January 24. Lord Viscount Grantham announced to the Houfe, that Lord Vifc. Preliminary Articles of Peace were figned with France, and Grantham. also with Spain, and that thefe, as well as the Provifional Articles with America, would be laid on the table of the House in a few days. He could not pledge himself to a day; but he believed it would be on the Monday following. Adjourned to the 27th. January 27. Lord Viscount Grantham brought down and laid upon the table, the Preliminary Articles of Peace with France, the Preliminary Articles with Spain, and the Provifional Articles with America. Their titles were read by the clerk, and the noble Lord moved that they should lie on the table. Ordered. He then moved, that they should be printed for the use of the members. Ordered.* Adjourned, February 11, There was no public business till this day. The Lord The Lord Chancellor delivered the thanks of the Houfe to Lord Howe for the conduct of his fleet in the relief of Gib- Chancellor raltar. In doing this, the noble and learned Lord expatiated on the merits of the very great service rendered to this country in this important expedition, and on the gallantry of the action he had fought with the combined forces of the enemy, so fuperior as they were in number, and withal unwilling to engage. Lord Howe rofe in his feat on the Viscount's bench, and Lord Howe. faid, that he was truly fenfible of the great honour which the Houfe did him; and he was affured that the officers and feamen in the fleet under his command in that expedition, would think themselves highly honoured by the notice which the Houfe had taken of their conduct in the engagement; in which they had done their duty, and were prevented by circumftances from doing more. Earl Fitz. Earl Fitzwilliam then moved for an account of all the ships in commiffion, with the number of men borne and muftered william. * For a literal, and official copy of thefe Articles, vile Commons Debates, Vol. IX. page 165. Lord Vifc. Earl Fitzwilliam. Lord Grant ham. Earl of and also of all the fhips ready for fea, preparing, and those on the ftocks, and nearly ready on the 20th of January, 1783. The noble Earl faid this motion was neceffary, in order that they might enter fairly into the confideration of the articles of the peace, that the House should know what was the fituation of the country with refpect to naval force, when the Preliminaries of Peace were figned. Ordered. Lord Viscount Stormont moved for the ftate of the naval force on the 30th of March, 1782, when Lord Sandwich went out of office. Ordered.* Earl Fitzwilliam defired to know when the Preliminary Articles would be taken into confideration. Lord Grantham faid it was impoffible for him to name the particular day, because it muft depend on the ratification of the Preliminary Articles, but he imagined it would be in the beginning of the next week. Adjourned. February. 12. The House heard evidence on the Divorce, bill of John Williams, Efq. The criminal converfation of his wife, Elizabeth, with Captain Peyton, was indifputably proved; and two perfons were adduced to prove, that they had not cohabited together from the time mentioned in the bill, in order to baftardize a child already born, and another of which the lady was then enseint. Adjourned. February 17, PRELIMINARY ARTICLES OF PEACE. They were feverally read by the clerk at the table, on the motion of Lord Grantham; after which, The Earl of Pembroke rofe, to move an addrefs of thanks to Pembroke. his Majefty. He faid, that it would be the greateft prefumption in him to give any opinion in that House upon an object of fuch magnitude, as that of the Preliminary Articles of Peace, but he thought he could not err in propofing an addrefs of thanks to his Majefty, for having complied with the *For thefe Papers vide Commons Debates, Vol. IX. page 369. the universal wifh of his people in putting an end, and that' too without the mediation of any neutral power, to an unhappy and calamitous war, the continuation of which, muft, notwithstanding the admirable conduct and brilliant fuccefs of Lord Rodney, Lord Howe, and General Eliott, have terminated in irreparable ruin, and have made almoft any terms of peace acceptable. Without entering at all into the merits of the articles before them, and even fuppofing that there' might be fome difference of opinion about them, there was furely one thing in which they muft all agree, which was, to thank his Majefty for having laid the Articles agreed upon as preliminaries before the Houfe. There was also another thing about which he conceived they could not differ, namely, the neceffity for peace in general, and the advantage which it would bring to the country. Peace would relieve the kingdom from a load of taxes; revive the old, and open new channels of commerce; reftore harmony and mutual affection between the fubjects of Great Britain and the United States of America; and contribute to promote the happiness and eftablifhed tranquillity of Europe. He moved, "That an humble Addrefs be prefented to his Majefty, to return his Majefty the thanks of this Houfe for his gracious condefcenfion in ordering to be laid before us the Preliminary Articles of the different treaties which his Majefty hath concluded, and to affure his Majefty that we have confidered them with that attention which fo important a fubject requires. "To exprefs in the moft grateful manner to his Majefty our fatisfaction that his Majefty has, in confequence of the powers entrusted to him, laid the foundation by the Provifional Articles with the States of North America, for a Treaty of Peace, which, we truft, will infure perfect reconciliation. and friendship between both countries. "That, in this confidence, we prefume to exprefs to his Majefty our juft expectation that the feveral States of North America will carry into effectual and fatisfactory execution, thofe measures which the Congrefs is fo folemnly bound by the treaty, to recommend in favour of fuch perfons as have fuffered for the part which they have taken in the war, and that we confider thefe circumftances as the fureft indication of returning friendship; and to acknowledge to his Majefty our due fenfe of that wife and paternal regard for the happinefs of his fubjects, which induced his Majefty to relieve them from that burthenfome and expenfive war, by the Preliminary Marquis of liminary Articles of Peace, concluded between his Majesty and the Moft Chriftian and Catholic Kings. "To affure his Majefty that we fhall encourage and promote every exertion of his fubjects of Great Britain and Ireland, in the cultivation and improvement of those resources which muft tend to the certain augmentation of our public ftrength, and that with thefe views we fhall moft diligently turn our attention to the revision of all our commercial laws, and endeavour to frame them upon fuch liberal principles as may beft extend our trade and navigation, and proportionably encrease his Majefty's naval power, which can alone enfure the profperity of his kingdoms.' The Marquis of Carmarthen feconded this motion. The Carmarthen nation, he faid, wished for peace, and he congratulated them on its happy accomplishment. The confederacy that had been formed against England was diffolved. The nation was eafed of an intolerable and encreafing load of taxes. Trade would revive, and Great Britain, pursuing the plans of wifdom, moderation, and peace, would ftill be one of the firft powers of Europe. He enforced the propriety of agreeing to the motion, by defcribing the fituation in which this country food antecedent to the negociation for peace. His Lordship emphatically dwelt upon the bleffings that muft attend a ceffation of hoftilities, and the fad confequences that were naturally to be expected from a continuance of the war. The relative fituation of Great Britain and her enemy warranted the terms agreed to, and he thought them as much, in every extent of reasonable expectation, as could be demanded, or as would be granted. The Earl of The Earl of Carlisle faid, that whatever might be the proceeding of the day, whether it might end only in a denial of all approbation, or tend to a more ferious reprehension of Minifters for entering into terms which may not be deemed adequate to the fituation of the country, but derogatory to its honour and its intereft, it was neceffary on every account to establish this pofition, that the peace once concluded was inviolable. That it was a facred edifice, and, once confecrated, however hideous the architecture, and ignorant the architect, it was not to be caft down. The nation, continued his lordfhip, was tired of war, The object was gone for which we fought. Thirteen millions of added debt was to be put into the fcale, against any probable advantage which could attend the obftinate continu ance ance of it. Fortified and fecure in the popular fentiment, and borne along by the wishes of the public, the more rapidly (with the obfervance of certain duties) the Minifter drove the war to its termination, the more fecurely he rivetted his own political existence, and laid the ftrong foundation of fair fame and reputation to himself and his adminiftration. With a fleet of more than one hundred fail of the line; with an hundred and ten thousand feamen borne and muftered; without the difgrace of having a fingle fhip of our line in the poffeffion of the enemy; with the certainty, that if the expences for carrying on the war were unavoidable, a generous people would not refufe the fupply; with the knowledge that the finances of France were in much diforder, an equal averfion to the war exifting there alfo; (witness the several spirited memorials from the states of Britanny, and other places against it) that they were in great diftress for feamen for the fleet; Spain fruftrated in her great object, the fortress of Gibraltar, which engaged her in the war; a serious commotion in her American dominions, and like the reft of the belligerent powers, fatigued, exhausted, and diftreffed; Holland, next to ourfelves, the principal fufferer, trembling at her inteftine difturbances, and alarmed at the hints the is fuppofed to have received from Pruffia; the French flag flying at the Cape, ours upon the walls of Trincomale; not daring to come out with the fleet, though we had detached our whole force to the Mediterranean; and laftly, with the power which the Minifter knew he bad of giving fatisfaction to America: it is not prepofterous in argument to affert, that however confcious of the utility of peace, it was to be purfued with dignity, and obtained with honour and with juftice. By beginning with America, and by endeavouring to meet her with, I think we acted wifely and in conformity with the idea that it was proper to make the conceffion so often infifted upon, in order to lower the tone of another power, what was it natural to have faid to her? "You have carried your point. We withdraw our fleets and our armies. We keep no poffeffion ever claimed by the thirteen Provinces. Your independence is perfect. Beyond the common commercial ftipulation of mutual advantage and mutual benefit, we have nothing to urge but that in which our honour, our juftice, our humanity, our religion is concerned,-fafety and protection for those who have embarked fo deeply in our caufe. This must stand at the head of the treaty, this muft be |