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difafters had uniformly attended thefe incredible exertions. Not a week before the 10th of November, admiral Jervis had failed with a wind which would have carried the whole expedition to the Weft In dies. The expeditions of the French were, he said, carried on in a different manner; and there were times in this country when the delay would not have been borne. It was, he declared, his intention to perfift in his object; if the papers were granted, to move for an inquiry, which, if agreed to, he fhould follow by a refolution expreffive of the strongest cenfure of minifters.

The unfairnefs of quoting the opinion of fir C. Grey, without producing the documents on which it was founded, was pointedly infifted upon by Mr. Fox. Of the force which went out from France, fir C. Grey could have no knowledge; minifters might, and therefore the grounds of their opinion refpecting the Weft Indies must be effentially different. The more this bufinefs was confidered, the more ground, he thought, there was for an inquiry. Mr. Sheridan's motions for "accounts of the number of men deftined for the expedition to the Weft Indies under fir C. Grey in 1793,"-for "accounts of the number withdrawn from that service to form an expedition against the coaft of France under lord Moira," and, "of the numbers who, after the conqueft of Martinique, St Lucie, and Guadaloupe, were detached to St. Domingo," were put and carried. The motion for laying before the houfe the different applications made for reinforcements was withdrawn, on Mr Dundas undertaking to give wha information could be given. That

"for returns of the reinforcements

which arrived, fpecifying the diftri

bution of the force, and the dates of their arrival," was agreed to. Mr. Sheridan's next motion for "att account of the appointment of fir J. B. Warren, and of general Doyle to the expedition of Quiberon, with that of the regiments ferving under him, was negatived on the oppofition of Mr. Pitt. Mr. Sheridan then moved for "extracts of the letters from admiral Christian and general Abercrombie respecting the delay of the expedition;" which was ftrongly objected to by Mr. Dundas and Mr. Pitt, as connected with official information which it was not proper to publifh; and the motion, after a very fpirited converfation, was negatived; as was that for a return of the number of fhips foundered or miffing, and the number of men loft or miffing, belonging to the expedition under general Abercrombie." The next motion" for a return of the staff officers ferving under lord Moira in 1794 and 1795," was withdrawn, on Mr. Dundas offering to give the fubftance of the information in another form. The motion "for a copy of the inftructions to fir J. B. Warren relative to the expedition to Quiberon," was negatived, as also that "for an account of the number of men who died on board tranfports at Plymouth, Portsmouth, Southampton, &c. deftined for the Weft Indies in 1795 and 1796." Mr. Sheridan then moved" for copies or extracts of the letters from officers commanding the tranfports, from the mayor of Portsmouth, or from lord G. Lennox," which was nega tived. The remainder of Mr. Sheridan's motions were all agreed to, except that for the correfpondence of the ordnance and transport boards. Mr. Dundas then moved for a long lift of letters in 1794 and 1795, from

fir C. Grey, fir J. Jervis, and other naval and military commanders in the Weft Indies; which were ordered. Whilft the business of the Weft India expedition was in agitation, general Tarleton moved for a copy of a letter from count de Sombreuil to the fecretary at war, relative to the unfortunate expedition to Quiberon, and referred to in a letter to fir J. B. Warren. The fecretary at war lamented that this anticipated his intention of giving the wifhed for information to the houfe. That he had not done this fooner, he intimated, was owing to its having been loft; indeed, he had a remote recollection that he had deftroyed it. Of this, however, he was certain, that it did not contain any of the important matter stated by gentlemen; but for his own fatisfaction and juftification, he could have wished to produce it. The one and only letter he had received from monf. Sombreuil was more of a private than public nature, and contained not a word refpecting the nature of the expedition, the command of the army, or any government fecrets. The letter had at laft been found, and he pledged himself for its production; but its contents were fo entirely of a private nature, that they fully juftified his oppofition to the motion.

It was contended by Mr. Sheridan, that the count muft have con

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fidered the letter as of a public nature, and exculpatory of his character, from the letter of that unfortunate gentleman to fir J. B. Warren, in which he had wifhed that Mr. Windham would publish his letter. The motion was got rid of by one for the order of the day, which was moved by Mr. Pitt. The fubject was, however, refumed by Mr. Sheridan, April 18, who again moved for the production of the paper which had before been refufed. The houfe, he faid, might judge of his aftonishment, after its refufal, to fee it published in a daily paper: and of its authenticity he had no doubt. After what had been advanced refpecting the privacy of its nature, what could be more astonishing than to find it related principally to matters of public moment? This letter, he faid, did not convey any paltry recrimination upon the perfons whọ advised and conducted that unfortunate expedition, but contained foundation for a charge of the most marked criminality, the ftrongeft grounds of condemnation upon minifters for fending out the expedition under circumftances the moft grofs, inhuman, and treacherous. After reading the two letters to the house, Mr. Sheridan obferved the relation between them, that the latter difplayed all the chamcteristics of a great mind; it contained no reproaches; it merely

referred

* From the COUNT DE SOMBREUIL to the Right Honourable WILLIAM WINDHAM, dated "On board the John, Portsmouth Road, July 8, 1795.

" SIR, "The thort ftay which I made at London not having permitted me the honour of feeing you more than once, and my fudden departure having prevented me from convering with you on feveral points of importance to me, in my prefent fituation, I have fufficient confidence in your fagacity, to be convinced that I fhall find fuch inftructions as will ferve me for a guide, and enable me to fupport the refponfibility attached to my conduct, as well towards you as towards the troops under my command.

"A full conviction of the neceffity of fubordination, joined to a zealous devotion to the caufe in which I have embarked, induce me to fly with precipitation at the firft figal I receive, and never allow me to urge the fmallest objection. I fay nothing of the difcretion which a government has a right to expect from thofe it employs; I have long

referred to the remarks made by the count in the former letter, that he was difpatched with troops upon an expedition, of whofe deftination, command, fubfiftence, and ammunition, he was ignorant. There were only two lines which related to a beautiful and accomplished woman to whom his affections had been pledged, and who had fince been reported to be disordered in her understanding. After ftating the cruelty and reproach of abandoning fuch a man, and that the letters threw light upon the fcan

dalous manner in which the expe dition to the coaft of France was conducted, Mr. Sheridan again moved for copies of the letters to be prefented to the houfe; which was feconded by general Smith.

The fecretary at war, in a speech of fuch warmth as produced the interference of the fpeaker, faid that the only motive which he could conceive the count de Sombreuil had in his last letter for referring to the expreffons in his former, was that, harraffed and confounded as he was in his last fatal moments, he

fince given fufficient proofs of mine; and I have reafon to believe, that they are fuch as will enable me to obtain, at leaft, thofe marks of confidence which are due to my fituation.

"I have the honour to obferve to you, fir, that I am going with troops, of whose deftination I know nothing but by public report; neither am I acquainted with their means of subsistence, nor, in the smallest degree, with the rules by which I am to regulate my conduct.. What will be neceffary, with regard to ammunition, with which I am not, to my knowledge, provided, and with regard to the support of those with whom I am to act; the means by which I am to carry on my correfpondence with you in a distant fituation; and from whom I am, in all cafes, to receive orders; thefe are points on which I requeft you to give me fuch inftructions as will ferve as a bafis for my conduct.

"I had the honour alfo to requeft that you would let me have an officer from the department of infection. If you fend me fuch a perfon, pray chufe a man who speaks both languages, that he may, on occafion, affitt me in the translation of your letters; and that your orders may only be known to an officer chofen by government. I have the honour to be, with respect,

"Your very humble fervant,

"COUNT CHARLES DE SOMBREUIL."

From the COUNT DE SOMBREUIL to the Right Honourable WILLIAM WINDHAM, dated Aurai, July the 22d, 1795, received by the Hands of his Servant, "who remained with him till the Hour of his Death.

« SIR,

"The letter which I have written to fir John Warren will give you every informa tion in my power to afford, as well on my prefent fituation, as on past events; I will not remind you of the letter which I wrote you from Portsmouth, as you doubtless feel the force of the remarks which I there made: you must be fenfible how much my heart has to fuffer in thefe laft moments; independently of the regret which I experience for the fate of my companions, you know what facrifices an order fo prompt obliged me to make.

"I requei you, fir, to be fo kind as to give to the bearer, a faithful man, and who has never abandoned me (and whom the loffes I have fuftained incapacitate me from rewarding) the fum of five hundred Louis, to be shared with my other fervant. This request will not appear indifcreet, as I have loft fevefal governinent fecurities to a greater

amount.

"I alfo recommend to you, fir, the two perfons about whom I spoke to you, before

I left London.

"I have the honour to be, fir,
"Your very humble fervant,

To Mr. WINDHAM, Secretary at War.”

"COUNT CHARLES DE SOMBREUIL. referred

referred him rather to what was paffing in his mind, than to what he had committed to paper; there was, however, no knowing what he meant, nor did he perhaps know himself. The fubfidiary letter certainly had a reference to fome painful circumftances interefting to his private feelings, and referred to the uncertain fituation in which he was going. The count was defirous that the nature of his command fhould be afcertained; and that was the object of the letter; but in a public view it had, he contended, no importance whatever. He stated, that fo far from having fent away this gallant man upon fhort notice, he had, upon knowing of his intended marriage, advised him to defer his departure, partly hoping that the expedition might be delayed, partly from the conviction, that, fhould he be abfent on that expedition, he would be ready and ardent for any other. But to this the heroic gallantry of the count would not liften. As he was only going to carry out a body of troops from the Elbe, he would know at the place of deftination what he was to do, as all fubordinate officers do; and that would be fufficient. The letter did not, he afferted, juftify the accufation brought against him; and he charged gentlemen on the other fide of the houfe with having fuppofed it loft, when they fo earneftly moved for its production. This charge was,

however, folemnly denied by Mr. Fox.

General Smith contended that the letter concerned the public fervice, and only that, excepting the cha racter of count de Sombreuil, who, anxious for the juftification of his conduct, had made the publication of it his dying requeft. The geneal expatiated upon the ignorance under which the count had acted, and contended, that, had he known that the command was to be trusted to Puiffaye, a man whom many of ficers would think it a difgrace to ferve under, he never would have gone upon this fhameful expedition. The defire which the count had evinced to vindicate himself from having had a fhare in the expedition, was alfo infifted upon by Mr. Fox, who confidered the emigrants as the chief advisers of it; but thought their fituation no excufe for the rafhness and folly of it, which was degrading to the understandings of British minifters. He thought the fecretary at war was bound to publifh the letter to which the count referred, as exculpatory of his being concerned in planning this calamitous expedition; and that if the Quiberon expedition fhould become the object of a general dif cuffion, this paper would throw confiderable light upon the fubject. After fome further debate upon this motion, it was evaded by the order of the day, which was again moved for by Mr. Pitt.

1790.

1

CHAP.

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Difcuffion in the Houfe of Lords on the general Conduct of Adminiftration. Mr. Grey's Motion in the Commons for the Impeachment of Minifters. Debate on the Sardinian Subfidy. Lord Guildford's Motion on the Conduct of Minifters. Mr. Fox's Motion on the fame Subject.

ON

N the fecond of May the marquis of Lanfdowne, who had previously moved for feveral government papers, entered into a difcuffion in the house of lords on the conduct of administration. His lordship faid, that, from the improbability of every exertion he could make producing a change of fyftem, he had hesitated whether he fhould ever again trouble the houfe; but that he had been deterred by the neceflity he fhould then have felt himfelf under of explaining the grounds on which he acted, and had been influenced by circumftances which, if difclofed, might tend to raife difcontent, which he profeffed himself anxious to avoid. On the 15th December 1779, and on the 8th February 1780, his lordship faid, he had propofed two motions, in order to fuggeft that fyftem of public operations ,with which it was his with that the refolutions then to be brought forward fhould be followed. In this fyftem he had been fupported by many of the prefent adminiftration, who appeared to have fince abandoned it. His with, therefore, was to afford them an opportunity of fhewing whether they fill adhered to their former refolution, "that the influence of the crown was encreased, is encreafing, and ought to be diminished;" or, if they had apoftatized, that the public fhould be in poffeffion of documents upon which to form an impartial eftimate of their character. It was not, he

faid, his wish to draw the attention of the house to all the papers on the table: the first to which he should direct their attention was that for the confolidation of the different boards into one: this would have abolished fifteen out of twenty-five places, and occafioned a confiderable diminution of influence. This, therefore, it was his great furprize to fee, had never been acted upon. The next paper to which he should call their attention, was the 9th report concerning the pay of the army: this was juftly stated in the report to be a fcene of compofition and decompofition, of fraud, ambiguity, and mystery. Why there fhould be complex and feparate accounts for agency, cloathing, fubfiftence, &c. &c. which could only ferve to accumulate expences upon the country, his lordship faid, he could not fee, except it was as a pretext for fupporting a parcel of idle clerks by the fweat of a deferving foldiery, and to enable minifters undetected to apply the public money. to purposes different from its original deftination. The next report, his lordship faid, to which he would advert, was the rith, relating to the unfunded debt, the obs ject of which was to acquaint the people with the real extent of the burthens they incurred in the courfe of a war, and to provide against the debt encreafing more rapidly than the means of payment. This regu lation had, however, been neglected by the prefent minifters. In the

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