enough, to counteract fuch as were firm and decifive; and he could not help obferving and lamenting, that a greater curfe could not befal a country, than fluctuating and divided councils. Divided as we were in Cabinet, and Parliament, it was natural to expect that we muft feel the fatal effects of fuch divifions, in the field, and every intermediate step that led to it.

General Conway faid, that administration had not only gone Gen. Cenfar enough, but beyond far enough; they had not only been way. decifive, but he feared much too decifive. It was impoffible for them, in his opinion, to be more obftinate and unrelenting than they had already proved themselves to be; or to refort to harfher means than they had all along steadily pursued. The whole train of meafures, from the commencement, was a fucceffion of acts, all feeming to tend to one favourite object, that of driving America to defpair; and from acts committed under the force of that defpair, to gradually compel them from dutiful remonftrance to factious and feditious refolves, from these to the cruel neceffity of taking up arms to defend their natural, chartered, and constitutional rights, and at length, in the height of political rage and defperation, to throw off and diffolve all bands of legal government, by leaving them no other alternative but rank flavery or independency. Thofe means of recovering America having hitherto proved unsuccessful, he was aftonished that we still continued to adhere to them. He affirmed, that we were now, and he would venture to do fo from the best authority, no nearer making a conqueft of America, than we were twelve months ago; and that, probably, if we perfifted another year, in the fame fyftem of politics, France, when fhe found this country fufficiently weakened and exhaufted, both in men and money, would take an occafion to break with us, and we should probably, in fuch an event, find ourselves engaged in a war with the united powers of France, Spain, Naples, Sardinia, and the emperor, without a fingle ally strong enough to counterbalance fuch a junction of all the great powers of the fouthern part of Europe. He could not fit down, he said, without obferving, that after all which minifters had promifed, nothing yet had been performed, in refpect of the terms we were willing to grant to the colonies: how, then, was it poffible to effect that favourite meafure, of dividing and commanding? America muft unconditionally fubmit, or agree to terms; no terms having been offered on our part; the alternative was evidently, fimple defpotifm or fimple conVOL. VI.

M

queft.

Mr. Adam.

M.. Dun

ning.

Mr. Solicitor
General.

queft. It was therefore abfurd to talk of dividing the congrefs, or feparating the people from the congrefs, because by the prefent conduct of administration, they did not permit a fecond party to fubfift in America. His opinion, he affured the House was neither founded in a mere spirit of opposition, or any other improper or interefted motives. He was fure it was pure; he was certain it was uniform; and he had great reafon to dread, that the final event of the prefent cruel and unnatural civil war, would prove that his fears and predictions were too well-founded.

Mr. Adam, to explain the words far enough. He faid, he did not mean to use that phrafe in the loofe, undefined manner, it had been conftrued by the honourable gentleman who fpoke laft. He meant fubftantially to fay, that the measures now purfuing by government would have been more efficacious, in all probability, had they been taken up earlier; and when they were taken up, had they been carried into execution with more fpirit and alacrity. No man was farther from approving of fanguinary measures than he; and he always thought that the fureft means in fuch cafes, of preventing the effufion of blood, and all the dire calamities of a civil war, was by adopting vigorous measures in time, and executing them feasonably.

Mr. Dunning to explain. He was glad to learn, that administration had in fome measure, deferted the bill; he hoped they would defert the amendment too. However, divided as they were, if they should infift on both this night, it would produce a phænomenon in politics, a deferted bill, and a divided miniftry, carrying a queftion on which fcarcely two of them were agreed in, and which almost every individual of them had virtually deferted.

Mr. Solicitor General made feveral obfervations on the intelligence given by his honourable friend [Mr. Fox.] He faid, the information given by that gentleman, and every argument drawn from it, furnifhed fo many ftronger motives, in his opinion, for agreeing with the bill, and rejecting both the claufe and amendment: he had told the Houfe (and who could doubt fo good an authority?) that two of the members of the congrefs were at Paris, and that they were received in a public character, in the light of envoys, or minifters, armed with full powers from an independent ftate, treating upon preliminaries for a permanent and folemn communication, and guarantee of their respective interests. He was witty on his old colleague,

and

and was extremely liberal of the words rebellious, treafonable, rebel congrefs, on fallen America, &c. He faid, he did not fee any neceffity for either the clause or amendment, yet he should not be againft, nay he had no objection to it, if its friends had been contented with carrying it early in the day; but as the gentlemen who moved and fupported it, had been indulged with an acquiefcence on the part of administration, and ftill continued to debate the principle of the bill, he fhould now moft certainly vote against it.

Mr. Fox faid, he admired the candour and condefcenfion of Mr. Fox. his learned friend, in granting the favour of permitting the clause to make part of the bill, if the terms in which the favour had been asked had been accompanied with that degree of gratitude and fubmiffion the granting fo high a boon deserved; if the debate had not been prolonged to this late hour, when it might be fuppofed the learned gentleman's prefence might be more useful, and more eagerly fought. Yet, upon confideration, nice as the learned gentleman's feelings were, cager as he was to get out of the crowd, careless as he was of his duty in that house, and indifferent as he feemed to the confequences of the bill; in either or any event, he imagined his resentments against conquered America, his native hatred of rebellion, his zeal for government, and his perfonal loyalty to the family on the throne, might have been in fome degree gratified, without pushing this bill to the extent he feemed to defire. ---It might allay the learned gentleman's thirst for public chaftifement, and exemplary punishment, when he could fatisfy himself with the pleafing reflection that seven rebels were fhoved into a room at New York, and there burnt to death; or if that was not fufficient, another gentleman, ftill, if poffible, more zealous and loyal, [Mr. Adam] might feaft himself with contemplating the glorious deed daily and hourly achieved in our fouthern colonies and back fettlements, where the favages come down in great numbers (if the accounts received by adminiftration themselves from that country are to be depended on) and maffacred the innocent fettlers in cold blood; and the flaves were meritorioufly employed in the murder of their unprepared, unfufpicious mafters, through the encouragement of an adminiftration which had been this day fo unjuftly arraigned, as fluggish and inert, as wanting fpirit and alacrity, in the glorious work of blood and carnage; of

M m 2

plan

planning nothing but tame, indecifive measures, ftill more tamely and indecifively execated.

The queftion was put on Mr. Dunning's motion,, as amended by Mr. Cornwall, and agreed to without a division.

As foon as the claufe was read a fecond time, and agreed Mr. Fox. to, Mr. Fox rofe, and wifhed the House much joy, and felicitated the nation in general on the escape they had from, at least, a state of temporary tyrannic dominion, which perhaps all in good time, was meant to be rendered perpetual. He congratulated the minority in particular, on their fuccefs this day; who, he faid, had corrected this very reprehenfible bill; though a minority, they had accomplished this alteration; the ministers were not only convinced, but ashamed, and had accepted of the alteration. It was no compliment to their friends the majority, for they were ready to pafs the bill as it was brought in. It was the minority, he repeated, who, though a minority, had corrected this bill, which the noble Lord had brought in crude and indigefted, imperfect and erroneous. The noble Lord was obliged to his friends the minority, for digefting, altering, and correcting his bill, not to his friends the majority, who were ready to fwallow it with all its original crudities, cruelties and errrors. He then enlarged in an humorous, ironical strain, on the power of the learned gentleman [Solicitor General] who threatened to damn the claufe totally, and blow it out of the House, if he was longer teafed with the noise and nonfenfe of his opponents, and detained from his focial enjoyments half or a quarter of an hour beyond his time; and painted his own fears very humoroufly, left fome of the over-zealous friends of the claufe fhould rife, and provoke the learned gentleman to carry his threats into execution. He was two or three times rifing to fpeak, he faid, but happily repreffed his feelings, as he watched the countenance of the learned gentleman, and imagined he could perceive a glow of honeft zeal, and determined refentment overfpread it, which denoted the moft inevitable deftruction to the claufe, and terror, difmay and defeat to all its fupporters. He faid, he muft ferioufly congratulate the Houfe, and the nation at large, on the prefervation of the conftitutional freedom of this country, from the ftab that had been predetermined, and covertly aimed at its inmoft vitals, by the bill as it ftood before the claufe was agreed to; for if it had passed in that form, he could with confidence affirm, that no Englishman, as long as it remained in force, and God knows how long

that

that might be, would have had the fhadow of liberty left, or could be a minute fecure against the most cruel attacks of public oppreffion, or private malice and revenge. He then argued against the principle of the bill, and said it was a dangerous and unneceffary bill, even in its amended state; that ftill any man, who for pleasure or business happened to be out of the realm, lay at the mercy of minifters, his private enemies, or of public informers. On the whole, his fears being at an end refpecting the claufe, he was now at liberty to exprefs his fentiments freely; and under that fanction he totally disapproved of the principle of the bill and of the claufe; he looked upon the bill as a dangerous precedent in times to come; and learning the true difpofition and defign of adminiftration, from their conduct throughout, he fhould give the bill a moft hearty negative.

Mr. Cornwall faid, though he had fome time fince been Mr. Corne for the alteration, he should now beg leave to retract his wall. words; it was not an unprecedented circumftance; many gentlemen had done it (upon former occafions) as well as he.

Lord North faid, he was for the alteration with the amend- Ld. North. ment, as expreffing more clearly what was meant and intended by the bill.

The Solicitor General [Mr. Wedderburne] to explain. He Mr. Weddenied the interpretation that had been put on his words by derburne the honourable gentleman [Mr. Fox.] He gave him credit for his wit, his humour, and flow of imagery and expreffion; but very little for his arguments or facts. What he had faid imported no more than this, that the learned gentleman who moved the clause seemed to be contented, at leaft tolerably fatisfied, with the amendment moved by his honourable friend; that the explanation given, was feemingly the proper object of debate; yet, after the explanation fo given and approved of by the learned gentleman who moved the claufe, gentlemen continued to debate upon other matters totally foreign to the question before the House, and continued to urge arguments against the bill. As this feemed to be the prevailing opinion of those who oppofed the bill, and that for his part it was his opinion, as well as that of most of his friends, that no fuch claufe, mended or unamended, was neceffary; he thought and he believed very justly, that as the honourable gentleman and his friends difliked and opposed the whole bill, the queftion might be put on the clause, and, if he negatived, then its friends would

be