gefferint. And it is hereby farther declared, by the authority aforesaid, that the colonies in America are juftly entitled to the priveleges, franchises and immunities granted by the feveral charters or conftitutions, and that the faid charters or conftitutions ought not to be invaded or refumed, unless for mifufer, or some legal ground of forfeiture. So fhall true reconcilement avert impending calamities, and this moft folemn national accord between Great-Britain and her colonies, stand an everlasting monument of clemency and magnanimity in the benignant Father of his People; of wifdom and moderation in this great nation, famed for humanity as for valour; and of fidelity and grateful affection from brave and loyal colonies to their parent-kingdom, which will ever protect and cherish them."

Dartmouth.

The Earl of Dartmouth obferved, that the bill took in fuch Earl of a variety of matter, it was impoffible for him to pronounce any certain opinion concerning its propriety; and as the noble Earl who prefented it did not feem willing to press the House to any immediate decifion, but appeared rather defirous that it should be maturely and fully confidered, he fupposed it would be quite agreeable to him, that the bill should lie on the table till the papers referred by his Majesty were first taken into confideration; if fo, he had no objection to the bill being received on those terms.

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The Earl of Sandwich rofe, and inftantly changed this ap- Earl pearance of conceffion on the part of administration: he infift- Sandwich, ed that to concede was at once to give up the point; that he was well affured America had already formed the most traiterous and hoftile intentions; that the laft difpatches brought over an account, that they had already attacked and taken. one of the King's forts, and had feized the King's stores and amunition to employ them against him, which, if any thing could be deemed rebellion, it was plain this was. He highly condemned the mode of bringing this bill forward, and every circumftance attending it; and obferved, with no fmall degree of warmth, that it was no lefs unparliamentary than unprecedented. He faid it was impoffible, on fo fhort a notice, to determine on a matter of fuch fingular importance, fo extenfive in its objects, and fo novel in its introduction. As to the ftale pretenfion of preferving our commercial interefts, that device could impofe on none but those who were wilfully blind, and who were refolved to contradict the plainest evidence of facts, and fhut their eyes against reason and common sense; for it was clear the Americans were not difputing about words, but realities, it was to free themfelves from the eftrictions

reftrictions laid on their commerce, that was the principal mo-, tive for their prefent obedience; it was not the tea they really objected, for if they could procure it from any other place but Britain, they would be well pleafed, of which he had the most undeniable proof in his pocket, in authentic letters informing him, that there were fhips now lading at Amsterdam, Port L'Orient, and Havre de Grace, with various forts of Eaft-India and European commodities, intended for certain parts of the continent of North America. His lordship therefore moved, That the bill fhould be rejected in the firft inftance. Lord Lyttel- The Lord Lyttelton fet out with the highest encomiums on the great abilities and high political knowledge of the noble Earl who framed the bill. He faid his knowledge was as extenfive as his intentions were good and great; that in the most trying fituations, when the nation was reduced nearly to desperation and despair, he ftood forth alone, on the great dangerous ocean of politics, and refcued the nation from the impending ruin which was fufpended over its head. For these reasons, as well as the particular merit of the propofition now made, he thought both the mover and the matter deferved a more favourable reception. He faid though he could not probably agree with the noble Earl in many of his ideas, particularly relative to the repeal of the Quebec bill, which was included in thofe mentioned in the petition of rights to the King, he must still continue to think it was extremely improper to at once reject and put a negative on a propofition, which carried on the face of it a plan of reconciliation; and made an opening for changing negotiation for the sword. He avowed his former fentiments refpecting the fupremacy of the British Parliament; but would gladly enjoy all the subftantial fruits of that fupremacy, in the way of obedience and fubmiffion, in preference to wrefting them by force and violence. His Lordship then proceeded to animadvert on the conduct of adminiftration, on their manifeft mifconduct respecting the infufficiency of the force fent to Boston; but was called to order by the Earl of Sandwich who was ; fo called to order, by the Duke of Richmond. His Grace infifted, Lord Lyttelton ought not to have been interrupted. Lord Lyttelton concluded with a fimile drawn from the Roman history, where a General in the time of Augustus being fent with a force against the Germans, not adequate to the fervice, the General with all his army were unhappily cut off. When Auguftus heard of it, his obfervation was, that fuch a force fhould have been fent as would have enfured fuccefs.

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The Lord Wycombe, (Earl of Shelburne) difclaimed the Earl of leaft knowledge of the contents of the bill till it was Shelburne, read by the clerk. He was extremely animated, and painted, in the ftrongeft colours, the probable confequences of pufhing matters to extremities. A ruined commerce, ftarving manufacturers, encreafed taxes, heavy poor-rates, rents fallen, an exhausted exchequer, and a diminished revenue, were fome of the firft effects he predicted, that would inevitably follow from adopting the meafures of adminiftration. His Lordfhip proceeded to take notice of ano, ther matter which had been hitherto overlooked, but which deferved the moft ferious confideration. It was well known, he said, the vast fupplies of bread corn brought into this Kingdom from America, would now of courfe be stopped; and that again would add to all our other accumulated miffortunes, riots and tumults of the moft alarming and dangerous nature. People muft eat, and it would be impoffible to reconcile them to measures which would at once cut them off from procuring the neceffaries of life, unless at a moft exorbitant and advanced price, and the means of purchafing them almost at any price. He ventured, he faid, to speak with the more confidence of what might be juftly dreaded on this occafion, becaufe, when only one part of the cafe exifted, a fcarcity of grain in the year 1766, when he had the honour of acting as one of his Majefty's fecretaries of state, He well remembered the dreadful alarms that were fpread on account of the rifings and tumultuous meetings in almoft every part of the kingdom. One day an exprefs arrived from Norwich, another from the inland counties, to which troops were fent to quell the rioters; the next day, one from Southampton and the western counties, and a fourth from Chester and the North. I would have these things materially confidered and weighed, fays his Lordfhip. All the troops now in Great- Britain and Ireland would fcarcely fuffice to put the propofed meafures in execution. Think then in time; Ireland naked and defencelefs, England in an upfoar from one end to the other for want of bread, and deftitute of employment. Befides all this, is there, then, a noble Lord in adminiftration who will rife and tell me, that he ferioufly thinks, the powers of Europe, particularly those whofe commercial interefts and naval power clash with ours, will fit totally unconcerned, and flip fo favourable an opportunity of humbling that power, and hurting thofe interefts? I cannot believe there is. Perhaps administration trufts to the affurances of their inveterate enemies and falfe friends; if they do, all I will add is, that I fincerely pity them. E

VOL. II,

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Duke of The Duke of Grafton complained feverely of the very Grafton. unparliamentary manner the noble Earl had hurried the bill into the House: he faid, he had the honour of fitting there longer than the noble Earl, and within his knowledge or recollection he could fafely affirm, he never remembered another inftance of the kind. For his part, he was astonished how any matter fo important in its nature, fo extenfive in its confequences, and directed to fuch a variety of objects, each of them worthy of a feparate confideration, could be thus brought forward together, and in fuch a manner. In his opinion the matter fhould have been laid before the Houfe, in feparate proportions, each of which fhould be fingly difcuffed, as leading to one great comprehenfive fyftem. His own opinion refpecting the general queftion, was, he faid, perhaps different from that entertained by either party. When the day arrived, and that it came before the Houfe regularly, and in a proper mode, he fhould declare it freely and openly without referve or predilection for the fentiments of any fet of men; but when he confidered the manner of introducing it, and the immenfe mafs of matter it contained, however highly he might estimate the talents of the noble framer, or great a perfonal regard he might entertain for him, he must agree with the noble Earl who moved the amendment, and confequently be for rejecting the bill in the firft inftance.

Earl Gower.

Earl Gower rofe in a great heat, and condemned the bill in the warmest terms. He contended, that it fell in with the ideas of America in almost every particular, and held out no one fecurity; that although we should be bafe and daftardly enough to betray the rights of the Parliament of GreatBritain, that America would agree to fuch parts of it as the noble Lord feemed to point out as matters of fubmiffion or conceffion; but above all, it not only fanctifies the traiterous proceeding of the congrefs already held, but further legalizes it, by ordaining that another fhall be held on the 9th of May next. He then endeavoured to prove that fufpending the acts mentioned in the bill, would be toevery fubftantial purpofe an actual repeal. He defended those acts one after another; and infifted, that the act of navigation would be of no avail, would be no more than a dead letter, if the laws for establishing the admiralty courts were repealed; for to talk of laws for reftricting and regulating their commerce, without the means for enforcing and executing them, was a mere mockery of reafon and common sense. He next launched into great encomiums on the Quebec bill; fpoke much of its lenity, moderation, justice and policy; faid it was a measure

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no lefs founded in wifdom and juftice, than its apparent policy, confidering the rebellious temper of the colonies, was properly directed. He repeated what he had advanced on a former occafion, that thofe of the best characters and greateft property throughout the colonies, were well inclined to obedience and fubmiffion to the mother country, that all they wanted to manifeft their zeal and attachment was to be protected; that were it otherwife, Great-Britain was called upon by every tie of intereft, every motive of dignity, and every principle of good government, to affert its legiflative fupremacy entire and undiminished. He avowed his advifing every measure hitherto taken against them, faid he did not mean to screen himself from any confequence whatever, but was prepared for the worft, and ready to face the block in fuch a cause. He observed that the noble Earl who framed the bill, feemed to entertain the higheft opinion of the prowess of the Americans, and to lament greatly the cruelty and injustice of fending a military force against them; yet he remembered the time the noble Earl entertained very different fentiments on an occafion of infinitely lefs provocation, when he advised their ports to be filled with fhips of war, and their towns with foldiers; adding, that an Enfign, with a few regiments, would reduce them to inftant obedience,

Here he was interrupted by the Earl of Chatham, who Earl of called on him to name the time and place, Earl Gower Chatbami, was proceeding, but was again called on to fpecify the time and place; on which he said, it was in a debate in the other Houfe. The Earl of Chatham condemned fuch a procedure in very fevere terms, faid it was not decent or parliamentary, to mention words fpoken out of the Houfe; or if it were, to advert to fome particular expreffions, which could not be understood without referring them to the other parts of the speech; and in fact, that the noble Earl was mistaken, for no fuch expreffions had ever fallen from him, as he knew too well, by his acquaintance with the force employed during the late war in America, which was not less than 40,000 men, that an Enfign with a few regiments, could not reduce British America, when the part poffeffed by France of that continent, which was not a third of the former, employed fo great a force for full five years, under the command of one of the ableft Generals in Europe (Sir Jeffery Amherst.)

This altercation being finished, Earl Gower, declared in the Earl Gower. most unreserved terins, for reducing the Americans to fubmiffion, gave his hearty concurrence to the Earl of Sandwich's amendment.