admiralty; and such strength had the oppofition now acquired, that in a house of near four hundred members, it was rejected by a majority of only twenty-two. The unpopularity of the American secretary was fo great and manifeft, that he now thought it expedient, feeing parliamentary cenfures likely to become again in fashion, to refign the feals of that department, and for his eminent fervices he was by his majefty raifed to the dignity of the peerage. But before the great seal was affixed to the patent, the marquis of Carmarthen moved in the house of peers, "that it was highly derogatory to the honor of that houfe, that any perfon laboring under the fentence of a court martial, ftyled in the public orders iffued by his late majefty a cenfure much worfe than death,' and adjudged unfit to ferve his majefty in any military capacity, fhould be recommended to the crown as a proper perfon to fit in that house."

The motion was evaded by the queftion of adjournment; but lord George Germaine having actually taken his feat in the house under the title of lord vifcouut Sackville, the marquis of Carmarthen renewed his attack, and urged, "that the houfe of peers being a court of honor, it behoved them to preferve that honor uncontaminated, and to mark in the moft forcible manner their difapprobation of the introduction of a perfon into that affembly who was ftigmatized in the orderly books of every regiment in the fervice."

Lord Abingdon, who feconded the motion, ftyled the admiffion of lord George Germaine to a peerage" an infufferable indignity to that houfe, and an outrageous infult to the public.-What (faid his lordship) has that perfon done to merit honors fuperior to his fellow-citizens? His only claim to promotion was, that he had undone his country by executing the plan of that accurfed invifible, though efficient cabinet, from whom as he received his orders, fo he had obtained his reward."

Lord

Lord Sackville, in his own vindication, denied the juftice of the fentence paffed upon him, and affirmed "that he confidered his reftoration to the council board, at a very early period of the prefent reign, as amounting to a virtual repeal of that iniquitous verdict."

The duke of Richmond ftrongly defended the motion, and faid" that he himself was prefent at the battle of Minden, and was fummoned on the trial of lord George Germaine; and had his depofition been called for, he could have proved that the time loft when the noble vifcount delayed to advance, under pretence of receiving contradictory orders, was not lefs than one hour and a half; that the cavalry were a mile and a quarter only from the scene of action; and it was certainly in his lordship's power, therefore, to have rendered the victory, important as it was, far more brilliant and decifive; and he had little reason to complain of the feverity of the sentence paffed upon him."

Lord Southampton alfo, who, as aid-de-camp to prince Ferdinand on that memorable day, delivered the meffage of his ferene highnefs to his lordship, vindicated the equity of the fentence.

The motion was likewife powerfully fupported by the earl of Shelburne, the marquis of Rockingham, and other diftinguished peers.

On the divifion, nevertheless, it was rejected by a majority of ninety-three to twenty-eight voices: but to the inexpreffible chagrin of lord Sackville, a proteft was entered on the journals of the houfe, declaring the promotion of his lordship to be " a measure fatal to the interests of the crown, infulting to the memory of the late fovereign, and highly derogatory to the dignity of that house."

Mr. Fox, on the 20th of February 1782, again brought forward his motion of cenfure, fomewhat varied, on lord Sandwich, which was negatived by a majority of nineteen

voices

voices only, in a houfe confifting of 453 members; but to the astonishment of the nation, the noble lord still daringly kept poffeffion of his office, although 217 members of the house of commons had pronounced him "guilty of a fhameful mifmanagement of the naval affairs of Great Britain." The oppofition appearing every day to gain ftrength in the house of commons, the downfall of the miniftry began at length to be confidently pre

dicted.

On the 22d of February, general Conway moved “ for an address to the king, earnestly imploring his majesty, that he would be graciously pleased to liften to the humble prayer and advice of his faithful commons, that the war on the continent of North America might no longer be pursued, for the impracticable purpose of reducing that country to obedience by force." This was opposed in a long fpeech by Mr. Welbore Ellis, the new fecretary for the American department, who declared, "that it was now in contemplation to contract the fcale of the war, and to profecute hoftilities by fuch means as were very diffimilar from the paft. That unhappy faction in America which ftill continued its refiftance to the government of this kingdom, though lefs numerous than the party of the royalists, could only be rooted out by pushing the war with vigor against France. In order to obtain peace with America we muft vanquish the French; and as in the late war, America had been faid to be conquered in Germany, fo in this America must be conquered in France. In prefent circumftances, the adminiftration were confcious of the neceffity of drawing into a narrow compass the operations of the American war, a change of circumstances demanding a correfpondent change of measures." That this miferable mixture of falfehood and folly should fail to make impreffion upon the house, cannot be deemed wonderful, and the miniftry themselves feemed to defpair of their caufe, when they committed the defence of

it

it to fo contemptible an advocate ;-whom Mr. Burke, in reply, overwhelmed with the fupercilious and poignantdifdain of his ridicule. "This war," Mr. Burke faid, had "been most amazingly fertile in the growth of new statesmen; the right honorable gentleman was indeed an old member, but a young fecretary. Having however studied at the feet of Gamaliel, he had entered into full poffeffion of all the parliamentary qualifications, by which his predeceffor had been fo confpicuously diftinguished ;the fame attachments, the fame antipathies, the fame extravagant delufion, the fame wild phantoms of the brain, marked the right honorable gentleman as the true ministerial heir and refiduary legatee of the noble viscount. And notwithstanding the metamorphofis he had recently undergone, he was fo truly the fame thing in the fame place, that justly might it be faid of him, * alter et idem nafcitur? Being of the caterpillar fpecies, he had remained the destined time within the foft and filken folds of a lucrative employment, till having burst his ligaments he fluttered forth the butterfly minifter of the day." On the divifion, however the miniftry had ftill a majority, but a fearful majority of ONE voice only! the numbers being 192 for, and 193 against the motion; so that the pyramidal edifice of ministerial power feemed now, by a marvellous and magical inverfion, to rest upon its apex.

Mr. Fox immediately gave notice, that in a few days the question would be revived under another form. Accordingly, on the 27th of February, general Conway moved, that it is the opinion of this house, that a farther profecution of offenfive war against America would, under prefent circumftances, be the means of weakening the efforts of this country against her European enemies, and tend to increase the mutual enmity fo fatal to the interefts both of Great Britain and America." The general fpoke with indignation of the objection urged against the laft motion, that it was an unconftitutional interference

in

in matters pertaining to the executive power. He said, it had been ever the custom of that houfe to interpofe its advice whenever it thought proper, in all matters of peace and war, as their journals incontrovertibly proved.

In order to evade an immediate determination upon the queftion, the attorney-general Wallace moved, "that a bill should be prepared, enabling his majesty to conclude a truce with America, and to enter into a negociation on this ground." This propofition was negatived by a majority of 19, the numbers being 234 to 215; and the original motion of general Conway was then carried without a divifion.

The general next moved an addrefs to the king, founded on the precife words of the motion. This was agreed to, and it was refolved, that the addrefs fhould be prefented to his majefty by the whole houfe; which was accordingly done on the 1ft of March: and his majesty moft graciously replied, "that in purfuance of the advice of the houfe of commons, he would affuredly take fuch measures as should appear to him most conducive to the restoration of harmony between Great Britain and her revolted colonies."

This not being deemed by the now glorious majority of the houfe fufficiently explicit, general Conway on the 4th of March moved another addrefs to his majesty, returning him thanks for his gracious affurances, and affirming, "That nothing could fo effentially promote the great objects of his majesty's paternal care, as the measures bis faithful commons had humbly, though earnestly, recommended to his majefty." This was agreed to NEM. CON. and by a fecond motion it was refolved, "That the house will confider as enemies to his majesty and the country, all thofe who fhould advise a profecution of offenfive war on the continent of North America." The glory of general Conway, who had fixteen years before reftored peace to

the