were recruited by drafts from the regulars at home, in confequence of which the men were fit for service the inftant they

landed.

The motion was at length agreed to, as were the other eftimates.

Adjourned to the 27th.

November 22.

Mr. Coke rofe, and acquainted the Houfe that he was now Mr. Cake, about to make the motion of which he had given previous notice; a motion for the thanks of the Houfe to Earl Cornwallis, for the important fervices he had done to his country. At the time he had made that motion he did not recollect the propriety of giving thanks at the fame time to General Sir Henry Clinton, for the fignal fervices performed by him to this nation. He now wifhed to comprehend him in the vote of thanks which he moved, and which he hoped would pafs unanimoufly.

The first thing he had done, after he received the command of the army was, to march the troops from Philadelphia to New-York; a retreat which was univerfally allowed to be the finest thing performed, during the prefent war, before that period; and if there had been any precedent for thanking a General for even an able retreat, Sir Henry Clinton was, doubtlefs, entitled, and certainly would have received, the thanks of the Houfe upon that occafion. There were particular circumftances, which made it ineligible to offer the thanks of the Houfe to Sir Henry Clinton, on the reduction of Charles-Town. Thofe circumftances Mr. Coke did not fpecify, but whatever they were, it was apparent, that, in his opinion, they no longer exifted. Gentlemen on every fide of the Houfe bore teftimony to the excellent conduct and gallant bravery of Lord Cornwallis; nor would it be denied, he prefumed, that the fame qualities were poffeffed in an eminent degree by Sir Henry Clinton. It would have a bad effect to vote the thanks of the House to one of thofe gentlemen, and not the other. The thanks of the Houfe were deferved by both; but while gentlemen allowed the great qualities and virtues of thofe officers, fome difapproved the caufe in which they were exerted.

An ho

nourable gentleman, whom he did not fee in his place, had avowed mixed fentiments of this kind; but that honourable gentleman, of approved courage himfelf, knew how to value

Y 2.

that

Lord Le

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that noble virtue in others, and he ftill hoped that he would not, if prefent, oppofe his motion. For his own part, he had been one of thofe who lamented the commencement of the American war, and difapproved many of the measures adopted in its profecution. But the origin of the prefent warhe kept entirely out of view in the prefent queftion. America was now the ally of France; the confederate of the Houfe of Bourbon. He did not fay that the war against America was not big with many calamities to Great Britain, he apprehended that it would even be the ruin of this country; that is, that it would impoverish this country extremely but ftill he faw no medium between unconditional fubmiffion to the enemy, and the moft fpirited exertions.

He had not, in the motion he was now to lay before the House, faid any thing concerning the juftice or policy of the American war, hoping thereby to gain that unanimity, without which a motion of thanks, though carried, loft much. of its value. If the motion he was now to make should be the object of debate and altercation, he did not much care whether it should be carried or not. He then made a motion, "That the thanks of this Houfe be given to General Sir Henry Clinton, Knight of the Bath, for the important fervices rendered by him and the troops under his command, in the reduction of Charles-Town, and that the thanks of the House be given to Earl Cornwallis, for the fignal and meritorious fervices he had done to his country, by the most glorious victory obtained by him over the American rebels at Camden; and that the Speaker do report the fame to the general officers who are the objects of them."

Lord Lewisham rofe to fecond the motion. He embraced with joy an opportunity of expreffing his high regard to the characters of the two gneral officers, whofe names had been mentioned with due refpect by the honourable gentleman who fpoke laft. Although we were not yet bleffed with that unanimity which was neceffary fo to fwell the fails of the veffel of ftate, as to waft us fafely over that tempeftuous ocean of troubles in which we were at prefent involved, yet he faw with joy the dawnings of an unanimity; he faw a fpecies of unanimity, which was no fmall fource of confolation. Every. body feemed fatisfied that there was a neceffity of humbling the power of France and Spain.

Although

Although he was unwilling to place any reliance on the. contingencies of fortune, and would not be fo confident as to fay, that there were in the womb of time events favourable to Great Britain, yet he contended, that it was not being too fanguine to hope, that the jealoufies which had already begun to take place between the Americans and their allies on Rhode Island, would every day encreafe. Though there was not an immediate profpect of detaching any of the powers from the confederacy against us, he did not despair of its being effected in time.--In the mean time it behoved us to act with alacrity and vigour. The marine of France must be destroyed if we would hope for a safe, a lasting, and an honourable peace. No promifes, no conventions with that nation could be relied on, while their navy was entire. France had become formidable to her neighbours, through treacherously feizing advantages over the unfufpicious, and therefore unprepared, nations around her. Great Britain. had ever proceeded on the broad bafis of public faith and national credit, and on that foundation he trusted she would still ́ ftand. He faid there would be great cruelty and impolicy in abandoning our friends in America to the mercy of their enemies; our friends in that case would become our bitterest enemies, and the Americans united as the fubjects of one mighty empire, and pouring forth their fhips of war from a thoufand ports, would cut up our trade by the roots, and ftripping us of all our foreign dependencies, finally reduce us to this fpot of the globe, the island within which we are confined by nature, if we dare not with freedom to traverse the ocean. The conftitutional dependence of America on. Great Britain he thought neceffary to the happiness, fafety, and profperity of both countries. He returned to the neceffity of ruining the marine of France. If you wish to maintain the glory and independency of England, deftroy the marine of France. If you wish to preferve the balance of political power in Europe, deftroy the marine of France. If you wish to preferve the liberties and rights of mankind, deftroy the marine of France.

Let this language be repeated, and re-echoed from one corner of Great Britain unto another, until all hearts and hands fhall be united against the common enemy. As the Americans are now to be confidered as the allies of France,

and

Rt. Hon.

T. Town Shend.

Lord North.

Lord Beau

champ.

Mr: Coke.

and the one cannot be feparated from the other, every victory gained over either of thefe powers is matter of joy, and an advantage to this country; therefore he feconded the motion now before the House.

Rt. Hon. T. Townshendexpatiated on the merit of Earl Cornwallis, of whofe merit, he was proud to say, he was not in. deed an impartial judge. But officers, both French and English, had spoke to him and wrote to him, with rapture, concerning the fingular merit of that noble commander. His good conduct, and great bravery, certainly merited every mark of attention and respect. On that footing, he would give the motion his hearty concurrence; provided always, that it fhould not be understood, that he, by this support, gave any countenance to the American war. The honourable gentleman, who had made the motion, had earnestly wifhed that it might be carried with unanimity. There were a few phrafes, certain epithets, in the motion, that might tend, he was apprehenfive, to fruftrate his wishes. They would occur to the honourable gentleman himself, and his end would be better ferved, by altering them himself, than that they fhould be ftruck out by way of amendment.

Lord North applauded the excellent conduct and great bravery both of Sir Henry Clinton and Lord Cornwallis, whofe fervices, he faid, were meritorious in the highest degree, and important to this country. Nevertheless, as he would not on this occafion bring into view either the origin or the object of the American war, he was willing for his part that any words that might feem to have an ambiguous meaning, fhould be left out of the motion. He did not doubt but the honourable gentleman who had made the motion, for the fake of unanimity, would readily comply with this defire. The words rebels and important fervices, being left out, the motion, in his lordship's opinion, might be thought unexceptionable.

Lord Beauchamp faid, that the conduct of the House this night would draw the attention of the world; and earnestly entreated gentlemen in every part of the Houfe as much as poffible to study unanimity.

Mr. Coke, after explaining his meaning in the parts of the motion which were fuppofed to be objectionable, confented to the amendments hinted generally by Mr. Townfhend, and particularly by Lord North.

Mr.

Mr. Wilkes. Mr. Speaker, I rife to exprefs my hope, Mr. Wilkes. that the honourable gentleman, who made this motion, will confent to its being withdrawn, because I think it is impoffible that the united efforts of the noble Lord in the blue ribband, and the feveral gentlemen, who have attempted it, fhould fucceed to render it palatable to both fides of the House, and he has declared, that he had rather it should be withdrawn, than meet a fingle negative. I think it, Sir, my duty to oppofe this motion, as originally intended, of which the notice was given, respecting only Lord Cornwallis, and all the fubfequent amendments, becaufe in my idea every part of it conveys an approbation of the American war; a war unfounded in principle, and fatal in its confequences to this country. I condemned it at the beginning, and have regularly oppofed its progrefs in every ftage, both in and out of parliament. The eminent and very important fervices to his Majefty and this country, mentioned in the motion, I entirely difapprove, and confequently fhall withhold the poor pittance of my thanks and gratitude, where I do not think them merited, in a war of glaring injuftice and wretched policy. I do not mean, Sir, to derogate from the high heroic courage, and fuperior military virtues, of Lord Cornwallis. I admire the fplendor and brilliancy of thofe qualities, which dazzle in my countryman as they did in Julius Cæfar, and I equally lament that they are called forth to action in the fame bad and mifchievous caufe, the attempt to overturn the liberties of his country. The Roman too poffeffed, as the honourable gentleman fays of Lord Cornwallis, nice and delicate fentiments of honour and valour. He was certainly an accomplished gentleman, perhaps the most accomplished of any in the hiftory of mankind; but he carried on a wicked war against the conftitution of the free country in which he was born, and therefore under the ftrongeft obligation to fupport. In the fame light I confider the war now carrying on against our brethren in North America; and if an arbitrary, but incapable, administration had succeeded in the plan of dragooning the colonifts into unconditional fubmiffion, I believe that the liberties of England would not long have furvived those of

* Lord North, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and member for Banbury.

America,