faid, was not to be directed folely against the first lord of the admiralty, for he avowed his own full fhare in the transaction; faid, that others of the king's fervants were likewife concerned, and that he was ready to defend and fuort the meature in that houfe, whenever it thould be agitated. The honourable gentleman had dwelt much upon the fentence of the court martial which tried Sir Hugh Pallifer, and inferred, that it amounted only to a bare acquittal. He saw the matter in a very different point of view. What were the words of the former part of it? ---"That the court having taken "the whole of the evidence into "confideration, both on the part "of the profecution, as well as "in favour of the prifoner, were "of opinion, fo far from the con"duct of Sir Hugh Pallifer being reprehenfible on the 27th "and 28th of July, that in many "parts thereof, it appeared exemplary and highly merito"rious." If he understood the meaning of the word meritorious, according to its true acceptation, it fignified in this inftance, that an officer whofe conduct had been declared, after a moft ftrict fcrutiny, to have been highly meritorious, was an officer who deferved reward; and that exemplary conduct meant fuch conduct as was a proper example for other officers to follow, and a fit object for imitation. Under this, which appeared to him to be the true and natural reading of the fentence, Sir Hugh Pallifer was undoubtedly an object of reward, and after his conduct had been declared highly meritorious and exemplary, administration would have been criminally culpable, if they had neglected to give him a fuitable reward. He called upon gentlemen particularly to recollect the peculiar circumftances that rendered Sir Hugh Pallifer's acquittal more than commonly honourable to him? Let them call to mind the arts that were ufed to fet the public in a flame against him previous to his trial; and the pains that were taken to run him down, to render him the object of univerfal indignation; and that these endeavours were at length fo fuccefsful, that he became an object of commiferation and pity even with some benevolent gentlemen of the oppofition, who humanely did not with that he fhould be brought to a trial, under fuch a load of public odium and prejudice. And let it alfo be recollected that it was under these circumftances, that, conscious of his innocence, he boldly demanded, and perfevered in his applications for a trial, which was brought on entirely at his own request. And muit not every difpaffionate man, every impartial reader of the fentence, confider fuch an acquittal, in fuch circumftances, as the most honourable poffible teftimonial to the character of an officer? And could the king's minifters do lefs, confiftently with their duty, than to pay a proper attention to fuch fufferings, and to follow up the danger of being purified by fuch an ordeal, with reward, and with honour ? He feemed to make very light of many fine founding words, which, he faid, had been used against adminiftration; but which unfortunately wanted truth for their fupport. And as to the enumerated 1 accufer. merated lift of officers, whofe fer- be deemed a falfe and malicious vices were faid to be withholden, through their want of confidence in the good faith or honefty of adminiftration, furely, if the fact were real, minifters could be confidered as no better than bedlamites, if they employed men who held fuch opinions. Sir Hugh Pallifer read a long, and feemingly laboured, manufcript defence of his conduct. It held out the bittereft complaints, and teemed with invective, againft the conduct of Admiral Keppel, of the court martial by which he had been acquitted, of that powerful party by which he had been himfelf overborne, and of Mr. Fox in parti cular. He charged all his misfortunes and oppreffions to the power, and to the malevolent perfecution of that party, which feemed ftill to be in as full vigour as ever. He cathechized Mr. Fox with a great number of interrogatories, relative to the practice of the courts in cafes of high treason, and others, of parliament, in certain cafes, and of courts martial by fea and land. He claimed merit from his moderation, in remaining for fo long a time a filent fufferer, rather than to increase the popular difcontents, and the diffentions of the navy, by attempting to oppofe a party, which he acknowledged was too ftrong for him to contend with. He declared, that he confidered his acquittal as the moft honourable circumftance of his life; and he flattered himself, that if the houfe fhould think an enquiry into the two courts martial neceffary, he fhould not, when that enquiry was over, if it were fairly gone into, Vox. XXIV. Several parts of the new governor's detail, and particularly the charges which he made against the court martial that tried Mr. Keppel, were examined and commented upon by that Admiral, Mr. Fox, and others; but by none with greater ability, or so much severity, as by Mr. John Townshend. The minitter's arguments and pofitions were likewife replied to and examined; and the new conftruction which he put upon part of the fentence of one court martial, the adroitnefs with which he pailed over the unfavourable part of the fame, and the little attention he paid to the fentence of another, were all refpectively brought into obfervation. The matter being brought up on the following day, Sir Robert Smith moved, that a copy of the minutes of the trial and fentence of the court martial held for the trial of Vice Admiral Sir Hugh Pallifer, fhould be laid before the houfe. The Earl of Surrey feconded the motion, and among other reafons for it obferved, that as the vice admiral had on the preceding day thought proper to read to the house a long narrative, the greateft part of which was calculated to arraign the juftice of the court martial which had acquitted Admiral Keppel, and which had cenfured his accufer, he faw clearly, that no man of honour in the fervice, would be fafe in doing his duty as member of a court martial in future, if an enquiry was not immediately made into the bufingfs. The prefent motion would open the [*] way way to that enquiry. He acted folely for the fake of juftice. He was much averfe to any retrofpect into matters, which had already produced fo much mischief to the fervice, and of course to the country; but fince minifters had, by bringing the vice admiral forward, given occafion for reverting to paft tranfactions, he thought the whole fhould be fully enquired into; at the fame time declaring, that he should govern himself entirely by what appeared to be the truth, when the bufinefs was fifted to the bottom. If it fhould appear that the court martial was warranted in pronouncing the fentence which they had paffed, he fhould give his vote for paffing a cenfure on the vice admiral, who had thus publicly arraigned their juftice; if on the other hand, it fhould come out, that the vice admiral's complaints were founded, and that the court martial had denied him juftice, he fhould fupport any proceeding against the members of that court, which the house fhould think proper to adopt.-The motion was agreed to. An unusually early Dec. 6th. recefs took place. The Houfe of Commons adjourned on the following day to the twentythird of January. No public bufinefs of any con fequence was tranfacted in the Houfe of Lords before the recefs. That houfe adjourned on the 27th of November, to the 25th of January. CHA P. IX. Declaration of war against Holland, and hoftilities commenced. Meffage from the throne. Debates on the Dutch war. Addrefs moved by the minifter. Amendment moved by Lord John Cavendish. The amendment rejected upon a divifion, fecond amendment by Lord Mahon rejected, and the original addrefs passed. Addrefs moved for in the House of Lords by Lord Stormont ; and an amendment by the Duke of Richmond. Unufually late debate. Amendment rejected on a division. Two Protefts. Mr. Fox's motion relative to the appointment of Sir Hugh Pallifer to the government of Greenwich Hofpital. Amendment moved by the minifler, and after much debate carried upon a divifion. Mr. Fox's concluding motion evaded, by moving for the order of the day. India affairs. Complaints against the fupreme judicature of Bengal. Two petitions from India; one, from the governor general and council at Calcutta; the other, from the British fubjects refiding in Bengal, Bahar, and Orija. Select committee of fifteen ballotted for, to examine the grounds of the petitions. prevalence of a faction devoted to France, from thofe wife principles which used to govern the republic, and following the dictates of that court; with having adopted a po licy deftructive of the friendship which had fo long fubfifted between the two nations, and which was fo effential to the interefts of both. wifeft part of the Dutch nation, are accordingly afcribed to the prevalence of the leading magiftrates of that city; and it is wished, from a regard to the Dutch nation at large, that it were poffible to direct thofe measures of public refentment and juftice which were now to be purfued, wholly against Amfterdam; but this, it is obferved, cannot be, unlefs the ftates general will immediately de-. clare, that that city hall, upon this occafion, receive no affistance from them, but be left to abide the confequences of its aggreffion. The circumstances of complaint and refentment are then enumerated. The inattention to the friend-, ly 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 anfwer to the repeated demands on that fubject.- -The total contempt of thofe treaties fhewn, in their ready promife to our enemies of obferving a neutrality.Their giving every fecret affiftance to the enemy, whilst 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 magiftracy of Amfterdam, and against their penfionary Van Berkel, on account of the lately dif covered treaty with the Americans; the refentment being only fecondary to the states 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 fenie of the 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 manifefto. 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 interefis 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 raife 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 fhall 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 shall ever be difpofed [*L] 2 118. " to 68 "to return to friendship with the "ftates general, when they fincerely revert to that fyftem "which the wisdom 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 increase in the clattering of thofe arms from which they think themselves 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 meafure, 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 perfuation 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, or landmen), and greatly reduced in number by the manning of several Dutch merchantmen, fell in with the Rotterdam, of equal metal and 300 men, which he most gallantly attacked and took. A large Dutch Eaft Indiaman, outward bound, with a number of other merchant fhips, were taken within a few days. 1781. A meilage from the throne, including a thort account of the rupture with Holland, together with a copy of the manifefto, and a number of other papers relative to that event, were pre- Jan. 25th, fented by Lord North to the House of Commons, on the fecond day after the recefs. Mr. Burke took up the bufinefs by observing, 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 neceflity could justify. 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. Circumftanced as we were, the prudence and policy of the war, were not lefs important points than its juftice. Since therefore miniftry by precipitating into the war, had reduced parliament (which they feemed to have adjourned for the very purpofe) to the alternative of fupporting that war at all events, |