in these gracious expreffions thofe excellent and conftitutional fentiments, which we have ever been accustomed to hear from the throne fince the glorious æra of the revolution, and which have peculiarly characterized his majefty, and the princes of his illuftrious houfe; but to lament that these moft gracious expreffions, while they infpire us with additional affection and gratitude towards his majesty's royal perfon, do not a little contribute to increase our fufpicions of those men who have advifed his majefty, in direct contradiction to these affurances, to neglect the advice of his commons, and to retain in his fervice an administration, whofe continuance in office we have fo repeatedly and fo diftinctly condemned.

re

"To reprefent to his majefty, that it has anciently been the practice of this Houfe to withhold fupplies until grievances were dreffed; and that if we were to follow this courfe in the prefent conjuncture, we fhould be warranted in our proceeding, as well by the most approved precedents, as by the spirit of the conftitution itself; but if, in confideration of the very peculiar exigencies of the times, we fhould be induced to wave for the prefent the exercise, in this inftance, of our undoubted legal and conftitutional mode of obtaining redrefs, that we humbly implore his majesty not to impute our forbearance to any want of fincerity in our complaints, or diftruft in the juftice of our caufe.

"That we know, and are fure, that the profperity of his majefty's dominions in former times has been, under Divine Providence, owing to the harmony which has

for near a century prevailed uninterruptedly between the crown and this houfe. That we are convinced that there is no way to extricate this country from its prefent difficulties, but by pursuing the fame fyftem to which we have been indebted at various periods of our history for our fucceffes abroad, and which is at all times fo neceffary for our tranquillity at home. That we feel the continuance of the prefent administration to be an innovation upon that happy fyftem.

"That we cannot but expect, from their existence under the dif pleasure of this House, every miffortune naturally incident to a weak and distracted government; that if we had concealed from his majesty our honest sentiments upon this important crifis, we should have been in fome degree refponsible for the mifchiefs which are but too certain to enfue.

"That we have done our duty to his majefty and our constituents in pointing out the evil, and in humbly imploring redrefs: that the blame and refponfibility must now lie wholly upon thofe who have prefumed to advise his majesty to act in contradiction to the uniform maxims which have hitherto governed the conduct of his majefty, as well as every other prince of his illuftrious houfe; upon thofe who have disregarded the opinions, and neglected the admonitions of the reprefentatives of his people, and who have thereby attempted to fet up a new fyftem of executive adminiftration, which, wanting the confidence of this House, and acting in defiance to our refolutions, muft prove at once inadequate, by its inefficiency, to the neceffary objects of government, and dangerous, by

It's example, to the liberties of the people."

This representation was the laft effort made by oppofition, and was carried only by a majority of 191 to 190. If we confider all the circumstances of this extraordinary conteft, it cannot but appear furprizing that fo few inftances fhould have happened of defection to the court party. The fixed determination that appeared early in the court to fupport the new administration, at all hazards; the terrors of a diffolution; a perfeverance in the minifter, infenfible to confequences; the violent prejudices entertained without doors, and the cautious and indecifive conduct of oppofition within, afforded no doubtful prefages of the event. To a conviction of the juftice and importance of the cause in which they were engaged, we are bound in candour to attribute this fteadiness, in part; and fome fhare of it may probably be ascribed to a high rival fenfe of honour in the feveral members of the coalition, defirous of refcuing that measure from the odium of its being founded merely on felfifh and interefted defigns.

10th March.

On the tenth of March the mutiny bill paffed without a divifion.-A general report now prevailed, that parliament was to be immediately diffolved. All the fupplies had been regularly voted, to the amount of near ten millions, but, with the exception of the land and malt tax bills, no money had been raised or appropriated to specific fervices. It was, however, contended, that the voting of the fupplies would be a fufficient juftification to the miniftry for iffuing money for the neceffary expenditure of government. On the other fide it was urged, that the House having refolved that fuch iffuing of the public money would be fubverfive of the conftitution, and an high crime and mifdemeanor, no plea of neceffity could be available, fince the emergency would be wilfully created by thofe who fhould advise his majesty to diffolve the parlia ment The most pointed perfonalities were addreffed to Mr. Pitt on this fubject, but in vain; he perfevered in an abfolute refusal to difcufs the points at all; and on the 24th of March the parliament was prorogued, and the day following diffolved by proclamation *.

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CHAP.

more remote objects. The feizing or recovery of the Dutch barrier formed only an opening to what was farther intended on that fide; and through all the bustle and preparation of war that appeared on the Danube, the court of Bruffels ferved as a conftant monitor to the states of the United Provinces, in reminding them, that many other matters of serious confideration remained ftill to be settled with that monarch.

Such a continual intermixture and fluctuation of limits as una voidably took place through all the viciffitudes of peace and war, alliance and enmity, that had formerly fo long prevailed between Spain and Holland, being farther involved and perplexed by the circumftances of the fucceffion war, by the new engagements contracted between the republic and the German branch of the houfe of Austria upon the fubfequent transfer of territory, and by that fingular fort of mixed dominion which both retained for fo many years in the Netherlands, did neceffarily leave behind much open room for litigation; nor indeed could plaufible grounds for fetting up new claims, or for queftioning the validity of old titles, ever be exhaufted in fuch circumftances. Independent, however, of thefe caufes, artificial limits in confined countries, where fmall objects are of importance, muft neceffarily be more fruitful of contention than thofe boundaries of nations which are thrown out upon a large fcale, and ftrongly marked by the hand of

nature.

The emperor was, it might be faid, legally armed at all points

upon this occafion. His affumption of being Heir-general to all the rights, titles, or demands, which ever had, or might have been afferted by the Spanish branch of the houfe of Auftria, as well as by his own immediate line, together with his acting as reprefentative for the people of the different diftricts, which he poffeffed under the various titles of duke, count, or lord, furnished him with a number of diftinct claims, which were the more inexhaustible, as no limitation of time, nor argument founded on prescription, was likely to operate against fo powerful a claimant. Articles of forage, which had been fupplied by fome diftricts in the fucceffion war, and the contributions which had been levied on others, were now brought forward as ftanding matters of account to be fettled and discharged; and, if we are not mistaken, the wars even of the preceding century afforded fome prefent fubjects of demand. But of all the claims now fet up, that upon the city and country of Maftricht feemed to be the best founded, and was by far the moft diftreffing to Holland.

At the fame time, the affairs of the republic were in fo unfortunate a fituation, that they scarcely could have failed, at any period of time, or under any circumstances of neighbourhood, to have drawn upon it unexpected claims and extraordinary demands. The termination of the war with England had only afforded a ceffation of immediate evil and danger to Holland; for the peace had neither reftored vigour or unanimity at home, nor reputation or importance abroad. On [G13

the

the contrary, their civil diffenfions were every day increafing in magnitude and virulence; fo that there fcarcely feemed a hope of any remedy, that would not at least prove as dangerous as the difeafe. The protection and apparent fervices which they had received from France during the war, had thrown into the hands of that power an evident preponderancy in all the affairs of the republic; and that influence being unceafingly, though covertly exerted, in fupport of the ald Loveftein, or republican faction, of which the French intereft in Holland, for the most part, and at moft times confifted, and whofe members were the hereditary enemies of the stadtholderian fyftem of government, as well as of the Orange family, it was now become fo ftrong, that no fufficient counterpoise remained in the ftate, to reftrain the excefs and violence incident to the predominance of political parties.

As a prelude and neceffary opening to the completion of their defigns in reducing the authority and abridging the prerogatives of the ftadtholder, this aristocratic party (which, independent of foreign fupport, and however controuled or apparently reduced at particular periods, ever retained no fmall degree of inherent power in the republic) had determined on the removal of the prince Lewis, duke of Brunfwick Wolfenbuttle, and field marthal of the Dutch forces, who having been the ftadtholder's guardian and reprefentative during his minority, had thereby long poffeffed the efficient powers of the ftate. The confideration that the eminent

pofts which he held were the re wards of long fervices and experienced ability, had little effect in controuling the animofity of his adverfaries; and though this prince had difcharged all the high trufts which had been repofed in him, in a manner which merited and had actually obtained the greatest public applaufe; yet, in feasons of jealousy and fufpicion, the difcontents that accummulated in the long poffeffion of power, and the heats of popular diffenfion, quite overbore all opinion of paff merits, and rendered fuperior capacity and ability rather objects of terror than of reverence or affection. The oppofite party had carried on a long war of public and private invective againft his conduct and designs, and did not fcruple openly to attribute to his counfels and influence with the ftadtholder, certain deep-laid and dangerous fchemes, which, as they afferted, were formed for the fubverfion of the constitution, and the establishment of a tyranny upon the ruins of the republic,

The duke had long endured, with admirable temper and magnanimity, a courfe of unceafing reproach and abufe; but finding that the prevalence of his enemies was becoming every day more decided, and that their inveteracy proceeded fo far as to hold him out to the public as the common enemy of the ftate and country, he thought it wife or neceffary to give way to the torrent, as a means of allaying the public fever, and reftoring tranquillity to the ftadtholder's government, whofe interests only connected him with the republic. The duke of Brunfwick accordingly wrote a

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