between America and G. Britain, as deliwered Canada and Nova Scotia, fettered, into the hands of the American Congrefs, The forts, the paffes, the carrying places, the fittest tracts for the fur-trade; all, all that was valuable was delivered up to our enemies. The fituation of Britain did not demand fuch exorbitant conceffions. Her power was coming for ward into full exertion; and our fleet, the glory and bulwark of the nation, was rifing, by a quick advancement, to a decided fuperiority over the united fquadrons of France and Spain. Was it fo recently after the glorious atchieve ments of a Noble Lord, whom he had in his eye, in the Weft Indies, and of Sir Edward Hughes in the Eaft? was it after the unparallelled defence of Gibraltar, and the glorious relief of that fortres by Lord Howe, that G. Britain ought to record her own infamy, by applauding an unfafe, a lofing, a difhonourable peace? Was it not enough that minifters had ceded the territories, and had abandoned the fubjects of the crown of Britain to their enemies? Muft they be praised for fuch infamous tranfactions? He trufted, that their Lordships would never stain their honour by ap proving an act that abandoned thofe whom we were bound in honour to protect, and which ceded with precipitation, over and above all that the Thirteen Provinces poffeffed, a territory, in extent, three times as great as the three British kingdoms. His Lordship moved an amendment; and the motion with that amendment ran thus:

"To return our thanks to his Majefty for the communication of the preliminary articles of peace, and for having put a ftop to the calamities of war, by a peace which, being concluded, we muft confider as binding, and not to be infringed without a violation of the national faith.

To affure his Majefty, that we feel in the strongest manner the obligation of affording every relief that can alleviate the diftreffes of thofe deferving fubjects, who have expofed their lives and fortunes for the fupport of G. Britain; and at the fame time, we cannot help lamenting the neceffity, which bids us fubfcribe to articles, which, confidering the relative fituation of the belligerent powers, we muft regard as inadequate to our juft expectations, and derogatory to the honour and dignity of G. Britain."

Lord Walfingham queftioned the right of the Crown to difmember the empire without the confent of parliament; arraigned the cruelty and injustice of abandoning the loyalifts, and our Indian allies; derided the folly of the British negotiator who had fixed the boundary between North America and Britain; touched on the comparative strength of this with that of other nations; and, on the whole, declared his approbation of the propofed amendment.

Ld Hawke did not think that the peace by any means deferved thofe epithets that had been applied to it by the Noble Lord who proposed the amendment. He thought it was as good a peace as we had any reafon to expect, confidering the hoft of foes that affailed us. He did not with that the loyalifts fhould be abandoned; and he affirmed, that all that could be done for them in the treaty had been done. He infifted upon the powerful combination that had been formed against England. He admired the conduct and valour of those military and naval heroes, who, in the courfe of this laft campaign, had done fo much honour to Britain. Their fkill and bravery were not loft to their country. They enabled her to stand on good ground, and to demand good terms. The proper time for making peace was the time of victory. Could any of their Lordships promife with certainty that next campaign would be more fuccefsful than the laft? Here he painted the force that was oppofed to G. Britain in Europe, in America, in the Weft Indies, and in the Eaft. On the ftorm that was gathering in the Eaft, he dwelt at moft length, and with the greateft pathos. The fun, faid his Lordship, that illuminated for a fhort time your Eaftern hemifphere, is obfcured by clouds, and no longer darts thofe enlivening rays, which had almost made you forget that your fun had gone down in the West. The revenues of the Marrhata empire appear greater than you ima gined, and their courage and conduc certainly not lefs. Hyder, terrible in arms, and in name, over-runs the Carnatic, and menaces Madras. The fortunate bravery of a great commander repulfes, but is not able to conquer him. He retires like a lion, with flow fteps, but as he recedes, prefents a threatening front to his foe. He goes but to recruit his ftrength, and returns with redoubled vigour.- -Such being the fituation of

D 2

affairs.

affairs, Lord Hawke was of opinion that peace, fuch a peace as had been obtained, was matter of joy and exulta. tion to all lovers of their country.

Lord Townsend severely cenfured miniftry for fending out fuch a man as Mr Ofwald to negotiate with, abfolutely, the fhrewdeft and most artful people under the cope of Heaven. Mr Ofwald, he believed to be a good fort of man, and worthy of all mercantile confidence. But to fend an obscure merchant, utterly unacquainted with great national affairs, to act as a negotiator in a treaty carried on under the eye of the court of Paris, between G. Britain on the one part, and the United States of America on the other, it was indeed fhameful. Suppofe fuch a perfon as Sir Guy Carleton, a gentleman acquainted with men and manners, and the geography of Canada, and the different territories, lakes, and ifles: who is acquainted with courts, and with the refinements of politics; who could furvey the map both with a citi żen's and foldier's eyes fuppofe fuch an accomplished gentleman, inftead of Mr Richard Ofwald, had been sent out to negotiate with the American commiffioners, where would have been the harm? His Lordhip took notice that the forts, and keys, and bars, and bolts of Canada, were all in poffeffion of the A mericans, and that the English were so effectually cut off from the communication with the Miffilippi, that, pursuing one line that was confidered as the boundary between America and Britain, they could not enter that river unless they fhould come round by Cape Horn. His Lordship paffing to the Eaft Indies, obferved that the territory conceded to France had effectually cut off the communication between Bengal and the Car natic. With regard to Chandernagore, he obferved, that the ditch which was to be drawn round that city would foon be ornamented with a rampart, and the rampart with a counterfcarp. On the whole, he thought that the conceffions made to America and France were greater than Britain ought to have made; and he' particularly lamented, and was moved with indignant concern at the unworthy treatment of the American loyalifts; there fore he would give his hearty vote for the amendment.

The Duke of Grafton lamented the endlefs divifions, and contentions, and parties that diftracted the British fenate, and

wondered that all the nations in Europe, being acquainted with their want of una nimity, did not take up arms against them. Much had been faid about the loyalifts. He pitied them as much as the most fympathetic amongft their Lordships, and wifhed them to be restored to the poffeffion of their effects and estates. But was this reftitution likely to be effected by expreffing a doubt of the honour and good faith of Congrefs, and thereby teaching them an evil lesson against those, whom, he doubted not, they intended to befriend? If the British Houfe of Lords fhall fay this day, we put no confidence in Congrefs; they will never do any thing for the loyalifts; no fuch thing! What is this but to renew the resentment of America, to tear up the healing wound, and to prevent that returning af fection, which he hoped would one day re-unite the two countries? Minifters who had ftept forth on a molt critical emergence, lent themselves to the public, and expofed themselves to danger, in refponfible capacities, for the common fafety, in his Grace's opinion, deferved well of their country. And he trusted that the candour and generous humanity which was infeparable from noble minds, would incline their Lordships to judge of the conduct of the minifter and his colleagues in office with the moft perfect equity and fairness. It was easy to criminate the articles of peace; but the question was, could this nation procure or expect a better? In order to answer this question, it behoved their Lordships to enter into the comparative or relative ftate of G. Britain to that of the furrounding hoftile nations. This his Grace did in a concife and forcible manner; and concluded, that England, bleeding at every vein, ought to refpect and bless the hand that bound up her wounds, and to feek for restora tion of vigour, by unanimity, modera. tion, and the various arts of industry and peace.

Lord Keppel faid, the Noble Duke who spoke laft had put the queftion, what kind of peace could be expected? He expected a fecure peace. He had repre fented that a fleet of forty fail lay in the harbour of Cadiz, with troops on board, to the number of 16,000. Twelve fhips of the line, he had faid, were at the Ha vanna, and ten at St Domingo, with 25,coo men ready to be transported to Antigua or Jamaica; but his Grace had afked, what must have been the cafe if

that

that fleet had failed? He wifhed it had failed, and that it had met with Adm. Pigot. Fifty-four fhips under the British flag would, he doubted not, have opposed the enemy, though fomewhat fuperior in number, with fuccefs; and that, faid he, would have given fecurity to your peace. Lord Keppel faid, that the British fleet confifted of 199 line of battle fhips, and that the united fleets of France and Spain did not exceed 125, many of the Spanifh fhips being in a very crazy condition, mouldering faft away, and almoft unfit for fervice. He gave an account of his quitting the admiralty. He faid, that he was unluckily a pofitive man, and could not think of fubfcribing to a peace, that he thought derogatory to the honour of the Crown, as well as prejudicial to the interests of the nation. The Duke of Richmond allowed, that minifters were well warranted by the voice of the nation to abandon the American war, and to declare America inde pendent. He reprobated, as usual, the origin, and the continuance of that war, and then proceeded to the confideration of the question before the Houfe. On this he infifted the Houfe was not competent to decide, until they fhould have previously known what options or alter natives they had; what alliances they might have made; what diverfions they might have occafioned by fuch alliances, or otherwife, of the enemies forces. Thefe, with other, particulars, muft be known before minifters could be intitled to what they fo earnestly wished for a parliamentary fanction to a very precipitate measure.

Lord Stormont ftated with great accuracy the queftion before their Lordships, fiz. whether the preliminary articles of peace were fuch as merited their applaufe or deferved their disapprobation? He confidered them as injurious to the effential interefts, dangerous to the fafety, derogatory to the honour of G. Britain, and not warranted or juftified by the fi tuation of the war. It was contended by fome perfons, that in fuch a cafe as the prefent difmemberment of America, the prerogative royal of the Crown could not alone conclude a treaty for effecting thatparation. But his Lordfhip did not teft his foot on that ground. The conftitution had placed, and wifely plated, the making of peace or war in the executive power; and God forbid, faid bis Lordship, that I should ever fee that

privilege wrefted out of it. What his Lordfhip confidered, was the fitness of expediency of it, in all thofe refpects; which naturally prefented themfelves to his view when he confidered the articles before them.

He adverted to the shameful ignorancez and fimplicity, and folly, and abfurdity; that appeared in the negotiation and provifional articles of peace between Eng land and the United American States: What reason could be given for fending out fuch a man as Mr Ofwald to treat with the four American commiffioners He was far overmatched by any one of them: nor would any man compare him to Dr Franklin, or Mr Laurens; of any one of the commiffioners-impar Con greffu Achilli-faid his Lordship; for am fure there was not one of them who was not an Achilles compared with him:

The first question that the British a gent ought to have put to the American commiffioners, was; Whether they had full powers to conclude and agree upon a general amnesty and reftitution of goods to all loyalists without exception? These were men whom Britain was bound in justice, and honour, and gratitude, and affection, and every tie, to provide for and protect. Yet, alas, for England as well as them! they were made a part of the price of peace. Those who were the best friends of Britain, were; of that very account, excepted from the indul gence of Congrefs. Britain connives at the bloody facrifice, and feeks for a fhameful retreat, at the expence of hef moft valiant and faithful fons! How dif ferent from this was the conduct of Spain to the loyalifts in the Netherlands in the reign of Philip III. on occafion of the famous truce in 1609, and also in the peace of Munfter. Their effects and eftates were either restored, or they were paid intereft for them at the rate of 6 1-4th per cent. on the purchase-money. Ageneral act of indemnity was passed, with out exception of place or perfon. Lord Stormont alfo touched on the cafe of the Catalonians, who revolted from Spain; once when they put themselves under the protection of France, and again when they put themselves under the protection of Britain. In both cases, their privileges, lives, and properties, were preferved to them. Even Cardinal Mazarin, fo artful, fo fhuffling and falla cious, deemed it found policy to obferve good faith to the Catalonians. History;

in fhort, furnishes no example of fuch bafe dereliction. From the loyalifts he paffed on to our Indian allies, with whom we had had a long connection, on whom we had bestowed the name of the children of the King, and with whom, faid he, you swore to preferve an invioJate friendship as long as the woods, and mountains, and rivers, fhould remain.

His Lordship then took a view of our conceffions on Newfoundland; the ceded inlands of St Pierre and Miquelon, which being fortified will command the entrance of the river St Laurence; the liberty accorded to the Americans to fettle in Nova Scotia; the ceffion of Penobscot, a nursery of mafts; the giving up of all that was important or valuable in Canada; the Floridas, important for their fituation, and agreeable in respect of climate and foil. St Lucia was of fuch military importance, that, with that in our hands, we might have ftood on the uti poffidetis in the Weft Indies. A defire of regaining that island, would have wrefted all our iflands from France with out exception. His Lordfhip paffed then to the coaft of Africa, thence to the Eaft Indies, and returned to Dunkirk. All along in his extensive course, he difcovered important conceffions on our part, but no equivalent returned by the ene my. Trincamale, in the Eaft Indies, he feared was to be given up without any return, as well as the other poffeffions we had taken from the enemy. He enlarged on the importance of Dunkirk to France. In a war with England, that harbour, opened and repaired, would be capable of containing twenty or thirty fhips of good fize and burden. Thefe iffuing out, at all feasons, would annoy our trade in its very centre, and coun terbalance, in fome measure, the advantages of our local fituation for commerce.

Lord Stormont concluded a speech of two hours in length, with a review of the comparative ftrength of G. Britain with that of her enemies, reafoning from public documents, from the teftimony of minifters, and from private information. Having recounted with rapture the atchievements of Lord Rodney, Adm, Hughes, Gen. Eliott, and Lord Howe, he faid, that the heart of every Briton, at the recollection of thefe exploits, would vell, and diftend with pride, if it did no fuddenly fink into defpondency and fhame, on the remembrance that mini

fters had made our very victories a pretext for precipitating our difgrace, and converted our glory into fhame and humiliation.

Lord Grantham represented in a few words, fome errors which had crept into certain expreffions in the articles, but which he had been fo happy as to have

corrected.

Lord Sackville deplored the fituation of the loyalifts, and expreffed his indignation at that weak policy that had aban doned them. Congrefs might recommend them to the mercy of their exafperated neighbours; but as Congrefs, poffeffed not any legislative authority, it was but too probable their recommendations, though fincere, would prove ineffectual. In confirmation of this he produced to the Houfe an authentic paper he had lately received from Philadelphia, from which it appeared, that the province of Virgi nia had refolved unanimously,

"That the laws of this state confifca. ting property held under the laws of the former government (which had been diffolved and made void) by thofe who have never been admitted into the prefent focial compact, being founded on legal princi. ples, were strongly dictated by that prin ciple of common justice which demands, that, if virtuous citizens, in defence of their natural and conftitutional rights, risk their life, liberty, and property on their fuccefs, the vicious citizens who fide with tyranny and oppreffion, or who cloak themselves under the mask of neutrality, should at least hazard their property, and not enjoy the benefits procured by the labours and dangers of those whofe de ftruction they wished.

"That all demands or requests of the British court, for the reftitution of pro perty confifcated by this ftate, being neither fupported by law, equity, or po licy, are wholly inadmiffible, and that our delegates in congrefs be instructed to move Congrefs, that they may direct their deputies who fhall reprefent thefe ftates in the general congrefs for adjusting a peace or truce, neither to agree to any fuch reftitution, or fubmit that the laws made by any independent ftate of this union be fubjected to the adjudica tion of any power or powers on earth."

His Lordfhip went over the fame ground that had been occupied by other fpeakers on the fame fide, with great e nergy and feeling; and added to their ar guments, that we had abandoned to the

dominion