confequence thereof, they fhall be laid before you. And 1775 General Conway, though in place, oppofed adminif tration; and condemned, in the most decifive terms, the American war, declaring it to be cruel, unneceffary and unnatural-calling it in plain terms, a butchery of his fellow fubjects. He reprobated every idea of conquering America, upon all the grounds of justice, expediency, and VOL. II. practi 1775 practicability. He declared in the most unreserved terms against the right of taxation, and wifhed to fee the declaratory law repealed (though it had paffed under his own aufpices when in adminiftration) rather than it should be employed to colour defigns, the most oppofite to the intentions, publicly declared, of those who fupported it in parliament, and particularly oppofite to the fullest declaration of his own at the time of his moving it. The miniftry made as good a defence as their caufe would admit; and pleaded, "We are now in a fituation which doth not afford a poffibility of receding without fhame, ruin and disgrace." Lord North acknowledged, that he had been deceived; that he did not imagine that all America would have armed in the cause. Administration, he faid, proceeded upon the information they had received: if other gentlemen were in poffeffion of better, why did they not communicate it? Administration had oppofite information, but they adhered to that which came from perfons whose interest made them parties with the inclinations of ministry. That which they neglected, as proceeding from mistake or a wrong bias, they now find to have been the trueft. The space of a whole night was confumed in the debates upon the royal fpeech: it was near five in the morning when the motion made by the oppofition was rejected by 278, against 108, after which the address was carried without a divifion. In the house of lords, the debate on the addrefs was alfo long and warm. The duke of Grafton fuddenly and unexpectedly quitted adminiftration. He went into a decifive condemnation of all the acts of government for fome time past with respect to America, as well as of of the measures held out by the fpeech. He declared, 1775, that he had been deceived and mifled upon that fubject; and that, by the withholding of information and the mifreprefentment of facts, he had been induced to lend his countenance to measures which he never approved; and that he was blindly led to give a fupport to the one of coercing America, from a firm perfuafion held out, that matters would never come to an extremity of that nature, and that an appearance of coercion was all that was requifite to establish a reconciliation. He afferted, that nothing less than a total repeal of all the American laws, which had been paffed fince 1763, could now reftore peace and happiness. The lords in administration did not deny the imperfectnefs of their information in fome matters, but pleaded the impracticability of obtaining fuch knowledge as might have prevented several difappointments. They were obliged to depend upon the fagacity and judgment of those whom they trusted. They had taken all poflible pains to proceed upon fure grounds. It would be unjust to make them answerable for failures, which were occafioned by events totally unexpected by the fhrewdeft perfons upon the fpot: to fuch alone must be attributed the general want of fuccefs in the plans purfued in the course of the present year. There were two remarkable instances of this kind; the one was the total alteration of circumftances in the province of New York; the other was the implicit acquiefeence of the fouthern colonies in the views and arrangements of the northern. Thefe were events that accelerated with irresistible rapidity the revolution of affairs through the continent, and equally surprised the ministry, who from their intelligence, could 1775. be nowife apprehenfive of fuch an unhappy turn. The defection of New York they imputed to its being compelled into meafures, by the Connecticut infurgents, which the people there would never have otherwife adopted. They pleaded, "We muft either reduce the colonies to fubmiffion, or for ever relinquifh all dominion over them, and all advantage from North America." The motion for the addrefs was at length carried by 76 votes against 33. But a proteft against it was drawn up, and figned by nineteen peers. In that they condemned the war commenced against America, with the utmost freedom and afperity; and alfo cenfured with equal feverity, the employing of foreign troops, and various other parts of the ministerial conduct. As none of the meafures adopted by adminiftration gave more umbrage than the employment of the Hanoverian troops, oppofition determined to bring it before parliament, in the moft folemn and ferious manner. A motion was accordingly made in the house of lords, declaring that to employ foreign troops, without the previous confent of parliament, was dangerous and unconftitutional, as being clearly againft law. In the debate which followed, various arguments were used for and against the legality of introducing foreign forces into the kingdom or its dependencies, without confent of parliament. As an act of indemnity would have been a recognifance of its illegality, it was ftudioufly warded off, as well as the motion itself, which was defeated by the previous queftion, carried by a majority of 75 to 32. In the houfe of commons, the debates on this fubject were no lefs elaborate, and confifted of much the fame reafonings. The motion was fimilar to that that in the houfe of lords, and was loft in like manner, 1775. 81 for, and 203 against it. Thus was a queftion, of which the magnitude is equal to that of any other fundamental point in the conftitution, put off to future decifion. While it was in agitation, an incomparable majority of the public agreed in the opinion adopted by the oppofition. However they might differ concerning measures to be purfued refpecting America, they cordially united with them in condemning the admiffion of foreign troops into the kingdom, or its dependencies, without the exprefs affent of parliament. That the defigns of the Americans might be completely fruftrated, it was propofed in a committee of fupply, that the naval establishment of failors and marines, should be augmented to 28,000 men; and that the number of fhips of war on the American station fhould amount to eighty. The land forces were to confift of 25,000 of the selecteft troops in the fervice. Thefe formidable preparations called up the attention of several 'principal members in the oppofition. In order, if pcffible, to render the operations of war unneceffary, it was propofed to facilitate the means of reconciliation. Ta Nor. this purpose, Mr. T. Luttrell moved for an address to his majefty, "humbly requefting, that he will authorize the commiffioners, who may be empowered to act in America, to receive propofals for conciliation from any general convention, or congrefs, or other collective body, that fhall be found moft perfectly to convey the fentiments of one or more of the feveral continental colonies, fufpending all inquiry into the legal or illegal forms. under which fuch colony or colonies may be difpofed to treat, as the most effectual means to prevent the furQ3 ther 7. |