ing; and it was a matter of the highest importance, that its fafety and protection fhould no longer he left in the hands of a man who had fhown himself fo totally incapable in every refpect, except in the arts of deception. His lordship, after adverting to the neglect and ill treatment given by minifters towards brave veterans who had diftinguished themselves by valor and patriotifm, as the late lord Rodney, lord Howe, and fir Charles Grey, fpoke of the recall of earl Fitzwil Jam, which he faid could only be mentioned in the strongest terms of disapprobation. A language had frequently been ufed, he remarked, tending to throw an odium on all who fpoke freely on the state of affairs, infinuating that they were friends to commotion and to French principles: his lordship reprobated fuch infinuations with feverity; afked how it was poffible any one could fuppofe he could be fo loft to all fenfe of honour, to the reverence and refpect he owed to a long line of ancestry, to the pater nal affection he had for his prefent. children, and the regard due to pofterity, as to countenance principles which might be fubverfive of thofe honors and that rank which he had received and was bound to tranf mit? Such an argument was abfurd but it alfo deferved public refutation; it was unfair, uncandid, and untrue. After more obfervations of this nature, his lordship declared he confidered it as his duty to himself, his family, his king, and his country, to move, "that an addrefs might be prefented to his majesty, humbly requesting him to difmifs from his councils his minister, the first lord of the trea fury, whofe pernicious meafures had deprived him of the confidence of the country." Lord Grenville oppofed the motion, because he thought the noble earl had not founded his objections upon facts. He warmly vindicated his friend, the firft lord of the treafury, refpecting the measures of which he ftood accused; re was confident the neglect and failure of any of them was attributable only to thofe errors to which human nature was at all times liable, to thofe accidents which no human prudence could prevent, or to thofe difpenfations of Providence which no human wisdom could controul. The public caufe was faid to be injured by removing fome officers from the public fervice to make room for others more ferviceable to private views. Gallant officers it was affirmed had been neglected; but, without entering into the invidious task of fcanning deferts, his lordfhip begged to remark, that admi ral Rodney had received the peerage he fo well deferved, befides certain pecuniary grants, fufficient, with economy and management, not only to have fecured the poffeflor from inconvenience, but to have fupported his title with becoming fplendour. If occafions occurred when his majefty found it difficult to employ all the talents, ardour, and activity of individuals, according to their zeal and merit, it was imputable to the vaft fund of abilities and energy in the nation, which rendered it perplexing where to make a prefer ence. He then came to the confideration of the conduct of the war. That the allies had not been as fuccefsful as they expected, he was ready to admit, and also that fuch accidents had happened as were incidental to all wars; but he hoped all parties would acknowledge that the exertions of this country had been been unparalleled in the page of hiftory, and had been attended with unparalleled fuccefs; our naval victories had been more brilliant than ever before diftinguifhed any age, and it appeared peculiarly hard that all the honour, all the praife, and all the glory fhould be reaped by individuals, whilft all the cenfure and all the refponfibility were thrown on minifters. Lord Hay (earl of Kinnoul) faid that he never was more furprised than to hear a motion of this important nature-no less than for removing the prime-minifter of the country from his high ftation, without one fingle proof of mifconduct whatever brought against him. He praised the conduct of the war, and gloried in the fucceffes. He therefore gave the motion his decided negative, and only observed further, that lord Rodney's family were perfectly satisfied with his re muneration. Lord Suffolk defired to retract part of what he he had faid relative to admiral Rodney; he believed the penfion had been rightly stated by the noble lord-ftill, however, it was certain that this brave officer was afterwards, from a variety of law-fuits, reduced to a ftate of great poverty, and his body for a confiderable time feifed upon, and denied the rites of burial. The duke of Norfolk fcrupled not to condemn the measures of adminiftration, which, he contended, only required to be fairly and critically examined to be univerfally reprobated. The noble lord (Grenville) had infinuated that the charges were not fubftantiated upon facts; and demanded proofs: the proofs were every where they prefented themselves to every eye; they made impreffions upon every heart; they compofed a living epi 1797. taph upon the infatuation of minifters, and, in the language applied to the memory of fir Chriftopher Wren, by pointing out his fublime production, that aftonishing piece of architecture, the cathedral of St. Paul, he might exclaim Si monumentum quæris, circumspice. The marquis of Townshend and the earl of Warwick oppofed the motion. The latter faid he was convinced there was a confiderable faction deeply infected with French principles in this country, and it was not impoffible that a part were to be found within the walls of the two houfes of parliament. He would advife noble lords not to indulge themselves in thofe irritating and intemperate expreffions which too frequently were uttered. He was forry to read fuch language had paffed in another houfe for granting the people all they asked. He was for granting ail fuch rights as were demanded in a conftitutional manner, but not to thofe who demanded them with arms in their hands. The earl of Derby expreffed his aftonishment that any advice fhould be thought neceflary for their lordfhips refpecting the language they ought to ufe in that houfe; for him felf, he always endeavoured to use parliamentary language, and was not confcious of any failure in this point. He was apt indeed to speak warmly, and it was his duty to do fo, when he decribed the mifcon duct or incapacity of minifters, and the pernicious effects of bad meafures. Allufions were made to what paffed in another house, and difapprobation manifefted on granting rights to men with arms in their hands. He hoped they had not yet procured thofe arms, and that they never would; but if it ever should be be the cafe, he was convinced the impolitic and oppreffive measures adopted by the prefent minifters would be the occafion of those difaftrous confequences. Lord Romney faid he was concerned to hear perfons on all fides, both within and without the walls of that house, talk of the fituation of the country in the moft defpond ing manner; for his own part, he thought very differently of it, and that nothing was wanting to reftore it to its former strength but active energy. He was clear that a plan might be adopted which would raise an immenfe fum, and would ferve to convince the enemy of the British fpirit-this was, to set on foot a subscription for a voluntary gift, as far as the generofity and circumftances of indivi. duals would allow. He would fubscribe five thoufand pounds, and thought there would eafily be found a hundred thoufand who would fubfcribe their one hundred each, He propofed that this fhould be paid by instalments, for inftance he would commence on the 1ft of January 1798, and pay five hundred pounds a month, fo that in ten months he fhould have paid the whole. Each fubfcriber to do the fame, according to the fums fubfcribed, even fo low as fifty: the whole of the money to be fubject to the controul of parliament-Such a meafure, if carried into execution, would counteract any impreffion which might be made on the French government to our difadvantage, By the defponding ideas of fome as to our ftate, or by the language of others as to the mifmanagement of our minifters. The earl of Moira thought the prefent motion highly neceffary; the mifmanagement of minifters had brought us to this prefent de plorable condition, and they could not too foon, be deprived of the power of continuing to do fo; the war had been conducted, he said, in a fhameful manner; the wealth and refources of the country expended in making conquests of dif tant fettlements, when the French fhould have been attacked nearer home. His lordship applauded the plan of lord Romney, and did not doubt but it might produce a confiderable fum of money; but it was a queftion how far the house of commons might approve of money being raised to carry on the war through any channel but their own. He concluded with giving his hearty affent to the motion. The earl of Carlisle lamented, that the fineft opportunity of forcing the enemy to make peace had been loft by the conduct of the admiralty, which had given fuch abfurd orders to admiral Colpoys Had we deftroyed the Breft fleet, we should have ended the war. The marquis of Lansdowne blamed the admiralty on this occafion alfo. He faid he would fooner fee one minifter juftly punished than fee twenty changes. It was not a change of men but measures which he wished, confequently did not approve the motion: changes of minifters had fometimes done mifchief to the country. Sir Robert Walpole was removed by popular clamour at the time he was carrying the finking fund into execution, and the nation fuffered very confi derably by his removal. The alteration he propofed would be in the fyftem of government, which ought to be conducted on the old conftitutional principles of the country. Any one who wished to know the prefent fyftem, might perufe the army extraordi naries, and would find millions fquandered fquandered in the most improvident manner. What would the intended fubfcription of 500l. do to ftop fuch flood-gates? He withed to afk what we now were fighting for? Was it Belgium? If folet the country be afked if they would perfevere in the war for fuchment; he only defired the prefent an object. Was it for any territorial poffeffion? Had the French infulted us? If they had, he would be one, and he was affured the nation unanimoufly would unite in obtaining reparation. nary that the French fhould have fhown fome haughtiness: they could not but remember the opprobrious terms used towards them by our minifters, and it was probable they would refent it. He denied having recommended a change of govern Lord Grenville again arofe: he obferved that of late minifters had declined fending troops to the continent: they had turned all their attention to the navy and colonies; and though they had been fo fuccefsful, ftill they were blamed. The noble marquis had affirmed, that it was not a change of men but of measures which was defirable: to which he replied, that any change in our government would throw the country into immediate confu. fion. Had not minifters preserved it from French principles, and was this a fmall advantage? But why was the war carried on? It ve not for this or that province; it was, whether the French fhould poffefs the whole of the maritime coaft of the continent; another reafon was, the haughty manner in which they had rejected our overtures for peace. No minifter had ever been more ignominiously treated than ours. Profeffions of unanimity had often been heard in-that houfe, if the country were to be infulted; but they never were made good, when the occafion occurred. His lordship ended with condemning the language of defpondence, and vaunting the abundance of our refources. The marquis of Lanfdowne anfwered, that it was not extraordi fhould be changed into a conftitutional fyftem, and he would contend for this point, though he was well aware it had been the custom for minifters to infinuate that those who recommended it were Jacobins. He reprobated Jacobin principles, because he was convinced they went to a community of goods, and other abfurd and pernicious doctrines, even beyond the agrarian law. He did not believe there were many of fuch principles in England, and he knew of no fuch practical Jacobins as his majesty's minifters ; they had banished gold and silver from London at the time they be gan to be plenty in Paris; they had taken up the paper fyftem at the time France had laid it down. Forced loans, military force, and every Jacobin project had been adopted here, as France had rejected them. The immortal jury of 1794 had fufficiently expofed the falfhood of Jacobin pretended plots. To the noble conduct of that jury he did not know how many of their lordships were now indebted for their lives and fortunes; it was that jury which defeated the Robefpierrian fyftem, attempted to be eftablished in this country by the minifters. The duke of Bedford profeffedly wifhed, he faid, both for a change of minifters, of the fyftem on which government had been conducted, and, he might fay, for the restora tion of the conftitution. His grace quoted the papers on the table, to how the concealment minifters had made made of the public expences to enable them to profecute the war. He asked if the way to deftroy French principles, was to ruin the country? He did not think they were fo fafcinating as to be dreaded. The reafon peace was not reftored, truly was because it could not be made but on terms difgrace. ful to thofe minifters who had held fuch lofty language during the war. His grace then took a view of the enorious taxes, and ftrenuously fupported the motion. For it 16-Againft it 86. May 19th, alderman Combe rofe to make his promifed motion for the difmiffal of his majefty's minifters. He prefaced his fpeech with great diffidence, and with a deep confcioufnefs of inability undertook the difcuffion of fo important a fubject. It was, he faid, the general opinion of the people of this country, as well as that of his conftituents, that the calamities which preffed fo hard upon the people were in a great meafure, if not wholly, owing to the minifters having plunged us into the prefent war." He would not deny that at the commencement it appeared to be popular, but it long had ceafed to be fo, and nothing had fo contributed to produce this effect as the incapacity of those who had carried it on. By miniflers it had been declared to be both just and neceffary; in both thefe points he had always differed from them: but, even allowing that it was fo, it was reafonable to expect that the public fhould have been infor.red of the real or ofterfible ground on which it had been entered into; and furely in a conteft between two great nations nothing lefs could have been expected. In vain, however, had the people fought for fome fixed and fettled principle by which their governor had been guided; fometimes we were faid to fight for one purpofe, fometimes for another, and still we were in the dark! The caufe of the war in January 1794 was 6 the refloration of monarchy in France." That form of government appeared fo neceffary for the welfare and interefts of this country, it was held out as a fufficient reafon for all the expences we might incur, and the calamities likely to attend it. This caufe, however, did not long remain events of the moft melancholy nature rendered fuch ground no longer tenable; it was found neceffary to chufe a new one; and the moft oftenfible excufe and juftification of minifters was, "indernity for the paft and fecurity for the future." This in its turn was given up, and then we were bound to fight till France was fettled into fome ftable government, capable of "maintaining the relations of peace and amity." After that event took place. we were affured minifters would feize the earliest opportunity of negotiating; and in December 1795, a fort of overture was made through the medium of Mr. Wickham, the fuccefs of which was too well known to render recapitulation neceffary. Since that time the war had continued with every poffible degree of misfortune and difafter to us and our allies. We now were left indeed alone in the conteft, and the diftrelles of the country had arrived at fuch a pitch, as to render peace effential; it remained now only to be confidered whether the prefent minifters, who had fo rafhly precipitated the country into the war, and had manifefted fuch incapaci ty in the conduct of it, were likely to be more fuccefsful in obtaining that defirable bleffing, tranquillity. He was perfectly of opinion with |