will make the crown not worth his wearing. I will not fay that the King is betrayed, but I will pronounce that the kingdom is undone." The motion was rejected 68 to 18. This motion made by the noble Earl, was only preparatory to a bill, which he had framed for the purpose of conciliation with America, which he propofed to the House on the 1ft of February it went to repeal all the acts which had been paffed in the former feffion relative to America, in which were included the Quebec act, and another act which regulated the quartering of foldiers. It alfo went to repeal eight acts of parliament which had been paffed in the present reign, from the fourth year thereof to the twelfth. It proposed to restrain the powers of the Admiralty and Vice Admiralty courts in America within their ancient limits, and to establish the trial by jury in all fuch civil cafes in which it had been lately abolished; the Judges to hold their offices and falaries as the Judges in England, quam diu se bene gesserint. It declared the Colonies of America to be justly entitled to the privileges, franchises, and immunities granted by their feveral charters or conftitutions, and that fuch charters ought not to be invaded or refumed, unless for misuser or fome legal ground of forfeiture. This bill, although rejected by a large majority, was yet fupported by a much more numerous minority than the motion which preceded it*. * 68 to 31.-The peers who voted for Lord Chatham's plan of reconciliation, were the following, viz. Dukes of Cumberland, Richmond, Devonfhire, Portland, Manchester, Newcastle, Marquis of Rockingham; Earls of Stamford, Abingdon, Effingham, Fitzwilliam, Temple, Radnor, Chatham, Scarborough, Cholmondeley, Stafford, Tankerville, Stanhope; Lords, Ponsonby, Littelton, Wycombe, Sondes, Milton, Camden, Abergavenny, Ferrers, Craven, Rumney, King, Fortefcue. This attempt to overturn all that government had done with regard to America, feemed to roufe administration from their lethargic ftupor. The minifter prefented a meffage from his Majefty to the Houfe of Commons, recommending an augmentation of the forces by fea and land, which being complied with, and 2000 additional feamen, and 4383 land forces voted*, the house being refolved into a committee on the American papers, he moved + for leave to bring in a bill to restrain the trade and commerce of the provinces of New Hampshire and Maffachufet's Bay, the Colonies of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Providence Plantation in North America, to Great Britain, Ireland, and the British iflands in the Weft-Indies, and to prohibit fuch Provinces and Colonies from carrying on any fishery on the Banks of Newfoundland, or other places therein mentioned, under certain conditions and for a limited time. Still the feverity of punishment was confined to the northern Colonies, and the minifter reprefented this reftraining bill, as a just retaliation, for thofe Colonies refusing to trade with Great Britain. The fisheries both nourished the vigour and advanced the confequence of the New-Englanders; fisheries not only fupplied multitudes of their own people with food, but trained a race of feamen as robuft, hardy and undaunted, as any upon the globe. The veffels employed therein. were privileged to difpofe of their cargoes in any ports *In the debate on the augmentation of feamen, the Hon. Captain Robert Boyle Walfingham (who afterwards unhappily perished in the West-Indies) afferted, that France had 75 fhips of the line; more than one half of which were at that time manned, and fit for actual fervice. + Feb. 10, 1775. Another bill was paffed during the feffion to reftrain the trade and commerce of the middle and fouthern Colonies to Great Britain, Ireland, and the British islands in the Weft Indies.-The province of New York was not included in this restriction. fouth fouth of Cape Finisterre; fo that the rigid difciples of John Calvin furnished the catholics of Portugal, Spain, and even of the Italian ftates, with their Lenten entertainment. The returns made in these voyages were brought to the ports of Great Britain, and became the payment for British manufactures, with which thefe fhips were freighted home. To prohibit a commerce fo extenfive, and which employed feveral thousand Americans, was a bold ftep. It invested the Governor of each province, with fuch a power to difcriminate between rebels and loyalifts, as flesh and blood could scarcely be supposed capable of exercising difinterestedly and justly. It tended to convert into enemies a very powerful body of men, and no fatisfactory proof was adduced that the fisheries could be carried on to an equal extent, and as effectually, from any of the ports of Great Britain or Ireland. Whatever inconveniences the New England colonifts endured from this prohibition, they found means, however, to repay the injury in kind upon the British fisheries at Newfoundland; for, by withholding their wonted fupplies of provifion from them, all the diftreffes of famine were suffered for a confiderable time, until they received a fupply from Ireland, whereby exhaufted life was repaired; but the means of fubfiftence became from that time more precarious and lefs abundant. The feverity of this bill was difrelifhed by many friends to government, who had hitherto fupported coercive meafures towards America. In order therefore to quiet their fcruples, the firft Lord of the Treasury brought forward another American act, which bore a different complexion This he profeffed to be a plan of reconciliation with the Colonies, and thereby to invite them to return with confidence to the arms of Great Britain. It enacted, that the Governor, 04 vernor, Council, and Affembly of any Province or Colony, upon making provifion according to their abilities for the common defence, which provifion fhould be difpofable by parliament, and for the fupport of the civil government and administration of justice in such Province, if fuch contribution fhall be approved of by his Majesty in parliament, then Great Britain fhould forbear, in respect of such Colony, to levy any duties or taxes, fuch only excepted as may be expedient for the regulation of commerce; and the net produce of fuch to be carried to the account of the Province fo acting. The minifter acknowledged it to be very probable that these propofitions might not be acceptable to the Americans in general, as they certainly did not go to all their claims. The refolutions were however juft, humane, and wife, and those among the Americans who were juft, humane, and wife, would, he believed, think them well worthy of their attention; but whatever might be the fate of those measures, he felt that he had done his duty fairly and confiftently. If it did no good there it would do good here, it would unite the people of England, by holding out to them a distinct object of revenue; as it united England it would difunite America; there it would tend to feparate the grain from the chaff: whatever province came first to make a dutiful offer, would be kindly and gently treated; and if but one Province accepted the offer, the whole confederacy would be broken, and that union which alone rendered them for midable, would be diffolved. In every point of view this bill did not produce the effect expected from it, for it neither ftrengthened the hands of government at home, nor made profelytes in America. The The great advantage on the fide of government throughout this parliamentary ftruggle, was derived from its unanimity; whereas the oppofition was compofed of fuch difcordant parts, as were not likely to unite firmly and ftrenuously in any one point, but in endeavouring to difconcert the present fyftem of politics; fo that whenever it became a queftion, what should be fubftituted in its ftead? many adopted the fentiment of the Roman poet, nullius addictus jurare inverba magiftri. Lord Chatham's plan was not cordially relished by many who wished a reconciliation with America, and indeed, independent of the particular views and private interefts of the feveral leaders (a fource of difagreement fufficiently fruitful) nothing could be more complicated than the business of adjusting a practical plan of reconciliation, which would meet the approbation of both countries, such as would cause their rising resentments to subfide, their jarring interefts no longer to clafh, and the apprehenfion of future rivalship to be removed: this was fo ftupendous a work, as perhaps to surpass the powers of humanity, unfupported by the fupreme authority of the ftate. It was however attempted (maugre royal patronage) by a man, in whom natural endowments, and acquired accomplishments, appear in their full luftre. Mr. Burke laid before the Houfe of Commons, on the 22d of March, 1775, thirteen refolutions for conciliation with the Colonies. Thefe he introduced, by a speech fraught with masterly eloquence, in which he difplayed a thorough knowledge of the principles of action among mankind in a state of civil fociety, and of the proper political conduct refulting from fuch principles. He laid it down as an axiom, that we muft govern America according to the true nature and peculiar circumftances of the people, and not according to our own imaginations; not according to abftract ideas of right, or mere general theories of government, He ftated the rapid progrefs which America |