The Declaration mentioned in the Meffage was as follows: THE underfigned Ambaffador of his Moft Chriftian Majefty has received exprefs orders to make the following declaration to the Court of London : The United States of North America, who are in full poffeffion of independence, as pronounced by them on the 4th of July, 1776, having propofed to the King to confolidate, by a formal convention, the connexion begun to be established between the two nations, the respective Plenipotentiaries have figned a treaty of friendship and commerce, defigned to serve as a foundation for their mutual good correfpondence. His Majefty, being determined to cultivate the good underftanding fubfifting between France and Great Britain, by every means compatible with his dignity, and the good of his fubjects, thinks it neceffary to make his proceeding known to the Court of London, that the contracting parties have paid great attention not to ftipulate any exclufive advantages in favour of the French nation; and that the United States have reserved the liberty of treating with every nation whatever upon the fame footing of equality and reciprocity. In making this communication to the Court of London, the King is firmly perfuaded, it will find new proofs of his Majefty's conftant and fincere difpofition for peace; and that his Britannic Majefty, animated by the fame fentiments, will equally avoid every thing that may alter their good harmony; and that he will particularly take effectual measures to prevent the commerce between his Majefty's fubjects and the United States of North America from be ing interrupted, and to caufe all the ufages received between com mercial nations, to be, in this refpect, obferved, and all thofe rules which can be faid to fubfift between the two crowns of France and Great Britain. In this juft confidence, the underfigned Ambaffador thinks it fuperfluous to acquaint the British Minifter, that the King, his master, being determined to protect effectually the lawful commerce of his fubjects, and to maintain the dignity of his flag, his Majefty has, in confequence, taken eventual meafures, in concert with the United States of North America. (Signed). Le M. DE NOAILLES." London, March 13, 1778. French King, and for acquainting us, that, in confequence of this offenfive declaration, your Majefty has thought proper to order your Ambaffador to withdraw from the Court of France. And we beg leave to affure your Majefty, that it is with the utmost difficulty we can reftrain the ftrongeft expreflions of the refentment and indignation which we feel for this unjust and unprovoked aggreffion on the honour of your Majefty's crown, and the effential interefts of your kingdoms, contrary to the law of nations, and injurious to the rights and poffeffions of every fovereign power of Europe. The good faith and uprightness of your Majefty's conduct towards foreign powers, and the fincerity of your intentions to preferve the general tranquillity, muft be acknowledged by all the world; and your Majefty cannot be confidered as refponfible for the disturbance of this tranquillity, if you should find yourself called upon to refilt the enterprises of that reftlefs and dangerous fpirit of ambition and aggrandifement, which has fo often invaded the rights, and threatened the liberties of Europe. We fhould be wanting in our duty to your Majefty, and to ourfelves, if we did not give your Majesty the strongest affurances of our most zealous affiftance and fupport. Every fentiment of loyalty to your Majefty, and of love to our country, will animate us to stand forth in the public defence, and to promote every measure that fhall be found neceffary for enabling your Majefty to vindicate the honour of your crown, and to protect the juft rights and. effential interefts of thefe kingdoms. An address, in the fame terms, was prefented by the Commons. PROTEST OF THE LORDS, Die Lung, Dec. 7, 1778. Moved, THA HAT an humble address be prefented to his Majefty, to exprefs to his Majefty the difpleafure of this House, at a certain manifefto and proclamation, dated the third day of October, 1778, and publifhed in America, under the hands and feals of the Earl of Carlile, Sir Henry Clinton, Knight of the Bath, and William Eden, Efq. commiffioners for reftoring peace to the colonies, and counter figned by Adam Ferguson, Efq. Secretary to the commiffion; the faid manifefto containing a declaration of the following tenor: If there be any perfons, who, divefted of mistaken refentments, and uninfluenced by felfifh interests, really think it is for the benefit of the colonies to feparate themselves from Great Britain, and that, fo feparated, they will find a conftitution more mild, more free, and better calculated for their profperity, than that which they heretofore enjoyed, and which we are empowered and difpofed to renew and improve; with fuch perfons we will not difpute a pofition which feems to be fufficiently contradicted by the experience they have had. But we think it right to leave them fully aware of the change which the maintaining fuch a pofition must make in the whole nature and future conduct of this war, more especially when to this pofition inconfiftent with the humanity and generous courage which at all times have diftinguished the Britifh nation, fubverfive of the maxims which have been eftablished among chriftian and civilized com of the crown of this realm, tending to debase the spirit and fubvert the difcipline of his Majefty's armies, and to expofe his Majesty's inno cent fubjects, in all parts of his dominions, to cruel and ruinous retaliations. pofition is added the pretended alliance with the court of France. The policy, as well as the benevolence of Great Britain, have thus far checked the extremes of war, when they tended to diftrefs a people, ftill confidered as our fellow-munities, derogatory to the dignity fubjects, and to defolate a country, fhortly to become again a fource of mutual advantage; but, when that country profeffes the unna tural defign, not only of eftranging herself from us, both of mortgaging herself, and her refources, to our enemies, the whole conteft is changed, and the question is, how far Great Britain may, by every means in her power, deftroy or render useless a connexion contrived for her ruin, and for the aggrandifement of France. Under fuch circumftances, the laws of felf-preservation must direct the conduct of Great Britain; and, if the British colonies are to become an acceffion to France, will direct her to render that acceffion of as little avail as poffible to her ene mies.' To acquaint his Majefty with the fenfe of this Houfe, that the faid commiffioners had no authority whatsoever, under the act of parliament in virtue of which they were appointed by his Majefty, to make the faid declaration, or to make any declaration to the fame, or to the like purport; nor can this House be easily brought to believe, that the faid commiffioners derived any fuch authority from his Majefty's inftructions. Humbly to befeech his Majefty, that fo much of the faid manifefto as contains the faid declaration be forthwith publickly difavowed by his Majefty, as containing matter Which being objected to, after long debate, the queftion was put thereon. It was refolved in the negative. Proxies Non-contents Diffentient, 3 3437 557 -165 71 ift. Because the public law of nations, in affirmance of the dictates of nature, and the precepts of revealed religion, forbids us to refort to the extremes of war upon our own opinion of their expediency, or in any cafe to carry on war for the purpofe of defolation. We know that the rights of war are odious, and, inftead of being extended upon loofe conftructions and fpeculations of danger, ought to be bound up and limited by all the restraints of the moft rigorous conftruction. We are fhocked to fee the first law of nature, felf-prefervation, perverted and abufed into a principle deftructive of all other laws; and a rule laid down, by which our own fafety is rendered incompatible with the profperity of mankind. Thofe objects of war, which cannot be compaffed compaffed by fair and honourable of war and defolation), by eftahoftility, ought not to be compaffed at all. An end that has no means, but fuch as are unlawful, is an unlawful end. The manifefto exprefsly founds the change it announces from a qualified and mitigated war, to a war of extremity and defolation, on the certainty that the provinces muft be independent, and must become an acceffion to the ftrength of an enemy. In the midst of the calamities, by which our lofs of empire has been preceded and accompanied; in the midst of our apprehenfions for the further calamities which impend over us, it is a matter of fresh grief and accumulated fhame to fee, from a commiffion under the great feal of this kingdom, a declaration for defolating a vaft continent, folely because we had not the wisdom to retain, or the power to fubdue it. 2dly. Because the avowal of a deliberate purpose of violating the Inw of nations must give an alarm to every state in Europe. All commonwealths have a concern in that law, and are its natural avengers. At this time, furrounded by enemies, and deftitute of all allies, it is not neceffary to fharpen and embitter the hoftility of declared foes, or to provoke the enmity of neutral states. We truft that, by the natural ftrength of this kingdom, we are fecured from a foreign conqueft; but no nation is fecured from the invafion and incurfion of enemies. And it feems to as the height of frenzy, as well as wickedness, to expose this country to cruel depredations, and other outrages too fhocking to mention (but which are all contained in the idea of the extremes blifhing a falfe, fhameful, and pernicious maxim, that, where we have no interefts to preferve, we are called upon by neceflity to deftroy. This kingdom has long en. joyed a profound internal peace, and has flourished above all others in the arts and enjoyments of that happy ftate. It has been the admiration of the world for its cultivation and its plenty; for the comforts of the poor, the fplendour of the rich, and the content and profperity of all. This fituation of fafety may be attributed to the greatnefs of our power. It is more becoming and more true, that we ought to attribute that fafety, and the power which procured it, to the ancient juftice, honour, humanity, and generofity of this kingdom, which brought down the bleffing of Providence on a peop'e who made their profperity a benefit to the world, and interested all nations in their fortune, whose example of mildness and benignity at once humanifed others, and rendered itself inviolable. In departing from thofe folid principles, and vainly trufting to the fragility of human force, and to the efficacy of arms, rendered impotent by their perverfion, we lay down principles, and furnish examples, of the moft atrocious barbarity. We are to dread that all our power, peace, and opulence, fhould vanifh like a dream, and that the cruelties which we think fafe to exercise, because their immediate object is remote, may be brought to the coafts, perhaps to the bofom, of this kingdom. 3dly. Becaufe, if the explanation given in debate be expreffive of the true fenfe of the article ia the the manifefto, fuch explanation ought to be made, and by as high authority as that under which the exceptionable article was originally published. The natural and obvious fenfe indicates, that the extremes of war had hitherto been checked; that his Majefty's generals had hitherto forborne (upon principles of benignity and policy) to defolate the country; but that the whole nature, and future conduct of the war, must be changed, in order to render the American acceflion of as little avail to France as poffible. This, in our appre Parliament. My Lords and Gentlemen, A rious an application to the public bufinefs, I think it proper at this feafon of the year to give you fome recess. I come at the fame time to return you my particular thanks for the zeal you have fhewn in fupporting the honour of my crown, and for your attention to the real interefts of all my fubjects, in the wife, juft, and humane laws which have been the refult of your deliberations, and which, I hope, will be attended with the moft falutary effects in every part of the British empire. henfions, conveys a menace of car. The King's Speech at proroguing the rying the war to extremes, and to defolation, or it means nothing. And, as fome fpeeches in the Houfe (however palliated), and as fome acts of fingular cruelty, and perfectly conformable to the apparent ideas in the manifefto, have lately been exercifed, it becomes the more neceffary, for the honour and fafety of this nation, that this explanation fhould be made. As it is refufed, we have only to clear ourselves to our confciences, to our country, to our neighbours, and to every individual who may fuffer in confequence of this atrocious menace, of all part in the guilt, or in the evils that may become its punishment. And we chufe to draw ourselves out, and to diftinguish ourfelves to pofterity, as not being the first to renew, to approve, or to tolerate the return of that ferocity and barbarifm in war, which a beneficent religion, enlightened manners, and true military honour, had for a long time banifhed from the Chrif tian world. Camden, Rockingham, My defire to preserve the tranquillity of Europe has been uniform and fincere: I reflect, with great fatisfaction, that I have made the faith of treaties and the law of nations the rule of my conduct, and that it has been my conftant care to give no juft caufe of offence to any foreign power; let that power, by whom this tranquillity fhall be difturbed, answer to their fubjects and to the world for all the fatal confequences of war. The |