HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
an object of contention, The mi- 
nistry, it was said, had shewn a 
laudable deference to the public 
opinion. by desisting from its in- 
tended measures: but this deference 
might be attributed to another 
cause; the fear, when embarked in 
them, of meeting with such an op- 
position as would through the refu- 
salofsupplies, disable them from act- 
ing. But enough had been expend- 
ed on this dishonourable transac- 
tion. It had cost the nation half a 
million, to no other end than to see 
Oczakow seized by Russia; the 
Turks whom we styled our friends 
and allies, humbled, and ourselves 
degraded by the conditions of a 
treaty, which, after compelling us 
to abandon them, loads us with the 
further ignominy of guaranteeing 
to Russia what she has wrested from 
them. No interference at all would 
certainly have been better than so 
scandalous a dereliction of those of 
whom we had assumed the protec- 
tion. Then the reputation and 
welfare of a people may thus, with 
impunity, and by alleging frivolous 
excuses, be sacrificed to ill-founded 
projects. Well, said Mr. Fox, might 
the enemics to the constitution of 
the country avail themselves of 
such undeniable abuses, to bring it 
into disrepute, to represent it as a 
mere nullity, and to persuade their 
auditors or readers that they spoke 
truth, 
Mr. Pitt’s answer to these heavy 
charges, was, that the indispensable 
necessity of preserving the balance 
of Europe, was an argument of such 
evident propriety, that no reason- 
ings could invalidate it. The ques- 
tion could only be, To what degree 
of exertion the strength and in- 
fluence of Great Britain ought to 
have been carried on this occasion ? 
[14] 
Upon this ground, which was a fair 
and equitable one, he would readi- 
ly meet all objectionsto his conduct. 
Could any man conversant in poli- 
tics, admit that the Turkish empire, 
if unable by its own intrinsic strength 
to resist the attacks of its two po- 
tent neighbours, Russia and Aus- 
tria, should be abandoned by the 
other European powers, every one 
of which was so visibly interested 
in the preservation of its independ- 
ence? But were they either so 
indolent, or so impeded by unto- 
ward circumstances, as to remain 
inactive in its defence, could Bri- 
tain neglect to assume it? Could 2 
British ministry look on with in- 
difference or tranquillity, while 
commerce in those parts was so 
manifestly threatened, and the ma- 
ritime power of Britain, not only 
in the Mediterranean, but through- 
out the world, must receive the 
most fatal blow from the immense 
increase of shipping that would ac- 
crue to those two powers, were 
they to become masters of the 
Turkish dominions in Europe? 
Russia especially, already formida- 
ble at sea, must through the posses- 
sion of the Archipelago, derive such 
an accession to the number of her 
seamen, as would in a short time 
render her in all probability the 
first maritime power in Europe. 
These were serious considerations, 
and authorized a British minister to 
act with uncommon vigilance and 
care, to prevent so great a calamity 
from befalling this country, as to 
lose the sovereignty of the seas; 
without which the immediate safe- 
ty of Great Britain must necessarily 
become precarious. The Turks, 
Mr, Pitt allowed to have been the 
ostensible aggressors ; but Russia 
had incontestably afforded every 
provo- 
