ple, whom, in every other inflance, they had fo heavily burthened and oppreffed.

The noble marquis applied a fimilar train of reafoning to the fupport of this doctrine with refpect to the American meafures. He declared without referve, 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 perfuaded, 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 those 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 refift. ance, 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 those who fhould ftand forth the friends of their country, and of, as yet, its unrivalled conFitution.

How far, and whether at all, thefe political opinions may be tinged with, the colour of party, are questions on which we are not to form any public opinion; but the authority from which they proteed, and ftill more, the magnitude of the objects to which they relate, beflow on them an appearance of fo much importance, that we deemed it fitting, if not neceffary, to preferve them to the pub

lic; referring their validity to the explanations of time, and to the decifion of a more temperate feafon.

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 household, 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 fcheme of af fociation, and to the proposed 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 fuil 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 refloring energy and confidence to government. He declared, that he liked and applauded the principle of the petitions; they breathed the fame fpirit with the prefent motion. And he ftated the particulars of his conduct with respect to the York meeting.

He

He then faid, that he had a few days fince refigned a place, the holding of which he fhould ever efteem one of the greatest honours of his life. Why had he refigned it? Because his duty to his lovereign 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 series 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 deserved 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 abfent 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 advifed that measure: but let it come from whom it may, he defpifed 4

the mean refentment which gave it birth; he laughed at the folly, but he felt the injuftice and intended infult as he ought.

As fome paffages in this fpeech 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 ear! 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 still faid, that the best men, men of the highest profeffional merit, were either driven totally from the fervice by the noble minifter, or were deterred from accepting any command under his direction. Every man who accepted of a command, he faid, accepted it under the condi tions 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 person who had been em

ployed

ployed ftood almoft in the fame predicament; he believed other commanders declined the fervice, from their not deeming either their characters or perfons fafe in certain hands;-and that from what had already happened, he was entitled to fay, that no man of ability, or who regarded his honour, could prudently ferve in the navy under its prefent adminiftration.

After long, various, important, and very interefting debates, the queftion was at length put, upon a motion modified from the original to the following purport, To appoint a committee, confifting of lords poffeffing neither place nor penfion, to examine, without delay, into the public expenditure, and the mode of accounting for the fame. This motion was rejected upon a divifion, by a majority of 101 lords, including 20 proxies, to 55 lords, including only five proxies.

Great as this majority was, the oppofition fhewed fuch a ftrength upon this divifion, as they had not done for feveral years before; which, along with fome other concurrent circumstances, would have been confidered, in a season of less permanency than the prefent, as holding out alarming, if not ominous fymptoms.

The rejection of this motion, brought out (as had been predicted during the debate by a noble lord in administration) a proteft of no fmall length; and abundantly fraught with argumentative matter, relative to the public expenditure, which did not by

VOL. XXIII.

pect, however remote, of redrefs, lo it might be happily fubftituted for fome other propofed measures of reform, which would be exceedingly troublesome in their progrefs, and could not be finally difpofed of without much difficulty; nor probably without fome lofs to government, whether by abfolute conceffion, or by admitting fome new reftrictions and powers of controul, with refpect to the adminiftration of the public finance and expenditure. At any rate, the firft operation of the propofed measure would be to gain time, which, in the prefent circumftances, was every thing; the fervor of the people would thereby be allayed; and their views being drawn off to a diftant object, might be entirely worn away, and even the fubject for gotten, before the refult of the enquiry could be known. In the mean time, it could require no extraordinary fagacity, to modify the bufinefs in fuch a manner, as would effectually prevent its extending any farther than was wifhed and intended

The minifter accordingly applauded the propofal highly; and only wondered, that a measure of fuch obvious utility had not been thought of fooner; he confidered this as the most effential ground of reform that could be propofed, and expected that it would have been taken up before. For himfelf, he wished to hear the propofitions of gentlemen from every fide of the houfe; and he affured them, that no man in it would be more ready to adopt any plan that appeared calculated for the promotion of economy, and for reducing the public expence to

order and limit. He acknowledged, that the expenditure of the public money fhould be brought as much as poffible under check and controul; and that the prefent courfe of exchequer was inimical to a speedy and effectual controul; that fyftem was unequal to the prefent extent of business, and created delays and inconveniences, which tended to obftruct, inftead of expediting the national fervice. The people, he faid, ought to be fatisfied with refpect to the expenditure; it was their right; they expected it; and, for his own part, there was nothing he wished more, than that the utmost clearness and precifion fhould be found in the public acounts. He concluded by declaring, that he thought a commillion of accounts would afford the most eligible means of checking the public expence; that a committee, compofed of a fmall number of gentlemen, rendered permanent, and fitting through the year, would be capable of rendering folid fervice to the country; and that he wished to fee fo falutary, and indeed fo neceffary a meafure adopted.

The oppofition, on their fide, congratulated and applauded the minifter; but although they acknowledged the candour and fairnefs which he had fhewn in adopting the propofed idea, one gentleman of great difcernment obferved, that he could by no means go along with him in the opinion, that a better, or a more ready mode of accounting to that house for the expenditure of public monies, might not be devifed, and reduced to practice, than that of appointing commiflioners of ac[H] 2

counts.