or of becoming liable to the charge of abandoning the cause of their country, it was incumbent on them to lay ample proof before the house, that the war was prudent, or at leaft unavoidably neceflary. He farther added, that the paper now before them, and stated in the manifefio 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 eflay, 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 reprefented 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 considered a war, at all times, as a matter of great ferioufnefs; but that it was more particularly to 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 metlage, without the deepeft regret, that he felt himself under an indispensable neceifity of commencing hoftilities against the united states of Holland, who, in open violation of treaties, had refufed to give Great Britain that affiftance, the 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 magistracy of Amsterdam 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 ftrictest bands of amity and friendship with that republic. He then stated the stipulations 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 thewn herself upon every occation ready to perform all the conditions to which the had made herself 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 ftates general from the com. mencement of the American rebellion.

It might well be afked, he faid, why minifters had not fooner adopted ftrong meafures, upon fuch [L] 3

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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 anfwer 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 juftice, 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 atliking the Houfe of Bourbon in the unjuft war which they had commenced againft 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 repubfic; and when the neceflity of the cafe obliged them to feize on Dutch hips carrying flores 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 states, had fuffered. France only had felt the meature, by her being deprived of that affittance 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 magiftracy, and the name of John Lee, as commiffioner or agent for the Congrefs of America; but it made very little difference in the fcale of offence, confidering the connections between the two ftates, 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 refufed 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 Jofeph Yorke for fatisfac tion, by taking proper notice of the conduct of the Penfionary Van Berkel, and his allociates; and on the other hand, that so far from difavowing the fact, or attempt ing to palliate it, the principal magifirates of Amfterdam, not only avowed the whole tranfaction, but gloried in it; and exprefsly declared, even to the ftates general, that what they had done, was what their indifpenfable duty required.

He lamented, he said, 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 fucccfs 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

profpect of things, which had been defcribed by the honourable gentleman who spoke before him. Our difficulties were certainly great, but he trufted they were by, no means infuperable. He was neither defirous of concealing their magnitude, nor afraid to meet them, great as they must be acknowledged; because he was convinced, that when the force of this country was fully exerted, it was equal to the conteft; and that the only means of obtaining an honourable and juft peace, was to fhew ourselves capable of carrying on the war with fpirit and vigour.

In taking notice of what Mr. Burke had faid, relative to the adjournment, he declared, that it would have been as agreeable to him that the house had fat out the whole intermediate time as not; that the breaking out of the war at all, or the time of its commencement, were matters by no means fo clear within the view of the king's fervants, as to render it incumbent on them to ftate the fituation of affairs to parliament, as a reason for their continuing aflembled during the customary season of a recefs, which, he knew, would for various reafons be highly inconvenient. The laft efficient caufe of the rupture, the anfwer of the ftates, was not received from Sir Jofeph Yorke, until after the adjournment.

The noble lord then moved an addrefs of thanks for his majefty's moft gracious meflage; with an affurance of the fincere part which they took in the concern and regret his majefty expreffed, for the unavoidable neceffity of hoftile measures against the antient friends

and natural allies of his kingdoms; an acknowledgement, in the warmeft fentiments of gratitude, of the wifdom and moderation of his conduct, in ufing every endeavour with the ftates general, to avoid proceeding to extremities; and the fulleft affurance that, with a firm and determined refolution, they will fupport him against all his enemies, in the profecution of this juft and neceffary war, for the maintenance of the honour of his crown, and of the rights and interefts of his people.- -The minifter clofed his motion with an obfervation, that the addrefs was drawn up in language the most proper for the house to adopt, and he therefore moved it.

The motion was feconded with spirit and ability by Lord Lewifham, who observed, that the most wanton wars had been undertaken against Holland in those periods, when the interefts of the crown and of the people were diftinct and different in this country; thence, he faid in the infamous reign of Charles the Second, they had not been more frequently than unjustly commenced. But in the prefent reign, when the interefts of the king and of the people were one and the fame, no rupture upon those principles could take place; and the war now commenced against Holland was so far from being wanton or unjustifiable, that it would appear, even from a flight view of the conduct on both fides, to be a war of unavoidable neceffity on that of Great Britain. He attributed to the baneful influence of French gold, that treacherous conduct which he afcribed to the Dutch; said it was better to have to deal with an

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open enemy, than with a treacherous friend; and declared, that he wished not to live to fee that day, when this country fhould be oblig. ed to put up with those infults, which her honour called upon her to relent.

The apology made by the minifter, with refpe&t to the adjourn ment, did not by any means leffen the leverity of oppofition on that fubject. The minifters, they faid, had every year fome work upon their hands, which they did not chufe to do in the face of parliament. It had been their frequent practice to fettle matters of the first importance during the holidays, and when the house met after the recefs, then to call upon parliament to fupport them under all the confequences of their ill conduct. In this manner the house had been led into the American war, that source of all our calamities; in this manner the treaty was ftolen between America and France, without the poffibility of their timely interference; in like manner the minifters announced the French, and in the following year the Spanish refcript; and now they come to declare that they have commenced war with Holland, our old and our natural ally.

Thus, year after year, had the noble dord in the blue ribbon come down to inform the house of fome new enemy; but in that whole courfe of time, he never once brought them the welcome news of our having gained a new ally. The prefent minitiers had ex loded the old fyftem of continental connections; they abandoned the continent, and moft unfortunately, as we now experience,

the continent, in return. has abandoned us. In thofe glorious and happy days, when our affairs were conducted by Whig minifters, and upon true Whig principles, we had the better half of Europe fighting by our fide, in pulling down the power, and humbling the pride of the House of Bourbon.

But where now are our allies? We have adopted an oppofite fyftem of principles, and are abandoned by all the world. Holland, our natural, our most refpectable, and at length our only ally, is forced into the arms of Bourbon. Are thefe the benefits for which we are to return thanks to the crown?

They denied the neceffity of the war with Holland. We loft Holland, faid they, by our arrogance. By that domineering, infolent fpirit, through which we loft America, and which has united half Europe againft us in an armed neutrality. The haughty memorial of 1777, which is io cautiously kept back from the house by the minifiers, they urged, was juftly obferved by the states general, to hold language not fitting to be offered to or received by any independent ftate. It was not poffible that any Hollander, who felt as he ought to do for the honour of his country, fhould not refent fuch a public infult. France, and the French party in Holland, naturally, and not unfairly, took the advantage of this temper. You fee, faid they, the treatment you receive from your boatted friends and protectors. Too much fuccefs has changed the nature, or perhaps only expofed to view the real difpofition, of thofe haughty ifland

ers.

ers. Instead of being the affertors of liberty, as they fo often and fo vainly pretended, they are not only endeavouring to enflave their own people, but they would become the oppreffors and tyrants of mankind. If they hold this language, in the midst of an unfuccefsful war, to you, their old friends and allies, what would it be if they were fuccefsful? if they fucceeded in fruftrating the gene rous views of France in favour of the Americans, and in establishing that univerfal dominion which they have long had the effrontery to claim over the ocean?

The reign of Charles II. they faid, was fufficiently infamous. But they thought the obfervation rather unlucky at the prefent time. We had loft more, in a few years, through the prefent minifters, than by the whole race of Stuarts. The mischiefs brought on by the Stuarts were speedily repaired by a happy revolution.

But the mifchiefs brought on by the prefent minifters are irreparable. The prevalence of a faction in Holland was attributed to the influence of French gold; it would be happy if the influence of French gold, or, which was the fame thing, English gold, operating in French intereft, did not prevail, much nearer the capital of Great Britain. But why was not some of that gold fent over to counteract the operation of the French?

The noble minister complained, that the Dutch had broken the treaties fubfifting with this country; but had proper means been ufed to induce them to abide by thofe treaties? Was the noble lord to be informed, that treaties never bound any nation in oppofition to

ftrong paffions or intereft? Had any pains been taken to keep those of Holland on our fide? Was not our conduct in numerous inftances the direct reverfe? When we were throwing away the American commerce, were we fo blind. as not to fee, that its advantages would be eagerly grasped at by other nations? Could we imagine that a people, wholly commercial, would not fooner or later follow the example of others, and endea vour to partake of thofe advantages? We should either have taken measures to provide for or to prevent this effect; or we should have refrained from the frantic measures which tended to produce it.

They obferved, that when France was confidered as the most formidable power in Europe, the nations on all fides confederated against her. We ourselves took the lead in that confederacy., We fhould have derived witdom from that example, in which we had fo great a fhare; and when this country rose to an envied and alarming pitch of greatnels, a jutt apprehenfion of a fimilar hoftile confederacy thould have taught us juftice, moderation, and wifdom. But fo far were we from adopting fuch a prudential mode of conduct, that the pride and ar rogance of our councils difgufted or alarmed all mankind, and difpofed them to any combination, whether for the leflening of our power, or the punithing of our infolence. In that fate of things the British minifters, equally blind to our fituation, and deaf to all remonftrance and reafon, precipitated us headlong into the American war; thereby, through the