fide. The Marquis of Rocking- lord undertake to fay, that the ham, in particular, ably vindicat- English affociators were the only ed the Yorkshire meeting. He part of his majefty's fubjects whose affirmed, that it was neither pro- petitions, in the first instance, were pofed or promoted, by any party, to be branded with the odious epior faction, or by any particular thets of treasonable and rebellidefcription of men. It originated ous? Was every other part of the in the fpontaneous propofitions and British dominions to be listened communications of the indepen- to? And was the feat of empire dent and honeft part of the peo- alone to be treated with contempt ple of all defcriptions, parties, and foul language? Were fifty and interefts. The meeting at thoufand armed Irish affociators, York was too numerous and too to have their grievances redreffed, independent, to be biaffed or led, as dutiful, loyal, and obedient by any influence or power what- fubjects? And was the county ever. The freeholders compriz- meetings of the people of Enged, upon that occafion, within the land, unarmed, unaffociated, uncompafs of a fingle room, pof- embodied, without either ftaves, feffed landed property to the a- or any other weapon, offenfive or mount of eight hundred thousand defenfive, to be charged with bepounds a year; and fince that ing on the brink of treason and remeeting, no less than nine thou- bellion?-Had not the lord lieufand gentlemen, clergy, and free- tenant of Ireland, in a public act, holders, figned the petition then in which he represented the perfon agreed upon. As a farther proof of the fovereign, publicly thankof the general fentiments of the ed the Irish affociators, though people of that country, he ftated, armed against law? And what that the petition from the city of judgment can the world pafs on a York had been figned by no lefs man, who as governor, or lord that nine hundred and twenty per- lieutenant of an Irish county, confons; although, at a late warmly veyed the thanks of that parlia, contested election for the fame ment, to the affociators, thus illecity, only nine hundred and fe- gally armed, of that county over venty-two perfons were polled on which he prefided, and who now, all fides. Other noblemen vindi- as an Englishman, fhould ftand cated other meetings, which came up, and charge the English counwithin their respective knowledge. ty meetings with every fpecies of public criminality short of actual rebellion With refpect to the heavy charges laid against the principle of the petitions, and the motives and de- It was obferved, by another nofigns of the petitioners, particu- ble duke on the fame fide, that the larly by a noble earl in adminiftra- noble lord in administration, was tion, it was replied, that Ame- ever ready to conftrue every thing rica had refifted, in order to redress into rebellion, which carried the her grievances; fo had Ireland; leaft appearance of oppofition to fo had Scotland; did the noble the unconftitutional influence of the crown; and had been peculiarly fortunate in predicting those very rebellions, or acts of refiftance, which, in refpect of America, he had been fo inftrumental in exciting. A noble viscount on the fame fide, juftified the principle of the petitions, and faid, that parliament having, through the enormous influence of the crown, abandoned the care and protection of the people, it was at length become neceffary that the people themselves fhould look to their own prefervation. And he congratulated his country, on the approaching appearance of being emancipated, through the virtue and firmness of the people, from a fyftem of government, and a mal-administration of public affairs, hitherto unprecedented in the annals of England. Some occafional, but very interefting matter, was introduced in this day's debate. A noble mar quis, who had once, for some short time, been at the head of affairs, having, in the course of a long and exceedingly pointed fpeech, gone over, befides a variety of new ground, fome part of that which he had opened on the first day of the feffion, directly charged the general amount, of our paft and prefent difcontents, diforders, miffortunes, and dangers, to a new, unconftitutional, and defpotic fyftem, adopted at the commencement of the prefent reign, and which confifted in governing this country, under the forms of law, through the influence of the crown. -He had no fooner, he faid, perceived this fyftem, than he fet his face against it, and had now, for upwards of feventeen years, both during the fhort time he was in office, and out, conftantly endeavoured to defeat its intended effects.-Every thing within and without, he faid, whether in cabinet, parliament, or elsewhere, carried about it the most evident and unequivocal marks of this fyftem; the whole economy of executive government, in all its branches, whether profeffional, deliberative, or official, proclaimed it. Its numerous fupporters have appeared publicly in print, and by a variety of means, through books, pamphlets, and news-papers, have openly avowed, and defended it without referve. This was the origin of all our national misfortunes. He was ready, he said, to avow, in his place, that as the meafures contained the fulleft teftimony of the principle which called them into being, fo they bore every internal and external evidence of their dangerous tendency. He faid the principle of defpotifm had fo long appeared, and feemed fo uniformly to pervade all our public acts, that he believed it unneceffary to point out particular inftances; he fhould therefore content himself with alluding only to fuch parts of the fyftem, as applied more directly to the meafures purfued refpecting America, and the Eaft India company. There it was, he faid, that the plan of extending the influence of the crown, already become enormous and truly alarming, blazed forth in all its odious colours; and there it was that that influence, under the impofitious pretence of afferting the rights of parliament, was employed to veft the patronage or unlimited fovereignty of all Ame rica in the crown. The fame ufe was made of this influence over the Eaft India company and after the first attempt had brought bankruptcy on that company, the fecond finally vefted the patronage of it in the crown for ever. The plan, he faid, was deeply laid; the independent part of the people were led into the fnare by the fpecicus pretences of defigning and artful men.- -The company were defcribed to be wallowing in riches; the directors, and their fervants abroad, were faid to be infinitely venal, unprincipled, corrupt, and oppreflive. It was urged, that in the poffeffion of fuch immenfe revenues and profits, territorial and commercial, that the company ought to be compelled to contribute to the exigencies of the ftate, and to bear part of the burthens, in common with their fellow-fubjects. The idea was fpecious, flattering, carried the appearance of juftice, and immediately interested the parties in its favour, on whom the impofition was intended to be paffed. But the whole, he faid, was a minifterial trick, a flate juggle, to throw duft in the eyes of the people. It was patronage, a further extenfion of court influence, which was at the bottom of all this, however varnished over with fpecious appearances of public reformation, general justice, and an equitable diftribution of taxes and burthens to be borne by, the feveral refpective parts of the empire. It was not the fum of 400,000l. a year that was the great object; it was the aggrandizement of the crown that fet this political machine in motion. The fequel proved it, he faid, beyond the poffibility of doubt or uncertainty. The company in a few years became bankrupt; and it was referved for the prefent adminiftration to complete, what they had fo happily begun, and fo fteadily purfued. They relinquished the revenue with chearfulness, but they took care to get the patronage in exchange. If any proof, he faid, were wanting to fhew, that neither revenue, nor a defire to alleviate the public burthens, formed the true caufe; it was now fully fufficient to obferve, that no one effectual measure had been taken to promote reformation in India; for it was impoffible for oppreffion, public peculation, or any other evil, faid to have prevailed in India, at the time that government firft broke in upon the affairs of that company, to have rifen higher, or to have proved more operative and extenfive, than they have done fince that period. A very ftriking inftance of which, he faid, was then depending in the courts below, in the cafe of the late Lord Pigot who had been facrificed to the private cabals of thofe, who, if not encouraged by government, were moft certainly protected and countenanced by it. This was the confequence of the interference of the crown; and as to the pretence of a revenue, it was, he said, needlefs to obferve, that no one part of the conduct of the present adminiftration, or of the fyftem they acted under, furnished even the colour of an argument, that they, who had upon all occafions fo fhamefully wafted and mif-fpent the public treasure, entertained a fingle idea of relieving the peo ple, ple, whom, in every other in- lic; referring their validity to the itance, they had fo heavily bur- explanations of time, and to the thened and oppreffed. decifion of a more temperate feafon. The noble marquis applied a fimilar train of reafoning to the fupport of this doctrine with refpect to the American measures. He declared without reserve, that it was, what he called, the fame traitorous principle, that produced the American war, and the long train of evils which have flowed from it; and he was purfuaded, befides that great object, that in the courfe of fome of the events which fell out in America, one great fpur which induced minifters to rush blindly on, was in expectation of being gratified, and of gratifying their friends and fupporters, with expected confifcations of the lands and properties of thofe who took up arms against government; and fhould they now perfift in turning a deaf ear to the voice of the people of this country, and thereby force them into measures of refiftance, he should likewife be convinced, that one motive among others would be, a profpect of confifcations nearer home, and the profcription of the lives and fortunes of thofe who fhould ftand forth the friends of their country, and of, as yet, its unrivalled conflitution. How far, and whether at all, thefe political opinions may be tinged with the colour of party, are queftions on which we are not to form any public opinion; but the authority from which they proceed, and ftill more, the magnitude of the objects to which they relate, bestow on them an appearance of fo much importance, that we deemed it fitting, if not neceffary, to preferve them to the pub The bufinefs of this day was likewife particularly diftinguished, from the part taken, and the circumftances attending it, by the Marquis of Carmarthen. This young nobleman had poffeffed a place of high honour and emolument, at the head of the queen's houfehold, and was alfo lord lieutenant of the north riding of the county of York. Private bufinefs had prevented his attending the great meeting at York; but he fent a letter a few days after to the committee, approving in general of their proceedings, but making fome objection to the scheme of alfociation, and to the the propofed committees of correfpondence. Although this conduct could not but excite obfervation, and perhaps furprize, nothing confequent to it appeared, until a few days preceding the motion now before us, when he voluntarily refigned his office at court. In the prefent debate, the noble marquis thought proper to explain, and to affign the motives of his conduct in both inftances. He faid, he gave his full affent to the motion, as he thought it the only means of preferving this country from inevitable ruin, by promoting union among all ranks and defcriptions of men, and of course restoring energy and confidence to government. He declared, that he liked and applauded the principle of the petitions; they breathed the fame ipirit with the present motion. And he ftated the particulars of his conduct with respect to the York meeting. He He then faid, that he had a few the mean refentment which gave days fince refigned a place, the it birth; he laughed at the folly, holding of which he fhould ever but he felt the injuftice and inefteem one of the greatest honours tended infult as he ought. of his life. Why had he refigned it? Because his duty to his fovereign and his country, and a regard for his own honour, would not permit him longer to retain it. He could no longer give his fupport to a miniftry, which had, after a feries of repeated trials, proved themfelves pufillanimous, incapable, and corrupt; who had brought the nation to the brink of deftruction, and ftill perfifted to plunge it deeper into mifery, calamity, and danger. They were the curfe of this country, and, he feared, they would prove its ruin. One of them from his deferved ignominy, and the other from his criminal indolence, incapability, and neglect. The firft, in a feafon, when talents and abilities were moft wanted, having driven almoft every man under thofe defcriptions from the fervice, by infult and bad treatment. He faid, that while he remained in place, he did not think it decent to oppofe government. He could not in confcience absent himfelf from his duty in parliament at fo momentous a crifis; the only method therefore which prefented itself to him, in order to get rid of the embarraffment, was to refign. But what had been the confequence of this moderate conduct? That of difmiffing him, on that very morning, from an office he held under the crown, the lord lieutenancy of the north riding of the county of York. He did not pretend to fay who it was that ad. vised that measure: but let it come from whom it may, he defpifed As fome paffages in this speech were fuppofed to allude, if not to point directly, to the firft lord of the admiralty then prefent, the matter was zealously taken up by a young earl, who entered into a warm and cordial vindication of his friend; which, from the nature of the fubject, could, not however go any farther, than affertion, denial, or opinion. But, although the matter was a good deal agitated, and the noble earl immediately concerned, thought it neceffary to enter perfonally into the difcuffion, no fatisfaction whatever could be obtained from the noble marquis. And though he was called up feveral times, inftead of retracting any part of what he had advanced, or even foftening it by explanation, he rather ftrengthened and enforced it, by entering more fully into particulars. He ftill faid, that the beft men, men of the highest profeffional merit, were either driven totally from the fervice by the noble minifter, or were deter red from accepting any command under his direction. Every man who accepted of a command, he faid, accepted it under the conditions of a double peril; that of being employed and deceived; and that of being certain, that thofe who deceived him, would be the firft, as they were the moft powerful, in effecting his difgrace. He fhould not, he faid, enter into detail, or quote names, as he believed it totally unneceffary to defcend to particulars; for every perfon who had been em ployed |