Mr. Sheridan obferved, that when he confidered to what an extent the fubject before the Houfe had occupied the attention of every one, both in and out of it, and the deep regret with which it has been confidered, he was perfuaded that one general fentiment of indignation and contempt muft pervade the minds of all, at the conduct of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was not in the leaft furprised that his Honourable Friend fhould have propofed the meafure he had fubmitted to the Houfe. Had he not fo done, he fhould have thought it his duty to have propofed an immediate vote of cenfure against Min. fters, for their fhameful conduct, in having delayed fo long to fatisfy the demands of the feamen. The reafon which the Minifter offered as an apology for the delay which had taken place, was not to be endured under the circumftances of the time. The Minifter now pretended to say that he waited for an eftimate of the expence which would attend this measure. Did he really believe that the public were to be fo infulted? He could have brought this eftimate down to the Houfe at the very hour after the King's Proclamation iffued. He was ready enough to avoid all delay in granting the Imperial Loan, nay, fo anxious was he upon that measure, that he would not wait for three days, although it was notorious that intelligence was expected to arrive which would put that Loan out of the queftion. He was ready enough alfo to use all due diligence to ftop the payment of the Bank, and to cause the King to come to town at an unusual hour, and in the most extraordinary way, in order to iffue the Order in Council for that purpofe; yet, in an affair of fuch high importance to the country as the one under difcuffion, he could fee nothing that demanded any extraordinary hafte. Such excufes, fuch conduct on the part of a Minister, at fuch a critical and eventful crifis, was an infult upon the Houfe---an infult upon the country. It was fuch fhameful neglect, that he trufted the House would feel it, as he was fure the public felt it, with abhorrence. The Minifter was abfolutely without excufe for the delay that had taken place. He knew that the failors were diffatisfied. He now came forward with his unavailing regret that any disturb ances had happened. He pretended that they arofe from mifunderstanding. Could there be any wonder at that mifunderstanding? Had not the failors a promife from the Admiralty, and was not that promife afterwards treated with apparent indifference by the King's Minifters? Did they not delay the measure which could alone give it fanétion? Had they, therefore, no reason for doubting the fincerity of the Minifter? It was true, indeed, that in moft cafes where money was to be called from the people, the Minifter's promife was precifely the fame thing as a Vote of the Houfe of Commons; at leaft there was

reafon

reafon for thinking fo, from former facts; but it was not wonderful that the failors thought otherwife, for they judged more of what Parliament ought to be, than what it really was by its modern practice; and therefore, unless the Minister had loft his very fuperior intellects, it was impoffible for him not to foresee the confequences that followed. He could not but foresee that, when the order was given for the fleet to weigh anchor, jealoufy would remain among the failors, and therefore he was, to all intents and purposes, anfwerable for the confequences that ensued. With refpect to the notice given by his Honourable Friend, he trufted he would not prefs it this day. It was a fubject which required ferious deliberation on the part of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and his friends, in preparing a better defence than they poffibly could do if the fubject was brought forward immediately. Yet he thought what the Houfe ought to claim was a precife and determinate answer from Minifters, with respect to the present state of the fleet, and what precautions had been adopted,in order to prevent the mifchief which had already taken place from fpreading further. Be the claims of the failors what they may, what was now propofed to be granted to them was nothing more than juftice. At the fame time that he said this, he must not omit to ftate diftinctly his decided difapprobation of the mode in which thefe demands were infifted upon. It was unfair and inconfiftent with the brave, generous, and open character of British seamen; nor had he a doubt but there had been a foul interference with them, and means of the baseft nature used to induce them to take the steps which they had taken. If men were oppreffed, they ought to be relieved by their country.--But however juft their complaints were, they ought to complain in a regular way. If there were among them, as he believed there were, that advised the failors to put their country into fuch peril as it stood in at this moment, for the mere purpose of having their objects carried, fuch men were the moft bafe of traitors. It was impoffible, it was not in the nature, not in the character of British feamen, that when the fleet of an enemy of their country was known to be at fea, preparing the invafion of their country, they fhould be induced to avoid their duty from confiderations of a perfonal nature; fuch confiderations had never exifted among that brave and meritorious defcription of men, the failors of Great Britain, and fome foul means unknown to the House must have been used to exafperate them to fuch conduct. The country were to look to the Ministers for the great cause of all this; and we were now in a fituation in which common meafures would not do, and therefore he should have to propofe one of an uncommon kind.

If he was told that by propofing it, he encroached on Executive Government, he fhould anfwer that Executive Government had encroached upon the reprefentative part already fo much as to make this measure abfolutely neceffary. He thought that the Sailors had fuch a diftruft in the promifes of the Executive Government, and perhaps they might not have fufficient faith in the pledge of that Houfe. They had evidently fhewn they had no faith in those who had hitherto negotiated with them--if accounts were true, as he was afraid they were--for it appeared by them that when the town was lulled yesterday into a fanguine hope that the difturbances were over, and that the London had failed down to Saint Helen's, and that Admiral Colpoys was gone with her, the Delegates went on fhore to view the dead bodies of thofe who fell in the fcute. If this be true, as he feared it was, he would ask what was to be done with the Fleet? What measure was to be taken? Had any been taken to prevent future mifchief? Any thing to prevent the most horrid of all calamities? He believed none. This was a fignal inftance, and a fresh one, of the deplorable incapacity of the prefent Minister in this critical conjuncture. By their criminal and murderous delay, had they brought on this dreadful evil. It was at their door thould be laid the blood that had been shed upon this occafion. And yet, after all this, the Right Honourable Gentleman came to the Houfe, and asked for confidence, as if nothing was the matter. He gave no answer to any question put to him, but defired the Houfe to pass the whole matter by in filence. He faid, he really did not wish to give way to his feelings, and therefore, he fhould endeavour to restrain himself. What would be the effect if the House followed the example set before them by the Minifter? A fullen filence was to be obferved. What would the inference be which the Sailors would draw from this? Why that the Parliament had passed this measure unwillingly, becaufe an advantage had been taken of it, and in which they were not fincere, and which they would therefore abandon as foon as they had an opportunity of doing fo. He hoped, therefore, that it would be expreffed as the general fentiments of the Houfe that they did give and grant this as the real right of the British Navy; but if it was given in that fullen filent manner which the Minifter propofed, it would not be giving to the failors the fecurity they defire. It was a curious thing to fee the Minifter, whofe negligence brought on this evil, holding in his own hand the helm of the veffel, which, by his piloting had been steering among the rocks, tell the failors, "hold your tongues, let not a word be fpoken; I will bring you fafe through all your dangers, and, as a proof that I will do fo, I am the perfon who brought you into them." His own inca

pacity was the ground on which he called for future confidence. He thought, therefore, that if the other Houfe was fitting, that the House of Commons ought to fend it a meffage to defire their immediate concurrence to the appointment of a Committee, confifting of a fmall number of the Members of each Houfe. It could not be a queftion on which any party feelings could operate; on this question there could be but one feeling; he should therefore propofe "that a joint Committee be appointed---to have power to fend for perfons and papers---to fit from time to time, and to adjourn from place to place as occafion might require, and there could be no difficulty as to the spot where they ought to be, and that they should proceed without any adjournment above eight hours from time to time, and commence without delay." He felt that this was the only measure by which we could extricate ourfelves from this horrid calamity.

Mr. Whitbread faid, that he had no difficulty on his own account to bring his Motion forward immediately after this meafure was difpofed of, but on the fuggeftion of his Honourable Friend, he was content to poftpone it until the next day.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, it was perfectly indifferent to him when the Honourable Gentleman brought forward his Motion, except as far as it would interfere with that bufinefs, of which he had given notice, and with refpect to which he wifhed for as little delay as poffible. But a queftion had been ftated by another Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Sheridan) which, if he understood it, was not only more important than any que!tion could be which related to himself, but more important even than that which was now before the House. The Hon. Gentleman had told the Houfe, he intended to move for a joint Committee of both Houses, for the purpose of proceeding to the spot where the disturbances exifted, in order to inquire into, and redrefs them. Such a propofition, he could understand in no other light, than as one, the object of which was, that of making the two Houfes of Parliament fuperfede the Executive Government, and of introducing a complete revolution in the Conftitution. He faid, the Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Sheridan) appeared to him to have seized the prefent moment of diftrefs and difficulty, in order to effect a change in the fundamental principles of the Conftitution of the country. He trufted, if he really meant to make a Motion fuch as he had propofed, that he would more fully explain himself than he had done; but he was perfuaded the appointment of fuch a joint Committee would fuperfede the Executive Government! It was not a measure adapted merely for fuperfeding his Majefty's advifers, but it tended to the introduction of a new order of things, and a complete alteration in the functions of the Executive Government, and the Conftitution

of

of the country. He then moved, "That a Meffage fhould be "fent to the Lords, to defire that they would continue fitting for "fome time."

The Speaker was about to put the Motion, when

Mr. Fox faid, that the Motion of his Honourable Friend, whenever it fhould be made, would have his warm fupport, if it even went to fuperfede the Executive Government, for the Executive Government, as it was at prefent conducted, was an infult to the country. It was too weak to perform any of its functions; it had not the command of the army or navy.

Mr. Baker called to order. He thought that nothing could be more out of order nor more dangerous than what he had just heard---To fay that the army was not under the control of the Executive Government was inconfiftent with the fact. Whatever was the state of the navy, about which there were doubts as to the accounts, the army was hitherto obedient; he did not know what fuch language as this might excite in the army; for his part he thought what he had just heard disorderly, as well as dangerous, and upon that ground he called to order.

Mr. Fox proceeded, and ftated that the Executive Government as being deficient in their power over the army and navy, by which he did not mean to fay that they had not control over the army alone, but they had not the control and command over both army and navy. Now then he would fay that they have not the control and command of the navy; and then he would fay that the House of Commons must be infane if it did not interpofe to fupply the weakness of fuch an Executive Government. He was not to be deterred from the performance of his duty upon a fuggeftion that they were to preferve the rules of order in their debates. They were to take care of the public fafety ---confiftently with forms no doubt, provided forms did not interfere with the substance---but to take care of the public safety at all events; that could not be taken care of unless the Houfe of Commons controlled the prefent Executive Government. The Minifter faid, that the motion of which his Honourable Friend had given notice, would fuperfede the Executive Government. He would anfwer, that if that Executive Government, exercifing all the functions and prerogatives which have hitherto belonged to it, are found inadequate to its duty; if Minifters had betrayed their truft, or had given proofs of their incapacity to perform their office with fafety to the ftate, it was the duty of the Houfe of Commons to fupply the deficiency. If they were Minifters of a character the reverfe of what they are, the Houfe ought to interfere in the prefent critical fituation of affairs. The prefent Minifters were not fit to remain in power in any view of the fubject, for it was manifeft that they had no

authority