or retreat with safety: but defpicable, unprincipled, and detefted as they are, I had nevertheless learned to treat their persons with respect: yet, when fuch men grow abufive and insolent, urge their claims of merit for what they deserve an axe; when I behold fuch men, in the very midst of these dire difafters and national misfortunes, endeavouring to contend that thofe miffortunes do not exist, or if they do, that they ought justly and folely to be imputed to Oppofition; to fee a lump of deformity and difeafe, of folly and wickedness, of ignorance and temerity, smitten with pride, immediately breaks all measures of patience; it being hardly conceivable, that so much pride, vice, and folly, can exist in the fame animal.

Mr. Fox, May 13, 1775.

I Do not rife, my Lords, with any intention to oppofe the Motion. for the Address to his Majefty. The Speech from the Throne, muft, in my mind, give very general fatisfaction; and I fhall never defcend to the meannefs of a factious Oppofition. If I were called upon to deliver my fentiments on the Speech, I fhould rather find fault with it for its omiffions than for what it contains. It speaks a language of zeal and earneftness, and, as far as it goes, is congenial with my feelings and ideas. But, my Lords, having faid this, I may be permitted to state my reafons for with-holding confidence from the prefent Administration. I have no wifh to inflame-I am not inftigated by envy; I do not speak haftily, but on the most mature deliberation—I muft declare, that I have no confidence in the present Ministers. My Lords, when I look back but a very few months to the events in our history, I do not hesitate to pronounce it as my opinion, that the prefent Minifters have in one great measure attacked, if they have not deftroyed, the conftitution of the country. This is a bold affertion; but I do not throw it out lightly and at hazard; it is the result of inquiry and difcuffion. I say, my Lords, that the conftitution of the country must be deftroyed, when a set of men can feize on the reins of govern

ment, and take the closet of the King by affault. I am not weak enough to hazard this charge, eight months after the event, without having feriously weighed it in my mind; and I fhould have delivered it at an earlier period, but that I was abfent in another place (Ireland). My fituation at that time I accepted in duty to my Sovereign and country-I was introduced into it by no party-I was neither the adherent nor the dupe of any faction. I received it in the most honourable manner from the Crown; and I maintained myself in the fituation by the pureft and most upright means, by acting under the principles of the conftitution, and ftudying the happiness and welfare of the country. When I faw the bold and unconftitutional attack that was made on the dignity of the Crown, and on the fyftem of the country, I thought it high time to lay at his Majefty's feet the commiffion (Lord Lieutenant of Ireland) which I had received. There was a time, my Lords, when this Houle was voted to be ufelefs. On this occafion the bold faction did not proceed to this indecent length: but where, my Lords, was the virtue, where the energy, where the influence and use of this Houfe, when they could fee and suffer fuch an infringement to be made on the conftitution? This House, in that moment, was evidently a cypher, and in fo far I aver the equilibrium of the legislature was overturned. I fpeak from no envy nor difappointment. The manner in which I accepted and refigned my office, will acquit me from the imputation of interested motives; and I do not speak from any factious defire of fetting up an indifcriminate oppofition to his Majefty's go

vernment.

I have reafons, from the condu&t of Ministers fince they came into office, for diftrufting them. The treaty with the Americans is concluded; both of that and of the definitive treatics with France and Spain, they are certainly the legitimate children of the preliminary articles; but having adopted the flue which they fo violently condemned, it furely became them to have nurtured the offspring with the greatest care and tender

nefs,

"

nefs, to have made them at leaft as vigorous and promifing as poffible; inftead of which, have they taken the measures which prudence and policy pointed out? What is become of the commercial treaty with America, from which fo much good fortune. was promifed has it not terminated in air? The Gentleman who was employed to negociate that treaty is returned from Paris; the whole is broken off, and broken off for reafons, which, if his information was right, were cenfurable. These reasons were not communicated to the public, but they were perfectly well known to individuals. I am not willing to take up rumours, and argue from the hearfay evidence of the day; but reports are circulated with great opennefs, that this treaty has not only been broken off, but is not likely to be renewed, for reafons by no means favourable to the King's Minifters.

Preliminary articles are figned with Holland; but give me leave to fay, my Lords, that they alfo are but the legitimate offfpring of the measures of the former Miniftry; the advantages procured in that treaty were fecured, and it will be requiredit must be known why these preliminary articles have not yet been wrought up into a definitive treaty. Why have we not yet begun even to reap the advantages of this peace? Why have not our Minifters been more vigorous and decifive in giving the finishing hand to a treaty, which they boast to be fo profitable?

The critical and very ferious affairs of the Eaft-Indies, properly make a paragraph in the Speech from the Throne: it certainly was time that the nation fhould begin to reap the advantages of the elaborate inquiries which had taken place. I must confess, I have not undergone the fatigue of reading those voluminous reports and papers which are on the table of the House of Commons; but the subject must be instantly difcuffed, and I much doubt, whether, by being delayed fo long, we shall not want other information, and more recent materials than any of which we are now poffeffed.

The state of the funds, my Lords, call for the most serious confideration: at this inftant, they are more depressed than almost at any period during the late distress and exertions of the nation, nay, even in the moment of threatened invasion: and, indeed, it was likely to be fo, when, along with the other causes, there was fo immenfe a fum as three or four and twenty millions of unfounded debt, part of which bore an interest of eight per cent. Was it not fingular, that his Majesty's Ministers should not have thought fit to recommend from the Throne, the immediate and earnest confideration of the funds, and to take notice of their late extraordinary fall-a fall which could not be the effect of chance, but of a fixed and alarming caufe? It would not have been improper to have ftated what they mean to do in this bufinefs, that the minds of the stockholders might be quieted.

I now come, my Lords, to mention a matter of the most delicate kind; and, when I prefume to touch it all, I do it with pain to myfelf and anxiety. But your Lordships may conceive that I feel myself particularly interefted in whatever belongs to Ireland. Surely Minifters, on this delicate ground, fhould have given us fome general confolatory expreffion, merely to quiet the fufpicions that must be excited by their total filence-if they had done no more than juft echoed the Addrefies of the House of Lords and Commons, and framed any general words which might have fhewn their disposition to harmony and union.

I faid, my Lords, that I did not mean to give any oppofition to the Motion for the Address, nor to suggest any Amendment. I have delivered to you my reafon for diftrusting the King's Minifters-I fhall certainly watch their conduct, and in doing fo, without being inftigated by factious motives, I fhall, in my place, ftate whatever appears to me to be cenfurable or injurious. Earl Temple, Nov. 12, 1783.

I HAVE

I HAVE watched the debate with great attention, and have endeavoured to find out if any thing fell in the course of it, that would afford the leaft hopes of an union of parties, but in vain. Nothing of that kind has been hinted at; and I am forry to have obferved, that those who have taken part in the debate, and are known to be the most intimate with the Right Hon. Gentleman, (Mr. Fox) and the nearest about him, have all, more or lefs, indulged themselves in perfonal afperities: which pretty plainly fhews, that the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Pitt) has not been fincerely inclined to union all along. The fort of attack that has this day been made on my Right Hon. Friend is what he by no means deferves; and I am the more forry, because, undoubtedly, fuch is the ftate of the country, that all the abilities of this House are wanted to restore it to its proper ftate of vigour and profperity. The great and extraordinary talents of the two Right Hon. Gentlemen are univerfally acknowledged; but as far as regards that circumftance, I am not forry for the contests that have occurred, fince this House has affembled after the recefs of the last fummer, as they have given occafion for a farther display of the abilities of each of the Right Hon. Gentlemen, that has called forth greater admiration and greater wonder. I cannot but express my astonishment to hear Gentlemen complaining that there is no charge made against the Right Hon. Gentleman, (Mr. Pitt) nor any fault imputed to him. In the prefent cafe it would have been a little extraordinary if there had been any charge or imputation, because there is not the fmalleft occafion for either. The Queftion has nothing perfonal in it; it throws no difgrace on the Right Hon. Gentleiman oppofite to him, nor on his colleagues. When Sir Robert Walpole had a Motion for his removal made against him, there was not any charge thought neceffary; it was held to be enough that he had loft the confidence of this Houfe; and when, upon the divifion, it appeared that Sir Robert had but a majority of one in his favour, he thought that a fufficient hint, and he no longer appeared as a Minifter. But no charge had been called