ftructures that was ever formed by man. During this time, excepting some trifling disputes with the Germanic princes about feudal fuperiorities in Alface, nothing happened to excite the jealousy of other powers. Yet two of the defpotic potentates of the Continent affected to fee the progrefs of the revolution with alarm, and by means of the Convention of Pilnitz laid the foundation of all the horrors which have followed. The conduct of our allies, with other concurrent caufes, had confpired to produce a fecond revolution. With refpect to the question, how a permanent peace was to be made with France, his grace profeffed himself at a loss to comprehend the force of the epithet. As applied to treaties between nations, no peace had ever been, or could ever be, permanent, which it fuited the intereft and inclination of either party to break; and a peace concluded at the present time was as likely to be permanent as at any other. He then proceeded to move his first reflution.

Lord Fitzwilliam, in a speech of great violence, oppofed the position that peace could with fafety be made with France. His lordship maintained, that we had a right to interfere in the internal concerns of France till they should be fo regulated as to give fecurity to mankind, and that the part Great Britain had acted became a great and magnanimous people.

The duke of Grafton fupported the motion brought forward by the duke of Bedford, and obferved, that four years ago the government was acting the Drawcanfir in defence of the balance of power in Europe, and was now feen prizefighting for the re-establishment of defpotifm in France. His grace adverted to the request made by the French to the king of England to mediate between them and Austria— an opportunity never to be recalled; and which, if embrased with cordiality and good faith, would have placed Europe at this day in a happy ftate of peace.

Lord

Lord Hawkesbury opposed the motion upon

the ground

of its being an improper interference with the ROYAL PREROGATIVE. There were, he faid, no hopes of a permanent peace with the French; the speedieft method of obtaining it would be by a change in that government. We were juftified in our endeavours to effect this object in every practicable way; and their making war upon us unprovoked undoubtedly gave us new rights; and this none who understood the law of nations could poffibly call in question.

Lord Grenville closed the debate with the false and daring affertion, that in no former war had minifters been called upon to state the specific object of it; adding, that he did not fee why we were not to interfere with the internal concerns of France, and that the only fecurity we could obtain for a permanent peace was in restoring monarchy to France. The refolution moved was meanly evaded by the queftion of adjournment.

On the fame day Mr. Fox introduced into the house of commons a series of refolutions precifely fimilar to those moved by the duke of Bedford in the house of lords, which he illuftrated and defended with his wonted ability. A fimilar debate enfued, and the previous question being moved, on the first resolution, was carried by 210 to 57 voices.

Nothing of hiftoric moment occurred during the remainder of the feffion, which was protracted till the 11th of July, (1794,) and then terminated by a speech from the throne, in which his majefty was pleased to urge his two houses of parliament "to persevere with increased vigor and exertion in the present arduous conteft against a power irreconcileably hoftile in its principles and spirit to all regu lar and established government."

Immediately on the rifing of parliament fome alterations in the administration took place. Earl Fitzwilliam was declared lord-prefident of the council, earl Spencer appointed

lord

lord privy-feal, the duke of Portland made third secretary of state, and Mr. Windham fecretary at war. Before the clofe of the year lord Fitzwilliam was promoted to the viceroyalty of Ireland; and the earl of Mansfield, late lord Stormont, and nephew to the famous chief-juftice, now no more, fucceeded to the presidency of the council. Lord Spencer was, by a happy choice, placed at the head of the Admiralty; and lord Chatham, brother to the premier, who had for fome years occupied that important department, by a change very beneficial to the public, was now made lord privy-feal.

When the chiefs of the alarmifts went over to the court, it was understood that, upon the first favorable opportunity, provision should be made for them and their partizans, which was now done in an ample manner. But no melioration of the general fyftem was difcernible in confequence of this new coalition; and the character of the duke of Portland, at leaft, did not appear in a light more dignified or difinterefted to the public at large by his acceptance of an office which he himself had, fourteen years before, ftrenuoufly labored to abolish, as fuperfluous in itfelf, and affording the means of corrupt influence, and that under a minifter whofe appointment to office his grace had reprobated as an infult on parliament and the nation. Ten new peers were alfo created, and his grace of Portland's fervices ftill farther rewarded with a blue ribband, and the office of chancellor of the university of Oxford.*

As the campaign of 1793 terminated very late in the year, that of 1794 did not commence early. On the 6th of

The accumulation of honor and rewards conferred upon this nobleman, in confequence of the abandonment of his principles and his party, produced the following farcaftic epigrama, in allufion to his grace's family motto,

CRAIGNEZ HONIE:

When the first Bentinck warn'd his race

Above all things to fear difgrace,

Did his prophetic foul foresee,

PORTLAND, thy base apostasy?

of January the duke of Brunfwic addreffed a remarkable letter to the king of Pruffia, in which he announced the refignation of his command, ftating as his motive" the unhappy experience that want of connection, distrust, egotism, and a spirit of cabal, had difconcerted the meafures adopted during the two laft campaigns." He speaks ftill more plainly in a fubfequent part of the letter, faying— "When, instead of the prevalence of an unanimous fentiment and the fame principle, each army acts feparate and alone, of its own accord, without any fixed plan, without unanimity and without principles, the confequences are fuch as we have feen at Dunkirk, at Maubeuge, and Landau. Heaven preferve your majefty from great misfortunes !"

It is probable that the king of Pruffia, being totally dif appointed in his selfish and unprincipled views of sharing in the fpoils of vanquished France, had already determined to withdraw himself from the confederacy. In the month of February certain commiffioners from the French republic arrived at Frankfort, under the pretext of negotiating for an exchange of prisoners: but the marked distinction with which they were treated, with the long and fecret conferences which they held with general Kalkreuth, who was known to poffefs the entire confidence of the Pruffian monarch, indicated a treaty of very different import and far higher moment. Field-marfhal Mullendorf fucceeded to the duke of Brunswic in the command of the Pruffian army; and an intimation to the prince of Cobourg that he had received orders from his court to march towards Cologne was followed, on the 13th of March, by a proclamation addreffed to the German empire, announcing his Pruffian majesty's actual feceffion from the grand confederacy. His majefty ftated the incredible efforts he had made to oppose this almoft-unconquerable enemy; that he had made every poffible facrifice to the common caufe which the natural rength of Pruffia would permit; and that he is able no

longer

longer to take an active part, from his own means, without ruining his own dominions, and entirely exhaufting the property of his fubjects. He concludes, therefore, with declaring his refolution to withdraw his troops from the protection of the empire, and to order them instantly to return to his own dominions.

The British minister, whom it was well known that his Pruffian majefty regarded as no statesman, at once fell into the fnare, and that famous treaty of fubfidy was concluded, conformably to which the fum of near two millions sterling was to be paid to the court of Berlin for the service of an army of 62,000 men, to be commanded by an officer of his Pruffian majesty's own appointment. Every article in this treaty betrayed the folly and incapacity of the British miniftry; and the circumstance alone of a Pruffian general being placed at the head of the troops was fufficient to render the agreement totally inefficient. The wealth of Britain was exhausted to purchase the aid of, at beft, a nominal, perhaps a treacherous, ally---one already known to be devoid equally of honor and of honesty.

A general council of war was convened in the month of March at Ath, when the projected arrangements of the campaign, on the part of the court of Vienna, were brought forward by general Haddick. A main article of this plan was, that general Clairfait, an Auftrian officer of great ability and experience, fhould be appointed to the command of the auxiliary forces, and that the duke of York should act under his orders---the prince of Cobourg continuing at the head of the grand Imperial army. This his royal highness refused with difdain;* and, after much time loft in confulting the two courts, a compromise was at length effected, and it was determined that the emperor himself fhould take the field in perfon, and that in him should be vefted

Poffibly the duke of York had never heard that Peter the Great served as a private foldier in his own army; or poffibly his ideas of greatness might be different.