are not afraid of war, and are therefore determined to con tinue it until they have reduced the pride and power of this haughty country." Are we to fit down tented with fuch indignities, fuck infults, and fuch aggvation? And here is another odd inconfiflency in the arguments of Gentlemen on the other fide: When they vindicate this conduct, they affert, that the war caufes thefe atrocities; but when they argue for the exprefs accomplishment of peace, then they fay," Leave them to themselves, and they will deftroy one another." What a fituation France will be in then when peace is made! There will be an internal diffenfion in their government, which must ultimately produce a popular commotion; the armies too will return, and must be fill kept to fettle the difpute, or elfe they may themfelves aflift to keep up the internal warfare. If we have fagacity enough to difcover that fuch must be the confequences of their making peace, may they not have fufficient fagacity to perceive the fame, and will they not inftantly feek new wars to keep their armies employed, and prevent fuch calamities? The fact is too notorious for comment. How could the Hon. Gentleman delude himfelf fo? Does he not know, that with fuch a government, fo feeble, fo precarious, fo infecure, we can have no ftability? And does he not know that if, as it must be, the war fhould be renewed again, after an interval of peace of the fhorteft duration, that it requires a greater impulfe, a greater energy throughout the nation, and is attended alfo with a greater expence? For it is in moral as in mechanical powers, a ftrong force is necellary to put the machine in motion, which once put in action continues its velocity with little aid. "One of the Hon. Gentleman's arguments (faid the Secretary at War) I had almoft forgotten. He has taken care, however, to remind me, and I am glad of it. I fufpect my obfervations will contain more than he expected. He has reminded me of La Vendée and the Chouans. Let the Gentlemen oppofite to me recollect the language they have ufed, compared with the event. (A vehement cry of Hear! Hear!) Let them remember that they tenaciously infifted that France had but one fentiment. The Hon. Gentleman oppofite will call to mind too what he formerly faid. "Do you (faid he), do you count on Brittany and Normandy?" Yes, the Executive Government did count. on them, and propofed to adopt fuch measures as would better facilitate that event which was fo univerfally defired. This will ferve to fhew, that a body of good principles does exift in the executive government of this country. When diffen fions were faid to exist in the internal state of France, it was afked where? At Lyons, Marfeilles, Toulon, and La Vendée ; and well would it have been for this country if she had immediately taken the proper advantage of thofe diffenfions, and converted them to her ufe." They were loft, however, though it might be faid they could not have been loft if they were not poffeffed-( A laugh. J-The Secretary at War fuppofed the Gentlemen were laughing at their own declarations that no fuch diffenfions existed, when difcontent, diftruft, and animofity were notoriously carried to the greatest length. He reverted to the Hon. Gentleman's statement of the condition of Marfeilles, and obferved that it was not because that under fuch a tyranny as that of France diffenfions do not fhew themfelves, as we are to conclude that they do not exist. We might have had reafons to know their exiftence if we had acted with becoming caution, and inftead of one La Vendée, we might have known that the whole of France was becoming an entire La Vendée. He addreffed this not folely to the Gentlemen oppofite, but to thofe Gentlemen who had confidence in the executive government of France at that time; and now, when from the more open interior of France we had reports of popular commotions coming from all quarters, was it longer juft or reafonable to doubt their authenticity? and if this reprefentation be right, was this the time for fuch conclufions as the Hon. Gentleman had propofed? The first argument of the Hon. Gentleman was, that peace would eftablish the power of those who now prefide in France; and what fort of an argument was this? Would it establish the power? Were there hopes it would? Not after the recent inftances which for five years have been in various forms exhibited. Was the Hon. Gentleman fo prepared as to fay, that the change of government had fo far changed the evil as folely to have changed his fentiments? If it could, why could it not have done fo before in the administration of the bloody Robespierre? According to that mode of reasoning, war could be reduced at any time to a scale of profit and calculation. Stating generally his opinions on the fubject, he faw the motives for continuing the war to be the fame; but the profpects were infinitely better than they had been at any former period. Another objection, applying to the majority of the Houfe, againft the motion, was, that, if it paffed, the Houfe would thereby take the management out of the hands of the Executive Government, This the Houfe had certainly at times a right to do; but then it was ufual, when they affumed that right, to difplace the perfons in whom the truft of the Executive Government was lodged. Fortunately the motion was not yet adopted. But nevertheless the charge of inconfiftency aad rafhnefs, if not fomething worfe, was attached to it. The Hon. Gentleman who brought it forward was the friend of the minifter, and had pronounced in the courfe of that evening many eulogiums upon him. He relied, he faid, on his talents, his integrity, and judgment; he praised his general capacity, and he esteemed him as the propereft perfon for administration: But here comes the difficulty. However great his general capacity, his judgment, his integrity, and talents, and however fit for administration, he was not fit to conduct the bufinefs of the ftate, and therefore the Hon. Gentleman propofed to conduct it for him. He would not offer to difplace his friend, but he would undertake to manage measures for him, and undertake the office of his dictator. Did he think the minifter would authorife him to perform his functions for him? The Hon. Gentleman would allow for thefe interrogations by the part he had taken himself in the debate of that evening. He must know, that in all public affairs they were bound to follow their duty in preference to their friendships; and for his own part, the Secretary at War faid, he had facrificed friendships that were dear to him, to his public duty, and he did it because he loved to follow right, though it be fometimes difficult to find where it lies. The Hon. Gentleman had done fo too, though he (the Secretary at War) could not but difapprove of the mode in which he had done it, fince in affairs of fuch importance he had been Following his own opinions. A chriftian confcience was understood to be connected with humility, but the Hon. Gentle man had been oppofing thofe of whofe integrity and abili ties he entertained no doubt, and with whom he was bound in the close ties of friendship. He wished to imprefs on the Hon. Gentleman's mind, that he was playing a deep game, for if he was not the preferver, he was the undoer of his country; and if he did not obtain the pofthumous fame he fo virtuously defired, he would be tranfmitted to pofterity with eternal exe cration. He wished him to confider likewife, how far he conformed bimfelf to the fentiments of those whofe thoughts and actions he had been accustomed to oppofe; or how far he adopted new opinions of his own. There were two things to confirm a man's judgment, the concurrence of his friends, and the diffent of his enemies. It fo happened that the Hon. GentleVOL. III, Y y man man had been playing at great odds, for he had not only the diffent of his friends, but the approbation of his opponents. He had the odds against him alfo in another way. In every exclufive public concern, but more particularly in a war, and still more in a war like the prefent, there was a knowledge in the Executive Government which could not be poffeffed by others. Of this he had just given an inftance, though Oppofition would neither give the Executive Government credit for their good intentions nor their judgment. It was not, the Secretary at War said, a grateful task to examine opinions, though he did it to fulfil his public duty. If the Hon. Gentleman thought his measures fatal, he thought the Hon. Gentleman's no lefs fo. Such opinions, he conceived, if liftened to, were dangerous, and if not liftened to, they were ftill dangerous, though perhaps in a fmaller degree. He was aware that a difcuffion like the prefent ought to have a fhare in forming men's opinions more by authority than judg ment; but admitting the Hon. Gentleman's were the best opinion, he asked him whether he expected it to be followed? What then, it might be urged upon the other hand, are you never to bring forward any motion because there is a probability it will not be followed? In that cafe, what becomes of the freedom of debate? Not fo; an attempt in itself to do good may be made, though others think it will not accomplish its end. Did the Hon. Gentleman think, that when perfons like thofe in the Executive Government had formed their opinions coolly, and with due deliberation, that his arguments could change them? (A laugh.)-Perhaps he hoped for fomething intermediate? With regard to other topics, he faid, they were not of a fort to be adopted without abandoning all the former. He had heard the Hon. Gentleman talk of a general objection to the war, and of a general fentiment entertained by the people that a peace would fpeedily be formed by the Adminiftration of the country, which made them all rejoice. If fuch a peace were formed, that is, by the Adminiftration of the country, they ought all to rejoice, but not otherwife, for it would then be obtained as it ought to be. On the other hand, what did the Hon. Gentleman propofe? A peace made by himself in oppofition to Adminiftration. The beft argument in answer to fuch a propofition was a review of history. The Secretary at War replied to Mr. Wilberforce's obfervations on military character, without which, he urged, our commerce could not be protected; and in regard to his opi nion, as well as the opinion of his Hon. Colleague who feconded the motion, upon our continental connexions, he defired him to take the authority of our ancestors down to the present moment, in refutation. It may be honourable, in their opi nions, to steal out of a war as others had done; but it would be degrading to the British character, justly celebrated for its honour and integrity, and Great Britain would not do it. She had no wish to imitate the Republic of Holland or the Dutchy of Tuscany, but left them to their virtue; determined to preferve our reputation of national honour, and of manifefting on all occafions a generous concern for the welfare of Europe. How different, he obferved, was the conduct the Hon. Gentleman had recommended to that pursued by King William, who judged the interefts of this country to be fo clofely connected with all Europe, that he encouraged every alliance whereby fhe rofe in the fcale of empire; and of this Mr. Addison was fenfible when he wrote his fine eulogium; His toils, for no ignoble ends defign'd, Whether the Hon, Gentleman had not brought forward his motion to interpofe, becaufe the French Government was faint and languid, and her motions wild and irregular, he could not determine; but he reminded him that fuch an enemy might be dangerous even in her laft convulfion, until "Omnis effufus labor." He then briefly difcuffed the point, how far this question might be dangerous in the difproportion of mens minds, as it was clear that the hand of a child, with a fufficient purchafe, may shake an empire. He thought the Hon. Gentleman's arguments from the induction of the American war difcou raging; fince the furprife of a few hundred Germans turned the fate of that war, fo, perhaps, if it had been continued fome fhort time longer, as fudden and unexpected an accident might have turned it the other way. The Hon. Gentleman had faid, that the wifh out of doors was a confirmation of his opinions. Whofe was that with? Was it not the wifh of Jacobins? They have pursued it as the certain way of bringing about their principles. Or he fuppofed that he had heard fome of his conftituents exprefs this Y y 2 with |