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The next article is the price of provifions, refpecting which I have received a great deal of authentic information, within thefe few days, indeed I may say within these few hours; and the price of provifions is fo very high, and fcarcity prevails to fuch a degree, as muft ftop all great and extensive operations.

In the next place, I doubt very much whether the provifions for the French army and navy will in future be fo regularly fupplied as they formerly have been. I have accounts of provifions being relanded from on board fome of the ships at Breft; and the city of Paris has been füpplied by pittances from the army on the Rhine. Expreffions of difcontent are hot confined to individuals, but are general, and fuch as come home to the door of every individual in France. What will be the effect of this complicated preffure, how long it may be continued, or what order of things may ultimately rife out of it, I fhall not pretend to fay. But I think it may produce, and probably at no great diftance of time, fome new order of things, more friendly to a general pacification, and to a regular intercourfe with the other eftablished powers of Europe. Such is the genuine profpect for all the countries of Europe, for an order of things more fatisfactory than we have feen at any former period. It is owing to your perfeverance in forcing them, and to which they are unequai, that they would willingly accept of peace. Because you have that in your power at this moment, you are by no means certain that a fafe and honourable peace could be obtained. That is, at this moment, premature; a continuance of your perfeverance fome time longer, will in all probability produce that happy effect.

Compare the fituation and refources of this country, feeling for the burdens of the country, which must be felt by the poor and induftrious to a certain extent, and deploring their neceflity, as they muft obfruct the increafing wealth of the country. Look alfo at the manufactures and trade and revenue, and compare it with the expence of the war. Compare the annual expenditure of twenty or twenty-five millions fterling, to the enormous fum of twenty-feven millions fterling per month, or three hundred and twenty-four millions per annum, the fum yearly expended by France. After you have. made thefe comparifons, tell me whether you will lay afide your exertions, under the peculiar circumflances in which you are now placed. You have laid on taxes unprecedented in their amount, but at the fame time have the fatisfaction to know that they are borne by the inhabitants of this country without any material fevere preffure.-You are provided therefore with 3A 2

the

the most ample and liberal fupplies for the prefent campaign, But is that the cafe with France? No. Every month, every week, is an additional strain of the new machine, and they are not provided with any of that enormous expence which I have mentioned, but muft raise it all by forced means, by requifitions, by robbery, and plunder.

I have trefpaffed too long on the patience of the House. I conclude by obferving again, that I have to hope for a more favourable order of things, and I have no reason to be fatisfied with any attempt at negotiation at this moment: But by a vigorous profecution of the war for a fhort time longer, we have every reasonable profpect that we fhall be able to procure for ourfelves a folid, permanent, and honourable peace.

Mr. Wilberforce obferved, that at fo very late an hour he would not detain the Houfe long in availing himself of the privilege of a reply, efpecially as he fhould have other opportunities of exprelling his fentiments on the important subject under difcuffion. The Houfe would feel however, that it was incumbent on him to take fome notice of the personal attack which had been made on him by a Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Windham). After fome animadverfions and ftrictures on both the matter and manner of what had fallen from him, Mr. Wilberforce afferted and vindicated his right, or rather the indifpenfible obligation under which he lay, to obey the dictates of his own understanding. The high opinion he entertained of his Right Hon. Friend's (Mr. Pitt's) integrity, (and of nopolitical man's integrity did he think fo highly), the refpect he felt for his Right ilon. Friend's understanding (and for no man's understanding did he feel more refpect), ought certainly to have great weight with him in the making up of his opinion: But when allowing to thefe their due proportion of influence (and he need hardly fay he fhould be difpofed to affign to them rather more than lefs than their fhare), and after carefully furveying, and closely fcrutinizing, and coolly, and gravely, and repeatedly weighing all the circumftances of the cafe, his deliberate judgment was at length formed; that judgment, whatever it might be, he was abfolutely bound to follow. He was fent thither by his conftituents, not for the gra tification of his private feelings, but for the discharge of a great political truft; and for the faithful adminiftration of the power they had vefted in him, he was refponfible to God and to his country. The truth for which he was contending was fo clear an one, that he could not but believe the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Windham) would in a cooler moment be ready to retract what he had advanced in derogation of it.

Much

Much the fame confiderations had been preffed on the Houfe that night in oppofition to his motion as had been urged in former difcufions. The distracted and exhaufted state of France had been, again chiefly dwelt on as a ground for the continuance of the war; in reply he would only fuggeft what. he had before detailed at greater length, that a government weak and distracted at the centre might be energetic and terrible on its frontiers; that no fymptoms of difaffection had ap-, peared in the French armies; and that their difpofable force had been extremely increased by the fuppreffion of their internal discontents, and their having been able to draw off fome powerful members of the confederacy: That our enemy had no trade to protect, no colonies to defend; that on the other hand we who had nothing to get, had every thing to lofe. No man would deny the danger of the utter ruin of our valuable poffeffions in the Wef Indies. Our allies were gradually leaving us, and there was fcarce an opening for us by which to make an impreffion on France. All the objects for which we originally carried on the war were either gone by, or attained, or unattainable. But above all, the relative ftate of this country with respect to France was now fuch that we might make peace with little probability of being again attacked, and with the moral certainty while our enemy would be growing weaker and weaker from that ftate of anarchy to which peace would only allow fuller and freer operation, we fhould be daily growing fronger and ftronger from the cultivation of our natural refources, and a fpirited and prudent ufe of the various advantages we enjoyed. He had done his duty in bringing the queftion forward, and his mind would be at eafe; it was for the Houfe to decide, and he adjured them to go with unbialled minds to the decifion of a queflion in which the welfare of their country was fo deeply concerned.

The Houfe divided at half paft one, when the numbers

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Lift of the Minority who voted on May 27, 1795, for Mr. Willer force's Motion to facilitate the making of a Peace with France.

Antonie, Lee

Great Marlow

Aubrey, Sir John Clitheroe

Anfon, Thomas Litchfield

Langston, John
Lemon, Sir W.

Long, Samuel

Bridgewater Cornwall Co. Uchefter

Baring, Sir F.

Wycombe

Ludlow, Earl

Huntingdon Co.

Bankes, Henry

Corff Cattle

Lechmere, Edw.

Worcester

Barham, J. F.

Stockbridge

Martin, James

Tewksbury

Barclay, G.

Bridport

Baftard, J P.

Devon County

Browne, J. F.

Dorset County

Mainwaring, W. Middlefex Co.

Maitland, Hon.T. Jedburgh, &c.

M'Leod, Gen. N. Inverness Co.

Bullock, John

Effex County

Milner, Sir W.

Bouverie, Hon. E. Northampton

Milnes, R. S.

Bouverie, Hon.W. Old Sarum

Milbanke, R.

York

Ditto

Durham Co.

Buller, John

Exeter

Moftyn, Sir R.

Burch, J. R.

Thetford

North, Dudley

Byng, George

Middlefex Co.

Pierfe, Henry

Clayton, Sir R.

Blechingley

Philips, J. G.

Flint Co.

Great Grimsby
Northallerton

Caermarthen Co.

Church, J. B.

Wendover

Plumer, W.

Hertford Co.

Colhoun, W.

Bedford

Powlett, W. Pow

Coke, D. P.

Nottingham

lett,

Totness

Creipigny, T. C. Sudbury

Portman, H. B.

Wells

Curwen, J. C.

Carlifle

Crewe, John

Cheiter Co.

Rawdon, Hon. J. Appleby

Ridley, Sir M.W. Newcastle

Duncumbe, H.

York Co.

Ruffel, Lord J.

Tavistock

Davers, Sir C.

Bury St. Edm.

Ruffel, Lord W.

Surry Co.

Dimidale, Baron

Hertford

Shuckburgh, Sir

Dolken, Sir W.

Oxford University

George

Warwick Co

Smith, Gen.

Wareham

Featherton, Sir H. Portsmouth

Felkes, Sir M. B. Lynn

·Fitzpatrick, Gen. Tav ftock

Fletcher, Sir H. Cumberland Co.

Fox, Rt. Hon.C.J. Welminter

Spencer, Lord R. Ditto

Smith, W.

Sturt, Charles

St.And. St. John

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Francis, P.

Blechingley

Taylor, M. A.

Poole

Grey, Charles

Northumberland

Tarleton, Gen.

Liverpool

County

Thornton, R.

Colchester

Gafcoigne, Sir T. Arundel

Thornton, H.

Southwark

Hare, James

Knaresborough

Thorold, Sir J.

Lincoln Co.

Harcourt, John

chefter

Vyner, R.

Thirik

Jalhed, N. B.
Hill, Sir R.

Lymington

Vyner, R. jun.

Lincoln Co.

Salop Co.

Western, C. C.

Malden

Howard, H.

Arundel

Whitbread, S.jun. Bedford

Hedley, W.

New Sarum

Winnington, Sir

Jekyll, Jofeph

Calne

Edward

Droitwich

Jervoife, J. C.

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Yarmouth, Isle of Wilbraham, R. Bodmyn

Wilberforce, W. York Co.

Wynne, R. W. Denbigh Co
Wyndham, Hon.

P. C.

TELLERS.
Henry Bankes

Jofeph Jekyll

Midhurst

HOUSE

HOUSE OF LORDS.

THURSDAY, May 28.

Lord Hay deferred 'till to-morrow fe'nnight, his intended motion on a standing Order of the Houfe, on account of the indifpofition of Lord Thurlow. Adjourned to Monday next.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

THURSDAY, May 28.

A motion was made that the Order of the Day for calling over the Houle be discharged, and a new order made for calling it over on Friday fe'nnight. Several Members were for difcharging the order without making a new one; and on a divifion the order for calling over the Houfe on Friday fe'nnight was carried by 90 against 34.

PRINCE OF WALES'S DEBTS.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer gave notice that on Monday next, previous to going into a Committee on the arrangements For the establishment of the Prince of Wales, he fhould move a propofition by way of inftruction to the Committee, for fetting apart a fum from the income voted for the liquidation of the debts.

Mr. Fox ftated, that what he wifhed was, that the income fhould go on, independently of any other confideration, and that it fhould not interfere with the fubject of the debts. From the manner in which the Right Hon. Gentleman had opened the bufinefs to the Houfe, he had conceived that the income was to have been kept feparate from the debts.

Mr. Ryder faid, the mode by which it was propofed to get rid of one inconvenience, tended to introduce another. Mr. Fox had wished to feparate the debts from the income, and to vote the income first. But the Right Hon. Gentleman would recollect that though the Houfe might be tempted to grant a large income, if a part of it were to be appropriated to the payment of the debts, yet that they might not be induced to grant fo large an income, if part of it were not to be appro→ priated to fuch payment.

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Mr. Powys faid, there appeared to him to be two separate inftructions neceflary, firft, for the regulation of the expence in order to prevent any debts being contracted in future, and

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fecondly,

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