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nued calamities of war, the prolonged diftreffes of Europe, and the accumulated distreffes of France itself, were by the government of this country juftified to the world. His majefty, who had entered into this negotiation with good faith, had now only to lament its abrupt termination; and to declare, in the face of all Europe, that whenever his enemies fhould be difpofed to enter on the work of general pacification, nothing fhould be wanting on his part to contribute to the accomplishment of that great object, which was only retarded by the exorbitant pretenfions of his enemies."

Lord Grenville faid, he lamented, as much as any man in the country could do, the fudden failure of this negotiation: it was unneceffary for him to ftate at length the repeated endeavours of the French directory to defeat it in its beginning, and to break it off after an intercourse had been opened.

It had been agreed, that compenfation fhould be made to France, by proportionable reftitutions, for the ceffions which the in her turn fhould be called upon to make to his majesty's allies. After this, his majesty's minifter at Paris delivered to the - French minifter a memorial containing propofals: there was a note accompanying the memorial, ftating, that he would enter with the utmoft readiness, with M. Delacroix, into every explanation which the negotiation would allow; or, fhould they be rejected in toto, into any counter-project which the directory itself might be pleased to bring forth. In answer to this communication, it was peremptorily required of him, before any answer had been given by the directory to his propofitions, that he fhould within twenty-four hours deliver in the ultimatum of his

court,

No fuch inftance was to be found in the whole hiftory of treaties, nor could fuch a demand have been made, but for the purpose of shutting the doors against all negotiation.

Why did not the directory state their objections to his majefty's minifter? Why did they not tell him on what terms they would have been ready to make peace? Not a word was faid in return; and the British minifter was ordered to leave the territories of the republic in twice the fpace of four and twenty hours. The directory now faid, as they had formerly done, that they could not treat on the principle of mutual reftitution, because it was contrary to their conftitution. This could never be admitted by our country, or any other independent nation: it was in fact, to admit, that the French republic poffeffed the only fupreme power in Europe; and that all other countries might be parcelled out by them at pleasure into what they were pleafed to call republics, but which had not the leaft refemblance to that form of government. According to this principle, his majefty and his allies were bound to reftore to France the greatest part of their conquefts, whilft the French republic was to retain all that the had made.

His lordship faid, that every candid man muft fee where the fault lay: his majefty and his minifters had entered into the negotiation with good faith, and it was retarded only by the exorbitant demands of France. He concluded, with moving an addrefs to his majefty, with affurances that he might place the fulleft reliance on the firmnefs of his parliament; the valour of his forces; the refources of his kingdoms, for vigorous fupport in a conteft which it did not depend upon his majesty to terminate, and which involved in

it the fecurity and interefts of this country, and of Europe.

The lord chancellor having read the motion, was about to put the queftion upon it, when the earl of Guildford faid, that the prefent was, in his opinion, the most unfortunate day this country had ever experienced; that day only excepted which had plunged us into the calamities of the prefent war. He could not have believed it poffible, that the minifters could have fo far difgraced themselves, as to have laid on the table fuch papers as were only a mafs of abfurdities and nonfenfe. He did not believe that what had been advanced by the noble fecretary was supported by facts. If the fatus ante bellum had been the principle agreed upon, he would admit that the French had departed from it; but that was by no means the cafe.

The principle that was to form the bafis of negotiation, was that of proportional reftitution, and no one could fay what we had offered to France was an equivalent for what we asked of her to restore to our allies. It was notorious, from the papers produced, that his majefty's fervants had not been fincere in the bufinefs: their firft propofal was such, that they could not reasonably hope it would be agreed to: the reftoration of the Auftrian Netherlands was a fine qua non on the part of his majefty; and the British minister was to infift on the restoration of every town in thofe provinces. His lordfhip admitted the importance of the Netherlands; but could never confent that this exhaufted country fhould go on with the war till they fhould be reconquered from France, because he did not think fuch an event probable.

He requefted the house to confider the unprecedented expence of

another campaign, when they could not borrow money at 12 per cent. He could by no means agree to the addrefs, and propofed an amendment, ftating the mifconduct of his majefty's minifters through the whole of the war, charging them with infincerity in every part of the negotiation, and moving that a committee might be appointed to enquire into the calamitous state of the country.

The earl of Derby rofe, and declared, he had been an avowed enemy to the war fince its commencement: we were under no neceifity of engaging in it, and this opinion had indeed been strongly confirmed. Was the noble fecretary acquainted with the ftate of the labouring poor in the various counties of England? With that of trade, commerce, and manufactures throughout the kingdom? In many of our manufacturing towns the people had only half the wages which they formerly received. In Birmingham, there was no fewer than four thoufand uninhabited houses, and one-fourth of the remainder were unable to pay the affeffed taxes.

The nature of the loan by which the fupplies of the present year were to be raised, ought to be well confidered; we should then find we had no preffing temptation to go on with the war.

His lordship thought there was infincerity in the conduct of the minifters, and therefore feconded the amendment. Pondicherry in the Eaft-Indies, Martinico, St. Lucia, and Tobago in the Weft-Indies, could never be confidered as an equivalent for the Milanese and the Auftrian Netherlands, which the French were required to give our allies!

The earl of Liverpool entered into a defence of the minifters: thought that we had offered an equi

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to what we had required France to give up! and afked why the directory had not brought forward fome counter project of their own when they were diffatisfied with our propofals?

Lord Auckland expreffed fatis faction that the experiment had been made, though the refult was fuch as he expected. He was fo far from thinking the minifters to blame, that he thought the country was under very great obligations to them, for their able and upright conduct throughout the tubole tranfaction. He was happy to believe we were able to go through another campaign, and that France was by no means in fuch a fituation! The defenders of the republic were in the utmost diftrefs; expofed to all the horrors of want and nakedness; their hofpitals were deftitute of every neceffary; they were without fire, medicines, &c. &t. the public creditors, adminiftrators, &c. from one end of the country to the other, were in the depth of wretchednefs; and the only thing organized in the republic was affaflination.

Earl Fitzwilliam infifted, that the enemy had given no encouragement for opening the negotiation; afferted, that there could be no fafety in fraternizing with fuch a people, and intimated, that as he objected both to the original motion and the amendment, he fhould, after thefe were difpofed of, propofe an amend ment of his own.

The earl of Kinnoul avowed his independency, and difclaimed all bias or prejudice on the queftion. He faid, he confidered the conduct of the enemy as infolent in the extreme, and fuch as ought to be refifted. The terms which France in fifted on formerly were inadmiffible, in aniwer to Mr. Wickham's note; but, notwithstanding this,

lord Malmesbury, without return ing invective for invective, fucceeded in eftablishing a principle for mutual compenfation; yet, almof as foon as this principle was admitted, it was rejected by what he might call the ultimatum of the enemy. No fooner was the relinquishing of the Netherlands introduced, than the government of France refafed to enter into difcuffion, and broke off all farther negotiation. Nothing therefore remained in his lordthip's opinion, but for this country to exert its vigour and profecute the war.

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The duke of Bedford infifted, that the minifters had fubftituted affertions inftead of arguments; and even thefe were contradictory. one, the attempt at negotiation was mentioned in a manner fuited to its importance; by another, treated as a mere experiment, defigned to amufe the people of this country. This minifter lamented the unfuc cessful iffue of the measures taken towards obtaining peace; that, af forted that danger arofe from the negotiation itself; whilt a third affirmed, that the republic was determined, at all events, to continue the war. The noble fecretary had reflected on the directory for refufing to treat in a manner contrary to the conftitution and treaties which they had formed, whilft he, himself, confidently afks, would we have this country violate its treaties?

His grace then animadverted on the converfation of lord Malmefbury and M. Delacroix, and inferred, that his lordship, by hinting at an equivalent for the Netherlands, had admitted the plea of the directory, and that in contradiction to the treaties fubfifting between Britain and her allies. The French minifter, by converfing about an equivalent, proved that he virtually ad

mitted

!

mitted fome equivalent might be given.

Lord Malmesbury had requefted a contre-projet, whilft he refufed to enter upon any treaty, by which the French were to retain the poffeffion of the Netherlands. From thefe circumstances, as well as that of his being left without a difcretionary power in any matter of importance, his grace inferred, that minifters were not fincere in the propofed negotiation for peace. They had acted on a principle of augmenting the power of great frates, at the expence of thofe which were weaker. Such were their ideas of remunerative juftice! By confenting to fuch a principle, Europe would fink into a miferable labyrinth of defpotic arrogance; "a principle on which," faid his grace," I thall make no comment; but leave it to your conscience to decide."

Lord Auckland denied having ufed the word " experiment" in the fenfe his grace had thought fit to apply it.

Eirl Spencer afferted, that the charge of infincerity in the conduct of minifters was unjuft: they had perfevered, he said, in their attempts to reftore peace, notwithstanding the obftacles thrown by the enemy in their way.

From the commencement of his acting with minifters, his lordthip declared, that he had acted upon one uniform principle. He confidered that the objects for which the war had been begun and carried on, were to fecure the important interefts of this country; to refore, and to fecure tranquillity throughout Europe. He denied, that lord Malmesbury had propofed any ultimatum: the directory, he faid, had; and what was their propofal? "You fhall accept the bafis of our new formed conftitution, which engrafts

a conquered country into an integral part of our territories." The only queftion to be confidered was now, whether, by relinquishing the war, we would give up every thing valuable to the intereft of this country, every principle of good faith with its allies, and all which had hitherto been efteemed the public law of Europe.

The lord chancellor objected to the affumption of the amendment, that the negotiation was not broken off by the directory. He expreffed his furprife; he doubted whether any fimilar inftance could be produced of a negotiation with an enemy being broken off, no matter how, and that circumftance being communicated from the throne to the parliament; that the two houses of parliament, inftead of fupporting the king, when he threw himself upon them for fupport, had put a negative on fuch an application. The inference to be drawn was, that this country muft fubmit to whatever terms the enemy chofe to impofe; to humble the nation before the directory; and to invite them to put their feet upon their necks.

He affirmed, that the memorial prefented to the directory was not of a fophiftical nature; that nothing could be more ingenuous than the declaration of what England was willing to furrender, and what the would demand in behalf of her allies. But whatever might be the value of the compenfations propof. ed, they had never been brought under difcuffion. The propofals on our part had been generous and liberal, and the government of France had barred the door of negotiation against us. His lordship proceeded to remark, that a noble earl had ipoken of the encreafing number of bankruptcies; he took upon himfelf to contradict the statement: unE 4

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til the beginning of December, this year, the number was 724, and there might be 40 or 50 more fince; in all, not more than 800; whereas, the average, number of the last twelve years was about 1040. His lordship obferved, the wealth of this country was also increasing. The furplus of monies brought into chancery amounted to 960,000l. of which, he computed about a clear furplus of 800,000l. faved during the current year. At no period were the manufactories more flourishing, nor there was any year in which the quantity of English goods exported was greater than in the prefent. Subfcriptions to the loan of eighteen millions were fent up to a large amount, from various country towns, even after the loan was filled up. His lordship wifhed this ftatement contrafted with that of France, as given by the directory themselves, and concluded, by infifting that at no period of English hiftory, when negotiations were broken off, did those who then oppofed the miniftry ever think of bringing forward a motion like "that thing" which he then held in his hand.

The earl of Abingdon condemned minifters for not having fooner confulted the affembly of the nation; avowed his own predilection for monarchy; and declared himself an antigall.can; but thought the answer of the directory manly, and voted for the amendment. A divifion took place-Majority against the amendment, 78.

The duke of Bedford then rofe, and declared his conviction, that this country could neither enjoy peace nor profperity without a change of men and meafures. His intention was to make a motion to this effect; but previous to it, he fhould move for an inquiry into the ftate of the nation, on Monday fortnight, and

moved, that the lords be fummoned for that day.

Lord Grenville did not object to the inquiry, but to the time propofed. The motion was put, and negatived.

He

On Dec. the 30th, Mr. chancellor Pitt moved the taking into confideration his majefty's meffage in the houfe of commons: it being read, he addreffed the house, he faid, with the deepest regret, ou viewing the fudden fiop which had been put to the negotiation. had fondly hoped we should have been relieved from the conteft into which we had been forced againft our will; a contest produced by the repeated aggreffions of an imperious enemy; a conteft undertaken from motives of inevitable neceffity; undertaken to preferve our conftitution, to defend the general fecurity of Europe, and from a facred regard to that good faith which we had pledged to our allies: from thefe caufes we were forced into a ftate of warfare; and whilft they continued to operate, we were alfo determined to perfevere. Whilft he expreffed much difappointment and regret at the failure of the negotiation, he acknowledged, it was regret without defpondency, and difappointment without defpair.

We had not (he faid) ourfelves to blame for the misfortune; it arofe from the exorbitant pretentions of our enemies. Nothing had been wanting on the part of this country to reftore peace, on the grounds on which alone it was defirable; for when we wished for peace, it was for a fecure and permanent peace. We had proved to all Europe to what party ambitious and unmeafurable pretentions ought to be afcribed; and we might expect, from fuch 'conduct, to fee England united and France divided. It would not be

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