word ignorance!-a palpable and total ignorance of every part of the fubject. He hoped, and he was difappointed. He expected a great deal, and found little to anfwer his expectations. He thought America would have fubmitted to his laws, and they refifted them.He thought they would have fubmitted to his armies, and they beat them with inferior numbers.-He made conciliatory propofitions, and he thought they would fucceed, but they were rejected. He appointed commiffioners to make peace, and he thought they had powers, but he found they could not make peace, and nobody believed they had any powers. He, however, faid, that as the prefent propofitions were much much more clear and fatisfactory than the former, for neceffity had at length compelled the noble Lord to fpeak plain, they fhould accordingly receive his fupport, and he fuppofed that of all his friends on the fame fide of the Houfe. Undoubtedly, faid he, they would have given full fatisfaction, and, have prevented all the lofs, ruin, and calamity, which England and America have fince experienced, if they had been offered in time. But if the conceffion fhould be found ample enough, and then found to come too late, what punifhment will be fufficient for thofe minifters who adjourned parliament, in order to make a propofition of conceffion, and then neglected to do it, until France had concluded a treaty with the Inde pendent States of America, acknowledging them as fuch? He did not fpeak from furmize, he Taid; he had it from authority which he could not queftion, that the treaty he mentioned had been figned in Paris ten days before, counting from that inftant. He therefore wifhed the ministry would give the Houfe fatisfaction on that very interefting point; for he feared that it would be found, that their prefent apparently pacific and equitable difpofition, with that propofition which feemed the refult of it, owed their existence to the previous knowledge of the conclufion of a treaty which must, from its nature, render that propofition as ufelefs to the peace, as it was humiliating to the dignity of Great Britain. Others of the oppofition faid, that they would vote for the propofition, as they would for any thing that looked even towards, or that could, in any poffible event, tend to a reconciliation; but they declared at the fame time, that they had not the fmalleft hope of its producing any good effect. For they did not think it to be in nature, and confequently not poffible, that the Americans, after having been driven to the final extremity and laft refuge of mankind against oppreffion, fhould now, when they had fuccefsfully established their independency by arms, again commit thofe rights and immunities, which they have juft redeemed at fo dear a price, to the cuftody of thofe very men, who have con vulfed the empire in all its parts, through the unnatural violence of the efforts which they ufed for their deftruction; nor that any art could induce them to receive the olive branch from thofe hands, which were fo deeply polluted, and ftill reeking with the blood of their country. Some of the country gentlemen, who had all along fupported the miniftry in general, and who were fuppofed 66 fuppofed particularly attached to this minifter, being much piqued at that expreffion of his, that they had not been milled or deceived," role in great warmth, and afferted, they faid, with indignation, that they had been grofsly deceived and mifled by the uniform language of government for three years paft; and one gentleman went fo far as to fay, that he fhould feel for the humiliating blush of his fovereign, when he gave his affent to the propofed bills. On the declaration of a great law-officer, that a fecurity for the Congrats debts, and a reeftablishment of the credit of their paper currency, would be one of the objects of the commiffion, and one of the principal inducements held out to that body to return to its allegiance, another gentleman, zealously attached to the court, declared, that he would much more readily confent to give currency to forged India bonds, and counterfeit bank notes, than to paper which had been fabricated to carry on rebellion against the King and parliament of Great Britain. In general that party declared, that as the point of taxation, which could be the only rational ground of the war, was now given up, peace fhould be procured by any means, and in the fpeediest manner. Nor did the minifter efcape being afked, as taxation had not at any time been his object, what were the real motives of the war? and whether he had fported away thirty thoufand lives, with thirty millions of money, and in that amufement put not only the unity, but the existence of the empire, to the hazard, merely to try the mettle of the Americans, and to difcover what fpirit they would fhew in the defence of every thing that was dear to them. Sach things must be borne in fuch fituations. The minifter being clofely preffed on different hands, for fome explanation relative to the treaty faid to have been concluded between France and America, at length declared, that he had no authority upon which to pronounce abfolutely with refpect to that event; that a report had for fome time prevailed, that fuch a treaty was in agitation; that its conclufion was not only poflible, but, perhaps, too probable;-that, however, as it had not yet been authenticated by the Ambaffador, the prefumption lay that it had not taken place. This brought out an exclamation from a gentleman in oppofition, that when the nation was at a very large expence, in fupporting diplomatique eftablishments, and representatives of majefty, in the different courts of Europe, it was in the highest degree fhameful, and not a little alarming, that, in a matter of fuch momentous concern, the intelligence of a private gentleman should be more early, or more authentic, than that of the minister of Great Britain. Feb. 23d. In the progrefs of the bills, Mr. Serjeant Adair moved, that it be an inftruction to the committee of the bill for appointing commiffioners, that they have power to make provifion for nominating the commiffioners by the bill. He faid, that this was no infringement on the prerogative of the crown; it was no matter that lay within its ordinary federal capacity; it was a commiffion appointed by parliament, in order to treat about the rights of parliament itself, the fuf pending its laws, and the furrender of its rights, or of what it had always confidered or claimed as fuch; that for the Houfe to give blindly fuch a power out of its hands, to be exercised at the mere pleasure of the crown, and by perfons to them utterly unknown, was in effect a complete furrender of the whole conftitution of this country into the hands of the King. That he therefore thought himfelf bound to refift this most unconftitutional measure by every means in his power; that as to any difficulties which might be fuppofed in the execution of this mode of appointment, they had been all completely got over in the Eaft-India bill, where, with fuch fufficient facility, parliament had nominated commiffioners for a matter of mere executive government, and one in which no parliamentary rights or powers were at all concerned. That he hoped, as himself and the other gentlemen of the late minority had given, and would continue to give, fo clear a fupport to the conciliatory measures of the minifter, late as they were adopted, he alfo hoped the minifter, on his part, would likewife act a fair and candid part with them, and not take them in for a dangerous extenfion of prerogative, whilft they were joining him in an attempt to reftore peace to the country. The learned gentlemen on the other fide contended, that a compliance with the motion would be taking the executive power out of the hands of the crown. That to hold out to the world at this time, that parliament entertained any jealoufy of the crown, would tend greatly to counteract, instead of in any degree promoting, the good effects that were intended by the bill; and might, alfo, in the prefent critical juncture of affairs, be attended with very pernicious confequences otherwise. That it would be a violent act, after having empowered and directed the crown to carry on the war, and after having authorized the crown to make peace, if it could have been effected by the fubmiffion of America, for the legislature on a fudden to hold their hand and fay, The crown shall not negociate for peace. That there was no inftance of parliament taking fuch an appointment into their own hands, excepting once in the reign of Richard the Second, and that act was repealed a few years after with reproach, as an ufurpation of the rights of the crown. That the progrefs of fuch a bufinefs in the House would be attended with the groffeft inconveniencies; the confequent difcuffion of names and of individuals would be odious in the higheft degree; and as it was impoffible that 550 perfons fhould ever agree in fuch a nomination, the hiftory of their diffenfions would accompany the commiffion to America. But, if it were true, as it was every day faid on the other fide to be, that the minifters could command a majority, then the nomination would of courfe lie in the crown without its avowal; and parliament would thereby be precluded from its natural controul upon minifters, of calling them to account for misadvifing the crown in the appointment, however future circumftances might render fuch an interference neceffary. They further faid, that the powers intended to be given by the com million miffion could not be fafely executed by any other perfons than thofe appointed by the crown. That the crown had been entrusted with the appointment of commifGoners to treat upon the union of the two kingdoms, who had power to fufpend the acts of parliament which prevented a free trading intercourfe between both, during the progrefs of the treaty; and that they had been ordered to keep the whole tranfactions fecret, which order they had inviolably obferved. They concluded, that nothing could give a proper weight and fupport to the prefent commiffion, but the perfect confidence which parliament fhewed that they repofed in government The motion was, notwithstanding, fupported with great fpirit by fome of the principal fpeakers in the oppofition. They faid, that the prefent was a queftion merely of men. That the measure was already decided upon, which was to give a full power to difpofe of all the legislative acts, and all the legiflative powers of parliament, fo far as they concerned America. That there never had been fuch a truft delegated to men, and that therefore nothing was ever more important than the proper choice of them. That if minifters had hitherto fhewn, in any one inftance, that they had formed a right judgment on men, they would admit that they ought to be enrufted with the nomination of men upon this occafion. Exclufive of honefly, which, they faid, they would enter into no difcuffion of with the minifters, the ground of confidence in men was founded on two things; namely, that they were incapable of deceiving others, and were alike incapable of being deceived themfelves. That the minifters had been repeatedly and publicly charged in that Houfe, by thofe who had all along fupported their meafures, with having deceived them; and that their only juftification had been, that they were themselves deceived in every particular relating to America. Now, take it, faid they, which way you pleafe, whether they were deceivers, as their friends affert, or deceived, as themfelves alledge, they are not fit on either ground to be trufted. They, who had judged fo ill of the men they had credited, in all their information concerning America, would not judge better in the choice of thofe whom they nominated to get rid of the fatal confequences of that ill information. They faid, that the conftant defence made by the minifters, with regard to the ill fuccefs of their army in America, was the incapacity, error, or neglect, of the generals they had themfelves appointed; that although they did not believe that to have been the real caufe, yet, on their own confeffion, they had made a wrong judgment of the perfons they had employed; and if they were fo unhappy in the choice of generals, what reafon was there to fuppofe they would prove more fortunate in the choice of negociators? They further contended, that nothing could fo effectually defeat the purpofe of the commiflion, as the leaft thought that parliament repofed any confidence in the prefent fervants of the crown. That this would be a tual fource of diftruft, jealoufy, and animofity to the Americans. That nobody could pretend, nor perpe could could they themselves venture to affert, that this miniftry, or any perfons of of their appointment, could have any title to the confidence of America. The minifters were all the declared and established enemies of America, and were only brought to a late and abject fubmiffion, by a failure of their utmoft efforts to opprefs them by force. If thefe have the appointment of commiffioners, they will neceffarily be men of their own ftamp, character, and complexion: perfons who would be much more folicitous to fcreen their employers than to ferve their country; and who from nature, education, and habits, are much better qualified to irritate than to appease America. An high officer of the ftate, faid they, who has been the author of all the violent and coercive meafures against the colonies, will, in virtue of his office, have the nomination of the commiffioners. Suppofe, faid they, the Americans fhould lay down as an indispensable preliminary to an accommodation, the removal or punishment of this minifter, would any body pretend, that the perfons nominated by him could be confidered as impartial commiffioners, or fitting perfons to discharge the great truft repofed in them by the ftate and parliament of Great Britain? But they were aftonished, they faid, at the infolence of minifters, who, when they should be wrapped in fack cloth and afhes, for the defolation and ruin which they had brought upon their country, were prefumptuoufly making demands of unlimited confidence, and calling to have the few remaining powers which had been left to parliament furrendered into their hands, They concluded with laying it down as an axiom, that no good could proceed from any negociation whatever, in which the present minifters had any fhare or concern. They, obferved, that the present momentous affair was not too little to be undertaken by parliament itfelf; that if parliamentary rights must be negociated upon, it was fitting to be done by a committee of the two Houfes of Parliament. That in in order to fettle India affairs, a committee of the Houfe had fat in Lea, denhall-ftreet; they might as well fit in America: if the diftance was greater, fo was the magnitude and importance of the object. But, they faid, the fcheme and drift of the whole was evident. The minifters intended to pay their court, and to obliterate their crimes, by increas ing the prerogative in the fame proportion that they leffened the empire. And thus the prefent war, which was pretended to be made for the double purpose of prevent ing the crown from obtaining a revenue from America, independent of parliament, and afferting the power of the House of Commons to tax all the British dominions, would at length terminate in a furrender of the right of taxation, and of all other parliamentary rights, whether of advice or control, which interfered in any degree with the power of the crown. The motion was rejected with out any divifion being demanded by the oppofition. The ministers took no fhare in the debate, and the oppofition feemed unwilling to throw any impediment in the way of the bills, when the only hope, fmall as it was, which they placed on their fuccefs, depended on the difpatch with which they were expedited 4 |