was a peremptory refufal. They then faid, "You must take the confequence, we wash our hands of the bufinefs." If our allies were attacked, we had then indeed a right to interfere; but we had no alliance with Turkey, and were only called on to gratify the pride of our own minifters, and fecond the ill-judged policy of Pruffia. How far minifters were pledged to fupport that policy he knew not, but he knew the country was not bound to fupport it. Mr. Pitt in reply obferved, that as Mr. Fox had admitted, that to interfere occafionally in the politics of the continent made a part of that defenfive fyftem which he had always thought it right to fupport, the prefent queftion was fimply, "whether the prefent was an occafion on which we ought to interfere?" Now if it were true that Pruffia, by the aggrandifement of Ruffia, muft be endangered, and confequently our defenfive fyftem impaired, then the circumftances actually called for our interference. It had been infinuated that minifters were bound by engagements to Pruffia, with which the country had nothing to do. He begged leave to affure the house that the infinuation was unfounded, and that minifters were bound by no engagements to Pruffia but fuch as had received the fanction of parliament. Admitting, for the fake of argument, what he would not admit in fact, that we ought to have interpofed fooner on the prefent occalion, that was no reafon againft interpofing now. But had the neceffity been fo preffing at any former period, or were fuch confequences to be apprehended without a speedy interference? It was next faid, that we had loft the opportunity of bringing Ruffia to terms, when the emperor was prevailed on to treat-But when the em

peror manifefted a favourable difpofi tion, would it have been wife to fuf pend the negociations with him, at the risk of their being broken off, in order to wait for the concurrence of Ruffia? Pending our difpute with Spain, we were neither fo free to act as now, nor was the neceffity then fo urgent. But why, it was afked, did we difmifs our armament after that difpute was concluded? We had not dismissed our armament, for we had kept up a confiderable addition of force; but as the feafon of the year made it impoffible to act for feveral months, we had not kept up a force of fifty fhips of the line, because it would have been to no purpose, and the expence would have exceeded that of the prefent armament.

Mr. Pitt obferved, that the predominance of Ruffia would proba bly effect an alteration in the ftate of Europe in other refpects disadvantageous to this country, with refpect to Poland in particular. We had a commercial interest in cultivating a trade with Poland, and preventing Ruffia from obtaining fuch a decided command of the articles we wanted, as to give or withhold them at her pleasure.

Mr. Burke faid, that as it might be the last time that he should have an opportunity of delivering his fentiments on a fimilar queftion, he could not refrain from offering a few remarks to the house. He said, it was extremely novel, and contrary to all the politics with which he was acquainted, to bring the Turkish empire into the confideration of the balance of power in Europe. The question, he faid, was not, whether the emprefs of Ruffia fhould or fhould not difmember Turkey? it was fimply, whether the fhould poffefs Oczakow or not? When the emprefs had made thofe facrifices,

which

which she seemed willing to make, the had given up more than any other victorious prince would have done in her fituation. To carry to this length the Pruffian alliance, he contended, was in fact establishing an anti-crufade; it was offending the emprefs without an adequate caufe, who might at fome future period direct her vengeance against us, when another armament might be required to avert the effects of her refentment. The queftion was carried in favour of the addrefs by 228 votes against

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The attention of the houfe was again called to this important fubject on the 12th of April by Mr. Grey, who faid that he had intended to introduce a motion for a committee on the ftate of the nation; but having been given to understand from high authority, that an objection would be taken against fuch a committee, he was induced to wave that object, and to come before the house directly with certain propofitions. He faid there were certain principles upon which mankind were generally agreed: among these might be reckoned the juft caufes for going to war; and of this na⚫ture alfo were thofe maxims of policy which ought to govern this country with refpect to its connections with foreign powers. The only juft caufe of war originated in the principle of felf-defence; the cafes, therefore, where a war was juft, might be reduced to three heads: 1ft, when it was undertaken to redeem a right forcibly withholden, and to which we had an undoubted claim; 2d, in providing for future fafety; and the laft, a right of repelling an unjuft attack, under which might be included a cafe when an ally had been unjustly attacked. He proceeded to fhew that not one

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of these cases applied to the present inftance. The Pruffian treaty enga ged us no further than that, if that country fhould be attacked, we were bound to furnish them with a certain number of troops, or a certain fum of money. Suppofe, at the time when the Pruffian treaty was laid before the house, that it had been a condition in it, that whenever Ruffia fhould poffefs herself of Oczakow, Great Britain fhould go to war with Ruffia, would any man in that house have affented to it? Perhaps he would be told, that he had admit

ted that a country was bound, for its own fafety, to guard against the dangerous aggrandifement of any one power. This was certainly true; but he must be understood to suppose that that aggrandifement was aimed at by unjust and violent means; and that the danger accruing from it was not remote, but near and imminent to this country. He confidered the balance of power in Eu rope as an object of great concern; and if they could fhew him that it was in the leaft danger, he should certainly give his vote to rescue it from that danger. But who would undertake to prove that the poffelfion of the town of Oczakow was fuch a circumftance as could materially affect the intereft of this country, and would endanger the balance of power in Europe?

Mr. Grey next ftated the reasons why the poffeffion of that fortress was an object of importance to the emprefs of Ruffia, though it could be none to any other European power. The country between the Bog and the Niefter was known by the name of defert plains, and therefore of no value. But although the country was barren, it afforded fhelter to fome hordes of Tartars who plundered the dominions of the

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emprefs, and the therefore wanted Oczakow as a place of defence for her own territory. He next mentioned the importance of our trade with Ruffia, and obferved that lord Chatham had refused, when preffed by the king of Pruffia, to fend a fleet into the Baltic, for fear of interrupting that commerce. He did not wish to alarm the country with refpect to its refources; but he was fure that every additional burthen, in its prefent fituation, must be feverely felt. Mr. Grey concluded his remarks with propofing the following refolutions; which we infert at large, as they exhibit the fubftance of the arguments of oppofition on the Ruffian armament in a peculiarly clear and condenfed ftate:

I That it is at all times, and "particularly under the prefent cir"cumftances, the intereft of this "country to preferve peace."

II. "That it is neither reafon"able or just to take up arms for "the purpofe of dictating terms of peace between two nations engaged in hoftilities, without any "reference either to the caufe of "the difputes, or the circumstances "of the war."

III."That the refufal of an "offer of mediation is no just cause "of war."

IV. "That during the progrefs "of the war between Ruffia and "the Porte, and fince the taking "of Oczakow, this houfe has re"ceived repeated affurances from "the throne, that the fituation of af"fairs continued to promife to this country the uninterrupted enjoyment "of the bleflings of peace."

V. "That, convinced of the "truth of the affurances which we "have received from the throne, "this house has hitherto confidered

VII. "That none of the pof"feffions of this country, or any of "its allies, appear to be threatened "with an hoftile attack from any "foreign nation.”

VIII. That the expence of 66 an armament must be burthen"fome to the country, and is, "under the prefent circumstances,` << as far as this house is informed, "highly inexpedient and unnecef"fary."

The refolutions of Mr. Grey were oppofed by lord Belgrave, Mr. Pybus, Mr. Ryder, Mr. J. T. Stanley, fir William Young, and Mr. Dundas; and fupported by major Maitland, lord North, Mr. Powys, Mr. Whitbread, and Mr. Sheridan. On the fide of the miniftry a degree of confidence was claimed, not on vague or indefinite ground, but on the unequivocal and fure one of their former merits. Peace, it was faid, was certainly preferable to war; but even war was preferable to difhonourable tranquillity. Oczakow was reprefented as a place of little importance; but it should be remembered that it was the key of Conftantinople, and thence led to the acquifition of the lower Egypt and Alexandria, &c. It was acknowledged that we were not bound by treaty to affift Pruffia on the prefent occafion, and that it would be even imprudent in this country to promote the defigns of the court of Berlin in any plan of national aggrandifement or conqueft. But

though

though our interference might not be expressly called for by treaty, it might be effentially neceffary to the welfare of Europe, and our own fafety fuch was the cafe with refpect to Holland, where we were under no federal neceffity of becoming parties; but the balance of power required that that country Thould be prevented from falling under the direction of France. Setting afide every idea of the intrinfic importance of the Turkish empire, the unprecedented aggrandifement of Ruffia was a moft alarming circumftance. If he were fuffered to realize her obvious fchemes of conqueft and dominion, fhe would certainly hereafter do us more harm than her friendship could do us good. Her ambition extended to the annihilation of all the powers of the north, of Denmark, Sweden, and Poland; with the latter of which our interefts were materially connected. The hemp which we received through Ruffia, was chiefly the growth of Poland; and if it could not be exported through Riga, there were other ports to which our merchantmen could have accefs-viz. Memel, Dantzick, &c. But if the emprefs was fuffered to proceed in her scheme of univerfal empire in the north, fhe would have it effectually in her power to withhold our naval fupplies whenever the might think proper. Circumftanced as she was at prefent, it was urged, a war would be lefs difadvantageous in a commercial view to us than to her. The balance of trade in favour of Ruffia was ftated to be 1,500,000l. The iniquitous tranfactions of the court of Peterburgh, in attempting to unite the powers of the Baltic against us in the time of our diftrefs, in wresting the Crimea from the Porte, and above all, in dif

membering the unhappy kingdom of Poland, were ftated in glowing colours. Our trade with Turkey was noticed as being far from contemptible, as it was a rifing trade; and, in the last year, the exports amounted to 800,000 1.

In addition to the former arguments of oppofition, it was now contended that minifters had profeffed that the late armament was to enfure permanent tranquillity to the country. It was further said, that if even the interefts of an ally were concerned, that was no reason why we fhould not attend a little to our own. This was a favourable opportunity for reducing our establishment, and turning our attention to the cultivation of peace. The aggrandifement of Ruffia was acknowledged to be a formidable circumftance to this country; but how could it be proved that Oczakow in the hands of the czarina could hurt either the interests of Pruffia or this country? It was even fuggefted that Oczakow was held out to the world as the pretence for this armament, when in fact its object was the aggrandisement of the king of Pruffia; and that the acquifition of Thorn and Dantzick, which were guaranteed to Poland by us, was the object with that ambitious monarch.

Mr. Sheridan in particular, in a happy vein of irony, ridiculed the filence of miniftry, the doctrine of implicit confidence, the devotion of our court to the views of Pruffia, and particularly the delufions of the minifter with respect to the finances. He asked whether the right honourable gentleman recollected the very different profpects to which we had been directed to turn our eyes in this year? Did he recollect that this was the promifed millennium? that halcyon year,

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in which we were not only to have an income equal to our expenditure, but a clear million a year furplus to pay towards the diminution of the national debt, and a permanent peace eftablishment! Mr. Sheridan .contrafted this with the actual state of the moment, the immediate profpect of another war, and the certainty of additional taxes. In fpeaking of our conduct refpecting Hol land in 1787, on which praise had been lavished from every quarter, he declared that, if the question were put to him, whether, as a fingle ineasure, he rejoiced at it? he should without hesitation anfwer that he did not; because he never could rejoice at feeing the flock of liberty diminished; and by our interference, that noble republic was again reduced to the mirable ftate of vaffalage under which fhe had fo long groaned. He admitted, however, that the probability which then exifted of that country becoming a province of France, excufed an interference which would have been otherwise inexcufable. Mr. Sheridan concluded with condemning, in pointed terms, the fyftem of our treaty with Pruffia. It was a fyftem, he faid, of ambition, of vainglory, and of intrigue; and faftened upon us a concern (above all others moft pernicious) with the Germanic league.

Mr. Grey's refolutions were negatived by a majority of 80.

The question was agitated a third time on the 15th of April, on two motions being made by Mr. Baker; the first expreffing it as the duty of the houfe, before they proceed to lay additional burthens on their conftituents, to enquire into the juftice and neceffity of the objects; the fecond ftating, that no information had been given to the houfe on the prefent occafion. After fo full an

investigation, however, as the fubject had previously undergone, it is obvious that fcarcely any thing new could be advanced; it is therefore fufficient to fay that Mr. Baker's motions were both negatived by a majority of 92.

The last time in which, during the feffion, this question was agitated in the commons, was on the 25th of May, when an addrefs to his majefty was moved by Mr. T. Grenville, in a very able fpeech, which, after having treated the fubject fo largely, it is unneceffary to report. On two or three conftitutional points, however, Mr. Grenville was peculiarly clear and pointed. He faid, no man was more ftrenu oufly difpofed to maintain the royal prerogatives than he always wasThe right of making war and peace was one of these prerogatives-As however it was, perhaps, above all others, the most dangerous to exercife, it was precifely that prerogative which, even at the most defpotic periods of our hiftory, was most meddled with; and the reason was plain, because the means of making war was never to be obtained but by the confent of the commons. Agreeably to this fentiment, he pointed out feveral inftances, one fo early as the reign of Henry III. when the parliament refufed to pay his fifter's portion, because that alliance was made without their advice. In the reign of Edward III. that prince was obliged to call fixteen parliaments, for the direct purpofe of fubmitting his treaties of war and peace, &c. to their advice. Similar precedents he quoted from almost all the fucceeding reigns.

Another circumstance, against which Mr. Grenville entered a very forcible proteft, was general votes of credit. If a precife fum had been voted, he observed, the house would

have