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Their wife Divan, their best companions grace,
Chiefs out of war, and members out of place;
Who fondly mingle in their hope-fill'd bowl,
The feaft of reafon, and the flow of foul;

Ev'n he, whofe light'ning pierc'd rebellion's lines,
For reformation, forms. their great defigns.

To them we are indebted for many excellent projects to reftore and renovate the Constitution; annual Parliaments amongst the rest; for as all power originates from the People, by fhortening the existence of Parliament, (for their. political fins), they will be rendered more humble and dependent on their Creators, and become a fhining, but tranfient, emanation from them; be directed by every popular blast, and turn like a fioke-jack by the breath of the People.

Mr. Courtenay, May 8, 1781.

The noble Lord in the blue ribband (Lord North) has this day given the most explicit evidence of his activity and negligence, of his capacity and incapacity. He has fhewn that, as firft Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer, he has been negligent, or incapable of his duty; and at the fame time he has fhewn by his speech of this day, that he has both the industry and the talents to comprehend what his duty is. He has been negligent, or incapable in the execution. He is active and able in the conception of his truft. The whole of the copious detail which he has given is clear, methodical, and accurate! So perfectly clear, that a pin may be feen at the bottom of it! He has fhewn manifest knowledge of the regulations that are necessary, which must have required industry and exertion to acquire; and he has proved, at the fame time, that knowing the irregularities of his office, he has failed to reform. them. With refpect to the Commiffion of Accounts, it is throughout, in the very language of the noble Lord, perfectly infignificant in one part, totally impracticable in another; the reform will not be advantageous in a third; not worth the ex

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perience in a fourth; perfectly useless in a fifth, and productive of inconvenience in a fixth. The noble Lord has the word trifling in his mouth in every fentence. It is, in the words of the Poet,

A trifing fong you shall hear,

Begun with a trifle and ended ;

All trifling people draw near,
And I fhall be nobly attended.

Mr. Burke, May 10, 1781.

Whenever the vice of gaming is to be fuppreffed, I trust that moft pernicious species of it, the adventuring in lotteries, will be the first object of attention: this, it is true, is patronised by the Legislature, and yet nothing can be more detrimental to the morals of the People; for it not only promotes the spirit of gambling amongst the lower orders of fociety, but, by fufpending the induftrious pursuits, tends to introduce every kind of depravity. While the evil was permitted to reign in its late extent, it was in a fair way of curing itself; for every fecond tradefman being a lottery-office keeper, and very few poffeffing any capital, the smallest loss made them abfcond, and the public credulity was thereby gradually diminished: but now the practice has been regulated, by the wisdom of Parliament, for the better fecurity of adventurers, it will no doubt perpetually increafe, with all its train of mifchievous confequences; for Government has entered into a fort of partnerfhip with the office keepers; and as they are to derive a benefit from the fuccefs of the delufions, they will, no doubt, do every thing in their power to extend their defigns.

Mr. Sheridan, May 15, 1781.

There is one objection which seems not to have been taken notice of, which is, that when failors, fufpected to be deferters, are brought before a justice of peace, though the fufpicion turns

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out to be groundless, they may, nevertheless, by authority of former ftatutes, be impreffed. I cannot therefore but compliment the Board of Admiralty on the fenfe they seem to entertain of the honour of British failors; it may be illuftrated by a very trite anecdote of Julius Cefar; for, like his wife, the character of our feamen must be as clear of fufpicion as just impeachment; they must not only not be deferters, but not fufpected to be fo.

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Mr. Sheridan, May 17, 1781.

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Suppofing any remonftrance with the noble Lord (Lord North) against the American war, what will the noble Lord Say?.... "Why you know that this war is a matter of neceffity, and not of choice; you fee the difficulties to which I am driven, and to which I have reduced my country; and you know alfo, that in my own private character I am a lover of peace. For what reafon then do I perfift, in fpite of conviction? For your benefit alons! For you I have violated the moft facred engagements! For you neglected the fuggeftions of confcience and reafon! For you forfeited a thousand times my honour and veracity in this bufinefs, and for you I must ftill perfift! Without the American war I fhall have no places, no emoluments to beftow, not a fingle loan to negotiate, nor fhall I be able to retain the poor fituation of mine that I have fo long held difinterestedly. You fee me now in the most elevated fituation, with the difpofal of places and penfions, and with the whole power of the nation in my hands; but make peace with America to-day, and to-morrow I fhall be reduced to the level of private life, retaining nothing but what is merely perfonal of all my prefent advantages.” 4. If you do not vote with me (fays the noble Lord) against a peace with America, how am I to give you any thing? It is true that my fituation as Minifter is a refpectable and elevated fituation; but it is the American war that enables me to give douceurs, and to put into your pockets eight or nine hundred

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hundred thousand pounds by a loan. Put an end to that, and you undo all. My power will be miferably leffened, and your pay as miferably reduced. As to myfelf, why I am perfectly indifferent about that; I get a little, and it is iny happiness that I a little, thank Heaven, contents me. I cannot therefore be fuppofed to care if a peace takes place with America to-mor row, as far as I am perfonally concerned; but for your own fakes do not let fuch a thing come to pafs. Nay, were I go out of office, a fituation I never coveted, always difliked, and heartily wished to be rid of, ftill I hope the American war will be continued." Such pathetic reafoning cannot fail having its effect; and thus it is the noble Lord induces the members of this Houfe to facrifice the intereft of their conftituents, by proving that their own intereft is effentially connected with the American war. Was it poffible, therefore, that a peace could be obtained with America? "Oh fpare my beautiful fyftem! (the noble Lord would cry). What, fhall I part with that! with that which has been the glory of the prefent reign, which has extended the dominions, raised the reputation, and replenished the finances of my country. No, for God's dake, let this be adhered to, and do with all the reft what pleafe; deprive me if you please of this poor fituation: take all my power, all my honour and confequence, but fpare my beautiful fyftem, oh spare my fyftem!"

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Mr. Fox, May 30, 1781.

The prefent ruinous fyftem of affairs is not defended by any one man of real independent property; there is no man in this House, unless he has a place, a contract, or fome fuch motive to speak, that attempts to defend them; therefore it is highly indecent for men to echo their own praife, and to be the only perfons that can justify their conduct; they are all exactly in the fame tone, and play into each other's hands extremely clever: if a motion cenfures the American Secretary, he is defended by the Secretary at War; if the Secretary at

War is cenfured, the American Secretary thinks it his duty to defend him; and if the noble Lord (Lord North) in the blue ribband is accufed, then both the others cry out, "Would you remove a man who is at the head of affairs at this critical period?" I would answer yes; now is the time, for the voice of the People is against him, and without their having faith in him, all his ends must be fruftrated. Minifters always make ufe of the excuse, "That you blame our measures after the event has happened, because they miscarried." If Minifters mean to exculpate themselves, let them come forth, fhew the House what their plans were, how they had formed them, and what they intended; then it would be in the power of the House to judge whether they deferve blame or not; but certainly it is very natural to cenfure men from the event of their actions, for by what other criterion can you judge them? When first I heard the new American Secretary (Mr. Welbore Ellis) proclaim his profeffion of faith, I was inclined to think there was fome likelihood of his falvation; but as he ftill perfifts in his errors, all that hope of extreme unction is wiped away, and he is now as far from being faved as any of his colleagues. The right honourable gentleman (Mr. Ellis) has got out of a good warm bed, (the Treasurership of the Navy), and ventured, with his eyes fcarce open, into a veffel toffed in a tempeft, and riding on the billows in a violent ftorm. I must think him exceedingly wife in having done fo, and that it might be faid to him, what the wife of Brutus faid to her hufband,

Is it not for your health thus, my Lord, to commit
Your weak condition to the raw cold morning.

Mr. Burke, March 8, 1782.

Though many persons wish to drop the fubject of the Coalition, as trite and unfit to be longer talked of, I am of a dif ferent opinion, and wish to see a starling perched on the right

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