20 and the complaint was referred to the Committee of Privileges. In the Committee of Supply, voted 85,000 feamen. Sir Charles Hardy took occafion to justify his conduct with respect to not engaging the French fleet, and faid they ran away, or avoided coming to an engagement. Thursday, Dec. 2. The Chairman of the Committee of Supply attending at the bar with the report of the refolutions of that Committee the day before, voting 85,coo feamen, the Speaker put the question, for bringing up the report, when Mr. William Huffey, member for Salisbury, got up and objected to it; at the fame time moving a re-commitment, not with any intention to obftruct the fupply, but in order to move the Committee for 100,coo inftead of 85,000 feamen; the reafon he gave for this augmentation was, that notwithstanding the affertion three years ago of the First Lord of the Admiralty, "That the minister of that department ought to lose his head if he had not a fleet ready to put to fea fuperior to the naval force of France and Spain," it was evident by what happened in the fummer, and by the prefent ftate of our navy, that France and Spain are fuperior to us in every part of the world in naval force in the proportion of three to two; and as he confidered this country in imminent danger of being ruined if her commerce was to be crippled by the marine of the House of Bourbon, he thought no time ought to be loft, but every nerve be ftrained to accomplish the grand point of making us fuperior at fea; for the fafety of our liberty and properties depended on it. He thought too much of the publick money voted last year was applied to the land fervice, which was carried to a degree of lavish expence; and in order to fix the application of much larger fums to the naval fervice, he wifhed to vote 100,000 feamen. It had been allowed by one of the Lords of the Admiralty the day before, that 85,000 men are actually borne on the fhips books of our prefent navy, and Sooo more employed in the preffing fervice; he therefore could fee no harm in voting 7000 more. For his own part he was willing to facrifice the laft fhilling of his fortune if he could recover the glorious ftate his country was in The motion was feconded by Mr. Turner, who was the more inclined to it, because he had oppofed raifing volunteers in the North Riding of Yorkfhire, upon a full conviction that our land forces were already more than fufficient, and could not poffibly defend this country, if the enemy remained fuperior at fca. Mr. Buller objected to the re-commitment as unparliamentary, and said it was unusual to vote more money than was actually neceffary for the fervice required; though 85,000 feamen were voted in the Committee, it was underftood the Admiralty would employ 7 or 8000 men more, and it was time enough to provide for that expence when the fervice was incurred. Mr. Temple Luttrell fupported the motion, found fault with the difpofition of the fleet laft fummer, and faid, that out of eighty-eight hips of the line, he believed fifteen at least might be deducted, as being in fo bad condition, that they would not be at fea next spring. Lord Mulgrave complained of the mover for referring to words spoke in a debate in another Houfe of Parliament as unparliamentary at all times, but more fo after fo long a time had elapfed. He expreffed himself in a lofty ftrain about going to the other Houfe to hear their debates; he was not, he said, of noble blood to entitle him to the privilege of ftanding behind the throne, and he thought it beneath his dignity to mix with a mob below the bar. He was against the motion, because the number of men voted was fufficient, but he could not tell whether our navy would be ftronger or not next year than this, it depended on fo many circumftances; all he could fay was, that he had no reason to think it would be weaker. Colonel Barré made a warm reply; hood he faid, when minifters afferted a falle J 11780. hood in any place, at any time, he fhould never think it out of order to fling it back in his teeth; the nation had been deceived by it, and the reprefentatives of the people, when voting fupplies for the naval fervice, had a right to canvas the conduct of those who were entrusted with the manage ment of it. was He then arraigned the difpofition of the fleets laft fummer, and asked why Sir Charles Hardy did not block up the French fleet at Breft, the beginning of June, to prevent their junction with the Spaniards. Lord Mulgrave replied, he was prevented by Admiral Arbuthnot thinking it proper to go with his divifion to Jersey, upon hearing it was attacked; after this he obliged to join his convoy at Torbay, which occafioned a delay, and hindered our grand fleet from going to Breft. General Conway (Governor of Jerfey) thought this no excufe; the French attacked Jerfey on the 12th of May, and the appearance of Admiral Arbuthnot would not have been neceffary if the Admiralty had been properly informed that there were two frigates there, which were fufficient for the fervice. However, Admiral Arbuthnot ftayed only two days. The general heartily wished the navy was increased without lofs of time, and the army too -both were neceffary. Sir Charles Bunbury faid, the duty he owed his country obliged him to come down to vote for this motion. He had heard that the Admiralty could not build more fhips for want of dock yards and carpenters; he defired every private dock might be taken, by act of parliament, for government ufe, and that every town in the kingdom should fupply a house carpenter. Sir George Wombwell ridiculed this idea: he expected to hear of fome great propofitions from the gentlemen in oppofition to fave their country; but all ended in talk, in declamation, and groundlefs accufations, without producing any culprit at the bar. Some member had mentioned, that the fending Sir Edward Hughes to India was wrong. He asked if they would have had all the Company's fettlements taken by the French, and a commerce deftroyed which brings in two millions annually to government. He faid the docks belonging to the East India Company are actually filled with large Sir Grey Cooper obferved, that if Mr. Rous remarked, upon the want of dock yards; that Ireland had many convenient places, and this was one motive for conciliation with that country. Mr. Gregory thought we should build fhips in foreign ports; and Colonel Onflow complained of the conduct of Ge-. noa and Naples; he faid they built fhips for the French laft war, and were doing the fame now. Genoa was by this means at war with us, and it ought to be noticed. He was likewife for fortifying the kingdom in feveral parts, and therefore thought the motion improper, and that the nation fhould be defended as well by land as fea. Mr. Huffey in explanation declared, he meant only to take fome effectual method to make us actually fuperior again at fea. He contended, in point of order, that what fell from minifters, in either Houfe of Parliament, ought to be repeated when it concerned the welfare of the nation; and both this gentleman and Mr. Rous declared Lord Sandwich had spoke the words mentioned. Sir George Wombwell having faid the noble earl was incapable of uttering a falfehood, General Conway archly ob ferved, that it was well for his lordfhip, however, that he had uttered falfehood; for if it had been true, his head must have been off long before now. Mr. Huffey concluded with wifhing that the Admiralty member (Lord Mulgrave) had faid nothing at all, rather than have expreffed a doubt, after all the boasting of the First Lord, and all our immenfe expences, whether our fleet would be next year as ftrong as it was this. It was the molt melancholy news he ever heard. The motion was rejected on a divifion by 69 votes againit 23. Friday, Friday, Dec. 3. Lord George Gordon moved an humble addrefs to his majesty, befeeching him to order the proper officers to lay before the Houfe copies of all letters from any of the inhabitants of North Britain to the Secretary at War, or to his majesty's minifters, requesting stands of arms, ammunition, and military accoutrements to be sent to that country, with copies of the answers given to fuch applications. The reafons affigned by his lordship for this motion were, that Scotland had been left in a de. fencelefs ftate during the whole fummer, exposed to invafions from the fleets of the Houfe of Bourbon, and that the young able-bodied men had been fent to America to carry on the deftructive war in that part of the world. It was also a strange partiality in his opinion, to refufe the applications of himself and other refpectable gentlemen in this cafe, while the applications made by feveral gentlemen in different parts of England had been complied with. Mr. Dempfer feconded the motion, because he thought the correspondence on this fubject ought to be laid before the House. Sir George Yonge propofed an amendment by leaving out the word North, and putting in Great; that the whole correfpondence might be got at. The Secretary at War, declared he had no objection to laying the whole correfpondence before the Houfe, and therefore he wished the motion might be amended to extend it to Great Britain: he added, that he knew of but one application for arms from Scotland, which had been refused on solid grounds: it was thought the military force at that time in Scotland was fufficient for its defence, and no part of it had fince been drafted off for any other fervice. Lord George had obferved that in the Bill of Rights there was an article, that the Proteftant fubjects had a right to arm themselves; but this right did not infer an obligation on the part of government to fupply them with arms, ammunition, and accoutrements whenever they thought proper to apply for them. Mr. T. Townshend expressed an earneft defire to perufe the correfpondence, becaufe to his knowledge offers for raifing volunteer regiments had been refused, while others were accepted with eagerness, which were not fo expedient; and he wished to fee the dif tinction properly accounted for. The queftion on the amended motion being put, was carried unanimously. : Lord North then moved in the Committee of Supply, a land tax of four fhillings in the pound for the fervice of the year 1780; no oppofition was made to the refolution, but Colonel Barré reminded his lordship of a hint he had given him last year, on the subject of the long arrears of the land-tax remaining in the hands of the receivers : he confidered this as a great grievance, fince it occafioned re-affeffments in many counties, where they would not be wanted, if the arrears were duely paid in by this conduct he faid the people were doubly taxed, and what was still more extraordinary, the minifter fuffered a navy debt of fix millions to remain undischarged, for which he was obliged to pay high intereft, while if the money due long fince for the land-tax was forced from the receivers it would pay off that debt. He accounted for this delay by the influence of minifterial patronage, and faid, we should never be honeft till that patronage was deftroyed; and he propofed as a remedy, that a claufe fhould be inferted in the land-tax bill empowering the commiffioners to appoint receivers inftead of the Treasury Board. Lord North, in reply, declared that the land-tax was not fo much in arrear, as it had been; the hints thrown out by the honourable member having engaged the Treasury to make every poffible exertion to remedy the evil, in which they had partly fucceeded. The chief arrears lying in the country he believed to be owing to the indulgence of the commiffioners to the receivers, their friends and neighbours, and the commiffioners are not fubject to the controul of the Treafury-Board. As to the propofition he was sure the Treasury would have no objection to it, if the commiffioners approved it. Mr. Baldwin, Mr. Wildbore, and other old commiffioners fpoke warmly against the propofition, as fubjecting them to a refponfibility for the character and conduct of the receivers, and declared if such an alteration was to take place, that they would no longer act act as commiffioners; and thus the propofition was dropped. Mr. David Hartley now called the attention of the Houfe to a fubject which he had before faid he would bring on when the land-tax was voted. He was upon his legs in his first speech, and to explain, above two hours. The House was remarkably full when he got up, but remarkably thin in a very hort time after. He said he had declared his readiness to vote the supplies, and to fupport government agreeable to the king's with in his fpeech, if it was meant to apply the money voted to carrying on the war against the House of Bourbon; but he apprehended a deception was meant in the fpeech, and he was confirmed in it by a pamphlet written by Mr. Eden, a member of that Houfe, and in office, addreffed to the Earl of Carlife. He fuppofed it would be admitted to be good authority. It was there mentioned that the first object of a war might often become the fecond or third; that this was the cafe of the American war at prefent; a revenue was the firft object, we were not to lofe fight of it, though the dependence of America on the Crown and Parliament of Great Britain was the first. From this he concluded that the American war was to be pursued with vigour, and in that cafe he could not confent to vote the land-tax. He next entered into a long detail of very high felf-importance, refpecting his fetting on foot a negociation for a truce with France last year, on the bafis of a tacit acknowledgement of the independence of America, which he did with the confent of administration. He paid feveral compliments to Lord North, and faid he had always fupported his adminiftration, laying great ftrefs on the affiftance he had given him; but his lordship after all had deceived him, and acted an inconfiftent part; for at the very time he had countenanced him in negociating a truce with France, on the condition of allowing tacitly the independence of America, it appeared by the King of Spain's memorial, that the British miniftry had been tampering feparately with the Court of France, to abandon their alliance with the American Congrefs. He called upon his lordship to explain himself. He boldly advanced, that America was gone, and that it was not in the power of human wisdom to recover it; and he warned his lordship, as well as the noble lord at the head of the American department, that perfonal danger to them was much nearer than they apprehended, yet he was not their enemy. Lord North made a fhort defence, and spoke very plain upon the subject of America. He faid the speech held out no delufion. The dangerous confederacy against this nation, mentioned by his majefty, certainly meant that of France, Spain, and, the rebels in America. He did not think it neceffary to make a separate clause of America. It was comprehended, and he certainly did not mean to withdraw the troops from America, nor yet to allow the independence of the colonies. His lordship spoke slightly of a converfation that had paffed between him and Mr. Hartley, about a truce with France, but he did not approve of the propofition; for he would not tacitly acknowledge the independence of America: and as to a truce, he looked upon it in the fame light as the truces which Spain made with Holland and Portugal, when thofe countries were feparating from the Crown of Spain. They ended in a peace, acknowledging that feparation. This was the lure held out to draw GreatBritain by a truce to acknowledge the independence of America, that it might be the ground for confirming it in a treaty of peace. He did not doubt the gentleman meant well, but he had the misfortune not to agree with him in opinion, and he never expected to hear a loose converfation repeated. Mr. Hartley stuck to his point, and then went into finances, calculations, and faid twenty-two millions must be raised this year, and the nation could not bear it. Lord North, on the contrary, maintained that the refources and exertions of the kingdom would yet prove an overmatch for the Houfe of Bourbon, but he did not add for America. Lord John Cavendish and Mr. Roberts were much diflatisfied with the minister's answer to Mr. Hartley; however, the land-tax was voted; and the duties on malt, mum, cyder, &c. Monday, Dec. 6. Lord Oory made a motion for cen furing the miniftry for neglecting the affairs of Ireland, nearly in the fame words as the Earl of Shelburne's in the other House on the same subject. Having given in the Lords debatę upon it, all repetition of the fame arguments in the Houfe of Commons fhall be avoided. The principal speakers in fupport of the motion were Lord Middleton, Mr. Burke, Mr. Fox, Mr. T. Townshend, and Col. Barré. Against it, Lord Beauchamp, the Lord Advocate for Scotland, and Mr. Weibore Ellis. The contest in point of argument and eloquence upon this occafion lay between the Lord Advocate and Mr. Fox, and as both their fpeeches were uncommonly animated, we infert the fubftance (with a degree of accuracy we can vouch for) nearly in the very words of the fpeakers. recommending a cool and candid difcuffion of the plan for the relief of Ireland on Thursday next, instead of inflammatory declamations on an unjuft motion. Mr. Fox in the first place, retorted upon the Lord Advocate, the infinuation of inflammatory declamations, and told him cautions of that kind should not have come from a quarter which had furnished inflammatory declamations that had involved this country in a war with America. He afked him, who it was that talked of that fellow Hancock and his crew, of the rascally Congrefs, and uttered every provoking expreffion against the Americans, inftead of attending to their petition? Who had prevented a reconciliation, at a time when it might have been effected upon honourable terms for England, by the most inflammatory invectives, and had purfued the very fame conduct with refpect to America, they had just pursued with regard to Ireland, refufed to grant moderate terms from affection, and then through bafe fear offered more than the conftitution of this country allowed them? Who had forced Ireland to take fuch fteps as showed they were advancing rapidly to independence? Who obliged them to take up arms? to have 42,000 men ready with their bayonets to oblige England to comply with all their de The Lord Advocate with great zeal against the motion, called it premature, unjuft, and founded upon falfe facts. The grievances of Ireland, he faid, were entirely commercial, and originating in laws made by England long before this adminiftration; most of them in the time of William III. They might have been politick then, but as they became more and more oppreffive, they ought to have been relaxed; but the prejudices of the English traders and manufacturers had prevented it hitherto. Propofitions had been brought_mands? He said the king's ministers into the House two feffions ago, and gentlemen must remember that they were ftrongly oppofed by thofe, who now take the part of Ireland fo warmly. As to the last feffion, miniftry had done all that was required by the House, and if Ireland was not then relieved it was the neglect of Parliament, not of the minifter; information was all that was called for, that information is now procured, it lies on the table; the meeting of the Irish Parliament has furnished more, and the minifter having promifed to lay a plan before the Houfe fo early as Thuriday next, he thought it could answer no good purpose to Ireland or this country, but on the contrary would inflame both, to pass such a motion. He faid the Irish had no other grievances but fuch as refpected their trade, except fuch political grievances as were furnished them, and feat over from hence; and he concluded with had followed new maxims; for instead of fupporting the king's prerogative, they had lowered his dignity, and taught him to fubdue lawful ambition. Instead of being the head of his army, and granting all military commiffions, 42,000 of his subjects had agreed to receive arms from the government, but had refused to accept commiffions from the king; from the colonel to the drummer, all were appointed by themfelves. He obferved that the Parliament of Ireland had in fact given existence to his majefty's government in that country only for fix months longer, when it would be diffolved if the English Parliament did not comply with their demands; and he asked if those minifters were not highly criminal who had reduced their country to fuch a fituation. He was very warm indeed on the charge brought against himself, and |