nature of his fituation would admit of; a board of general officers had been called to inquire into his conduct, who refused to take cognizance of it. This, however, did not prevent the general's ftating his whole conduct to Parliament, which he has been permitted to do in the amplest manner. With refpect to Sir William Howe's dispatches, which were received but yesterday, he had hardly time to read them over himself before he fent them to his Majefty, and therefore he could not have stated them to the House if he had thought it neceffary. In regard to America not receiving the conciliatory bill because it came from the prefent minifters, if that was the only impediment to peace, it might foon be removed, for he would willingly refign his employment whenever it appeared that his holding it prevented the conciliation fo much to be wished.

The Houfe divided, for the prorogation 94, against it 54.

June 3.

Mr. Temple Luttrell recommended it to the admiralty board to substitute, in the place of impreffing, the plan of hiring feamen for three years, with a bounty on their voluntary entrance. He enforced this advice with many powerful arguments, and proved, as far as reason and experience can convince, that it was the only mode, in the present fituation, that can be effectual. Many thousand able and experienced feamen were, at this time, totally loft to the country by being concealed among their friends. The dread of impreffing, not the fear of engaging in the fervice for the war, was the only reafon that induced them to fly. Remove the fufpicion they entertain of being kept for life, and they would repair with cheerfulness to the fhip fide, and accept the bounty.

The Commons were this day fent for to the House of Lords, when the King put an end to the feffion by a speech from the throne, which fee at the end of the Lords debates,

The

The following Speech was delivered on the 25th of May in the Houfe of Commons, by the Hon. James Luttrell."

THOUGH I defpair, from any thing I can fay, to awaken minifters to a fenfe of their duty, when fo many gentlemen of much greater abilities and importance than myself have failed in the attempt; yet, when I reflect a moment on the prefent times-times, Sir, of general outcry of an invasion, of the failure of public credit, the excefs of taxes, the decline of commerce, the bankruptcy of merchants, the murmurs and difcontent of our fellow-fubjects, and when we have been told that our fleets and armies are fcarcely fufficient to protect this island and its foreign dependencies, much less adequate to revenge the groffeft infults and indignities ever dared to be offered to the Crown of England by the House of Bourbon-indignities announced by a meffage from his Majeftyinfults warmly acknowledged by the minifters in full Parliament at fo humiliating a period of our hiftory, with the sword of Great Britain fheathed in difgrace; I cannot find myself feated in the prefence of men who have brought so much difhonour and calamity on my country, without persevering to reprobate their paft conduct-without the utmost jealousy and miftruft of their future conduct.

The papers now upon the table are proofs presented to us by government that they had full and timely intelligence of the armament at Toulon; they knew its progreís regularly from the 3d of January till it failed on the 13th of April, with a fair wind; and though that fleet was but seven or eight days moderate fail from the Streights of Gibraltar, it was fuffered to be at fea eighteen days, and none of our fhips ordered out, or found to be in readiness to proceed against that fleet, either by ftrengthening our force in the Mediterranean, or upon any other plan whatfoever; for it was not till the Ift of May, when the wind changed to the westward, that Admiral Byron received his orders. The nation will judge whether minifters have acted like wife men, who made proper use of intelligence, or like perfons taken by surprise, and totally ignorant of the operations of France. Their conduct is somewhat fimilar to that extraordinary general, Prince Charles of Lorraine (now governor of the Low Countries) who having received certain intelligence that the King of Pruffia intended to furprise his camp, furprised the King of Pruffia by getting drunk, and making no preparations for a

defence i

defence; by which means his army of 80,000 men was cut to pieces, and defeated by the King's army of only 25,000.

I beg leave to remind the Houfe, that the Conciliatory Bills are founded on a principle that we are able to contend with France, Spain, and America. How does it agree with that principle to find difficulty in opposing one fingle French fquadron ?

The minifterial argument, that becaufe all is in danger, we must only look at home, may be confiftent with their favourite selfish policy in the extreme; but I trust the nation has more enlarged ideas, and therefore think the failing of the Toulon fleet cannot be too often repeated; the neglect of minifters, which made that fleet of consequence, cannot be too much cenfured. As a member of this Houfe I muft think it my duty to investigate the charge; but, Sir, I am called upon by additional confiderations, for I was bred in a profeffion in which I was early taught to look up with emulation and respect to thofe great naval characters who have fo often diftinguifhed themselves, at the hazard of their lives, in their country's fervice, and done all that men could do to merit the esteem of the people; to merit a fair and honourable protection from the Crown and Parliament. Need I fay, Sir, that Lord Howe is one of those characters; or that to fee him facrificed and betrayed muft give every honeft man pain? I cannot therefore pay a compliment to that fort of candour in minifters which confifts in pretending to be fo careful of this ifland that fo gallant an admiral was not thought of till too late to fend him any affiftance, or even intelligence.

I have heard minifters plead, that they knew not the deftination of the Toulon armament: I fhould imagine their intelligence that eighty mafters of merchant veffels were fent to Toulon as pilots; their intelligence that paffengers of distinction, anfwering to the defcription of emiflaries from the court of France, were to embark; added to the haftiness of the equipment, and the ftrength of the fleet, would have alarmed minifters to prepare for its deftination being to America. Were minifters ignorant that our army in America depends for fubfiftence or retreat upon our fuperiority by fea? Were they ignorant that a scattered fleet is not a match for one that is united? Were they ignorant that a fingle fhip can outfail a fleet? And ought not a man of war to have carried intelligence to Lord Howe of a fuperior fleet to his own standing to the weftward? If minifters could not spare a fquadron, was the object hazarded not worth fparing one fingle fhip? Ministers

Minifters knew the Toulon armament was deftined to commit hoftilities against us. Were they ignorant that we are unprepared to contend with it in any part of the globe? Ought not a fleet then to have been ready to oppose it? ought not the fame Admiral, and the fame fhips, to have been ready to fail from Spithead in time, when wind was fair, instead of delaying till it was too late, and the wind contrary? Could no privy council be found between January and May, to determine how to act, should the Toulon fleet put to fea? Were they all that time wrangling who fhould have the reverfion of the Cinque Ports? or are they totally, indifferent how many gallant officers, fhips or troops, are facrificed through their wavering policy of extreme rafhnefs, or extreme indolence and fomnolency?

What is the fituation of Lord Howe? Was he fent ta America to watch the motions of the French, or to protect the army, and to fcatter his fleet along the coaft, to prevent the Americans from interrupting our commerce? Lord Howe is known to be as vigilant as he is brave; but it may be difficult to enter into his great mind, that an insulted flag is parading at Spithead; or that minifters, who promised to be his trufty centinels upon Europe, have flept on the watch, or been regaling at a mere puppet-fhew; while that gallant admiral, without time to collect his fcattered ships, is fuffered to be attacked by a fleet fuperior to his own-a fleet from Francea fleet escaped from under the eye of government, and gone forth in defiance of that boafted navy of Great Britain, which the Earl of Sandwich so often pledged his faith to be fuperior to the united fleets of France and Spain. That boafted navy, which, by the grants upon our journals, appears to have coft this nation, in the eight years of that Earl's administration, twice as much as the eight years of the last war.

Had a single ship been fent in time to Lord Howe, with orders to prepare, perhaps the great naval skill of that Admiral, joined to the abilities of the gallant officers who serve under him, might have united a force, and fo managed it, as to have protected that part of the coaft where General Howe's army is employed. But then we muft judge of Lord Howe's fleet by his returns in November, and attribute to the confi dence which miniftry place in our running no hazard of defeat in America; that allowing for the Bristol gone to Jamaica, and a fixty-four gun fhip returned home, that there remain the Eagle 64, St. Albans 64, Reasonable 64, Nonfuch 64, Somerfet 64, Centurion 50,. Prefton 50, Ifis 50, Expe

Experiment 50, Renown 50, Phoenix 40, Rainbow 40, Roebuck 40, the Ardent 64, and Trident 64, on their paffage out. In all feven fail of the line, five fifty-gun fhips, three forty-gun fhips, and about twenty-fix frigates, with the advantage of fmaller rates to fupply the fleet with men. But Parliament must see that, under the most flattering circumstances, that fleet could not protect the Delaware, New York, Nova Scotia, and Canada.

But what fhall be faid fevere enough of minifters, if they have hazarded fo formidable an attack from the French, not only without the advantage of Lord Howe to command our fleet, but perhaps deprived of half the thips I have before ftated; for, if report fays true, Lord Howe, in the Eagle, with two fixty-four gun fhips, and fome frigates, are now in their paffage home. Others only fay, that a part of our fhips are ordered to return, but not Lord Howe. Sir, if either of thofe reports are founded on truth, what fort of a fleet will then remain in America to protect the British army? Or fhould any fquadron of ours be met on their paffage home by the Toulon feet, would they not be facrificed through the fatal neglect of miniftry? For though I will admit that it might not have been Count D'Eftaing's original plan to have fteered to intercept them, yet when we confider the strong fouth-west winds which blowed in the beginning of May, which would have driven the French fleet (if in the weftern ocean) up into our northern latitudes, it is no longer improbable that our men of war fhould be met on their paffage home, and be taken by fo fuperior a force.

A Mediterranean fleet of observation was the more neceffary, because a fair wind depends not only upon the place bound to, but the place bound from; whereas a fquadron fent from our channel, having the fame wind with the French fleet, might not find equal advantages to fhape a courfe for America, and thereby arrive too late to be of any utility.

How far the resources of this country, its fea and land forces, are equal to contend with France, Spain, and America, minifters, who have made the tafk inevitable, muft answer to the nation. But I do fay, if Parliament is fo panicftruck about invafions-is grown fo very humble, and infignificant, as to give up all hopes of revenging the infults of the House of Bourbon, and bafely mean to yield up the dominion of the feas to our natural enemies, withcut ftriking one blow, for the ancient honour and reputation of the British flag; Parliament ought, at least, in common juftice to the characters of gallant officers, who have lived to ferve their

country