by moving, that the Houfe thould, on the Monday following, refolve itself into a committee to confider of the feditious practices, &c. referred to in his majefty's fpeech.

This motion was feconded by Mr. Lambton, and Mr. Windham rofe to oppofe it. He faid, that the honourable gentleman had talked of plots and infurrections; but the existence of plots and infurrections had never been the queftion. The queftion was the ftate of the country, which, in his opinion, was fuch as would have led to plots and infurrections. It related to feditious practices hitherto unknown, calling loudly for an effectual remedy, and amply juftifying every act that had been adopted for the prevention of their farther progrefs. The fpecies of infurrection ftated in the proclamation, purported to be exactly what it was and when gentlemen called for proofs of acts of pofitive infurrection, they called for proofs of what had never been afferted. Of the facts which had been cited, proofs had not been given, because they were deemed unneceffary.The whole country had teemed with feditious publications; and when the ftate of the country had been talked of as juftifying alarm, was not that fa&t fufficient? Another fact, no lefs convincing to his mind, as the foundation of national fear, was the affiduity with which thofe feditious publications had been circulated. To atk for proofs of the exiftence of thofe facts were as abfurd as to aik for proofs of the exiftence of general Dumourier: and the minds of inen might be as much perplexed by questions from a fubtle inquirer on the one fubject

from a combination of a variety of difconnected circumftances, receive a convincing impreffion of a general fact, and yet not be able to state any particular proofs of fuch fact? Would gentlemen be convinced by nothing less than ocular or tangible evidence of every subject of inquiry? Such reafoners no statement would fatisfy; and if he fhould fay, that there was a difcontented fpirit at Norwich, they might afk what judgment he could thence form concerning other parts of the kingdom? But it happened, that his conviction arose not from knowledge of fo partial a nature. He had feen fymptoms of a difcontented fpirit, not at Norwich only, but at various other places, and when people of all defcriptions, from all parts of the kingdom, feemed to concur in feeling the fame fpecies of alarm, however falfe particular rumours might be, fuch terror could not be totally unfounded: there could not exist so much fmoke without fire! One of the charges, he obferved, that had been brought forward against government on the prefent occafion was, that they had for a long time defigned to carry on a war against France; and therefore had created the prefent alarm, but to that charge no other anfwer appeared neceffary than a reference to dates. The alarm had exifted in November laft, and government did not takemeasures till December. That alarm had called forth the different loyal affociations, which had been fo much mifreprefented; but which had merited the highest praife, and none more fo than that of the Crown and Anchor; an affociation that had actually been the

means

The

means of faving this country. It had been faid, by the agents of Paine, that the principles which would produce a revolution in this country, were operating with the filence and rapidity of thought. This fact, he faid, was fome time fince to be afcertained from the general opinions of the people, from the fears of those who dreaded the event, and from the fanguine expectations of those who wifhed it. It had been the ruin of the government of France, that they did not adopt and carry into practice timely meafures of prevention, and should we not take warning from the lamentable example of that unhappy country? Its prefent governors were people raised from the lowest to the higheft fituations, and a change in the political fyftem of this country would throw power into the hands of characters fimilar to thofe in France. maffacres of the 2d of September were faid to have been produced by a mere handful of men. If that were true, if fo fmall a number could accomplish fo extenfive a mifchief in Paris, guarded by armed troops, could fuch a city as London escape the blow? Mr. Windham then ftated a report which he had heard, of clubs having been formed, to which thofe who were admitted received money for their attendance, and were told that their fervices would be wanted on fome future occafion. Such a report might poffibly be untrue, but he had certainly heard it, and he had heard it from people not connected with each other. When it was afferted that fuch clubs met only for the purpose of parliamentary reform, and conducted themfelves in an orderly manner, he

thought that the ground for alarm was greater; juft as he should have more reafon to fear an hostile army on being told that it was well difciplined. It was curious that gentlemen fhould require proofs of fuch a fact as that of the opinion entertained throughout the kingdom.

The fire, Mr. Windham faid, was fuppreffed for a time, but not extinguished. The measures of government had already produced good effects. They had checked the operations of those who wished to overturn the conftitution; and they had stopped others from going over to their party. These men had now found it to be their advantage to pretend that no danger had happened, like houfebreakers, who refted on their arms, and affected ignorance when in danger of detection from the family whom their efforts had awakened, but who refolved, as foon as fufpicion fhould be laid afleep, to renew their atrocities. Mr. Windham mentioned the obftinate incredulity of thofe who perfifted to think that the alarm throughout the country was created by adminiftration as a pretext for their fubfequent conduct. He re-afferted that the evidence of public danger was to him indubitable; and as the majority of that Houfe had fanctioned fuch an opinion, he fhould vote against the prefent notion.

The lord Mayor, (fir James Saunderfon) rofe to ftate fome facts which came to his knowledge in his official capacity. He then gave an accurate hiftory of several political affociations in the city of London, and of his conduct coneerning them. These focieties, he faid, adopted in the widest extreme

the principles of Thomas Paine, and inculcated, under the pretext of a reform in Parliament, those principles which tended to fubvert our happy constitution. French opinions were recommended uniformly and artfully at all thefe various clubs, and diffeminated, with the utmost induftry, into all the corners of the kingdom, and under the French proceedings; affembling themselves under the style of citizen and equal-no king-no nobles-no clergy, were the fubjects of their difcuflions, and the only remedy pointed out by the leaders, was the defperate extremity of creating a new organ, namely, a convention of Englishmen; it being roundly afferted, that parliament itself was too corrupt to admit of any other refource. The chief magiftrate alfo mentioned another very numerous fociety, which had been expelled from the King's Arms tavern in Cornhill. He faid, that on the evening preceding their expulfion, the chairman publicly declared, without any material oppofition, that he held republican principles, and, after ftating to the company, details of riots in various places, and particularly an attempt to plant the tree of liberty in Dundee, he added, "that he lamented that we were not fo forward." His lordship concluded by fubmitting his conduct to the judgment of the Houfe, and declaring that he should vote against the motion.

Mr. Fox, after treating certain reports, fuch as that of a confpiracy formed to feize the Tower of London, as he thought they deferved, declared, that neither he nor his friends were obftinate infidels, but that they only defired to

be convinced, and would readily alter their opinion, if they faw any reasonable evidence to induce them fo to do. As to what had been faid, that no pretext had been held forth by minifters to justify the proclamations for calling out the militia, and for the meeting of parliament, but that they had fairly and diftin&tly stated the fact; he must beg leave to observe, that a true fact may frequently be used as a falfe pretext; and here, by the honourable gentleman's own account of the matter, the infurrections satisfied at most but the letter of the law; while a cause totally different and unconnected, either with thefe infurrections or with the purview of the act of parliament, was recurred to in order to fatisfy the fpirit of the act.

Mr. Fox now adverted to the proceedings of the Crown and Anchor affociation, and remarked with great feverity on receiving and confidering anonymous information. He then asked, if it could be confidered as a juftifiable expedient of administration, to tell the public that treafons and confpirancies exifted, and neither to profecute nor endeavour to discover the confpirators and traitors. He knew that it had been confidently afferted, among other things, that letters had been written by him and his friends to perfons in France, of a dangerous tendency, and that it was owing entirely to the lenity of minifters, that they were not produced. If minifters were in poffeffion of any fuch letters, he challenged them to the proof. But he fhould be told it was an aukward thing to produce letters opened at the Poft Office. To that he fhould answer, the aukwardness was in opening

them

them at the Poft-Office. It did, however, fo happen, that for, he believed, more than two years, he had not had occafion to write a fingle letter to France, except one to an English friend (Lord Lauderdale) when at Paris. Again he fhould be told, that he had feen Frenchmen in this country, and that he had feen the French minifter. He had feen Frenchmen here, and had feen the French minifter; but he had yet to learn, that it was any crime for him or any gentle man to see the minifter fent to our court from any country. He knew of no law by which members of parliament, like fenators of Venice, were prohibited from even converfing with the minifters of foreign ftates. Was it not a fituation of the country horrible to relate, that men's correfpondence and converfation were to be pried into with fuch inquifitorial jealoufy, as to make it dangerous for them to commit their thoughts to paper, or to converse with a stranger, but in prefence of a third perfon? Let the House do away all these fufpicions and rumours by an honeft inquiry, and restore the public to that freedom and confidence, both of writing and fpeech, which it was the pride of our conftitution to beftow, and which became the frank and open character of a free people. Mr. Fox concluded with declaring, that he was ftill incredulous, and should vote for enquiry, which was never more neceffary, than when the fituation of the country was apprehended to be dangerous.

After a long speech of Mr. Burke, which difplayed his ufual ardour and eloquence, on various circumftances of the French revolution, and was productive of a very un

VOL. XXXV.

pleafant altercation between him and Mr. Fox, he motion intro duced by Mr. Sheridan was nega tived without a divifion.

The period which is comprehended in this chapter, embraces several very important circumftances. Parliament, fenfible of the unufual fituation of the country, may be faid neither to have flumbered nor flept; but to have perfevered in an unremitting ftate of deliberative exertion. Several laws were framed for the protection of the kingdom against the defigns of domeftic as well as foreign enemies and the whole power of the reprefentative wifdom of Great Britain feems to have been employed in guarding against dangers, with which our conftitution and liberties were menaced, by the tremendous power, the revolutionary fpirit and deftructive principles of the French convention.

;

By the alien bill, the public tranquillity received an additional fecurity; as it fubjected the refort and refidence of foreigners to certain regulations, in order to obviate any dangers which might arife from the intrigues and machinations of Frenchmen admitted into this country.

Other bills alfo re

ceived the affent of the legislature to prevent the circulation of affignats, bonds and promiffory notes of the French government, and to prohibit the exportation of grain, under certain circumftances, as well as that of naval ftores. These laws which were made to prohibit the importation of French emiffaries, and the exportation of fpecie, grain and naval ftores, for the fervice of France, may be confidered as mcafures of the molt urgent precau tion, which exifting circumstances H

perem