the circumstances of danger and ruin, in which they had been so nearly involved.

A French fleet of great force had now arrived on the coaft, of which neither the army nor navy had till this time received the fmallest notice. This unexpected event filled the minds of all the officers with new apprehenfions, and the dangers which they had lately escaped, appeared fmall to those which they now apprehended. They had as yet been masters of the feas in that quarter, and could move where they pleased, whenever they were in danger by land; but now two evils stared them in the face, they were obliged to change their pofition on the continent for the fake of having free access to their fhips, but now the fleet itself was in danger, which greatly increased their apprehenfions:

The danger to which our fleet and army were now expofed, had been forefeen and foretold by those who were in the oppofition in parliament, and the failing of the French fleet under the command of the Count D'Estaing had been published long before our miniftry had made any provifion against its operations. Some warm reprefentations had been made concerning the fupineness and negligence of our admiralty, in feveral fpeeches in parliament, to which the ministry were unable to reply with any degree of fatisfaction to either their friends or enemies. The incapacity of our miniftry had as bad an effect upon public affairs, as if they had proceeded with a real intention to ruiu the nation, and there were not' wanting fome, who both faid as well as thought, that they really intended the events which happened. This latter does not appear to have been the cafe. but the effects of their incapacity were equally fatal

to

to the public intereft. It was little benefit to the pub lic to be informed, that they did not act wrong through treachery and defign, when they did the fame things through incapacity; and would not give up employments and offices, which they could not dif charge with honour to themfelves, nor fafety to their country.

Information had been received a long time before the failing of the Toulon fleet, that it was preparing and would be ready to fail in a fhort time, yet our admiralty difregarded thefe notices, and fuffered the French squadron, under the Count D'Estaing, to pafs the limits of the Mediterranean, and to carry deftruction to our fleet and army in North America, and afterwards fire and fword to our Weft India iflands. It was of fmall advantage to the the nation to know, whether the prefent misfortunes had happened through the treachery or incapacity of the miniftry, or from that fatality that had conftantly attended all their measures. They had banished, by their counfels, all wife and honeft men from the prefence of their fovereign, and were now employing him in holiday pageants at Spithead, to divert the attention of the people from their immediate danger, whilft our colonies and foreign dependencies were neglected,our glory ftained, and the British flag difgraced. The oppofition in parliament afked the miniftry, and with great propriety, whether it leffened the calamities of the nation to know, that the pillaging of their coafts during the fummer, the alarm and terror into which different parts of the kingdom had been thrown, under the apprehenfion of invafion, together with the deftruction of their commerce, and the lofs of public credit, proceeded merely from the incapa

city of the minifters? Or that the calling out of a militia without arms, and fending them to be encamped without tents or field equipage, sprung from the fame caufe? But to which ever cause the foregoing inftances may be attributed, no doubt, faid they, can be entertained, that it was the most thorough conviction of their incapacity, which produced the French refcript, the dangerous meafure on which it was founded, and the infult and contumely which the British flag has undergone in the ports of Spain. Nothing less than fuch conviction, could have emboldened those nations to venture upon fuch a conduct, nor could any other poffible direction of the affairs of Great Britain, have drawn upon it such infult and injury.

They asked, if any man in his fenfes could give a vote of credit to a miniftry, who were always laft to learn what they should be first to know? Who could be fo infenfible of the fudden emergencies to which fuch a season as the present was liable, that when the account arrived of a tranfaction, which every body expected, and which they fhould have long fince guarded againft, only one of them was to be found, and the reft were fo difperfed in the course of their pleasures, that a fufficient number of them could not be procured, for holding a council, until the hour of debate and determination was loft. Thus had we loft that advantage of the wind, which its known and natural course in the month of April afforded; and now fee our fleet embayed at Portf mouth, and likely to continue there, from its having as naturally and regularly taken the oppofite di

rection.

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Who

Who then, they said, could truft fuch minifters! or was it even poffible to eftimate their guilt? Was there any thing more wanting, to feal that fatal character of their administration, which carried no other diftinction, than the regular and fucceffive circumftances of ruin, in which they had involved their country? But it feemed, that the difgrace of a Burgoyne was to be atoned by the deftruction of a Howe; and the want of information relative to the union of France and America, to be compenfated by the ignorance of D'Eftaing's failing and deftination. A gentleman of diftinction, on that fide, ended his fpeech with eager exclamation: Whither is the fpirit of England fled! Where is the wifdom that used to pervade her councils! Where are the terrors gone, with which fhe was wont to fill the bofoms of those who dared to infult her! Britain, he feared, was betrayed; treachery and corruption vied with each other, to fee which fhould firft effect her downfall and difgrace. The minifters faid they were confident, that if the gentlemen on the other fide were acquaint"ed with the preparations that had been made, and the effectual care taken to protect this country from invafion, they would not fo rafhly condemn them for treachery; nor charge them fo haftily with incapacity. The utmoft exertions had been used, as well with refpect to the navy, as to every other mode of preparation and defence. And though no fleet had yet failed to oppofe the Toulon fquadron, that was properly to be attributed to the advantage of fupply which the French derived from their regifter, and which at all times enabled them to man. out a fleet fooner than we could; but it by no means afforded

any

any juft ground for the repeated charges of incapa city made against the minifters. They befides infift ed, that in the prefent circumstances of danger to which the nation was expofed, under the immediate threat and apprehenfion of an invafion, it would have been highly imprudent and unwife to have weakened the home defence, by any detachment from the Grand Fleet, until fuch a force was provided, as would have been adequate to the different services. And if it had been otherwife, and that detachments could have been fpared, ftill they contended, that it would not have been fitting to fend out a fquadron to oppofe D'Eftaing, without fome clue for its guidance in meeting him, which could not be obtained, until fome light was thrown on his deftination or object. It was hoped, that if D'Eftaing was bound to North America, Lord Howe would be able to use fuch means of defence, as would prevent any immediate confequence of moment; but in the worst that could happen, Admiral Byron, with the fleet now under his orders at Portsmouth, would arrive in time on the coast, to take full vengeance for any. infult that was offered.

The American minifter acknowledges, that appear→ ances were against the miniftry; but appearances were not to justify a condemnation; a full enquiry into the circumstances might place their case in a very different light. For his part he was ready to meet every fcrutiny, and wifhed punishment to fall where it was deserved. When the difpatches arrived, he took the speedieft means to convene the minifters from the country, where fome of them then were. That from the time of their arrival, the greater expedition

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