Debates arifing on questions of fupply, previous to the recess. Augmentation of 14,000 men to the land fervice. Trial at Portsmouth. Ad. miral Keppel honourably acquitted. Receives the thanks of both Houses. Vice-Admiral of the blue refigns his employments, and vacates his feat in the House of Commons. Memorial, figned by twelve Admirals, prefented. Great difcontents in the navy. Refolution of cenfure moved by Mr. Fox, on the conduct of the admiralty. Motion, after long debates, rejected upon a divifion. Second motion, of a fimilar nature, by Mr. Fox, rejected upon a divifion. Two great naval commanders declare against acting under the prefent fyftem. Refignation of naval officers. Sir P. J. Clerke brings in a bill against the contractors; firft queftion carried upon a divifion; but the bill rejected upon another. Bill in favour of Diffenters brought in and paffed. Affairs of Ireland. Various attempts and proposals for affording commercial relief to that country, prove at length ineffectual. LTHOUGH the great queftions of fupply had been carried through by the minifters, previous to the recefs, without any marked oppofition, yet they were productive, as has been usually the cafe of late, of much difcuffion, enquiry, and obfervation, relative to the fpecific fervices to which they were to be applied, and the nature and amount of the refpective demands. The mode of conducting the war was a general ground of objection with the oppofition, who contended, that our force by fea and land fhould be directed against the foreign fettlements, or home poffeffions of our natural enemy, instead of being wafted and spent in fruitless and hopeless exertions on the continent of America. That party infifted much on what they confidered as the ruinous policy, of perfevering in the vain attempt of fubjugating America by force, fupported as it now was by a formidable and dangerous al liance, when we Our taught by a dear-bought experi- the the common enemy. And every year of its continuance went to eftablish the ruin of both countries; nor would it require a long fucceffion of fuch years to render our own deftruction inevitable, whatever might become of America. On the other hand, the minifters contended, that America was reduced to the lowest state of weaknefs; that her armies were anni hilated; that fhe had already contracted a debt of fifty millions in the profecution of the war; that her credit was so totally funk, that the Congrefs bills were fold for one fortieth of their nominal value; that her people were ftarving, and in want of all the neceffaries of life; and that in this ftate of distress, when they were enduring all the most preffing calamities of war, and every degree of domeftic mifery, when they were enduring the most intolerable political oppreffions, from the tyranny of their ufurped powers of government. That a very great majority of the people abominated the French alliance, and execrated the Congrefs on that account; that the latter had exceeded and abufed their powers in that inftance; and that the political and hoftile connection with France had not been conftitutionally ratified; that is, it had not yet received that fpecies of affent, which was fundamentally and effentially neceffary to contitute a real and binding compact on the people of America. They asked whether fuch a ftate of things, when oppofed by the bleflings of peace, and thefe accompanied with conftitutional freedom and fecurity, did not afford the most probable caules, and the best founded reasons for expecting that the colonies, either feparately or conjunctly, would co-operate in meafures for removing their public and private diftreffes; for getting rid of their oppreffions, and diffolving fuch a fyftem of ufurpation and tyranny? The probabilities were fo ftrong in our favour, they faid, as to amount to little less than actual proofs; and to ftop fhort, and flacken our exertions, at the very moment that fo fair a profpect was opened, would be fuch a degree of political abfurdity and madness as no people had ever before exhibited. As to withdrawing the troops, or changing the object and direction of the war, it would amount to no lefs, they faid, than a dereliction of America for ever. Nor would the evil be confined to the lofs or independence of the revolted colonies merely. Canada, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Rhode Island, New York, and the Floridas, muft follow of courfe. Our Weft India Islands could not ftay long behind, nor could they afford any benefit while they remained in our hands. And yet, dreadful as thefe confequences feem, even in idea, the abfolute lofs to ourselves would not be the worst part of the evil. But all thefe vaft acquifitions; these unequalled fources of naval dominion, wealth, and power, would be thrown into the balance against us. They would become additions to the power and strength of our natural and mortal enemy. The oppofition answered, that it was to prevent thofe fatal con. fequences, and to avoid that dreadful state of public affairs, now too faithfully described, that they had conftantly oppofed the measures which led to the lofs of America, and endeavoured at all times to heal the differences with our colonies. But the event, which they so much dreaded, and endeavoured to prevent, had already taken place. America was loft. It was to little purpose to wafte time in cavilling about the term inde. pendence, She was independent in fact, whether we allowed it or not; nor was it in our power to render her otherwife. Were we then to persevere to the laft in our folly, and, acting the part of a mad and defperate gamefter, to throw away the remainder of our fortune in a fit of vexation for the lofs of that which we had already fquandered? They faid, that the fame delufive picture of American affairs which was now prefented, had, with fome occafional alterations in the colouring, been exhibited at the opening of every feffion fince the beginning of the troubles. The object was, however, at all times the fame; it being merely intended to lead the nation, from year to year, ftill farther on in error and ruin. The Americans had been alternately reprefented as cowards, as beggars, as an undifciplined mob, as being not only without arms, and all military provifion, but being deftitute even of the common means of existence, and in that last state of wretchednefs, exceedingly well difpofed to cut each other's throats. And as if there were no bounds fuppofed to our credulity, nor limits intended to our wonder, they are reprefented as being in general loyal fubjects, and firmly attached to the government of this coun try; and we are informed, that the many are not only moft unac countably kept in bondage by the few, but that they are compelled to take arms in their hands, and, totally contrary to their inclination and will, to fight the battles of a vagrant Congrefs, and of a handful of factious leaders, whom they equally hate and defpife, against us, whom they regard and confider as their best friends. To these representations they oppofed a view of the prodigious force by fea and land, fupported at an expence of treasure unknown in any former warfare, which had been fo long and fo ineffectually employed for the reduction of fuch a country, defended by fuch wretched foldiers, and acting under such a feeble and odious government. A force and a treafure, they faid, which, under a wife and able direction, might have afpired, and not unfuccefsfully, to the fubverfion of fome one, among many, of the oldest and best eftablished ftates in the univerfe. And yet, thofe foldiers, and that government, have fuccefsfully refifted this mighty force by fea and land; and have, for a fucceffion of years, and through a variety of hard and bloody conflicts, baffled the utmoft efforts of one of the best provided, beft difciplined, and braveft armies that ever existed. The motion for an augmentation of 14,000 men to the land fervice, which was made by the fecretary at war on the 14th of December, although it was agreed to, yet brought out much of this fort of difcuffion. It also afforded an opportunity for a revival of thofe thofe complaints which had been before introduced upon other occafions, of the undue and glaring partiality, which, it was faid, had been difplayed in the railing of new regiments. The whole tide of favour and preferment, the oppofition contended, had been directed to a certain part of the united kingdom, and to a certain defcription of men, without regard to military rank or fervice, and to the prejudice of many of the braveft and moft diftinguished English officers. While, on the other hand, they faid that fome of our nobility; men of the first rank, fortune, family, and diftinction; men alfo high in military fervice and knowledge; who had offered to raife regiments at their own expence, for that public defence in which they were fo deeply interested, were not only rejected; but, in order to put a ftop to all fuch offers or applications, care was ftudioufly taken that the mode of rejection fhould amount to direct infult. During the recefs of parliament, and for fo long after as the occafion continued, the attention. of the nation was drawn, and the minds of the people agitated, in a degree which we have not before known, by the trial of Admiral Keppel; which commenced at Portsmouth on the 7th of January, 1779, and was not clofed until the 11th of the following February. In the mean time, the peculiar circumftances relative to that affair, the conduct of the admiralty, and the new doctrine (as it was charged to be) which they endeavoured to establish, that they held no difcretionary powers of acting in fuch cafes, ferved, all together, to open that general ground of discontent in the navy, which we have fince feen unhap pily fpread to fo fatal an extent, as to feclude feveral of our first and greateft officers from the fervice of their country, at the time of her greatest distress and most imminent peril. This naval difapprobation be gan early to appear, in a memorial to the King, figned by twelve admirals, including the oldeft or moft diftinguished officers then at home, with the revered name of Lord Hawke at the head of the lift, ftrongly condemning the conduct of the accufer through every part of the tranfaction, and being little lefs explicit with refpect to that of the admiralty, fo far, at leaft, as they thought it fitting to pronounce a direct opinion on a mere queftion of law; and alfo ftating to his Majefty, in ftrong colours, the prejudice and ruinous confequences which the establishment of the precedent and principle now introduced would inevitably bring upon all naval fervice and difcipline. On the mere point of difcretion, thefe naval commanders exprefs themselves in the following terms: we, who are not of the profeffion of the law, cannot pofitively affert whether the board of admiralty hath by law any fuch difcretion; but if we had "conceived that this board had no legal ufe of their reason in 66 66 we a point of fuch delicacy and "importance, we fhould have "known on what terms "ferved. But we never did ima"gine it poffible that we were to receive orders from, and be "accountable to, thofe who, by "law, "law, were reduced to become "paffive inftruments to the pof"fible malice, ignorance, or trea"fon, of any individual, who "might think fit to difarm his "Majefty's navy of its beft and highest officers. We conceive "it difrefpectful to the laws of "our country to fuppofe them ca"pable of fuch manifeft injuftice "and abfurdity."-The piece concludes in the following manner: "We therefore humbly reprefent, in behalf of public or « der, as well as of the difcipline "of the navy, to your Majefty, "the dangers of long concealed, "and afterwards precipitately a"dopted charges, and of all re"criminatory accufations of fub"ordinate officers against their "commanders in chief; and par"ticularly the mischief and fcan"dal of permitting men, who are "at once in high civil office, and "in fubordinate military com"mand, previous to their making "fuch accufations, to attempt to "corrupt the public judgment, "by the publication of libels on "their officers in a common newf paper, thereby exciting mutiny "in your Majesty's navy, as well "as prejudicing the minds of "those who are to try the merits "of the accufation against the said fuperior officer." This memorial was prefented in the closet to his Majefty, on the laft day but one of the old year, by the Duke of Bolton, who had de manded an audience for the purpose, and was himself one of the fubfcribers. It seemed ftrongly to mark the general diffatisfaction of the navy, that, at leaft, two thirds of the admirals who figned this piece were known not to be in any habits of connection, or communion of interefts, with the parties in oppofition; and that, on the contrary, several of them had at all times been confidered, from their fentiments, conduct, connections, or particular obligations, to be warmly attached to the present adminiftration. The trial at Portsmouth feemed not much lefs to affect the proceedings of parliament than it did the minds of the people at large. Nothing material was done, or even brought forward in either House during its continuance. The commons met on the 14th of January, and excepting the preparation of a new recruiting bill, (brought in by the fecretary at war) which went to the repeal, and was, perhaps, in fome refpects an improvement on the former, did little more than meet from day to day to adjourn. The lords met on the 20th of January, but no public bufinefs was brought forward until the middle of the enfuing month. Indeed, fome of the moft diftinguished names, and most active characters in both Houses, attended the trial, during the whole, or the greater part of the time that it lafted. The event, as well as the circumftances of the trial, are too well and too generally known to render our entering into any detail of the fubject neceffary. It will fuffice to obferve, that the court-martial, after a long fitting of thirty days upon actual bufinefs, and a patient hearing and investigation of the almost endless detail of evidence which it naturally afforded on both fides, at length acquitted the Admiral of every charge laid against him, in the fulleft, clear eft, |