as the firft neceffary step, a truce; during the continuance of which, the enmity, occafioned by the vioJence of the conteft, might fubfide; and each party, being at leifure to confult their real interefts, might accede to terms of peace, which, having undergone a flow and temperate difcuffion, might prove more honourable and advantageous, as well as more likely to fecure a permanent union, than thofe refulting from fudden overtures, and fudden acquiefcence. He declared his intentions of bringing in a bill, with the permiffion of the houfe, for thefe purposes, and he fhould therefore move, that the prefent debate be adjourned, until Wednesday, the thirteenth of the enfuing month of March."

Several other members took a part in the debate, which again continued till near two o'clock, when, though the propofition of the Attorney was fuppofed to have brought over a few irrefolute votes to the fide of the minister, there appeared, for the adjournment, only 215; against it, 234; exclufive of the two tellers on each fide. The number of those who were prefent at the beginning of the debate, but had paired off in the courfe of the evening, were faid to have amounted to 14. The original queftion, and an addrefs to the king, formed upon the refolution, were then carried without a divifion, and the addrefs was ordered to be prefented by the whole house.

On the Monday following, his majefty's anfwer was reported to the houfe; in which he affures them, that in purfuance of their

advice, he fhould take fuch

meafures as fhould appear to "him to be moft conducive to the restoration of harmony, "between Great-Britain and the "revolted colonies; and that his "efforts fhould be directed, in the "moft effectual manner, against our European enemies, till fuch a peace could be obtained, as fhould confift with the intereft and permanent welfare of his "kingdoms."

r

The thanks of the house being unanimoufly voted to the king, for his gracious anfwer, General Conway rofe again, and, after exprefling his concern at having been reduced to the neceffity of trefpaffing fo frequently, of late, on the patience of the houfe, moved another refolution, to the following effect; that the house

would confider as enemies to his majefty, and the country, all thofe who fhould advife, or by any means attempt, the further profecution of offenfive "war, on the continent of North America, for the purpofe of reducing the revolted colonies to obedience by force."

..

The neceffity of this meafure, in order to fecure and render permanent to the nation, the beneficial confequences of their former refolution, had arifen, he faid, from two circumstances. The firft was, that minifters had declared, that though they thould think themfelves bound to comply with the fenfe of the majority of that houfe, yet they ftill retained their former fentiments, refpe&ting the want of wisdom and policy in the meafures recommended. The unwilling obedience of perfons, who could bring themfelves to act in direct oppofition to their

Own

own judgment, he thought could not be too ftrongly fecured. The anfwer they had advised his majefty to return to the addrefs of that houfe, was another circumftance, affording juft ground of jealoufy and distrust. In that anfwer, all reference to the profecution of offenfive war was cautiously avoided; the houfe was informed, in general terms, that he fhould take fuch measures, as might appear to him most conducive to the restoration of peace; but the houfe had no reason to fuppofe, but that a more vigorous profecution of the war might be deemed one of these conducive meafures. The motion, after a feeble oppofition from government, was at length fuffered to pafs, without a divifion.

Thefe refolutions were received by the public with general demonftrations of joy; in the midft of which, the rare fortune of the right honourable gentleman, who took the lead in this bufinefs, was much envied and admired, in having thus, a fecond time, given peace to America, and happily put a stop to the alarming progrefs of thofe dreadful calamities, which he had before, but unfortunately in vain, shewn the way to pre

vent.

Whilft thefe great March 6th. and important queftions were agitating in the Commons Houfe, the conduct of government, with refpect to the late campaign in North-America, underwent a ftrict and fevere fcrutiny, in a committee of the lords, After feveral intermediate debates, which chiefly turned on the propriety of producing certain papers and documents from the

public offices, the bufinefs was, at length, brought to a conclufion, on a motion by the Duke of Chandos, " that it was the opinion of "the committee, that the imme"diate caufe of the capture of the 66 army under Earl Cornwallis, in "Virginia, appeared to be the "want of a fufficient naval force, "to cover and protect the fame." This motion was negatived, by a majority of 72 to 37.

The manly and public-fpirited language held by the minifter in the debate of the 27th of February, had raifed a general expectation, that the loss of the question on that day, and the fubfequent measures of the 4th of March, would have been followed by his immediate refignation. It can fcarcely be doubted, from the daily mortifications to which his continuance in office expofed him, and the extreme improbability of his being able to regain the ground he had loft, but that this would have been the cafe, had he not been induced, by other caufes, to act contrary both to his principle and inclination. The crisis was doubtlefs, in the utmost degree, alarming to the court. Had a mere perfonal change of minifters been the point at iffue, it is probable, that little ceremony would have been ufed in gratifying the wishes of parliament. But it was well understood, that a complete revolution in the internal policy of government, would be the inevitable confequence of their removal; a revolution not lefs important in its effects, nor lefs dreaded by the court, than any other which the nation had before experienced.

It was therefore very generally fuppofed,

"That it appears to this "houfe, that Great-Britain is at "prefent engaged in an expen"five war with America, France,

fuppofed, that the noble lord at the head of the Treafury was prevailed on to continue in a fituation, that was neither honourable to himself, nor without injury to the country, till every means were tried, of averting what was con fidered as the most dreadful of evils. The obfcure language which he held, when preffed on that ground in the Houfe of · Commons, afforded a ftrong prefumption of the truth of this fuppofition. He declared, at different times, that he kept his poft from a principle of gratitude, and not from inclination; that he remained in his employment to prevent confufion; that he fhould quit it as foon as he could retire with honour; but that particular circumftances ftood in the way at prefent, which he could not farther explain. It was to no purpofe, that the indecency of his clinging to office, under the cir cumstances in which he then stood, and after the declaration he had himself made, was, day after day, urged by oppofition with an unufual degree of acrimony; he contented himself with retorting on his adverfaries their indecent impatience to get poffeffion of his employments; and with defending himself on the latter part of the charge, by faying, that though parliament had interfered by its advice, and had taken a ftronger measure, than he thought neceffary, for fecuring obedience to it, yet it did not appear, from any vote or refolution they had yet paffed, that the house had totally withdrawn its confidence from the prefent administration. To bring the matMarch 8th. ter to this iffue, the following refolutions were moved

I

66

Spain, and Holland, without a fingle ally.

"That it appears to this

houfe, that the chief cause of "all thefe misfortunes, has been. "the want of forefight and abi

lity in his majefty's minifters."

The debate, as far as related to the merits of the question, lay within a finall compafs. In fupport of the conclufion drawn in the laft refolution, (for the facts contained in the three first, were admitted on all fides) it was argued, in the first place, that a long and uninterrupted feries of misfortune and difgrace was in itfelf a fufficient proof of misconduct; and fecondly, that the separate measures of adminiftration were fo firongly marked with weaknefs and folly, as to carry their own condemnation on the face of them. On the other fide,

it was contended, that misfortune could not be allowed to infer mifconduct; and that even granting this, thofe who planned meafures were not folely refponfible for them. The fault might be in the execution; and therefore, it would ill become the justice of the houfe to proceed to a partial cenfure, without any previous hearing, or enquiry.

This ground, however, appeared fo weak, even to the friends of adminiftration, that it was almoft entirely deferted, except by the minifters themfelves, and the queftion was taken up with great art and ingenuity on other topics. It was faid, that the motion being intended to operate as a vote for the removal of the prefent miniftry, the houfe would do well, before it adopted fo ferious a meafure, to take a view of the principles and opinions of thofe, who most probably would be their fucceffors. It was asked, if the houfe was ready to vote the Independence of America? If it was prepared to new-model the conftitution; to alter the duration of parliaments, and the rights of élection? Would it be willing to give up its exclufive privilege of framing money-bills; or was it cutious to fee the effects of thefe latent powers, which a noble earl had, in the courfe of his reading, difcovered to exift in the House of Peers? Would it confent to a violation of the national faith with the crown, by adopting a cele. brated bill of reform in the civil lift expenditure?

It was then demanded, whether that harmony and concord fubfifted amongst the new candidates for power, the want of which had

been fo often and fo vehemently urged against the prefent adminitration? How would the inflexible fpirit of a noble earl, who had pledged his word in the other houfe, that he would under nơ circumstances confent to the independence of the colonies, be brought to bend to the opinion of those who feemed fo ready to acknowledge it? The fame noble perfon had declared, that he should always wish to fee the king his own minifter; a doctrine of no trifling political importance, and yet, which would found very heretical in the ears of moft of his friends, on the oppofite fide of the houfe. With respect to the different fects of political reformers, they were equally numerous; and more at variance with each other, than thofe of religion.

These topics were urged with great eloquence and ability; by Mr. Adam and the Lord Advocate of Scotland; the latter of whom called particularly on the member for Weftminfter to declare, whether, in cafe he fhould find himfelf, when minifter, in a minority, he would pay that deference to the opinion of the houfe, which he had fo loudly called for from the noble lord; or whether he would not appeal to his other parliament out of doors, and tell them they were betrayed by their reprefentatives. It nearly concerned the houfe, he faid, to have these various matters well and thoroughly understood, before they proceeded to difcharge the prefent minifters from their offices, and throw the whole government of the country into the hands of their opponents.

In defence of his principles and

conduct