nations, who may rife fuperior to fuch cruel as well as contracted confiderations, and controul the am: bition of courts, by the nobler ambition of promoting the welfare of nations? In fuch hands might it not be expected, that a negociation for peate night not yet be in vain.”*

Such were the principles of a party which was formed, or forming, at this time, not only in the British parliament and nation, but in France, Germany, and other parts of Europe. They did not advife to throw away the arms of terror; but, on the contrary, through military preparation, on a grand fcale,+ to prevent the neceffity of ufing them, in imitation of divine goodnefs, which bends the bow that it may not fhoot, and whets the fword that it may not strike."

We cannot but exprefs our entire approbation of the fentiments profeffed by these philanthropifts. Their defign was great and good, and undoubtedly capable of embellifhment from poetical fancy, as well as of fupport from the profoundeft views of political econemy; of both of which the publication juft quoted affords no mean fpecimens. It was thus that Plato called in the aid of mufic, and other arts to harmonize the difcordant paffions of men, by an appeal to the tendereft affections, and nobleft principles, of human nature. Though we entirely agree with our philofophers, that the crifis to which Britain, with the whole circle of civilization, was brought, in 1797, was not a time for devotion to any party; and farther, that we

know not any party whofe conduct is not more or lefs marked by folly, and whofe patriotifm is not more or lefs juftly fubjected to fufpicion : yet, in the prefent felfifh and luxurious age, when the profeffion of difinterefted virtue is fo generally difcredited, and even the poffeffion of it almoft confidered as a weakness, their project was, in truth, rather chimerical. That there fhould be fo much wifdom and virtue in the nation, as to emancipate public affairs from the trammels of felf-intereft, factious combination, and private ambition, and place them in the beft hands, brought together from all quarters, and united in patriotic and prudent plans of ad miniftration, was a thing fcarcely to be expected. At the fame time, it must be admitted, that to hold up to the view of the world, a plan fo humane and fo fair, has a tendency to foften the afperities of faction, as well as of national antipathy, and to prepare the minds of men and nations for the voluntary adoption of meafures that muft ultimately be obtruded by direful neceffity. But, whatever may be thought of this project, it was introduced into the house of commons, with fingular propriety, by

Mr. George Auguftus Pollen, a young gentleman of a fortune decently independent, of manners irre proachable, good parts, and pure from all political intrigues and fac tions. Mr. Pollen, on the tenth of April, introduced a motion for a farther attempt towards pacifica tion, by a fpeech of a conciliatory

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nature;

nature; recommending unanimity at home, and fuch terms as might be likely to gain over to the fide of peace the enemy, with whom we were engaged in fo cruel a conteft. After a modeft exordium, befeeming a young man, and a young member of parliament, Mr. Pollen faid, when he looked at the other (the oppofition) fide of the house he could not with-hold his admiration, from the talents of which many who fat upon it were poffeffed; but he regretted extremely that they were fo often employed for the purposes of felf-intereft, and that the good of the public was fo frequently facrificed to the illiberality of partyfpirit. The confequence was, that the debates were conducted with fo much acrimony, and intermingled with fo much perfonal invective, that even the fpeaker muft have found it difficult to purfue the thread of the argument, and to preferve order and decorum in their proceedings. It was not for the empty hand to blame the prodigality of the full one, or for the perfon fitting fafe upon the top of a rock, and viewing the fhip tofled by the winds and the waves, rafhly to cenfure the conduct of the pilot. It was to be recollected, that though the right honourable gentleman (Mr. Pitt) had fitten at the helm, while the veffel of the state was expofed to ftorms and tempefts, and though the hip had fuftained confiderable damage, from the accidents which had befallen it, the pilot, perhaps, might not be to blame, and that, had it been in other hands, instead of being shattered, it might have been funk. Inftead of indulging in idle complaints, or peevish invective, he thought, that, at the prefent crifis, every hand ought to be active

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in the fervice of the country, and every heart fhould glow with an ardent defire to extricate it from its prefent embarrasments, Having faid this much in general, he proceeded to flate the fituation in which the country was placed, Having commenced the war in concert with feveral of the most respectable and powerful nations in Europe, we were deferted by almoft all our former friends, and had now to contend against fome who were at one time our allies. Inftead of carrying our arms to the enemy's door, we were in daily terror of a hoftile invafion; inftead of calculating upon the ruin of the finances of our adverfaries, and exhaufting their refources, our whole attention was confined to the refloration of our own credit, and the falvation of our own independence. was convinced, that the people of France were as earneft in their wishes of peace as the people of Great Britain. It might be afked, perhaps, that, if they were fo defirous for the termination of hoftilities, why did they not carry their complaints to the bar of the directory, and demand redrefs? To this he would reply, that they were taught to confider the ambition of England as the fole caufe to which the prolongation of the war was to be afcribed, and, that it was to her thirst for aggrandizement the happinefs of Europe was facrificed, And, if this was the cafe, would a British houfe of commons permit that England, the parent of commerce; England, the fource of every proud and every generous feeling, and the bright example. of regular government and falutary regulation, fhould be branded as the interefted author of all

all the calamities which are at prefent abroad in the world? He trufted, that, on the contrary, England would be made to vindicate hér character, in the face of Europe, and that it would be fewn to the prefent and to the future age, that the afperfion, in this inftance, is as untrue as it is contradictory to her past hiftory; and, that even her enemies will be taught to look to her as the fource of their advantages. But it was not merely our character, but our interefts which were at ftake. Public credit was fhaken to its very foundation, and peace alone could reftore it. It might be faid, that the French nation were not fufficiently tranquillized, and that their government was not poffeffed of stability enough to infure the bleflings of a permanent peace. His majefty had declared it to be capable of maintaining the relations of peace and amity; and if there were any who could not adopt this opinion, he would afk, if they wifhed to perfevere in the conteft either till the prefent government of France was completely confolidated, or till a fyftem, in which they could repofe greater confidence, was established upon its overthrow? He advifed

gentlemen to read the debates in the council of five hundred, and to learn moderation from the fpeeches of Dumas and Dumolard. As a fpecimen of the ju and proper notions, which obtained in that affembly, he referred to the meffage, which was lately fent to the directory, demanding, of that body, an explanation of what they called an incendiary debarkation of prifoners upon our coafts; a meafure which they juftly reprobated as inconfiftent with the laws of war. And, if thefe were the fentiments of moderation and juftice, by which a French affembly was guided, would the houfe of commons of Great Britain be lefs inclined to the exercife of thefe difpofitions? He trufted not.”

Mr. Pollen proceeded to read an abftract, from a paper, contained in the Redacteur, of December, 1799, which he confidered as the official fentiments of the French directory, on the late negociation for peace: the arguments contained in which, tended to prove, on one hand, the infincerity and ambition of England, in the late negociation; and, on the other, to prove how fincerely defirous the directory were of peace, on moderate terms.* Mr. Pollen, after reading this paper, obferved,