and use them against ourselves: that we profeffed to involve the innocent fubjects of America with the guilty: that our reftrictions did not only deprive them of trade but even of food. In this fituation we are to wonder at their declaring themselves independent.

Sir, the worthy member, has likewife accused somebody of taking every opportunity of extolling the bravery and conduct of the American troops and officers, and at the fame time of wantonly and injurioufly cenfuring the behaviour of our own officers and troops. I do not know at who he means to point. I do not feel myself liable to this charge. As to the affair of Long-Ifland, as the action happened, I am glad to find it attended with fo little loss on the fide of General Howe. I own I am wicked enough to wish that fewer Americans had fallen. There are difagreeable reports upon that fubject. I do not know enough of the fubject to speak with certainty, but I hope the minifters will be able to convince us, that it is not true, that fourteen or fifteen hundred of them were killed in cold blood. When I came to town the day the news came, I heard that fact afferted with exultation, avowed and juftified. Afterwards, I heard it upon a little cooler reflection, paliated and accounted and apoligized for: I understand that to-day it will be denied. As I do not pretend to be certain of the fact, I will not even hint at the body of troops, by which it is fuppofed to have been committed.

I have never been disposed to make free with the characters of officers abfent and upon fervice. I am fure, I am not one of those who have caft thofe reflections, alluded to by an honourable gentleman behind me, upon the conduct of Sir Peter Parker. I have always heard him reckoned an able officer; he has undoubtedly, in the affair of Sullivan's Ifland, fhewn himself a brave man. It is impoffible for one fo ignorant of naval affairs as I am, to judge of the propriety of the attack. But where is the character of General Clinton? as amiable and respectable a man, and as gallant and enterprifing an officer as any in the fervice. And yet, judgment formed by mankind from the accounts publifhed by government is not in his favour. He appears, by their accounts, to have been nineteen days on LongIfland, before he found out the channel was feven feet deep inftead of eighteen inches. General Clinton in the last war attached himself to the hereditary Prince of Brunswick, a fervice, that would not have been chofen by a man, that had

not

not the spirit of enterprize. In such a school he was not likely to learn to hesitate or to decline any fatigue or danger, by which the fervice, upon which he was ordered, might be advanced. Nor did he deviate from his former conduct upon this occafion. Though the accounts that have been published and the reports fpread by every member of government may have drawn upon him the cenfure of unthinking men. Sir, I have seen fuch accounts, as authorize me to fay, that he examined the channel or ford, as it has been erroneously called, the day he landed, and that he sent an account of it to the Commodore. He founded it with his own person as far as he could. If I advance what is ill founded, let me be contradicted. But I am confident no man can contradict me. If I am right, how injurioufly he has been treated! The worthy member exclaims with propriety against liberties taken with the characters of abfent officers, but let him remember the quarter from whence the injury comes, and direct his cenfure accordingly.

There is, I think, one part of the fpeech which mentions a discovery of the original defigns of the leaders of the Americans. In God's name, who made them leaders? How came they to be fo? If you force men together by oppreffion, they will form into bodies, and chufe leaders. Mr. Hancock was a merchant of credit and opulence when this unhappy business firft broke out. Men in that kind of fituation are not very prone to a change of government. I think I have fometimes heard a few old women say, that the civil war of the laft century was originally contrived by Cromwell;-that the first oppofition to Charles I. was begun in order to advance Cromwell to the protectorship. It is a fagacity and penetration of the fame kind that has now happily discovered the original views of those who now are the leaders of the Americans.

Some gentlemen have been jocular upon the ribbands and other honours conferred by the Congrefs. They have, however, hardly diftributed honours with a lefs fparing hand than the minifters have done. I believe, fince the good days of King James I. there never was fo great a profufion of honours, as within this half year. I beg pardon for the expreffion of profufion, it conveys an improper idea, and I wish to recal it. It is not a profufion, it is a happy encrease of merit in these times, which called for certainly a much larger diftribution of honours than has been known in the memory of man. One Gazette announced no less than two and fifty honours

honours conferred in Ireland. The great feals of England and Ireland have been fet to fix and forty patents of peerage within thefe few months. Some of them, I believe, fuppofed not to be quite confiftent with the Act of Union. I would not be fuppofed to look with an evil eye at any marks. of favour fhewn to the Peers of Scotland; I do not enter into that queftion; it is matter for the decifion of another affembly. I wish the Scotch peerage upon a much better footing. Ifhould fee with pleafure five and twenty or thirty British peerages conferred upon the Peers of that kingdom, provided we could get rid of the election of the fixteen. refpect many of the prefent fixteen, and fhould willingly fee them included in fuch a promotion. But their prefent condition is not a defirable one. I believe there is not a man in that part of the united kingdom, who does not agree with me in this opinion.

I

But, Sir, I am deviating from the queftion before us; though I believe I may plead precedent for it, the first day of a feffion being ufually looked upon as a day of general converfation. I have now only to return thanks to the House for their indulgence to me.

I rofe for the purpofe of afking the few queftions which I have ventured to fubmit to thofe, who in other times. would have been thought under fome degree of neceffity of anfwering them. I fhall not be much furprised to find my queftions treated as thofe offered by other gentlemen have been. However, if I can procure a fatisfactory answer to them, I fhall think myself amply repaid for the trouble I have taken to ftate them.

Lord North. I think proper to deliver my fentiments thus Ld. North. early, becaufe fhould I defer my intention for only half an hour longer, the Houfe may probably forget one of my prime inducements for rifing to trouble you. It is, Sir, to meet the charge made againft me by the right honourable gentleman over the way, [Mr. Townfhend] left it may go forth, that I neglected my duty in this Houfe, as a member or a minifter; left, Sir, an abfence of ten minutes, on a preffing call of bufinefs in the course of a debate, which will probably continue fourteen hours, fhould be reprefented as an open defertion of my poft, in the moment of danger and difficulty. I may, Sir, be deficient in many respects, but of all wants I never imagined that a want of refpect, diligence as a member, or attention to this Houfe, would have fwelled the long catalogue. I am yet to learn, that the behaviour of a memVOL. VI.

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ber,

ber, relative to these perfonal minutia, was ever efteemed fit object of parliamentary animadverfion, or matter fufficiently important to incur public reprehenfion. I have, i is true, been abfent about ten minutes, upon a preffing call of business, and am now returned to my feat. This, Sir, is the attrocious crime I have committed. This it is that has furnished the right honourable gentleman who fpoke laft with fo happy an opportunity of difplaying his talents. I truft, however, that I fhall have the juftice done me, to allow that there is no member in this Houfe longer keeps his place, I mean my place in Parliament, or attends with greater patience and refignation, the whole length of a tedious debate,

than I do.

It has been more than once objected this night, that I have, fince the commencement of the present troubles, held back fuch information as became neceffary for you to know, in order the better to be able to decide upon meafures proper to be purfued, relative to America. Nothing can be more unjust and ill-founded than this charge. I have been ready at all times to communicate to this Houfe every poffible information that could be given with fafety. I repeat with fafety, because the very bad and mischievous confequences of difclofing the full contents of letters, with the writers' names, has been already feverely proved, and would, in the present fituation of affairs, not only be impolitic, but might be to the last degree dangerous, if not fatal, to the perfons immediately concerned.

Several honourable gentlemen on the other fide, have propofed queftions, which I think an attentive perusal of the fpeech would have prevented them from putting to me. His Majefty fays, he has received affurances of amity from the feveral courts of Europe; yet he has thought it neceffary to prepare himself against any J. lden attack. The affertion is, I contend, ftrictly true; I am anfwerable for its veracity; for I advised, in concert with the reft of his Majefty fervants, the paffage now objected to. His Majefty has received those affurances; but he has not thought it prudent entirely to trust and rely on their contents.

It is well known that Spain and Portugal have been for the laft year on the point of differing about the frontiers of the Brazils. It is equally true, that his Majefty has interpofed his good offices as a mediator, and endeavoured to accommodate the difpute. This interpofition, at prefent, promifes to terminate happily, and to the fatisfaction of both parties; it

take,

however, impoffible to tell what turn the affair may venture at all to be refponsible for the event of fuch a nego

ition.

From the prefent affurances of the court of France, and onger cannot be defired, we have every reafon to be fatisd of their pacific intentions; fhould it nevertheless prove herwife, I can venture to affirm, and from my own knowIge to affure this Houfe, that we are prepared for the rft, and that our preparations have been fuch as to enable to cope with any enemy who may be inclined to moleft

It has been faid, that we are ftripped of our home naval fence; that though we fhould procure feamen, and have a ficient number of line of battle fhips ready for fea, the abice of our frigates would prevent us, for fome time, at least, rying on any effectual naval operations. To this, a very ort anfwer will fuffice; we have feveral frigates at home, ere are some building; and if it were not fo, we could prore a fufficient number to answer every purpose we want, wish at present to effect.

The armament going on in France, which has been this ght fo mightily magnified, is but a small one. I mean mparatively, with what we are able to send to fea, at a ort warning; it confifts of fix fhips of the line and four gates. They are, it is true, putting their navy on a rectable footing; they have made a demand on the regifs. Thefe preparations import nothing directly hoftile; ir affurances, their pacific difpofition towards us are as ong as words can make them: but I repeat once more, t his Majefty's minifters have thought proper to advise n to the prefent armament, by way of precaution. Two or three honourable gentlemen on the other fide have rged me with ftuffing the fpeech with wit and humour, pocrify, deceit, and abfurdity: fome on account of the rd unanimity; others for the following paffage, "my deis to restore to them (the people of America) the bleffings law and liberty." Now I fee no wit or humour in either the paffages alluded to, but the plaineft deductions of plain foning and common fenfe; by unanimity, it cannot be fuped was meant a total union of fentiment, on every fide of Houfe; it could hardly be imagined or expected; it meant at and decifive majorities, minorities confifting, perhaps, thirty or forty members. As to the hypocrify charged that other paffage, wherein his Majefty expreffes his deto restore his fubjects to law and liberty, that I think is,

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