On the third of May, on the motion of Wilkes, seconded by Byng, the celebrated vote of the seventeenth of February 1769, relative to the Middlesex election, was rescinded and expunged from the journals, as well as all the other motions relative to the incapacity of Wilkes to take his seat in that parliament. would support no longer than they deserved it. I by the superior force of the enemy. Upon the Eut as they came into office upon the most honour- approach of some ships to the assistance of the van, able and laudable of all principles, the approbation the French admiral perceived he had failed in his of their sovereign, and the esteem and confidence design of crushing the first division of the British; of the nation, it filled his breast with indignation be therefore withdrew his fleet from the action, when he beheld their measures day after day and, having the command of the wind, completely thwarted and opposed, by men who resembled evaded all the efforts of the British commanders more a set of Cornish attorneys than members of for its renewal. Two of the French ships were so that right honourable house." much disabled as to be under the necessity of putting into Guadaloupe to refit. The damages the English received were not so great, but that they were reparable at sea. On the eleventh the French were so far to the windward as to weather Guadaloupe; and had gained such a distance, that the body of their fleet could only be perceived from the masts of the English centre. About noon, however, two of the disabled ships were observed to fall considerably to leeward. The British admiral made signals for a general chase; and the pursuit soon became so vigorous that these ships must have been inevitably cut off before the evensistance. The scene of action is described as a moderately large bason of water, lying between the islands of Guadaloupe, Dominique, the Saints, and Marigalante. The hostile fleets met upon opposite tacks; and the line of battle being formed early in the morning of the twelfth, the battle commenced about seven, and continued with unremitting fury till about the same hour in the evening. The ships were so near each other that every shot told; and those of the French being full of men, a dreadful carnage ensued. The Formidable, Sir George Rodney's ship, fired no less than eighty broadsides, and every other ship in proportion; and the gallantry of the French was in no instance inferior to that of their opponents. On the twenty-second of April, the lord advocate of Scotland moved a long series of resolutions relative to the affairs of the East India company, which were passed by the house; and on the twenty-ninth a bill for inflicting pains and penalties on Sir Thomas Rumbold, for high crimes and misdemeaning, had not M. de Grasse borne down to their asours committed during his administration in the Carnatic; and another for restraining Sir Thomas Rumbold, and Peter Perring, Esq. from going out of the kingdom; were introduced under the same authority. A vote of censure was soon afterwards passed on the conduct of Warren Hastings, Esq. governor-general in Bengal, and William Hornsby, Esq. president of the council in Bombay; and a declaration, that it was the duty of the court of directors to take the necessary legal steps for their recal. Several resolutions were also passed censuring the conduct of Laurence Sullivan, Esq. chairman of the court of directors, for neglecting to transmit the act for the regulation of the company's service in India. An address to the king was also agreed to by the house, pressing for the recal of Sir Elijah Impey. MINORCA TAKEN-FRENCH FLEET On the seventh of May Pitt made a motion "that a committee should be appointed to inquire into the state of the representation, and to report to the house their opinion thereon." Though ably supported by several members, the motion was rejected by one hundred and sixty-one against one hundred and forty-one. While this patriotic ministry were reforming abuses at home, our fleets and armies were reaping laurels abroad. In the beginning of the year, however, Great Britain experienced some adverse fortune-the island of Minorca was taken by the Spaniards, on the fifth of February, after a close siege of upwards of six months. On the first of January the marquis de Bouille landed on the island of St. Christopher with eight thousand men, and was supported by the count de Grasse, with thirty-two ships of the line. After a pressing siege of four weeks, the fortress on Brimstone-hill, to which the British forces had retired upon the approach of the enemy, was compelled to surrender, though Sir Samuel Hood had made a bold effort to relieve the island with his fleet. Nevis and Montserrat followed the fortune of St. Christopher's; but the naval career of the French and Spaniards was fortunately interrupted in the beginning of February, by the arrival of Sir George Rodney, with twelve ships of the line at Barbadoes, which were augmented by the beginning of March to a fleet of thirty-six sail of the line; that of the French consisting only of thirtyfour. On the eighth of April, the count de Grasse weighed anchor from Fort Royal, with a large convoy under his protection, and intended to proceed to Hispaniola, where he expected to meet the Spanish fleet. But the British admiral, by means of good intelligence, was enabled to follow them by noon of the same day, from Gros-islet bay, in St. Lucia, and came within sight of the enemy off Dominique that night. Both fleets prepared for action by day-break on the succeeding day. The English, however, lay becalmed under the high lands of Dominique, till near nine o'clock, when the breeze at length reached the fleet, and carried the van directly into the centre of the enemy, while the centre and the rear of the English were still becalmed. The French admiral could not resist the temptation of falling upon one third of the force of his adversaries, with his whole fleet. The combat commenced with the van of the English, which was greatly pressed for more than an hour About noon the British admiral, with his seconds the Duke and the Namur, broke through the enemy's line; and immediately throwing out the signals for the van to tack, the British got to windward, and completed the general confusion of the French squadron. In this state the contest continued with unabated violence till the close of the day, when the admiral's ship, the Ville de Paris, struck to Sir Samuel Hood in the Barfleur. Four other ships of the line were taken; one was sunk, and another blew up in the action. Sir Samuel Hood pursued the flying squadron, and on the nineteenth overtook and captured two of them in the Mona Passage, the Jason and the Caton, with two frigates. Sir George Rodney immediately proceeded with the ships and prizes for Jamaica, and on his return to England, was honoured with an English, and Sir Samuel Hood with an Irish peerage. On the This victorious fleet, however, suffered afterwards from the inclemency of the elements. twenty-sixth of July, admiral Graves sailed from Jamaica, with seven ships of the line, including the Ville de Paris and some other of the prizes, the Pallas frigate, and about one hundred sail ol merchantmen. The admiral had not been long at sea, before the Hector of seventy four guns, one of the prizes, from her bad condition, lost company with the fleet, and was never able afterwards to recover it. On the eighth of September, the Caton of sixty-four guns, another of the French vessels, sprung a leak in a hard gale of wind, and e admiral ordered both her and the Pallas to Hallifax to refit. This was only a prelude to their future misfortunes; for on the tenth the fleet and convoy, which still amounted to nearly ninety, encountered, on the banks of Newfoundland, one of the most dreadful storms which was ever known in that quarter. The hurricane increased during the night, and was accompanied with a dreadful delug of rain. At ten o'clock in the morning, the Ramillies, the admiral's ship, had five feet of water in her hold, and she was obliged to part with several of her guns and other heavy articles, to enable her to keep afloat. The water increasing, the admiral removed the people on board some of the merchantmen. About four o'clock the water in her hold was increased to fifteen feet, and at the same period she was so completely set on fire, that captain Moriarty and the people had quitted her but a few minutes when she blew up. The fate of the Centaur was still more dreadful. After losing her masts and rudder, she was by the unwearied exertions of the crew kept afloat till the twenty-third; but the struggle was then at an end. The ship rapidly filling with water, while the aspect of the sea indicated that neither boat nor raft could live for any length of time, the majority of the crew had given themselves up for lost, and remained below. In this extremity captain Inglefield came upon deck, and observed that a few of the people had forced their way into the pinnace, and others were preparing to follow; upon this he threw himself into the boat, but found much difficulty in getting clear of the ship's side, from the violence of the crowd that was passing to follow his example. Of all these Mr. Baylis only, a youth of seventeen, who threw himself into the waves and swam after the boat, had the good fortune to be taken in. The number of the persons who were thus committed to the mercy of the waves, amounted to twelve; their whole stock of provisions consisted of a bag of bread, a small ham, a single piece of pork, a few French cordials, and one quart bottle of water. A minute detail of their sufferings would exceed our bounds; suffice it to say, that they were sixteen days exposed in this forlorn state; when at length their provision and water being totally exhausted they were happy enough to gain the port of Fayal. The rest of the crew, it is presumed, perished with the vessel. For an account of the fate of the Ville de Paris, and the Glorieux, the public are indebted to a singular accident. A Danish merchant-ship returning from the West Indies, found a man floating upon a piece of a wreck, who appears to have been insensible when taken on board. When restored to his senses, he reported that his name was Wilson; that he had been a seaman on board the Ville de Paris; and added, that when she was going to pieces, he clung to a part of the wreck, and remained in a state of insensibility during most of the time that he continued in the water; he perfectly recollected that the Glorieux had foundered, and that he saw her go down on the day preceding that on which the Ville de Paris perished. The crew of the Hector, after suffering great hardships, were saved by the good fortune of meeting with a merchant ship called the Hawke, com. manded by Thomas Hill, of Dartmouth, who humanely received them on board his own vessel, and conveyed them to Newfoundland. The Hector had previously had a desperate engagement with two of the enemy's frigates, who left her in that miserable condition in which the merchant-ship found her. Thus of seven ships of the line, which composed the Jamaica squadron, only two, the Canada and the Caton, escaped. The victory of Rodney was in some measure damped by the taking of the Bahama Islands by the Spaniards on the eighth of May, which were found in a defenceless state by the enemy. This loss was however again nearly compensated by the capture of Acra, and four other Dutch forts on the coast of Africa, by Captain Shirley in the Leander. On the fifth of January, also, Sir Edward Hughes reduced the town of Trincomale belonging to the Dutch, in the island of Ceylon. TOTAL DEFEAT OF THE SPANIARDS AT GIBRALTAR. IN Europe the conclusion of the campaign was not less glorious for Great Britain, than it had been in the West Indies. The reduction of Minorca inspired the Spanish nation with fresh motives to perseverance. The duke de Crillon, who had been recently successful in the siege of Minorca, was appointed to conduct the siege of Gibraltar, and it was resolved to employ the whole strength of the Spanish monarchy in seconding his operations. No means were neglected, nor expense spared, that promised to forward the views of the besiegers. From the failure of all plans hitherto adopted for effecting the reduction of Gibraltar, it was resolved to adopt new ones. Among the various projects for this purpose, one which had been formed by the chevalier d'Arcon was deemed the most worthy of trial. This was to construct such floating batteries as could neither be sunk nor fired. With this view, their bottoms were made of the thickest timber, and their sides of wood and cork long soaked in water, with a large layer of wet sand between. To prevent the effects of red hot balls, a number of pipes were contrived to carry water through every part of them, and pumps were provided to keep these constantly supplied with water. The people on board were to be sheltered from the fall of bombs by a cover of rope netting, which was made sloping, and overlaid with wet hides. These floating batteries, ten in number, were made out of the hulls of large vessels, cut down for the purpose, and carried from twenty-eight to ten guns each, and were seconded by eighty large boats mounted with guns of heavy metal, and also by a multitude of frigates, ships of force, and some hundreds of small craft. The General Elliott, the intrepid defender of Gibraltar, was not ignorant that inventions of a peculiar kind were prepared against him, but knew nothing of their construction. He nevertheless provided for every circumstance of danger that could be foreseen or imagined. The thirteenth day of September was fixed upon by the besiegers for making a grand attack, when the new-invented machines, with all the united powers of gunpowder and artillery in their highest state of improvement, were to be called into action. The combined fleets of France and Spain in the bay of Gibraltar amounted to forty-eight sail of the line. Their batteries were covered with one hundred and fifty-four pieces of heavy brass cannon. The numbers employed by land and sea against the fortress were estimated at one hundred thousand men. With this force, and by the fire of three hundred cannon, mortars, and howitzers, from the adjacent isthmus, it was in tended to attack every part of the British works at one and the same instant. The surrounding hills were covered with people assembled to behold the spectacle. The cannonade and bombardment were tremendous. The showers of shot and shells from the land batteries and the ships of the besiegers, and from the various works of the garrison, exhibited a most dreadful scene. Four hundred pieces of the heaviest artillery were playing at the same moment. The whole peninsula seemed to be overwhelmed in the torrents of fire which were incessantly poured upon it. The Spanish floating batteries for some time answered the expectations of their framers. The heaviest shells often rebounded from their tops, while thirty-two pound shot made no visible impression upon their hulls. For some hours the attack and defence were so equally supported, as scarcely to admit of any appearance of superiority on either side. construction of the battering ships were so well calculated for withstanding the combined force of fire and artillery, that they seemed for some time to bid defiance to the powers of the heaviest ordnance. In the afternoon the effects of hot shot became visible. At first there was only an appearance of smoke, but in the course of the night, after the fire of the garrison had continued about fifteen hours, two of the floating batteries were in flames, and several more were visibly beginning to kindle. The endeavours of the besiegers were now exclusively directed to bring off the men from the burning vessels; but in this they were interrupted. Captain Curtis, who lay ready with twelve gun-boats, advanced and fired upon them with such order and expedition, as to throw them into confusion before they had finished their business. They fled with their boats, and abandoned to their fate great numbers of their people. The opening of day-light disclosed a most dreadful spectacle. Many were seen in the midst of the flames crying out for help, while others were floating upon pieces of timber, exposed to equal danger from the opposite element. The generous humanity of the victors equalled their valour, and was the more honourable, as the exertions of it exposed them to no less danger than those of active hostility. In endeav ouring to save the lives of his enemies, captain Curtis nearly lost his own. While for the most benevolent purpose he was along-side of the floating batteries, one of them blew up, and some heavy pieces of timber fell into his boat, and pierced through its bottom. By similar perilous exertions, near four hundred men were saved from inevitable destruction. The exercise of humanity to an enemy under such circumstances of immediate action and impending danger, conferred more true honour than could be acquired by the most splendid series of victories. It in some degree obscurred the impression made to the disadvantage of human nature, by the madness of mankind in destroying each other by wasteful wars. The floating batteries GEORGE III. were all consumed. The violence of their explosion was such, as to burst open doors and windows at a great distance. Soon after the destruction of the floating batteries, lord Howe, with thirty-five ships of the line, brought to the brave garrison an ample supply of every thing wanted, either for their support or their defence. This complete relief of Gibraltar was the third decisive event in the course of a twelvemonth, which favoured the reestablishment of a general peace. NEW ADMINISTRATION. 1760-1820.1111 185 nation of the duke of Portland to the first office in jesty with this resolve. It is said that Fox arrived the treasury, and that Fox should wait on his maat the royal closet only in time to learn that the hands of lord Shelburne. It is added, that Fox then treasurer's staff had just been committed to the requested leave to name the new secretary of state; aud, on being informed that the office was already disposed of, he requested permission to resign, and was followed by lord John Cavendish, the duke of Portland, Burke, Sheridan, Montague, lord Al THE prosperity of nations often depends upon thorpe, lord Duncannon, J. Townshend, and Lee. unforseen contingencies. We have seen the govern- but it was feeble: it wanted both parliamentary The Shelburne administration was respectable, ment in the year 1782, wrested out of the unskilful interest and parliamentary ability. Lord Granthands which had conducted it almost to the verge ham, a nobleman more distinguished by his amiable of destruction; and the whole ability, the patriot- character than by the extent of his abilities, suc ism, the landed interest of the nation, at once united in support of an administration formed on lor of the exchequer, and earl Temple succeedceeded to the office of Fox; Pitt was made chancelthe most popular basis. But this pleasing prospected the duke of Portland as lord lieutenant of Irewas clouded by the lamented death of the marquis land. of Rockingham on the first of July. He was the centre of union which kept the jarring particles of the whig interest united. A few days after the death of the marquis, a meeting of the Rockingham party was convened by Fox, the avowed object of which was, to defeat the appointment of lord Shelburne to the situation of prime minister. At this meeting it was agreed to support the nomi the house of lords, "that whenever the parliament Though lord Shelburne had formerly declared in of Great Britain should acknowledge the independence of America, the sun of England's glory was set for ever;" he took occasion to observe, in the same house, when he came into administration, that he now considered it as a necessary evil to which the country must inevitably submit. Bb CHAPTER XIX. Motives for a general Peace-Preliminaries Signed with America-With France, Spain, &c.—Meeting of Parliament-Debates on the Peace-Resolutions carried against Ministry-Lord Shelburne reigns-Coalition Ministry-Bill preventing appeals from Ireland-India Affairs-Pitt's Motion on the Subject of a Parliamentary Reform-The Quakers petition the House of Commons against the Slave Trade-Fox introduces his India Bill-A second Bill for the internal Government of the British Dominions in India-The Bill lost in the House of Peers-Contest between_the_Crown and Commons-The Conduct of the High Bailiff of Westminster in refusing to return Fox brought before the House of Commons-Pitt's India Bill The Commutation Tax-Bill for the Restoration of the Estates forfeited in Scotland in 1715 and 1745, passed. MOTIVES FOR A GENERAL PEACE. THE events which disposed the hostile nations to pacific measures have been amply detailed in the two preceding chapters. The capture of the British army in Virginia, the defeat of count de Grasse, and the destruction of the Spanish floating batteries, inculcated on Great Britain, France, and Spain, the policy of sheathing the sword, and stopping the effusion of human blood. Each nation found on a review of past events, that though their losses were great, their gains were little or nothing. By urging the American war, Great Britain had increased her national debt upwards of one hundred millions of pounds sterling, and wasted the lives of at least fifty thousand of her subjects. To add to her mortification, she had brought all this on herself, by pursuing an object, the attainment of which seemed to be daily less probable, and the benefits of which, even though it could have been attained, were very problematical. The empress of Russia, and the emperor of Germany, were the mediators in accomplishing the great work of peace. Such was the state of the contending parties, that the intercession of powerful mediators was no longer necessary. The disposition of Great Britain to recognize the independence of the United States had removed the principal difficulty which had hitherto obstructed a general pacification. The avowed object of the alliance between France and America, and the steady adherence of both parties not to enter into negotiations without the concurrence of each other, reduced Great Britain to the alternative of continuing a hopeless unproductive war, or of negotiating under the idea of recognizing American independence. Seven years experience had proved to the nation that the conquest of the American states was impracticable; they now received equal conviction, that the recognition of their independence was an indispensable preliminary to the termination of a war, from the continuance of which, neither profit or honour was to be acquired. At the close of the war, a revolution was effected in the sentiments of the inhabitants of Great Britain, not less remarkable than what in the beginning of it took place among the citizens of America. In the course of the summer of 1782, Fitzherbert, the minister at Brussels, was appointed plenipotentiary on the part of Great Britain, to conclude the treaty with the ministers of France, Spain, and Holland; and Mr. Oswald, a merchant, who had been long conversant in American affairs, was nominated as commissioner from his Britannic majesty to treat with John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and Henry Laurens, the commissiouers from America. PRELIMINARIES OF PEACE WITH AMERI CA-FRANCE, SPAIN, &c. On the thirtieth of November 1782, provisional articles were signed by the British and American commissioners, which were to be inserted in the general treaty of peace, whenever it should be concluded between the European powers. By these articles the independence of America was acknowledged in the fullest extent; very ample boundaries were assigned to the States, comprehending the extensive countries on both sides the Ohio, and on the east of the Mississippi, and the full right of fishing on the banks of Newfoundland. The preliminary articles between Great Britain and France were signed at Versailles by Fitzherbert and the count de Vergennes, on the twentyeighth of January 1783, and those with Spain on the same day. By the former of these treaties the fishery on the coast of Newfoundland was permitted to the French, from Cape St. John, on the eastern side, round the north of the island, to Cape Ray on the west. The islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon were ceded to France. In the West Indies Great Britain ceded also the island of Tobago, and restored that of St. Lucia. In Africa the river Senegal, and all its dependencies and forts were ceded, and the island of Goree restored to the French. In the East Indies England restored all her conquests. The articles also relative to the port and harbour of Dunkirk, established at the peace of Utrecht, were by the new treaty annulled. In return for these concessions, France restored to Great Britain the islands of Grenada, the Grena dines, St. Vincent, Dominica, St. Christopher's, Nevis, and Montserrat, in the West Indies; and in Africa the possession of Fort James, and the river Gambia, were guaranteed to Great Britain. By the treaty with Spain, Great Britain relin. quished all right and claim to West Florida, and the island of Minorca, and ceded the province of East Florida: on the other side, the Bahama islands were restored to Great Britain. With respect to the Dutch, a suspension of arms only was agreed to; and it was some months before the preliminaries were settled. [See note B, at the end of this Vol.] By these treaties an end was put to the most unfortunate war, in which Great Britain had hitherto been engaged: From the conflict of parties which distracted the nation, however, these articles of peace were doomed to undergo a severe examination. DEBATES IN PARLIAMENT ON THE PEACE -MINISTRY OUTVOTED-THEY RESIGN. THE parliament met on the twenty-first of January 1783, and a coalition having been previously MIGEORGE III. formed between lord North and the Portland faction, some debates ensued concerning the provisional articles with America; but little business of consequence was transacted till the seventeenth of February, when the preliminary articles were laid before the two houses. An address of thanks and approbation being moved in the house of peers by lord Pembroke, and seconded by the marquis of Carmarthen, a succession of able and eloquent speeches were made by the lords Carlisle, Walsingham, Sackville, Stormont, and Loughborough, reprobating the preliminaries of peace as derogatory from the dignity, and in the highest degree injurious to the interests of the nation. "The dereliction of the loyalists of America, and the Indians our allies, was said to be a baseness unexampled in the records of history. In the lowest ebb of distress we ought not to have subscribed to terms so ignominious. Francis I. when conquered and a captive, wrote, "that all was lost except his honour" and his magnanimity finally re-established his fortune. The folly of our negotiations was every where apparent. In Africa, our trade was surrendered to France by the cession of Senegal and Goree-In Asia, Pondicherry was not only given back, but, to render the boon more acceptable, a large territory was made to accompany it-In America, the prohibitions against fortifying St. Pierre and Miquelon were removed, and the limits of the fishery extended and under pretence of drawing a boundary line, the treaty grants to the United States an inmense tract of country inhabited by more than twenty Indian nations-In the West Indies, St. Lucia was relinquished, which was of such military importance, that so long as we retained this island in our hands, we might well have stood upon the uti possidetis, as the basis of negotiation in that quarter-The cession of East Florida to Spain was an extravagance for which it was impossible to find even the shadow of a pretence-To complete the whole, France was allowed to repair and fortify the harbour of Dunkirk, which, in the event of a future war, might annoy our trade in its centre, and counteract all the advantage of our local situation for foreign commerce: and what is most wonderful, all these sacrifices are made on the professed ground of arranging matters on the principles of reciprocity." 1760-1820. 187 for their services, and warm with the feelings of humanity, would afford them an asylum: and it would doubtless be wiser to indemnify them for their losses, than to ruin the nation by a renewal or prolongation of the calamities of war. The cession of East Florida, his lordship said, was rendered unavoidable, by the mistaken and ruinous policy of those ministers who had brought the nation under the miserable necessity of treating with its enemies on terms very different from those it could formerly have commanded. This province, detached from Western Florida, already conquered by the arms of Spain, was however of trivial value; and the amount of its imports and exports bore no propor tion to the expense of its civil establishment. We had, nevertheless, obtained a compensation in the restitution of the Bahamas. Although the bounds of the French fishery were somewhat extended, by far the most eligible parts of the Newfoundland coast were left in possession of the English, and a source of future contention removed by the exact ascertainment of limits. In exchange for St. Lucia, France had restored six of the seven islands she had taken, and only retained Tobago. Senegal and Goree had been originally French settlements, but their commerce was inconsiderable; and the whole African trade was open to the English, by our settlements on the river Gambia, which were guaranteed to us by this treaty. The restoration of Pondicherry, and our other conquests in the East, must be acknowledged not a measure of expediency so much as of absolute necessity, if the state of the East India company were adverted to. Such had been the formidable confederacy against which they were compelled to contend, such the wretched derangement of their finances, and so exposed to hazard were their vast and precarious possessions, that nothing but peace could recover to them their ascendency in Asia; in such a situation it was impossible to procure terms of accommodation more honourable. The removal of the restraints relative to the harbour of Dunkirk-restraints disgraceful to France, and of trifling advantage to Englandwas inveighed against without candour or reason; Dunkirk, as a port, was, as his lordship asserted, far from possessing the consequence ascribed to it; it lies near a shoaly part of the channel; it cannot receive ships of a large size, and can never be a rendezvous for squadrons; it may indeed be a reThe minister defended himself from these attacks sort for privateers, but these we know by experience with great ability. His lordship declared," that could easily issue from other ports. In fine, the peace was the object for which the nation at large confederacy formed against us was decidedly sithad discovered the most unequivocal desire; the perior to our utmost exertions-our taxes were exorbitant our debts, funded and unfunded, end he had in view was the advantage of his country, and he was certain that he had attained it. amounted to two hundred and forty-seven millions The vast uncultivated tract of land to the south--our commerce was rapidly declining our navy ward of the lakes," his lordship said, " was of infinite consequence to America, and of none to England; and the retention of it, or even of the forts which commanded it, could only have laid the foundation of future hostility. If our liberality to Ireland was the subject of just applause, why act upon principles of illiberality to America? The refusal of the Newfoundland fishery would have been a direct manifestation of hostile intentions; and as it lay on their coasts, it was in reality impossible to exclude them from it by any restrictions; it is an advantage which nature has given them, and to attempt to wrest it from them would not only be unjust, but impracticable. Of one objection his lordship acknowledged that he deeply felt the force. His regret and compassion for the situation of the unhappy loyalists were as pungent as those of their warmest advocates. This objection admitted only of one answer, the answer which he had given to his own bleeding heart It is better that a part should suffer, rather than the whole empire perish.' He would have dashed from him the bitter cup which the adversities of his country held out to him, if peace had not been absolutely necessary-if it had not been called for with a unanimity and vig. our that could not be resisted. No arts of address or negotiation had been neglected; but the American commissioners had no power to concede further. The congress itself had not the power-for, by the constitution of America, every state was supreme, including in itself the legislative and judicial powers; its jurisdiction, therefore, was not liable to control. In the mode of interposition, by recommendation alone, could the congress act. If, after all, the loyalists should not be received into the bosom of their wative conntry, Britain, penetrated with gratitude was overbalanced by the fleets of the combined powers, in the alarming proportion of more than fifty ships of the line. Peace was in those circumstances necessary to our existence as a nation. The best terms of accommodation which our situation would admit had been procured; and his lordship ventured to affirm, that they could be decried or opposed only by ignorance, prejudice, or faction." On a division, the address was carried by a majority of seventytwo to fifty-nine voices. In the house of commons the ministry were less It however met with successful. The address was moved by T. Pitt, and seconded by Wilberforce. a very different fate, after giving occasion to very warm debates. An amendment to the address was proposed by lord John Cavendish, and seconded by St. John. Lord North, in a very long, but (considering his situation) a most unbecoming speech, went over the different articles of the peace, which he reprobated as being altogether unfavourable to Great Britain, dangerous to the safety, and derogatory to the honour of the nation, and not warranted or justified by the situation of the parties at war. He therefore said, he would vote for the amendment, to which he proposed to add a clause in favour of the American loyalists. Powys was strenuous for the address, and deHe disavowed all perclared his satisfaction with the peace in the most unequivocal manner. sonal and interested motives; and while he gloried that the first lord of the treasury had broken thu confederacy in arms against this country, he confessed that he had no great predilection for his character. He thought that this was the age of strange confederacies. The world had seen great |