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guard at the Palace, not to display their lace at a review, not to protect ladies at the door of an affembly room, nor to shew their intrepidity at a country fair, but to enter into a kind of fellowship with the rugged failor, to hear the tumult of a storm, to sustain the change of climates, and to be fet on fhore in an enemy's dominions!

Surely he that can see such spectacles without forrow must have hardened his heart beyond the common degree of cruelty; and it may reasonably be expected, that he who can propose any method by which such hardships may be escaped, will be thought intitled to gratitude and praise.

Mr. Pulteney, Dec. 11, 1740.

Administration exult at having brought us into this. dilemma. They have reafon to triumph. Lord Chatham, the King of Pruffia, nay, Alexander the Great, never gained more in one campaign than the noble Lord has loft-he (Lord North) has lost a whole Continent. Although he thought the Americans had gone too far, and were not juftifiable in what they had done, yet they were more juftifiable for refifting than they would have been, had they fubmitted to the tyrannical acts of a British Parliament.

Mr. Charles Fox, Dec. 26, 1775.

It was a cuftom among the antient Perfians (in later times adopted in the kingdom of Naples) to cover their tribunals of justice with the skins of corrupt lawyers, whom they flayed alive. Were a fimilar example to prevail within these walls, and the feats around us to be clothed with the fkins of corrupt Statesmen, I fear, Sir, (to the Speaker), there are not a few gentlemen on your right hand would catch their deaths of cold before the end of the approaching Winter: I fhould tremble this night for a long group of pensioners, contractors, paymasters, treasurers, &c. &c. who will walk forth into the lobby in order to bring up an addrefs to their Sovereign, befeeching that he

will perfevere to plunder and affaffinate his fubjects, and totally to extinguish the vital spirit of that free Constitution, on the maintenance of which alone refts his claim to the Throne of thefe realms.

Honourable Temple Luttrell, Oct. 31, 1776.

After the sword and bayonet of honourable warfare had been lifted up, after the fcalping knife and tomahawk of our affaffin allies had been sharpened against our fellow fubjects, peace at laft was preached by our Minifters, and a commiffion for reftoring the harmony and union between the two countries was determined upon. To add weight and dignity to the measure, the two Houses of Parliament were to give up to this important service three of their own members as heralds of peace, that the fanction of a part of the legislative body might create an additional awe and reverence. To grace the commiffion, to captivate the rude members of Congrefs, and civilize the wild inhabitants of an unpolished country, a noble Peer (Earl of Carlifle) was very properly appointed Chief of the honourable embaffy to the Congrefs. His Lordship, to the surprise and admiration of that part of the new world, carried with him a green ribband; the gentle manners, winning behaviour, and soft infinuating addrefs of a modern man of quality, and a profeffed courtier. The Mufes and Graces, with a group of little laughing Loves, were in his train; and, for the first time, croffed the Atlantic.

Mr. Wilkes, Nov. 26, 1778.

The perfon alluded to (Lord Holland) at the beginning of the late war, thought it a point of honour to refign his office, when he found he could no longer hold it for the benefit of his country; but the noble Lord in the blue ribband (Lord North) makes it his point of honour to keep in his office year after year, though his administration has been a series of misfortunes to his country; and in the very moment of additional calami

ties he goes into the Cabinet and advifes his Sovereign to beftow on him a moft lucrative vacant place, the Wardship of the Cinque Ports. And why? Because in another year the Crown might have nothing left to give, if his Lordship continued to govern.

Mr. Fox, Nov. 27, 1778.

The noble Lord (Lord North) has frequently amused himfelf and his auditors with information at fecond hand, and confident predictions exactly resembling the prefent. How often has his Lordfhip held forth to this Houfe, with all the oratory for which he is fo juftly diftinguished, in defcribing the People of America as weak and divided, as hating their Governors, and only acting under the dominion of force and compulfion? How often has his Lordfhip painted their dif treffes in all that glow that is natural to a warm imagination? How often has he described them as covered with a blanket, held together round their naked carcaffes by a skewer only? What pictures of their famifhed bodies and meagre countenances, and that woe and mifery which “befpeak a variety of wretchedness;" of their want of all kinds of provifions, even of falt; of being totally deftitute of all kinds of military and naval ftores; of guns, powder, ball, or bayonets; of all apparel or furniture for fhips deftined for trade or war. Pleafed, but astonished, how often has this House catched with joy the glad and important tidings? But lo! how often, on the other hand, have we been awakened out of thofe deceitful and unwholefome flumbers, into which, I prefume, the noble Lord undefignedly lulled us! What has been the confequence? We found that the People, inftead of being divided, were united; we found that those naked rebels had clothes, victuals, powder, ball, fhip furniture, &c. We found that they not only pof feffed them, but poffeffed them in great quantities. The London Gazette, that repofitory of truth, informed us, at least, that the noble Lord was mifinformed; for, befides the returns

of.

of the killed and wounded, fome little proof, it was generally clofed with a return of flores of all kinds, provifions, powder, ball, guns, mortars, &c. &c.

Right Honourable Thomas Townshend, Dec. 16, 1778.

I muft, Sir, oppofe the motion for returning our thanks to the late Speaker (Sir Fletcher Norton) for the speech made by him to His Majefly at the bar of the Houfe of Lords, in which he told His Majefty, "Sir, take care how you spend your own money, lay it out in fuch or fuch a manner." For my part, I know not where to look for an example, unless I refer to city politics. In the records of London it is to be found, that a Lord Mayor (Mr. Beckford) taking advantage of his official capacity, which brought him into the prefence of his Sovereign, had dared, with all the infolent gravity of magistracy, to addrefs his Sovereign with an extempore fpeech. The Houfe well know how that speech was received in the city, and how the author of it has been thanked. A ftatue has been put up in Guildhall to his memory, with his figure ftanding in a pofition of oratory, and his fpeech in his hand.

This live-long fpeech e'en Balaam's afs might own,

Fit for eternal record, cut in city ftone.

Mr. Courtenay, Nov. 18, 1780.

I beg leave to apologize to the right honourable gentleman (Mr. Rigby) for not anfwering fome things that have fallen from him, in the fame ludicrous ftrain in which he chufes to view every thing, except what relates immediately to his own intereft. In my opinion, Sir, there are fome things too ferious for ridicule, and the queftion now before us, to return the thanks of the Houfe to Earl Cornwallis, if ever any question did, merits a moft ferious and grave difcuffion. I cannot but acknowledge the honourable gentleman has a fund of drollery

and

and humour, but I like his ingenuity, his humour, and his counfels, better than his political arguments.

Mr. Sheridan, Nov. 27, 1780.

I mean no reflection on the delegates, whom I efteem and refpect; they, I am convinced, will fcorn, the affiftance, and difdain to court popularity among this reprobate part of focięty. The Committees (their conftituents) are inftituted for more laudable purposes; they may be confidered as felf-erected political hand-posts planted over the country to point out to the people the path they are to pursue,

"Along the cool fequeftered vale of life,

To keep the noiseless tenor of their way."

In other refpects too, they do great and effential fervice to their country; they intercept the noxious ftreams which flow from their body politic in a very sensible perspiration, and condense the vapour which defcend on the table of the House, in a harmless shower of petitions, remonftrances, and projects, for reformation. From fuch political manufacturers we may rationally expect a new and fplendid edition of Magna Charta, ftamped on pro patria paper, and worked up from the rags of the community. They felect the latent sparks of virtue and patriotism from a part of the commonalty, where none is expected to be found, as an electric machine extracts fire from a dunghill.

I entertain the highest opinion of the conduct, views, and principles of the delegates; no man laments more than I their banishment from Guildhall; but I confole myself by reflecting, that it is an honourable fpecies of oftracism, by which the Common Council of London proudly and ambitiously affect to imitate the conduct of the celebrated citizens of Athens: their character too I hold in the highest veneration.

VOL. II.

T

Their

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