not. We chofe to wage war with them, and the refusal to treat was to him an abfurdity. If, faid he, his majesty's minister chofe to imitate the late lord Chatham, as a war minifter, he had ample and fufficient experience to affure the world, and prove to his own conviction, that he was totally inadequate to the task. If fecrecy be a virtue, the prefent minifter poffeffed it in the highest degree; for until he had heard his majesty's fpeech, he had been totally at a lofs by what means to judge of our fucceffes. He had heard of repeated and fevere defeats; but he now fuppofed thofe accounts to be falfe, and the method by which we are to attain the reputation of conqueft, is, that when we are reduced to every extremity and diftress, harassed abroad, distracted at home, and our commerce decreafing; then our fucceffes are evident, our conquefts brilliant, and every quarter of the globe is confcious of our fuperiority. He asked, with peculiar energy, why the minifter, who was fo eager to affift the Dutch and the Netherlands against the depredations of their neighbours, did not do fomething in behalf of the unfortunate kingdom of Poland, which had been pillaged by the 1yrants of the North, whofe violences on that kingdom had been to them a fubject worthy for finging Te Deum, that thanks might be returned for having given liberty to the Poles. He trufted that the good fenfe of the houfe would not be blinded by fuch inadequate representations, and that the amendment that fhould be propofed, might amply prove the independence of the houfe, the virtue of the anembers, and the dignity of its deliberations.

Lord Mornington expreffed his abhorrence of the idea of treating with a nation who were only to be taken notice of from the depravity of their principles, and the 'violence of their conduct. He quoted at large, from a pamphlet written by Briffot, feveral extracts which proved that the French themselves confidered the war as forced on us; and from the manifest and fubfequent refentment to the members who moved the subject, it was plainly deftructive to them. He then took a retrospective view of the state of France before and fince the war, and alleged that we had gained much, and that our fuccefs was in the inverfe proportion of their diftrefs; that their conftitution was unfound, their meafures unfound, and the execution horrible and insufficient. He animadverted on the dreadful state of religion in France, and read letters to the national convention

which proved the total depravity of the morals of that country. He concluded by appealing to the feelings of all thofe who wifhed for the welfare of the kingdom, to join with him in execrating the idea of making peace with a nation whofe principles are as abfurd as their manners are depraved, and on whom no dependence could be had, were we even to enter into negociation.

Mr. Sheridan obferved, that the noble lord had entertained the house with several extracts from Briffot's pamphlet ; but as far as he had read, his extracts were against his own arguments: he had indeed favoured the houfe with fome communications which had been detailed in most of the newspapers of this country. All parties in France had reproved each other for going to war. What did this prove, but that all parties in France were inclined to peace: every thing tended to fhew that France was inclined to peace, for Briffot had been exprefsly accused with having involved the country in war. Much had been faid of the ambition and aggrandizement of France, much of hav ing violated the laws of nations respecting neutrality; with much greater juftice however might France retort the charge upon Great Britain. What had been her conduct toward the petty states of Italy? You come with the thunder of your cannon, and compel them to enter into the confederation; agree to join us, you fay, or we will batter down your towns about your ears. The noble lord had an madverted on the conduct of Genet in America. How did that wife country behave on the occafion? She was not to be forced into hoftilities, and was, in confequence, now enjoying that profperity which we might have experienced, had our proceedings been characterised by fimilar prudence. It had been faid that this was a defenfive war; he, on the contrary, thought we were the aggreffors. If this was a war in which the interefts of every thing that was dear to religion and huimanity were involved, could we fay that we fhould not have embarked in it with the allies, whether France had been the first aggreffor or not? It was not then abfolutely a war of choice. It was a war to establish fome form of government in France, and it must be a monarchical form, whence alone fecurity could be derived. What greater fecurity there was for the maintenance of treaties under a monarchy, than under any other form he could not afcertain, as the conduct of the

king of Pruffa and the empress of Ruffia, in the difinemberment of Poland, which they had foxinly engaged by treaty to protect, afford d na heiter hopes of ecu rity from ronarchs than was to be found in republics. He reprobated the conduct of ministers, the meds of carrying on the war in all quarters, at Toulon, at Dunkuk, in the East Indies, and in the Channel, and was convinced that nothing but pce could put an end to the calam ties which cur improvident oppofition had brught upon others.

Mr. Windham con.bated the objections to the war, and conceived it more necel fary than ever to purfus it wah vigour.

Mr. Secretary Dundas replied to fome imputations which had been thrown out against minifters for want of vigilance and attention to the mode of carrying on the war. The equipment of the marine and naval expeditions bad, he said, exceeded every thing that could be paralleled in his tory. In September 1792, before the commencement of the armament, the number of our feamen was no more than 15 000. Our military force, after de acting the troops neceffarily employed in gación, contified of no more than goco mes. We had now 54 oco femen; and, intead of 13 hips of the line and about 30 frigates, we had to ships of the line an: 100 fiigates, in fervice. Thsy thousand men had been added to cur military force; but, a great part of thefe being now levies, he was not enabled to fare, that, with this number, we were; at prefent, able to enter upon any hew operations. The war h.d commenced in February; in Much information was received, that a French a moment had failed; and though it was fit chiefly neceflary to watch the enemy, and that it was uncertin whether the French fleet would proceed to the Wett Indus or not, admiral Gardner was fent thither, there being at length rea on believe that to be the deftination of the French fleet. It was foon after neceffory to fend a ficet to the Mediterranean. That 1.et had failed in May, and. the next object was the equipment of the channel fleet. All this, had been done in the first campaign, though the extent of our commerce had made it, at firft, difficult to get kamen, who were chiefly abroad, during peace, in merchant fhips. In alcition to thefe large fleets, fubordinate fleets had been fitted out for the protection of our trade; and no less than fifty different tra ding fleets had failed under the protection of convoy, of which fleets not a fingle

10

veffel had been loft. Of thote which ven tured alone, fome hid no doubt been captured; and fingle fhips might have occafionally wanted for convoy. It might be faid, that our fiets should sooner have appeared on the American coaft; but who could know that the ports there would have been open to them? In the Mediterranean, Toulon had been blocked up; and though lord Hoad had fometimes been obliged to reduce his force, b; finding hips upon convoy, to fo low as fourteen fail of the line, he had, with that force, bocked up a fuperior French fleet in Toulon, and offered battle to the enemy, who refufed it. Our captures previous to January 1, 1794, were, 2 French ships, from 40 to 30 guns; 4, from 30 to 20; 17, from 20 to 10; and 34 below that for e. Affittance had been afforded, in the most spirited, effe&tual, and faithful manner, to the Dutch. Four regiments had been fent, early in the campaign, for the defence of the West Indian islands;. and the failure of the expedition to Martinico was owing to the failure of the affifiance promifed by the inhabitants. No opportunities of affording fuccour to the royalist armies in Brittany had been omitted; and, as foon as it was krown that they were in a condition to receive it, an armament had been fitted out for their relief. Those borties were fo far from having approached the coaft, in confequence of any unfulfilled promifes of alfiance, that it would have been well for them, if, relying more upon cui promifes, when they were offered, they had made fuch approaches, according to our expectations. He concluded by faying that he fhould have no objection, when the house chofe to investigate the conduct of minif ters, to come forward with arguments, to prove that their exertions in the military and naval departments had been fuperior to any thing that had before been known.

Mr. Fox complained of the complicated fhape in which the question now appeared, and wifhed that it had been before clearly itated, that the prefent was a war to exterminate the Jacobin party in France. It was a melancholy thing to hear that we could not treat till the Jacobins are deftroyed. This was a fpeculation in which we rifked every thing that was dear. He reprobated the principles of the war, and the mode of conducting it. There would be as good fecurity, that treaties would crowned head whatever; nay, even if be kept as we could have from any Louis the Sixteen h were alive, and actu

ally

ally reftored to the crown. We ought, he faid, to have followed the conduct of general Washington with relp & to Genet, and the wisdom he evinced in his fpeech to the congrefs. The Americans were vilified, he said, in the fame manner; the very fame arguments had been applied to them, as had been recently applied refpecting France; we had abufed the Americans as we were now abuling the French, but we should be compelled to treat with them at latt; and God grant that we may not then be under worfe circumftances than the prefent. Mr. Fox moved an amendment, that his majesty would be pleafed to enter into a negociation for the eftablishment of peace; and that the nature of the government fhould be no obftacle to that negociation.

The chancellor of the exchequer faid, that there was no ambiguity in the intention of his majesty's miniiters with refpect to the prelent war. They had clearly ftated, that the grounds were, fecurity to ourfelves and our allies, and indemnity for aggreflions already obtained. Thefe m-afures could not be obtained while the prefent government exifts in France; a government effectually deftructive in its principles to all the governments in Europe. If, therefore, the arguments admitted by the house for undertaking the war were good, they were certainly now more forcible foi, continuing it with all pfible vigour. War could prefent no calamities to terrible as thofe in which this country might be involved from relaxing in her preparations at the very moment when thele preparations were upon the point of being fuccefsful. He objected to the amendment propofed by the right on. gentleman, as the destruction of a faction,

ruinous in its principle to all the powers of Europe, to religion, morality, and law, was the reson of our firt taking arms. It was acknowledged by the law of nations, that where two panes were deftroying each other, a third power might interfere to promote tranquility. It was in the prefent initance our duty and intereit to interfere, and to continue our efforts agzina a faction conftantly varying and hitung the perions in its adminittration, like the cluttering of fcenes in theatrical reprefentations. Much did it become furrounding nations to prohibit intercourie with a country where inmorality and infidelity go hand in hand, and to refit oppreflion, which had grown to fo gigantic an extent, and would, if not culhed, operate to the terior of Europ.. It thould have been recollected, that a decee had been paffed by the convention, which enacts, that they will not treat with any of the belligerent powers, except they firit acknowledge the unity and indivitibility of the French republic. How could we with propriety do this?? ow did we know, that if we did, we should have any fecurity that this treaty would be kept? In every point of view, therefore, he law that the hazard of war would be preferable to the calamities which an imprudent peace would bring upon this country.

At five in the morning the house diviled, when there appeared,

DECEMBER 28.

LAST week arrived from Sierra Leone, the Felic tv, captain Wenham, with a cargo of wax, camwood, &c. The dif patches by this hip contain very flattering accounts of the health of this colony, and of its progrefs in commercial pursuits; but we are forry to add, that they bring alfo an account of the death of prince Naimbonna, who died on the evening of his arrival at Sierra Leone, of a purrid fever, contracted by him on fhiphoard, in the course of his paffage from this country. This amiable young man had been for fome short time in England under the

protection of the Sierra Leone company. He poffefled a very excellent understanding, a difpofition earnest in the parfait of knowledge, and great facility in receiving inftruction. His mental acquirements, during his day in this country, were the lub je&t of mach admiration, and his eafy addrefs and fuavity of manners endeared him to all thofe to whom he was introduced. He had imbibed, and he profefted to the last moment of his exiftce, the strongest attachment to the principles of the Protestant faith, and by his will (made in the beginning of his ilineis) earnctly requeted his relations to fer theit K 2

faces

northern earl.

About eighteen months fince, lady Dunmore, whofe hufband is now governor of the Bahama Islands, went with her two daughters to Italy, where they refided till very lately. His royal highnefs prince Auguftus, being at Rome, met with thofe ladies, and very naturally courted their agreeable fociety; the confequence of which was, a mutual attachment between his royal highnefs and lady Augufta Murray, and they were there married.

Lady Murray became pregnant, and returned to England. His royal highnefs did the fame; and, at the inftance of the lady and her friends, a fecond marriage took place.

The parties were regularly asked in the church of St. George's, Hanover-fquare, in the month of November laft, and on the 5th of December they were again united, according to the ceremonies of the church of England, under the names of Augustus Frederick and Auguíta Murray.

The circumstances having come to the king's knowledge, his majefty has inftitured a fuit of nulaty in his own name, in the arches court of Canterbury, to fet aude the validity of this marriage, on the ground of an act of parliament paffed early in the reign of his prefent majesty, for the prevention of the marriage of any male branch of the royal family, without the previous confent of parliament.

On Saturday Mr. Hefeltine, the king's proctor, ferved a citation oh lady Murray, io anfer the charges of the fuit; and there is no doubt but the ecclefiaftical court will set aside the legality of the marriage.

BIRTH.

DEATH S.

Rownlow earl of Exeter.

Robert Gofling, efq. banker, Fleet

ftreet.

Hugh earl of Marchmont.

Sir Clifton Wintringham, bart. M. D. and F. R. S.

Dr. John Hinchcliffe, bishop of Peter-、 borough and dean of Durham.

Caroline countefs dowager of Dalkeith and widow of the right hon. Charles Townshend, in her own right baronefs Greenwich: the title extinct.

John Ramey, efq. of Great Yarmouth, grandfather to the earl of Home.

Hon. Mrs. Coker, lady of John Coker, efq. and daughter of the late lord Romney. Edward Gibbon, efq. the celebrated hiftorian.

Penyfton Portlock Powney, efq. M. P. for Windfor.

John vifcount Mountftuart, M. P. for

Cardiff.

General fir Charles Hotham, bart. and

MARRIAGES.

WIlliam Scrope, efq. Castle Cumbe, Wilts, to mits Long, niece of fir

James Tylney Long, bart.

Cornwallis lord De Montalt-Vifcourt Hawarden in Ireland.

John lord Fitz Gibbon-Vifcount Fitz Gibbon in Ireland.

Sir John Dick and John Martin Leake, efq.-Comptrollers of the army accounts.

BANK