Mr. Fox.

concerning a preparation of lead, which though cold, heavy, and foporific, had a poisonous and malignant quality.

Mr. Fox faid, that it had been very well obferved by his honourable friend [Mr. Sheridan] that there were fome things too ferious for buffoonry, and the fubject before them he conceived to be of this kind, and had expected that it would have been seriously treated even by thofe who feldom treated with feriousness any thing elfe. With regard to the merit of Lord Cornwallis, minifters, after all their encomiums, had greatly under-rated it for the only fruit of the taking of Charles-Town was to throw that able officer and the troops under his command into a fituation of great peril, from which he had extricated them with amazing ability and bravery.

On this point he dwelt with great ingenuity, placing it in a variety of lights. He afked what were to be the advantages to be derived from the reduction of Charles-Town, and the victory at Camden? And whether the thanks of the House would have been refused had they been proposed to Sir William Howe, after the victory on Long Ifland, Bunker'sHill, Brandywine, or on his taking New-York or Philadelphia? Or would they have been refufed to another general, on his taking Ticonderoga? Such, he prefumed, would be the victories for which the Houfe was to offer thanks. He allowed the merits of the officers now in queftion, but he made a diftinction between thanks and praife. He might admire their valour, but he could not separate the intention from the action; they were united in his mind; there they formed one whole, and he would not attempt to divide them. He would not vote the thanks of the Houfe to any admiral, while the navy of England was in fuch bad hands. He alledged that miniftry, diffatisfied and chagrined with the thanks that had been given to Sir Fletcher Norton, had taken this method of depreciating their value. He afked where they were to ftop, and why thanks were not voted to the whole navy and army?

The fame men, who had fomented the rebellion in 1745, feemed to be at the bottom of the American war. They wifhed to fubdue the liberties of England by first fubduing thofe of America; and the vote of thanks moved for this day is in this fpirit, "You thanked the Duke of Cumberland for conquering us in 1745, now we have an opportunity of retaliating the infult, by thanking Sir Henry Clinton and Lord Cornwallis for conquering you.

Mr.

Mr. Adam obferved, in answer to Mr. Fox, that in the Mr. Adam. time of the war of the fucceffion, thanks had been voted to the Duke of Marlborough, though the war was unpopular, in which his great talents were exerted. Who would have thought of confidering the victories at Rofbach by the King of Pruffia, and at Minden by Prince Ferdinand, as difadvantages to this country, though the German war was confidered by many as ruinous thereto? Was ever fuch language held by any oppofition as is held by the prefent? Mr. Adam defcribed the courage and firmed conftancy of Earl Cornwallis, who never once thought of yielding to the enemy in any fituation, however alarming, but ftretched out a line of two thousand and fix hundred men, with moft undaunted and magnanimous courage, in oppofition to a front of seven thousand.

Sir F. Baffet thought it the duty of an officer, who facrificed to his ftation, part of the liberty of a British subject, to obey, without referve, the orders of the King. Sir George Savile demanded an explanation of these words, and obtained it. The Solicitor General made a fpeech in fupport of the motion, and of the juftice and neceffity of the American

war.

Mr. Fox complained that the learned gentleman had de- Mr. Fox. clined to enter into a difpute concerning the American war, on a former and proper occafion, and now defended it when he knew he would not be oppofed. For his own part, he thought that matter was not before the House at this time; but he threw out the gauntlet to any politician on that subject, confiding not in his own abilities, but in the goodness of his caufe.

Sir J. Wrottefly, Mr. Byng, Mr. Martin, Sir George Yonge, Lord Mahon, Thomas Townshend, &c. alfo spoke. But at length the question was put, and the motion, with the amendments above ftated, was carried without a divifion.

November 28.

A motion being made to bring up the report of the committee of fupply,

Mr. Huffey rofe, and complained of the preference and Mr. Hugey. partiality fhewn to one branch of the public fervice, and that not the moft important. He faid, the amount of the eftimates of the army agreed to by the Committee on Friday, with the amount of the estimate of the ordnance, yet to be

voted, the vote of credit, and the amount of the extraordi naries of the army, (which the right honourable gentleman would, he fuppofed, bring to the Houfe after Christmas, as ufual,) all added together, would come nearly to the amount of ten millions, a fum infinitely too large for that Houfe to vote for the fingle fervice of the army, without hearing fome fatisfactory account how it was to be applied. This country was attacked by the moft powerful confederacy that ever yer had taken up arms againft her; and if any thing could give us fafety, it must be our having a more powerful navy than our enemies; how was that defirable object attempted by his Majefty's minifters?-In a letter published laft year by a member of that Houfe, it was ftated, that the number of feamen employed by us, had encreased from 96,000 to 98,000, but it was at the fame time acknowledged, that the number of feamen employed, upon the aggregate, by our enemies, was much greater. Why was this? If this country could only be faved by her navy, and he believed no minifter would be hardy enough to deny this, or to contradict what had been fo well afferted by a noble Lord in his fpeech the preceding day, viz. "that an honourable peace could only be hoped for, by our deftroying the marine of France," it ought to be the firft object of minifters, to encrease and ftrengthen the navy, and not to do it by driblets, not by adding 2000 men, but to add an effectual increafe immedi ately. Mr. Huffey faid, he faw this matter in fo ftrong a point of view, that unlefs he received fatisfaction upon that head, he would take the earlieft opportunity of moving, that an additional 20,000 men be voted for the navy. Having faid this, he went into a confideration and reply to what had fallen from the fecretary at war on the 24th, declaring, that he confidered the prefent, but as an adjourned debate. He called to the recollection of the Houfe, the great difficulties which the right honourable gentleman had ftated to be in the way of the recruiting fervice, and which, the right honourable gentleman had affigned as a reafon for his plan of œconomy, in reducing the number of men in the old regiments to 56 per company. The right honourable gentle man had faid he could not get recruits for the old corps, and therefore he reduced their complements. What was this, but confeffing that our refources of men were nearly used up, and having recourfe to a plan of neceffity in the beginning almost of this war, which we had not been driven to adopt till just upon the clofe of the laft war? This was a melancholy

3

Mr. Adam obferved, in answer to Mr. Fox, that in the Mr. Adam. time of the war of the fucceffion, thanks had been voted to the Duke of Marlborough, though the war was unpopular, in which his great talents were exerted. Who would have thought of confidering the victories at Rofbach by the King of Pruffia, and at Minden by Prince Ferdinand, as difadvantages to this country, though the German war was confidered by many as ruinous thereto? Was ever fuch language held by any oppofition as is held by the present? Mr. Adam defcribed the courage and firmed conftancy of Earl Cornwallis, who never once thought of yielding to the enemy in any fituation, however alarming, but ftretched out a line of two thousand and fix hundred men, with moft undaunted and magnanimous courage, in oppofition to a front of seven thousand.

Sir F. Baffet thought it the duty of an officer, who facrificed to his station, part of the liberty of a British subject, to obey, without referve, the orders of the King. Sir George Savile demanded an explanation of these words, and obtained it. The Solicitor General made a fpeech in fupport of the motion, and of the juftice and neceffity of the American

war.

Mr. Fox complained that the learned gentleman had de- Mr. Fox. clined to enter into a difpute concerning the American war, on a former and proper occafion, and now defended it when he knew he would not be oppofed. For his own part, he thought that matter was not before the House at this time; but he threw out the gauntlet to any politician on that subject, confiding not in his own abilities, but in the goodness of

his caufe.

Sir J. Wrottefly, Mr. Byng, Mr. Martin, Sir George Yonge, Lord Mahon, Thomas Townfhend, &c. alfo fpoke. But at length the queftion was put, and the motion, with the amendments above ftated, was carried without a divifion.

November 28.

A motion being made to bring up the report of the committee of fupply,

Mr. Huey rofe, and complained of the preference and Mr. Hugey. partiality fhewn to one branch of the public fervice, and that not the most important. He faid, the amount of the eftimates of the army agreed to by the Committee on Friday, with the amount of the eftimate of the ordnance, yet to be

voted, the vote of credit, and the amount of the extraordinaries of the army, (which the right honourable gentleman would, he fuppofed, bring to the Houfe after Christmas, as ufual,) all added together, would come nearly to the amount of ten millions, a fum infinitely too large for that House to vote for the fingle fervice of the army, without hearing fome fatisfactory account how it was to be applied. This country was attacked by the moft powerful confederacy that ever yer had taken up arms againft her; and if any thing could give us fafety, it must be our having a more powerful navy than our enemies; how was that defirable object attempted by his Majefty's minifters ?-In a letter published laft year by a member of that Houfe, it was ftated, that the number of feamen employed by us, had encreafed from 96,000 to 98,000, but it was at the fame time acknowledged, that the number of feamen employed, upon the aggregate, by our enemies, was much greater. Why was this? If this country could only be faved by her navy, and he believed no minifter would be hardy enough to deny this, or to contradict what had been fo well afferted by a noble Lord in his fpeech the preceding day, viz. "that an honourable peace could only be hoped for, by our deftroying the marine of France," it ought to be the firft object of minifters, to encrease and ftrengthen the navy, and not to do it by driblets, not by adding 2000 men, but to add an effectual increase immedi ately. Mr. Huffey faid, he faw this matter in fo ftrong a point of view, that unless he received fatisfaction upon that head, he would take the earliest opportunity of moving, that an additional 20,000 men be voted for the navy. Having faid this, he went into a confideration and reply to what had fallen from the fecretary at war on the 24th, declaring, that he confidered the prefent, but as an adjourned debate. He called to the recollection of the Houfe, the great difficulties which the right honourable gentleman had ftated to be in the way of the recruiting service, and which, the right honourable gentleman had affigned as a reafon for his plan of œconomy, in reducing the number of men in the old regiments to 56 per company. The right honourable gentle man had faid he could not get recruits for the old corps, and therefore he reduced their complements. What was this, but confeffing that our refources of men were nearly used up, and having recourfe to a plan of neceffity in the beginning almost of this war, which we had not been driven to adopt till juft upon the clofe of the laft war? This was a

3

melancholy