Colonel Barre.

The Secre

crimps' men in it, which the general had defcribed as being run from regiment to regiment. Sir William faid, he thought it due to his friend, who commanded the 92d regiment, to fay thus much for it in his abfence.

Colonel Barre produced a written account of the state of General Clinton's army in November, 1779, which he declared he believed to be accurate, and called upon minifters to contradict it, if they could. By this return, it appeared, that the General's army confifted of 32,000 regulars, and 6,000 Provincials, in November 1779 and as there were 79,000 men voted laft year for the plantation fervice, the colonel contended, that there were 41,000 men to be accounted for, and that the only place any other part of our army could be looked for, was about 10,000 in Gibraltar and Minorca, and the remainder in Canada and the Weft Indies, where he defied minifters to prove, that any thing like the deficiency were employed. He called upon them therefore to account either for the men or the money.

The Secretary at War faid it was impoffible for him to actary at War. count for the diftribution of the army two years back, which was before he held his prefent office, but if he remembered right, there were 17,000 men on the establishment in the Weft Indies, befides the troops in the Eaft-Indies and in Africa, neither of which places the honourable gentleman had taken the leaft notice of.

Colonel
Barne.

The Secre

The Colonel allowed that those two quarters of the globe had efcaped him, and faid there was one battalion in Afia, (about 1,000) and 213 men in Africa. He laughed at the idea of 17,000 being employed in the Weft-Indies, and faid, if he attempted to impofe fuch a legend on people without doors, he fhould be ridiculed, allowing however for the fake of argument, that the cafe were fo, where were the remainder?

The Secretary at War defired that his not being able to actary at Ware count, when fuddenly called upon, for the diftribution of the army two years ago might not be misinterpreted.

Gen. Smith.

The colonel replied again, and General Smith just rose to fupport General Burgoyne's argument relative to the preference of old regiments when fent on foreign fervice to new levies. The general fupported what he faid, by mentioning the manner in which the 74th, 81ft, and another regiment, (with which he had the honour to ferve abroad laft war,)

were

were recruited by drafts from the regulars at home, in consequence of which the men were fit for fervice the inftant they landed.

The motion was at length agreed to, as were the other eftimates.

Adjourned to the 27th.

November 27.

Mr. Coke rofe, and acquainted the Houfe that he was now Mr. Coke. about to make the motion of which he had given previous notice; a motion for the thanks of the Houfe to Earl Corn-' wallis, for the important fervices he had done to his country. At the time he had made that motion he did not recollect the propriety of giving thanks at the fame time to General Sir Henry Clinton, for the fignal fervices performed by him to this nation, He now wifhed to comprehend him in the vote of thanks which he moved, and which he hoped would pafs uanimously.

The firft thing he had done, after he received the command of the army, was to march the troops from Philadelphia to New-York; a retreat which was univerfally allowed to be the finest thing performed, during the prefent war, before that period; and if there had been any precedent for thanking a general for even an able retreat, Sir Henry Clinton was, doubtlefs, entitled, and certainly would have received, the thanks of the Houfe upon that occafion. There were particular circumftances, which made it ineligible to offer the thanks of the Houle to Sir Henry Clinton, on the reduction of Charles-Town. Thofe circumftances Mr. Coke did not specify, but whatever they were, it was apparent, that, in his opinion, they no longer exifted. Gentlemen on every fide of the Houfe bore teftimony to the excellent conduct and gallant bravery of Lord Cornwallis; nor would it be denied, he prefumed, that the fame qualities were poffeffed in an eminent degree by Sir Henry Clinton. It would have a bad effect to vote the thanks of the House to one of those gentlemen, and not the other. The thanks of the Houfe were deferved by both; but while gentlemen allowed the great qualities and virtues of thofe officers, fome difapproved the caufe in which they were exerted. An honourable gentleman, whom he did not fee in his place, had avowed mixed fentiments of this kind; but that honourable gentleman, of approved courage himself, knew how to value

Y 2

that

Lord Lewijham.

that noble virtue in others, and he ftill hoped that he would not, if prefent, oppofe his motion. For his own part, he had been one of those who lamented the commencement of the American war,, and difapproyed many of the measures adopted in its profecution. But the origin of the prefent war he kept entirely out of view in the prefent queftion. America was now the ally of France; the confederate of the House of Bourbon. He did not fay that the war against America was not big with many calamities to Great Britain, he apprehended that it would even be the ruin of this country; that is, that it would impoverish this country extremely but ftill he faw no medium between unconditional fubmiffion to the enemy, and the moft fpirited exertions.

:

He had not, in the motion he was now to lay before the Houfe, faid any thing concerning the juftice or policy of the American war, hoping thereby to gain that unanimity, with out which a motion of thanks, though carried, loft much of its value. If the motion he was now to make should be the object of debate and altercation, he did not much care whether it fhould be carried or not. He then made a motion, "That the thanks of this House be given to General Sir Henry Clinton, Knight of the Bath, for the important fervices rendered by him and the troops under his command, in the reduction of Charles-Town, and that the thanks of the Houfe be given to Earl Cornwallis, for the fignal and meri, torious fervices he had done to his country, by the most glorious victory obtained by him over the American rebels at Camden; and that the Speaker do report the fame to the general officers who are the objects of them."

Lord Lewisham rofe to fecond the motion. He embraced with joy an opportunity of expreffing his high regard to the characters of the two general officers, whofe names had been mentioned with due respect by the honourable gentleman who fpoke laft. Although we were not yet bleffed with that unanimity which was neceffary so to fwell the fails of the veffel of ftate, as to waft us fafely over that tempeftuous ocean of troubles in which we were at prefent involved, yet he faw with joy the dawnings of an unanimity; he faw a fpecies of unanimity, which was no finall fource of confolation. Every body feemed fatisfied that there was a neceflity of humbling the power of France and Spain,

Although

Although he was unwilling to place any reliance on the contingencies of fortune, and would not be fo confident as to fay, that there were in the womb of time events favourable to Great Britain, yet he contended, that it was not being too fanguine to hope, that the jealoufies which had already begun to take place between the Americans and their allies on Rhode Island, would every day increase. Though there was not am immediate profpect of detaching any of the powers from the confederacy against us, he did not defpair of its being effected in time.-In the mean time it behoved us to act with alacrity and vigour. The marine of France muft be destroyed if we would hope for a fafe, a lafting, and an honourable peace. No promifes, no conventions with that nation could be relied on, while their navy was entire. France had become formidable to her neighbours, through treacheroutly feizing advantages over the unfufpicious, and therefore unprepared, nations around her. Great Britain had ever proceeded on the broad bafis of public faith and national credit, and on that foundation he trusted the would still ftand. He faid there would be great cruelty and impolicy in abandoning our friends in America to the mercy of their enemies; our friends in that cafe would become our bitterest enemies, and the Americans united as the fubjects of one mighty empire, and pouring forth their fhips of war from a thoufand ports, would cut up our trade by the roots, and ftripping us of all our foreign dependencies, finally reduce us to this fpot of the globe, the ifland within which we are confined by nature, if we dare not with freedom to traverse the ocean. The conftitutional dependence of America on Great Britain he thought neceffary to the happiness, fafety, and profperity of both countries. He returned to the neceffity of ruining the marine of France. If you wish to maintain the glory and independency of England, destroy the marine of France. If you wifh to preferve the balance of political power in Europe, deftroy the marine of France. If you wish to preferve the liberties and rights of mankind, destroy the marine of France.

Let this language be repeated, and re-echoed from one corner of Great Britain unto another, until all hearts and hands fhall be united againft the common enemy. As the Americans are now to be confidered as the allies of France,

and

Rt. Hon.
T. Town,

Pend.

Lord North.

'Lord Beau

champ.

Mr. Coke.

and the one cannot be feparated from the other, every victory gained over either of thefe powers is matter of joy, and an advantage to this country; therefore he feconded the motion now before the House.

Rt. Hon. T. Townshendexpatiated on the merit of Earl Cornwallis, of whofe merit, he was proud to fay, he was not indeed an impartial judge. But offisers, both French and English, had spoke to him and wrote to him, with rapture, concerning the fingular merit of that noble commander. His good conduct, and great bravery, certainly merited every mark of attention and refpect. On that footing, he would give the motion his hearty concurrence; provided always, that it fhould not be understood, that he, by this fupport, gave any countenance to the American war. The honourable gentleman, who had made the motion, had earnestly wifhed that it might be carried with unanimity. There were a few phrafes, certain epithets, in the motion, that might tend, he was apprehenfive, to fruftrate his wishes. They would occur to the honourable gentleman himself, and his end would be better ferved, by altering them himself, than that they fhould be ftruck out by way of amendinent.

Lord North applauded the excellent conduct and great bravery both of Sir Henry Clinton and Lord Corwallis, whofe fervices, he faid, were meritorious in the highest degree, and important to this country. Nevertheless, as he would not on this occafion bring into view either the origin or the object of the American war, he was willing for his part that any words that might feem to have an ambiguous meaning, fhould be left out of the motion. He did not doubt but the honourable gentleman who had made the mo tion, for the fake of unanimity, would readily comply with this defire. The words rebels and important fervices, being left out, the motion, in his lordship's opinion, might be thought unceptionable.

Lord Beauchamp faid, that the conduct of the Houfe this night would draw the attention of the world; and earnestly entreated gentleman in every part of the House as much as poffible to study unanimity.

Mr. Coke, after explaining his meaning in the parts of the motion which were fuppofed to be objectionable, confented to the amendments hinted generally by Mr. Townshend, and particularly by Lord North.

Mr.