they have threatened the colonies with unrelenting feverity, in the purfuit of an unconftitutional meafure, yet fuppofe we fhall fuffer nothing from the alienation of their affections; that they are ruling Ireland with a rod of iron, and yet pretend that they are making no advances to arbitrary government; and that they have been, blind and improvident with refpect to the defigns of our enemies, and yet fuppofe that there is no danger of their being carried into effect.

It was faid on the other fide, that all Europe, enemies as well as friends, were attentive to, and would found much of their opinion, upon the iffue of the prefent day, that the fentiments of the addrefs would ferve nearly as much as our military preparations, to intimidate the former, by convincing them, that whatever differ ence in opinion, or even tranfient animofities might occafionally fubfift among us, we have but one hand and one heart against a common enemy. That an addrefs, was a compliment to the throne, not an approbation of a minifler; and that if a minister had acted amifs, there were other fufficient methods of enquiry and cenfure well known. and which would involve no other character; but that the prefent objections were meant as an invidious astack immediately upon the crown. That nothing could be more abfurd than the idea, that any private differences, difcontents, or political fquabbles among ourelves, could operate in Tuch a manner upon the minds of the people, as to prevent their defending their own rights and interefts, as well as the honour and dignity of the crown, against any confe

deracy of the house of Bourbon ; that interest was the fure bond of fupport and afliftance; and that no man would fit ftill, while his eftate was ravaged, or his house burned, through his diflike to the manner in which public affairs. were conducted. That therefore it would be time enough to adjust domeftic differences, when the common danger was removed.

That the charge of alienating. the colonies is fo far from being founded, that the direct reverfe is the fact; and except a part of one, inconfiderable province, they have been brought back to a due fenfe of their duty, by a fpirit and prudence which do equal honour to adminiftration. The charge of not arming fooner, and of making it a crime that fome of our poffef fions were liable to danger, would upon examination, it was faid, appear equally groundless; that the truth was, the nation could not have been armed fooner; our fleets cannot be fitted out, except when our trade is at home, or just coming home, as failors are not to be had at any other time; and that it is well known, the trade was neither at home, nor near coming. home, in the prefent inftance. As the miniftry could not therefore arm effectually, it was an act of the greateft prudence not to excite a general alarm by attempting, it; which would have been a fignal to our enemies to do the fame, and as they are not under the fame. difadvantages, to have effected that, which we could only haye attempted; whereas now we are at leaft upon an equal footing, if not before them. As to the other charge, it is only to afk, whether there can be a poffibility of under

ions, which till their completion, required to be carefully confined to the cabinet, that it would be opening the fources of our intelligence, the fprings of our action, and the principles of our conduct, to fufpicious friends, or profeffed enemies; and that if it had even been prudent on our own account, to unlock the English cabinet in this manner to all Europe, we have yet no right to betray the fecrets of the court of Spain: they are now treating with us confidentially, and a rude publication, of what they communicate to us under the facred feal of fecrecy, muft at once put an end to all amicable intercourse.

That his Catholic Majefty had already difavowed the behaviour of his officer; and promifed every equitable fatisfaction to this nation. That by acting with temper and moderation, a fhort negociation might happily prevent all the miferies and horrors of a long and ruinous war. The fatal confequences of war, were pathetically defcribed, and its effects upon this country, loaded as we are with taxes and debt, fet forth and explained. But at the fame time, all apprehenfion of commencing hoftilities, or dread of entering into a war, as foon as the honour or intereft of the nation fhould render such a measure unavoidable, or even neceffary, was totally difclaimed.

That administration had hitherto been neither fupine nor negligent upon the occafion; that the moment certain intelligence arrived of our having caufe to find fault, a fpirited refolution was taken to demand fatisfaction. That altercations have often arifen be

tween kingdoms, through the neg, ligence, the ignorance, or the infolence of officers, where there was no intention whatever of a quarrel between their respective governments; and that our own officers have not always been fo chafte and guarded in their conduct, as to avoid giving caufes of offence to our neighbours; that therefore in the prefent inftance, as well with regard to the honour and juftice of the nation, as to its profperity, it was neceffary to demand this fatis faction, firft, in a peaceable manner; it was neceffary before we refented, to know whether we had a warrantable right to refent; it was neceffary to know whether the court of Spain, or its officer, were to blame; when this point was determined, the fyftem to be adopted was obvious, and we accordingly prepared for it. If the Spaniard was not to be argued into juftice, he was to be compelled; and adminiftration, though willing, if poffible, to avoid the calamities of war, prepared at all events for the worit; fo that the preparations for war went hand in hand with the plan of negociation.

On the fide of the motion it was faid, that parliament can never have too ample a field for information. That they are the hereditary counfellors of the crown; and to enable them to give counsel, must have a particular acquaintance with the facts that they advise upon.

That they were now met to confider the bufinefs of the king, dom; and when were they to give counfel, if not in a time of public danger? That they had been told in the fpeech, that they fhould be applied to from the throne for advice; but, if they were not, it

was

was their duty to give it. And that their advice and interference was now particularly called upon, when by an unparalleled fucceffion of weak and fhameful measures, the nation was difgraced, infulted, and difhonoured abroad, and at home, weak, divided, and expofed. That the pretence of a negociation, was equally replete with abfurdity, indignity to the crown, and dishonour to the nation. That we were not in a situation, in which a great and powerful nation was permitted to negociate. A foreign power had forcibly robbed his Majefty of a part of his dominions; when this part was reftored, and every thing replaced in its priftine form, it might then perhaps be juftifiable to treat with the aggreffor, upon the fum and nature of the fatisfaction which he ought to make, for the infult of fered to the crown of England; but that it was betraying the honour of the King and the nation, to make it a matter of negociation, whether his poffeffions fhould be reftored to him or not. That in fact, there is no ground or matter to negociate upon; the Spaniards have feized one of our poffeffions to which they have no right, and our minifters enter into a treaty to regulate a right that does not exist.

It was faid that pains had been industriously taken to poffefs the public with an opinion, that the Spanish court had conftantly difavowed the proceedings of their go vernor, and even that means had been fhamefully and daringly used, to have this opinion fupported and countenanced from the throne. That nothing could be more odious or infamous than thus to advise an act, which was to give a

confirmation and currency to an abfolute falfehood; and which was as derogatory to honour on the one fide, as it was an infult to pt, on the other. It was afked, whether the island had been fummoned to furrender, in the name of the Governor of Buenos Ayres, or in that of his Catholic Majefty, or was it pretended that the island belonged to Don Francifco Buccarelli ? And it was afferted, that the court of Spain, by not having made an instant offer of reftitution, of immediate fatiffaction, and of the punishment of the governor, had fully avowed, and adopted the act as her own.

That the very terms of the motion obviate all the objections that are made, and which are only founded upon the pretended ill confequen-" ces that may attend the expofing of the papers, while the negociation is in hand; that no papers are called for by it, of a date subse quent to the notice received by the miniftry of the hoftility being actually committed, confequently the motion cannot reach to any letters written or received, or to any negociation entered into, after the receit of that notice; it was only meant to obtain for the house, fome accurate information of circumftances leading to and accounting for a fact, which is itself notorious and undifputed.

Severe cenfures were paft upon the refufal last year of an enquiry into the state of the navy, and of an augmentation of feamen; upon the flackness of preparation, and the weakness of our prefent armament; the naked and defenceless ftate of our Weft India islands, particularly Jamaica, which had only one fhip of the line for its protection

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protection, though the Spaniards had long kept a very confiderable feet in that quarter; and the dangerous ftate of Gibraltar, without a fleet to protect it, or a fufficient garrifon. It was faid that all these were matters of the laft and greatest national importance, and that they were called upon by all the ties of duty, to God, their country, and themfelves, to make a ftrict and fpeedy enquiry into the caufes of them. If the gentlemen in adminiftration could exculpate themselves of these charges, if the facts were falfely ftated, if no timely intelligence was, or could be received, or if, upon the whole, every prudent and requifite meafure has been purfued, which time, and the nature of things would admit, it was their intereft, above all others, to further and promote an enquiry, which would redound fo much to their own honour, give fuch univerfal fatisfaction to the nation, and be the means, in cafe of a war, of the most unlimited confidence being placed in them, and of their receiving the most effectual fupport. In a word, it was treachery to the nation to conceal from them their real circumftances, whatever they were; and with refpect to foreign enemies, all concealments were vain and ufelefs; they were as well acquainted with the actual force, and the weakness of this country, as even the King's -fervants could be.

The ill difpofition of Spain to this country, and its hoftile intentions, were argued from many preceding facts, as well as from the late act of hoftility; from all which it was inferred, that this dilatory negociation, was only intended to amufe us, till he had

compleated her preparations, and had time to put in execution fome of thofe dangerous defigns which fhe had in view. Among the reft it was fhewn, that the Spanish prifons were filled with British feamen, who had been taken under pretence of an illicit trade by their Guarda Coftas, and were condemned either to perpetual confinement, or to the moft cruel flavery, in working at their remote fortifications, where they were treated with the greatest inhumanity; that great numbers of them were in this ftate, particularly at Ceuta, and it was fuppofed they amounted in all to fome thousands: it was farther proved, that this enormity was a defigned and premeditated act of the state, and an inftance given, where one of our admirals was refufed the discharge of fome English feamen' from confinement, by a Spanish admiral and governor, who were willing to oblige him, but dare not counteract the ftrict orders of the court.

That the fame determined intention and expectation of war, fhewed itself after the late act of hoftility, if any thing farther could be requifite to make it evident, by difarming and making the garrifon prifoners at Port Egmont, and not fuffering them to depart, 'when they took poffeffion of that place; to which was added that most daring infult to his Majesty, of taking the rudder off from his ship, and detaining her by force twenty days; a defigned affront of fuch a nature, as nothing but a thorough knowledge of the defigns of their court, and an inevitable certainty of a war, could have emboldened the actors to have offered: that fuppofing they had a claim to the

ifland,