3779. CHA P. military to be fuperfeded by the volunteers, and these XXXVI. did not interfere further than by a deputation from the lawyers corps unarmed, perfuading the mob, when fatiated with their own exceffes, to disperse. The attorney-general complained to the house of commons, 16th Nov. but had the mortification to hear the fentiments of the populace efpoufed, and their conduct partially defended; the debate was hardly lefs tumultuous than the occafion of it; the house at length agreed to address the lord-lieutenant to iffue a proclamation for apprehending the rioters. The fhort money bill, however, paffed, and, mortifying as fuch a proceeding muft have been, received the fanction of the privy-council. CHAPTER THE THIRTY-SEVENTH: 1779-1780. Meeting of Parliament.-King's Speech.-Violent debates on the addreffes.-Relief afforded to Ireland.-Efforts on the subject of economy.-Motion by the Duke of Richmond.-Burke gives notice of bringing in a bill for economical reform.-Meeting of the freeholders of Yorkshire.-Correfponding committees appointed.-The example of Yorkshire generally followed.-Londors committee formed.-Burke introduces his plan of reform.-His celebrated fpeech.-Refolution for abolishing the board of trade. -Commiffion of accounts appointed.-Bills for excluding contractors--and fufpending the votes of revenue officers, rejected.-Account of places-and of penfions payable at the exchequer, laid before the house.--Duels between members of parliament.--Debates on the railing of volunteer regiments.-Altercation between lord North and Sir Fletcher Norton.-Numerous county and city petitions.-Intemperate language on introducing them. -Difcuffion of the petitions.--Refolutions paffed on the influence of the crown-the expenditure of the civil lift—and the relief of the people. The refolutions reported.-Motion for account of monies paid to members of Parliament.-Vote for rendering certain officers incapable of fitting.-Illness of the speaker.-Adjournment.-Motion against diffolving parliament-rejected. -Indignation of Fox.-Further proceedings on the petitions. ---Report of the committee refused.-General obfervations. SUCH UCH were the general circumftances of difaffec- CHA P. tion and alarm at the commencement of a feffion XXXVII. 1779. of parliament, which in its progrefs was unusually turbulent, diftinguifhed for acrimonious violence in 25th Nov. Meeting of debate, formidable attacks on the stability of govern- parliament. ment, and delufive fpeculations on economy and reformation; attended with unufual affociations among the people, and a dreadful explosion of popular violence which, in the very feat of government, braved its CHA P. its authority, and left no measure for preserving the XXXVII. conftitution and defending life and property, but that, ever abhorrent to the principles of freemen, the military arm. 1779. King's Speech. Amendment to the addrefs moved in the lords. THE king in his fpeech, faid, the parliament was called on by every principle of duty, and every confideration of intereft, to exert united efforts in fupport and defence of the country, attacked by an unjust and unprovoked war, and contending with one of the most dangerous confederacies ever formed. Aided by the protection of Providence, the zeal of the nation, and the juftice of his caufe, he was firmly refolved vigorously to profecute the war, for the purpose of compelling the enemy to equitable terms of peace. He had not been inattentive to the addreffes of laft feffion refpecting Ireland, but had ordered papers to be laid before parliament, and recommended to their confideration what further benefits might be extended to that kingdom, by regulations most effectually promoting the common ftrength, wealth, and interefts of all his dominions. IN oppofing the addrefs, the marquis of Rockingham cenfured the facility with which the two embaffadors, lord Grantham and lord Stormont, had fuffered themselves to be deceived by the craft of Spain and France, and the confidence with which minifters had affured parliament that treaties inimical to the interefts of Great Britain were not in existence or even in embryo. The addrefs recognized the bleffings of his majefty's government; but that recognition was unfounded in truth, and an infult to the house. No bias, no prejudice, no temptation, could fo far. confound truth and reafon with their oppofites, as to convert the very caufe of our misfortunes into bleflings. There was a time, indeed, at which he could have congratulated the king on the bleffings enjoyed under his government. He remembered when his majefty afcended the throne of his ancestors with glory and luftre; but for the last seventeen years thofe bleffings 1779. had gradually decreafed, and the nation was reduced CHA P. to an unexampled ftate of degradation. This change XXXVII. he attributed to a baleful and pernicious fyftem of unconftitutional controul and advice. As the fyftem was wrong in its first concoction, fo its effects were extended to every department. The greatest officers were driven from the fervice, and profcribed, in a period of the most imminent danger; and lord Sandwich was not afhamed to retain his office, although he knew that his continuance precluded naval commanders of the most exalted character and abilities from ferving their country. FROM the unpopularity of the firft lord of the admiralty, the marquis turned to its caufe, his perfonal incapacity, which he inftanced in the negligent defence of the northern fhores of the kingdom: the town of Hull was kept in continual alarm by apprehenfions of Paul Jones; captain Pierfon was relied on as fufficient in force for their protection; but to the utter difappointment of the inhabitants, he was unable, with the moft refolute valour, to prevent his own capture. THE difcontents in Ireland were afcribed to the bad faith of minifters, who promised to produce measures for their relief before the rifing of parliament; but, although the feffion continued feven weeks, paid no further attention to the fubject; the people were confequently left in fufpence, the affociators were permitted to become important, and conceffions, which would then have been received as favours, were now demanded as rights not to be refigned, modified, or qualified. The marquis then adverted to the progrefs of hoftilities in America, cenfuring with unreftrained feverity the proclamation iffued by the commiffioners, as an accurfed manifefto, the forerunner of a war of the most horrid and diabolical nature; a war not merely contrary to the Christian religion, to the acknowledged principles of morality and humanity, to the laws of war, and the modes of carrying on hoftilities, CHAP. tilities, obferved even among Turkish and other fanXXXVII. guinary nations; but to the last degree bloody, ma lignant, and diabolical. It would be a precedent and 1779. a juftification to France and Spain in landing on the leaft defended parts of the British coast, and committing ravages, without hope of benefit. He accordingly moved an amendment, omitting the whole addrefs except the title, and " befeeching his majesty to reflect on the extent of territory, the power, the opulence, the reputation abroad, and the concord at home, which diftinguifhed the opening of his reign, and marked it as the' moft happy and fplendid period in the hiftory of the nation; and on the endangered, impoverished, enfeebled, distracted, and even difmembered state of the whole, after all the grants of fucceffive parliaments, liberal to profufion, and trusting to the very utmoft extent of rational confidence." Nothing could prevent the confummation of public ruin, he obferved, but new councils, and new counfellors, and a real change, from a fincere conviction of paft errors, and not a mere palliation, which must prove fruitlefs. THE debate engaged an extenfive difcuffion on the ftate of the kingdom and all its dependencies, which was reprefented as moft deplorable by the dukes of Richmond and Grafton, lord Shelburne, lord Camden, lord Effingham, lord Townshend, and lord Lyttleton, who again appeared in the ranks of oppofition, and decried the American war, as a mad Quixotic fally. The caufe of government was ably defended by the lords in administration to whose particular departments the specific complaints applied. Lord Stormont denied that the calamities which furrounded the nation ought to be afcribed to the confederacy in arms, the fituation of Ireland, or the conduct of minifters; but they arofe from internal division, and the violent and incautious language too often held in parliament. Lord Mansfield declared, that from the diftreffed and perilous fituation of the country, he was perfuaded nothing |