bills, although the former fhewed a great fuperiority of ftrength, it was notwithstanding thought neceffary to give up for the prefent, moft of the advantages that were originally intended for that country. Some enlargement however was given to the linnen trade, particularly in the article of checks; and fome openings given in the African and Weft India trades which did not before exift. Thus the measure, at its final tranfit through parliament, might be rather confidered as an opening to future fervice, and an earneft of good intention, than as affording any immediate benefit, or even as holding out any future advantage, of any great importance to Ireland,

In confequence of a motion made by Sir William Meredith, feveral papers having been laid before the House, containing the intelligence received by government, of the equipment and failing of the Toulon fquadron, that gentleman opened the way for the motions which he intended 25th. to found upon the fubftance

of thofe papers, by fome very fevere reprehenfions of the conduct of administration in refpect to that bufinefs. He observed, that, amidst all the dangers that threatened the very being of this country, amidst the violent fhocks of commerce and of public credit, our Minifters alone, feemed careless, thoughtless, and totally regardlefs of what was past, prefent, or to come. They had not however, as ufual, been deficient in information upon this occafion. They had early and complete intelligence of the preparations at Toulon. On the 3d of January they had notice

of the equipment; on the 8th of February they had advice of the number of fhips that was to compofe the fquadron; and on the 28th of the fame month, that the crews were all completed. They had early information of Monf. D'Estaing's arrival, and of the day on which he intended to fail; and that he actually did fail upon the 13th of April. With all this timely intelligence, we are now arrived at the latter end of May, and our fleet is ftill lying at Spithead. Not a fingle ship is fent out, nor a fingle meafure taken, to guard us against this formidable

armament.

He faid, it was fo long ago as the 20th of Nov. that the firft Lord of the Admiralty informed the public, that there were 42 hips of the line fit for fervice, of which he faid 35 might put to fea at an hours warning, and the remaining feven would be ready in a fortnight. He faid, that it needed, not to be a statesman to know, that the first thing to be done under any apprehenfion of a foreign war, was to dispatch a fleet to the Mediterranean. This was no matter of theory or opinion, our conftant practice in all wars confirmed the neceffity of the measure. Indeed, to what other purpose were Gibral tar or Minorca conquered, or retained at the expence of fo many millions to the nation, but to afford a ftation to our fleets, and enable them to maintain the fovereignty of that fea, and to command its communication with the

months of January, February, March, and April, of the equipment, and, at length, of the final failing on the 13th of April, of the Toulon fleet.-The fecond, that it did not appear to the House, that any orders were fent until the 29th of April, for any fleet of obfervation, to attend the motions of that from Toulon; and that no fleet did actually fail, until the 20th of the prefent May, when eleven fail of the line left St. Helen's. The laft, taking for granted, that the reprefentation of the ftate of the navy made in the preceding month of November, was founded in fact, went upon that ground to a cenfure of the Minifters. It declared, that his Majesty's Ministers were inattentive to the public welfare and fafety, in not having ftationed a fleet in the Mediterranean, as had been the practice in former times, and on fimilar occasions; by which neglect, the advantages to be derived from the expenfive fortreffes at Gibraltar and Port Mahon have been loft; and the Toulon fleet has been left at liberty, for fix weeks paft, to proceed towards the attack of any of his Majefty's defenceless dominions abroad, and to form a junction with the fleets in any ports out of the Mediterranean, and thereby collect, a force from which Great Britain and Ireland might be expofed to the most imminent danger.

The motion was feconded by Sir George Yonge, and fupported by fome other gentlemen on the fame fide, who threw out the heaviest cenfures on that ftate of fupineness, and irrefolution, into which, they faid, the Minifters had been thrown by the apVOL. XXI.

pearance of that danger, into which they had wilfully, if not malicioufly, plunged the nation. Minifters, who bluftered and looked big whilft danger feemed at a diftance, and who then equally defpifed counfel and warning, now fhrink into nothing, and feem to lofe all the powers and faculties of men at its approach.

One gentleman afferted, that from his own knowledge of the French Ministers and counfels, and of the state and difpofition of parties at that court, he was to a certainty convinced, that with any moderate fhare of decifiveness or vigour in their conduct, and any rational fyftem to go upon, it was in three feveral inftances, in the power of our Minifters within a very few months, either to have deterred the French from entering into the American alliance, or to have obliged them to relinquish it, and to fue for a continuation of peace fince its conclufion. He ftated three measures, any of which, he faid, would have produced one or other of thefe effects. But, unfortunately for this country, he faid, our Minifters feemed to be as ignorant of the characters of the men they had to deal with, as they were blind to events.

A gentleman old in office, and who is fuppofed by many, to be frequently deeper in the fecret of affairs than the acting Minifters, moved the previous question upon the firft refolution. He faid, however true the facts were, that the enquiry was highly improper. That, he did not think the House of Commons an affembly calculated for the difcuffion of flate af fairs; it was the bufinefs of parliament to raise fupplies, not to [*N]

debate

debate on the measures of government. The one was the proper object of legislative, the other of executive power. If Minifters were criminal, they might be attacked at a proper time; not in the very midst of the operations which were the object of enquiry. The Roman fenate, indeed, difcuffed all political queftions; that body was compofed of men of honour and difcretion, who could keep their own fecrets. But the debates of parliament in England were publifhed in every news paper.

This question upon the competency of parliament, and limitation of the objects of its difcuffion and enquiry, rouzed all the activity of a gentleman, who, fince the rejection of his late motions on the state of the nation, had feemed rather difpofed to taciturnity. He combated the doctrine now advanced, (which he confidered as an infult to every individual, as well as to parliament at large,) with his ufual fpirit. Infifted, that it was the undoubted privilege of that Houfe, to enquire into, and to cenfure, the conduct of those who were entrufted with the executive power of the ftate. Laughed at the idea held out on the other fide, that the matter before them was a fit fub

ject for the deliberation of his Majefty's council, but not for the Houfe of Commons. Did he mean that the cabinet council was the proper body to cenfure the want of wisdom in his Majefty's counfels? Or was it fuppofed, that the fame council which had given fo many unhappy proofs of its total want of wisdom, fhould now correct its own errors, and be the avenger of its own offences.

He faid, that nothing could be fo injurious to the honour of parliament; nothing fo abhorrent from the ends and principles of their inftitution, as to suppose them incapable of deliberating, on those affairs of ftate, which they were immediately fummoned to vote and determine upon. To fpeak with freedom, was the effence of parliamentary functions; and its ex-. ercife became at present more particularly neceffary than at any other time, when, through the egregious folly, or the moft heinous treachery, in the King's Minifters, and notwithstanding the enormous fupplies granted by that Houfe, yet, not a fingle measure had been taken, to guard against the greatest danger that ever threatened this country. In fuch a fituation, when France was with great activity fending out fleets to reduce our remaining foreign poffeffions, and preparing for an immediate invafion of England or Ireland, whilst we were languifhing under the torpor of a fupine, fenfelefs, incapable government, it was the care, the vigilance, and the vigour of parliament only, that could afford even a hope of redeeming this country from destruction.

The Minister first entered into

a juftification of the gentleman who had moved the previous question, and a defence of his motion. This he founded on its expediency. It would be impoffible, he faid, for the fervants of the crown to defend their conduct, without their entering into fuch explanations, as the prudence of the Houfe muft inftantly put a stop to. With refpect to the danger apprehended from the Toulon fquadron, he

faid, it was utterly impoffible to guard all the different parts, of fo extenfive, and fo widely disjoined, an empire as this, from the furprize or attack of an enemy, on

fome one or other of its remote dependencies. But he could fay, that measures were taken as early as poffible; and that he made no doubt, a fleet fufficient to difappoint D'Estaing would be found, let his object be what it would. He then entered into a general vindication of his own conduct, which he faid, he would, at a,proper time, willingly fubmit to a public enquiry; but this was by no means the feafon for fuch a bufinefs. He faid the lofs or neglect of foreign alliances or connections, fo repeatedly urged on the other fide, were unjustly attributed to him; and after a pretty long difcuffion on the advantages, and difadvantages, of fuch connections, afferted, that though he had been frequently accufed of declaring the contrary, he never had been of opinion against them. But that they could not always be had merely because they were wanted. vereign ftates feek their own advantages; and when nothing reciprocal can be offered to them, no treaties of alliance can bind them, againft what they think their intereft. That fuch is, and has been for fome time paft, the pofition of Europe, that we had nothing to offer in return for any affiftance we might receive. He did not feem to think it any caufe of furprize, if France and Spain united, should form a greater naval force than that of this country. For if any great maritime country, he faid, applied its mind and its revenue to the building of fhips,

So

there was no doubt but it might build them. He concluded by declaring, that he knew of no fuch being as that called Prime Minifter; it was a name, and fignified an office, unknown to the conftitution. As first Lord of the Treafury, he would be anfwerable for thofe things that came within his department, but further he would not go; and he trusted he never would be fo prefumptuous, as to think himfelf capable of directing the departments of others.

The previous question was at length carried upon a divifion by a majority of 117 to 91. Sir William Meredith then moved his fecond refolution, in anfwer to which, the noble Lord at the head of affairs moved an adjournment; which, after many reflections on that mode of proceeding, was carried as the former question had been.

The arrival of General Burgoyne from America, with fome peculiar circumftances accompanying or confequent of that event, ferved, all together, to caufe a revival of the bufinefs relative to the northern expedition, and feemed to indicate fuch an acceffion of

Under thefe circumftances of difgrace and interdiction, a court of enquiry was appointed; but the general officers reported, that, in his then fituation, as a prifoner on parole to the Congress, under the convention-they could not take cognizance of his conduct. This fpirited officer then demanded a court martial-which on the fame grounds was refused. He then declared himself under a neceffity of throwing himself upon parliament, for a public enquiry into his conduct. The bufinefs was not, however, taken up, as he expected, by any fide of the Houfe at his first appearance. Poffibly the latenefs of the feason, and the fear of the determination of a ministerial majority, might deter the oppofition from any steps to that purpose. Mr. Vyner, however, removed any difficulty that occurred on either fide, by

May 26th. moving for a commit

tee of the whole Houfe, to confider of the state and condition of the army which furrendered themselves prifoners, on convention, at Saratoga, in America; and alfo by what means Lieutenant General Burgoyne, who commanded that army, and was included in that convention, was releafed, and is now in England.

The motion was feconded by Mr. Wilkes, and an amendment moved by Mr. Fox, for the infertion of the following words, immediately after the word "confider" " of the tranfactions of the northern army under Lieutenant General Burgoyne, and". The motion and amendment afforded that opportunity to the General which he was feeking for, of explaining the nature and 5

ftate of his fituation, and the particular circumftances of that perfe cution, as he termed it, under which, he defcribed himself, as moft injurioufly fuffering.

He accordingly vindicated his own conduct, and the honour of the brave army which he commanded, with great ability, in a long and eloquent fpeech. As the general difcuffion of the fubje&t was paffed over to the enfuing feffion, and will of courfe become an object of our future recital, we fhall for the prefent only take notice of fuch peculiar matter relative to the immediate bufinefs, as will ferve to explain the ground of debate, or as could not be related with propriety hereafter.

The General feconded the motion and the amendment, as tending to that general enquiry into his conduct, which could alone vindicate his character and honour, from the afperfions of minifterial writers, and all the other means which had been ufsed, as well during his abfence, as fince his arrival, to injure both. He entered into a juftification of his conduct with refpect to the cruelties charged to the favages, and a vindication of his regular forces, from the inhumanities attributed to them. He infifted that he had not exceeded his orders, and that they were pofitive and peremptory. That the Houfe had been defignedly mifled to his prejudice in the former enquiry upon this fubject,by laying before them his original plan for the Canada expedition, and leaving them in the opinion that all its parts had been punctually complied with; although the Minifter who laid it before them, knew the contrary to be the

fact,