Malmesbury were fuch as the minister would now gladly accept. He would then be fatisfied with the reftitution of Belgium; and the safety of England was sacrificed to the interest of the emperor. As to the second miffion, it would have been, in his opinion, an happy circumftance, if that noble lord had been empowered at the outset to make the offer of reftitution demanded by France. He conceived that the foreign territories poffeffed by Great Britain, previous to the war, fully fufficed for every purpose both of commerce and fecurity. At all events they were not of that value which would justify the hazard and loss which we must sustain by a farther profecution of the war." Mr. Edwards concluded his fpeech with lamenting the absence of Mr. Fox, and expreffing his fears left this diftinguifhed patriot had retired, oppreffed with prophetic anguish, and despairing, under the present fyftem, of the falvation of the country.

Mr. Wilberforce acknowledged himself "far from participating in the poignant grief expreffed for the absence of Mr. Fox, except indeed it could be proved that his prefence could extricate the country from the difficulties in which it was involved. Every body knew that the nation was in a critical fituation; and he should therefore, for himself, purfue a line of conduct the reverse of that adopted by Mr. Fox and his friends. He would punctually attend to the discharge of his duty, and, however discouraging the prospect, would exert his best abilities to perform it from an inward fenfe of right, not biaffed by motives of perfonal ambition." Paffing from this moft malignant infinuation to the motion before the houfe, he declared "the addrefs to be fuch as all defcriptions of gentlemen might confent to, who were fenfible of the bleffings of our constitution. Ministers were fincerely folicitous for the reftoration of peace, but were equally ready vigorously to profecute the war, if the ambition and obftinacy of the enemy reduced us to it. As Englishmen, we should feel

1

it our duty to ftand at our poft to the laft; nor imitate the example of those, who, under circumstances of difficulty and danger, would pufillanimously desert it."

Mr. Nichols asked how long the calamities of war were to be endured by the people of Great Britain, for the fake of fecuring the Cape and Ceylon to the Eaft-India Company? Whilft our ears were stunned with public rejoicings for victories which availed little, our finances required the most serious attention. From July 1796, to July 1797, an addition of 2,600,000l. appeared in the dividends of the three-per-cents. which was equal to an addition of eighty-feven millions and a half of capital. Ministers had long been tried, and tried to no purpofe; and we owed it as a duty to his majefty, to recommend to him a change of them." The address, after various other speeches, was carried without a divifion.

In the house of lords the marquis of Lanfdown distinguished himself by an able and animated speech, in which he entreated their lord fhips" to furrender up their prejudices, and confider the danger of their fituation. The reftoration of peace was abfolutely neceffary to the falvation of the country; and, if his majefty would deign to enquire into the most likely method of obtaining it, every honeft man would tell him it was by a change of minifters. May we not with reafon," argued his lordfhip, "fuppofe the Directory to fay, We have convinced the powers on the continent of Europe of the folly of the crufade they undertook against us. We have fent armies into the field, whofe victories have furpaffed thofe of ancient Rome. We are fecure in the enjoyment of our liberties, and have enlarged the limits of our territory. One obftinate nation only, under hot-headed councils, perfifts in its attack upon us, charging us with every species of atrocity, and denouncing us to the world as the authors of a war which has deluged Europe in blood. This power is at length brought to embarraffments which it can neither palliate nor conceal.

It stands on a tottering base, and is ready to fink under the violence of its own efforts. Shall we yield to this infulated foe, who, even in asking peace, means hoftility? Such, while the present ministers guide the councils of the country," said his lordship, " must be the feelings, and fuch the language, of the French government. When lord Malmefbury was first sent to Paris, a hostile treaty was negotiating with Ruffia. The fecond negotiation at Lifle was accompanied by that counter-revolutionary insurrection in the interior of France which produced the convulfion of the 4th of September, and in which they said they discovered the hand of the English minifter. The French government had openly afferted the fact: Did his majesty's late declaration difprove the charge? As to the terms of peace, his lordship faid that the Cape was an useless acquisition, and Trincomale not worth retaining at the price of farther slaughter. We . had gained the Eaft without it; and to continue the war another campaign for the fake of it would be to estimate its value at thirty millions. Let us," concluded his lordship, endeavour to regain the good opinion of Europe, which we have loft by our pride and rapacity; let us proclaim freedom to neutral nations; and, by thus recognifing the commercial liberty of the world, we should be the first to profit by it."

His lordship was fupported by the duke of Norfolk, who declared his great diffatisfaction with the terms of the addrefs, as he was far from being convinced" that every step had been taken on his majesty's part to accelerate peace," and no papers had been laid before them to justify fuch an affertion. His grace therefore moved an amendment, which was over-ruled; and the addrefs, as originally moved by the earl of Glafgow, paffed without a divifion.

On the 10th of November, the papers relative to the late negotiation being taken into confideration by the commons, and an addrefs of thanks and approbation moved, fir

John

John Sinclair observed," that the charges brought against the government of France in the prefent addrefs, and the late royal declaration, were not justified by the papers laid before the houfe. It was affirmed in the declaration, that the preliminary demands of France were frivolous and offenfive; but to this, on referring to the demands themselves, he could not accede. It was farther ftated, that it was not the wish of the French government to make peace; whereas the French plenipotentiaries had expreffed the wishes of the Directory in the strongest terms, and, as lord Malmesbury acknowledged, had exerted themselves ably to prove that the propofition which had given so much offence was by no means inconfiftent with their profeffions. France," he said, "was inveterate against us, because we fhewed ourselves inveterate against her; and the Directory might poffibly entertain a design to overturn our government, because we had endeavoured to overturn theirs. To prevent the perpetuation of these fentiments, he moved an amendment, expreffive of the refolution of that houfe to fupport his majefty in the war, to expunge the words denoting an inveterate animofity, and to declare that, whenever France was disposed to treat on reasonable terms, we would not refuse to negotiate."

The chancellor of the Exchequer expreffed his concern and disappointment that the opinion of the house should not, on this occafion, be unanimous, and pretended much furprise at the propofed amendment of the honorable ba

ronet.

"The continuance of the war," he faid, "was to be folely ascribed to the implacable animofity, to the infatiable ambition, to the unwarrantable pretenfions, of the prefent frantic government of France. To them, not to us, were the guilt and the responsibility of future extremities to be imputed. Minifters had exerted every effort to procure peace; and, from the commencement of the negotiation to its final rupture, the whole of the intermediate delay was owing to the evasive conduct of France. Sin

cerity of ministers," Mr. Pitt faid, " was fully proved by the conceffions which they had declared themselves willing to make, and the facrifices which they offered. For what were these facrifices made? For peace. To whom were these facrifices offered? To an enemy whose forces had never separately met the military strength without adding to our national glory and renown-An enemy, whose commerce was extinguished, whofe navy was annihilated, whofe financial distress, however palliated by their partizans here, was loudly proved in the groans, in the contentions of the councils, in the acts of directorial violence. On reviewing the ftate of the two countries, let the world judge the value of the conceffions on one part, and the force of the claim upon the other. Compare the mutual means of offence and refiftance,---the power of the French to take from us, and the ability of this country to retain,and, upon that comparison, decide whether the projet of his majesty did not manifest proofs of fincerity and moderation. But to this difplay of fincerity and moderation the arrogance and duplicity of the French afforded a complete contraft. Endless delays enfued; and they required that we, whom they had fummoned to treat for a definitive treaty, should stop and discuss preliminary points---infisting that his majesty should refign the title of King of France, a harmless feather, at least, which his ancestors had for centuries worn in their crowns." They demanded a restitution

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of the ships taken at Toulon, or a compenfation; and a renunciation of any mortgage which this country might poffefs for the loan to the emperor. The French plenipotentiaries were immediately informed, that this country preferred no fuch claim, and that the conceffion was needlefs.

"We

But, amidst the affemblage of diamonds, pearls, and rubies, which composed his majefty's crown, why should he be folicitous to retain a trumpery feather, a feather, too, which, however worthless, did not rightfully appertain to him; and which, as a cause of irritation, and a mark of infult, was by no means, what Mr. Pitt ftyled it," an harmlefs feather."