“and indispenfible neceffity of employing other perfons, and of "adopting other councils."

Lord Barrington faid, the fpeech juft delivered by the Noble Duke was fo diftinguished for its eloquence, that it required a more confiderable fhare of ability than he was poffeffed of to follow it through the various fubjects to which it had alluded. Divefted of the ftyle in which it had been conveyed, the queftion itself was plain and clear, and he trusted the Houfe would honour him with a favourable attention, while he expreffed his fentiments. It was a queftion of great magnitude; for upon the rejection or adoption of it depended the very existence and fafety of the country. Such was the tendency of the addrefs, that he thought it incumbent on him to take the earliest opportunity of entering his proteft against it. There were fome of the arguments brought forward in furport of it which it was impoffible he could pafs over in filence. He could not but conceive the Noble Duke, in offering them, had deviated from that candour which in general charactized him. In pronouncing his fentiments of the fituation of this country, he had not done, that which in juftice he ought to have done, contrafted it with the ftate of the other powers of Europe; without fo contrafting, it was impoffible to give any other than an incomplete and inadequate idea of it. Its real fituation could only be accurately estimated by confidering it with relation to other powers, but he believed the omiffion of the Noble Duke in this refpect was not altogether the effect of accident. It was impoffible for it not to have occurred to the Noble Duke that fuch a difcuffion must have inevitably produced the effect of raifing in the minds of every one prefent a degree of pride at the exalted fituation of this country in comparifon with others, and have produced a well-grounded confidence in all who looked forward to the fecurity and maintenance of its religion, laws, and morality. Had the Noble Duke ftated the fituation of the Batavian Republic, of the Spanish Monarchy, or of the Neutral Maritime Powers, or had he talked of the tranquillity of Italy or Switzerland, or had he expatiated on the happiness enjoyed even in the French Republic, it was impoffible for him not to have known, that adverting to fuch topics would have had the effect of raifing the general opinion in which the House and the public held thofe Minifters, who, amid fuch a general wreck of Empires, had by their talants been able to preferve to this State a degree of profperity, which in no former period it had enjoyed. If fuch a fum as 164 millions had been added to the public debt, together with all thofe other calamities which had been fo eloquently, and he might add fo carefully, enumerated by the Noble Duke during a period of ge

neral

neral tranquillity, in fuch cafe he should have confidered the Minifters, under whofe reign it had happened, not only weak. and wicked, but the fyftem purfued by them radically bad; but the contrary was the fact; that debt, and thofe calamities, light as they were when balanced with those experienced by other countries, had been the natural, the inevitable confequences of a war which had defolated the rest of Europe.

With refpect to the origin of the war, though the Noble Duke profeffed to abftain from it, yet it was referred to in almost every point of his fpeech, and the authors of it pretty plainly infinuated. However, he deemed that queftion completely decided (if it had not been determined before,) by a publication which not long fince reached this country ;— that work must remove every doubt upon the fubject. The idea, that the war was perfifted in by England in order to restore the French Monarchy, was much dwelt upon, as the means of keeping up the fpirit of refentment in France against this country. This he denied; at least the objection would apply as well to every war the two countries had ever been engaged in. Indeed, the principle pervaded all wars, that advantages fhould be taken of oppofing parties and opinions in the enemy's country. Did not Louis XIV. and England and Auftria, act reciprocally on that principle, in the war relative to the Succeffion to the Spanish Monarchy ? What repeated fuccours did not the French Kings fend to the adherents of James II. and the Pretender in thefe Kingdoms?

That we were not fighting against any particular form of Government in France, he would quote the authority of one of the warmest republicans in that country, (Tallien), who, when he was Commiffioner in one of the western districts, addreffed a paper to the French Nation, wherein, fpeaking of England, he fays, "It is not against a Republic England is fighting, it is againft France; and if France established a Monarchy to-morrow, England would fight for a Republic." So it was plain, that the principle of the war, on the part of this country against France, was not against any particular form of Government she might choose to adopt, but against her overweening arrogance, and thirst for univerfal dominion-which has produced fuch calamitous effects in Europe already.

Upon another fubject of the Noble Duke's fpeech, namely, the fituation of Ireland, he was forry to obferve it had been adverted to without that strict degree of delicacy which the fubject feemed to have demanded. He would afk the Noble Duke if he really believed any fyftem of conciliation would produce the effect of tranquillizing Ireland? Could it produce fuch an effect in men who had avowed their determination to hear of nothing

but what came from themselves? Sure he was no man could lay his hand on his heart and say, any conciliation to fuch men would be attended with fuccefs. The Noble Duke had used the ftrong expreffion of the numberless atrocities committed by the military in Ireland; for his part, he was much surprised at the affent with which accounts of fuch atrocities were received in this country: a Noble Earl had, on a former occafion, made a long fpeech upon this fubject, in the courfe of which he had enumerated a variety of inftances of the cruelties committed in Ireland, but of them it had turned out that there were not only many unfounded, but all highly exaggerated. The Noble Duke had alfo accufed his Majefty's Minifters of wishing for a general fyftem of Defpoliation with the other great powers in Europe; and, in particular, that in the negotiation at Paris, their object was to obtain the Cape of Good Hope, Trinidad, and Ceylon, at the expence of Spain and the Dutch. Had he confidered what had been the conduct of England towards thefe powers? Sure he was that fo far from furnishing any grounds of accufation on the fcore of an unjuft defire of partaking the fpoils of thofe countries, it would, if fairly examined, be confidered as the direct contrary. After three months notice, had the Noble Duke propofed to the Houfe to addrefs his Majesty to remove from his councils those who at prefent prefided over them; in doing this, he had called upon their Lordships to obliterate from their memories the recollection of all the former fervices of thofe Minifters; to forget that to them this country was indebted for the advantageous treaty of peace with France, in the year 1788; that it was to them we owed the improvements which the jurifprudence of the country had derived with regard to the trial by jury; that to their exertions and abilities we were indebted for the introduction of that admirable system of finance which had raifed the public funds, previous to the year 1793, to the extraordinary pitch at which they had arrived; a fyftem which, by its operation fince that period, had preferved the national independence of the country, ftrengthened its commerce, and fecured its freedom. This was not all; the Noble Duke had called upon the Houfe to do this at a period when the fufpenfion of the powers of Government, even for a week, must be of the moft ferious confequences-at a time when a confpiracy exifted against all the old governments of the earthat a time when the enmity of the power with whom we were at war had increased, and threatened an immediate invafion. For himself, he had never entertained the idea that the existence of the British Conftitution depended on any one man, or on any particular fet of men; but this he did believe, that, under the prefent circumftances, the exiftence of the British Conftitution would be

highly endangered by the committal of the Executive Government to men whofe ideas of parliamentary reform, and whose supposed connexions with affiliated focieties, muft neceffarily have the effect of weakening our means of national defence, by promoting difunion throughout the kingdom. Befides, their Lordships were not aware what was to be the nature of that new Government which was fought to be established by a system of parliamentary reform; the addrefs of the Noble Duke did not point it out, though its object, as well as that of many individuals, was generally understood. It was afferted that the Houfe of Commons did not confift of the reprefentatives of the people, confequently their Lordships must be wholly ignorant to what extent the fyftem of radical reform might be carried. true the Noble Duke had expreffed his approbation of a particular plan, but it was well known, that of the whole number who had voted in favour of a reform, not five were agreed as to the particular fyftem to be adopted; and therefore, how far they might be carried away by their anxiety for what would be at best but a nominal peace with France, and their defire for radical reform, or how far they might be hurried beyond their original intention, it was impoffible to conjecture. The danger of fuch men fupplying the places of the prefent Minifters was evident, and therefore he trusted their Lordships would come to such a temperate decifion as was confiftent with their duty to the public.

It was

The Duke of Bedford obferved, that the adoption of the Addrefs could not have the effect fuppofed by the Noble Lord. He (the Duke) had ftrongly, formally, and diftinctly stated it was not the object of the Addrefs, that if the present Minifters were now removed, they must neceffarily be fucceeded by others, who were determined upon a radical reform in Parliament. What be fuggefted was, that if there were men of integrity and talents in this Houfe and in the Houfe of Commons, who might not think Parliamentary Reform immediately neceffary, but who might conceive they would difcharge their duty by endeavouring to procure peace with France, and conciliating Ireland, he thould be happy to give fuch men his fupport.

Lord Holland fpoke in fubftance as follows." My Lords, if it were poffible for me to be furprised at any thing that comes from thofe Noble Lords who have efpoufed the caufe, and defended the conduct of his Majefty's prefent Minifters, I must be astonished at fome of the affertions of the Noble Lord who has fpoken against the Addrefs moved by my Noble Friend. That the country is in a ftate of unprecedented calamity and diftrefs, is a propofition which I thought, till this night, no man could have been hardy enough to deny. To me it ap

pears,

pears, that our calamities and diftreffes are fo great, and the dangers that menace the country from the prefent war, are of fuch number and magnitude, that I am aftonifhed how any one can be thoughtlefs or fanguine enough to think that there is the fmalleft hope of a fuccefsful iffue, particularly under the administration of thofe whofe rafhnefs firft brought the nation into the war, and whofe impotence and incapacity have rendered that war more than any other fhameful and difaftrous. The Noble Lord, though he boafts of the dignified ftate of this country as compared with others in Europe, admits, nevertheless, that the time is pregnant with danger. If then we do ftand in that perilous fituation-if we are, as the Noble Lord fays, threatened by a confpiracy; if the enemy is at our gates; are we not in a fituation which requires the affiftance of men of talents, fortitude, and vigour; and calls upon this Houfe to withdraw their fupport from his Majefty's prefent Minifters, who have exhibited through the whole of their minifterial office a total want of capacity and vigour; and who, from the nature of their conduct in the course of this war, have not only involved the country in calamity and danger, but rendered themselves incapable of ever extricating it again. It may feem ftrange, my Lords, that I, who must be confcious of my own inexperience and deficiency, impeach thus the understanding of men who are allowed to have among them much talents. That they have great talents I readily admit; but that thofe talents they poffefs are fitted for the prefent times, I take the liberty to deny.

"Non tali auxilio, nec Defenforibus iftis,

Lofty declamation without energy; boastful eloquence without vigour; cunning without wifdom; feeble efforts or temporif ing expedients, will never refeue this country from the dangers which prefs upon it from all parts.

"On the origin of the war, I fhall offer a few remarks, fince it has been touched upon by the Noble Baron who has fpoken against the motion. Although a Noble Lord (Lord Grenville) took upon himself to rebuke me on a former night for the fentiments I had avowed on that fubject, I will not be deterred or amufed from my purpofe of repeating them now. The laws and conftitution give me a power to speak, to offer my advice and opinion as a Peer in this Houfe, and I have a right to make ufe of all the materials in my poffeffion. The Noble Lord has denied that the restoration of Monarchy in France was the primary object of the war, and has given the authority of Tallien, who, in a public paper, avowed that it was not the Republic, but France, againft which England waged

war.