- XX.

it traversed.This doctrine was heard with ap- BOOK parent indignation by divers of the ministerial party themselves. Mr. Yorke, member for the 1794. county of Cambridge, in particular, observing, "that if his majesty had such a prerogative, the House of Commons could not be too soon employed in retrenching it." The Attorney General declared himself by no means prepared to assert the existence of such a prerogative, and deprecated any farther discussion of the question. Notwithstanding this seeming defection, the numbers, on the division, were, 41 only in favor of the motion, to 170 who opposed it.

The earl of Albemarle, in an able and constitutional speech, the first which he delivered in parliament, brought forward a motion similar to that of Mr. Grey. His lordship noticed the Bill of Indemnity introduced under the administration of lord North, which passed in the commons, and was lost in the lords, merely from the objection made by the marquis of Rockingham to the preamble, in which it was stated "that DOUBTS had arisen, &c." whereas the marquis declared that no doubts had existed, or could exist, as to the pretended right of the crown to land foreign troops in the kingdom. -The motion was supported by the earls of Lauderdale and Guildford, the marquis of Lansdown and the duke of Bedford. Lord Romney,

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BOOK who now usually voted with the court, testified as to the share which he had borne respecting 1794. the former bill of indemnity. At that time, his lordship said, it was not even pretended that to introduce and employ foreign troops in any part of the king's dominions was legal and constitutional; the only difficulty which arose related to the wording of the preamble in such a way as not to throw a doubt upon the principle. Lord Grenville himself was far from taking up the question in the same high tone with Mr. Pitt. His lordship declared, he saw no use in agitating abstract propositions in parliament, and that it would be better for the country if the question were left open, and ministers remained subject, as at present, to the eventual responsibility of abusing a power, the exercise of which was admitted to be occasionally necessary. In these sentiments the other lords in administration, lord Hawkesbury, lord Auckland, &c. seemed to concur; and the bill was upon this ground merely rejected, though the lords Stanhope and Radnor signed a protest against the decision of the house. Upon the whole, and on a general review of the debates in parliament respecting this great constitutional question, Mr. Pitt appears to have been the only man who took a decided part against the interests of his country.

About this period of the session the chancellor

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1794.

of the Exchequer moved, in the Committee of BOOK Supply, that the treaty between his majesty and the king of Sardinia be referred to the said committee. Conformably to the tenor of this singular treaty, Great Britain, it will be recollected, was pledged to pay to his Sardinian majesty the sum of 200,000l. to be employed in the defence of his own dominions; and also not to make any peace with France of which the restoration of Savoy, and his other conquered territories, was not a preliminary article; although it never had been pretended that Savoy was an object of sufficient consequence to involve England in a war with France, and the English court had even made a boast of its neutrality subsequent to the acquisition of that duchy by the arms of the republic. The resolution enabling his majesty to make good this rash and romantic treaty passed without a formal division, though it excited the severe and poignant animadversions of the members in opposition.

statement of

The military and naval force voted for the ser- Annual vice of the year amounted to more than 250,000 finance. men, including about 35,000 foreigners; and a new loan was created of 11,000,0007. three-percents. and 2,750,000l. four-per-cents. with the addition of a temporary annuity of about onehalf per cent. for 11,000,000l. actually borrowed by the government,

LA

BOOK
XX.

A bill introduced by Mr. Wilberforce, for abolishing that part of the slave-trade which re1794. lated to the supply of foreign plantations, passed Bill for the the house of commons under the insidious patron

partial abo

slave-trade

lition of the age of Mr. Pitt, but was thrown out in the lords -rejected. in consequence of the avowed disapprobation of

lord Grenville, who was, however, pleased to profess himself an advocate for the principle of the bill, which was (he said) ill-timed pending the inquiry instituted in that house respecting the general question; and in this miserable subterfuge he was seconded by Horsley, bishop of Rochester. Increase of On the 22d of February a message was de

the land

forces.

livered from the king, purporting, that the avowed intentions of the enemy to invade this country made an increase of the land-forces necessary: and an address was voted by the house, assuring his majesty "of their zealous concurrence in every exertion which became a brave and loyal people in the prosecution of this just and necessary war." So soon were the lofty and boastful predictions of ministers falsified, and their pride humbled, by a change of fortune of which they would not previously suppose the possibility. A great augmentation of the militia, and an addition of volunteer fencible corps, were accordingly voted, and the dangerous and doubtVoluntary ful expedient resorted to of soliciting voluntary

contribu

tions.

contributions, by a formal letter written by the

XX.

secretary of state to the lords-lieutenants of the BOOK several counties of the kingdom, This subject was brought by Mr. Sheridan in a regular mode 1794, before the house, and reprobated by him and the members of opposition in general as a gross violation of the principles of the constitution and of the privileges of that house, But his reasonings, if not confuted, were set at rest, by moving, as usual upon all inconvenient and troublesome propositions, the previous question,

for peace

Mr. Whit

the earl of

On the 6th of March Mr. Whitbread moved Addresses an address to the king, strongly expressive of dis- moved by approbation of the conduct of ministers, and of bread and those measures which had preceded and suc- Guildford. ceeded the declaration of war-lamenting that his majesty should have been advised to make a common cause with powers whose objects are undefined, but who, as there is much ground to fear, prosecute the war with views and for purposes solemnly disavowed by his majesty, and abhorrent to the principles of a free nation; and stating, that the restoration of Savoy was not of sufficient importance to be made a condition of peace; and requesting his majesty to extricate himself from his present engagements, as they prevented his concluding a separate peace.As to the virulent invectives so indiscriminately employed against the French, Mr. Whitbread reminded the house that epithets no

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