bitrary measures was waranted by the conftitution; that no act of violence had been committed in the Maffachufetts bay, which was not equalled by fimilar acts in other provinces; that this partial declaration of rebellion was only a branch of the general fyftem of delufion-that there was no medium between a general war and a general reconciliation." On the other hand, the courtiers infifted, "that the boasted union of the colonies would diffolve the moment parliament fhewed itself refolved on measures of vigor and feverity. That it would not however, they hoped, be neceffary to punish univerfally, or to make examples of more than a few ringleaders of this revolt; and that when the colonies fhould be reduced to due and entire fubmiffion to the laws and authority of Great Britain, their real grievances upon their making proper application should be redreffed."

Several of the profeffional members of the houfe affected to speak with the utmost contempt of the military prowess of the Americans; and one modern Alexander declared*, “ that, at the head of five regiments of infantry, he would undertake to traverse the whole country, and drive the inhabitants from one end of the continent to the other."

An amendment to the addrefs was at length propofed by Mr. Fox, who had been in the courfe of the preceding feffion difmiffed from his feat on the treasury-bench for a fpirit not fufficiently fubmiffive, with circumftances of peculiar rudeness and indignity. Leaving out all but the preliminary words of the addrefs, he moved to fubftitute after them the following: "but deploring that the information which the papers laid before them had afforded, ferved only to convince the house that the meafutes taken by his majesty's fervants tended rather to widen than to heal the unhappy differences between Great Britain and America, and praying an alteration in the fame." Upon

a divifion

General Grant.

a divifion, the amendment was rejected by 304 voices against 105, which was, however, a larger minority than had hitherto appeared on any question. Nor was it yet fuffered to pafs quietly-for, on receiving the report, lord John Cavendish a nobleman whose principles were fuch as might be supposed affociated with, and were calculated to fuftain the high honors of his name, moved for its recommitment; on which a fecond debate, not lefs vehement than the former, took place. Minifters were warn

ed that a future and bitter day of retribution would inevitably come, when they must answer to the JUSTICE of their country for the mifchief they had already done, and for the irretrievable ruin into which they were plunging the nation. "My head and my heart," faid the noble mover, "join in deprecating the horrors of a civil war, which will be rendered ftill more dreadful by its involving in its certain confequences a foreign one with the combined forces of great and powerful nations." On the divifion the minority appeared to have gained fome little ground, the numbers being 288 to 105.

The next day a conference was, at the request of the commons, held with the lords, to propofe their lordships' joining in this address; and the prefident lord Gower, having made the report, the earl of Dartmouth moved, that the blank which was left open in the address should be filled up by the infertion of the words" the lords fpiritual and temporal." A debate equally violent with that in the houfe of conmons now enfued ; a very wide scope of invective, no less than of argument, was taken by the speakers on both fides; and in the heat of controverfial recrimination, affertion, denial, arraignment, and defiance, were, in a mode very unusual in that house, dealt in unfparing and paffionate terms. To the astonishment of the house, lord Mansfield, who had ever appeared to harbor an inveterate enmity to America, declared,

"that

"that the impofition of the port-duties of 1767 was a measure the most abfurd and pernicious that could be devifed, and the cause of all our present and impending evils." On which lord Shelburne, at that time secretary of state, lord Camden, then lord Chancellor, and the duke of Grafton, then at the head of the treasury, and now lord privy feal, feverally declared, that they had no fhare in that measure, and had never given it their approbation. A general fentiment of amazement and indignation seemed for a moment to pervade the minds of the houfe, that a measure of fuch unparalleled importance fhould be carried into effect by the force of a fecret and overruling influence, contrary to the advice and judgment of the principal minifters of the crown, who were alone responsible for the measures of government. The marquis of Rockingham, who had petitions from the American and Weft India merchants to present to the house, at length moved the previous queftion, in order that the allegations of the merchants might be heard before any decifive step was taken; but on the divifion it was negatived by 104 voices to 29; after which the original motion of lord Dartmouth was put, and agreed to by the houfe: but on both queftions ftrong protests were entered on the journals of the house.

On the 10th of February, lord North moved for a bill to reftrain the trade and commerce of the New-England provinces, and to prohibit them from carrying on the fisheries `on the banks of Newfoundland. This bill excited fresh debates. It was faid, "that though a rebellion was declared only in one province, three more were included in the fame punishment; that the Newfoundland fishery was neceffary to the subfiftence of the people of New-England, and that, by the operations of this cruel act, half a million of people, including friends and foes, innocent and guilty, were condemned to perish by famine for the fupVOL. I. pofed

X

pofed offences of an inconfiderable number*. The minifters contented themselves with alleging the political neceffity of this measure, and it was carried through both houfes by the usual majorities.-While this bill was pending, the friends of the minifter, no lefs than the parlia ment, and the nation at large, were thrown into fudden aftonishment, by his lordship's announcing to the house A CONCILIATORY PROPOSITION. This famous motion, which was introduced by a long and elaborate speech, the minister affirmed to be founded on a paffage of the late addrefs, which declared, that whenever any of the colonies fhall make a proper application to parliament, we shall be ready to afford them every juft and reasonable indulgence. The propofition itself, which wears an ambiguous and enig. matical appearance, was precifely as follows: That when the governor, council, and affembly, or general court of his majefty's provinces, or colonies, fhall propofe to make provifion according to their refpective conditions, circumstances, and fituations, for contributing their proportion to the common defence, fuch proportion to be raised under the authority of the general court, or general affembly of fuch province, or colony, and disposable by parliament; and shall engage to make provifion alfo for the fupport of the civil government, and the administration of justice in fuch province or colony; it will be proper, if such proposal should be approved of by his majefty in parliament, and for fo long as fuch provifion fhall be made accordingly, to forbear, in refpect of fuch province or colony, to levy any duties, tax, or affeffment, or to propofe any further duty, tax or affeffment, except only fuch duties as it may be expedient to propose for the regulation of commerce; the nett produce of the duties last mentioned to be carried to the account of fuch province, colony, or plantation respectively."

*This notable project for starving the Americans into fubmiffion, was planned by the folicitor general, who, in confequence, acquired the ludicrous characteristic appellation of "Starvation Wedderburne."

fpectively." Though the intention of the minifter, in the framing of this propofition, which there is good ground to believe the majority of the cabinet most reluctantly affented to, was perhaps just and laudable, it could not be imagined by any perfon capable of enlarged or comprehenfive views, that in the present state of things it would be attended with any beneficial effect. When the right of taxation was pofitively and vehemently denied by America, a mere offer on the part of Great Britain to suspend the exercise of that right, fo long as the Americans should tax themselves in the exact proportion, and for the precise purposes prescribed by parliament, muft, to the Americans, appear an absolute mockery. The minifter had the chagrin to perceive that the propofition was very indifferently received by the house. The gentlemen ufually in oppofition treated it as nugatory, infidious, and ridiculous. On the other hand, the high prerogative party, at the head of whom, and of the whole formidable phalanx of "king's friends," was Mr. Charles Jenkinson, formerly fecretary to lord Bute; a man, dark, fubtile, and imbued with fentiments of loyalty and ideas of government adapted to the meridian of the court of Ifpahan, violently exclaimed against this motion of conciliation, as a total abandonment of principle; as being in direct opposition to the fpirit of the late addrefs; as a contradiction to all the acts and declarations of parliament; a virtual acknowledg ment of injury; and a mean prevarication, which could tend to no other purpose than to facrifice the dignity of that house. They declared they would make no conceffions to rebels with arms in their hands; nor agree to any terms of reconciliation, in which an express and definitive acknowledgment of the fupremacy of parliament was not a preliminary article. And a motion was actually made by Mr. Rigby for the chairman to leave the chair.-In the midst of the tumult occafioned by this motion, the folicitor general, Wedderburne, who had once been him