1776.

therto they had not taken a single effectual or plaufible ftep, which could promife to infure it fuccefs.

From the nature of our government, in which thofe who are to direct, and thofe who are to aЯ, are fo intimately blended and connected, in views, habits, and common intereft, the minister of courfe will have always a strong fettled fupport. If to this we add the country gentlemen, or the independent part of the nation, who united with him in fentiment on many grounds, which will be mentioned in their proper place, no man can be furprized that he carried every point he wished or defired, by the mot decifive majorities. It was indeed impoffible it could have happened otherwife. Grant him but the confidence of the independent part of the Houfe, and the truth of the information, which determined their opinions, it could be no wonder that they pronounced America in rebellion. Every meafure which followed that vote grew out of it; and the means of fuppreffing fo unnatural and unprovoked a rebellion (for to this the whole information the House proceeded on directly went) followed as of neceffity.

Here we would make a pause, and reconcile, if we could, the conduct of adminiftration to their own profeffed principles. If America was in rebellion, if that rebellion was wanton and unprovoked, why not take the most effectual means of fuppreffing it? It can never be received as an apology, that parliament would not co-operate; for it was not in the nature of things, that the moft abfurd or verfatile character in either House, after having voted for the right, atter having declared the refiftance to the enforcing that right rebellion, could hefitate to give an almoft unconditional approbation and fupport to any featible measure for fecuring the fuppofed right, and for fuppreffing the refiftance which was made to it. It is only therefore on a fuppofition of what the leading members of adminiftration have repeatedly confessed in both Houses, fince the commence ment of the prefent feffions, that we can at all account for their conduct; which was, that they were deceived; that they had fewer friends, and more Jan. 1776.

9

enemies, than they were told they had in America; that thofe enemies were much more formidable from their courage and warlike fpirit, than even from their numbers; and that miftaken notions of liberty and of their political relation to this country, not a mere factious,noify,bluftering,feditious difpofition, were the true caufe of their refiftance to the claims of thislegislature. To pursue the minifter through the remainder of his political career of laft feffion, is no part of my prefent plan. It is enough to fay, that every meafure, whether refifting the petition of the merchants or the feveral motions made in both Houses; the augmentation of the army and navy; the reftraining and fithery bills; and in short the whole detail of public bufinefs as connected with parliament, was carried through and directed on the principle before mentioned. I repeat once more, if the claim of the British legiflature was a juft and confiitutional claim; if the papers laid before both Houles were founded in fact, or well fupported in opinion; if the means used were adequate to the ends propofed; who, that had a dependence on the minifter, or a confidence in his integrity and abilities, and approved of the principle on which he acted, could refufe him their countenance and fupport? Yet, as the conduct of this minifter, and the acquiefcence and deliberations of this parliament, will probably often recur in the course of this abftract hiftory, and form one of the moft remarkable æras in the British annals, it may not be improper or unworthy of public attention, to say a word or two on the famous conciliatory propofitian, he introduced into the Houle of Commons on the 20th of February, it being intended as the great bafis, on which all future measures refpecting America was to be built.

The minifter's friends give him the whole credit of this propofition, but, in our opinion, if he was fincere and wifhed it fuccefs, he brought it forward one year too late. To examine it narrowly it prefented two faces, a revenue to the country gentlemen and the people of this country; to the people of America, a faithful expenditure of whatever they were able, or willing, to grant towards the common fupport. But the misfortune was, that C

there

10

there was an army at Bofton; that that army was to be fupported; and, in our opinion, that no plan of concilia tion will ever anfwer, while a military force remains on the fpot, for this will always, to a people fo tenacious of their real or ideal rights, have the ftrongest appearance of compulfion.However, the very unlucky turn our military operations took before the propofition was known in that country, prevents us from judging properly of the effect it might have had, if either the army stationed at Boston had remained inactive, or had met with fuccefs. It is now however too plain, I fear, that attempts to terminate matters amicably, will have very little effect; and that either fide,, no matter to the truth of the prefent obfervation, whether right or wrong, will only confent to fubmit, or defift from their refpective pretenfions, by the more accidental events of an obAtinate, unnatural, and bloody war.

During the prorogation of parlia ment, a series of incidents had hap pened in America, every one of them in the most marked contradiction to what had been folemnly afferted, or confidently foretold by the minifter and his friends, in the course of the last feffion. It proved no longer an bftinate factious oppofition, Howing from the republican difloyal (pirit of the colony of Maffachulets Bay, and the three other confederate colonies of Connecticut, Providence, and Rhode Iland whether an evil or a good fpirit, it pervaded every province, town, and district, in a greater or leffer degree, from the confines of Nova Scotia to the Floridas. New York, North Carolina, and Georgia, which had hitherto obferved a conduct bordering upon a friendly neutrality; Penfylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, which had abitained from any act of violence, on hearing of the acts paffed for reftraining the trade, and prohibiting the fishery, fuddenly united with the others, as one man, in oppofing and preparing to refift the claims of the British parliament. A jerming accident, however, called thofe general refolutions into actual existence, much earlier than could have been otherwife expected, or forefeen, from the nature of a confederacy confifting of

Jan.

twelve different governments, compofed of perfons in many respects oppofite in political and religious fentiments, of different views, and in fome inftances very remote in point of fituation, and little connected by commercial intereft. I call it a feeming accident, for I have very little reason to doubt, that the provincials were making preparations for the worf, from the time they understood that bills of an uncommon rigorous nature were meditating in the British cabinet; of which, as to their general tendency at leaft, they had early and authentic information; as well as of the intended embarkations of troops from Ireland: and I have ftill lefs reason to doubt, on the other hand, that the march of the troops from Bofton to Concord was with a view to carry thofe bills into execution, to enfure them fuccefs, and to deprive the provincials of the means of that refiftance, which probably the commander in chief had been well apprifed was intended to be made. Be that as it may, the General commenced hoftilities, and the detachment employed in that fervice was defeated by a body of men, whom we had been hitherto taught to confider as a mere undifciplined mob, compofed of the neighbouring peafantry, equally deftitute of every fpark of na. tive courage as ignorant of the art of war. The confequence of this fevere check was, that a regular army was formed on the part of the provincials; that the king's troops, tho' ftrongly reinforced, had like to have been totally destroyed and though by' their uncommon bravery, and the gallant fpirit of their officers in the affair of Bunker's Hill, they threw afide the intended blow, they have remained ever fince befieged in the town of Bof-" ton, or ftraitened in the lines, the poffeffion of which they purchased fo dearly on the fatal 17th of June.

The very numerous and alarming confequences of the hoftilities thus commenced, and feemingly injudicioufly conducted on our part, do not properly come within the plan of thefe introductory obfervations; it is fufficient to fay, that many of the leading affertions, and the general reafoning, contained in the Lords

5

Protest

12

and Port Mahon, in order that a larger number of the established forces of this kingdom, may be employed in the maintenance of its authority, and points out the propriety of a national militia, well planned and regulated, as the means of till giving farther extent and activity to the intended military operations.

After having declared a readinefs to accept of the fubmiflion of the deJuded multitude, and to receive the mifled with tenderness and mercy, and pointed out the general plan of receiving thofe fubmiffions and extending the royal clemency to fuch as, from the nature of their offences and their future difpofitions, may be thought worthy of royal clemency; the fpeech proceeds to itate the neceflity of a fupply, fuited to the prefent circumitances of affairs; and laments, among the other unavoidable ill confequences of this rebellion, the extraordinary burthen, which it must create to his faithful fubjects.

His majesty concludes with a fhort recapitulation of the measures meant to be purfued, for fuppreffing the prefent diforders; and commits what ever elfe may contribute to this end, to the wisdom of parliament; adding that he is happy, as well from aflurances given, as from the general appearance of affairs in Europe, that there is no probability that the meafures parliament might adopt, would be interrupted by difputes with any foreign power *.

An addrefs in the most perfect unifon with the fpeech from the throne was moved for in the lower Houfe by Mr. Ackland, and feconded by Mr. Lyttelton, late governor of Jamaica, who, in his zeal for coercive measures, dropped fomething which appeared extremely difgufting to the moderate and difpaffionate part of the Houfe of all parties: it was an intimation, that if a few regiments were fent to the fouthward, and that the negroes were emancipated by proclamation, they would, in all probability, rife and em brue their hands in the blood of their mafters.

An amendment was propofed by a noble lord [Lord John Cavendish] to the addreis, which was feconded by Sir James Lowther, to omit the whole

Jan.

addrefs but the first paragraph; and infert the following in its ftead.

"We are fatisfied, that the misfortune has in a great measure arifen from a want of fuil and proper information being laid before parliament, of the true itate and condition of the colonies, by reafon of which, meafures have been carried into execution, injurious and inefficacious, from wher.ce no falutary end was reasonably to be expected, tending to tarnish the luftre of the British arms, to bring difcredit on the wisdom of your majefty's councils; and to nourish, without hope of end, a most unhappy civil war.

"Deeply impreffed with the melancholy itate of public concerns, we fhall in the fulleft information we can obtain, and with the most mature deliberation we can employ, review the whole of the proceedings, that we may be enabled to difcover, as we fhall be moft willing to apply, the most effectual means of reftoring crder to the diftracted affairs of the British empire, confidence to his m jetty's government, obedience by a prudent and temperate ufe of its powers, to the authority of parliament, and fatisfaction and happinefs to all your people.

"By thefe means we trust we shall avoid any occafion of having recourse to the alarming and dangerous expedient of calling foreign forces to the fupport of your majey's authority, within your own dominions, and the ftill more dreadful calamity of thedding British blood by British arms.”

The debate of this day was carried on with all poffible zeal, energy, and in fome inftances, with great acrimo ny on both fides. It continued till half after four o'clock the next morning, when the question being put on the amendment, the Houfe divided : For it 108, against it 278. The main question was then put on the original motion for agreeing with the propofed addrefs, which paffed without a division.

It was urged by the friends of the amendment, that the speech now before them, which they fhould continue to confider as the fpeech of the minifter, was full of affumed facts and falfe reafonings, founded in premedi tated impofition, and total ignorance

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of the true state of America. That the people of that country were nei. ther in a state of rebellion, nor aimed at independence; for they took up arms purely to defend their own juft rights, which they were ready to lay down and return to their duty, as foon as Great Britain defifted to exact more than a conftitutional obedience. That the merits of the prefent difpute between Great Britain and her colo nies, all depend on the fingle question, who were the first aggreffors; for if parliament should appear in the light which they contended it did, then refiftance to an unjust power, or to a just one unconstitutionally exercifed, could not be called rebellion, for if the contrary was a true doctrine, the Revolution, and the establishment which took place in confequence of it, was one of the blackeft and moft atrocious rebellions recorded in hiftory.

That part of the fpeech, which af ferted that the intentions of the Americans were very different from ours, was very feverely animadverted on; and received from feveral gentlemen in oppofition the most naked contradictions, because the charge of a defign to render themfelves independent now fo folemnly made against the colonies, had been sepeatedly urged in debate by the noble lord at the head of the Treafury, and all the leading members in administration; therefore the minister, through the medium of the fpeech, had afferted now what he did not know to be true in fact, or formerly what he did not believe; if they were aware of the intentions of America, why not take the most proper and effectual measures for defeating them? if not, why irritate the mother country against them by calumnious faifehoods

In refpect of information it was ob ferved, that adminiftration had none, or they intentionally gave parliament falfe accounts, with a view of leading the nation into a wir, by ftated progrefles, and at length bringing us into a fruation, which would render it almoft impoffible to recede. That in the beginning the fpirit of difobedience was reprefented as inhabiting only the fingle town of Boston; which after a proper chaftifement, would initan:ly return to its duty, not being able to fubfit without the advantages

13

derived from its trade and commerce; this prediction proving falfe, it was then allowed to have spread through the whole province. Again, the three neighbouring provinces caught the contagion, till at length it has become almolt univerfal; from which it was plainly deducible, that the miniftry had either been grofsly deceived themselves, or had purpofely deceiv ed and mifled parliament, from motives they did not dare to confefs, but which might be eafily accounted for; and that confequently their ignarance and incapacity on one hand, or their traiterous juppreffion of what they knero on the other, which must have been the caufe of all our present misfortunes, rendered them totally unworthy of being longer trufted in retrieving thofe affairs they had brought to the brink of ruin, by their treachery, negligence, or mifmanagement.

On the offers of foreign affistance and the peaceable difpofition of the other powers of Europe, it was remarked that it was well known, very little attention had been paid to foreign interests fince the acceffion of the prefent fet of men into power, and the little that had, only ferved to difguft our best friends, or by turns to exafperate or win over by the most wanton acts of unprovoked infolence, or fervile conceffion, our old and inveterate enemies; by which unaccountable conduct, our councils were at once defpifed and difgraced in the opinion of every court in Europe. That in the prefent convulfed state of affairs, of divifions at home and a civil war in America, very little dependance could be had on the general affurances of foreign powers, whether as declared friends, or neutrals; for it could never be fuppofed from the known established fyftems of policy practifed among rival nations, that fuch open and favourable opportunities would be overlooked by our na tural or acquired enemies, if they fhould prefent even a remote or doubtful profpect of fuccefs. That however, that paffage in the fpeech was cautiously worded, and at least held out a poflibility, that while we were making war 3000 miles diftant, we might find ourselves attacked at our very doors, by two of the most formidable powers in Europe.

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