all the corn which their agents im ported. Again adverting to his majefty's fpeech, Mr. Fox obferved, that when he had first mentioned negotiating with the French, it was faid, What, would you negotiate with men about to ftain their hands with the blood of their fovereign? Yet, if the prefent fpeech meant any thing, it meant that with these very men minifters would have no objection to treat, and even with Tallien, who had dipped his hands in royal blood. He ended by moving an amendment, which, after enumerating the circumftances of our difaftrous campaign, and flating, from experience, that the French were able to maintain the accustomed relations of peace and amity with other nations, prayed his majesty that fuch terms of peace fhould be offered to the French republic as fhould be confiftent with the honour of the crown, and with the fecurity and interefts of the people.

This amendment was confidered by the chancellor of the exchequer as merely the mockery of returning to a state of fecurity and peace, He vindicated the first propofition contained in his majefty's fpeech. The period comprifed in this propofition contained, he faid, the fpace between the opening of the latt feffion of parliament and the prefent moment; and he expressed his fatisfaction in the prefent state of fecurity compared to that ten months ago. His grounds of fatisfaction were, he said, that, allowing for the victories and advantages obtained by the enemy, and for all the calamities which had befallen this country or our allies, the houfe, from looking at the prefent principles of the war, muft obferve the grounds of his fatisfaction, and the state of our improvement!! They could

not but perceive the enemy's reduced means of profecuting the war. They were now in a fitu ation to afford us fair prospects of their being foon perhaps more capable of giving reasonable security of engagements of peace. They felt a greater neceffity for peace, and were more difpofed to it. Their reduced means were demonftrable: at the commencement of the laft feffion the value of affignats was from 20 to 25 per cent. they were now only one and a half per cent. they were at prefent only one fixteenth of their value ten months ago. The prodigality of their fyftem forced into circulation between 6 and 7 milliards, which was equal to 280 millions fterling; this was three or four times more than the amount of all the money in France in its richest ftate, and which its commerce wanted for its circulating medium. The French had, he faid, now affignats in circulation to the amount of 720 millions fterling, and the number was till increafing; they had therefore to face another campaign under thefe circumstances; and, were the other powers of Europe to put them to the hard neceffity of trying the experiment, he believed that the prodigal refources of their system could not be fupported without the restoration of the fyftem of terror. Mr. Pitt allowed the advantages derived by the enemy from the equivocal conduct of Pruffia, and the difbanding of the armies withdrawn from Spain. But it was to be ob ferved, that, for every pound fterling formerly paid to each man in fuch an army, fixteen pounds fterling must be given at the beginning of the prefent year. After urging a variety of arguments to prove the ruinous fituation of their refources, Mr. Pitt obferved that thefe re

fources

fources might laft a longer or a fhorter time before they produced their final effect; but they had in them the feeds of decay, and the inevitable cause of a violent diffolution. The remedies propofed in France for this evil were not lefs ruinous; and the loffes they fuftain ed in commerce and manufactures were enormous. He admitted the fucceffes of the French on the Rhine, the calamitous fate of the expedition to Quiberon, and that the enemy had been only kept on the defenfive on the fide of Italy; but ftill the internal fituation of France was most wretched and deplorable. On the mischiefs of paper currency he again expatiated if the affignats were taken out of circulation, the French could not command the labour of their own fubjects either for civil or military operations. To many perfons employed by the state, they had been obliged to allot a number of neceffary articles in kind. They had alfo been compelled to add one feventh in money to the daily pay of the foldiers, who thus received ten times the amount of their pay in affignats. When he confidered their total inability to carry on the war for another campaign, he could not doubt but the fituation of things was materially improved!!!

There were, Mr. Pitt faid, many circumstances in the prefent fituation of France favourable to a difpofition to treat for peace, though it was a queftion whether they were fufficient to make it advifable or practicable to treat. The prefent government of France was praifed very highly by him, compared with the preceding forms; but he ftill queftioned the ability of the French to carry it into execution. "That conftitution," faid Mr. Pitt, " in the form in which it has been decreed, 7

.

may have been examined, and may have been put in activity with fuch acquiefcence of the nation, as to enable their reprefentatives to fpeak on behalf of the people of France; and I have no difficulty in faying, if that event fhould have taken place, from that time all objections to the form of that government, and to the principles of that government, all objections to them, as obftacles to negotiation, will be at an end. I will alfo ftate, with the fame frankness, that, should that be the termination, whether it will then lead to the iffue of competent fecurity, and a reasonable fatisfaction to this country, muft depend on the terms. If, under those circumftances, by any precipitate and premature defire for peace, from any difpofition to under-rate our real ftrength, or any want of fortitude to bear what I admit to be real difficulties, if we fhould overlook the ten thousand times more complicated diftrefs of the enemy, and put an end to the advantages they give us for obtaining peace on juft and fuitable terms, that would in my opinion be the most fatal event that could poflibly happen."

Mr. Pitt proceeded to mention his regret, that, in confequence of the desertion of the allies, the iffue of the conteft would be much less fatisfactory than it would have been. Comparing the fituation of the people of this country with that of France, he enlarged upon the variety of advantages they enjoyed. He accufed the French of having failed in maintaining their neutrality in America, where fome fubjects of France had endeavoured to excite a confpiracy, and had interpofed also with the republic of Geneva. Did it, he asked, follow, because the French did not attack the king of

Pruflia

Pruffia when they were warmly engaged against their other enemies, that they would have paid the fame attention to a general peace? they would then indulge thofe paffions of refentment, ambition, or caprice, to which a military republic might be fuppofed to be liable. The two countries of Great Britain and Hanever could not purfue the fame line of policy, from their different Stuation. He denied that he had made war upon private opinions for the purpose of extirpating them. The French contended that they alone had the only lawful government: if we had fubdued the malignity of that opinion, we had vindicated ourselves and Europe from the greatest dangers. In the divifion of the houfe, there appeared for the address, 240, for the amendment, 59:

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the earliest opportunity of pledging himfelf to make peace as foon as a fettled government fhould afford a fair profpect of a safe and onourable peace. His lordship pointed out the evils attendant upon a temporary and "patched up" peace, and thought it certain that it could not be for the interest of any defcription of men to profecute the war a moment longer than the neceffity of the cafe indispenfably called for; leaft of all could it be for the intereft of minifters. As, however, the profecution of the war could not be at prefent difpenfed with, he thought the interefts of this country peculiarly required it in the Weft Indies. His lordship enforced the neceffity of making reprifals upon the Dutch, and thought the treaty with America ought to give peculiar fatisfaction.

The addrefs in the house of lords was moved on the 30th, by lord Mount Edgecumbe, who expatiated upon the improvements in our fituation announced in his majefty's fpeech. The fuperiority of our navy was fuch, he obferved, that even the acceffion of Holland would not enable the French to act against us. They had been fo much checked on the Rhine, and in Italy, that little was to be apprehended there; and the lofs of their commerce and credit, with the depreciation of their affignats, made up fuch a fum of distress, that they could not much longer continue the conteft. The addrefs, which, as ufual, was an echo of the fpeech, was feconded by lord Walfingham, who, among other topics, obferved that his majefty, "inftead of availing himself of the very depreffed ftate of the enemy to carry on the war upon a fpirit of national vengeance!" with infinite mercy and Condefcenfion to the French, took

The duke of Bedford thought, when an addrefs was propofed to be carried to the throne, that it was confiftent with the dignity of parliament to adopt a language of its own rather than that of the minifter. He fhould therefore recommend language very different from that of the addrefs propofed. The inability of the French to continue the contest had been the conftant theme of minifters from the commencement of the war; and the ingenuity of adminiftration in contriving excufes for carrying it on, was admirable. Years ago, their lordships had been told that the French could not hold out three months longer: but practice, oppofed to theory, had proved, that, in proportion as minifters had affected to depreciate their refources, their vigour had increased. The improvements, faid by minifters in the fpeech to have taken place fince the last year, he fpoke of as a grofs and palpable mifreprefentation. He

did not expect to hear it stated as a matter of triumph on our part, that the French had not been able to over-run Italy. If this was triumph, he fhould foon expect to hear it was a matter of fatisfaction that we ftill exifted as a nation. We were told that the advantages obtained by the enemy were far from compenfating the calamities of war. This was true; for victory after victory, without one defeat, could not do this: but if this was the cafe with the victorious party, what was our condition, without victory, with many defeats and loffes, and the desertion of our allies? If, as we were told, the French people wifhed for peace, of which he had no doubt, what must be the wifh of the people here in their prefent fuffering fituation? His grace faid, he had expected fome hopes to have been held out, when we were told that France was come to a crifis that would produce important events to Europe. Did minifters mean to infinuate that the prefent government of France was not such as was capable of keeping the faith of treaties? At this time, they dared not attempt fo grofs a delufion on the understandings of their lordhips. There never, indeed, was any thing folid in the objection to their ability to preferve the faith of treaties and neutralities, as was evident from repeated inftances. His grace noticed the calamities already confequent upon the war, and the difafters of the laft campaign. In the expedition to the coaft of France, befides the facrifice of many brave and illuftrious men, who had often protefted against the project, but who had no alternative, large quantities of ammunition and ftores were wafted at a time when our poor were either ftarving or depending on the precarious bounty

of the rich. dies, he thought none would fay we ftood upon a better footing than at the beginning of the war. What our loffes in men there were, he was afraid to calculate. All these calamities, together with the dreadful evil of fcarcity, his grace imputed, with many others, to the corruption and wickednefs of adminiftration, but, in the opinion of all, to their weakness; and he exhorted parliament to tell the truth to their fovereign, who, was he once made acquainted with the wretchedness 'of his people, had too much goodnefs not to be struck with their fufferings, and to take the only step by which they can be effectually relieved, -to give them peace. He concluded by moving, to entreat his majefty to review the state of affairs for the laft three years, the defertion of the allies, the pillage or infecurity of the Weft Indies, the difgraceful or abortive expeditions to

In the Weft In

France, and the unparalleled expenditure of blood and treasure ;that therefore the houfe entreated his majefty not to act on the opi nion that the French could not preferve the relations of peace and amity, but that his majefty would take immediate and decifive meafures for a negotiation for peace, without adverting to the government of France; and adding, that if the prefent government of France fhould refufe to treat, that house would perfevere in a vigorous profecution of the war.

Lord Grenville contended that the circumftances particularized in his majesty's fpeech were real and folid improvements in the fituation of this country! In addition to the checks received by the French on the fide of Italy and on the Rhine, our naval fuperiority had been more decidedly established fince the last

year

The bad fuccefs of that expedition was, he contended, folely to be afcribed to the treachery of emigrant corps, which could not have been forefeen.

year than at any former period of our hiftory. His lordship ably entered into the hiftory of paper currency and affignats, to prove the impoffibility of the French continuing their exertions, and cited the opinion of general Montefquieu, who, in a memorial on the fubject, had enforced the neceffity of withdraw ing a great part from circulation, and out of 13 milliards leaving only 3; but fince that time the circulation had been increased. Every writer on the fubject of paper currency was, he faid, agreed, that fuch an enormous mafs, fo little proportioned to any folid capital, muft at length accomplish the utter ruin of a ftate. By the exertions we had made, and by the diftreffes we had caufed to be felt, the defire of peace had become general in France. The new conftitution there was, his lordship faid, a miferable and imperfect copy of ours; but with all its defects, it was valuable acquifition to this country, as it might day the foundation of peace. His lordfhip vindicated the speech of his majefty for expreffing no determination to treat upon terms fhort of those which the country had a right to expect. He confidered the advice which the duke wifhed to prefent to his majesty as highly impolitic and extraordinary in the untried fituation of the French go. vernment, and as juftified by no diftrefs, no preffure, no exigency. His lordship afferted, the fcarcity was in no refpect owing to the war: much of it was, he faid, owing to the prefent unproductive tuation of the Netherlands. The difafter at Quiberon had not occa fioned it, as the grain which fell into the hands of the enemy confifted chiefly of the cargoes of fome of the American fhips which had been feized in their way to France. 1796.

The marquis of Lanfdowne pointedly ridiculed the fatisfaction. enjoyed by minifters, on finding that the prophecies he had formerly uttered in that house, on the conduct of our worthy allies, had been but half as bad in the accomplishment as they were predicted. After enumerating the victories of the French, and detailing the defertion of the allies, he wished to be informed, how many years of fuch improvement the nation would be able to bear? Judging of the future by the paft, he had but little confidence in minifters; but if their boafts of our improvement and temporary fuccefs were founded, this was, above all others, the most favourable feafon for negotiation. The empire could only be faved by peace; and it was of the utmost importance to preferve it entire. The old ftory of the French finances had again, he faid, been brought forward: he wished fome attention to be paid to the finances of this country. If thofe of France were not unlimited, the finances of Great Britain were not without bounds. His lordfhip wifhed to know if the taxes of this year had proved productive. If they failed, all was over. Few people only could bear taxes to a certain extent: a few more would weigh down the fcale. As to the Weft-India expedition, there was little chance of making an impreffion on St. Domingo; and of this lord Chatham was fo fenfible, that in his seven years' war he never would attempt it. The armament was, he understood, the worst arranged and equipped that had ever gone

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