226 



ANNUAL REGISTER, ITD^'. 



to represent the extreme improba- 

 bility of effecting the reduction of 

 such a country as France ; that the 

 coalition could not be relied on ; 

 and that Great Britain must fi- 

 nally bear all the cxpences of 

 the war, and, if unsuccessful, the 

 whole blame of having continued 

 it : that however it niioht be pros- 

 perous, good policy forbade its con- 

 tinuance, as no conquests were 

 worth purchasing at the price they 

 must cost, and at the risk of pro- 

 ving the causes of future wars : 

 that the trade of the kingdom had 

 suffered immense losses from -this 

 war, and would probably suffer siill 

 greater ! That, were France dis- 

 nicmbcrtd, these powers would be 

 aggrandized, from whose disposition 

 irost danger was to be appre- 

 hended. That the opinions of 

 men were not to be altered by vio- 

 lence, and th.it to obviate tlie en- 

 trance of. democratic principles, the 

 rulers of nations siiould govern 

 them with lenity, and avoid those 

 harsh and oppres,>ive measures 

 that produce popular discontent. 

 That, notwithstanding the adhe- 

 rence of tho French to the revo- 

 lutionary government,, so much 

 complained of by their enemies, 

 it was through the necessity of felf- 

 defence they bore with it; when 

 . delivered frorii the dread of the 

 _confederacy formed ngainst them, 

 they had long purposed to es- 

 . liiblish one less lirible to excep- 

 tions, both abroad and at home : 

 that we ought to be cxperimentallv 

 convinced that our interference 

 in t!ie domestic concerns of the 

 Frejich, would be attended with 

 destruction to those whom «.'e 

 favoured. We had constantly 

 .failed in every attempt; and it was 

 rash and inhuman to expose peo- 

 ple to certain ruin by renewing 



them. For these reasons the King 

 should be earnestly requested to 

 declare, without delay, his consent 

 to enter into a negociation for 

 peace with France upon such equi- 

 table terms a', would evidently tend 

 to secure its duration ; and that he 

 would !-ignify this determination to 

 his allies, to the intent of putting 

 an immediate stop to hostilities. 



The Marquis of Lansdowne's 

 speech and motion were opposed 

 with great vehemence by Lord 

 Fiizwilliam. The address pre- 

 sented to the King at the opening 

 of the session precluded, he said, 

 any motion of this nature. The 

 French having endeavoured to 

 disseminate their pernicious max- 

 in-.s through all Europe, it had 

 a just ri^ht to take up arms to 

 prevent so great an evil. He 

 appealed to the writings of Brissot 

 for the proof of what he asserted. 

 These sufficiently manifested a 

 concerted plan to spread their in- 

 novations every wlicre, and to dis- 

 turb the peace of society in all 

 countries. The motion was cal- 

 culated to riolate the compacts 

 foimed with such mature delibe- 

 ration with the most respectable 

 courts, and to enter into engage- 

 tnents of reconciliation and ainity 

 with a people who had put their 

 monarch to death, and massacred 

 multitudes of innocent individuals; 

 and whose enoimitics, if not re- 

 pressed, would revive the days 6f 

 blood .-.nd barbarism, and plunge 

 all Europe into a second .state 

 of incivilization. The' compacts 

 framed by government were highly 

 laudable ; and we could not aban- 

 don the confederacy, withofct 

 loading ourselves with- disgrace, 

 and relinquishing the interests 

 of the kingdom. The atrocities 

 perpetrated by the French, shewed 



the 



