to destroy the Laws, the Liberty, the Happinefs of every Country, and the Chriftian Religion. He agreed with the Noble Duke (Portland) that the war was defenfive; he gloried in fecing the Noble Duke adding luftre to his numerous amiable private virtues, by this fupNo. 2

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port to Ministry, at prefent fo material for the prefervation of the country. The Noble Earl has told you the French have wonderful refources; I agree with the Noble Earl; but fo much the greater their refources, fo much the greater danger we must expect from their honourable intentions. I love my country: no matr wifhes for peace more; but to treat with the blood-thirsty, would be imprudent. No; we will convince this prefumptuous people, that fear cannot alarm us, or awaken our apprehenfions.

Lord Warwick obferved, that unanimity was now neceffary. The French, his Lordfhip obferved, did not deferve to be acknowledged as Republicans, becaufe their conduct had fhewn that they had no pretenfions to that character. In their mad career, there was no law, human or divine, that had not been openly violated; and they must have convinced every rational man that a Peace with them could neither be permanent nor fecure. The great mafs of people in this country had fhewn themfelves fteadily attached to the Conftitution, and loyal to their King; and the Army and Navy had difplayed the fame fteadinefs to refift every effort to feduce them from their duty. Under thefe circumftances, all the vigour of the country fhould be called into action; and little doubt, he thought, would be entertained of our being ultimately fuccessful. He faid he was glad to fee that Noble Lords rejected every idea of cifcuffing the merits of the queftion; and had expected that the natural benevolence of the Noble Earl's heart would have prevented his bringing forward fuch a Motion.

On the Question being put from the Woolfack, on the Motion, the Lord Chancellor declared the Majority in Favour of the NonContents.-Adjourned.

The humble ADDRESS of the Right Honourable the LORDS Spiritual and Temporal, in Parliament affembled.

DIE MARTIS, 21 JANUARII, 1794.

"Maft Gracious Sovereign,

"We, your Majefty's mott dutiful and loyal Subjects, the . Lords Spiritual and Temporal, in Parliament aflembled, beg leave to return your Majefty our humble thanks for your Majesty's moft gracious Speech from the Throne.

Permit us to affure your Majefty, that we fhall enter with the moft serious attention into the confideration of the prefent circumftances of our country, knowing that on the flue of the conteft in which we are engaged, depend the maintenance of our Conftitution, Laws, and Religion, and the fecurity of all Civil Society.

"We congratulate Your Majefty on the advantages which have been obtained by the arms of the Allied Powers, and on the favourable change which has taken place in the general fituation of Europe, fince the commencement of the War. We have feen

with great fatisfaction, the United Provinces protected from invafion, the Auftrian Netherlands recovered and maintained, and places of confiderable importance acquired on the Frontiers of France. We confider the re-capture of Mentz, and the fubfequent fucceffes of the Allied Armies on the Rhine, as having, notwithstanding the late advantages of the enemy in that quarter, proved highly beneficial to the common caufe; and we are alfo juftly fenfible of the powerful efforts which have been made by Your Majefty's Allies in the South of Europe.

"We reflect with particular fatisfaction on the manner in which the operations of your Majesty's enemies have been impeded, during fo great a part of the campaign, by the temporary poffeffion of the Town and Port of Toulon; on the important and decifive blow which, in the evacuation of that place, has been given to their Naval Power; and on the diftinguished conduct, abilities, and fpirit, manifefted on that occafion by your Majefty's Commanders, Officers, and Forces, both by Sea and Land.

"We beg leave to exprefs the fatisfaction which we also feel in feeing that, during the courfe of the prefent Year, the French have been driven from their poffeffions and fifhery at Newfoundland; that important and valuable acquifitions have been made both in the Eaft and Weft-Indies; and that, while our naval fuperiority has been undisputed, our commerce has been fo fully and effectually protected.

"We can affure your Majefty, that we are ftrongly impreffed both with the neceffity of vigorous and perfevering exertions, and with the expectations of ultimate fuccefs, from the confideration of the means by which the further progrefs of the Allies has hitherto been impeded, and of the fyftem from which our enemies have derived the means of temporary exertion; fuch a fyftem, disposing arbitrarily of the lives and property of a numerous People, and violating every reftraint of Juftice, Humanity, and Religion, has neceffarily been productive of internal difcontent and confufion, and has tended rapidly to exhaust the natural and real ftrength of that Country.

"While we join with your Majefty in regretting the neceffary continuance of the War, we are confident that your Majefty's concern for the effential interefts of your People, will induce your Majefty to perfevere in the purfuit of thofe objects by which alone the folid bleffings of Peace can be fecured; and to take fuch meafures as may moft effectually provide for the permanent fafety of your Majefty's People, and for the independence and fecurity of Europe. It is impoffible for us not to fee that the attainment of thefe ends is ftill obftructed by the prevalence of a fyftem in France, equally incompatible with the happinefs of that Country, and with the tranquillity of all other Nations; and, under this im

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