Even at sea, where our fleets were triumphant, Mr. Fox remarked that, in the fecond year after France took part in the American war, the number of captures was 499. In the second year of this war the number was 860. All this demanded enquiry.

He then adverted to the condition of Ireland, the irritated ftate of which was to be afcribed, according to every appearance, to the misconduct of ministers. If the house refused to make any enquiry into these things, they would make themselves refponfible for all the calamities which might and probably would enfue. The policy of ministers in relation to Ireland had been marked with the fame ambiguity and inconsistency as their conduct towards France. He thought highly of the eloquence, and even of the talents, of the present minifter, as exerted in a particular line; but he was a minister of art and plausibility merely, not of discernment, not of candor, not of generosity--in rebus politicis, nihil fimplex, nihil apertum, nihil

honeftum'

Mr. Pitt, in reply, afked whether, at a period fo arduous and important, and so late in the feffion, it could be deemed expedient to commence fo extenfive an investigation? Every topic in the fpeech just spoken had been fully difcuffed and decided upon : fuch a committee as that required was, therefore, as unneceffary as improper; it could anfwer no poffible good purpose at the prefent moment: whenever a proper period arrived for investigating the conduct of the executive government, it would be found marked by moderation and forbearance. He pofitively disavowed the propofition that a nation, on entering into a war, was bound to state all its objects, and thus preclude itself from taking advantage of fortuitous circumstances as they might arife. Mr. Pitt concluded with moving the queftion of adjournment, which, after a debate of many hours, was carried by a majority of 219 to 63 voices. Upon this occafion, as on various others, it was remarked that a great proportion

N 2

proportion of the members prefent left the house without voting.

Lord Fitzwilliam, having now returned from Ireland, after a government of three months' duration only, appeared, on the 24th of April, in the house of peers, and in a manly and fpirited manner challenged minifters to a full investigation of the caufes of his removal. He said they had infinuated blame to him, and the gauntlet they had thus thrown down he willingly took up. A profound filence enfuing on the part of adminiftration, the duke of Norfolk gave notice of a motion to addrefs the king, that those parts of the correfpondence between lord Fitzwilliam and the miniftry which related to his lordship's recall from his government fhould be laid before the house. This was debated in a very full house on the 8th of May, the motion being fupported, exclufive of thofe lords who ufually acted in oppofition, by the duke of Leeds, the earl of Moira, and lord Fitzwilliam himself, who pofitively avowed that he went out exprefsly authorised to complete the measure of Catholic emancipation, and that no objections had been made to the fteps he had adopted for that purpose until he had proceeded to the difmiffion of certain perfons in office inimical to that meafure, and had taken other gentlemen obnoxious to minifters here into his favour and confidence. -Lord Grenville declined entering into a formal difcuffion of the fubject, being prevented, as he alleged, by reafens of fate which he could not properly explain. But he asked in what refpect the fituation of a lord-lieutenant differed from that of any other minifter of the crown, who might be removed at pleasure? and affirmed that the noble earl complained with an ill grace of being himfelf removed from office after he had exercised his authority in the removal of fo many others. His lordship faid he had seen the removal of many lord-lieutenants without a fingle complaint to parliament on the fubject; and to adopt a new courfe would

would be to change the conftitution.-After a long and vigorous debate the house divided: contents, 25; notcontents, 100.

A fimilar motion made by Mr. Jekyl in the house of commons, and feconded by Mr. Fox in a speech of great political comprehenfion and fagacity, was negatived by 188 to 49 voices.

The laft effort of the feffion to refcue the nation from the calamities of an unjust and unneceflary war was made by Mr. Wilberforce on the 27th of May. He began by stating the general expectation of pacification, and the fatisfaction which had arifen from it. Though he did not profefs to go the length of Vox populi vox Dei, he thought the univerfal wifh and defire of the people fhould only be fuperfeded by extraordinary circumstances. It was an important duty, in every war, to look out continually for every opening which might lead to a conclufion of it, to fee whether the original motives ftill fubfifted, and whether it was needful to purfue the path we were treading. From a full review of the ftate of our allies he was of opinion that very flender affiftance was to be expected from any of them; and the aspect of affairs in France afforded little encouragement obftinately to profecute the war against her. The infurrections in that country were quelled; fhe had made her peace with Ruffia and Tufcany; fhe had subdued Holland; and, notwithstanding the depreciation of her paper money, it did not appear that the operations of the French government were any-wife impeded; nor could he fee when the entire ruin of the French finances, fo much talked of and fo often foretold, was to take place. - Her armies exhibited no fymptoms of difcontent, or her rulers of apprehenfion. The fituation of Ireland, Mr. Wilberforce faid, was truly critical, and the continuance of the war was much more likely to diffufe French principles there than the termination of it. As to the fafety of Europe, did it belong to England to fight her battles almoft without affiftance?

affiftance? Europe was able to take care of itself, and feve ral of the confederate powers had already figned treaties with the French government; and the emperor himself, in his refcript to the diet, had very recently notified his willingness to enter into negotiation with France. The motion he meant to propofe merely prepared the way for treating, and, in words lefs ftrong than those used in the imperial refcript, declared, "That it is the opinion of the house that the present circumstances of France ought not to preclude the British government from entertaining propofals for a general pacification; and that it is for the intereft of Great Britain to make peace with France, if it can be fairly and honorably effected."

The motion was opposed by Mr. Windham, who avowed his opinion that peace, at the present moment, was neither safe nor honorable. It was evident that the exertions of the revolutionary government had relaxed, that its fortune had reached its height, and that it exhibited unequivocal fymptoms of decay. Nothing but fuch motions as the prefent could prevent a speedy termination of the conteft, and he contended that all France was rapidly adopting the fentiment of La Vendée. The motion was calculated to remove minifters from their fituations, while the profpect of ultimate fuccefs from a continuance of the war was infinitely more flattering than ever; it tended to promote difaffection at home, to ftrengthen the enemy ;— And faid, that the cry of peace proceeded from the Jacobine faction in this country, and that the fame fentiment was characteristic of the fame party all over Europe.* He con

cluded

Mr. Windham, being a profound metaphyfician and adept in logic, without doubt relied for the juftnefs of his conclufion on the following acute fyllogifm:

If there are perfons in England, and in the other European nations, who are advocates for peace, thofe perfons are Jacobins.

But there are perfons in this, and in all the countries of Christendom, who are the profeffed and zealous advocates for peace.

ERGO,

cluded with moving the order of the day.-Mr. Pitt corroborated the affertion of Mr. Windham, and affirmed, that, from the distractions which prevailed in France, and the discontents of the people, a new order of things might be expected to arife, more favorable to the fuccefs of the war than had hitherto appeared. The exertions of the country were, he said, manifeftly on the decline: the depressed ftate of the affignats, and the incredible expenditure, proved them in a state which might well be ftyled bankruptcy.— The motion of Mr. Wilberforce was fuperfeded by the order of the day, on a division of 211 to 88 voices: fo that the oppofition had evidently gained confiderable ground in the course of the setsion.---A similar motion by the earl of Lauderdale, in the upper houfe, was negatived by a great and overwhelming majority.

In the course of the preceding winter a treaty of marriage had been negotiated between the prince of Wales and the princess Caroline, daughter to the duke of Brunfwic. Early in the month of April the princess arrived in England, when the nuptials were celebrated with extraordinary magnificence. It was, however, well understood that the prince acceded to this alliance with much reluctance-his attachment to the accomplished Mrs. Fitzherbert, with whom the marriage ceremony, though invalid by law, had undoubtedly paffed, having fuffered no diminution. He was induced to this fatal compliance by two confiderations; first, the preffing inftances of the king to diffolve his connection with the lady who had fo long been in poffeffion no less of his esteem than his affection; and, fecondly, the promise pofitively made to him that immediate provifion fhould be made for the discharge of his debts, now increased to a vast amount.

ERGO, Those perfons are certainly Jacobins.

In

2. E. D.

Gratiano fpeaks an infinite deal of nothing, more than any man in all Venice.