CHAP. hazard of their lives and properties, to ftand by his maXI. jefty against all rebellious attempts, in the maintenance of his juft rights, and thofe of the two houfes of parlia1775. ment."

Great de

By this formidable addrefs, the refentment of oppofibates with tion was not only excited to the utmoft, but even fome regard toit. of the most moderate friends of adminiftration were ftaggered. It was denied, that what the minifter called acts of treafon and fedition were fo in reality; nor did they arife from rebellious motives; on the contrary, they were occafioned by the conduct of thofe who had attempted to establish defpotism among the Americans, as a prelude to the realizing the fame wicked fyftem in the mothercountry. An oppofition to arbitrary measures was not only juftifiable, but eftablished by precedent. At any fate, it was a matter of little importance, whether the transactions in America might properly be called rebellion or not. The queston was, Whether or not it was prudent in the houfe to declare them fo? If in the course of events, it should be found neceffary to make any conceffion or propofe a treaty, fuch conduct with regard to rebels would be highly dishonourable to parliament; and, if no treaty fhould take place, their arms would never be the more powerful for distinguishing the war by the name of a a rebellion. Such a declaration could have no other tendency than to make a great number, if not the whole. people in America, defperate. It was in vain to think that the other colonies could be blinded by fingling out the colony of Maffachusetts-Bay as the only feat of rebellion. On the other hand, this could only ferve to unite them the more firmly in one common caufe, which, indeed, had been already done in a great measure by the coercive acts paffed by the laft parliament. There was a neceffity, therefore, either for attempting fomething to effectuate a reconcilation with the colonifts, or to provide for a war with the whole.

The minifterial reply confifted in making law-diftinctions, at that time abfurd in the extreme, between thofe who had actually refifted the laws by force, and those who had not yet proceeded to that length. The declaration of parliament, it was faid, did not preclude the mercy of the crown; on the contrary, the addrefs itself was an act of mercy, in warning an ignorant and obftinate people of their danger. It was not neceffary to punith univerfally; the punishment of Hancock, with fome of the principal fingleaders, would be fufficient. The boafted union of the colonies would diffolve the moment the parliament fhewed

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itself refolved to act with vigour and severity. The whole CHAP. of their political confederacy, as well as their commercial affociations, were founded upon principles of selfdenial, fuffering, and rigour, not to be endured by human nature; and, therefore, must instantly fall to the ground. It was also afferted, that the Americans neither were fol diers, nor ever could be made fo; being naturally of a pufillanimous difpofition, and utterly incapable of any fort of order or difcipline: That, by their lazinefs, uncleanliness, or radical defect of conftitution, they were incapable of going through the fervice of a campaign; but would melt away with fickness before they could face an enemy; fo that a very flight force would be more than fufficient to reduce them completely.

A gentleman, (Mr. C. Fox,) who had not long before fat at the treafury board, moved to leave out all but the preliminary words of the address, and to fubftitute after them the following, "But deploring, that the information which they (the papers laid before the houfe) had afforded, ferved only to convince the houfe that the measures taken by his majesty's fervants, tended rather to widen than to heal the unhappy differences between Great Britain and America." This amendment, however, was rejected by a very great majority, of no fewer than three hundred and four to one hundred and five ; after which the question being put upon the original motion for the addrefs, was carried by two hundred and ninety-fix to one hundred and fix. Another motion was made to recommit the addrefs, on account of its threatening to involve the nation in the horrors of civil war. This occafioned a very violent debate, attended with great animofity and afperity of expreffion on both fides: The minifters were charged with acting uniformly and fyftematically upon tory and arbitrary principles, fubverfive of the conftitution, deftructive of the rights of the people, and which had thrown the whole empire into a state of distraction and confufion. By a pursuance of thefe difgraceful and ruinous meafures, they had tarnished the luftre of the crown, alienated the affections of the people, and funk the nation from the highest pinnacle of power and glory, to a degree of contempt in the estimation of the rest of Europe, which, only a few years ago, it would have been deemed impoffible for the accumulated misfortunes and difgraces of an age to have accomplished. But that, in the true fpirit of a tory adminiftration, they had facrificed the honour and intereft of the nation in all tranfactions with foreigners; and referved all the spirit, VOL. V. C 2

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CHAP. the pride, the dignity and force of government, to be played off against the liberties of the people at home. A bitter day of retribution, however, it was predicted, would inevitably come, when they must answer to the justice of their country, for the mischief they had already done, and for the irretrievable ruin into which they had plunged the nation.

Marquis of

On the other fide, all the evils and difturbances in America were, directly, or indirectly, attributed to the oppofition. Great complaints were made of a faction at home, a republican fpirit and principles, and that the Americans were fpirited up to their violence and rebelHon by incendiary writers and fpeakers in England. In the courfe of this violence and altercation, Sir W. Mayne, having fpoken fomething of Catalines at home, who ought to be dragged forth to public difgrace and punifhment, was called to by the Right Hon. T. Townshend to point. them out. He was told that the imputation was undoubtedly juft; but he feemed to mifplace it: That if he meant by Catalines, those who were involving their country in all the horrors of civil war, they could easily be found; but it would be on that fide on which he did not with the fearch to be made. The queftion, however, being at last put on a recommitment of the addrefs, the motion was loft by two hundred and eighty-eight to one hundred and five.

Next day, February 7, a conference was held with the Rocking- upper house, at the request of the commons, to propose tion reject. their joining in the addrefs. This bufinefs being over, the ed, Feb. 7. Marquis of Rockingham ftood up to present a petition

Įram's mo

from the Weft-India planters to the lords, juft at the very moment that the earl of Dartmouth arose to speak on the affairs of that country. A debate having enfued who fhould be first heard, the preference was at laft given to the earl of Dartmouth, on account of the importance of the fubject on which he was to speak. This, however, took up but little time; he having only made a motion to infert the words "the lords fpiritual and temporal" in the addrefs of the commons, that fo it might jointly come from the two houses.

The Marquis now introduced the fubject of the petitions; and in his fpeech, after ftating the importance of the fubject, offered inftantly to bring evidence, that fome of the Weft-India iflands could not fubfift after the prefent address had once had its full operation in America. He alfo denied that any real information could be obtained, concerning the affairs of that continent, from

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papers fo imperfect, and avowedly curtailed, as had been CHAP, laid before parliament by the minifter. He likewife maintained, that even if the papers had been in their original state, they were infufficient to convey that full information which was neceffary in the prefent cafe. The fervants of the crown were much more liable to be impofed upon than the merchants, as was evident from the falfe information which had already been given, and by which the mischievous acts of parliament, so much complained of, had been produced.

These, and other arguments were anfwered by miniftry in the ufual ftile,-That there was a neceflity either to relinquish America entirely, or inftantly to compel fubmiffion by every poffible method. The diftreffes of people of all ranks were acknowledged, but treated as a matter of little confequence, in comparison of the vaft advantages to be derived from a fuccefsful war. Even if fortune fhould declare for the Americans, and Britain be obliged at laft to relinquish her claim of sovereignty, still' it was her duty to affert it. The prize was great, and well worth contending for. The event of all human affairs is uncertain. No plan, however well concerted, can infure fuccefs: The question, however, was, whether it were better inftantly to give up our rights without any contest, or abide the utmost inconvenience that would attend our affertion of them?

In the course of this debate, lord Camden, who had been very fevere in his charge against the Americans to the great furprise of the house, condemned, with the ut moft afperity, the measure of laying on the duties in 1767, which he declared to be the moft abfurd and pernicious. that could be devifed, and the caufe of all the evils which at present threatened the ftate. This unexpected declaration was followed by one ftill more furprifing. Three lords, who at that time had been cabinet counsellors, and held the first offices in the ftate, declared feparately, that they had no fhare in that measure, nor had ever given it any approbation; two of them condemned it in express terms; and the other, who was ftill in high office, did not by any means seem to approve of it.

This piece of intelligence was received with the greateft marks of aftonishment. That any measure should be adopted by miniftry, contrary to the inclination and judgment of minifters, feemed a paradox to be explained only on the fuppofition of an unfeen and fecret influence over the national councils, fo often complained of by the patriots. This notion was accordingly revived and lamented; much altercation, arraignment, and recrimination took

1

CHAP. place; however, no material change happened in the ge XI. neral fentiments of the houfe; the maquis of Rocking

ham's motion was loft, and the petitions refused a hearing, 1775. by a vaft majority of one hundred and four to twenty-nine. A proteft was figned by eighteen lords, in which the meafures of adminiftration were feverely condemned, and which concluded in the following manner: "Because the means of enforcing the authority of the British legislature is confided to perfons of whofe capacity for that purpose, from abundant experience, we have reafon to doubt; and who have hitherto made ufe of no effectual means of conciliating or of reducing those who oppofe that authority: This appears in the conftant failure of all their projects, the infufficiency of all their information, and the 'difappointment of all the hopes, which they have for feveral years held out to the public. Parliament has never refused any of their proposals, and yet our affairs have proceeded daily from bad to worfe, until we have been brought, ftep by step, to that state of confufion, and even civil violence, which was the natural result of these desperate measures.

Maffachu

We, therefore, proteft against an addrefs, amounting to a declaration of war, which is founded on no proper parliamentary information; which was introduced by refufing to fuffer the presentation of petitions against it, (although it be the undoubted right of the fubject to prefent the fame); which followed the rejection of every mode of reconciliation; which holds out no fubftantial offer of redress of grievances; and which promifes fupport to those minifters who have inflamed America, and grofsly misconducted the affairs of Great-Britain."

Thus the ministry, having proved ultimately victorious, fetts Bay no further obstacle remained to the entering upon decifive reftraining measures with regard to America. In answer to the adbill passed. drefs, a meffage was fent from the throne, demanding an augmentation of the forces by fea and land. This being referred to the ufual committee of fupply, a project was next formed of laying farther reftrictions on the province of Maffachusetts-Bay; it being deemed abfurd to fend a military force thither, without making proper coercive laws, of which the military were to enforce the execution. For this porpofe, the minister declared he would make choice of a punishment so univerfal, that all ranks and degrees of men could not but be affected by it, which, of courfe, he fuppofed, would produce obedience Feb. 10. to the former laws. A bill was therefore brought into the house of commons, to restrain the trade and commerce of the provincesof Maffachusetts-Bay and New-Hampshire, the colonies of Connecticut and Rhode-Ifland, and Pre