in its duration, abounded in action, and exhibited viciflitudes of fortune fingularly important and interefting. The intelligence of the fucceffes attending the British arms on Long Island and at New York reached England fome time before the meeting of parliament, which was convened October 31, 1776. In his fpeech from the throne, the king, with unguarded and undignified intemperance of language, informed the two houses, "that fo daring and defperate was the fpirit of thofe leaders whofe object has always been dominion and power, that they have now openly renounced all allegiance to the crown, and all political connection with this country; they have rejected, with circumstances of indignity and infult, the means of conciliation held out to them, and have PRESUMED to fet up their REBELLIOUS CONFEDERACIES as INDEPENDENT STATES. If their TREASON be fuffered to take root, much mischief muft grow from it to the prefent fyftem of all Europe." His majesty was happy to inform them," that the fucceffes already obtained had been fo important as to give the strongest hopes of the most decifive good confequences; but, notwithstanding this fair profpect, it was neceflary at all events to prepare for ANOTHER CAMPAIGN." Addreffes, the echo of the speech, were brought forward in both houfes; but an amendment, which was in reality another addrefs in a totally different ftrain, was moved by lord John Cavendish in the house of commons, and the marquis of Rockingham in the house of lords, containing a masterly recapitulation of the manifold errors of that system which had caused the entire alienation, and at length the open revolt of fo large a part of his majesty's once loyal and affectionate fubjects. It concluded with the obfervation," that a wife and provident ufe of the late advantages might be productive of happy effets, as the means of establishing a permanent connection between Great Britain and her colonies, on principles of liberty, and terms of mutual benefit" "We should look," look," faid this truly excellent and admirable address, " with fhame and horror on any events that should bow them to an abject and unconditional fubmiffion to any power whatsoever-annihilate their liberties, and fubdue them to fervile principles and paffive habits by the mere force of foreign mercenary arms." The fpeech from the throne, under the established and decorous pretext of its being the fpeech of the minifter, was treated with the most contemptuous and sarcastic feverity. "Where," it was afked, " are thofe mighty leaders to be found whom the Americans obey fo implicit ly, and who govern them with fo defpotic a rule? They have no grandees among them; their foil is not productive of nobility; in no country are there in fact fo few individuals poffeffed of a commanding or extenfive influence; the president of their supreme affembly is a merchant; the general of their armies a private gentleman. Nothing could be more evident than that a sense of common danger and of common fuffering had driven them to the neceffity of creating leaders, who were poffeffed only of fuch powers as the people had thought it expedient to entrust them with. In the fame spirit of FALSEHOOD it is afferted, "that the Americans had rejected with circumstances of indignity and infult the terms of conciliation offered them." The truth was, that no terms had been offered them but the offer of pardon on unconditional fubmiffion, which the minifters well knew they would never accept; nor was even this mock offer made till the whole fyftem of irritation and oppreffion was completed by the injustice and cruelty of the capture act, by which they were put out of the protection of the law, and their property held out as common fpoil. The pofition in the fpeech, fo undeniably true," that no people ever enjoyed greater happiness, or lived under a milder government, than these now revolted colonies,” implied the feverest cenfure on those who had fo wantonly and wickedly departed from a fyftem which had produced fuch fuch noble and wonderful effects. The expectation of unanimity from the prefent fituation of affairs, was, however, said to be of all the parts of this extravagant speech the most ridiculous. "What! fhall we at laft concur in measures, because all the mischiefs which were originally predicted have ultimately refulted from them? Have minifters the unparalleled effrontery to call upon us to give Our fanction to that fatal system which we in vain warned and implored them to fhun, and which perfifted in muft terminate in utter ruin ?" On a divifion, the amendment was rejected in the house of commons by a majority of 242 to 87, and in the house of peers by 91 to 26, fourteen of whom joined in a proteft, in which the proposed amendment was verbatim inserted, in order that it might remain as a perpetual memorial on the journals of that house. In a few days after the addreffes were prefented, lord John Cavendish, exhibiting in the house a printed paper, purporting to be a proclamation of his majefty's commiffi, oners in America, called upon minifters to inform him as to the authenticity. of it. This being acknowledged, his lordship expreffed in the strongest terms his aftonishment at the contempt and indignity offered to the house, who, through the medium of a common newspaper only, were at length informed that they ftand engaged to America to undertake a revifion of all thofe laws by which the Americans had conceived themselves to be aggrieved. Notwithftanding the refentment he felt as a member of the house at this minifterial infolence of conduct, his lordship faid that he felt a dawn of joy break in upon his mind at the bare mention of reconciliation, whatever color the measures might wear that led to fo defirable an event. The great object of restoring peace and unity to this distracted empire outweighed fo far with him all other prefent confiderations, that he not only would overlook punctilios on this account, but even fuch matters of real inport as would upon any other occafion call all his powers into action. On thefe these grounds his lordfhip moved, "that the house should refolve itself into a committee to confider of the revifal of all acts of parliament by which his majesty's fubjects in America think themselves aggrieved." The minifters, though thrown by the furprize of this motion into fome perplexity, alleged in their vindication, "That the paper in queftion was not of fufficient moment to be laid before parliament, being no treaty nor part of a treaty, but barely a preliminary, which might poffibly lead to one. That a public proclamation, fubmitted to the general inspection upon the walls and houses of New York, could not however be intended to be kept from the knowledge of parliament; and they conceived the authority exercifed by the commiffioners to be already delegated by the act under which they derived their power-that, as to the motion itself, they conceived it to be highly improper, as tending to difgrace the commiffioners, and defeat their endeavors to obtain the most advantageous terms for this kingdom. They also infifted, that, until the fpirit of independency was effectually fubdued, it would be idle and futile to enter upon any revifions; but from our late fucceffes there was little room to doubt but that the cruel thraldom in which the people of America were held by the congrefs would be quickly diffolved, and that America would return to her duty with more eagernefs and alacrity than fhe had entered into this revolt; and that then would be the time to talk of legislative regulations for their future government." This language kindled anew the indignation of the oppofition. "That the most important paper published in the course of this controverfy, containing propofitions of conciliation in which the house were parties fo nearly concerned, should not be thought of fufficient moment to be laid before them, was treated as an incredible extravagance; and to pretend that the commiffioners were already authorised to engage for the revision of the laws in question, was a palpable falfehood. The act by which they they were appointed empowered them only to grant pardons, and enquire into grievances; and the concurrence of the house was abfolutely neceffary to give effect to the proclamation. If the minifters oppofed fuch concurrence, it was evident that the offer was a branch of that infidious and treacherous fyftem by which they aimed to divide, while by their fleets and armies they were endeavoring to destroy and exterminate the colonies. To fay that this proclamation was not intended to be kept from the knowledge of parliament, was a mockery of parliament; for how could the members of that houfe be fuppofed acquainted with the papers pofted up in the streets of New York?" But the doctrine they most of all reprobated, was, that an abfolute and unconditional renunciation of American independence muft precede the revision of the laws in question, or any redress of grievances whatever. "Upon what precedent," said they, "is this horrid maxim founded? or what code of history or policy have our ministers made the rule of their prefent conduct? Philip II. of Spain, who was in his day confidered as the most gloomy and unrelenting tyrant in chriftendom, adopted a wifer and more moderate policy. In his wars with the revolted provinces of Holland, he repeatedly promifed, in terms the most explicit and pofitive, the complete redrefs of all their grievances, without requiring a previous renunciation of their independence. But the doctrine now broached was a doctrine which led to the last extremities of human mifery. It was a condition which could not be enforced without the effufion of oceans of blood, and in fact it was holding out to America the option only of SLAVERY or DEATH." The motion, after a long and paffionate debate, was negatived by a majority of 62 voices; and from this time many of the oppofition, chiefly of the Rockingham party, abfented themselves from the house, and a clear field was left during the greater part of the feffion to the ministers-the vaft fupplies demanded by them being granted |