entirely different, not only not threatened by any preffing danger, but poffeffing refources to make a ftand againft the utmost power of the enemy, perhaps, even to weary out their efforts, and exhauft their means of hoftility. But it would feem as if the intention were to confound the facred and auguft perfonage who fills the throne of this country with the Elector of Hanover. If fuch really be the intention, let me obferve, that the rules and forms of this Houfe require that no notice fhall be taken of that illuftrious perfonage except through his Minifters, and the fame thing ought to prevail with refpect to foreign Princes; becaufe the Elector of Hanover went to war on grounds, in which this country had no concern, would that be deemed any reafon why we ought to imitate the example? All fuch reafoning muft be partial and fallacious; and were it to be brought forward on another occafion, the gentlemen on the other fide would be the first to remonftrate against it. I again repeat, that we ought not to choose the moments of the expiring government of France, in order to make fuch a declaration as is now propofed. If the new conftitution be accepted, there can be then no objection to treat, if the terms fhall be fuch as are confiftent with the honour and interefts of this country. It is urged that the French last year, fhewed a difpofition for peace. That they did fhew a difpofition for peace with other countries, is certain, but it was only to profecute their views of enmity against England with more vigour and effect. nished, but their fury had not fubfided. a very different temper; every word and breathes only peace, and a general peace. peace alone can restore to them the wreck and remnant of their power. The only way to judge of a government is to judge of it fully and fairly in all its bearings: how far the nature of that government may affect the internal circumftances of that country muft be left to the decifion of experience; but it can at one glance be perceived, whether a government avows the doctrine of hoftility to all others, or whether it is of the nature of a military democracythe moft reftlefs in itfelf, and the most dangerous to its neighbours; its character in these refpects, may be judged of from the materials of which it is compofed, and the temper with which it is embraced. If it is reforted to by a people tired with a repetition of fufferings, and ftrongly impreffed with the neceffity of peace, even though it is destined to undergo a long fucceffion of changes, it will afford more fecurity for negociation, because it is accompanied with a greater fenfe of weakness, and a more ardent with of repose. The right honourable gentleman went into a declamation on the subject VOL. XLIII.

H

Their means were dimi

This year they discover every groan they utter, They are fenfible that

of wars against opinions, he compared them to the fyftem adopted by inquifiticas. If he meant wars against opinions, resting in the confcience of the individual, and producing no effects on fociety, he might have fpared himfelf the labour, fuch wars have not for many years found any advocate in this Houfe; but what will he fay, if the opinions against which we contend are those of the inquifition-those of men seeking to establish what they deem the only lawful government by fire and fword?-Will he not admit that we have armed juftly, to refift the proccedings of fuch an inquifition, and that, by exhaufting their force, and fubduing the malignity of their opinions, we have rendered to fociety an effential service? There are many other points to which I ought to advert, were the hour not fo late, or my ftrength lefs exhausted. I contend, that we have already gone as far in explaining ths terms on which we are ready to negociate, as it is poffible for us to go, confiftent with found policy or national honour. There is another question, of which the practical decision may be difficult, but too interesting to be omitted, the high price of grain. I agree with the right honourable gentleman, that there is no point more difficult to be rendered a fubject of legislative regulation, and, at the fame time, none which ought to be more fpecdily inveftigated. It has been faid, that Minifters made light of this calamity, when it was last year prefented to their notice.

One circumftance it was impoffible for them to foresee, that in confequence of the feafon, the harvest would be delayed a month later than might have been expected. The right honourable gentleman fpeaks of this as a fevere charge against Ministers. Does he fuppofe that we could have remedied the evil, by prematurely withdrawing from the war? When gentlemen talk of the quantity of grain confumed by military operations, I wish they would first ascertain what quantity really was confumed, what number of troops, who would otherwise have been fed at home, were maintained by foreign grain; and what were the fupplies derived from the veffels that were detained-thefe are points on which they ought to be well fatisfied, if they have any regard for the tranquillity of the country, and for that good understanding, which ought to prevail between the rich and the poor; and if they are not actuated by the fentiments a-kin to those which have been fo clamoroufly avowed without doors, and which ought never to be heard within these walls.. I suppose one honourable gentleman, (Mr. Sheridan) forgot he was in this Houfe, when alluding to the effect which had been mentioned by an honourable friend of mine, as likely to refult in France, from the diftrefs of the country; he faid, that our prof

pect was, indeed, improved, if the diftrefs of this country would tend to produce a better Government. I leave him in poffeffion of that moderate, wife, and humane fentiment. I am confident that it is the first wish, as it is the most indifpenfable duty of His Majefty's Minifters, to ufe every means in their power for reducing the high price of grain, and for rendering the fituation of the poor more comfortable. Under this impreffion I shall conclude with recommending to the Houfe to take the fubject under their ferious and immediate confideration, in order to get an accurate knowledge of the state of the country, and fee if any meafures can poffibly be adopted to relieve the heavy preffure under which His Majesty's subjects at prefent labour, and to prevent the renewal of fimilar embarraffments in future.

Mr. FOX, in explanation, asked whether it were poffible that any perfon in that Houfe, except the right honourable gentleman, could fo far mistake or mifconftrue his fentiments, as to fuppofe that he could with an infurrection in this country? He believed not. He adverted to the quotation from the Speech, which he had been charged with ftating inaccurately, whether the words were," that affairs have led to a crifis," or were verging to a crifis, appeared ❤ nearly paramount. As to the capability of the French to maintain peace and amity, he had borrowed his expreffion from the Journal's of that Houfe, where it feemed a government was always deemed admiffible for treaty or negociation, when it had been found to have maintained peace and amity with foreign nations. All this applied to the Elector of Hanover; for, if it was a general propofition, it related as much to him as to the King of Great Britain. As to what he had observed; that the depreciation of affignats was an old ftory, he meant that no fair argument could be deduced from that circumftance, the abfolute destruction of the French affairs, contrary not only to experience in America, but even as far as it goes, to what has hitherto been found to be the cafe in France; inalmuch as the French armies have never yet relaxed their exertions, notwithstanding the amazing depreciation of the paper currency. Neither had the emigrants in Quiberon Bay, nor the Auftrians in Germany, been able to fucceed against them; nor would they have been much happier even though they had been told that Mr. Pitt, the Chancellor of the Exchequer in England, declared the French had no army, because they had no money to fupport it. As the right honourable gentleman had not faid much upon the amendment, he hoped it was unexceptionable in its ftructure.

Mr. SHERIDAN explained, that the right honourable gentleman, by quibbling on the word Government, in a comment on

one of his paffages, had implied that he was defirous to adopt a new Conftitution. He knew not upon what principle it was that the right honourable gentleman imagined the existence of his administration, and the existence of the Conftitution, to be the fame thing. Mr. Sheridan entertained fuch oppofite ideas, that he looked upon the total annihilation of the right honourable gentleman's authority to be the happiest thing that could poffibly happen to the Conftitution of this country.

A meffage was received from the Lords, by Mr. Holford and Mr. Smith, that the Lords do defire a prefent conference with this Houfe, in the Painted Chamber.

And then the meffengers withdrew.

Mr. SPEAKER informed the Houfe, that this meffage was informal aud irregular, as it had always been the ufual practice of either Houfe of Parliament, when it requested a conference with the other Houfe, to ftate upon what fubject the conference was requested. Mr, Chancellor PITT moved, that their Lordships be defired to communicate the fame.

Mr. FOX thought it very extraordinary, when forms were fo tenacioufly adhered to in fo many inftances, that they should be neglected in this, and wished particularly, that at fuch a time, and in fuch circumstances, fome mcafure would be adopted to fhew their conftituents, that their reprefentatives had neither loft their dignity nor independence.

Mr. SPEAKER acquainted the Houfe, that many inftances occurred upon the journals of fimilar incidents, one of which happened in the fefiion of 1641, when upon the remonftrance of the Commons, the Peers ftated in their fecond meffage, that a present conference was requested, and this was judged admifible. The other happened on the 22d of March, 1678, when the remonstrance of the Commons was couched in ftronger language.

The Houfe was moved, "That the entries in the Journal of the Houfe, of the 22d day of March, 1678, of the meflage from the Lords, defiring a prefent conference with this Houfe, in the Painted Chamber; together with the proceedings of the House thereupon, might be read."

And the fame being read accardingly;

Refolved, That a meffage be fent to the Lords, to acquaint them, that, the Houfe having received a message from their Lordfhips, whereby they defired a prefent conference with this House, in the Painted Chamber, it is not agreeable to the ufage and proceedings of Parliament, for either House to send for a conference, without expreffing the fubject-matter of that conference.

And the meffengers were again called in; and Mr. Speaker acquainted them therewith.

And then the meffengers again withdrew.

Mr. WILERFORCE faid, that he entirely agreed with his right honourable friend Mr. Pitt, in his ideas refpecting peace; in the prefent inftance he gave his cordial fupport to the addrefs, and fhould en fome future cccafion ftate his reafons.

The House then divided, and the numbers were:

- For the addrefs, 140; For the amendment, 59. Majority, 81. On our return into the gallery, we found Mr. Fox juftifying his former expreffions refpecting the French revolution, and which, in the course of the debate, had been imputed to him as applicable to a reform in the Conftitution of this country. He faid, that he had afferted, at the time of the French revolution, that the fubverfion the monarchy in the Bourbon family of France, was an event favourable to the liberty of Europe, and that the fall of that family would be looked on by pofterity with admiration, because with it fell the reign of defpotism.

But at no one time had he given an unqualified opinion of the governments which fucceeded that event, much lefs would he ftand pledged to give the leaft countenance to the scenes of blood and cruelty which had been the almoft infeparable attendants on the varied and fucceffive governments that followed one another He formed his opinion of Government by the teft of practice, and not by theory and on paper. He difclaimed experiments and innovations, and he did not know on what principle innovation could be imputed to him. He had, it is true, fupported the projects of a right honourable gentleman, (Mr. Pitt) as to a reform in Parliament, because he believed thofe projects to be good; and if the insinuations went to this point, he readily acknowledged them to be juft. On no other account could fuch infinuations be juftified; and if they went to any other object of his opinions or practice, he did not comprehend them. He loved the Conftitution of this country, becaufe in practice he found it to be good, and this, with hin, was the only criterion of a good government.

The SECRETARY at WAR expreffed his regret that the extreme heat of the Houfe, and his own indifpofition, compelled him to withdraw, as it was his intention to unite with his friends in the divifion of this night. He would not now go into the full length of reply that the fubject demanded, yet declared himself ready to enter upon the minuteft difcuffion that the unfortunate expedition alluded to had required. He would just now recal the expreffion of the right honourable gentleman (Mr. Fox) to his