XXXII. 1778. CHAP. tain. Although the minifter boasted, with an air of fortitude, of the ftate of the army and navy, would it be believed that those who talked of nothing less than unconditional fubmiffion, and bringing America prostrate at their feet, repealed obnoxious acts, from any other motive, than a conviction that the ftrength of the nation was inadequate to the conteft? And could it be expected, that, after having refifted and baffled our utmost efforts, the Americans would ever fheath the fword without fufficient fecurity against the repetition of injuries? Would not the breach of the folemn official promife of lord Hillsborough justify the Americans in declining negotiation with men, who laid the foundation of war in perfidy, and built on it with cruelty? The Americans would not, now the hazard of conteft was fo nearly past, entrust for a moment, the privileges for which they had ventured their lives and fortunes, in the hands from which they had juft rescued them. The motion tended, not to pacify America, but to amufe England by a delufive profpect of reconciliation, and fufpend, at least, the vengeance of an injured and infulted public. 3d Feb. Progrefs of the bills THESE objections produced no effect: two bills were brought in for effecting the purpofe fuggefted in lord through the North's fpeech. In the committee, ferjeant Adair moved that the power of nominating commiffioners fhould be, not in the crown, but in parliament; but the motion was negatived without a divifion. ' houfe of commons. 24th Feb. 25th. ANOTHER debate on the fame principle was maintained in the committee, when feveral friends of government reprobated the renunciation of the right of taxation; the oppofition infifted that the bill was too late to produce beneficial effects, and the minister declared the commiffioners fhould not be qualified to` concede the point of independence; the Americans muft treat as fubjects. The bill refpecting taxation was amended by the infertion of a claufe to repeal the act for taxing tea; and its provifions were extended to the Weft India Illands. ON XXXII. 1778. On the third reading of the bills, the members of CHA P. oppofition came prepared for more determined hostility, and finifhed the task of giving an unfavourable impreffion, and furnishing arguments for rejecting the 28 March. profered conciliation. Mr. Wilkes, who was the chief speaker on this fide, qualified the approbation given by oppofition to the principles of the act, by obferving it could not be withheld, as the minister had borrowed them from thofe who would not, even when in his hands, refufe to avow them. He bantered some supporters of adminiftration on the period of their converfion to thefe new principles; one had avowed that he became convinced of the impracticability of deriving a beneficial revenue from America, when general Howe was compelled to retire from the Jerfeys; another, when Burgoyne capitulated at Saratoga. Wafhington and Gates were powerful apostles; he should not be furprifed if general Howe himself were, in the end, converted. The era of the minister's converfion was not fo far diftant; it happened at the fuccefsful moment of the late American negotiation in France, which established their independence. It was impoffible not to be charmed with the gentle, meek, fupplicating, humiliating tone of the noble lord. No more was faid of the vengeance of the state against daring rebels: the harfh difcord of war no longer grated on the ear; it was now ravished with the enchanting founds of peace, harmony, and reconciliation. The conciliatory bills were more calculated for England than America: as they tendered a hope, which minifters knew to be fallacious, of reconciliation, on terms fhort of independence. Wilkes then analyzed feveral expreffions in the bills, which, far from healing, he confidered moft obnoxious, offenfive, and galling; the language of, high and direct infult. In October 1774, he proceeded, the congrefs humbly fupplicated for peace, liberty, and fafety; • Mr. Dundas. d Mr. Charles Baldwin. fafety XXXII. 1778. CHAP. fafety had been fince fecured by their own prowefs, except indeed on fome parts of their extenfive coast: they had been driven into independence, and began to taste its sweets; they had been forced into reluctant warfare, and urged to defperation; their towns wantonly burnt; men, women, children, even infants at the breast, inhumanly butchered, captives maffacred in cold blood, the dying and wounded fcalped; and fire and fword carried through the most fertile provinces; could ministers then weakly expect to cajole America with a parchment act, at the moment of declaring their defpair of conqueft by the fword? The colonists had now tried their ftrength, and found their refources, both on their own continent and in Europe, adequate to their views. The whole world admired their firmnefs and fortitude, and joined in warm applause of their military achievements. The zeal of France had attained its highest pitch, and even this island might fay to America, in the words of Horace, 3d, 5th, and 9th Mar. The Americans had expreffed the utmost abhorrence of the minifters who were to nominate the commiffioners; and would they entertain a more favourable idea of their creatures? The intended negotiation could produce only difgrace and humiliation, and create a lucrative job for five bold hungry dependents of the minifter. He advised, though not fond of giving advice, an immediate ceffation of arms, as the means of faving Howe from the fate of Burgoyne. To this fpeech, interfperfed with much of that ribaldry in which Mr. Wilkes fo much delighted, no anfwer was given, and the bills paffed without a divifion. PREPARED by the debates in the house of commons, Debated in the lords in oppofition embarraffed the progress of the conciliatory bills with numerous objections, unaccompanied by any conceffion. The duke of Rich the house of lords. mond XXXII. 1778. mond read the American declaration of independence, CHA P. and after commenting on it, paragraph by paragraph, appealed to ministers whether they meant to concede, or fubfcribe to its affertions? fuch as thefe, that the king was a tyrant; the troops had been quartered among them, without their confent; that the admiralty courts were a grievance; that acts fufpending those of their respective affemblies, had paffed the British parliament; that the king having acted tyrannically, they had juftly withdrawn themfelves from his allegiance; and that the judges enjoying their offices during pleasure, were rendered dependent on the crown? His majesty had loft the affection of his American fubjects, by the infolent, daring, perfidious, and unconftitutional language of ministers. These bills far from regaining it, would found the trumpet of war to all neighbouring nations. The measure was impotent, ignominious, and ineffectual. Why not renounce at once the right of taxation referved in the declaratory act? The Americans were wife, fagacious, and penetrating enough to defcry, under this pretended candour, conceffion, and good-will, the same principles directed towards the attainment of the fame objects, though by a different mode. The bill for fending out commiffioners, meant nothing, or worse than nothing; it was better calculated to divide than to conciliate. It empowered to treat with America, and then returned to Europe to confult parliament. Why not inftead of arming commiflioners with powers, not to be regulated, nor of courfe properly exercised, why not repeal all the obnoxious acts at once? Such conduct would evince fincerity. If the neceffity which minifters avowed to influence their meafures, arofe from the knowledge of a treaty, offenfive and defensive, having been agitated, or figned between France and America, it was the duty of ministers to afford explicit information. They could not be ignorant of the truth; it had been mentioned in the lower XXXII. 1778. CHA P. lower house three weeks fince; nay report faid they not only knew it, but had fent emiffaries to tamper with Dr. Franklin and Silas Deane, offering the terms included in the bill, but which had been refused with contempt. Report even faid, they had applied to the congrefs; who had rejected every propofition they now meant to offer. If fuch was the fact, nothing could excufe, nothing palliate the prefumption and wickedness of fuch a trick, fuch a deception on the nation, as the prefent recanting fcheme, which, if unsuccessful, muft augment difficulties, and increase difhonour. BESIDE these objections from the ufual affertors of the juftice of the American cause, lord Temple, from motives precifely the reverfe, expreffed high indignation and contempt of the measure. America had aimed at independence from the beginning. Minifters had raised the spirit of the nation by the new levies, and now diminished it by thus difgracefully proftrating the country, parliament, and people, at the feet of Franklin and Deane, to whom minifters paid homage in fackcloth and afhes. The prefent bills were fo difgraceful in every point, that "venit fumma dies" might now be unhappily applied to the glory of this country. LORD SHELBURNE too, opposed the bills, affigning as a motive their tendency to feparate the two countries. He would never confent that America fhould be independent: his idea of the connexion between the mother-country and the colonies was, that they fhould have one friend, one enemy, one purse, and one fword; Great Britain fuperintending the interests of the whole, as the great controuling power. Both countries fhould have but one will, though the means of expreffing it might be different, diftinct, and varied. All this might have been procured not long fince; and perhaps even now, without measures of blood. He would never adopt any scheme tending to a divorce from |