national honour, the dictates of public duty, and, perhaps, thofe frail memorials which may remain of me, fhould men take the trouble to enquire how I have thought and acted in this great crifis, ever to advise any other than a vigorous, manly line of conduct, or to recommend any refource but in our conftancy and perfeverance. It has ever been the opinion which I have entertained and avowed, that if France remained miftrefs of the continent, you could have no fafety. That though, by the defertion and timidity of other powers, you might be driven to feparate negociation, yet whatever might be the importance and glory of your own fucceffes, you could never have a good and fecure peace. Difunion, mean fhifting policy, have occafioned all the calamities under which a confiderable part of Europe now groans. Now, however, there is fomething more than mere fymptoms of the return of other fentiments, and the prevalence of other views. There is more than fymptoms to fhew that the powers on the continent are willing to embrace a line of conduct more fuited to their interefts. This then is not the moment for England to fhew that the is guided only by little felfifh politics. Inftead of refigning Europe to its fate, and abandoning the victims of French domination to their mifery, it ought to be the business of England to animate their efforts, and contribute to their deliverance. It is rather the duty of the Minifters of this country, fupported by King and Parliament, to fay that we are ready to affift the reft of Europe; that we are willing to aid them by our counfels; to fupport them with our resources; to conciliate differences; to allay jealoufies; to unite their efforts and not, by reviving former fyftems; by enflaming old jealoufies, and encouraging former rivalfhips, to prevent that co-operation and concert which is fo neceffary to the general fafety of Europe, and so connected with the true intereft of the country,

Such is the fyftem upon which I have acted, nor can any man fo far miftake the principle of that fyftem, as to imagine that minifters have been averfe to avail themselves of any favourable opportunity for a fafe and honourable peace. The noble Marquis has obferved, that thofe victories fhould only have been remembered which led to peace; and the noble Lord who spoke laft faid, that the attainment of an immediate peace was the only legitimate object of war. I have ever underftood, however, that thofe victories were the most renowned and celebrated which were gained in the view of protection and felf-defence, and that the most legitimate of all wars was that which is waged for that great object. To the fulleft praife in both these refpects, the glorious victory of Lord Nelfon is enVOL. I. 1798. tituled.

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tituled. That noble Lord will indeed do that which the noble Lord who spoke laft has referred to fo invidioufly; I claim him as a valuable recruit; he will bring with him into this Houfe, a true martial fpirit, and honours as well earned as those which ennobled the ancestors of either of the noble Lords. Nor will this brilliant victory be without its advantages. Notwithstanding what has been afferted, and whether peace be immediate or more remote, there can be no peace negotiated by this country, in which that great atchievement will not form a leading confideration. Thefe are the counfels which we have offered, and thefe are the principles which, in my official capacity, I have urged to the Governments upon the continent. Shall I then be told that this advice has occafioned the calamities which have befallen part of Europe? At the beginning of the conteft, when Holland was endeavouring by negociation to avoid the danger with which it was threatened, we endeavoured to. inculcate the principle that fuch a compromife would infallibly lead to ruin and to mifery. The words in his Majefty's speech, in which the conduct of Holland was characterised in this way, was ftyled by a perfon at that time, a diabolical paragraph." Circumstances, however, have fince too fatally proved how correctly true was the doctrine we urged, and how well founded was the caution which we held out. The Dutch thought that by negociation they would obtain the barrier of peace instead of the barrier of refiftance, and they fell headlong into the de-, ftruction which they endeavoured to avoid. Our fituation is compared in his Majefty's fpeech with the fituation of other countries, and the conparifon is called ungenerous. We have feen, however, to what caufes the calamities of our Allies may be afcribed, but the comparifon it not confined to Allies alone. What is the fituation of those Powers which yet stand in a trembling, degraded, precarious exiftence, purchafed by dif honour? Look at thofe who have followed that courfe in which the noble Lord and his friends have recommended us to feek our fafety. Look at thefe Powers, and what impartial man will deny that the comparison juftifies an honeft pride, that the furvey approves the fyftem on which we have acted. We have endeavoured, in a moment of difficulty and danger, to maintain the honour and independence of our country, and to fupport the liberties of Europe; and the proud fuperiority we now enjoy, the nation owes to its own conftancy, its energy, and its virtue.

The Marquis of Lansdown faid, that in what he had faid that night, he had abftained from agitating any topics that feemed not immediately connected with the difcuffion before

the

the Houfe. He had delivered his fentiments foberly and
candidly, and he had hoped that they would have been received
as the fuggeftions of one who meant to offer what he thought
of real and practical importance. Since, however, the noble
Lord who had juft fat down, had fuffered himself to burst out
into a rant, which nothing that he had faid, could have pro-
voked, but which was to be confidered as a weakness, the off-
fpring of the hour of intoxication; and as the noble Lord had
brought forward old queftions, he would frankly own that he
thought favourable opportunities for concluding a fafe and ho-
nourable peace had been loft, and that for the omiffion Mini-
fters were feverely refponfible. As therefore the noble Lord
was fo forward in challenging a day of examination, he pledged
himfelf, whenever that day came, to thew that the charge was
true, by pointing out the occafions when peace might have been
made, had Minitters thought proper to have done their duty.
When the noble Lord talked fo exultingly of the fchemes en-
tertained for new coalitions; when he told us that we were to
take the lead, and put ourfelves at the head of Europe, he
made a vain, foolifh, idle boaft, which could terminate in
nothing but confufion and difafter. He begged their Lordships
to read the collections which had recently been published of
the correfpondence of our Statefmen fince the Revolution
(Lord Bolingbroke, General Townfend, Sir Robert Walpole,
Mr. Grenville, and others), and they would find how much
our wifeft politicians difapproved of Continental connections,
the fyftem of fubfidies, and the attempt to take the lead in Eu-
rope. In his own time, he recollected to have heard a near re-
lation of the noble Lord rack the English language for epithets
by which to exprefs his difapprobation of fuch views and po-
litics. To be at the head of Europe, to affign to one and to
take from another might found high, and amufe the people of
this
country, but it was an idle, vain, and delufive chimera.
The noble Lord had himself owned the difficulties he had to
encounter in forming the coalition among the Continental
Powers, and he had owned too, that to fupport the confederacy
had baffled his fkill. The Duke of Marlborough, who pof-
fefied conciliatory talents in as eminent a degree as any man
ever did, fays with that grace which was fo peculiar to him,
that it was fome little merit to have made eight nations act as
one man! Great as the Duke of Marlborough's talents were,
he would venture to fay, that were he alive now, it would be
above his talents to form fuch a confederacy, or to make four
nations act as one man; nor would the noble Lord find it easy
to make even four nations act with concert and effect. Now
that

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that experiments are to be made at the expence of fo many millions, and of fo many thoufand lives, he would fay to the noble Lord, you tried one experiment and failed, and we don't chufe that you should try it over again. The noble Lord has been deceived once, and I am afraid he will find himself deceived a fecond time. If I have any credit with the country, I take it upon this fentiment. For feveral years I oppofed the former attempt to take the lead in Continental coalitions, and I now oppofe the attempt to renew them.

Lord Sydney faid, that the noble Marquis had read hiftory very differently from him, for he could not difcover that our beft ftatesmen had ever expreffed fuch a difapprobation of Continental connections. The noble Marquis had referred to the authority of Lord Bolingbroke, and from his writings, indeed he might draw all the arguments against Continental connections which now were urged, and which had been repeated by all the Jacobite writers for the laft four reigns; but he did not think the authority of Lord Bolingbroke, or the principles on which the infamous treaty of Utrecht was concluded, would have great weight. As to the noble Lord, from whom he had the honour to be defcended, he never faw any thing in his correfpondence which could fupport the obfervation of the noble Marquis. With regard to the immediate fubject of the debate, his Lordfhip faid, he would forbear to add one word, as it had been done ample juftice by the noble Lords who had moved and feconded the Addrefs, and his two noble friends near him (Lord Grenville and Lord Mulgrave) indeed he could fay nothing that would not rather weaken than add to the impreffion which the masterly arguments of the latter must have made on their Lordships, as he never had heard a fpeech of more eloquence and more ability in the courfe of a long parliamentary life.

The Marquis of Lansdown faid, that all the correfpondence of the itatefmen to whom he alluded, prove that they were of opinion, that this country fhould be careful of attempting to take the lead in Continental politics, and to cut and carve in Europe. Sir Robert Walpole's Letters in particular were replete with arguments against alliances with the powers of the Continent, and plainly proved how fincerely defirous that great and wife man was to preserve peace and abitain from war.

Lord Grenville faid, he rofe merely to declare, that his near and dear relation alluded to, never entertained fuch a

fentiment,

fentiment, as that the French fhould be permitted to cut and carve in Europe, which was now the precife queftion, and not that this country fhould exercife a power and a practico fo unwarrantable.

The question on the Addrefs was then put and carried nem. dif-Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

TUESDAY, Nov. 20.

The Speaker on his return from the Houfe of Peers, where he had been ordered to attend with the Houfe, to hear his Majefty's moft gracious Speech, acquainted the House that he had iffued Warrants for the election of Members to ferve in Parliament for the following places :-for Higham Ferrers, in the room of James Adair, Efq. deceased; for Leicestershire, in the room of William Pochin, Efq.; and for Ripon, in the room of William Lawrence, Efq.

The Bill prepared according to cuftom, by the Clerk, for preventing clandeftine Outlawries, was read a first and fecond time.

The Speaker then acquainted the Houfe, that he had been in the Houfe of Peers, where his Majefty delivered a most gracious Speech to both Houfes of Parliament; a correct copy of which he had obtained, and which he would read with the permiffion of the House.

His Majefty's moft gracious Speech having been read.

Lord G. Levifon Gower rofe to move the Addrefs, and fpoke nearly as follows:-The principal difficulty which I feel, Sir, in rifing on the prefent occafion, is how to exprefs in any thing like adequate terms, the magnitude and fplendour of the fubjects upon which I have to touch. Were I even poffeffed of the moft brilliant and perfuafive eloquence that ever was heard by this Houfe, either with aftonithment or delight, it would be utterly out of my power to do juftice to the topics of the Speech which we have this day heard from the Throne. But while I lament my deficiency of talent in this refpe&t, I have the confolation to reflect, that the claims on the gratitude of the Houfe are fo ftrong, so marked is the profperous fituation of the country; fo clearly is it impreffed on every well-difpofed mind, that I scarcely imagine there can be any effort neceffary on my part, to conciliate and fecure a general, nay, an unanimous concurrence of the Houfe. However, indeed, in former periods of the