pected prefs, and the opening of houfes of rendezvous 1776. for fuch feamen, as would enter voluntarily upon the proffered bounty. Some days after, a proclamation was iffued for a general faft through England and Wales, to be obferved the 13th of December following.

The news of gen. Howe's fuccefs on Long Island, gave the highest fatisfaction to adminiftration, and the ftrongeft hopes of the moft decifive good confequences. The meffenger of the operations had been but two days in London, before a title and badge of honor was bestowed upon the general.

On the last of October the feffion of parliament was 31. opened. The royal fpeech feemed to breathe indignation and resentment against the people of America; and the receipt of affurances of amity from the feveral courts of Europe was ftill acknowledged. When the address of the house of commons in answer to it was produced, an amendment was moved for by lord John Cavendish, and fupported by a fpeech perhaps the most remarkable of any that had been delivered fince the commencement of the troubles, for the freedom and pointedness with which it was expreffed. It entered into a comprehen- 1 five view of the conduct of the British ministry respecting America; and reproached them with the purfuit of fchemes formed for the reduction and chaftifement of a party, fuppofed to confift of fome inconfiderate and fac. tious men, but which had, in the iffue, driven thirteen large colonies into an open and armed refiftance. Every act of parliament, it faid, propofed as a mean of procuring peace and fubmiffion, had proved, on the contrary, a new caufe of oppofition and hoftility: The nation was now almost inextricably involved in a bloody

1776. and expenfive civil war, which threatened to exhaust the strength of the British dominions, and to lay them open to the most deplorable calamities. No hearing had been given to the reiterated petitions of the colonies, nor any ground laid for a reconciliation, the commiffioners nominated for the purpose of restoring peace, not being furnished with fufficient powers to bring about fo defirable an end. It obferved, that it muft have been expected, that the American feamen and fifhermen, being indifcriminately prohibited from the peaceable exercise of their occupations and declared open enemies, would betake themselves to plunder, and wreak their vengeance on the commerce of Great Britain. After a variety of other obfervations, it concluded with declaring "We should look with the utmost shame and horror, upon any events that would tend to break the spirit of any part of the British nation, and to bow them to an abject, unconditional fubmiffion to any power whatsoever; to annihilate their liberties, and to fubdue them to fervile principles and paffive habits, by the force of foreign mercenary arms; because amidst the exceffes and abufes which have happened, we must respect the fpirit and principles operating in these commotions. Our wish is to regulate, not to destroy them; for though differing in fome circumstances, thofe very principles evidently bear fo exact an analogy with those which fupport the most valuable part of our own conftitution, that it is impoffible, with any appearance of juftice, to think of wholly extirpating them by the fword, in any part the British dominions, without admitting confequences, and establishing precedents the most dangerous to the liberties of this kingdom." Debates pro and con fuc

of

ceeded. It was the fame in the house of lords, where 1776 the royal fpeech underwent a no lefs fevere fcrutiny. Since the declaration of independence, the debates in parliament are less interesting to the Americans than formerly, brevity in the account of them will therefore be most acceptable. The oppofition faid" What can ministers mean by affurances of friendly and pacific fentiments from abroad? Poor politicians muft they be, who depend upon fuch affurances, in the best of times, from those quarters whence they now come. Old grudges are not fo eafily forgotten; and this nation has every thing to apprehend from those to whom it has done fo much mischief in the laft war. Refentment and ambition will go hand in hand upon this occafion, and will not lofe fo fair an opportunity of revenge, as that which is opened by this fatal quarrel between Great Britain and her colonies. The preparations of thofe powers who fpeak fo friendly a language are no fecret; their partiality to the Americans shows their intentions to this country; their encouragement to the privateers, which are capturing the British merchantmen, is a fufficient earnest of the defigns that are uppermoft in their councils, and is but a prelude to what we are to expect, as foon as circumftances have brought their plans to maturity. A war with the whole house of Bourbon, and perhaps with other powers, will be the inevitable confequence of continuing hoftilities in America; but such a war at prefent, will no longer refemble thofe we have formerly waged with the princes of that family. Powerful as they were at that time, they will ftill be much more formidable now that the ftrength of America will be thrown into their fcale. It is a forrowful, but a true

1776, reflection, that one half of the British nation, is beconte an inftrument in the hands of our natural enemies, with which most effectually to diftrefs the other. Impelled by these cogent reafons, it is the duty of every man who feels them, to oppofe an addrefs, approving of measures which muft, if perfifted in, terminate in calamities, that will give fuch deadly wounds to Britain, as may prove incurable, and bring her to fuch a state of debility, as will, from one of the firft powers in the world, reduce her to hold but a fecondary rank among the European nations,"

Adminiftration urged in favor of the addrefs-" Nothing is recommended by it, that tends to opprefs the Americans: no more is required of them than a return to the famé obedience, which every other fubject is bound to pay. Is it confiftent with the wisdom of the nation, to throw away the fruits of the infinite cares and expences it has bestowed upon the colonies, while any hope remains of reclaiming them from their defection? To give them up, will be to refign the wealth, the ftrength, and the importance of Great Britain: thefe are evidently at ftake in the present conteft: fhould the iffue of it be contrary to what is hoped by all well wishers to their country, its fall and degradation will be the neceffary confequence. The feafon for arguing is over. The Americans have bid us defiance, and are become our enemies: the fword is therefore to decide: it is now to be feen, whether we can reduce them to obedience by fuperior force. It is time to affert our national dignity and fupremacy; we are in full ftrength and vigor; the refources of the country are far from being exhausted. They cannot be employed upon a more critical and ne

cessary occasion than the prefent. The fucceffes of the 1776. laft campaign in America, afford a well grounded prospect of fettling affairs to our fatisfaction. A fpirited prosecution of the business in hand will speedily conclude it. Much is threatened from abroad, and great terrors are held out, and we are told that occafion will be taken from these unhappy broils, to do Great Britain irreparable damage. But the prudence of government has fully obviated thefe objections. A fufficient force is preparing to face all dangers at home; and the profpe-. rity of our arms abroad has, it is well known, cast a damp on all the partifans of the Americans throughout Europe. However well they may wish them, the moft inveterate of our foes will not venture to engage in for diftant a quarrel, until they fee better figns of its terminating to the advantage of our opponents. We are now in the career of victory; and it will betray weakness to be driven out of it by mere apprehenfions. The people at large are now greatly alienated from the Americans: however they might once have been inclined to favor them, they are full of refentment at their late conduct. The declaration of independence has entirely altered their opinion of the colonists."

The conclufion of the debates was, the carrying of the address in the house of lords by 91 votes to 26; and in the house of commons by 232 to 83. The declaration of independence loft the Americans many advocates; but the great bulk of those who had hitherto espoused their caufe, dreaded the fuccefs of ministerial measures against them, from an apprehenfion of the danger which would refult from it to the liberties of this country. They were therefore, before and after the