independence had taken place, and which, in the very language of the inftrument itself, profeffed to be merely "outlines of a treaty of commerce, such as might be concluded hereafter, between their High Mightineffes and the United States of America?" If to maintain an amicable intercourfe of this indefinite nature with the Americans was criminal in the Dutch, Holland could be regarded in no other light than as a province of England. The king of England feemed not to recollect, that the subjects of the States General were not his fubjects, or account. able to him for their actions. They farther affimed, that a provifional treaty or speculative project, for it was no more, of peace and amity with America, did by no means neceffarily imply enmity or ill-will to England:-that this treaty, whether it boded good or ill to England, had been already publicly and unreservedly difavowed by the Dutch government; and that nothing less than a direct and pofitive injury could, in the eye of reafon, justify a denunciation of hoftility.

As to the infolent requifition of exemplary punishment on the perfon of Van Berkel, who might, for any thing that appeared, be actuated by motives the most upright and patriotic, the king of England ought to have reflected, that the laws of England, in fimilar circumftances, would

not

not have authorised him to have inflicted the flighteft punishment on even the meaneft of his fubjects, who fhould have formed the plan of a mere contingent agreement with the revolted provinces of another power, to take effect only when their claim of fovereignty should be actually recognised, and when the conditions fhould be approved and ratified by the government to which alone they owed allegiance.

On the whole, it may safely be affirmed, that a more frivolous and invalid plea or pretext of national hoftility has feldom been urged even by royal logicians. The folly of the measure alfo was no lefs obvious than its injuftice: for, though Holland was attacked thus fuddenly and unprépared, there could be no doubt but that she would, in a fhort time, become a potent acceffion to the strength of that formidable confeḍeracy which feemed already to threaten the very exiftence of Britain.

The FOURTEENTH PARLIAMENT of Great Britain was diffolved by proclamation on the Ift of September, and a new parliament con vened, which met on the 31st of October 1780.

On the event of this diffolution, amidst the multiplicity of election advertisements usual on fuch occafions, a very remarkable address from fir George Saville, member for the county of York, to his conftituents, was published, well deferving

deferving the notice of hiftory, as exhibiting the fentiments not merely of that eminently distinguished patriot, but of all intelligent, reflecting, and disinterested perfons, at this alarming period. In renewing the tender of his fervices, he confeffes, that "it has not been without much. ferious confideration, and more than common hesitation, that he determined upon it. The fatisfaction and honor," fays this Ariftides of Britain," of attending your business have ever over-balanced the labor. But my attendance during the last parliament has been fomething worse than laborious-it has been difcouraging, grievous, painful. Look back for a moment upon the things which have been done, or, being done, have been approved of by that body of which I have been a conftituent part. In comparing the present with the paft fituation of public affairs, one confolation only remains, that of being able to affert that there has been no meafure of all those that have proved fo ruinous and fatal, which I have not, as an individual, refifted to the utmost of my power:-a poor, barren, ineffectual negative is indeed all the claim I can plead to your favor; and truth obliges me to add, that I at length return to you with hardly a ray of hope of feeing any change in the miferable course of public calamities. On this melancholy day of account, in rendering up to you

VOL. III.

E

my

my truft, I deliver to you your fhare of a country maimed and weakened-its treafure lavished and misspent, its honors faded, and its conduct the laughing-stock of Europe ;-our nation in a manner without allies or friends, except fuch as we have hired to destroy our fellow-fubjects, and to ravage a country in which we once claimed an invaluable flare. Forbearing as well the forward promifes as the fuperficial humbleness of phrase in use on thefe occafions, I make it a folemn duty to lay before you, without disguise or palliation, the prefent ftate of your concerns, as they appear to me, and the gloomy profpect which lies before us. Some have been accufed of exaggerating the public misfortunes-nay, of having endeavoured to help forward the mischief, that they might afterwards raise difcontents. I am willing to hope that neither my temper nor my fituation in life will be thought naturally to urge me to promote mifery, difcord, or confufion, or to exult in the fubverfion of order, or the ruin of property. Truft not, however, to my report: reflect, compare, and judge for yourfelves. But, under all these disheartening circumstances, I could yet entertain a cheerful hope, and undertake again the commiffion with alacrity as well as zeal, if I could fee any effectual steps taken to remove the original caufe of the mifchief: THEN THERE

WOULD

WOULD BE A HOPE. Till the purity of the conftituent body, and thereby that of the reprefentative, be reftored, THERE IS NONE. I look upon restoring election and representation in fome degree-for I expect no miracles-to their original purity, to be that without which all other efforts will be vain and ridiculous."

For the accomplishment of this most important purpose, he concludes with expreffing his earnest wish," that whatever is thought of may be purfued with that true spirit of firmness and moderation which belongs to the caufe of justice; and above all, that, by every means that can be devifed, a good understanding and union may be insured amongst refpectable men of all ranks and descriptions, who agree in the main principles of liberty, whatever differences may fubfift in fmaller points, or in matters not calling for immediate difcuffion."

At the meeting of the new parliament, Mr. Cornwall was, for reasons which require no comment, chosen speaker of the house of commons in the room of fir Fletcher Norton, on a division of 203 voices to 134. The KING, in his opening fpeech, declared "his fatisfaction in having an opportunity, by the recent election, of receiving the most certain information of the difpofition and wishes of his people, to which he was ALWAYS inclined to pay the UTMOST ATTENTION!