which had fo long fubfifted between the two nations, and which was fo effential to the interefts of both.

The circumftances of complaint and refentment are then enumerated. The inattention to the friendly negociations propofed by the British ambaffador. Their not fulfilling the mutual and perpetual defenfive engagements folemnly eftablished between both nations, and not even giving an answer to the repeated demands on that fubject. The total contempt of thofe treaties fhewn, in their ready promise to our enemies of obferving a neutrality. Their giving every fecret affiftance to the enemy, whilft they withheld from us the fuccours which they were bound to furnish. And their taking off the inland duties, for the fole purpofe of facilitating the carriage of naval ftores to France. The protection afforded to the American pirate, Paul Jones, and the privateers of our enemies in general; and the endeavours of their fubjects, in concert with the French, to raise up enemies to England in the Eaft Indies.

But the principal force and acumen of the manifefto, feemed to be directed against the city and magistracy of Amfterdam, and against their penfionary Van Berkel, on account of the lately difcovered treaty with the Americans; the refentment being only fecondary to the ftates general, for their not immediately punishing that violation of public faith, and national infult to Great Britain. All the foregoing caufes of complaint, fo inconfiftent with all good faith, and fo repugnant, as it was faid, to the fenfe of the

wifeft part of the Dutch nation, are accordingly afcribed to the prevalence of the leading magiftrates of that city; and it is wilhed, from a regard to the Dutch nation at large, that it were poffible to direct those measures of public refentment and justice which were now to be purfued, wholly againft Amfterdam; but this, it is obferved, cannot be, unless the ftates general will immediately declare, that that city fhall, upon this occafion, receive no affistance from them, but be left to abide the confequences of its aggreffion.

In the midft, however, of all the anger attending a rupture with old friends, a door for future accommodation is opened towards the end of the manifefte. After obferving, that whilft Amfterdam is fuffered to prevail in the general councils, and is backed by the ftrength of the ftate, it is impoffible to refift the aggreffion of fo confiderable a part, without contending with the whole; it is then added" But we are too fenfible "of the common interests of "both countries not to remem"ber, in the midst of fuch a con"teft, that the only point to be "aimed at by us, is to raise a

difpofition in the councils of

the republic, to return to their "antient union, by giving us "that fatisfaction for the past, "and fecurity for the future, "which we fhall be as ready to "receive as they can be to offer, "and to the attainment of which

we shall direct all our opera"tions. We mean only to pro"vide for our own fecurity, by

defeating the dangerous defigns that have been formed against We fhall ever be difpofed

us.

"to return to friendship with "the flates general, when they "fincerely revert to that fyftem "which the wifdom of their an"cestors formed, and which has now been fubverted by a power"ful faction, confpiring with "France against the true interefts "of the republic, no less than against thofe of Great Bri"tain."

On the fame day, general letters of marque and reprifal were granted against the Dutch, and their fhips in the different ports were ordered to be ftopped. The appearances of vigour and fpirit generally gratify the multitude, who are not much difpofed to look forward to confequences, and are feldom difpleafed at any increafe in the clattering of thofe arms from which they think themfelves fecure. Others looked forward to the expected fpoils of a Dutch war; and a third fort, though of a very different caft from the two former, thought the war a right measure, upon the fuppofition, that Holland could do us lefs prejudice in an open conteft, than as a fecret enemy. Many, however, regretted the war, not only as it added a new enemy to the tremendous combination already formed against us, but from a perfuafion of the natural connection and mutual interefts of both nations.

Hoftilities were foon commenced. The Princefs Caroline, a Dutch man of war of 54 guns and 300 men, on her way through the Channel from Amfterdam to Lifbon, was taken, after a fhort action, by the Bellona man of war. And in a few days after, Captain Elphinston, in the Warwick of 50 guns, with a crew young in fer

vice, (moftly preffed men, landmen) and greatly reduced in number by the manning of feveral Dutch merchantmen, fell in with the Rotterdam, of equal metal and 300 men, which he most gallantly attacked and took. A large Dutch East Indiaman, outward bound, with a number of other merchant fhips, were taken within a few days.

A meffage from the throne, including a fhort account of the rupture with Holland, together with a copy of the manifefto, and a number of other papers relative to. that event, were prefented by Lord North Jan. 25th. to the Houfe of Com- 1781. mons, on the fecond day after the recefs. Mr. Burke took up the bufinefs by obferving, that however light a war with the states of Holland might be in the opinions of fome men, he had not forgotten the old fashioned idea, that going to war was, at all events, a very ferious matter; a matter which nothing but great neceffity could juftify.

Cir

And then taking notice that feveral papers were ftill wanting, which would be neceffary to the information of the houfe, he proceeded, that though for want of the proper information, the juftice of the war perhaps could not be entered upon, yet there were other confiderations well worth their attention. cumitanced as we were, the pru-. dence and policy of the war, were not lefs important points than its juftice. Since therefore ministry by precipitating into the war, had reduced parliament (which they feemed to have adjourned for the very purpose) to the alternative of fupporting that war at all events,

or of becoming liable to the charge of abandoning the caufe of their country, it was incumbent on them to lay ample proof before the houfe, that the war was prudent, or at least unavoidably neceffary.

He farther added, that the paper now before them, and stated in the manifefto under the title of a treaty, was, in the exprefs terms of it, only the plan of a treaty, or the rough draught of a compact hereafter to be entered into between the intended contracting parties. He wished to know from the king's fervants, whether they had obtained a copy of any treaty actually entered into and executed? That draught before them, as far as they knew, was no more than a fpeculative effay, a mere contemplative project; and therefore, on the face of things, no juftifiable or affignable ground of hoftility. He dwelt much upon the fituation of the country, which he represented to be fuch, as required prudence and moderation, instead of hafte and violence. That we ought rather to diffemble and connive at fome real injuries, than by forced and conftructive ones, perhaps to create, and certainly to accelerate enmities. That when war was become as infupportable as peace was neceffary, it was a kind of madness to aggravate the one and obftruct the other, by introducing a new and powerful party

into the conteft.

The minifter declared, that he confidered a war, at all times, as a matter of great ferioufnefs; but that it was more particularly fo in the prefent cafe, of entering into a war, that fufpended an alliance and friendship formed on that broad line of policy, which origi

nally pointed it out, and has been a fource of great benefit to both parties. That it was not therefore, as his majesty had declared in his meffage, without the deepeft regret, that he felt himself under an indifpenfible neceffity of commencing hoftilities against the united states of Holland, who, in open violation of treaties, had refufed to give Great Britain that affiftance, fhe is entitled to claim. when attacked by the House of Bourbon; who had, in direct violation of the law of nations, for a long time perfifted in furnishing France with warlike ftores; and at length had thought proper to countenance the magiftracy of Amfterdam in their unprecedented infult upon this country, by entering into a treaty with the rebellious colonies of North America; who were the fubjects of a power, united in the ftricteft bands of amity and friendship with that republic. He then ftated the ftipu- ' lations of mutual affiftance in the treaties between both countries; faid, that Great Britain had inviolably preferved her faith at all times with Holland; had, in confequence of a claim from the states, fent over ten thousand of her troops there; and fhewn herfelf upon every occafion ready to perform all the conditions to which fhe had made herfelf liable.` After which he entered into a detail of the provocations given to Great Britain, and of the more particularly offenfive parts of the conduct of the states general from the commencement of the American rebellion.

It might well be afked, he faid, why minifters had not fooner a dopted ftrong meafures, upon fuch [*] 3 repeated

repeated provocations, and fo longcontinued a violation of faith in refufing to fulfil the abfolute conditions of treaties, which had been fo folemnly established and confirmed? The only answer to be given, he said, was, their extreme unwillingness to come to a rupture with Holland, and their hope, that the ftates would yet do justice, by complying with their folemn obligations. They could not bring themselves to imagine, that Holland could be fo blinded by any arts of an infidious and treacherous power, the natural enemy of both countries, as to abandon her antient, natural, and beft ally, and thereby her own interefts and fecurity, by affifting the House of Bourbon in the unjust war which they had commenced against Great Britain. The British miniftry had done all in their power to bring the ftates to a true fenfe of their intereft, and at the fame time to fhew them the regard and tendernefs of this country for that republic; and when the neceffity of the cafe obliged them to feize on Dutch hips carrying ftores to France, they paid the full value for the cargoes, and returned the fhips, fo that neither the private merchant, the private adventurer, nor the ftates, had fuffered. France only had felt the measure, by her being deprived of that affiftance which the freights would have given her.

In answer to Mr. Burke's remark, that the treaty before them was nothing more than a contemplative project, the minifter replied, that it had been actually figned and fealed, the names of the Penfionary of Amfterdam, and of M. de Neufville, a merchant

and burgefs of that city, being fubfcribed to it on the part of that magistracy, and the name of John Lee, as commiffioner or agent for the Congress of America; but it made very little difference in the fcale of offence, confidering the connections between the two states, whether fuch a treaty was fully ratified and confummated, or only in progreffion. But to put the matter entirely out of queftion, it was only to be recollected, that the ftates general refused to pay any attention (fo far as a contemptuous filence might be confidered as a refufal) to the requifitions made in his majesty's name by Sir Joseph Yorke for fatisfaction, by taking proper notice of the conduct of the Penfionary Van Berkel, and his affociates; and on the other hand, that fo far from difavowing the fact, or attempting to palliate it, the principal magiftrates of Amfterdam, not only avowed the whole tranfaction, but gloried in it; and exprefsly declared, even to the states general, that what they had done, was what their indifpenfible duty required.

He lamented, he faid, the neceffity of a war with Holland, but it was an unavoidable meafure. The fituation of this country, he acknowledged to be truly alarming; but when he confidered the ftand that had been already made, against the moft powerful confederacy that had ever been formed against Great Britain, the little fuccefs the enemies of this country had met with in their various attempts against us, and the fpirit and refources of the nation, he confeffed he could not perceive that gloomy and uncomfortable

profpect