"It is with the fincereft gratitude we acknowledge the facrifice which your Majefty has been gracioufly and affectionately pleased to make to the wifhes and opinions of your people, fully convinced that your Majefty's own conduct has always been actuated by a fimilar difpofition; we acknowledge likewife your Majefty's conftant care and attention to the true interefts of your people, and the critical state of public affairs fince the laft feffion of Parliament, and in a particular manner for your Majefty having been graciously pleafed to direct your measures towards promoting a cordial reconciliation between Great Britain and America: "Permit us, Sir, to exprefs our great fatisfaction that your Majefty, in the exercife of the powers which were vefted in you, has laid the foundation of a peace with that country, and that you have actually agreed upon articles to take effect when the terms with the Court of France fhall be finally fettled, thereby affording to your people a reasonable expectation of being delivered from the burdens of a moft expenfive war; as well as to unite our hopes with your Ma jefty's, that religion, language, interefts, and affection may yet be the means of affecting a permanent union between the two countries; to obtain which purpofe, fo highly laudable, our moft earneft endeavours fhall not be wanting. "Your Majefty may be affured we are fenfible of the important advantages refulting from the fuccessful exertions of your Majefty's fleeets, owing to the skill and bravery of your officers, and thofe ferving under them, in protecting your diftant colonies and fettlements, as well as the great branches of our trade; and that we are imprefied with a due fenfe of what is owing to the fpirit and good conduct of your Majey's Governor and garrifon of Gibraltar. "We fet a juft value on the continuance of our domeftic tranquillity, and fhall always reflect with peculiar fatisfaction on the fignal inftances of public fpirit called forth by the occafion. "We learn with great joy that a confiderable progrefs is made in the negociations for a general peace, at a moment fo fuitable to your Majefty's dignity; and we cannot omit to acknowledge the paternal regard your Majefty has fhewn for the lives and fortunes of your brave and gallant subs jects. "We return your Majefty our hearty thanks for your gra cious promife, to communicate to us the terms with the fe veral belligerent powers as foon as they are concluded; and VOL. XI. D we we give your Majefty the ftrongeft affurances, that if any unforeseen change in the difpofitions of thofe powers fhould difappoint your Majefty's confident expectations of peace, we will moft chearfully exert our utmoft endeavours to affift your Majefty in a vigorous profecution of the war. "We will not onit, on our parts, to apply ourselves, with the moft unremitting attention, to the feveral important points which your Majefty has been pleased to mention, and to confider of the moft effectual means for remedying the evils which may be apprehended from the present scarcity of corn; and for preventing, as far as poffible, the crimes of theft and robbery, which have lately prevailed to a very alarming height. "We beg leave to exprefs our fatisfaction at the measures which have been adopted with respect to Ireland for fecuring its rights and commerce, which, we truft, will have the effect of ensuring that harmony which ought always to fubfift between the two kingdoms; and we do affure your Majefty we fhall be ready to direct our attention to a revifion of our whole trading fyftem, guided by the fame liberal principles which your Majefty has been graciously pleased to commend. "We are deeply impreffed with a fenfe of the important fabject which the ftate of our national concerns in the East Indies offers for our most serious deliberation; and your Majefty may be perfuaded we have a due impreffion of your royal goodness in thus extending your anxious regard to the good government of the diftant territories in Afia, and to the welfare and happiness of the people there: we will, in return, fhew ourselves zealous to answer your Majesty's gracious expectations, by affifting to frame fome fundamental laws which may make their connection with Great Britain a bleffing to India, and may give to other nations, in matters of foreign commerce, an entire confidence in the probity, juftice, and good order of the British government. "Allow us to exprefs, in the moft fervent and grateful manner, our warmeft gratitude for your Majefty's gracious affarances that you will make the general good, and the true fpirit of the conftitution, the invariable rule of your Majefty's conduct, and that you will, on all occafions, advance and reward merit in every profeffion. . "Your Majefty may rely with the utmoft confidence, that every measure will be adopted on our part, to fecure the full full advantages of a government conducted on fuch principles." His MAJESTY's ANSWER. "My Lords, "THIS very affectionate and loyal addrefs affords me the higheft fatisfaction. "Your approbation of the foundation I have laid for a peace between Great Britain and America, and of the meafures I have taken towards a general pacification, as well as the earneft zeal which you have so unanimoufly expreffed for carrying on the war with vigour, if the negociation should unexpectedly break off, must be attended with the best effects, both at home and abroad. "Your affectionate acknowledgment of my conftant difpofition to make my own conduct conformable to the wishes and opinions of my people, touches me moft fenfibly. "Upon that principle, I can never regret the facrifice I make of every confideration of my own. "I accept, with pleasure, your affurances of fupport to a government conducted on principles equally agreeable to my own honour, and the public good." Adjourned to the 13th. December 13. Earl Fitzwilliam gave rife to a converfation on the subject Earl Fitzof the difference which was evident in the language of Mi- william. nifters in the one houfe and the other, on the meaning of the Provifional Treaty with America. The noble Earl faid it was impoffible for any of their Lordships to have taken notice of the extreme difference that there was in the explanation which his Majefty's Minifters had given of the King's fpeech here, and in another place. It was impoffible to walk the streets without being told of the inconfiftency of Minifters. It was the fubject of all the news-papers, and the topic of general converfation. He begged leave to fay, that it excited in his mind apprehenfions of a very uneafy kind, and he had rifen to put a queftion to the noble Earl in the blue ribband, who would have the goodness, he trufted, to give him a clear and explicit anfwer. In this houfe the treaty was declared to be conditional, and revocable, and dependant D 2 dependant on the prefent negociation with France. In the other house it was declared to be abfolute and unconditional and dependent on no circumstance whatever. It was impoffible for their Lordships to reft contented under explanations fo inconfiftent and contradictory; it was fit that they fhould know clearly and diftinctly the fituation in which we stood; and therefore he hoped the noble Earl would have no objection to answering his question. He had written it down, in order to be more diftin&t in the matter, and it was as follows: Is it to be understood, that the independence of America is never again to become a fubject of doubt, difcuffion, or bargain; but is to take effect abfoutely, at any period, near or remote, whenever a treaty of peace is concluded with the Court of France, though the prefent treaty fhould entirely break off? Or, on the contrary, is the independence of America merely contingent; fo that if the particular treaty, now negociating with that Court, fhould not terminate in a peace, the offer is to be confidered as revoked, and the independence left to be determined by circumftances and the events of war ? Earl of The Earl of Shelburne faid, that there was a very fhort anShelburne. fwer to the queftion of the noble Earl; that in all the proceedings of Parliament, in all times, even in thofe of peace, there never was a precedent of any fuch queftion being put, and answered by a Minister. There was no man lefs ready to fly to the forms and orders of that Houfe for refuge against questions than himself; but nothing could be more unwife, and more unfafe, as well as more unparliamentary, than to enter into the difcuffion propofed by the noble Earl, and give any answer to his queftion, either one way or the other. He was bound, by his office, to keep the fecrets of the King, he was bound by his duty to his King and country, to keep them inviolably, and he would do fo with his life. The fecrets of the King, in the prefent circumftances of the empire, were of a nature fo important, that furely he would have the voice of the Houfe with him, when he faid, that to bring them at all into difcuffion, would be highly unjuftifiable. The fecrets of the King's prerogative were, of all others, the most facred, and the most particularly to be guarded. He declared that he would not only refift the question of the noble Earl, but, if the Houfe itfelf fhould in a regular manner call upon him, he would keep the King's fecret, nor fhould they conftrain him to difclofe it. A time would fpeedily come when the noble Earl would would have a right to call for the agreement which was concluded with the Americans; and his Majesty's ministers held themselves refponfible to their country for the articles which it contained. In the mean time he begged the Houfeto remember, that the thing was done, that the treaty was figned and fealed; and that, whether it was good or bad, the production of it on that table could not vary the measure, in order to make it what noble Lords might with it to be. He begged them at the fame time to remember, that that agreement with the Americans had been made in confequence of an act of the laft feffion, empowering his Majefty to conclude the differences between this country and America, fo anxious had Parliament been that there should be no obfeurity in the matter; and the King's minifters were anxious that peace fhould be suddenly restored to this country. Earl Fitzwilliam said, that nothing was more diftant from Earl Fitze his imagination, than the defire of embaraffing Minifters in william. the treaty now carrying on for a general peace. His intenrion was to remove embaraffinent, by the removal of ambiguity. The noble Earl talked with his ufual eloquence of the obligation he was under to keep the fecrets of his royal Mafter. God forbid that he fhould breathe a wifh that he fhould disclose the secrets of Government. He called for no fecrets. The King's fpeech told him all that he wished to learn, and an official letter, fent by Mr. Thomas Town[hend, one of his Majefty's principal Secretaries of State, to the Lord Mayor of London, and the Directors of all the great Companies, declared that a treaty was concluded with the United States of America." If then they were the "United States of America," we were to confider them as declared by his Majefty's Minifters Independent States. If they were not independent, they would not, as he conceived, be called the United States of America, fince they would only be British Colonies. So far did the letter of Mr. Secretary Townshend go; and the fpeech of the King delivered from the throne fpoke the fame language. It stated that his Majefty had, in compliance with the fenfe of Parliament, made them an offer of independence; and that Provifional Articles were figned, to be inferted in the treaty that should be made for peace with France ;- and it went on with these words: "In this feparation," &c. If then we were feparated, the queftion which had been fo long the subject of ftruggle and contention was over, and America was, to all intents and purposes, declared to be independent of the Crown |