which nothing could authorife, but a clear and pofitive certainty of its being beneficial to the general interefts of the empire, I must advance to a candid, liberal, and neceffary difcuffion of its merits. Befide, I am abfolutely not only called upon, but compelled to reply to a direct accufation of paft conduct: an enquiry into which I fhall always be more happy to meet than to recede from. So that, however unwilling I might have been thought to have met such a difcuffion, it would have been entirely impoffible, not to fay derogatory from every principle of honour, which I trust I fhall as much merit as preferve, to have avoided the difcuffion of the prefent fubject. The right honourable gentleman who has moved the address, has fo pointedly and perfonally directed himself to me, that I cannot avoid giving publicly my private fentiments on these Preliminaries. Neither can I avoid ftating the reafons which render it impoffible for me to accede to that fpecies of unlimitted approbation moved for by the right honourable gentleman who opened the debate: and, although I experience the greatest difficulty in ftating these reasons, yet I feel a much greater to withhold them. Were I to fupprefs my reafons, I should be confidered as giving my tacit approbation of that conduct, which I am afraid my country will feel as much cause as I do for condemnation. But, on the contrary, fhould I give my fentiments, they may be conftrued by the House into a defire to impede and obftruct the operations of Government, and a difpofition to carry on a war which has, I muft own, too fatally proved difaftrous to the welfare of Britain: but whatever may be the extent of this opinion, nothing can be more false; I am therefore compelled to rife. I hope that I fhall be understood, in this neceflity, not to mean the leaft impediment to the operations of Government, nor to join in any perfonal, prejudiced, or vindictive cenfure of Minifters; or in any particular to counteract, or to fruftrate, the peace which has been with fo much difficulty concluded. Not that I wished to have been the caufe of the peace, which, in my opinion, has been conftitutionally made under the wing of preroga tive; or to fubject its advisors, who were refponfible. I will declare my reafons candidly and unrefervedly, why I cannot agree to the propriety of the approbation moved by the right honourable gentleman, and why I fhall efpoufe the amendment propofed by the noble Lord. At the fame time that the amendment propofed gives a fanction to the peace, peace, by an affurance of inviolably adhering to the several articles to which the Minifters have pledged the public concurrence, in my opinion very pertinently, properly, and indifpenfibly expreffes, that his Majefty's faithful Commons will hereafter proceed to confider the articles with that ferious and adequate attention which fuch an important fubject deferves. The honourable gentleman who moved the addrefs has put the question to me, "If you approve not of this peace, can you make a better?" This is a queftion I will not pretend to anfwer. Those who were employed in making this peace must know much better than I the poffibility of making a better peace. All I can obferve upon this question is, that from the fituation of the country, I will afk, Whether this is fuch a peace as ought to have been made? Minifters may deprecate the cenfure of Parliament, by asking them, Could they do better? But this can be no excufe with the people, who find their hopes, confidence, and expectations disappointed. Having read the Preliminary Articles, and the Provifional Treaty, with the most fair and impartial attention, I cannot find in any one article any ground for the affertion, that they have been concluded on the principle of uti poffidetis with the houfe of Bourbon. In regard to France, the Houfe will perceive, that by the fifth article they are permitted to fortify the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon. This is not mentioned by the right honourable author of the motion. He has not obferved, that this was carefully avoided in all former treaties. He has not obferved, how materially this affected the Newfoundland fishery, by rendering the ftipulation infinitely more important and lucrative to France than it had ever been in any former treaty, He has not observed, therefore, that as it enables the French to carry on the fishery in time of war, it is a power which fhe never yet had enjoyed. This treaty has ceded St. Lucia. Of its importance, a better idea cannot be conceived, than from adverting to the number of islands which she has ceded to us as a compenfation. She has restored to us Grenada, the Grenadines, St. Vincent's, Dominica, St. Chrif topher's, Nevis, and Montferrat. From this it is evident, that this one island in the fcale of French negotiation is worth the purchase of five. Thus has the given us the fu periority, quo ad hoc fhe had made us mafters of our poffeffions in the West Indies. In In Africa we have ceded every thing. In India we have restored to the French all their former establishments. There is not one reserved to us on the coast of Orixa; we have alfo given them liberty to surround Chaudenagore with a ditch, befide engaging to take fuch fteps as fhould fecure a fafe, practicable, and independent commerce on the coafts of Orixa, Malabar, and Coromandel; Pondicherry and Karical we have reftored; we have given them poffeffion of Mahé, and of the Comptoir at Surat; fuch has been the principle of uti poffidetis with regard to our ceffions and reftorations in Africa and the Eaft. But with respect to the fixteenth Article, if I may be allowed to give my ferious anfwer, I muft candidly declare that it is not within my humble apprehenfion. I do not understand either its principle or its execution; I cannot conceive from this article, whether we can with any propriety confider a peace has yet been concluded, at least it appears to me not pofitively concluded with France. For by this article the conclufion of the peace moft materially depends upon the inclination of Holland; our treaty with them has fuch a relative connection with that of the fixteenth article, that it is impoffible to confider ourselves at peace with France, until their High Mightineffes have ratified the treaty; but as this remains to be done, the business is inconclufive, and, therefore, cannot with any precision be confidered. So that nothing can farther be faid on this part of the treaty than that it makes our India fituation very precarious, and gives the most fingular and obvious advantages to that of France. This is particularly exemplified in Hyder Aly; fhould he not choose to fheath his fword, he might, and undoubtedly would do us and our allies infinite mifchief. What power have we to withstand his depredations? The Nabob of Arcot, a poor man, who is more under the neceffity of being defended, than of poffeffing the power of defending; will he be able to fight Hyder Aly fingle handed? For the truth of this, I fhall only appeal to the fuperior knowledge in India affairs of my learned friend, (the Lord Advocate.) Having thus far touched upon the articles relative to the ceffions and restorations in America, the West Indies, Africa, and the East Indies, I fhall now proceed to give my fentiments on the feventeenth article, by which we have con fented, by which we have abfoluted, abrogated, and fuppreffed every article in former treaties that has had any reference to what has been confidered, in the eyes of Europe fo important and honourable to Great Britain. But, although I have to condemn the principle of this article, yet I must be free enough to confefs, that I never held Dunkirk in that estimation, which has been the caufe of its being fo importantly confidered in former treaties. I confider it not in the fame point of eftimation as thofe who made the very memorable treaty of Utrecht. But yet I cannot but own the importance of Dunkirk is very great and honourable to Great Britain, as far as it tended to perpetuate former victories, and to demonstrate prefent power. To keep an English Commiffary on the territories of an enemy for the purpose of reporting, checking, and preventing any attempt to build, erect, repair any wall or building as a fortificationor even to clean their harbour, fo as to admit of ships of a burthen beyond certain limitations, could not but debase the dignity of the French, and exalt the honour, power, and authority of ourselves; fo far was the abrogation and fuppreffion of former treaties with regard to Dunkirk impolitic-if not unneceffary. But, however, during the prefent war, indeed, France has forborne any attempt to erect, repair, or reftore its former fortifications. This is a reafon which renders it of lefs confequence, and of lefs apprehenfion than what it had been in former wars. But the reafon is evident, France, having experienced at the conclusion of every war with Great Britain, that she has been obliged to demolish the fortifications she had erected, chofe in the present war to fave her money and her chagrin. Now it was more than probable she would put it into a state of immediate fortification; for now the bad rid herfelf of what the felt not only a degradation of her character, but an infult on her weakness. We may, therefore, experience the difagreeable effects which we had in former wars, and which had been the first cause of our requiring its demolition; fo that in whatever point of view Iconfider this treaty with refpect to France, I muft confefs my incapacity to find what part of it has preferved the principle fo much boasted of uti poffidetis. I have now to confider the treaty with Spain, let me view it in whatever light it prefents itself, I cannot but think the ceffion of Minorca was unfortunate, and the ceffion of East Florida is improvident. The honourable gentleman is furely very wide from the truth, in faying, that as we had loft Weft Florida; Eaft Florida could be of little moment in our our poffeffion, for in my opinion, having loft West Florida, Eaft Florida was then to us of the greater moment. It is true, by the fourth article, British fubject are allowed to cut logwood; but this article is furely a nugatory ftipulation, why was not the district specified? Why was not its fituation defcribed, and its boundaries circumfcribed? Befide, why was the allotment deferred until the period of fix months? These are questions that I could with were fatisfactorily answered. The place when it is allotted may prove the leaft agreeable to us, and the leaft confiftent with our conveniency. As to the Bahama iflands, in what bear they the least competition with the Florida we have loft, and the Florida we have ceded? You cannot look round the coast of the latter province, without seeing a number of fmall islands from whence our Jamaica trade will be always fubject to annoy from privateers, which may be equipped and harboured in their bays, rivers, and ports. Our Jamaica trade cannot pass the Gulph of Florida without being liable to fuch a depredation. Since Cape Nicola Mole is fortified, they cannot find another paffage. The confequence of this will prove particularly dangerous in a future war. For now we have not Georgia, which used to fhelter us from the hurricanes and tempefts too frequent and formidable in thofe feas. Had we retained Georgia, we fhould have congratulated ourselves on there yet being a refort for our trade and shipping, which is now unavoida bly expofed to the dangers of the feas, feafons, and ene mies. So that where is to be found the leaft ray of uti poffidetis ? When we confider the value of Minorca, that it was always poffeffed with much greater eafe than even the impregnable G braltar, that it has one of the finest harbours in the world, that it has never been that object of contention with Spain as Gibraltar has been, although it affords to us every advantage of Gibraltar, and even advantages which Gibraltar cannot afford. It is true, that Gibraltar, in its fitua tion, is very convenient for our fhips paffing the ftraits. It is fituated in a fine, healthy, and pleasant clinate, and is provided with excellent water, by which our fhips may be refreshed and recruited. Its fituation, likewife, affords us an opportunity of keeping the Moors from annoying our trade by their corfairs. Here we can always keep that number of men of war which protects our trade from their piratical depredations; fo that Gibraltar may be confidered the |