difpofed to return to its allegiance. It was also obferved, that it might be proper to authorife fuch commiffioners, to restore any province or colony, returning to its allegiance, to the free exercife of its trade and commerce, and to the fame protection and fecurity as if it had never revolted. At the conclufion they were in formed, that from affurances received, as well as from the general appearances of affairs in Europe, there was no apparent probability that the measures which they might adopt, would be interrupted by difputes with any foreign power. The addreffes in anfwer to this fpeech, which, as ufual, were an adoption of the whole, with no other alteration in the terms, but what was neceffary to the difference of fituations of the makers, produced fimilar effects with thofe of the preceding feffion; long and earneft debates in both houses, and a proteft in one. The refemblance was not lefs perfect in the fuperior force by which they were carried through. The minority were little difpofed to give way to thefe addreffes in the form in which they were brought in. An amendment to the addrefs in the Houfe of Commons was moved for by Lord John Cavendish, propofing to leave out the whole, except the intro. ductory paragraph, and to fubftitute in the place a declaration, "That they beheld, with the utmoft concern, the diforders and difcontents in the colonies, rather increased than diminished by the means that had been used to fupprefs and allay them; a circumtance alone fufficient to give them jult reason to fear, that thofe means were not originally well confidered, or properly adapted to their ends. That, they were fatisfied by experience, that the misfortune had, in a great measure, arifen from the want of full and perfect information of the true ftate and condition of the colonies being laid before parliament; by reafon of which, measures injurious and inefficacious had been carried into execution, from whence no falutary end could have been reasonably expected; tending tarnish the luftre of the British arms, to bring difcredit on the wisdom of his Majefty's councils; and to nourish, without hope of end, a moft unhappy civil war. "That, deeply impreffed with the melancholy state of public concerns, they would, on the fulleft information they could obtain, and with the most mature deliberation they could employ, review the whole of the late proceedings, that they may be enabled to difcover, as they will be most willing to apply, the moft effectual means of reftoring order to the distracted affairs of the British empire, confidence to his Majefty's government, obedience, by a prudent and temperate ufe of its powers, to the authority of parliament, and fatisfaction and happiness to all his people. That, by thefe means, they trust to avoid any occafion of having recourfe to the alarming and dangerous expedient, of calling in foreign forces to the fupport of his Majesty's authority within his own dominions, and the ftill more dreadful calamity, of shed. ding British blood by British arms." This motion brought on a feries of long and moft interefting debates, which were conducted with the utmost eagerness, and uncea fing energy on both fides, and intermixed with much acrimony and bitterness. In this conteft the fpeech was taken to pieces, and every part of it moft feverely fcrutinized. The minifters were charged with having brought their fovereign into the moft difgraceful and unhappy fituation of any monarch now living. Their conduct had already wrefted the fceptre of America out of his hands. One half of the empire as loft, and the other thrown into a ftate of anarchy and confufion. After having fpread corruption like a deluge through the land, until all public virtue was loft, and the people were inebriated with vice and profligacy, they were then taught, in the paroxyfms of their infatuation and madnefs, to cry out for havoc and war. History could not fhew an inftance, of fuch an empire ruined in fuch a manner. They had loft a greater extent of dominion in the first campaign of a ruinous civil war, which was intentionally produced by their own acts, than the most celebrated conquerors had ever acquired in fo fhort a space of time. The fpeech was faid to be compofed of a mixture of affumed and falle facts, with fome general undefined and undifputed axioms, which nobody would attempt to controvert. Of the former, that of charging the colonies with aiming at independence, was feverely reprehended, as being totally unfounded, being directly contrary to the whole tenor of their conduct, to their most exprefs declarations both by word and by writing, and to what every person of any intelligence knew of their general temper and difpofition. But what they never intended, we may drive them to. They will undoubtedly prefer independence to flavery. They will never continue their connection with this country, unlefs they can be connected with its privileges. The continuance of hoftility, with the determined refufal of all fecurity for thefe privileges, will infallibly bring on feparation. The charge of their making profeffions of duty, and propofals of reconciliation, only for the infidious purpose of amusing and deceiving, was equally reprobated. It was infifted, that, on the contrary, thefe had, from the beginning, told them honeftly, openly, and bravely, without difguife or referve, and declared to all the world, that they never would fubmit to be arbitrarily taxed by any body of men whatsoever, in which they were not reprefented. They did not whifper behind the door, nor mince the matter; they told fairly what they would do, and have done, if they were unhappily urged to the last extremity. And that though the minifters affected not to believe them, it was evident, from the armament which they fent out, that they did; for how ever incompetent that armament has been to the end, nobody could admit a doubt that it was intended to oppofe men in arms, and to compel by force; the incompetence for its purposes proceeding merely from that blind ignorance, and total misconception of American affairs, which had operated upon the minifters in every part of their conduct. This hameful accufation, they faid, was only to cover that wretched conduct, and, if poffible, to to hide or excufe, the difgrace and failure that had attended all their measures. Was any other part of their policy more commendable, or more fuccefsful? Did the cruel and fanguinary laws of the preceding feffion, anfwer any of the purposes for which they were propofed? Had they in any degree fulfilled the triumphant predictions, had they kept in countenance the overbearing vaunts of the minifter? They have now funk into the fame nothingnefs with the terrors of that armed force which was to have looked all America into fubmifion. The Americans have faced the one, and they defpife the injuftice and iniquity of the others. Yet the ministers cannot pretend that they have entered, or been led, blindfolded into thefe deftructive measures. They have been repeatedly warned, feffion after feffion, of the danger in which they were involving themfelves, and of the ruin into which they were plunging the nation; the confequences were fo truly foretold, the predictions have been fo exactly verified, that they feem now rather the effect of fome extraordinary infpiration, than of reafon founded upon obfervation, and applied to the nature and relation of things. Thefe warnings they received from thofe gentlemen in oppofition, whom they with and endeavour to ftigmatize, as operated upon only by factious motives, as enemies to their country, and as framers of fedition both here and in America. Thefe are the Caffandra's, who foretold the destruction which the minifters were bringing upon their country, and who, because they forefaw the danger, are unworthily to be blackened with the imputation of having produced the evils which they foretold. But the minifters, they faid, had other fources of information, and which, in fpite of reafon and experience, they were ftill evidently determined to rely upon. Thefe were the falfe, partial, illiberal reprefentations, of artful, defigning, and interested men, who had held public offices in America, and who wanted to increase their own influence, emoluments, and authority, as well as to find the means of gratifying their petty prejudices and refentments, by extending the powers of the crown to the prejudice of the people. Men who became at length fo foured by the oppofition they met with, and the confequent difappointment in all their schemes, that all their fentiments feem to have been dictated only by malice and revenge. The difgrace and danger of calling in foreign troops to fettle our domeftic quarrels, of rendering them the arbiters in a conteft with our own people, were ftrongly infifted upon by the oppofition. They faid, that this new dignity, of which we were become of late fo wonderfully fond, was of a very peculiar nature. That while it was fo irritable with refpect to our own people, that the mention of an American right or privilege, operated upon it in the most violent degree, it crouched in the moft fuppliant manner in its commerce with foreigners. It was not difficult to bring examples from history, to fhew the danger of calling in foreigners in fuch cir cumitances. The country gentlemen were repeatedly repeatedly called upon to fupport the amendment, and not to give their approbation to the dangerous and fanguinary measures propofed in the fpeech, until they had, at laft, confidered the fubject, and had the neceffary information laid before them. They were afked, if they would for ever continue to run blindfolded into every deftructive measure that was propofed, without once he fitating or reflecting upon the common ruin, in which they were involving themfelves with the nation? Would they ftill follow, without examination or inquiry, thofe leaders who had already deceived and miled them in every thing, until they had brought us into our prefent moft difaltrous circumflances? Had they yet had time to confider the difficulties attending the fupport of an army of 70,000 men, on the other fide of the Atlantic? Had they calculated how many thoufand tons of shipping would be neceffary for their conveyance, and for their fupport, or what the expence might amount to, of fupplying them with fresh provifions from Smithfield market, and with vegetables, and all other neceffaries, from London and its neighbourhood? These were matters of ferious confideration. The landtax muft this feffion be rifen to four fhillings, and the most fanguine imagination can fcarcely hope that it will ever again be lowered, even fuppofing the most fortunate change of circumstances. Thas are their eftates already mortgaged to one fifth of the value of their clear income; and if this ruinous war is carried on to the extent that is held out, they might expect at its end to find the mortgage doubled. They were taught to confider. fuppofing (which was far from being admitted) that we fhould be fuccefsful, how they fhould be repaid the enormous expences which they must neceffarily incur in profecuting the conflict. They were asked, whether burnt towns, military executions, a total lofs of trade, a change, or annihilation of property, with ruined and depopu lated provinces, till fmoking under all the calamities of a cruel civil war, would be able to repay fifty, fixty, or a fill greater number of millions of money, which would probably be loft or expended in the conteft. This firft loss, great as it might be, was not, however, the worst part of the confequence. Those wide and ruined dominions, irritated as the remaining poffeffors ever muft continue, with an immortal abhorrence of our name and nation, could only be kept in fubjugation, by an immenfe ftanding army, and a very confiderable naval force. They demanded whether any gentleman, the leaft informed in the hiftory of mankind, could once imagine, that fuch an etablishment would or could be fupported by fuch a people. America, in its priftine ftate of vigour and felicity, when it gloried in the Engli conftitution, fcarcely conftitution, was itself a living and unparalleled proof of its excellence, and pointed it out as an honour to human nature and fo. ciety, muft, even in that state, have funk beneath the burthen. How will it be then when the is thus fallen and debilitated, and when the confiders every man em ployed ployed in that fervice by fea and land, as rivetting on her chains, as her fworn and implacable enemy? The fleet and army of England, and as the has not men fufficient, hofts of foreign mercenaries muft be hired, and compofe her ftanding peace establishment. The confequences of fo enormous an additional power thrown into the hands of the crown, are too obvious to require any comment, and too melancholy to be dwelt upon with pleafure. The English conftitution will inevitably perish in the fame grave, into which our pride and injuftice had a little before precipitated the liberties of America. If fuch are the confequences of the most perfect fuccefs which the minifters can with for, by the complete reduction of the colonies, they asked, in what fituation fhall we be if we fail in the attempt? The most violent advocates for war, do not even pretend to any certainty of fuccefs. That queftion is acknowledged by all to be problematical; and are the confequences in that event to be totally overlooked? Should we unfortunately be foiled and difgraced in a ruinous contest with our own people, in a war attended with circumftances of expence, before unheard of in the history of mankind, and unfuppofed in the calculations of politicians; fhould our fleets and armies be wafted and ruined, our treasures exhausted, our expenditure and taxes increafed, in an inverfe proportion to our lofs of power, dominion, and commerce, whilft a newly-acquired debt was overwhelming the old, and our ancient friends and fellow fubjects were become our rivals and com petitors in every thing that was left, if the poffibility of thefe unhappy events is admitted, is not the prefent a proper time to view them in their utmost extent, and to ufe every poffible means to prevent their taking place? Is not the fituation in which fuch circumftances would place us with refpect to the rest of Europe, an object of confideration? Surely no fubjects were ever difcuffed in any assembly, which called more ftrongly for the fulleft and cleareft information, the most mature deliberation, and for higher wifdom in determining. Upon the whole, it was contended by oppofition, that either adminiftration been moft grofsly impofed upon themfelves in every thing relative to the colonies, or had intentionally deceived and mifled parliament, by the fappreffion of true information, and the advancement of falfe, in order thereby to lead the nation piecemeal, and by stated progreffes, into a war, until they were fa far involved, that there could not be a poffibility of receding. From these premifes they inferred, that whether our calamities proceeded from their ignorance and incapacity, or from a traiterous defign of impofition, in either cafe, they were no longer fit to be trufted in any public affairs, much less with thofe, which they had already involved in fuch ruin, it being totally immaterial in this refspect, what motives influenced their conduct, or from what caufes their faults proceeded. On the other fide, the veracity of the fpeech in all its parts, was warmly contended for. In particular, the charge against the Ame |