His Majesty thinks it proper to acquaint the Houfe of Common, that the two laft divifions of Helian troops, which were employed in America in the fervice of Great-Britain, mot having arrived in the Downs, the place of their rendezvous, until the fetting in of the froft in the river Wefer had made it impracticable for them to proceed immediately to the place of their final deftination, his Majefty has found it unavoidably necellary to order the faid troops to difembark, and to be ftationed in the barracks of Hilfea, Dover, and Chatham; and at the fame time has given directions, that they fhall be reembarked and fent home as foon as the Wefer is navigable; every neceifary preparation for that purpote having, by his Majefty's orders, been already made.

"G. R."

A fimilar meffage was prefented to the Houfe of Lords by Lord Sydney, one of the principal fecretaries of itate, Jan. 26, 1784.

Address of the Hufe of Commons for the removal of the Miniry, ved Feb. 20, and prefented to his Majefty by the whole Houfe, Feb. 25. To the KING's Moft Excellent Majetty. "WE, your Majesty's most faithful Commons, imprefled with the mott dutiful fenie of your Majcity's paternal regard for the welfare of your people, approach your throne, to exprefs our reliance on your Majcity's paternal wildom; that your Majefty will take fuch meafures, by removing any cbitacle to forming fuch an adminiftration as the Houfe has declared to be requifite in the prefent critical and arduous fituation of affairs, as may tend to give effect to the withes of your faithful Commons, which have already been moft humbly reprefented to your Majcity *."

To which his Majefty returned the following anfwer:

"I Am deeply fenfible how highly it concerns the honour of my crown, and the welfare of my people, which is the object always nearuit my heart, that the public affairs thould be conducted by a firm, efficient, united, and extended administration, entitled to the confidence of my people, and fuch as may have a tendency to put an end to the unhappy divifions and distractions in this country.-Very recent endeavours have already been employed, on my part, to unite in the public fervice, on a fair and equal footing, thafe whefe joint efforts appear to me moft capable of producing that happy effect: thefe endeavours have not had the fuccefs I wished. I fball be always defireus of taking every step moft conducive to fuch an object; but I cannot iee that it would, in any degree, be advanced, by the difmition of thofe at prefent in my fervice.

"I obferve, at the fame time, that there is no charge, or complaint, fuggetted against my prefent minifters, nor is any one or more of theia

fpecifically objected to; and numbers of my fubjects have expreffed to me, in the warmest man ner, their fatisfaction in the late changes I have made in my councils. Under thefe circumitances, I truft, my faithful Commons will not with that the eflential offices of executive government should be vacated, until I fee a profpect that fuch a plan of union as I have called for, and they have pointed out, may be carried into erect."

Second Addrefs for the removal of the Miniftry, veted March, and prefented to his Majegy by the whole Houfe, March 4"SIRE,

To the KING.

"We, your Majefty's faithful Commons, approach your throne, mott humbly to reprefent to your Majesty the fatisfaction your faithful Commons derive from the late moft gracious affurances we have received, that your Majesty concurs with us in opinion, that it concerns the honour of your crown, and the welfare of your people, that the public affairs fhould be conadminiftration, entitled to the confidence of your ducted by a firm, efficient, extended, united people, and fuch as may have a tendency to put an end to the unhappy divifions and distractions of this country.

"We acknowledge your Majefty's paternal goodneis in your late moft gracious endeavours to give effect to the object of our late autiful reprefentation to your Majefty.

We lament that the failure of these your Majefty's most gracious endeavours fhould be confidered as a final bar to the accomplishing fo falutary and defireable a purpose, and to exprefs our concern and difappointment, that your Majesty has not been adviled to take any further ep towards uriting in the public fervice those whofe joint efforts have recently appeared to your Majefty moit capable of producing fo happy an effect.

Your faith.ul Commons with all humility claim it as their right, and on every proper occafion feel it to be their bonden duty to advife your Majefty touching the exercife of any branch of your royal prerogative.

"We fubmit it to your Majefty's royal confideration, that the continuance of an adminiftra tion which does not poffefs the confidence of the reprefentatives of the people must be injurious to the public fervice.

"We beg leave further to fay, that your faithful Commons can have no intereft dictinct and feparate from that of our conftituents, and that we, therefore, feel ourfelves called upon to repeat thofe loyal and dutiful affurances we have already exprefied of our reliance on your Majesty's paternal regard for the welfare of your people, that your Majefty would graciously enable us to execute thofe important trufts which the constitution has vested in us, with honour to ourselves, and advantage to the public, by the confirmation of new adminiftration, appointed under circumftances which may tend to conciliate the minds of your faithful Commons, and give energy and stability to your Majefty's councils.

"Your Majesty's faithful Commons, upon the matureft deliberations, cannot but confider the continuance

continuance of the prefent minifters as an unwarrantable obftacle to your Majefty's most gracious purpofe, to comply with our withes in the formation of fuch an administration as your Majefty, in concurrence with the unanimous refolution of your faithful Commons feems to think requifite in the prefent exigencies of the country. We feel ourselves bound to remain firm in the with expreffed to your Majesty, in our late hum ble addrefs, and do therefore and ourselves obliged again to beleech your Majesty, that you would be graciously pleafed to lay the foundation of a ftrong and stable government, by the previous removal o your prefent minitters."

To which his Majesty returned for answer: "Gentlemen,

"I Have already expreffed to you how fenfible I am of the advantages to be derived from 1uch an adminiftration as was pointed out in your unanimous refolution; and I affured you that I was defirous of taking every step mott conducive to such an object-I remain in the fame fentiments-but I continue equally convinced, that it is an object not likely to be attained by the difmiffion of my prefent minifters.

"I must repeat that no charge or complaint, nor any specific objection, is yet made againft any of them. If there were any fuch ground for their removal at prefent, it ought to be equally a reafon for not admitting them as a part of that extended and united administration which you ftate to be requifite.

I did not confider the failure of my recent endeavours as a final bar to the accomplishment of the purpote which I had in view, if it could have been attained on thofe principles of fairnefs and equality, without which it can neither be honourable to thofe who are concerned, nor lay the foundation of fuch a strong and ftable government as may be of lafting advantage to the country. But I know of no further steps, which I can take, that can be effectual to iemove the difficulties which obttruct that defirable end.

"I have never called in question the right of my faithful Commons to offer me their advice on every proper occafion, touching the exercife of any branch of my prerogative: I fhall be ready at all times to receive it, and give it the mort attentive confideration; and they will ever find me difpofed to fhow my regard to the true principles of the conftitution, and to take fuch mealures as may beft conduce to the fatisfaction and profperity of my people."

Reprefentation of the Houfe of Commons to his Majetty on his refuting to comply with the above addrelles, voted March the 8th, and ordered to be prefented by fuch members of the Houfe as were members of the PrivyCouncil.

"RESOLVED, That an humble reprefentation be prefented to his Majesty, mott humbly to teftify the furprife and affliction of this Houle, en receiving the anfwer which his Majesty's minifters have advifed to the dutiful and feafonable addrefs of this Houfe, concerning one of the most important acts of his Majesty's government.

"To reprefent to his Majesty, that a preference of this nature is as injurious to the true interests of the crown, as it is wholly repugnant to the fpirit of our free conftitution: that iyitems founded on fuch a preference are not, in truth, entirely new to this country: that they have been the characteristic features of those unfortunate reigns, the maxims of which are now justly and univerfally exploded; white his Majesty and his royal progenitors have been fixed in the hearts of their people, and have commanded the refpect and admiration of all the nations of the earth, by a conftant and uniform attention to the advice of their Commons, however adverte fuch advice may have been to the opinions of the executive fervants of the crown.

"To affure his Majefty that we neither have difputed, nor mean in any inftance to dispute, much lefs to deny, his Majefty's undoubted prerogative of appointing to the executive offices of itate fuch rions as to his Majesty's wildom may feem meet; but at the fame time that we muit, with all humility, again fubmit to his Majefty's royal wifdom, that no administration, however legally appointed, can ferve his Majesty and the public with effect, which does not enjoy the confidence of this Houfe: that in his Majesty's prefent adminiftration we cannot confide; the circumftances under which it was conftituted, and the grounds upon which it continues, have created juft fufpicions in the breasts of his faithful Commons, that principles are adopted, and views entertained, unfriendly to the privileges of this Houfe, and to the freedom of our excellent conftitution: that we have made no charge against any of them, because it is their removal and not their punishment which we have detired; and that we humbly conceive we are warranted, by the ancient ufage of this Houfe, to defre fuch removal, without making any charge whatever: that confidence may be very pradently with-held, where no criminal procefs can be properly instituted: that although we have made no criminal charge against any individual of his Majesty's minifters, yet, with all humility, we do conceive that we have itated to his Majesty very distinct objections, and very forcible reafons against their continuance: that with regard to the propriety of admitting either the prefent miniitry, or any other pertons, as a part of that extended and united adminiftration which his Majesty, in concurrence with the fentiments of this Houfe, confiders as requifite, it is a point upon which we are too well acquainted with the bounds of our duty to prefume to offer any advice to his Majefty, well knowing it to be the undoubted prerogative of his Majefty to appoint his minifters, without any previous advice from either Houfe of parliament, and our duty humbly to offer to his Majefty our advice, when fuch 112 appointmen

Wantracted by contending factions; while

THILE councils of the nation are

the energy of government is fufpended, and rival ftates and proligate fubjects avail themselves of our follies and diffentions to undermine our trade and defraud the revenue already unequal to the enormous load of the public debt; while our national confequence is gradually finking under the preflure of fo many difficulties, and the public weal is ftill madly facrificed to the ambition now of this, now of that demagogue; to those who confider the effufion of human blood as the greatest of human calamities, except the abfolute and irretrievable lofs of liberty, it may afford fome confolation to reflect that we are not yet threatened with the laft of evils, the horrors of a civil war. In little more than the courfe of a century, fuch have been the effects of a mild and regular internal government, fuch the influence of philofophy and the diffufion of letters and the liberal arts in foftening our natural ferocity, that as long as the effence of the conftitution thall remain, there is no reafon to apprehend that the war of words will ever terminate in a war of arms. The elevation or downfall of this or that faction may indeed produce a ftruggle between privilege and prerogative, and victory may incline to the one or to the other, but will never be decided by an appeal to the fword. The people of this country, ftrangers to the image of war but by report, would hrink with horror from the thoughts of civil blood-fhed, in almost any caufe. Slaughter and rapine among fellow-citizens, which were heard of without emotion at the diftance of four thoufand miles, would fill their minds with terror and abhorrence when confidered as calamities to which they themielves would be expofed. Politics are now merely a game for power and preeminence, refined from all private animotity, in which the moft intimate connexions often take oppofite fides; and we lee men daily engaged in the most vehement political contention, without conceiving the fmallest degree of perfonal malignity against each other. Even religion, whofe impreflions on the human mind are the most powerful and uniform, inftead of denouncing intolerance and blood, now teaches univerfal charity and moderation.

Thofe, therefore, who, during the late conteft, have compared the afpect of the times to that of the first twelve years of the unfortunate and mifguided Charles I. and those who have fpeculated hypothetically on the confequences of his Majefty's being driven to feek protection in the affection of his people and the habitual attachment of the army against the violence of the Houfe of Commons, have not attended to the influence of manners on the hiftory of nations, and the great difference between the character of that and the prefent age. They have alarmed themfelves and their fellow-citizens with the vain fuggeftions of fear, or the gloomy conjectures of a fanguinary fancy.

In the balance of power, fometimes the crown, fometimes the people may preponderate, and,

neglecting popular clamour, the House of Commons muit be regarded as the true and genuine reprefentative of the people, till a better can be constituted; but, while the potver attached to the one, and the inherent fpirit of the other continue unfubdued, the conftitution will receive no material injury from the tranfitory encroachments of the one branch on the other. Which ever fide is pretied down will quickly recover by its natural elatticity. A retrofpect of the Hitory of England fince the Revolution will justify thefe remarks. The oppofition of the prefent day have, therefore, acted on prudent and conftitutional principles, in removing all obftacles to an appeal to the great body of the people, by paffing the mutiny bill, and voting the fupplies. A new parliament will either refcind the refolutions of their predeceffors, and fupport the miniftry with vigour and effect, or compel them to relign. How far they have acted from virtue, or yielded to neceflity, it is not for us to decide.

The miniftry, who had refilted the refolutions of the Houfe of Commons with fuch undaunted firmness, were not likely to be intimidated by an addrefs, which called for their removal in the fame general terms of diftruit. The King's anfwer was plain and obvious: "There was no charge faggefted against his prefent minifters, nor was any one or more of them fpecifically objected to; and numbers of his fubjects had expreifed, in the warmeit manner, their fatisfaction in the changes which he had lately made in his councils."

The oppofition feem to have anticipated the purport of the anfwer. On Wednesday, before prefenting the addrefs, they adjourned the House of Commons to Friday; and on Friday they moved a further adjournment to Monday the Ift of March, as well to shake the refolution of their opponents by fufpenfe and delay, and allow it time to cool if it fhould happen to be counterfeit, as to gain time for concerting their own meafures. Lord North complained, that while the Houfe was carrying up the addrefs, he had feen a member hiffed and infulted within the very walls of the palace, fo eafily did the lowest appendages of the court catch the manners of their fuperiors, when they found it fashionable to contemn the Houfe of Commons.

The negociation for an union, which was opened on the 25th of February, through the commendable zeal of Mr. Powys and Mr. Marfham, proceeded fo far that a meflage was fent by Lord Sydney to the Duke of Portland, intimating his Majefty's defire that a perfonal conference might take place between his Grace and Mr. Pitt, for the purpofe of forming a new adminiftration on a wide bafis, and on fair and EQUAL terms. In adjusting the preliminaries of the conference, a doubt was started by the Duke of Portland relative to the acceptation of the word EQUAL. Mr. Pitt refufed any explanation, and the negociation broke off. This was, indeed, a mere cavil about a word, beneath the attention of men who were to confer

upon objects of fuch magnitude, and served

only