on à matter deeply affecting their most important interefts, to give a folemn opinion without any knowledge of the facts on which they have pronounced, with fo blindfold a compliance to the will of the court. 2dly, Because, however fufficient the reafon of juftice ought to be, that of expediency may perhaps be more prevalent, and is not wanting on this occafion. It has been the uniform and approved policy of our ableft ftatefmen, for near a century, to form alliances, and to unite with the powers on the continent to refift the ambitious attempts of the Houfe of Bourbon. The Proteftant republic of Holland, from the freedom of its conftitution and fentiment, as well as from its religion, has ever been deemed a valuable support of the liberties of Europe. Twice have they been on the very verge of falling a facrifice to France in this caufe, and we can never believe that their old affection to Great Britain can have been alienated, much lefs that a direct rupture with them can have become neceffary on our part, without grofs mifmanagement in our councils. We cannot but form the most serious apprehenfions at feeing the three great Proteftant and free countries of Great Britain, North America, and Holland, fo weakening each other by war, as to become an easy prey to the ancient enemy of them all, whenever the fhall please to turn her arms against them. We are not infenfible of the diftressful fituation, with respect to the armed neutral powers, into which we have been led, step by ftep, by the unfortunate American VOL. XXIV. war; but as we are convinced that wicked and weak councils have been the fole cause of that unhappy conteft, fo we are perfuaded that honeft and able minifters might have prevented this, amongst fome of its wretched confequences. But whilft the fame measures, which have caused our unexampled calamities, continue to be pursued and cherished; whilft a fyftem of corruption prevails, which muft exclude both ability and integrity from our councils; whilft every intereft of the state is facrificed to its fupport, and every attempt at reformation rejected, our condition can change but from bad to worse. It is not for us to pretend to foretell events, which are in the hands of Providence; but if caufes are fuffered to produce their natural confequences, we cannot but apprehend, from the prefent conduct of our affairs, every danger to this country, both foreign and domeftic, to which a nation can be exposed. Richmond, Portland, Fitzwilliam, Harcourt, Ferrers. Rockingham, Devonshire, Pembroke, Coventry, and to the inclinations of all whose inclinations ought to influence the councils of either. Of fuch inclinations in many refpectable members of the Dutch government, we thought we faw, and we faw it with pleasure, a fufficient indication to encourage us to hope, that it is not yet too late to open a negociation, by which, if conducted with the temper, and in the language of conciliation, we may avert the evils which the continuance of this unnatural war cannot fail to produce. With this view, it was recommended in the debates, with the earneftness and seriousness fuitable to the occafion, not to lose an hour in propofing a. ceffation of hoftilities with Holland, for the purpofe of meeting and cultivating a commercial differences, and for reftoring that union of political interefts which has been hitherto thought fundamentally neceffary to the prefervation of the Proteftant religion, and of the liberties of Europe. The inattention of his majefty's minifters to fuch a propofition, in the actual circumftances of this country, their difinclination to the objects of it, fo plainly manifefted by the unprecedented confifcations intended by their proclamation of the 20th of December laft, the lofs of fo valuable an ally, the acceffion of fo confiderable a force to the formidable powers antecedently combined against us, and the juft grounds it affords to apprehend the acceffion of other powers to that Die Jovis Mart. 21°, 1781. N A&t for raifing a certain way of annuities, and a lottery; and for confolidating certain annuities which were made one joint ftock, by an Act made in the fecond year of the reign of his prefent majefty, with certain annuities confolidated by several Acts made in the twentyfifth and twenty-fixth years of the reign of King George II. and in the fifth year of the reign of his prefent majefty. Moved, "That the faid bill be now read a third time." Which being objected to, after debate the queftion was put thereupon; and it was refolved in the affirmative. The faid bill was then accordingly read a third time. The queftion was put, that the faid bill do now pafs: it was refolved in the affirmative. * The divifion did not take place till half after one in the morning, nor did the houfe rife till past two. DISSENTIENT, "Because when a bargain im provident in its terms, corrupt in its operations, and partial in its diftributions, is negotiated by a mimifter acting for the public, its having paffed through the Houfe of Commons can be no reafon for its paffing without obfervation thro' the Houfe of Lords. Without waving our undoubted right of giving a negative to this or any other bill, we refpect the principle of public credit too much to attempt, at this juncture, to exercife that right, though if we looked only at the enormity of the abuse, the most direct oppofition never could be more properly called for. "Twenty-one millions are added to the capital of the debt for a loan of twelve; five and a half per cent. perpetual annuity is granted; fix hundred and fifty thousand pounds are to be levied in the yearly taxes npon the people. In fuch a fituation the moft rigid economy ought to have been ufed, and the premium on the loan ought to have been reduced in proportion to the exorbitance of the intereft to be paid. Several circumftances appeared favourable to the minifter, if his object had been to ferve his country, rather than to raise a faction for his own fupport. Befides the profpe&t derived from the beginning of a negociation for peace, it is allowed that treble the fum fubfcribed had been offered, and a very large part of that furplus by perfons more refponfible than very many of thofe who were admitted. In that fituation, fo favourable to the borrower, where the being permitted to lend was fought with emulation, the first Commiffioners of the Treasury chose to make a bargain, opened at ten per cent. premium the day after the loan. "This price was not the effect of mere popular opinion, or of artful management, but was grounded on the real value of the great body of the other stocks at the time, and was no more than what arose from a just relation to the reft. We are the more diffatisfied with this fhameful prodigality of public money, by comparing it with the period when a ftrict and confcientious management of the public treasure at home became a foundation for the glory of our arms abroad. During the Duke of Newcastle's adminiftration, the feveral fucceffive loans from the year 1758 inclufive, to the time of his removal from office, never exceeded one and a half per cent. at the opening; they were generally lefs and fometimes at discount. Yet the national credit was in vigour. During that time forty-three millions were borrowed. In thofe happy days, the minifters ftanding on national ground, were not in a state of fervitude to any fet of men, nor led, through a falfe fyftem of politics, to aggravate the diftreffes of their country, by hiring a venal cry to perfonate the voice of the public, and to give fupport to the measures which had occafioned fuch diftreffes. "It is not a matter of furprize to us, at a time when fuch things can be done with impunity, that lords of the greatest honour and ability have wholly discontinued their attendance. But it is not improper that thofe lords who do fometimes attend, fhould record [T] 2 their their names in teftimony of their ftrong condemnation of the terms of this loan, and of the motives, which, they conceive, dictated terms fo very difadvantageous to the crown and the nation. Rockingham, Portland, Osborne, Anfwer of the States General to the Manifefto of the King of Great Britain. Fever the annals of the world free and independent ftate being attacked by an enemy, in the moft unjuftifiable manner, and without the leaft appearance of right or equity, by a neighbouring power allied for a long time, and bound by ties founded on the bafis of common intereft, it is without doubt, the Republic of the United States of the Netherlands, which finds itself in that cafe with his majefty the King of Great Britain, and his minifters. From the beginning of the difputes, which had arifen between that kingdom and its American colonies, their High Mightineffes, nowife obliged to interfere, had taken the firm and determined refolution to adopt and ftrictly to adhere to the moft exact neutrality and when the faid difputes had kindled the flames of a war which had embroiled, more powers than one, and spread in feveral parts of the world, their 'High Might ineffes have conftantly obferved and maintained the fame line of conduct; whilft, in the mean time, they have taken care to give on many occafions, and in fome inftances of a very effential nature, the moft convincing proofs of their fincere inclination to conform to the wishes of his majesty : fo far as they could do it without going against the rules of impartiality, or bringing in queftion their rights of fovereignty. It was with this view, and for this purpose, that their High Mightineffes from the beginning, and at the requifition of his Britannic majefty, caufed moft exprefs inhibitions to be published against the exportation of all warlike ftores to the colonies of his Britannic majefty in America; and the faid colonies and in order that the faid prohibitions should be more effectually carried into execution, their High Mightineffes made no difficulty to take fuch farther fteps as greatly circumfcribed their own navigation, and the trade of their fubjects with the Dutch colonies in the Weft-Indies. It was to further the above purpofes, that their High Mightineffes fent the moft exact orders to all commanders and governors of their colonies and fettlements, as well as to the commanders of their fhips of war, carefully to abstain from doing, in regard to the American flag, any thing from which could be juftly inferred or deduced an acknowledgment of the independency of the faid colonies: and it is alfo, especially to the above intent, that their High Mightineffes having received a memorial prefented to them by the English ambaffa ambaffador, full of the heaviest complaints against the Governor of St. Euftatia, condefcended to deliberate on the faid memorial; though couched in terms little confonant with the regard which fovereign powers owe to each other the confequence of the faid deliberation was the immediate recall of the faid governor, whom their High Mightineffes called to an account for his conduct, and who was not permitted to return to his refidence till he had cleared himself of all the charges brought against him, before a court of juftice; a copy of whofe proceedings was foon after tranfmitted to the minifter of his Britannic majefty. By fuch measures as thefe, their High Mightinefles, who always earneftly wished to avoid giving the fmalleft caufe of difcontent to his Britannic majefty, have conftantly endeavoured to promote and cultivate perfect harmony; but his Britannic majefty's conduct towards the Republic has been diametrically opposite. The differences between the courts of London and Verfailles had fcarcely broke out, when they beheld the ports of England filled with Dutch veffels, which were unjustly feized and detained: thefe vellels navigated upon the faith of the treaties, and were not laden with any other merchandise than what the exprefs tenor of the treaties had declared free and legal. They beheld those free cargoes forced to fubmit to an arbitrary and defpotic authority. The cabinet at St. James's knowing no other rule than an affumed right of temporary convenience, thought proper to appropriate thofe cargoes to the use of the crown by a forcible purchase, and to employ them in the fervice of the king's navy. The moft earnest and serious reprefentations on the part of their High Mightineffes against thefe proceedings were ineffectual, and it was in vain that they urged, in the ftrongeft manner poffible, the treaty fubfifting between England and the Republic. By this treaty, the rights and liberties of the neutral flag are decifively and clearly ftated. The fubjects of Great Britain had fully enjoyed the advantages of this treaty, in the first and only cafe, wherein it pleased the Court of London to remain neuter, whilft the Republic was engaged in a war. Certainly then in a reciprocal cafe that court could not, without the greateft injuftice, refufe the enjoyment of the fame advantages to the Republic; and as little right as his Britannic majefty had to withhold the advantageous effects of this treaty from their high Mightineffes, he had as little foundation for attempting to make them quit the neutrality they had embraced, and to force them to plunge into a war, the caufe of which related immediately to the rights and poffeffions of his Britannic majefty lying beyond the limits of defenfive treaties. And, notwithstanding this treaty, his majefty, from the commencement of the difference with the crown of France, has made no feruple of infringing and violating it. The trefpaffes and infractions made on this treaty on the part of Great Britain, and the arbitrary decifions of the courts of justice in that kingdom, directly contrary to the exprefs fanction of the fame treaty, multi[T] 3 plied - |