I His Majesty's moft gracious Anfwer. My Lords, Am fenfibly touched with the many Hardships and Injuries fuftained by my trading Subjects in America, "from the Cruelties and unjuft Depredations. of the Spa"niards. You may be affured of my Care to procure Sa"tisfaction and Reparation for the Loffes they have already fuffered, and Security for the Freedom of Naviga"tion for the future; and to maintain to my People the full Enjoyment of all the Rights to which they are entitled by Treaty, and the Law of Nations. 66 66 66 "I doubt not but I fhall have your Concurrence for "the Support of fuch Measures, as may be neceffary for "that Purpose." Anno 11. Geo.II, 1738. May 20, The King put a Period to the Seffion, with a Anno12.Geo.II. Speech to both Houfes: Which fee in Chandler's Hiftory, Anno 11. Geo. II. 1738. Page 338. The FIFTH SESSION of the Second PARLIAMENT W of King GEORGE II. 1738-9. AS appointed, by his Majefty's Proclamation, to Parliament meet on the 18th of January 1738-9, for the Dif- meets. patch of divers weighty Affairs; and accordingly both Houses affembled at Westminster on that Day; but the Ratification of the Convention lately concluded with Spain not being arrived, the Parliament was farther prorogued to Thursday the 1ft of February, when his Majefty came to the Houfe of Lords, and opened the Seffion with a moft gracious Speech from the Throne; to be found in Chandler's History Anno 12. Geo. II. 1738-9. Page 339. Which Speech being immediately taken into Confideration in the House of Lords, the Duke of Portland stood up and spoke as follows: My Lords, land's Motion His Majefty has fo fully informed your Lordships, in the Duke of Portgracious Speech he made from the Throne, of the Success that for an Address of has attended the prudent and pacific Measures, which have Thanks, been taken on the Part of Great Britain fince our laft Meeting, that I fhall trouble your Lordships with but a very few Words. The Motives that have determined his Majefty to lay the Foundation of an advantageous and honourable Peace, rather than rifk the Confequences of an expenfive and hazardous War, will be beft understood by taking a View of the Nature of our Differences with Spain, the Difpofition of our Neighbours, 1738-9. Anno 12.Geo. II. Neighbours, and our own Situation. Our Differences with Spain, my Lords, relate entirely to Trade: they are not founded on her afpiring to univerfal Monarchy, as in the Days of Queen Elizabeth; they are not founded on the Rights of a doubtful Succeffion, as in the Days of Queen Anne; nor on the ambitious Encroachments upon the Property and Quiet of our Allies, as in the Reign of his late Majefty King George I. Were any of these the Cafe betwixt us and Spain, we could fall on no Way to bring her to Reason, but by reducing the Power that fupported her Ambition. In this, we might, as formerly, be affifted by the Councils and Arms of powerful Allies, and we might have reason to expect the fame Succefs. But our Differences at prefent are founded entirely on Affairs of Commerce, to which nothing can be more fatal, nothing more deftructive than a War, I had almost faid, my Lords, than a fuccefsful War, and nothing more beneficial than a fafe and honourable Peace. With what Gratitude then ought we to regard a Prince diftinguished by Military Virtue, who knows no Glory that is feparate from the true Intereft of his Subjects, and difregards all Fame, that is not acquired by thofe Means that will tranfmit his Name to Pofterity, as the Father of his Country! This, my Lords, is the Title which his Majesty has to the Acknowledgments of this House and Parliament, and to the Acknowledgments of all the Nation on this Oc cafion. As to the Difpofition of our Neighbours, my Lords, I own that I am far from thinking, that it would be favourable to Great Britain, if we had gone to War before we had ufed our utmost Efforts to obtain Peace: Such a Conduct in our Administration would have founded an Alarm to all Europe, that Great Britain was refolved to obtain, by the Terror of her Arms, what she had no Right to expect from the Senfe of her Treaties. We might then have feen as formidable a Confederacy against the Power of Great Britain, as we saw not many Years ago against the Ambition of France; and at the fame Time we must have been left without one Ally, or one Confederate; happy if we could prevail with thofe, who are now our best Friends, to remain neutral. The French, according to the Representation of our own Merchants, have already cut us out of fome valuable Branches of the American Commerce, and watch but an Opportunity to ftrip us of others. Such an Opportunity, my Lords, they never can have, while we are at Peace with Spain: But a War would foon put an Opportunity -into her Hand, by disjoining the Interefts of the Crowns of Spain and Great Britain, and giving France the Means of injuring 1738-9. injuring both, by fiding with either, as fhe finds it moft con-Anno 12. Geo.II. ducive to her own Advantage. So that whoever understands the Interefts of Great Britain as a trading People, and reflects on the vaft Load of Debts which the carrying on even a fuccessful War has laid her under, must be fully convinced that scarce any Peace can be fo bad, as, at this Juncture, not to be preferable to a War. I fay, my Lords, at this Juncture, when Great Britain enjoys more Trade, more Peace, and more Plenty, than fhe was ever known to do, under any of his Majesty's Predeceffors. To hazard all these Advantages, by wantonly plunging the Nation into a deftructive War, would be to act inconfiftent with that paternal Regard which his Majesty has at all Times exprefs'd for the Welfare of his Subjects; in fhort, my Lords, it would be a Measure neither becoming his Majefty to take, nor your Lordships to approve. But, my Lords, abftracted from Confiderations of a domeftic Nature, give me leave to fay, that it must have been highly impolitic, on account of the Difpofition of Affairs abroad, and the unfettled State of Europe. The fame Syftem of Power no longer prevails in Europe, as when the glorious Confederacy was formed to reduce the Ambition of France; the Emperor cannot now fend his Generals out at the Head of those fine Armies, that, in Concert with us, acted fo noble a Part for the common Rights of Europe. His late unfuccefsful Campaigns against the Turks, the bad State of his Finances, and the Divifions which fubfift amongst the Princes of the Empire, give him every thing to fear, if Spain fhould, upon any Provocation by our acting upon the offenfive, be furnished with a Pretext for calling in her Allies to her Affiftance. In this Cafe, my Lords, we might be fo embarrassed, as not to have it in our Power to act with that decifive Weight, which every good Englishman would wish to fee, if the Ambition of France fhould prompt her to take Advantage of the prefent low Circumftances of the Empire. The Dutch, my Lords, a People always inspired with the Love of Liberty, are now no longer able to fend out those formidable Navies, which once difputed the Empire of the Seas with England herfelf. She is no longer able to keep up thofe Troops that check'd the Progrefs of the Greatness of Spain, and reduced the Power of France. They labour under a vast Load of Debt, which was contracted by fupporting a juft and neceffary War, and have no other way of retrieving their Affairs but by cultivating the Arts of Peace. Thus, my Lords, our two best and most natural Allies are, in a manner, incapacitated from affording us almoft Anno 12 Geo.II.almost any Affiftance in cafe we should enter into a War, 1768-9. and thereby Great Britain muft fingly fuftain all the Burden, though other Nations may, perhaps, in the Event, reap the Profits. Befides, who can pretend to fay to War, Thus far; and no farther, fhalt thou firetch thy Fury, here fhall thy Bounds be fixt? We are not fure, my Lords, on what Element, and in what manner, a War, breaking out at this prefent Juncture, may be managed. It may be managed in a manner, my Lords, no way to the Advantage of England: In a manner, my Lords, that may render her Navy, her best and most natural Strength, quite useless for the Purposes that it is defigned to ferve: It may be managed, my Lords, in a manner that may coft Great Britain Millions, where it does not coft the other contending Power Thoufands. It has, my Lords, been rightly observed, that the Advantages which Great Britain acquires on the Continent prove, in the Event, only beneficial to her Neighbours. When we gain a Battle on the Continent, we gain it at the Expence of our own Blood and Treafure; and if we make a Conqueft we find it almoft impracticable to preferve it, for it proves either a perpetual Source of Animofities and Jealoufies betwixt us and our Neighbours, or the Expence of maintaining it is much greater than the Advantage of poffeffing it. From this fhort View, my Lords, of the Interefts of this Nation, and what may farther occur to your Lordships, I cannot doubt but you are fenfible of the Wifdom of his Majefty's Measures; and that you perceive how dangerous an Expedient it had been, if, in order to procure Satisfaction for our Wrongs, we had entered upon immediate Action, and put that Satisfaction upon the Event of a doubtful War, without firft endeavouring to obtain it by a fafe and honourable Peace: For thefe Reafons, my Lords, I fhall conclude with making this Motion to your Lordfhips: 1. That an humble Addrefs fhould be presented by this Houfe to his Majefty, to return his Majesty our humble Thanks for his most gracious Speech from the Throne. 2. To declare, that, amongst the many convincing Proofs, which his Majefty has given of his paternal and unwearied Care of the Rights of his People, nothing can fill our Hearts with more grateful Sentiments, than that fincere and affec tionate Concern, which he has fo often declared, for the many Hardships and Injuries fuftained by his trading Subjects in America. That the Honour of his Majesty's Crown, and the true Intereft of his People are, and ever will be infeparable; and that as his Majesty has, on all Occafions, demon demonstrated to the World, that he has both equally at Anno 12. Geo. II. Heart, it was impoffible for us, not to have the firmeft Dependence on his Zeal and Vigilance, for their real Security and Prefervation. 3. To declare, that the gracious Regard which his Majefty is pleased to exprefs, for the Refolutions and Advice of his Parliament, is a great Inftance of his Royal Goodness : And that, though his Majefty's conftant Defire, out of Tendernefs to his People, to avoid involving thefe Kingdoms in the manifold Inconveniencies of War, muft have inclined him to approve the beginning with more moderate Measures; yet we never entertained the least doubt, but that the true Greatnefs and Fortitude, which infpired his Royal Breaft, would have induced him to exert his utmoft Power, in vindicating and protecting our undoubted Privileges of Navigation and Commerce; and in doing Juftice to himfelf and his Subjects, if the Conduct of the Court of Spain had made fuch Measures neceffary. 4. To beg leave, on this Occafion, to offer to his Majefty our unfeigned Thanks for his great Goodnefs and Condefcenfion, in acquainting us from the Throne, that a Convention was concluded and ratified, between his Majesty and the King of Spain, whereby Reparation was agreed to be made to his Subjects for their Loffes, by a certain ftipulated Payment; that Plenipotentiaries were appointed for regulating, within a limited Time, all thofe Grievances and Abufes which had hitherto interrupted our Commerce and Navigation in the American Seas; and that his Majefty would order the Convention and feparate Articles to be laid before us. 5. To declare, that we should fall fhort of those warm Impreffions of Gratitude, which we feel in ourselves, as well as be wanting in our Duty, if we did not return his Majefty our moft thankful Acknowledgments for his Royal Care, in making ufe of the Confidence repofed in him, with no other view, but the general and lafting Benefit of his Kingdoms. That Reparation for paft Injuries and Loffes, and effectual Security for the future, founded in Juftice, and warranted by Treaties, had been the great Views of his Majesty, and his Parliament, in that national and important Affair; and if those Purposes could be attained, without plunging the Nation into a War, it must give the trueft Satisfaction to all his faithful Subjects, who could not but be as defirous to preserve the Peace, as they were able and ready to defend and vindicate their Rights, against the Encroachments of all Aggreffors. 1738-9. A a a 6. And 1738-9. |