admiralty; and fuch strength had the oppofition now acquired, that in a house of near four hundred members, it was rejected by a majority of only twenty-two. The unpopularity of the American secretary was so great and manifest, that he now thought it expedient, feeing parliamentary censures likely to become again in fashion, to refign the feals of that department, and for his eminent fervices he was by his majesty raised to the dignity of the peerage. But before the great feal was affixed to the patent, the marquis of Carmarthen moved in the house of peers, "that it was highly derogatory to the honor of that house, that any person laboring under the sentence of a court martial, styled in the public orders issued by his late majesty 'a cenfure much worse than death, and adjudged unfit to ferve his majesty in any military capacity, should be recommended to the crown as a proper person to fit in that house."

The motion was evaded by the question of adjournment; but lord George Germaine having actually taken his feat in the house under the title of lord vifcouut Sackville, the marquis of Carmarthen renewed his attack, and urged, "that the house of peers being a court of honor, it behoved them to preserve that honor uncontaminated, and to mark in the most forcible manner their difapprobation of the introduction of a perfon into that affembly who was stigmatized in the orderly books of every regiment in the service."

Lord Abingdon, who feconded the motion, styled the admiffion of lord George Germaine to a peerage " an infufferable indignity to that house, and an outrageous infult to the public. -What (faid his lordship) has that person done to merit honors fuperior to his fellow-citizens? His only claim to promotion was, that he had undone his country by executing the plan of that accurfed invisible, though efficient cabinet, from whom as he received his orders, fo he had obtained his reward."

Lord

Lord Sackville, in his own vindication, denied the juftice of the fentence passed upon him, and affirmed " that he confidered his restoration to the council board, at a very early period of the present reign, as amounting to a virtual repeal of that iniquitous verdict."

The duke of Richmond strongly defended the motion, and faid "that he himself was present at the battle of Minden, and was summoned on the trial of lord George Germaine; and had his depofition been called for, he could have proved that the time lost when the noble vifcount delayed to advance, under pretence of receiving contradictory orders, was not less than one hour and a half; that the cavalry were a mile and a quarter only from the scene of action; and it was certainly in his lordship's power, therefore, to have rendered the victory, important as it was, far more brilliant and decisive; and he had little reason to complain of the severity of the fentence paffed upon him."

Lord Southampton also, who, as aid-de-camp to prince Ferdinand on that memorable day, delivered the message of his ferene highness to his lordship, vindicated the equity of the sentence.

The motion was likewise powerfully fupported by the earl of Shelburne, the marquis of Rockingham, and other diftinguished peers.

On the divifion, nevertheless, it was rejected by a majority of ninety-three to twenty-eight voices: but to the inexpressible chagrin of lord Sackville, a proteft was entered on the journals of the house, declaring the promotion of his lordship to be " a measure fatal to the interests of the crown, infulting to the memory of the late fovereign, and highly derogatory to the dignity of that house."

Mr. Fox, on the 20th of February 1782, again brought forward his motion of censure, somewhat varied, on lord Sandwich, which was negatived by a majority of nineteen voices voices only, in a house consisting of 453 members; but to the astonishment of the nation, the noble lord still daringly kept poffession of his office, although 217 members of the house of commons had pronounced him "guilty of a shameful mismanagement of the naval affairs of Great Britain." The oppofition appearing every day to gain strength in the house of commons, the downfall of the ministry began at length to be confidently predicted.

On the 22d of February, general Conway moved " for an address to the king, earnestly imploring his majesty, that he would be graciously pleased to listen to the humble prayer and advice of his faithful commons, that the war on the continent of North America might no longer be pursued, for the impracticable purpose of reducing that country to obedience by force." This was oppofed in a long speech by Mr. Welbore Ellis, the new fecretary for the American department, who declared, "that it was now in contemplation to contract the scale of the war, and to profecute hoftilities by such means as were very diffimilar from the past. That unhappy faction in America which still continued its resistance to the government of this kingdom, though less numerous than the party of the royalists, could only be rooted out by pushing the war with vigor against France. In order to obtain peace with America we must vanquish the French; and as in the late war, America had been faid to be conquered in Germany, so in this America must be conquered in France. In present circumstances, the adminiftration were confcious of the necessity of drawing into a narrow compass the operations of the American war, a change of circumstances demanding a correfpondent change of measures." 'That this miferable mixture of falfehood and folly should fail to make impreffion upon the house, cannot be deemed wonderful, and the ministry themselves seemed to defpair of their cause, when they committed the defence of

it

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it to so contemptible an advocate; -whom Mr. Burke, in reply, overwhelmed with the fupercilious and poignant difdain of his ridicule. "This war," Mr. Burke faid, had " been most amazingly fertile in the growth of new statesmen; the right honorable gentleman was indeed an old member, but a young secretary. Having however studied at the feet of Gamaliel, he had entered into full poffeffion of all the parliamentary qualifications, by which his predeceffor had been so confpicuoufly diftinguished ;the fame attachments, the fame antipathies, the fame extravagant delufsion, the fame wild phantoms of the brain, marked the right honorable gentleman as the true ministerial heir and refiduary legatee of the noble viscount. And notwithstanding the metamorphofis he had recently undergone, he was so truly the same thing in the same place, that justly might it be faid of him, alter et idem nafcitur.' Being of the caterpillar species, he had remained the destined time within the soft and filken folds of a lucrative employment, till having burst his ligaments he fluttered forth the butterfly minister of the day." On the divifion, however the ministry had still a majority, but a fearful majority of ONE voice only! the numbers being 192 for, and 193 against the motion; so that the pyramidal edifice of ministerial power seemed now, by a marvellous and magical inversion, to rest upon its apex.

Mr. Fox immediately gave notice, that in a few days the question would be revived under another form. Accordingly, on the 27th of February, general Conway moved, that it is the opinion of this house, that a farther profecution of offenfive war against America would, under present circumstances, be the means of weakening the efforts of this country against her European enemies, and tend to increase the mutual enmity so fatal to the interefts both of Great Britain and America." The general spoke with indignation of the objection urged against the laft motion, that it was an unconstitutional interference

in

in matters pertaining to the executive power. He faid, it had been ever the custom of that house to interpose its advice whenever it thought proper, in all matters of peace and war, as their journals incontrovertibly proved.

In order to evade an immediate determination upon the question, the attorney-general Wallace moved, " that a bill should be prepared, enabling his majesty to conclude a truce with America, and to enter into a negociation on this ground." This propofition was negatived by a majority of 19, the numbers being 234 to 215; and the original motion of general Conway was then carried without a division.

The general next moved an address to the king, founded on the precise words of the motion. This was agreed to, and it was refolved, that the address should be presented to his majesty by the whole house; which was accordingly done on the ist of March: and his majesty most graciously replied, " that in pursuance of the advice of the house of commons, he would affuredly take fuch measures as should appear to him most conducive to the restoration of harmony between Great Britain and her revolted colonies."

This not being deemed by the now glorious majority of the house sufficiently explicit, general Conway on the 4th of March moved another address to his majesty, returning him thanks for his gracious afsurances, and affirming, "That nothing could so effentially promote the great objects of his majesty's paternal care, as the measures his faithful commons had humbly, though earnestly, recommended to his majesty." This was agreed to NEM.CON. and by a fecond motion it was refolved, "That the house will confider as enemies to his majesty and the country, all those who should advise a profecution of offenfive war on the continent of North America." The glory of general Conway, who had fixteen years before restored peace to

the