be his duty to inform the Houfe, that he had, indeed, received expreffes from Quebec, with a piece of very unhappy intelligence, which, however, was not authenticated, and he could not declare it officially it had been fent from Ticonderoga to Quebec, and had come to Ticonderoga by the reports of deferters. The tidings were, that Gen. Burgoyne and his army were furrounded by a force greatly fuperior,-cut off from fresh fupplies of provifions, and unable to pierce through the numbers of the enemy; fo fituated, he had been forced to capitulate, and had surrendered himself and his army prifoners, on condition that they should engage not to ferve during the war in America, fhould have a fafe conveyance to the water fide, and have leave from thence to return to their native country. It was a moft unwelcome, and a most unfortunate affair; but, how ever, he hoped, the Houfe would not be over anxious in condemnation, nor decide on the propriety or impropriety of the concerted plan that led to this unhappy event. He hoped they would fufpend their judgements both on the conduct of the general and of the mini fter on this occafion. He hoped the conduct of both would appear free from guilt. For his part, he declared he was ready to fubmit his conduct in planning the expedition to the judgement of the Houfe. If it appeared impotent, weak, and injurious, let the cenfure of the Houfe fall upon him. He was ready to abide it; as every minifter who regards the welfare of his country, ought at all times to have his conduct fcrutinized by his country.

Col. Barré rofe again, and in a most animated, fevere manner, reprehended the Noble Lord. He declared, he was fhocked at the cool, eafy manner in which he related the fate of the brave Burgoyne. He was more fo at the affurance of infinuating, that a portion of the blame might lie at the door of the General. Was there, he exclaimed, a man in the Houfe who in his heart could fay, that Burgoyne had failed through his own mifcondu&t? that he had fhewn the leaft fign of cowardice, the leaft fymptom of neglect in the expedition he was thruft into? He was certain, there were none would fay fo. But every man would fay, or at least every man would think, that the man who planned the Expedition was to blame. The minifter

alone who concerted the scheme, is obnoxious to reprehenfion for its failure. It was an inconfiftent scheme, an impracticable one, unworthy of a British minifter, and rather too abfurd for an Indian chief. Remember how frequently, how earneftly, and fincerely, I have warned, fays he, the minifter, of the effects of this plan. I forefaw the confequences: I foretold the event. It was faid I spoke in prophecy; has not my prophecy come to pafs? But in what terms can I exprefs my furprise at the bravery, my indignation at the effrontery of the Noble Lord, in declaring he will abide the cenfure of this Houfe, and fubmit his conduct to their eye? Does the Noble Lord know the extent of his criminality? Does he know the refentments of this House? I believe he knows neither; but how foon he may, it is not for me to determine.

I would beg leave, continues he, to call the attention of the committee to the conduct of the Americans. They have been branded in this house with every opprobrious epithet that meanness could invent; termed cowardly and inhuman. Let us mark the proof. They have obliged as brave a general as ever commanded a body of British troops to furrender; fuch is their cowardice: and instead of throwing chains upon these troops, they have nobly given them their freedom; fuch is their inhumanity. I only wish from this fingle circumstance, to draw this fair conclufion, that inftead of being engaged with a fet of lawless, desperate adventurers, we find them, by experience, to be men of the most exalted fentiments; infpired by that genius of liberty which is the nobleft emotion of the heart, which it is impoffible to conquer, impracticable to difmifs.

Hon. James Luttrell. I find myself under a neceffity of requesting the indulgence of the House for a few minutes, because I think it my duty to take every opportunity of repeating my abhorrence of the mercenary and savage principles of a civil war, which has never yet held out conftitutional terms of peace to be its object; and as I do conceive, that whilft unconditional submission is the language of the ministers and parliament, all efforts to conquer America muft prove in vain, I cannot agree to vote away the lives and properties of my fellow-fubjects, merely for the purpofe of enriching and aggrandifing a few fa

vourites

with the heads of birds and beasts upon their fhoulders. He drew his miftrefs with the head of a swallow, and he wrote this motto underneath, Je fuis le meuvais temps, alluding to her having forfaken him in his misfortunes. Let minifters beware, left the fwallow's head and that motto fhould beft fuit the moft ftrenuous and forward of their prefent advocates.

For, Sir, had I an hundred tongues, and the eloquence of much abler men than myself who fpeak within thefe walls, I could not sufficiently express all the horrors, all the mifchief, all the ruin of this favage war; but this I will fay, that whilft fuch defperate, unfeeling minifters, advife his Majefty to carry on fuch an expenfive war, without an object of advantage in return, with fuch a caufe to difgrace the British arms, and fpill the best blood of this country, what man in his fenfes can be satisfied with the times, or can agree to vote for a perfeverance in measures, which have already produced fuch dreadful difgrace and calamity, that G. Britain is fhook to its foundation?

Mr Burke thanked the two gentlemen who had spoken before him, for having afforded him fome time to calm the tumult and perturbation in his breaft, occafioned by the information given to the Houfe by the Noble Lord. A whole army compelled to lay down their arms, and receive laws from their enemies, was a matter fo new, that he doubted if fuch another inftance could be found in the annals of hiftory [39. 665.]. The effrontery with which it was told, excited no less aftonishment than indignation. Ignorance had stamped every step taken during the courfe of the expedition; but it was the ignorance of the minifter for the American department, not to be imputed to Gen. Burgoyne, of whofe good conduct, bravery, and fkill, he did not entertain even the fhadow of a doubt. The Noble Lord faid, if there was any blame to be laid.-Without blame fomewhere, could an entire army be reduced to the painful, the distracting neceflity, of laying down their arms, and becoming prifoners of war? With the General and his troops, he was perfuaded, there was no fault to be found; that it could be traced no where but to the Noble Lord, whofe ignorance was not brought as an extenuation, but as a jutification of his crime.

The Americans had, he observed, been always reprefented as cowards; this was far from being true; and he appealed to the conduct of Arnold and Gates towards Burgoyne, as a striking proof of their bravery. Our army was totally at their mercy. We had employed the favages to butcher them, their wives, 'aged parents, and children; and yet, generous to the last degree, they gave our men leave to depart on their parole, never more to bear arms against North America. - Bravery and cowardice could never inhabit the same bosom; generofity, valeur, and humanity, are ever infeparable. - Poor indeed the Americans are, but in that confifts their greatest ftrength. - Sixty thousand men have fallen at the feet of their magnanimous, becaufe voluntary poverty. They had not yet loft all regard for the country from whence they fprung :-anxious ftill for our home defence, they have fent us back our troops; and left their hands free to fight against every enemy of G. Britain, but themselves. He reproached Ld George Germaine for his mifconduct and foolish credulity. He faid he was aftonished at him. In the beginning of last year, the Noble Lord, he said, informed them, that the enemy were cowardly, and our army fuperior in number.--On what did he ground this information? On report, mere idle report, to which the Noble Lord was always an implicit flave. He faid, that the information on which ministers confided, fhould be precife and certain : — that misinformation was no palliation for their errors, and he did not fuppofe that the House would admit it as fuch. He faid, the intended measure was a conjunction between Howe and Burgoyne; but that it was to be produced in the ftrangest manner he had ever heard of.

The armies were to meet : — yes; Howe was travelling fouthwards, and Burgoyne in the very fame direction! — The advocates for administration, he faid, had delighted in reprefenting America in an abject fituation, - as being without falt, without fhoes and ftockings, &c.— If they had applied to him in the beginning of the war, he could have told them of many more wants than all thofe together under which the Americans laboured, but he would also have informed the Houfe, that men fighting for liberty were not influenced by fuch particulars; that these only affected the

body,

body, but that the fouls of the Americans were unreduced.

He concluded with a few words on the Solicitor-General, whom he called the counfel to the Noble Lord. Upon

this

Mr Solicitor-General arofe, and defcribed his own political character: his opinions, he faid, were genuine; they were his own; and he never spoke the fentiments of any man, but those only | which his own reafon had suggested; nor did he ever in that House plead the canfe of any man.

He had been invariable in his opinion, as well on one fide of the Houfe as on the other; and not feldom differed from both. The calamity he could not deny, was great; but could not infer from it that our condition was defperate. We had often received checks; but the fpirit of the nation had always made us rife fuperior to our diftreffes: an exertion of that fpirit would, on the present occafion, infallibly rescue us from danger, Britons ever fhewed magnanimity in diftrefs; and certain victory was the fure confequence of that fpirit: he wifhed therefore, that gentlemen would not be caft down that before now as great misfortunes had happened to us, from which we reaped substantial advantages: at Bribuega General Stanhope was for ced to lay down his arms, and surrender himself and his army prisoners of war; and that disgrace only served to raite an enthufiaftic ardour in the people, which foon effaced the ftigma.

Mr T. Townshend ironically applauded the learned gentleman for finding out precedents for our misfortunes; and rejoiced that the expedition conducted by his friend Col. St Leger had mifcarried [39. 520.), as blood and defolation would have marked the footsteps of the Indians, if they had been able to march to Albany. He was anxious to wear out the impreffion that Mr Solicitor's fpeech, on the fpirit of Britons, had vifibly made on the country-gentlemen; and for that purpose he drew the conduct of the favages in the most odious colours.

Mr Charles Fox expreffed his happinefs at being prevented from speaking immediately after the fatal tidings of our difgrace had been communicated to the House rage and indignation fo fwayed his breaft at that time, that if he had attempted to speak, his words must have been unintelligible. An army of 10,000

men deftroyed through the ignorance, the obftinate, wilful ignorance, and incapacity, of the Noble Lord, called loudly for vengeance; and if no one elfe would take upon himfelf the task of moving directly for an enquiry into the affair, he himfelf would do it. A gallant general fent like a victim to be slaughtered, where his own fkill and perfonal bravery would have earned him laurels, if he had not been under the direction of a blunderer, which circumftance alone was the cause of his difgrace, was too fhocking a fight for humanity to bear unmoved. The General and the House had been impofed on and deceived: Burgoyne's orders were to make his way to Albany, there to wait the orders of Sir William Howe, and to co-operate with him; but Gen. Howe knew nothing of the matter, for he was gone to a different country, and left the unhappy Burgoyne and his troops to make the beft terms for themfelves, in a country that was by nature fo defended, that ftrong holds were to be met at almost every mile, and every hour's march prefented almoft unfurmountable obftacles to his progrefs. He inveighed moft bitterly against Lord George Germaine; looked upon him as folely responsible in the firft degree; and next expreffed his opinion, that all those who had concurred in the measures of the war, by giving their vote in support of it, were likewise criminal, though in an inferior degree. He concluded by pronouncing the panegyric of Mr Burke.

Mr Solicitor General gave a little explanation of one of his expreffions, and fat down.

Mr Rigby, as one of the many who had voted for the war, thought it neceffary to fay fomething in his own vindication: he proved, that for upwards of thirteen years he had been invariably confiftent: he had been convinced, that G. Britain was fupreme over all her dominions; it was declared fo, early in the reign of Geo. II. who taxed the colonies, and acknowledged by them when they fubmitted to be taxed: from a tax impofed and fubmitted to, he inferred a right to tax; and from that conviction he had acted when he voted for the war; and he was fill of opinion, that every nerve fhould be trained to profecute it with vigour.

Lord North arofe, and expreffed his forrow at the prefent unhappy news:

That