was in the refult negatived by two hundred and thirtythree "oices to one hundred and thirty-four. On the 6th of December a refolution of cenfure on the minifters was moved in the house of commons by the earl of Upper Offory, relative to the affairs of Ireland. This nobleman poffeffed large property in that kingdom, and was moreover diftinguished by a general candor and liberality of conduct, which gave peculiar weight to his present animadverfions. His lordship observed, “that the ministers seemed totally to have abandoned the government of that country to chance. They neither felt for its diftreffes, nor provided against its refentments: the present state of Ireland; his lordship said, was truly alarming and feemed to portend a fudden diffolution of the constitutional connection which had fo long fubfifted between the two countries. To the fhameful inattention and criminal neglect of the miniftry, who might in the early stages of the miseries of that kingdom have granted the Irish nation fubftantial relief, was the present spirit of resistance wholly imputable. To what had the conduct of ministers led? Either to an unreferved acquiefcence in every propofition which Ireland in her present diftempered ftate might think proper to demand, or the horrible alternative of a civil war while engaged in the present unequal conteft with France, Spain, and America." This motion was powerfully supported by Mr. Fox, Mr. Burke, and Mr. Dunning, a lawyer and speaker of great eminence both in the house and at the bar; and oppofed in an elaborate fpeech by lord North, who declared his intention to bring forward certain resolutions refpecting Ireland in a few days. It was negatived by one hundred and feventy-three voices to one hundred. A fimilar motion of cenfure in the houfe of peers by the earl of Shelburne was negatived by eighty-two to thirtyfeven voices. In the courfe of the debate which arose on this occafion, the late lord president Gower afferted his entire B 2 entire conviction that the cenfure now moved had a just and adequate foundation. "He had prefided,” his lordfhip faid, "fome years at the council table, where HE HAD SEEN SUCH THINGS PASS, THAT NO MAN OF HONOR OR CONSCIENCE COULD ANY LONGER SIT THERE. The times were fuch as called upon every man to speak out; fincerity and activity in our councils could alone reftore energy and effect to our government." On the day previously fixed lord North brought forward his propofitions refpecting Ireland, which were fubftantially the fame with thofe originally moved by lord Nugent, in the feffion of 1778, but accompanied with feveral additional conceffions, particularly the very important one that Ireland fhould be allowed the free exportation of her woollens. Thefe refolutions paffed unanimously, and were received in Ireland not only with fatisfaction but exultation, from the flattering and delufive expectation of deriving from them an effectual and immediate relief to her diftreffes. The attention of the public in England was not a little attracted by the estimates of the army and navy, which were about this time laid before parliament. Eighty-five thousand men had been at an early period of the feffion voted for the fea fervice, and before the recefs the secretary at war moved, "that one hundred and eleven thoufand men be voted for the land fervice, exclufive of militia, amounting with the additional volun teer companies to forty-two thousand. The foreign troops in Britifh pay were calculated at twenty-four thoufand, and the artillery at fix thoufand. The entire aggregate of this formidable force, therefore, fell little fhort of two hundred and feventy thousand men, without including the troops ferving upon the Irish or Indian eftablishments. To fupport this vaft force twelve millions were raised by way of loan, in addition to the permanent means of fupply; and thofe who moft deplored the incredible credible and enormous folly which had reduced the nation to a fituation fo critical and dangerous, could not but view with pleasure and aftonishment the power, the riches, and the fpirit, now difplayed in defence of all that was dear and valuable to a free and independent people. The oppofition in parliament had been for fome time paft gradually acquiring ftrength; and the nation at large, notwithstanding their original predilection for the war, began at length to be ferioufly alarmed at the magnitude of the contest, and the prodigious and ruinous expence with which it was attended. The undisguised and unexampled profufion which pervaded every department of government, could not but strike the most carelefs obferver; and, on a fudden, OECONOMY became the prevailing and popular cry throughout the kingdom. Early in the new year, 1780, public meetings, were convened in moft of the principal counties, and petitions to parliament were framed, with the laudable and exprefs view of establishing a system founded upon principles of ftrict and difinterefted frugality. The county of York, with great propriety and effect, took the lead on this occafion. In their petition to the houfe of commons they earneftly requested, "that, before any new burdens were laid upon this country, effectual meafures might be taken by that houfe to enquire into and correct the grofs abuses in the expenditure of the public money; to reduce all exorbitant emoluments; to refcind and abólish all finecure places and unmerited penfions; and to appropriate the produce to the neceffities of the state in fuch manner as to the wisdom of parliament should seem meet." This petition was prefented to the house on the 8th of February, 1780, by fir George Savile, member for the county, who ftated, "that it was figned by above eight thoufand freeholders. This petition, he faid, had been procured by no underhand arts or public canvafs; it was first moved in a meeting of fix hundred gentlemen; and there there was, he believed, more property in the hall where it was agreed to, than was contained within the walls of the house of commons. It was a petition, he faid, to which the administration would not DARE to refufe a hearing, however the arts of minifterial artifice and fineffe might be employed to defeat the purpose of it." A number of other petitions of fimiliar import being presented, Mr. Burke at length brought forward a specific plan of reform, profeffedly aiming at two grand objects: « first, the reduction of the national expenditure; fecond, the diminution of regal influence-that influence which took away all vigor from our arms, wisdom from our councils, and every fhadow of authority and credit from the most venerable parts of the conftitution."-To effect these purposes, Mr. Burke moved for leave to bring in certain bills for the better regulation of his majesty's civil establishments, for the fale of foreft and other crown lands, for more perfectly uniting to the crown the principality of Wales, the counties palatine of Chester and Lancaster, and the duchy of Cornwall. But thefe bills, after a violent conflict, in the courfe of which the minifter was more than once left in a minority, were finally lost. A notice given by col. Barré of an intention to move for the appointment of a select committee to infpect the public accounts, feemed, however, to meet with univerfal approbation. It was for that reafon, therefore, artfully and unfairly taken up by the minifter himself, who abruptly brought in a bill, contrary to the remonftrances of col. Barré, and the concurring refentment of a large proportion of the house, for inftituting a commiffion of accounts, confifting of perfons not members of the boufe of commons. This was deemed unparliamentary, and in ftrong language oppofed as an abdication of the rights and privileges of the houfe. But it paffed into a law by a confiderable majority; and the fucceffive reports of the commiffioners appointed in virtue of this act, form, by their accuracy, accuracy, ability, and impartiality, the beft reply to the various objections urged against it. The house of peers in the mean time were far from being indolent or inattentive fpectators of the interesting fcenes now paffing. On the very day that the petition of the county of York was prefented to the house of commons, the earl of Shelburne moved in the house of peers, " for the appointment of a committee of members of both houses of parliament, poffeffing neither employments nor penfions, to examine into the public expenditure, and the mode of accounting for the fame." This motion was fupported by his lordship in a very able fpeech, in which he declared that the great point to which his wifhes tended, and to effect which his motion was chiefly framed, was to annihilate that undue influence operating upon both houses of parliament, which, if not eradicated, would prove the deftruction of this country." To reftore to parliament its conftitutional independence, and to place government upon it's true foundations, wisdom, juftice, and public virtue, was, the noble earl faid, his moft earnest defire, and this could not be effected without Kriking at the root of parliamentary corruption. Exclufive of this great and primary object, his lordship fhewed, that the moft fhameful wafte of the public money had taken place in every branch of the national expenditure. To fupport a moft ruinous and difgraceful war, a wicked, bloody, and unjust war! the minifter had bor. rowed year after year upon fictitious and unproductive taxes, and anticipated the produce of the finking fund to anfwer his own views. Solely intent upon BORROWING, he appeared to have loft fight of every idea of decreafing the debt. It was the uncontrouled poffeffion of the public purse which created that corrupt and dangerous influence in parliament, of which fuch fatal ufe had been made; which put into the minister's hands the means of delufion, which served to fortify him in his mad career, and |
