1776. PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY. mafter of which, as foon as he became acquainted with the importance of the charge entrusted to his care, waited on the Mafter General of the Ordnance, the noble Lord before alluded to, and acquainted him with the defenceless ftate of his veffel; adding, that if attacked only by an armed boat, he must be compelled to fubmit. To this preffing circumftance, I understand, the mafter of the tranfport received no other anfwer, but a general reference to one of the Secretaries of State, in whofe department, the noble Lord obferved, the matter more peculiarly belonged. This, among many other circumstances of a fimilar nature, is the fulleft proof what little attention has been paid to the tranfport fervice. I would not with that your Lordships should understand me as intending or defiring to impute the fault to any particular perfon; but it is matter of ferious and indeed melancholy confideration, that through the most glaring misconduct, more than one half of the military stores and implements of war fent to America, have fallen into the hands of the enemy; and what is of infinitely worfe confequence than the naked lofs, is, that thofe very implements have been employed fuccessfully against us, particularly the mortar now mentioned, by which, I am well informed, the expulfion of the King's troops was effected." Lord Sandwich endeavoured to defend the conduct of administration, by obferving, that the transport had three different conpys, and was each time obliged to part company in a gale of wind, the last of which, being blown on the coaft of America, the was taken by the rebels. To which his Grace returned this fhort and pointed reply: "I never meant to fay, that the transport on board which the mortar was hipped, was loft for want of a convoy: I knew the contrary to be the cafe. I spoke to a fact, which I know to be tru; I applied it generally, that the tranfports fhould have been armed; and I again repeat, if they had, that mortar would have been employed in the fervice of his Majefty, not in expelling his troops. The noble Lord is perhaps uninform ed of one very material particular, which is, that convoys are by no means a certain fecurity; the nature of the element, and a thoufand other caufes 631 I could enumerate, render their protection very precarious, and very little to be depended on. It was on this account, that the great man who prefided at the Admiralty Board during the late war, had all the tranfport veffels armed. Nay, the noble Lord who fills that high ftation at prefent, confefles in fact the neceffity of fuch a precaution; for though our naval force ferving in America, bears a proportion of at least three to one to that of the preceding year, yet his Lordfhip is not contented with that increafed protection, but has at length adopted, what we have now to lament was not attended to earlier; he has ordered, I understand, the transports to be armed, as well as convoyed. If his Lordship had thought of this in time, our troops would still be probably in Boston." The queftion was put on the amended motion at half paft fix o'clock, contents 27, non-contents 63. HOUSE OF COMMONS. May 10. The Lord Mayor of London (Mr. Alderman Sawbridge) moved, according to previous notice given fome days before, "That his Majesty's colonies in America be continued upon the fame. footing of giving and granting their money, as his Majesty's fubjects in Ireland are, by their own reprefentatives." The motion was feconded by Mr. Alderman Oliver. It produced a very warm debate, which continued till late in the evening, when the question being put, the Houfe divided ayes 33, noes 115. The arguments, as might be expected, turned on the right of taxation on one fide, and the inherent conftitutional right of all the fabjects of the British empire, to be the fole competent judges of the means of granting, and the ability of contributing towards the general fupport of government, on the other. This fubject has been fo frequently treated and difcuffed, both in parliament and in print, that we may fafely prefume that nothing short of Divine revelation, or fad, dear-bought experience, will be fufficient to convince either party. We fhaii therefore pafs over thefe arguments in filence, and conclude with obferving, that befides the general right to tax without controul or referve, which adminiftration contended is inherent in the British legiflature, PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY. 632 HOUSE OF LORDS. May 13. Lord Effinghamn, having entered into a long detail of the abufes which had been committed, under a provifionary claufe in the Prohibitory A&t, for impowering the Admiralty Board to grant licences for the exportation of fores and provisions to America, for the ufe of the army, and provifions for the use of the inhabitants of fuch towns and places, where his Majesty's troops fhall happen to be from time to time ftationed or garrifoned, moved, "That an humble addrefs be prefented to his Majefty, that his Majefty will be gracioufly pleafed to give orders to the proper officers to lay before that House, copies of all licences granted by the Board of Admiralty, for the exportation of ftores and provifions to North America, fince the pafling of the Prohibitory Act.” His Lordship obferved, that his intention was to have profecuted the inquiry during that Seffion; but from the fate it met with in the other House, the utter impoffibility there would be to go through it before Parliament rofe, and the abfence of witDeffes and want of papers, he thought proper, all circumitances confidered, to move for fuch of the papers as could be made ready before the rifing of Parliament, and put the inquiry off till the next Seffion. This was rong ly oppofed by feveral noble Lords in adminiftration, who complained of the motion, as unparliamentary and unfair. They contended, as his Lordhip propofed to poftpone the inquiry, he fhould likewife have poftponed the motion; becaufe the latter implied some degree at leaft of cenfure, under which the perfons pointed at muft fubmit to lie for feveral months, without a poffibility of manifesting their innocence. After a long debate, or rather altercation and fome d Dec. recrimination, the noble mover perfitting in the propriety, as well as candour of his motion, administration, on account of its very tender and critical perfonality, confented, for once, to give way; the motion was therefore agreed to, and the papers ordered. Having already faid fo much on this subject, we thall forbear entering into particulars. There was one however, that came to be fully explained this day, which was only treated of in the grois, under the title, Houle of Commons, and it was this: The manoeuvre by which the act of parliament was defeated, will be best explained in the conduct of adminiftration relative to the Jameson and Peggy. Her first licence was granted March 6th, for a cargo to Boon, the whole amounting to 16,600l. of all which, 750l. was only in ftria conformity to the act; the remaining 15,850 was partly in fome indulgencies, as wine, tea, fugar, &c. but much the greatest part is by no means to be included in the meaning of flores and provisions. Between the 15th of March and 2d of April, a rumour having prevailed, that the licences had been illegally granted, her licence was stopped, as being too general. On the 10th of April therefore, a new licence was granted, the grounds of which grant are conceived in the following terms: "Whereas by his Majefty's pleature, fignified to us by Lord George Germaine, of the 7th of February lait, the fhip Jameton and Peggy is taken to his Majesty's fervice, we do, &c." Then fo lows a fchedule of her cargo, cactly sword for qvord like the former one of the 6th of March, with the additio at the end of fix articles, to the amount of 10,000l. all contrary to the act; fo tlat at her departure, he had goods aboard her to the value of 26,600l, of which only 750l. were properly fiores or provons HOUSE OF COMMONS 1776. The Political Character of General CONWAY. 633 WE profeffed at the outlet of this Lords, without any particular ma undertaking, to confine our enquiries and obfervations on the po litical conduct of the feveral eminent perfonages, commencing with Lord Chatham's entrance into office, but not entrance into power, in the year 1766: We have, nevertheless, when peculiar circumstances justified such a departure from the rule, more than once deviated from it, in order to illuftrate the fubject, and point out previous tranfactions, without which many matters, as well motives of conduct as change of fentiment and fituation, must have remained obfcure, and in fome degree unintelligible. Urged by thefe reafons, we muft feek for the caufes which brought this Gentleman forward as an official man, as a fubordinate leader of a powerful party, and an active member of the Adminiftration formed and compofed of men, who avowed principles of genuine Whiggifm, in oppofition to the clofet mandates of the firft M, the intrigues of a junto of his immediate creatures and confidential advifers, or the more oftenfible phantoms in office, who fervilely obeying the fecret in ftructions of their political creators and principals, have turned the Committee of Counfel into a Committee of Supply; and have improved upon the Star-chamber fyftem, as much as framing laws (the execution of which may be previously infared) are preferable to the extemporary interpretations of profitute Pricfts, profligate Courtiers, and traiterous Ministers, without even a colour of law to fupport their arbitrary decifions. General Conway early experienced the friendship of the late Duke of Devonthire. When that Nobleman (then Marquis of Hartington) was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1755, he procured the General to be appointed his Secretary, which is, in fact, unlefs where the Viceroy is a man of extenfive talents or great intereft, efficient Minifter. He leads and directs the Houfe of Commons; and the Court is always fufficiently ftrong to carry any quetion in the Houfe of Dec. 1776. nagement or fingular addrefs, by the aid of the number of Englishmen appointed Bishops in that kingdom. From that period we may date the political union which fubfifled between him and the noble Duke, till diffolv ed by his Grace's death in 1764. We must now recur to the incident which particularly gave rife to the political elevation of our Hero. Whether from accident or defign, the late Prince of Wales, father to his prelent Majefty, and the late King his royal father, were known to be on very indifferent terms; we fall leave the private anecdotes which it was faid gave rife to this mifunderstanding, to he explained by those who may think fuch matters worthy public attention. It is fufficient for our purpose to obferve, that on account of the open coolness which fubfifted between St. James's and Carleton-house, two defcriptions of men began immediately after the Prince's marriage to be wellreceived by his Royal Highness. Their principles, though they voted in the fame minorities, were as oppofite and contradictory to each other as poffible. They united only in one thing, a difapprobation of Walpole's meafures, and a perfonal diflike of the man. These were the moderate Whigs, and the profeffed Tories who had been proferibed fince the acceffion of the prefent Royal Family. This heterogeneous compofition did not fick long together, because, in truth, it never cemented. When Walpole, therefore, was drove from the helm, in 1742, the moderate Whigs fell off one by one, and the Tories were left in full poffeffion of Carleton-houte. The late Prince of Wales, who was cert duly amiable and weil dipoled, who loved the conflitutions defcribed by his partizans, died in inorance that be left his fon in pofiffion of the real Tories. It is true he knew that they affected the name; but he imagined that they were Revelation Tories, a folecifin in terms and politics, as defcribed in the fafcinating fallacious works of that unprincipled impoftor, 4 M the General Conway. * Dec. while the nation is obliged to his Lordship for the conducting that treaty, by which fuch an extraordinary coalition of parties was effected. This coalition, instead of strengthening, weakened Adminiftration; it was an augmentation in point of numbers, it is true; but what was it compofed of?-of fecret enemies, not fleady friends. This patched-work Adminiftration did not long ftand; fome public mifcarriages revived the old fpirit, which manifefted itself the two preceding years. In 1757, Mr. Pitt. and his Chancellor of the Exchequer were re-admitted into power, after having been publicly thanked and prefented with gold boxes, by almost every Corporation in the kingdom. 634 Political Character of To the memorable year 1756, we are obliged for our prefent Chief Juftice of the Court of King's Bench, The adminiftration of thole gentlemen is too well known to call for a fingle obfervation; all parties now fubfided, or were apparently melted down into one mafs; but under this ferene expanfe, this fmooth furface, rocks and quick-fands, political forms and whirlwinds were gathering or concealed. The old worthy, boneft King was hardly cold, when the language of Carleton-houfe was transferred to St. James's.-The fituation of the poor changeling, juft deceafed, as they were pleafed to call him, was lamented with an infolent and contemptuous pity; he was described to be a prifoner in his own houfe, a flavt to his own fervants, a dupe to his anfaithful friends, and an inftrument employed by a vindictive, daring faction, to profcribe the most loyal and valuable part of his fubjects, as well as to wreak their vengeance on the parents of the prefent Monarch. In fine, we were prefented with a view of St. James's, defcribing a political millennium, or the government of the juft upon earth, in which his Majefty was depictured as just having broke the bonds of a Whig faction, who had the audacity to attempt to pinion him, as well as his royal predeceffor; while the authors of this curious device caufed a breaft-plate to be placed on this creature Talking of the fate of the Colonics, and of the fentiments of Sir Jofiah Chi'd and Lord Chancellor Talbot on the fabject, in the debate on the Duke of Grafton's motion, the 15th of November, 1775, bis Lordjbip fays, "fo matters continued t e year 1756, when a new Adminiftration was formed, in effecting which I had the honour to be an inftrument.". ·See Almon's Parliamentary Debates, Vol. the V. p. 94. 1776. Political Character of General Conway. creature of their imagination, with the following motto, "This is the Patriot King." The poffeffors of power treated the whole as a mere chimera; but they foon found themfelves mistaken. The first thing which alarmed them was the fudden difmiffion of that able and faithful fervant, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. His punishment was of the first impreffion; he oppofed the defcendant of a Scotchman in a county election, because he was invited by the freeholders. It was looked upon to be an unparalleled piece of prefumption in the Chancellor of the Exchequer of Great Britain; and he was very properly difmiffed § from his high poft. Adininistration remained ftill in a ftate of delusion. The Firft Lord of the Treasury gave up his Chancellor without grumbing; and the great po. pular Minifter refigned his co patriot and box partner without a figh: neither of them forefaw their own ruin in this fight begining. Mr. Pitt and Lord Temple refigned in fix months after. Nothing, however, was fufficient to dispel the many fogs in which the whole Whig party were enveloped. The Duke of Newcastle was harthly fuperfeded in his office of Fift Commiloner of the Trea'ury in seven months after, the 29 h of May, 1762; and th, Duke of Devonshire, on the 22d of the following November, refigned his place of Lord Chamberlain. Thenceforward we are to look for the Duke of Devonshire in opposition, and we find him accordingly at the head of the Whigs during the feffions of 1763 and 1764, under the fucceffive administrations of Lord Bute and Mr. George Grenville. We fhall not go into the detail of the measures difcuffed during thofe two feffions: it is e Henry Pilfon Legge. County of Southampton. 635 nough to obferve, that the first confpicuous part taken by General Conway in the British Parliament, was on the queftion relative to general warrants. He was then Colonel of a regiment of horfe, and one of the Grooms of the Bedchamber to the King. He voted against the Court on that important queftion; the confequence of which was, that he had his regiment taken from him, and loft his place in the Bedchamber. His noble friend ** dying in a few months after at Spa, left him a very confiderable legacy, to compenfate in fome measure for his fufferings in the caufe of his country. He was now efteemed by the whole Whig party, as fuffering a state of political martyrdom, for his refiftance to a fyftem which was thought to fuperfede law and juftice, in order to gratify the perfonal refentments of the firit M—. Accordingly, when the Whig arrangement took place, in 1765, he was appointed one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, in which poft he remained during the fhort-lived adminiftration of Lord Rockingham. He continued to occupy the fame poft under the arrangement of Lord Chatham, and maintained his weight till the defection of the fecret enemies of his Lord@hip, with the weight of the Houfe of Bedford, which his Lordship was obliged to call in, in order to form a balance to the over-ruling fecret influence of the Junto. As foon as that power was fixed, a tt creature of that illuftrious Houfe was appointed to fucceed the General in the northern department; and he was fent back to his original profeffion, that of a soldier, ‡‡ with a regiment, and the appointment of Lieutenant General of the Ord nance. It is needless to remind the generality of our readers, that he was, in the fpring feffion, 1766, one of the most 4 M 2 zealous † Sir Simeon Stewart. § The crime alledged against him was, that the Prince, his prefent Majefty, then Prince of Wales, fent a meffage to him by Lord Bute, not to fiand, and he faid it was impoffible to retra, as be had promifed his conflituents. Duke of Newcastle. Mr. Pitt, then Secretary of State to the Southern department. Duke of Devonshire. ++ Lord Weymouth. It The late Duke of Bedford was beard to fay on the occafion, that he had a very bigh opinion of General Conway is an officer, but very little as a fiatesman, |