that it was fecurity against a danger the greatest that ever threatened the world.

Mr Windham faid, that the explanation of the grounds of the war, and its continuance, had been fo often repeated, that it was folly to dwell any longer upon them. It must be intelligible to all mankind, if we could not gain all we wifhed by the war, we must obtain all that we could.

Where the best thing was unat tainable, the fecond beft must be had; but there was one queftion that deferved a definitive anfwer. "Will you, it was faid, fight for the restoration of that monarchy in France, which was always hoftile to this country, and the occafion of our wars and debt?" This, he faid, was a matter of calculation. The monarchy of France exifted eight hundred years; and, if we confidered the evils it had occafioned to us in that time, not by their numbers but weight, we fhould find them far inferior to thofe accumulated on us by the unprovoked aggreffions, the plots, and the arts of France, in the fhort courfe of her eight years revolution.

On a divifion of the houfe, Mr. Pitt's motion was carried by 162 against 19.

On various other fubjects, that drew the attention of parliament in the courfe of this, as in to many of the preceding fettions, the origin and the neceffity, or expediency, of continuing the war was brought incidentally on the canvas. But the prefent items no improper place for jutt mentioning that this quefton was, at three different times, made a fubject of regular and formal motion in the houfe of

commons. On the twenty-eightf February,

Mr. Tierney moved, "That it was the opinion of that houfe, that it was both unjuft and umeceflary to carry on the war, for the purpose of restoring monarchy in France. This motion was feconded by Mr. Johnes, and fupported alfo by Mr. W. Bouverie, and Mr. William Smith. It was oppofed by Mr. Elliot, lord Hawkefbury, Mr. Yorke, fir G. P. Turner, lord Belgrave, colonel Elford, and Mr. H. Browne.

Mr. Smith argued, that though lord Hawkesbury had, in terms, denied that the refloration of monarchy in France was the object for which we now contended, he had ftated his own wishes for its accom, plishment fo ftrongly, and had la- ́ boured fo much to prove those withes to be juft, wife, politic, and humane, that if he were himself minifier, no one could doubt what his own fyftem of meatures would be: let then this language be combined with that of the court, and it would appear impoffible to doubt that this refioration was the point now in view, the object for which the prefent campaign, at leaft, was to be perfevered in. On what ground, he faid, was this denied, but that of the qualifying claute in lord Grenville's note, which declared that "his majefty did not limit the poffibility of fecure and folid pacification to this mode only." Giving then the fullest credit to this declaration, it allowed only a bare pofubility, that at fome future time a peace might be concluded without this refioration, while the preceding paragraph ftated in exprefs terms, that, for want of it, we could not at this time even commence a

treaty

The members of parliament, in oppofition to government, not only oppofed the grant of a fupply for the entertainment of new armies, but called them to account for the ufe they had made of thofe already at their difpofal.

On the tenth of February, Mr. Sheridan, after a very long fpeech in the houfe of commons, in which he acquitted the commander-inchief, officers, and army, that had been fent to the Helder, of all blame, but arraigned the impolicy, ignorance, and raflmefs of minifters, moved, "That the houfe refolve itfelf into a committee of the whole houfe to inquire into the caufes of the expedition against Holland."

Mr. Dundas rofe to afflign the reasons why he could not give his confent to the honourable gentleman's motion. He touched on the various topics, political and military, introduced by Mr. Sheridan, and infifted much on the advantages that had accrued to Britain by the Datch expedition, particularly the capture of the Dutch fleet, and the divertion of the French arms from the Upper Rhine to Holland.-Mr. Dindas, on a review of the whole affair, objected to all public military criticifm on any part of military operations. This was a confidera

tion, he faid, which did not fill within the fcope of the charge committed to the honourable gentleman who had made. the motion, as a member of parliament. He thought it his duty to refift a motion of inquiry, which could not be productive of any benefit, at the fame time that it might confiderably clog and harafs the meatures of government.

Mr. Bouverie thought that the butinefs thould be inveftigated, in order to ascertain whether blame was to be imputed to the projectors of the expedition, or to thofe to whom the execution of it had been intrufted. So alfo thought all the members who fupported Mr. Sheridan's motion. .

Mr. Tierney, in the courfe of a long Ipeech, in which he made many threwd remarks, faid, “The capitulation feems to me to enfix an indelible ftain on the national character, and inflicts a deep wound on the foldiers honour. A king's fon, who commanded forty thoufand men, capitulated to a French general who had only thirty-one thou land. We owe it to our fovereign, and we owe it to our confiituents, to inquire ftrictly into the caules of this unheard of difgrace. The expedition either failed from forefeen accidents, or from the folly of thole who planned it. Let these circumftances, then, be ftated, or let the guilty be dragged forth to punishment."

Mr. Percival allowed that capitulation, abftractedly confidered, was not a very honourable conclufion to a military expedition. But tha was a mere abilract confideration. Two of the three grand ob. jects of the expediton were attained; the Dutch fleet was cap

tured;

tured; and a strong and powerful diverfion was effected in favour of our allies. The third was found not attainable. The confideration then was, how the return of our troops to their own country could be bat effected. And the expedient that had been adopted, for this purpofe, appeared to him to be the beft that could be adopted. It was not difgraceful, becaule it was merely an adaptation to circumftances, which were countenanced by the attainment of the other objects of the expedition.

Mr. M. A. Taylor affured the houfe, that the fupport he was ready to give to the prefent motion, did not arife from any thing like party fpirit. In doing fo, he acted in conformity with the wifhes of a great majority of the country, on whom the failure of the expedition and the capitulation of the duke of York had made, the most deep and ferious fenfation. The attempt to refcue Holland he had always fupported. He therefore withed to be informed, on what ground the expedition was undertaken, and why it was not fent out earlier; for the Jateness of the attempt was, in a great measure, the caufe of its mifcarriage. As to the mode in which the militia had been treated, in being, in a manner, incorporated with the army, he had always difap proved of it. The country gentlemen were driven from the militia, and its principal officers were difgufted. If, on occafion like the prefent, the houfe did not prefs for an inquiry, their inquifitorial capacity was gone. Blame must be imputed either to the army or mis

nifters; the inquiry would decide on which of them.

Mr. Addington thought it impoffible to fuppofe that the Dutch would, if favoured with an opportunity, fupprefs their forrow, their regret, and indignation at the yoke impofed on their necks, by the French republic. He contended that government would have been guilty, in a great degree, had it not made an attempt for their deliverance. He concluded his fpeech with an eulogy on the fkill and valour of the generals employed in the expedition, and the courage and intrepidity of the army.

Sir J. Murray Pulteney rofe merely to correct an error of Mr. Tierney's, refpecting the numbers of the respecti e

armies. The English and Ruffian army had been stated at forty-five thousand men, and that of the French at thirty-five thoufand. He did not pretend to an accurate knowledge: but he believed the number of the former might be eftimated at thirty-fix thousand men, of whom there were found, at the end of the campaign, to be about ten thousand in killed, wounded, and miffing. The French might have had twentyfive or thirty thoufand in the action of the fecond, and from the fixth to the time when the convention was agreed to, the enemy was continually receiving reinforcements. Large bodies of troops had been drawn from the frontiers of France, which were replaced by troops from the interior: and, therefore, the force of the enemy, which was fuperior in numbers, was every day becoming more fo. Had the army

been

been treble, the number of the enemy, it must have embarked. There was, in his mind, a clear, evident, and abfolute neceffity for making a facrifice, in order to embark with fecurity. Mr. Sheridan's motion, on a divifion of the houfe, was negatived by 216 against 45.

On the twelfth of February, lord Holland made a motion, in the houfe of peers, to the fame effect, on the fame fubject. His lordfhip was of opinion, that the principal fhare of the difgrace, with which the expedition was attended, was to be imputed to minifters, and none to the commander, the officers, or the army. Having pointed out what he confidered as great errors, blunders, and omiffions, and alfo fome of the advantages that muft revolt from inquiry, he faid "We know that it is natural to impute the blame of unfuccefsful military operations to the commander of an army. In this country, fuch blame may not be imputed; but, in Eurepe, the charge will be made, and it ftands fupported by the ftatements of general d'Effen, in the Peterburgh Gazette. It is neceffary to demonftrate the truth, by a fair inveftigation. By no other courfe can you fatisfy the demands of your national honour, and your military reputation. At a moment, too, when it is decided that the war fhould be continued to a period which we cannot fix in idea; when new expeditions are, it is rumoured, about to be undertaken, it becomes you to afcertain how they are likely to be conducted, by inquiring what has been the ability and the wifdom difplayed in other inftances, by thofe who plan and conduct them Is it not proper to inquire whether minifters may not

again be encouraging thofe delufions by which they have already been milled? They rely upon the favourable difpofitions of the French people to juftify their attempts for the restoration of the house of Bourbon. The proportion of the dif affected, in France, feems, however, to be lefs than it was in Holland. If the expedition to the Helder failed, by the rafhness, the negligence, and incapacity of minifters, will you encourage them by your acquiefcence in paft mifconduct and former difgrace, to embark in fchemes fo much more doubtful in their policy, and likely to be fo much more perilous in their con fequences? I move, therefore, that the houfe refolve itself into a committee of the whole house, to inquire into the caufes of the failure of the late expedition to Holland.

The earl of Moira coincided with the noble lord in his fentiments refpecting the illuftrious perfonage who conducted the expedition.That he did not appear in his feat, on the prefent occation, he was convinced, proceeded from delicacy, leaft his prefence might repre's the full disclosure of opinion on a queftion on which he felt himfelf fo deeply interested. Were that illuftrious perfonage to yield to the impulfe of his own mind, he was fatisfied that he would folicit inquiry. But the great objection to fuch a wifh was, that it neceflarily connected itfelf with the public good, and therefore he preferred to fubmit to ill-grounded caluminy, rather than rifk the intereft of the country, by a personal vindication. As to the general queftion, he put it to the candour of the noble lord not to prefs it against men who flood upon a ground where it was impoffible

impoffible they could make a defence. The difficulty of operations in Holland was admitted, and, that fuch an enterprize could not fucceed without the co-operation of its inhabitants; that minifters were aware of this, and were confident of fuch co-operation, it was therefore natural to prefime. But this very circumftance was a fufficient argument againft inquiry. The dilemma, then propofed by the noble lord, whether or not the pcople had an opportunity to rife.Lord Moira withed not to be enter tained. To determine that point, to juftify the confidence of co-operation, would inevitably lead to the moft dangerous difclofures, to the public defignation of our friends in that country, their number and fituation, and of the whole correspondence on which the confidence of co-operation was founded, and the practicability of the object prefumed; a procedure that might not only prove injurious at the prefent moment, but interfere with all future operations, of a fimilar kind. In candour, therefore, to the miniters, to the illuftrious perfon at the head of the army, and to all the parties concerned, and from a confideration of the injury which might refult from difclofure, in cafe a fimilar attempt fhould be made again, an event, from the determination to continue the war, not impoffible, he must request that the noble lord would not prefs his motion. If the noble lord, however, fhould perfift, it was lord Moira's intention to move the previous question.

The earl Spencer was at a lofs to know on what grounds the motion before the houfe could have been made. He confefied that it was one of thofe difficult

things that could be thrown in the way of minifters. Their filence was made a fubject of suspicion: their difclofure of all they knew mult lead to ferious confequences, The noble lord, who had made the motion, had, in the courfe of his fpeech, made many omiffions, and dwelt only on fach parts of the expedition as tended to fet it in the most unfavourable point of view. It was acknowledged by the noble lord that the expedition had objects fufficiently important to induce this country to undertake it. It was admitted that to refcue Holland, and to caufe a diverfion of the forces of the enemy, were legiti mate objects. It was admitted that the capture of the Dutch fleet was an advantage gained for the country. On thefe two points the expedition had not failed. Of three objects, all of them confiderably important, two out of the three had fucceeded most completely.The houfe, in confirmation of what he ftated, would call to mind the month when the expedition took place, and to what good effect it operated in favour of the allies. The fignal defeats, which the enemy experienced, was one of the good effects of this expedition: for it was fair to infer, that the forces called into action in Holland, as withdrawn from the French in Italy and Switzerland, tended to weaken their efforts, and increase the force of the combined armies.

Lord Mulgrave faid, that the plan of the expedition was good. There was, at the time of its plan, in Auguft, in Holland, an enthufiaftic attachment to this country; and, had fir Ralph Abercromby, when joined by general Don, and poflefled of a force of fifteen thou

fand