most valuable part of his life, which he had with fo much honour and ability devoted to the public fervice of his country in that houfe. Mr. Dunning accordingly moved, and the motion was feconded by Mr. Thomas Townfhend, that Sir Fletcher Norton be continued fpeaker.

That gentleman himself faid, that on account of his ill ftate of health in the preceding feffion, and the unavoidable interruption which it occafioned to the public business, he had come to the houfe under a full determination not to go again into the chair upon any account; and that he muit therefore decline the honour intended him by his learned friend who had made the motion, and by him who had feconded it, for his reinftatement. But he must be an idiot indeed, if he, could believe that his state of health, of which none of the king's minifters had ever received the fmallest intimation from him, was the real caufe of their moving for a new speaker, without holding the finalleft previous communication with him upon the fubject. He had in the laft feffion, at the peril of his life, and contrary to the advice of his phyficians, come down to that houfe: he had, when almoft overwhelmed with infirmity, ftruggled hard to forward the bufinefs of parliament; and he had done fo at the particular defire of those, who now moved to have another gentleman appointed fpeaker. This was ufage he did not expect; he thought he had merited other treatment. He had been in town three days, and had never been asked, whether his health would enable him to continue in the chair, nor

had he been applied to directly or indirectly, on the subject of choofing a new fpeaker. It was then an infult on the understanding of every gentleman prefent, to pretend that an anxiety for his health was the real caufe, for moving that another fpeaker might be chofen; and he called upon the minifters to declare, why he was thus difgracefully difmiffed?

This opened a wider ground of debate to the oppofition, which they immediately occupied. They faid, that the minifters had adopted and reduced to a fyftem the abominable practice, of endeavouring to difgrace. every dignified character in the kingdom; and more especially to infult and villify thofe men whofe conduct the Houfe of Commons approved. That their refentments were not more mean, than the motive on which they were founded, in the prefent inftance, was unconftitutional and dangerous. That the memorable fpeech, which had drawn their enmity on the fpeaker, reflected the highest honour upon him; and was equally a record of his impartiality in that high office, of his zeal for his country, and of his feeling for the national diftreffes. That it had received the repeated approbation of the commons of England; and was equally admired and approved of without doors. out doors. And yet that fpeech, under fuch fanctions, was the only caufe for their prefent attempt to infult and difgrace him. That the nation would now form a proper eftimate of the views and principles of the minifters, when they faw the open and avowed perfecution which they carried on against all thofe, who faithfully [K] 2

dif

discharged their public duties, and who had fpirit and virtue fufficient, to fupport the interefts of the people, or to maintain their rights. The new members, faid they, will now fee confirmed, what they had before heard attributed only to the malice of parties, or to newspaper mifreprefentation. They may perhaps obtain a good leffon now at their first entrance, how far the vengeance of power is capable of operating even in this popular affembly.

The minifters took no farther fhare in the debate, beyond the introductory fpeech of the noble lord at the head of the American affairs. Lord North, though more than once called upon, was totally filent. Nor could the warm challenges of the late speaker, nor the repeated calls of the oppofition, draw out any manner of explanation from them, as to the caufes or motives of the conduct fo much complained of.

The debate was, however, fupported with great spirit by the gentleman who feconded the motion for the appointment of Mr. Cornwall, and by Mr. Rigby. They faid they had never before heard, nor could they by any means fubfcribe to the doctrines which were now broached. This was the first debate in which they had heard it afferted, that there was any thing of infult, disgrace, or contempt to any man, in appointing à fpeaker, or that any gentleman was either to be called on, or expected to ftate his reafons, why he recommended, or why he voted, for this or that particular candidate. In a new In a new parliament, every member had an undoubted right to give his vote

2

as he pleafed for a new speaker; and the most learned in the law were defired to prove, that it was any part of the conftitution of parliament, for a speaker to poffefs the chair juft as long as he fhould think proper, unless fome charge of criminality could be established against him.

not

But the latter of thefe gentlemen went farther, and acknowledged that he had objections to the late speaker on more accounts than one; but particularly with refpect to that conduct in the year 1777, which had now been fo much boafted of. He had at that time ftrongly expreffed his difapprobation, both of the fpeech, and of the vote of thanks, which had been now read as a matter of. triumph. He now thought, as he then did, that the fpeaker went too far; that he was warranted to make such an addrefs to the throne; and that it was flying in the king's face. Being called to order for ufing the royal name, he, with his ufual firmness, infifted that the oppofition were not warranted in calling him to order, as he had not ufed that name in any manner which could influence the freedom of debate. He feemed to laugh at what had been thrown out, of the influence of the crown, and the fecret reafons for the motion to elect a new fpeaker; fuch things, he faid, might have an effect with younger men, and with those who had newly entered within the walls of that houfe, but they could not make the fmallest impreffion on him. The mighty fecret, he faid, why one fide of the house moved for a new speaker, and the other fupported the old, was re

ducible

ducible to a fimple fact, and when put into plain English, and ftripped of the adventitious drefs of eloquence, amounted to no more, on either fide, than this" We'll "vote for you, if you'll be for

us.

It did not, however, appear, upon the divifion, that the young men and new members, in general, had any great objection to think or act with the minifters. Lord George Germain's motion for the appointment of Mr. Cornwall to be fpeaker, was carried by a majority of 203 votes, to 134 who fupported Mr. Dunning's nomination of the late speaker.

Nov. 1.

The new fpeaker was exceedingly well received, upon his introduction to the throne, at the head of the house, on the following day. The fpeech to both houfes, which immediately fucceeded the ceremonial of receiving the fpeaker, feemed to hold out a motive, without its being directly affigned, for the late diffolution, by declaring more than ordinary fatisfaction in meeting parliament, at a time, when the late elections afforded an opportunity of receiving the most certain information of the difpofition and wishes of the people, to which his majefty was always inclined to pay the utmost attention and regard. The other objects of the fpeech were, to state, in a full point of view, the arduous fituation of public affairs; the formidable nature, the injustice, and the dangerous views, of that vast combination of force, which was formed against us in fupport of the American rebellion. The whole force and faculties of the French and Spanish monarchies

were drawn forth, and exerted to the utmoft, the undifguifed object of the confederacy being to gratify a boundless ambition, by deftroying the commerce, and giving a fatal blow to the power of Great Britain. It was acknowledged, that the force granted by the laft parliament, along with the divine bleffing on the bravery of our fleets and armies, had happily fucceeded in withstanding the formidable attempts of our enemies, and in fruftrating the great expectations which they had formed. The fignal fucceffes which had attended the progress of the British arms in Georgia and Carolina, were held out to view; and were faid to be gained, with fo much honour to the conduct and courage of the officers, and to the valour and intrepidity of the troops, as equalled their highest character in any age, and, it was trufted, would have important confequences in bringing the war to a happy conclufion. But though the accomplishment of that great end was moft earnestly defired, they would undoubtedly agree in opinion, that they could only fecure fafe and honourable terms of peace by fuch powerful and refpectable preparations, asfhould convince our enemies, that we would not fubmit to receive the law from any powers whatfoever, and that we are united in a firm refolution to decline no difficulty or hazard in the defence of our country, and for the prefervation of our effential interefts. The commons were informed, that his majesty faw and felt, with concern, that the various fervices of the war muft, unavoidably, be attended with great and heavy expences; but they were defired to

culty or hazard in preferving "the effential interefts of this kingdom."

As the old queftion, of fupporting or abandoning the American war, neceffarily held a principal part in the prefent debate, we fhall only attend to the new matter introduced, or the new ground of argument taken, on either fide. It was advanced, in fupport of the addrefs, that our affairs in America were in a much better train, and much more profperous fituation, than they had been at any time fince the convention of Sara

toga that the fplendid fucce's of Lord Cornwallis in the fouthern colonies, had enhanced the reputation of the British arms, and

had in the highest degree intimidated our enemies. That Carolina was entirely reduced to the obedience of our arms, and the numerous friends of Great Britain in that country, were no longer afraid to avow their fentiments. That it was no longer a question of allegiance and, independency between us and our colonies; but the question now was, whether we fhould relinquish thofe valuable provinces to the houfe of Bourbon? No lover of his country could hefitate a moment, in oppofing to the laft fuch an accenfion of strength to our natural enemy; and no friend of America could with that we should refign her to the yoke of an arbitrary fovereign.

Nothing, they said, could be a greater mistake, or more improperly held out, than the language continually used on the other fide, that the war was at prefent carried on for the purpofe of conquering America. The fact was directly otherwife. The war was now carried on to protect our numerous American friends from the tyranny and oppreffion of the congrefs. This was a purpofe which neither juftice, humanity, gratitude, or even a regard to our own interests, would permit us to abandon. It would not now be infifted that America could be recovered by conqueft; but it was well to be hoped, that America was ftill to be regained by this country. The juft and liberal offers made by Great Britain to America, had produced very great and general effects upon the minds of the people; and it was not to be doubted that more than half the Americans, when freed from their oppreffors, would appear to have

been

been friends to the British government. This then was no feafon for the language of defpondency; our late fignal fucceffes, operating upon this difpofition of the people, muft produce the happieft effects; and, that as we have now feen and corrected our own errors, fo the prevalence of reason over paffion will operate equally with the Americans, and prevent their being far behind us; efpecially as occafion muft continually be given, for contrafting the happinefs which they enjoyed under our mild government with the tyranny of their prefent rulers, and of feeling more and more their odious and difgraceful dependence on France.

They then contended, that our fituation precluded every profpect of honourable peace, but through the medium of victory; that the profecution of the war with the utmost energy, until it might be terminated on better and more honourable grounds than at prefent, was effential to the political exiftence of Great Britain; and, in a word, that we must humble France through the fides of America. That if we even fubmitted to the humiliating and difgraceful meafure of acknowledging the independency of America, ftill, that fatal conceffion, which would expofe us to the probable lofs of all our tranfmarine poffeffions, and fink the political confequence of this kingdom to nothing in the fcale of Europe, would not accelerate the work of peace, however fervently that happy event was to be defired. America was a new ftate; fhe muft maintain or cftablifh her public character; and fhe was bound by every tie of policy,

as well as honour, not to defert her allies, or to leave them expofed to our collected efforts, in a war undertaken for her advantage. But if it were otherwife, fhe was now too clofely connected with, and too much dependent on France, to have it in her power to enter into a separate treaty with Great Britain.

Our fituation was undoubtedly difficult and perilous; but, if our native courage did not do it, we might learn from the example of other wife and powerful nations, never to defpond in any circumftances; but to expect the happy effects of fortitude even in the most adverse fituations. Nor, in truth, was the heterogeneous confederacy formed against us, although undoubtedly in a very high degree powerful, by any means fo tremendous and alarming as was reprefented and imagined. Befides the principles of difunion, and many other faults common to all confederacies, this was compofed of powers, which, in the nature of things, were the most unlikely, if not utterly incapable, of coalefcing, for any continuance, with cordiality, that ever were, or that poffibly could be brought together. The Spaniards had the ftrongest natural averfion, cherished by the accumulated prejudices of all ages, both to the people and country of France. And could it be fuppofed or believed, that the Proteftant republicans of North America, who were more zealously attached to their religious and political principles than perhaps any other civilized people, and who were fighting against their parent country and their own blood for

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liberty,