ftore that harmony, good temper, and union among ourfelves, which had of late been fo unhappily difturbed and broken through. The majority of the people, who never trouble themselves in any country about confequences, are in this always eager for a war. The opinion or apprehenfion of a rupture did not however fo to tally occupy men's minds, as to prevent a difagreeable remembrance of thofe domestic matters, which had already been the caufe of fo much diffatisfaction. A few days after the rifing of parliament, another addrefs, remonftrance, and petition, was prefented by the city of London, in May 23d. which, after profeffions of the greateft loyalty and affection, they first deplore the fevere cenfure caft upon them by the anfwer to their former remonftrance, and execrate the malignant and pernicious advice which could fuggeft it, and then renew their application in the strongest terms, for the diffolution of the prefent, and the calling of a new parliament; talked much of fecret machinations, and the infidious attempts of evil counsellors; and infifted strongly upon the indifpenfible right of the fubject, which they now claimed, of being reprefented by a full, free, and unmutilated parliament, legally chofen in all its members. The anfwer, which was in fupport and confirmation of the former, was productive of an uncommon, if not unheard-of circumftance. Mr. Beckford, then Lord Mayor of London, to the amazement of the court, and with a boldness and freedom, perhaps, peculiar to himself, made an immediate and fpirited reply to the King's anfwer, which he concluded in the following words, "That whoever had already dared, or fhould hereafter endeavour by false infinuations and fuggeftions, to alienate his Majesty's affections from his loyal fubjects in general, and from the city of London in particular, and to withdraw his confidence and regard from his' people, was an enemy to his Majefty's perfon and family, a violator of the public peace, and a betrayer of our happy conflitution as it was eftablished at the glorious and neceffary revolution." This anfwer was variously judged. Thofe who paid a high regard to the de corums of the court, declared it indecent and unprecedented to reply to any anfwer of the King.. But in the city his fpirit was infinitely applauded. Both parties concurred in admiring the manner in which he delivered himfelf. The fate of this and the former remonftrances, did not prevent one from the county of Surrey, which was prefented foon after; and was in fome time fucceeded by a petition from the city of Westminster; nor did the death of Alderman Beckford prevent another from the city of London, which was prefented, a few days. Nov. 21ft. after the meeting of parliament, and was the third received from that great city within the courfe of the year. Thofe in the popular intereft, however, in general, finding all their applications for redrefs fruitlefs, feemed at length to defpair of obtaining it in that manner, and to grow tired of prefenting in effectual effectual petitions, which now by their frequency began to lofe all their effect. This at least feemed to be the fenfe of a great meeting of the freeholders of Yorkshire, who inftead of a petition agreed upon a very fpirited letter of thanks to their reprefentatives, for their conduct in parliament, in which they declared, that hopeless of fuccefs from a reiterated petition; whilst the fame influence prevailed, which prevented the former from meeting with a favourable reception, they would forbear to make a further application to the throne. But they recommended it to their members to perfevere in every parliamentary method for obtaining redrefs; and if they fhould find proper occafion and means, to impeach those whofe advice had caufed the late evils and prevented their removal. Such feems in general to have been the ftate of public affairs pre-, vious to the meeting of parlia ment. The navy was found in a very bad condition, and the guard-fhips were faid to be nearly as deficient in their due complement of men, as they were defective in every other article. The peculiar ill humour of the times, fhewed itself in every thing. The manning of the navy met with difficulties; the failors thewed an unufual repugnance to the fervice, and the legality of prefswarrants was publickly called in queftion, and the opinions of counfel applied to on the fubject. In the city of London, upon the election of Alderman Crosby to the mayoralty, that magiftrare totally refused to back the prefs warrants, and faid, that the confiderable bounty granted by the city, was intended to prevent fuch violences. Alderman Wilkes had before difcharged an impreffed man. In the mean time, fuch as were averfe to a war, or dreaded the confequences of it, as well as that numerous body of mankind who always like to find fault, looked back with refentment to the late peace, and to the makers and advifers of it. All the arguments urged againft the one, and the reproaches thrown upon the others, were now minutely recollected, and variety of fresh matter added to the detail; while the arguments in its favour, and the caufes which at that time made it appear neceffary, were totally effaced from the memory. Indeed many whofe minds were moft free from paffion or prejudice, and who judging of the difputes between rival nations, only by the fame equitable and difinterested principles which should at all times take place between private perfons, had not at that time in general difapproved of the conditions of peace, could not now refrain from the utmost in dignation, at beholding the flag rant infult we had received, from a foe that we had fo lately in our power, and from thinking that thofe who faid, that the fruits of one of the most glorious and fuccefsful wars in hiftory, had been bartered for an inglorious and infecure truce, had but too much reafon on their fide. In this ftate of anxiety, doubt, and expectation, all people longed ́ eagerly for the meeting of parliament. No change had taken place in administration during the re cefs; cefs; and as Lord North had fuccessfully weathered all the storms of the winter, fupported by a prodigious majority, upon almoft every occafion, he feemed now to be as fecurely fixed in his feat at the head of the treasury, as the fashion of the times, and the precarious circumstances that might attend the commencement of a war, would admit of. The ftate of the different parties in oppofition, had hitherto fuffered no very material change. The death of Mr. George Grenville, which happened on the day of the meeting of parliament, having left that particular party, of which he was confidered as the principal, without a leader, fome of the moft diftinguished of them, and who appeared the moft fanguine in oppofition, went over to the court; these particulars however we fhall recount in their proper place, Those of the old whigs, who are called the Rockingham party, which is the strongest and most nu merous of thofe in oppofition, ftill continued to act upon the fame principles on which they fet out; and thofe who were particularly attached to the Earls of Chatham, Temple, or Shelburne, took a general part with them in most public measures. right to expect for the injury receiv ed. That the neceffary preparations had also been made, without loss of time, in order to be enabled to obtain juftice, in cafe the requi fition to the court of Spain fhould fail of procuring it. An affurance was given that these preparations fhould not be difcontinued, until proper reparation had been received for the injury, as well as fatisfactory proofs, that otherpowers were equally fincere in their refolution to preserve the general tranquillity of Europe. And that they had been called together thus early, in order to receive from them fuch advice and affistance, as in the further progrefs of fo important a bufinefs, might happen to become necessary. With respect to the colonies it was observed, that the people in moft of them had begun to depart from thofe combinations, which were calculated to distress the come merce of this country: the Province of Maffachufets Bay was however ftill complained of, where, it was faid, very unwarrantable practices were still carried on, and the good fubjects oppreffed by the fame lawless violence which had too long prevailed there. After obferving that the eftimates for the enfuing year mu unavoidably exceed the ufual amount, it was added, that it would be neither confulting the interefts, nor the inclinations of the people, to decline any expence, which the public fecurity, or the maintenance of the national honour, should at any time require. That as to foreign measures, no doubt was held, that there could be any other conteft, than who fhould appear moft forward in fupport of the common caufe, in upholding the reputation, and promoting the profperity of the kingdom. And concluded with a laudable profeffion, that the crown had no intereft, and could have none, diftin&t from that of the people. The addrelles were fpirited; and the strongest and most unreferved affurances were given, that every degree of requifite fupport fhould be chearfully granted. At the fame time that the bleffings of peace were acknowleged, the fulleft confidence was placed in his Majefty, that he would never be induced, by a miftaken tenderness for the prefent cafe of the people, to facrifice their more effential, and more lasting interefts.-That from the commons concluded by a declaration, that if any hopes fhould have been conceived, or it fhould have been any where furmifed, that there were any fuch differences fubfifting among the people, as could in the leaft degree abate the ardor of their affectionate attachment to his Majefty, or prevent their joining, as one man, in maintaining unfallied the luftre of the crown, and preferving undiminished the rights of the people, they would by their proceedings convince the world how falfe and injurious all fuch furmifes were; and make it manifeft, that, whenever they were called upon in the cause of their king and country, there would be but one heart and one voice among them. Though the addreffes were carried through without a divifion, they did not pafs without confiderable debates, which took in the ftate of preparation in the nation, the caufes of the expected war, and the conduct of the miniftry hitherto in regard to it. It was not however the intention of oppofition, by any means to impede the raifing of the fupplies, or to flacken in any degree the preparations for carrying on a war; on the contrary, they wished the moft vigorous meafures to be purfued, and the moft full and exemplary fatisfaction obtained, as well to prevent future infults, as to convince foreign princes, that they could not wantonly and with impunity, give alarms to our trade, and put the nation to extraordinary expences, at every time that caprice or malevolence might prompt them to fuch a practice. It was faid by thofe in oppofition, that as one infult is always the forerunner of others, fo the prefent outrage offered by Spain, was a natural confequence of our paffive and fhameful conduct in regard to the affair of Corfica. That the fpeech was an oftentatious difplay of minifterial conduct, and the addrefs an approbation of every part of it. That before fuch a public approbation was given, it was neceffary to know what that conduct had been which merited fuch applaufes. That it was neceffary to know what the Spaniards had done, and what previous information our miniftry had received of their defigns. That by our conduct for a twelvemonth paft, it would appear that we had not an enemy in the world; and yet by the King's fpeech at the opening of the laft feffion, it was evident that a war was then apprehended. The bad ftate of our navy, and the defenceless condition of our colonies, particularly Jamaica, was much infifted infifted upon, as was alfo, our not for the public confidence without having a fleet in the Mediterranean, to cover Gibraltar and Minorca. That independent of any private intelligence, the account publickly avowed to have been received on the 3d of June, that the Spaniards had warned our people to depart from their fettlement on Falkland's Inland, was in itself a fufficient indication of the ill defigns of the House of Bourbon, and of what was naturally to follow; but between that and the 22d of September, when our people brought the account of the infult upon our flag, what had been done to put us in a state of fecurity at home, or to enable us to protect our dominions abroad? Were the regiments compleated, or was the navy manned and put in proper condition? None of all these things were done, and we are now looking aghaft, expecting every wind to bring an account of fome other lofs, perhaps of much more confequence, and much harder to be replaced: yet we are to return thanks to the minifters, not for any thing they have done; but it is to be prefumed, because they have not done fome worfe thing than any that we are yet acquainted with. لو It was faid, that while the rights of the people were violated at home, it was abfurd to hope for the cordial union which ought to be earneftly wished for in defence of our honour against foreign powers. That the firft and indifpenfible requifite towards the obtaining juftice from foreigners, was to fatisfy the people at home. That this could only be done, by reverf ing the decision on the Middlesex election, and thereby reftoring their conftitutional rights: that to hope this, would be madness and folly and that it was alfo madness and folly, to hope to fupport a war with out the public confidence. That part of the fpeech which faid that the honour of the crown and the rights of the people were deeply affected by an act of the Governor of Buenos Ayres, was feverely excepted to; and as in this country the fpeech from the throne, is only confidered as the fpeech of the minifter for the time being, fo this paffage became a general object of cenfure and ridicule, both within and out of doors. It was faid, that as a fupplement to the fame abfurd conduct which had degraded majesty into a ridiculous perfonal conteft with wretched libeller at home, the honour and dignity of the crown were now committed in a conteft with a paltry Spanish officer. That John Wilkes, and Don Francifco Buccarelli, were the foes that were to rouze the vengeance of England. Why was an officer that acted only under command, confidered, inftead of the King his master, as the principal in an injury offered to this great nation? The answer is evident; the fame temporizing, mean, and cowardly policy prevails, that beheld the feizure of Corfica, in defiance of faith and of treaty; and now hopes, under this fubterfuge, to find fome means of prolonging its existence, though at the price of the national dignity and honour. Upon the whole, it was afferted, that the conduct of the minifters had neither been able nor honeft; that they had loft the confidence of the people, yet imagine that the people will fupport them; that [B 2] they |