Retrospective view of the affairs of Europe in the year 1779. State of the belligerant powers in Germany. Event of the late campaign, induces a difpofition favourable to the pacific views of the Emprefs-Queen; which are farther feconded by the mediation of Ruffia and France. A fufpenfion of arms published, and the Congress for negociating a peace affembles at Tefchen. Treaty of peace concluded. Differences between Ruffia and the Porte, threaten a new war. Negociation conducted, and a new convention concluded, under the mediation of the French minifter. Naval preparations by Spain. Opens the war with the fiege of Gibraltar. France. Confequences of the appointment of M. Necker to the government of the French finances. Successful expedition to the coaft of Africa. Ineffectual attempt upon the Ifland of Jersey. Threat of an invafion, and great preparations apparently for that purpose. French fleet fails from Breft, and proceeds to the coafts of Spain. Combined fleets of France and Spain enter the British channel, and appear in great force before Plymouth. Enemy quit the channel, return again; at length finally quit the British coafts, and proceed to Breft. CHA P. II. P. [1 State of public affairs previous to the meeting of parliament. Vaft combination of power against Great Britain. Proclamations; for reprizals on Spain; and for defenfive measures in cafe of an invafion. Various manifeftos, and public pieces, iffued by the belligerant powers. Some obfervations on the charges exhibited by Spain. Oftenfible causes, and real motives for war, on the fide of the House of Bourbon. Ireland. Caufes which led to the prefent flate of affairs in that kingdom. Com Commercial, and non-confumption agreements. French invafion threatened. Military affociations. People become strongly armed. Exemplary conduct of the affociators. Prudent meafures of government in that country. General demand of a free and unlimited commerce. Difcon tents in Scotland, under an apprehenfion of a relaxation of the popery laws. Outrages in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Subfcriptions for raifing troops, and other public purposes. Eaft India company grant bounties for raifing 6000 feamen, and undertake to build three fhips of the line, as an augmentation to the royal navý. State of parties. Changes in adminiftration. Meeting of the Irish parliament. [15 CHA P. III. Speech from the throne. Addreffes. mons by Lord John Cavendish. meafures in general, and upon the Amendment moved in the Houfe of Com Great Debates. Strictures upon public conduct of the preceding campaign. Able defence made by the minifter. Amendment rejected upon a division. Amendment in the House of Lords moved for by the Marquis of Rockingham. After long debates, rejected upon a divifion. CHA P. IV. [37 Vote of cenfure against minifters, relative to their conduct with refped to Ireland, moved by the Earl of Shelburne. Debates on the question. Part taken by the late lord prefident of the council. Motion rejected upon a divifion. Similar motion in the House of Commons by the Earl of Upper Oory. Defence of adminiftration. Animadverfion. Mozion rejected upon a divifion. Motion by the Duke of Richmond, for an economical reform of the civil list establishment. Motion, after confiderable debates, rejected upon a divifion. Minifter opens his propofitions, in the Houfe of Commons, for affording relief to Ireland. Agreed to without oppofition. Two bills accordingly brought in, and paffid before the recess. Third bill to lic open till after the holidays. Earl of Shelburne's motion relative to the extraordinaries of the army; and introductory to a farther reform in the public expenditure. Motion rejected on a divifion. Notice given of a fecond intended motion, and the lords fummoned for the 8th of February. Letters of thanks from the city of London to the Duke of Richmond and to the Earl of Shelburne, for their attempts to introduce a reform in the public expenditure; and fimilar letters fent to his royal highness the Duke of Cuniberland, and to all the other lords who fupported the two late motions. Mr. Burke gives notice of his plan of public reform and œconomy, which he propofes bringing forward after the recefs. A CHA P. V. County meetings, petitions, and affociations. York leads the way. Great meeting at that city. Committee appointed. Some account of the pitition from that county, which becomes a model to others. Sir George Sa ville prefents the petition from the county of York. Debates on that Ixbject. Jamaica petition prefented. Mr. Burke's plan of economical reform. Bills brought in upon that fyftem. Earl of Shelburne's motion (purfuant to the notice given before the recefs) for a committee of both boufes, to enquire into the public expenditure. Motion feconded by the Earl of Coventry. Oppofed. Debates. Strictures with repect to the county meetings and petitions. Marquis of Carmarthen explains the caufes of his refignation. Strictures on the conduct of a noble lord at the head of a great department. Motion rejected upon a divifion. Unusual strength hewn by the oppofition on this divifion. 135 CH A P. VI. Colonel Barre gives notice of his intended propofitions relative to a committee of accounts. Scheme approved of by the minifier. Sir George Saville's motion, for an account of patent places and jalaries, agreed to. Second motion, for an account of penfions, during pleasure or otherwife, oppofed. Debate broken off by the illness of the speaker. Refumed in the following week. Amendment, moved by the minifter. Long debates. Minifter's amendment carried, on an exceedingly cloje divifion. Jamaica petition prefented in the House of Lords, and the fubject strongly enforced, by the Marquis of Rockingham. Thanks of the lords and commons to Admiral Sir George Rodney, for his late eminent fervices. Attempt bg the oppofition, in both boufes, to obtain fome mark of royal favour for that commander. Scheme, for a commiffion of accounts, announced by the minifter, in the Houfe of Commons. Strictures on that business. Mr. Burke's establishment till read a first and fecond time without oppofition; debate, and divifion, relative only to time, on its committal. Motion by the Earl of Shelburne, relative to the removal of the Marquis of Carmarthen, and the Earl of Pembroke, from the lieutenancy of their respective counties. Question, much agitated. Motion rejected on a divifion. [114 CHA P. VII. Order of the day for going into a committee on Mr. Burke's establishment bill. Question of competency ftarted. Debated. Oppofition infift, that the decifion of that question should take place of the order of the day. Question for the order of the day, carried, upon a very cloje divifion. Debates in the committee on the first claufe of the establishment bill, for abolishing the office of third fecretary of fate. Claufe rejected, after very long debates, upon a divifion, by a very small majority. Long debates in the committee, on a fubfequent day, upon that claufe of the eftablishment bill, for abolishing the board of trade. Question for abolishing that board, carried upon a divifion. Difference between the speaker and the minifter. Mr. Fullarton's complaint of the Earl of Shelburne. Ifue of that affair in Hyde Park. Notice given by Sir James Lowther, of an intended motion, for preserving the freedom of debate in parliament. Sabj.& confiderably agitated. Warmly refented without doors. Ad drefes dreffes of congratulation to the Earl of Shelburne on his recovery. Danger to which Mr. Fox and he had been expofed, attributed to their zeal in the fervice of their country. Contractors bill brought in by Sir Philip Jennings Clerke, and carried through the House of Commons without a divifion. Great debates on the claufe in Mr. Burke's establiment bill, for abolishing the offices of treasurer of the chamber, and others. Queftion, on the first member of the claufe, loft upon a divifion. Succeeding queftions rejected. Debates on the minister's motion for giving notice to the East India company, of the paying off their capital stock at the end of three years. Previous queftion moved, and left on a divifior. divifion. Motion against receiving the report of the new taxes, until the petitions of the people were confidered, rejected upon a divifion by a great majority. Earl of Effingham's motion in the Horfe of Lords, for a lift of places, penfions, &c. held by members of that houfe, rejected upon a divifion. [134 CHAP. VIII. Army estimates. Debates on the fuljet of the new corps. Divifion. Queftion corried. Confideration of the petitions. Great debates in the committee. Part taken by the Speaker. Amendment to the motion, propofed and agreed to. Mr. Dunning's amended motion, carried, upon a divifion, in a very full boufe. Second motion, agreed to. Third motion, by Mr. T. Pitt, agreed to. Houfe refumed. Mr. Fox's motion, for immediately receiving the report from the committee, opposed, but carried. Refolutions, reported, received, and confirmed by the Houfe. Mr. Dunning's motion (on a following day) in the committee, for fecuring the independence of parliament, agreed to. Second motion, for dif qualifying perfons holding certain offices, from fitting in that houfe, corried, upon a divifion, by a majority of two only. Mr. Crewe's bill, fer excluding revenue officers from voting on the election of members of parliament, rejected, on a divifion. Great debates in the Houfe of Lords, upon the fecond reading of the contractors bill. The bill rejected, upon a divifion, by a confiderable majority. Proteft. Confequences of the Speaker's illness. Poftponed motion of Mr. Dunning's, for an addrefs, to prevent diffolving the parliament, or proroguing the present session, until proper measures should be taken for correcting the evils complained of in the petitions of the people, brings out long debates; but is rejected by a confiderable majority, in an exceedingly full house. Dijorder upon Mr. Fox's rifing to fpeak, after the divifion. Nature of his fpeech. Reply, by the minifter. Great debates upon the claufe in Mr. Burke's eftablishment bill, for abolishing the office of the Great Wardrobe, &c. Claufe rejected upon a divifion. Succeeding claufe, for abolishing the Board of Works, rejetted upon a divifion. Debates upon the minifter's bill for a commiffion of accounts. Clofe divifion upon a question in the committee. Bill at length paffed. Debates on Colonel Barre's motions, relative to the extraordinaries of the army. First motion rejected, upon a divifion, by a great majority. Succeeding refolutions rejected. General Conway's bill, for reftoring peace with America, difpofed of, upon a divifion, divifion, by a motion for the order of the day. Motion tending to an en- quiry, into any requifition made by the civil magiftrate, for the attend- ance of the military, upon the late meeting of the electors of Westminster. Various claufes of Mr. Burke's establishment bill, rejected, upon, or with- but divifions. Recorder of London's motion in behalf of the petitioners, rejected upon a divifion. Mr. Dunning's motion, in the committee of the whole houfe on the confideration of the petitions, for reporting their own two refolutions of the 10th of April, fet afide, by a motion for the chairman to quit the chair, which was carried upon à divifion. Meeting of the Proteftant affociation in St. George's Fields. Sub- fequent riots, mifchiefs, and conflagrations. Refolutions, conduct, and ad- journment of both houfes. Lord George Gordon committed to the Tower. Speech from the throne, on the meeting of parliament after the late dif orders. Addreffes. Refolutions in the House of Commons, for quieting the minds of well-meaning, but ill-informed perfons. Bill paffes the Houfe of Commons, for the fecurity of the Proteftant religion. Is laid by in the House of Lords. Speech from the throne. Prorogation. [139 CHAP: ix: Sir George Rodney proceeds to Gibraltar, in his way to the West Indies. Takes a valuable Spanish Convoy. Falls in with a squadron, under the command of Don Juan de Langara. Takes the Admiral, with fewe- ral men of war, and deftroys others. Relieves Gibraltar, Supplies Minorca, and proceeds on his defined voyage. Prothee, French man of war, taken by Admiral Digby, on his return from Gibraltar. Dutch convoy, under the conduct of Count Byland, stopped, and examined by Commo- dore Fielding. Count Byland comes to Spithead, with his Squadron, and convoy. Confequences of that; and of other precedent and fubfe quent meafures. Ruffian manifefto. Northern neutrality. Royal pro- clamation in London, fufpending certain ftipulations in favour of the fubjects of the States General. Retrospective view of affairs in Ame-. rica and the West Indies, in the year 1779. Advantages derived by the Spanish commanders, from their early knowledge of the intended rup- Den Bernardo de Galvez; fubdues the British fettlements on the Milippi. Sullivan's fuccessful expedition against the Indians of the fix nations. Some obfervations on the policy of that people, and on the ftate of culture and improvement, which the Americans discovered in their country. Expeditions from Jamaica to the Bay of Honduras, and the Mafquito fore. Fortress of Omoa and Spanish register fhips taken. Vigilant and fuccessful conduct of Admiral Hyde Parker, on the leeward CH Á P. X. Rhode Island evacuated. Defign against New York fruftrated by D'Eftaing's VOL. XXIII. iflands |