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 fupport the measure in that houfe, whenever it fhould 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 be"ing reprehenfible on the 27th "and 28th of July, that in many "parts thereof, it appeared ex"emplary 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 most strict scrutiny, 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, adminiftration would 1 have been criminally culpable, if they had neglected to give him a fuitable reward. He called upon gentlemen particularly to recollect the peculiar circumstances that rendered Sir Hugh Pallifer's acquittal more than commonly honourable to him? Let them call to mind the arts that were used to set 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 fuccessful, that he be came an object of commiferation and pity even with fome benevolent gentlemen of the oppofition, who humanely did not wish that he fhould be brought to a trial, under fuch a load of public odium and prejudice. And let it also be recollected that it was under these circumftances, that, confcious of his innocence, he boldly demanded, and perfevered in his applica-' tions for a trial, which was brought on entirely at his own request. And must not every difpaffionate man, every impartial reader of the fentence, confider fuch an acquittal, in fuch circumftances, as the moft honourable poffible teftimonial to the character of an officer? And could the king's ministers 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 administration; but which unfortunately wanted truth for their fupport. And as to the enu merated merated lift of officers, whofe fer- be deemed a falfe and malicious vices were faid to be withholden, accuser. 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, against the conduct of Admiral Keppel, of the court martial by which he had been acquitted, of that powerful party by which he had been himself overborne, and of Mr. Fox in particular. 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 treafon, 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 increafe 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 most honourable circumftance of his life; and he flattered himself, that if the houfe should think an enquiry into the two courts martial neceffary, he fhould not, when that enquiry was over, if it were fairly gone into, VOL. XXIV. Several parts of the new gover nor's detail, and particularly the charges which he made againft 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 fo much feverity, as by Mr. John Townshend. The minifter'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 paffed over the unfavourable part of the fame, and the little attention he paid to the fentence of another, were all respectively 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 seconded the motion, and among other reafons for it observed, that as the vice admiral had on the preceding day thought proper to read to the house a long narrative, the greatest 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 bufinefs. The prefent motion would open the [*L] way He acted way to that enquiry. their juftice; if on the other hand, it should come out, that the vice admiral's complaints were founded, and that the court martial had denied him justice, he fhould fupport any proceeding against the members of that court, which the house should 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 confequence was tranfacted in the Houfe of Lords before the recess. That house adjourned on the 27th of November, to the 25th of January. СНА Р. IX. Declaration of war against Holland, and hoftilities commenced. Meffage from the throne. Debates on the Dutch war. Address moved by the minifter. Amendment moved by Lord John Cavendish. The amendment rejected upon a division, second amendment by Lord Mahon rejected, and the original addrefs paffed. 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 divifion. Two Protefts. Mr. Fox's motion relative to the appointment of Sir Hugh Pallifer to the government of Greenwich Hofpital. Amendment moved by the minifter, and after much debate carried upon a divifion. Mr. Fox's concluding motion exaded, 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 subjects refiding in Bengal, Bahar, and Oriffa. Select committee of fifteen ballotted for, to examine the grounds of the petitions. N the 20th of December, 1780, the manifefto and declaration of war against Holland was iffued at St. James's. In that piece the ftates general are charged with departing, through the 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 pos licy deftructive of the friendship which had fo long fubfifted between the two nations, and which was fo effential to the interefts of both. The circumftances of complaint and refentment are then enumerated. The inattention to the friendly 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 answer to the repeated demands on that fubject. -The total contempt of those treaties fhewn, in their ready promise to our enemies of observing a neutrality. Their giving every secret affistance 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 purpose 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 difcovered treaty with the Americans; the refentment being only fecondary to the ftates 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 fenfe of the wifeft part of the Dutch nation, are accordingly afcribed to the prevalence of the leading 'magiftrates of that city; and it is with. ed, 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 againft Amfterdam; but this, it is obferved, cannot be, unless the states general will immediately declare, that that city hall, upon this occafion, receive no affiftance from them, but be left to abide the confequences of its aggreffion. 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 interefts of "both countries not to remem"ber, in the midft of fuch a con"teft, that the only point to be "aimed at by us, is to raife a 66 difpofition in the councils of "the republic, to return to their "antient union, by giving us "that fatisfaction for the paft, "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 "to cr us. [*L] 2 On the fame day, general let. ters 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 measure, 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 perfuafion 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 feveral 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 meffage from the throne, including a fhort 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 Houfe of Commons, on the fecond day after the recefs. Mr. Burke took up the bufinefs by obferving, that however light a war with the ftates 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 neceffity could juftify. 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, ΟΙ |