grievances, upon their making proper application, fhould be redreffed."

Several of the profeffional Members of the House affected to speak with the utmost contempt of the military prowess of the Americans; and one modern Alexander declared *, "that, at the head of five regiments of infantry, he would undertake to traverfe the whole country, and drive the inhabitants from one end of the continent to the other."

An amendment to the addrefs was at length propofed by Mr. Fox, who had been in the courfe of the preceding feffion difmiffed from his feat on the Treafury-bench for a fpirit not fufficiently fubmiffive, with circumftances of peculiar rudeness and indignity. Leaving out all but the preliminary words of the addrefs, he moved to fubstitute after them the following: "But deploring that the information which the papers laid before them had afforded, ferved only to convince the Houfe that the measures taken by his Majefty's fervants tended rather to widen than to heal the unhappy differences between Great Britain and America, and praying an alteration in the fame." Upon a divifion, the amendment was rejected by 304 voices against 105, which was, however, a larger minority that had hitherto appeared on any queftion. Nor was it yet fuffered to pafs quietlyfor, on receiving the report, Lord John Cavendish, * General Grant.

a noble,

a nobleman whose principles were fuch as might be fuppofed affociated with, and were calculated to sustain, the high honors of his name, moved for its re-commitment; on which a fecond debate, not lefs vehement than the former, took place. Minifters were warned that a future and bitter day of retribution would inevitably come, when they muft answer to the JUSTICE of their Country for the mischiefs they had already done, and for the irretrievable ruin into which they were plunging the nation. 66 My head and my heart," said the Noble Mover," join in deprecating the horrors of a Civil War, which will be rendered still more dreadful by its involving in its certain confequences a foreign one with the combined forces of great and powerful nations." On the divifion the minority appeared to have gained fome little. ́ground, the numbers being 288 to 106.

The next day a conference was, at the request of the Commons, held with the Lords, to propofe their Lordships' joining in this addrefs; and the Prefident, Lord Gower, haying made the report, the Earl of Dartmouth moved, that the blank which was left open in the addrefs fhould be filled up by the infertion of the words" the Lords Spiritual and Temporal." A debate equally violent with that in the Houfe of Commons now enfued; a very wide fcope of invective, no less than of argument, was taken by the fpeakers on

both

both fides; and in the heat of controverfial recrimination, affertion, denial, arraignment, and defiance, were, in a mode very unufual in that Houfe, dealt in unfparing and paffionate terms. To the aftonishment of the Houfe, Lord Mansfield, who had ever appeared to harbor an inveterate enmity to America, declared, "that the impofition of the port-duties of 1767 was a measure the most abfurd and pernicious that could be devised, and the cause of all our present and impending evils." On which Lord Shelburne, at that time Secretary of State, Lord Camden, then Lord Chancellor, and the Duke of Grafton, then at the head of the Treasury, and now Lord Privy Seal, feverally declared, that they had no fhare in that meafure, and had never given it their approbation. A general fentiment of amazement and indignation feemed for a moment to pervade the minds of the House, that a measure of fuch unparalleled importance fhould be carried into effect by the force of a fecret and overruling influence, contrary to the advice and judgment of the principal Minifters of the Crown, who were alone refponfible for the meafures of Government. The Marquis of Rockingham, who had petitions from the American and West India Merchants to present to the House, at length moved the previous queftion, in order that the allegations of the merchants might be heard before

any

any decifive ftep was taken; but on the divifion it was negatived by 104 voices to 29; after which the original motion of Lord Dartmouth was put, and agreed to by the House: but on both questions ftrong protefts were entered on the Journals of the Houfe.

On the 10th of February, Lord North moved for a bill to reftrain the trade and commerce of the New-England provinces, and to prohibit them from carrying on the fisheries on the Banks of Newfoundland. This bill excited fresh debates. It was faid," that though a rebellion was declared only in one province, three more were included in the fame punishment; that the Newfoundland fishery was neceffàry to the subfiftence of the people of New-England; and that, by the operations of this cruel act, half a million of people, including friends and foes, innocent and guilty, were condemned to perifh by famine for the fuppofed offences of an inconfiderable number *. The Minifters contented themselves with alleging the political neceffity of this measure, and it was carried through both Houfes by the ufual majorities. While this bill was pending, the friends of the Minifter, no lefs than the Parliament, and

*This notable project for ftarving the Americans into fubmiffion, was planned by the Solicitor General, who, in confequence, acquired the ludicrous characteristic appellation of "Starvation Wedderburne."

the

the Nation at large, were thrown into fudden af tonishment by his Lordfhip's announcing to the House A CONCILIATORY PROPOSITION. This famous motion, which was introduced by a long and elaborate fpeech, the Minifter affirmed to be founded on that paffage of the late addrefs, which declared, that whenever any of the Colonies fhall make a proper application to Parliament, we shall be ready to afford them every juft and reasonable indulgence. The propofition itself, which wears an ambiguous and enigmatical appearance, was precifely as follows:-" That when the Governor, Council, and Affembly, or General Court of his Majesty's Provinces, or Colonies, fhall propose to make provifion according to their respective conditions, circumftances, and fituations, for contributing their proportion to the common defence, fuch proportion to be raised under the authority of the General Court, or General Affembly of fuch Province, or Colony, and difpófable by Parliament ; and shall engage to make provision alfo for the support of the civil government, and the adminiftration of juftice in fuch Province, or Colony; it will be proper, if fuch propofal fhould be abproved of by his Majefty in Parliament, and for fo long as fuch provision shall be made accordingly, to forbear, in respect of fuch Province or Colony, to levy any duties, tax, or affeffment, or to propose any further duty, tax, or affeffiment, except only

fuch