HISTORY OF EUROPE. 247 



tremely imprudent to dissolve such 

 an alliance. A peace obtained at 

 any rate would endanger tins cnun- 

 try mucli more than ihe continua- 

 tion of war, whi'cli, for our own 

 saiety, ought not to be tertninated 

 but in conjiiiiction with our allies. 

 The resources ol the allies were 

 greater in the aggregate than those 

 of the Fiench. Bv patience and 

 perFeverance they must ultimately 

 prevail. 



Mr. Whitbrcadreminded Mr. Pitt 

 of what had been alFccted by the 

 Americans with far inferior re- 

 sources to those of the French. 



The same snbiect was debated 

 in the House of Peers on the 

 ) Sth of March. It was open- 

 ed by the Eail of Guildford, who 

 observed, that tlie House had the 

 clearest; right to advise the Crown 

 against all engagements with foreign 

 powers that might be detrimental 

 to the kingdom. We were unhap- 

 pily connected with some that had 

 formed the vain project of conquei- 

 )i;g Fiance ; which, were ic practi- 

 cable, might not in tiie issue prove 

 so benclicial to this country as lo 

 leave it unmolested in the settle- 

 nunt of its own coTicer..s. N'.ii- 

 'lality had once been reputed the 

 wisest measure we could embrace ; 

 ■id no satisfactory reasm had ever 

 ;etn assigned for the change that 

 liid takfn j.lacc in our councils, 

 lie was of opinion, with many 

 ithcrs, iliac the four great poweis 

 with which we had co ilcaced agaiiist 

 liance, entertained each separate 

 • lews: and yet \ye had bound our- 

 .lIvcS una'terably tu second thein, 

 by consenting to no peice without 

 thtir concurrence. Would they go 

 t'le siriie length in nur favour: — 

 Ue coucuiJc(i by malcing a motion 



similar to that made by Mr. Grey in 

 the Lower House. 



Lord ! lawkcsbury aci^nowledg'^d 

 the right of the House to dis- 

 cuss the propriety of treaties ; but 

 insisted on the good policy ot ad- 

 htriii"- to those that had bccu 



' T ■» 



framed at the present juncture. He 

 sincerely wished that mt a power 

 in Europe had remained neutral. 

 The invasion of the Austrian Ne- 

 tlvrrlands, and the attempts upon 

 Hjlland, gave sufficient grounds for 

 provocation, especially as I'r.aice 

 by the acquisition of the former 

 was become so ne.Tr and so danger- 

 ous a neighbour. Tiie treaties 

 viewed in this light were highly me- 

 ritorious: — we could not frame too 

 many when our security was so 

 evidently threatened by an old and 

 inveterate enemy, who, whitever 

 his internal govtrnment might be, 

 would probably continue siicli troni 

 a variety of motives. 



Lord Lauderdale observed, that 

 were the coRliiion to be prosperous, 

 a subject of dispute would probably 

 arise coiicersing the goven ment to 

 be established in I'raiice : — herein 

 the co.iltfsced powcis would in all 

 likelihood disagree, and a dilfereiice 

 of liiii kind would not be termi- 

 nated easily. It iiad been asserted, 

 tliat government was obliged by 

 no t'tatv to the re-establishment of 

 the constitution accepted by the late 

 King in 1791 ; but this very consti- 

 tution had b en made the ground 

 of our reception at Toulon ; and it 

 would be a diieet violation of the 

 national faith, pledged by Lord 

 Hood and the olhe; commissioners, 

 U'>t to insist on its restoritio:!. Ma- 

 ny benefits had been pronii e.i f i;iu 

 oursucetsses in tliiswar; but one 

 evil is certain; — wc should be loa-,n-J 



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with 



