On the queftion being put, lord Grenville obferved, that it was quite needless to reply in detail to the very extraordinary ftring of propofitions juft now rend. He moved, that the address of the 30th of December latt might be read, which contained every argument against that part of the motion fuggefted by his lordship and it would be feen, that fo far from the negotiation for peace being terminated by this country, it had been infolently and abruptly broken off by the government of France. The addrefs above-mentioned was accordingly read by the clerk; on which the duke of Norfolk faid, that he wished this addrefs might go to the throne, for without the adoption of fuch a motion, there was little probability of obtaining peace: he feared the terms of any fuch treaty would be of a more dif. advantageous nature than what might be expected if committed to other hands; confidering the manner in which the prefent minifters had carrier on the war, as well as entered into negotiations for peace. The fecretary of ftate had grounded his oppofition to the motion on its inconfiftency with the addrefs of December laft; but was there any thing to prevent a grave affembly from re-confidering its former refolutions, and more especially as new motives had fince occurred which refpected the commercial credit of the country, and affected its ability to carry on the war. He condemned the conduct of administration in backling lord Malmesbury, when he was fent to treat, especially confidering that France was pre-determined at all events not to part with Belgium. He charged them with indulging a fpirit of intrigue, when the welfare not only of this but nther nation of Europe was concerned, and thought that it should be understood on what principles this country was difpofed to make peace. Adminiftration was much to blame in ritking the events of war, by refufing to treat for peace after the taking of Valenciennes ; fince which time, thofe events had turned in favour of the enemy. France had as good a right to retain Belgium, as this country Canada in 1703, or the Cape of Good Hope in any treaty which might now be entered upon. The earl of Morton deemed it incumbent on himself to refift the motion: it was inconfiftent with the dignity of the proceedings of the houfe for their lordthips to agree to the propofed addrefs, after having to recently adopted the refolution just read by the clerk. The duke of Norfolk replied, that peace was neceflary for the exitence of the country; but there was no ground of expecting a good one from the prefent minifters. The earl of Morton preffed the houfe to recollect, that the French had not only broken off the negotiation for peace, but originally commenced the war; we were not the aggreflors. The marquis of Lanfdowne lamented to fee a motion of fuch importance paffed over in the fhuffling way in which the minifters feemed inclined to treat it. What a reference (he faid) to the 30th of December! as if that were an answer. That addrefs had been hurried through the house with indecent hafte, to fay no more of it. Time had not been given to noble lords at any distance to come and attend it: he, for one, was fo prevented : furely he ought not to be implicated by that addrefs, obtained in fuch a manner. After the measures of diftrefs to which we had lately been obliged to recur, we ought not to adhere adhere to the determination of December 30 or of any former period. What was our actual fituation? Every moment encreafed our difficulties, and every moment of delay would ftill encrease them. It was idle, after the fhock given to public credit, to talk of half-meafures; nothing short of making bank-notes a legal tender, with all the calamities incident to this ftep, could be effectual: the minifter must know this, and only waited perhaps to have the call from the public; if fo, he was ready, for one, to make the call, and fhare in the refponfibility of the measure that alone could give us time to look about us. To retrench from the fmalleft fee up to the higheft emolument; to cut the 1kirts of every office, and to fave in every department; how was this to be done but by peace? He profeffed himfelf to have no ambition to be the maker of that peace; minifters had reduced the country to a ftate which made the office un-enviable to any man at the fame time he did not defpair of his country; but the longer the fyftem of war was purfued, the difficulties in the way of peace would be encreafed: it was by retrieving the balance of trade, by reviving commerce, by reftoring public confidence, and, above all, by peace, that the dangers which threatened us were to be averted. He withed the prefent minifters might accomplith this point; but if they avowed that they knew not how, it would become them to furrender the talk to thofe who did. He referred to the correfpondence of lord Malmesbury, and obferved, it was impotlible to form a right judgment of the fteps taken in' that negotiation, when only a part of that correspondence was laid before the houfe, and the inftructions and intentions of minifters were kept back: without this knowledge, it was impoffible to fây which was the unreasonable party; but if it could be proved by the documents to be the enemy, it would unite the hearts and hands of the people in this country. Lord Borringdon declared, he had no doubts of the fincerity of the minifters in the late negotiation; the charge of the want of it, fell upon the directory. He did not at all ap prove of the motion, which tended to deprefs the fpirit of the people; nor of the words of it, which refembled that of the minutes of the executive directory, more than the language of the British house of peers. The earl of Guildford faid, his majefty's minifters ftill pertinacioufly adhered to the opinion held on the 30th of December; and the pub lic were to understand, that they had refolved not to enter upon any negotiation which fhould not make Belgium a fine qua non, and they had called upon the honfe to fupport them in that determination. He, who during the whole course of the war had queftioned their fincerity in negotiating, muft own that they were confiftent in acting upon the addrefs of December; fince they had by that method fecured themselves from the means of attaining peace, and called upon the house to declare that they would not negotiate for any which they were likely to ob tain. Earl Spencer refented the idea that minifters were not fincere in their wishes for peace. A reference to the papers would fhow, that the propofals were not given as an ultimatum; they gave none whatever, though called upon in a moft unprecedented manner by the French government. He thought the adoption of the motion would retard in ftead ftead of accelerating peace; it would prove to France, and to Europe, that we were willing to make it pon any terms. The earl of Guildford replied, that lord Malmesbury, though he defired M. Delacroix to fuggeft a contre-projet, had exprefsly made the furrender of Belgium a fine qua non. Now if he understood diplomatic language, a fine qua non was an ul timatum. The earl of Oxford rofe, and faid, that the only intelligible argument which had been employed againfi his motion was, that it expofed the diftreffes of the country to the enemy. He demanded whether his motion was likely to do this in any comparison with the order of the council, which the minifters had recently iffued, and the fentence thereby iffued against our credit and Bation? My lords (faid he), I muft not be told that this addrefs is improper to be carried to the throne, when there is not a fentiment in it, that I have not taken from the very words of his majefty: and the belt reply I can make, will be to read a few paffages from his moft gracious. and admired fpeech, at the clofe of the American war. "My lords and gentlemen, "Since the clofe of the laft feffion, I have employed my whole time in the care which the critical conjuncture of public affairs required. I loft no time in prohibiting the farther profecution of offenfive war upon the continent of NorthAmerica; adopting, as my inclination will always lead me to do, whatever I collect to be the fenfe of my parliament and people: I have pointed all my views, as well in Europe as in America, to an entire and cordial reconciliation with thefe colonies. "Finding it indifpenfable to the attainment of this object, I have offered to declare them free and independent ftates, by an article in the treaty of peace. "In thus admitting their feparation from the crown of thefe kingdoms, I have facrificed every confideration of my own to the wishes and opinions of my people." Here my lords (continued his lordfhip) you fee his majefty giving up America, and facrificing every confideration of his own to the interefts of his people: and am I to be told that Belgium is of more importance than America?-To the house of commons his majefty fays, "I have endeavoured to diminifla the burdens of my people by every measure in my power: I have introduced a better economy into the expenditure of the army: I have carried into execution the reductions in my civil-lift expences, directed by an act in the laft feffions. I have fuppreffed feveral finecure places in other departments, and fo regulated my eftablishments, that my expences fhall not exceed my income.. "I must recommend to you an immediate attention to the great objects of public receipts and expenditure, and, above all, the public debt. "It is to be hoped that fuch regulations may be eftablished, fuch favings made, and future loans conducted as to promote its gradual redemption, by a fixed mode of payment. I muft diftinguith that part of the debt which confifts of navy, ordnance, and victualling bills; the enormous discount upon them, fhews this mode of payment to be a moft ruinous expenditure. "I have ordered the feveral eftimates to be laid before you; it is my defire that you fhould be apprif ed of every expence before it is incurred, as far as the nature of the fervice fervice will poffibly adimit. Matters of account can never be made too public. The regulation of a vaft territory in Afia opens a large field for your wifdom, prudence, and forefight." The earl of Oxford then proceeded to declare, he trembled for the fate of India: it would ere long be loft to England And where was the wifdom of minifters refpecting that country? From our blind confidence in them, alas! we fhould live to fee that vaft and glorious empire fall into pieces in their hands! The duke of Bedford faid: Before they proceeded to the queftion, he muft advert to two or three things that had been thrown out. The noble marquis was correctly informed refpecting the indecent hafte with which the addrefs of the house, on, the 30th of December, had been obtained. He himself had found reafon at the time to complain of the manner in which it was hurried through, and in which the house had been furprised into that addrefs; but under whatever circumftances it had been carried, and however adopted, it was certainly no argument against re-confideration. The duke went into the examination of the correfpondence as laid upon the table, and contended, that when they called for a contre-projet, they exprefsly had declared that the furrender of Belgium was a fine qua non. But what demonftrated the infincerity of minifters was, their not invefting their ambaffador with intelligible powers; he was inceffantly dispatching couriers for inftructions; when called upon to prefent his terms, he had none to offer, and at length made a fine qua non of a matter which they had previously declared they would not concede as a principle. They proved their infincerity by not adopting an attain able ground, and affuming practicable principles: they now declared, that they adhered to the fame terms. He believed in his confcience, that they could not negotiate a peace upon fo good terms as the nation had a right to expect, and as other perfons of more truth and of more capacity were likely to obtain. The earl of Carlile lamented the degeneracy of the times, which were now fo changed, as to make an addrefs of gratitude and loyalty a matter of charge and fufpicion. When he was young, no time was lott in approaching the throne with thanks. He profeffed upon his honour to believe that minifters were fincere in their wishes for peace, nor could he conceive a reafon for them to be otherwife. The duke of Bedford reminded the noble earl, that this memorable addrefs was voted at a season of the year when the noble lords were in the country, and there were not more peers prefent than the number of creations during the prefent adminiftration. With refpect to the fincerity of minifters, if he was not convinced from the tenor of the late negotiation, he defpaired of convincing him. The marquis of Lanfdowne reminded his lordship, that he had himself been fent on an embassy of peace to America, and doubts were entertained, to this day, of the fincerity of the miffion. Lord Grenville did not know in what diplomatic dictionary noble lords had found that a fine qua non was fynonymous to an ultimatum. He had never found them fo in all his researches. The noble duke bad afferted, that the minifters could not make fo good a peace as others; and his fpeeches, for the last four years, went to infinuate the incapacity of minifters for their fituations, and their infincerity. The houfe, however, thought otherwife; and not only the house, but the kingdom, could never be brought to think that the proper perfons to make peace were perfons agreeable to the enemy, The duke of Bedford faid, no man who knew him would imagine he had any perfonal views to himfelf; the prefent was not a moment when any wife man would covet office. The marquis of Lansdowne remarked, that the men proper to make peace were not the men whom the enemy might like, but the men whom they could truft: it was not favour which an enemy demanded, but candour; and in this the minifters of England were notoriously deficient. The queftion was then put, and the houfe divided. Contents 16, non contents 52. On Thursday, the 30th of March, the house being affembled, the earl of Oxford rofe, and complained, that the day after he had made his motion for the address to his majefty in favour of peace, he had gone to the office to enter his proteft against the refolution of the houfe on that motion: that he was there informed that his addrefs had not been entered on the Journals, lord Kenyon having taken it away with him. This he conceived to be a breach of privilege; and would hope, as fuch, their lordships would notice it. He therefore moved, "That the lord chancellor, in taking away the motion of any lord, fo that the fame cannot be entered on the journals of the houfe, is a high breach of privilege; and that lord Kenyon, acting as pro-chancellor, having taken away the motion of the earl of Oxford, made on the 23d of March, 1797, has been guilty of a high breach of privilege, and that he be cenfured for the fame." 1797. The bishop of Rochefter moved, that the standing order of Nov. 1777 fhould be read, which was done; the purport of which was, "that any lord of that house, publishing the proceedings of the fame without leave of their lordships, would be guilty of a high breach of privilege." The reverend prelate faid, that inftead of the motion made by the earl of Oxford, he expected one of a totally different nature; he expected him to have moved, that a high breach of privilege had been committed by the printer and publisher of a certain news-paper, containing a miferable publication gone abroad, containing a proteft against the refolution of that house, for an address in favour of peace: that he had a paper in his hand, called the Oracle and Public Advertiser, which not only contained fuch proteft, but the editor's comments on that proceeding the reverend prelate confidered it to be one of the moft audacious and impudent infertions that ever was made, and as fuch deferved the attention of the noble carl whofe name had been attached to fo infamous a publication. He then adverted to fome parts of the proteít, and particularly the following: Sixthly, Becaufe, whenever a a nation is in the fituation we are at prefent. it requires the united energy and public fpirit of the whole nation to re-ettablith its credit; and energy and public fpirit are only to be obtained by the public poffeiling their ancient free conftitution; and according to the true fpirit of it, which is founded in wifdom, liberty, and juftice, the people of Great Bri tain have a right and ought to be fairly and equally reprefented in that which by its very name is their house of parliament." The news-paper editor, who had conveyed this infolent doctrine to the view |