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rant of the wants, the disorder, and the cure. Could the most inveterate enemy, faid they, have urged a better or ftronger reafon for the difmiffion of a minifter, than was included in that confeffion? Could any other evidence be fo unexceptionable, or efta blish fo full a conviction? Or, after fuch a confeffion, was it poffible for that houfe to hefitate a moment in voting for the removal of fuch a minifter?

After very long debates, in which an infinite quantity and variety of public matter was canvaffed, the queftion being put, at a late hour, the propofed amendment was rejected upon a divifion, by a majority of 233, to 134.

The addrefs was moved for in the House of Lords by the Earl of Chesterfield, and feconded by Lord Grantham, late ambaffador at the court of Madrid. The amendment was moved for, and fupported with great ability, by the Marquis of Rockingham; who, in a long fpeech, took a comprehenfive view of the general policy of the prefent reign, as well as of the particular circumftances and public tranfactions of the current year. The debate was fupported, on that fide, by the Dukes of of Richmond and Grafton, the Earls of Shelburne, Coventry, and Effingham, with the Lords Camden, and Lyttelton. On the other fide, the two great law lords in office, the two new secretaries of states, the noble earl juft placed at the head of the board of trade, and the marine minifter, bore the weight of the contest.

It will be eafily feen from a

view of the antagonists, that no advantage could be gained on either fide, from any defect of address or ability on the oppofite. The debates were accordingly exceedingly interefting, embraced a variety of fubjects of the greateft importance, and were carried on, without languor, through a length of time very unusual in that house. Among other matters, the affairs of Ireland were much agitated; and much unqualified cenfure paft upon that criminal neglect, as it was called, to which their prefent dangerous fituation was attributed. But no

On

part of our recent public conduct, underwent a more critical invef tigation, or was more feverely condemned, than what related to the difpofition and government of the army within the kingdom, and to the means of defence adopted, or fuppofed to be neglected, during the fummer. this ground, the charges were fo numerous, fo directly applied, and fupported with fuch ability and knowledge of the fubject, particularly by the Duke of Richmond, that the noble lord at the head of that department, notwithstanding his habitual coolness and command of temper, could not but feel fome embarrassment; and indeed it would have required fuch habits of argument, and fuch a portion of eloquence, as are not often acquired by, nor frequently the lot of military men, to have fuccefsfully refifted their effect, and entirely effaced the impreffion which they made.

As the charge of an undue fyftem of government, and the ftrictures upon the general policy of the prefent reign, were prin[D] 3

cipally

cipally made in that houfe, the matters arifing from thofe fubjects, were, of courfe, more particularly canvaffed there; and brought out much feverity and bitterness of reply. The lords in adminiftration, befides an abfolute contradiction or denial of every thing advanced on that ground, expreffed the utmost af tonishment, at the new and extraordinary language now held. They faid, that the propofed amendment, along with the comments and explanations by which it was attended, were replete with invective, and in reality a kind of libel upon government. That nothing could be more fallacious or invidious, than the contralt drawn, and the manner in which it was applied, between the degree of power, profperity, and pre-eminence, attributed to the nation at the time of his majefty's acceffion, and the misfortune or danger of the prefent period.

and living minifters, thofe now in oppofition, as well as thofe in office, muft all bear an equal fhare of the blame. There was fcarcely a lord, on the fame fide with the noble marquis who mored the amendment, who had not been a member of one adminiftration or other within that period, They had all a fhare in thofe public meafures, and in the fup. port of that fyftem, as it is affected to be called, which they now fo bitterly inveigh againft. Even the forbidden ground of America, which is execrated as the fource of all our evils and calamities, has been indifferently trodden by every administration fince the year 1763.

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The prefent minifters had neither paffed or repealed the ftamp act. They had not laid on thofe American duties, by which the feeds of the prefent rebellion were firft fowed. And, whatever the measures were, good or bad, wife It must indeed, they faid, be or unwife, which they purfued, acknowledged, however it might they only followed up the line, be regretted, that too many of which had already been chalked the unfortunate facts ftated on the out for them by their predecefother fide, were too well efta- fors. Why then, this fudden and blished to be controverted; but violent cry, of new counfels the deduction drawn from thefe and new counsellors?" Or what premises, that our public misfor- was meant by new counfels? It tunes were imputable to the pre- was evident from the fpeech befent minifters, did not by any fore them, that the object of the means follow. It would have prefent fyftem of government, was been more ingenuous to have at- to pursue the war with vigour and tributed thefe misfortunes, in a effect would the noble marquis very great degree, to our internal and his friends have that fyftem divifions, and to that incautious changed? Did they wish to have and violent language, which was it carried on with the reverse of too frequently held in parliament. vigour? Would they recommend But if they were imputable to to have it followed with weakness, the prefent adminiftration, they and conducted without fpirit? were equally fo to every other If not, what was the intent or during the prefent reign. Dead purpose of new counsels?

Τα

To this it was answered, that fuppofing the facts to be fairly ftated, (which was not, however, in any degree the cafe) it was a new and extraordinary mode of defence, to bring the errors, vices, or crimes of former minifters, whether dead or living, in exculpation of the erroneous conduct, and deftructive measures of the prefent. It must afford much fatisfaction to the public, and be a matter of great comfort in their prefent diftreffes, to be informed, that their minifters had only obftinately perfevered, in defpite of reason, warning, and experience, in following up, to the final extremity of ruin, to foreign and domeftic war, and to the diffevering of the empire, certain measures of abfurdity and evil, which had been either dreamed of in theory, or attempted in practice, by fome of their predeceffors. It was, indeed, rather unlucky, that it was only in fuch inftances, that they ever attempted to profit by example. Upon other occafions, the maxims and conduct of their predeceffors went for nothing. When it fuit. ed their own views, or the purpofes of the arbitrary fyftem under which they acted, they not only readily over-tepped all antient and established rules of go vernment, but they could, with as much eafe, make long ftrides beyond the limits of the conftitution itself. But they wholly denied the universality of the charge on all the minifters of this reign. Some of them had no fhare in thofe meafures, except in correcting the ill confequences of them; and none but the prefent

minifters perfevered in direct oppofition to all experience.

The late refignations and appointments afforded an opportunity to the oppofition for much animadverfion and fome fatire. They attributed the refignation of the lord prefident of the council, to his difdain of continuing any longer in office with men, who he found totally incapable of conducting the public bufinefs, and. of acting up to any fixed rule or principle of conduct. The recent bringing in of a noble lord, to a fhort epiftle of whole writing when formerly in office, they di rectly charged the loís of America, was feverely cenfured in both houses, as a measure which tended to tender all reconciliation with the colonies ftill more defperate.

But the fpirit of that fyftem, they faid, which had fo long governed, and fo long difgraced our public counfels, was peculiarly operative in the bufinefs of ap pointments. When the measures, which eventually led to the fofs of America, were firft planned under that fatal fyftem, it had been thought proper to create a new office, under the title of fe cretary of state for the colonies, in order to give a supposed degree of weight, and the greater eclat, to the intended proceedings. And now, in the fulness of the fame fpirit, and according to the true wisdom of that fyftem, when we have no colonies to take care of, and that America no longer forms a part of the British empire, it is thought neceffary to create or renew another high and expenfive office, by adding, to

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the

the fecretary of ftate for that department, a first lord of trade and plantations.

The defection of a young nobleman, who then poffeffed, and had for fome years held, a fine cure office of confiderable emolument and diftinction, and who had conftantly been one of the warmest and moft able advocates of adminiftration in that houfe, was not more a matter of obfervation or furprize, than the exceeding feverity of cenfure, and bitterness of language, which marked his expofure and condemnation of their conduct and meafures. Such a desertion, at fuch a period, and fo untoward a direction of abilities, of no ordinary form, might well have been confidered as ominous to administration, if the fudden death of this nobleman, which happened almot immediately after, had not put an end to all expectation and apprehenfion in that refpect.

The question being at length put, at half after one o'clock in the morning, the amendment was rejected, upon a divifion, by a majority of just two to one; the numbers being 82 to 41. The addrefs was then carried without a divifion.

The debate of this day in the Houfe of Commons, was diftin guished by a circumftance, at that time, rather unufual in parlia

The

ment. The reprefentation of fomething in the newss-papers, which had fallen from Mr. Charles Fox in his fpeech, and which was paffed over at the time without any particular notice, affording fome diffati faction to Mr. Adam, another member, he thought it neceffary to require of the former gentleman, a public difavowal and contradiction of it, through the fame vehicles of intelligence in which it had appeared. This requifition or demand, being deemed highly improper by Mr. Fox, he abfolutely refufed a conceffion, which he thought it would be inconfiftent with his character to make. confequence was, a meffage from Mr. Adam, and a duel with piftols in Hyde Park, in which Mr. Fox was wounded. The novelty of the affair would, in any cafe, have excited much curiofity; and this was not only greatly increased, but blended with fcarcely a lefs degree of anxiety, through the intereft which the public took in the life of that gentleman. At the fame time, that the affair being generally attributed, rather to the animofity or views of party, than to the oftenfible motives, fo it contributed, not a little, to spread and inflame that fpirit without doors, from which it was fuppofed to have originated within.

* For the particulars of this duel, fee the chronicle part of our laft volume, page 235.

СНАР.

CHA P. IV.

Vote of cenfure against minifters, relative to their conduct with respect to Ireland, moved by the Earl of Shelburne. Debates on the question. Part taken by the late lord prefident of the council. Motion rejected upon a divifion. Similar motion in the House of Commons by the Earl of Upper Offory. Defence of adminiftration. Animadverfion. Metion rejected upon a divifion. Motion by the Duke of Richmond, for an economical reform of the civil lift establishment. Motion, after confiderable debates, rejected upon a divifion! Minifter opens his propofitions, in the House of Commons, for affording relief to Ireland. Agreed to without oppofition. Two bills accordingly brought in, and paffed before the recess. Third bill to lie open till after the holidays. Earl of Shelburne's motion relative to the extraordinaries of the army; and introductory to a farther reform in the public expenditure. Motion rejected on a divifion. Notice given of a fecond intended motion, and the lords fummoned for the 8th of February. Letters of thanks from the city of London to the Duke of Richmond and to the Earl of Shelburne, for their attempts to introduce a reform in the public expenditure; and Similar letters fent to his royal highness the Duke of Cumberland, and to all the other lords who supported the two late motions. Mr. Burke gives notice of his plan of public reform and economy, which he propofes bringing forward after the recess.

S the affairs of Ireland held a A principal place in point of importance, fo they took the lead in the business of the preient feffion. The fubject was

Dec. 1ft. first brought forward in the House of Lords, where the Earl of Shelburne prefaced an intended and avowed vote of cenfure on miniters, by fhewing from the journals, that their addreis, which had been moved for by a noble marquis, and unanimoufly paffed on the 11th of May laft, had ftrongly recommended to his majesty's moft ferious confideration, the diftreffed and impoverished state of that loyal and well-deferving people; at the fame time requiring, that fuch documents, relative to the trade and manufactures of Great Britain and Ireland might be laid be

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