CHAP. perform a luftration; let them purify this house, and XXXII. this country, from this fin. My lords, I am old and Amendment rejected. Debate in commons. weak, and at present unable to say more: but my feelings and my indignation were too ftrong to have faid lefs; I could not have flept this night in my bed, nor repofed my head on my pillow, without giving this vent to my eternal abhorrence of such preposterous and enormous principles. A CONVERSATION enfued, in which it was proved by the avowal of lord Townshend and lord Amherft, that Indians were employed in the laft war, both by the French and English; but lord Chatham, while he allowed the fact, denied that the measure had been authorized by administration. THE amendment was rejected', and a fhort unimportant protest was figned by only two peers.. IN the house of commons the addrefs was moved by the house of lord Hyde, and feconded by Sir Gilbert Elliot; the amendment by the marquis of Granby and lord John Cavendish the members of oppofition no longer persevered in their feceffion, but the debate afforded no circumftance of peculiarity distinguishing it from that in the upper houfe". AT the request of the duke of Richmond, the houfe of lords was called on a motion for a committee to inquire into the ftate of the nation. In fupport of this propofition, the duke obferved, that all military events muft equally contribute to render a termination of the prefent ruinous war defirable. Should brilliant fucceffes annihilate American refistance, we must still be forry to fee Englishmen under the edge of the fword, and governed by military power. Difgrace would only confirm the frequent predictions, that to reduce America by force of arms was impoffible; but alternate failures and indecifive fucceffes would be attended with worse confequences by tempting further trials, and exhaufting the nation ftill more in a conteft which, from the nature of things, could not prosper. The From Boyd's Works, vol. i. p. 305. d 84 to 28. The divifion was 243 to 86. inquiry XXXII. 1777. inquiry would be extenfive; it included every topic, CHA P. and would be open to all. The peculiar, though not exclufive, objects in view were to ftate to the nation the expense of blood and treafure already incurred; to inquire into the conduct of the war, and the measures adopted for reftoring peace. He fixed the fecond of Papers February for the difcuffion, and that fufficient informa- granted tion might be obtained, moved for a number of papers relative to the army, navy, and colonies, to which the duke of Grafton added one for an account of the national debt during the feven preceding years. Moft of these motions were granted without oppofition, and the duke of Richmond returned thanks for the ready compliance, declaring his eagerness to allow merit not exceeded by his determination to exprefs cenfure when information was withheld. committee appointed of commons ON the fame day, Mr. Fox introduced a fimilar Similar propofition pointing to the fame objects. Many collateral inquiries, he faid, would arise, and if it should by the house appear that the nation was in a bad ftate, and the late and prefent measures of administration had reduced it to the extremity of which he was apprehenfive, a new fyftem must be adopted, and new minifters appointed; but, if the contrary, the present system should be continued, and the prefent minifters remain in power; for none, he was affured, but the prefent minifters, could profecute the present system. THE motion for a committee was carried without a divifion: but lord North oppofed a fubfequent demand for papers, alleging the impropriety of making difcoveries prejudicial to the true interefts of the country. MR. BURKE Complimented the minister's candour and generosity in agreeing to the first motion; but compared his fubfequent conduct to that of a man who executes a bond, but inferts a defeazance with a power of revocation, retracting every grant he had made. This conduct reminded him of the fituation of Sancho Panza in the government of Barataria; a table plentifully provided, was placed before him, but on various СНАР. . various pretences every dish was removed, and the unfortunate governor obliged to difpenfe with his dinner. MR. DUNNING contended in favour of the demand ; and the attorney-general was anfwering his arguments, when intelligence was circulated in a whisper, that the very papers in queftion were granted on the motion of the duke of Richmond. Mr. Thurlow, was for a moment disconcerted, but declared, whatever might be the conduct of ministers, he, as a member of parliament, never would give his vote for making public the circumstances of a negotiation during its progrefs. LORD NORTH, fomewhat irritated at a triumphant laugh which prevailed among the members of opposition, faid, "Whatever effect the anecdote might have on the house, he fhould adhere to his former opinion. It was disorderly to mention the decisions of the lords in order to influence the determination of the commons; who, as an independent body, fhould not change their fentiments on a mere unauthenticated report." COLONEL BARRE' bantered the minifter on the unufual circumstance of losing his temper; and Mr. Fox faid, the only argument against complying with his motion was invalidated by the refolution of the upper houfe: the difclofure of a fecret negotiation was no longer to be dreaded, for no fecret could now be kept. He would not recede from the literal extent of his motion f. f In the course of this fpeech, Mr. Fox, with confiderable pleafantry, compared lord George Germaine to Dr. Sangrado. "For two years that a certain noble lord, has prefided over American affairs," he said, "the most vio'eut scalping tomahawk measures have been purfued: bleeding has been his only prefeription. If a people deprived of their ancient rights are grown tumultuous-bleed them! If they are attacked with a fpirit of infurrection-bleed them! If their fever fhould rife into rebellion-bleed them! cries this ftate phyfician: more blood! more blood! ftill more blood! When Dr. Sangrado had perfevered in a fimilar practice of bleeding his patients, killing by the very means he used for a cure, his man took the liberty to remonftrate on the neceffity of relaxing in a practice to which thousands of their patients had fallen facrifices, and which was beginning to bring their names into difrepute. The doctor answered, I believe we have indeed carried the matter a little too far, but you must know I have written a book on the efficacy of this practice, therefore, though every patient we have fhould die by it, we must eontinue the bleeding for the credit of my book," THE 1777. THE debate affumed a new complexion from a CHA P. judicious fpeech by governor Pownall. He thought XXXII. the papers, from the commiffion down to the lowest draft, unworthy of attention, fo far as refpected the fubject of peace. Even the act of parliament was of no import to that point; for it did not empower government to treat with the Americans but as fubjects. Inquiries had been made whether lord Howe had power to treat; or did the Americans refufe? Lord Howe could have no powers to negotiate on the only ground which they infifted on taking, and which they refolutely maintained not only then but five months afterward. When general Howe had finished his campaign of 1776, the congrefs inftructed their commiflioners at the feveral courts in Europe to give affurances, that notwithstanding "the artful and infidious endeavours of the British court, to reprefent the inhabitants of the United States as having a difpofition again to fubmit to the fovereignty of England, it was their determination, at all events, to maintain their independence." Declaring himfelf as much uninfluenced by party connexions, as he had been nine years ago, when he predicted the precife progrefs of American refiftance, he said, "I now tell this house and government, that the Americans never will return to their fubjection. Sovereignty is abolished and gone for ever; and the navigation act annihilated. Of what use then are thefe papers? Of what import our debates? Difputation and abufe may afford amusement; but neither America nor England can be benefited by fuch difcuffions in this prefling crisis. Until the houfe fhall be difpofed to treat with the United States as independent, fovereign people, schemes or plans of conciliation, whoever may fuggest them, will be found unimportant." THE papers were refufed. Papers refufed £ 179 to 89. EARLY С НА Р. 1777. 26th Nov. Eftimates. 3d Dec. Debate in EARLY attention was paid to the estimates: the number of feamen was fixed at fixty thousand, and the troops to be employed in America at fifty-five thoufand. These votes were not paffed without fevere animadverfions on the mode of conducting every branch of the fervice. DURING one of these debates, colonel Barré interthe boufe of rogated the American fecretary of ftate, what, upon commons on his honour, was become of general Burgoyne and his brave troops; and whether he had not received, by expreffes from Quebec, information of his having furrendered, with his whole army? the lofs of Burgoyne's army. LORD GEORGE GERMAINE profeffed his defire to give the most early and authentic intelligence of any tranfaction within his knowledge; and though the recital must give him pain, he avowed the receipt of expreffes from Quebec, with the unhappy intelligence; it was, however, unauthenticated, and he could not declare it officially. He hoped the house would fufpend their judgment both on the conduct of the general and the minifter. He was ready to fubmit his conduct in planning the expedition to investigation: if it appeared impotent, weak, and injurious, let the cenfure fall on him. COLONEL BARRE' thundered forth an invective against the cool and eafy manner in which the fecretary of ftate related the fate of the brave Burgoyne, and his affurance in infinuating, that a portion of cenfure might be imputed to the general. The man who planned the inconfiftent, impracticable expedition, was alone to blame; it was unworthy of a British minister, and rather too abfurd for an Indian chief. This precedent was followed by Mr. James Luttrell, Mr. Burke, Mr. T. Townshend, and Mr. Fox. THE folicitor-general reconciled the country gentlemen to the difafter, by appealing to British magnanimity in diftrefs; the certain harbinger of victory. Misfortunes |