HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
was no encouragement to proceed 
in a war that had proved so ruinous. 
The ministry had been equally im- 
provident and unskilful in the di- 
recting of military operations, and 
in the framing of treaties. Their 
foreign politics were marked by in- 
considerate prodigality, and their 
domestic proceedings by unconsti- 
tutional rigour. Immense subsidies 
had been trusted, for instance, to 
the king of Prussia, which he ap- 
plied to the destruction of the li- 
berty and independence of Poland. 
And alarms had been raised at home, 
in consequence of which, personal 
freedom was at anend. The earl 
concluded by recommending peace, 
without suffering the French system 
of government to stand as an ob- 
stacle, and made a motion to that 
purpose, as an amendment to the 
address. 
He was supported by the earl of 
Derby, who, in answer to the earls 
of Morton and Kinnoul, who spoke 
against the earl of Guildford, went 
over a variety of those arguments so 
frequently adduced against the mi. 
nisterial measures. He touched par- 
ticularly upon the business of Cor- 
Sica; the possessionof which, hesaid, 
would be productive of more ex- 
pence than utility. He complained 
of the enormous bounties given to 
recruits, amounting to twenty-five 
guineas a man, a price far beyond 
the competency of the country’s 
finances at the present day, when, 
if not entirely exhausted, they were 
alarmingly diminished. The navy, 
he also complained, was sacrificed to 
the army ; the supplies of men for 
which, prevented the manning of 
the navy with its usual proportion of 
one-third of landsmen. He ended 
by advising a change of ministers, as 
[149 
France would not treat with the 
present. > 13/9 WG : 
Lord Spencer, in reply,: recom: 
mended. a spirited prosecution of the 
war; stating that the navy would; 
in the following spring, assume the 
most formidable appearance ever 
known. He maintained the great 
use of Corsica, were it only forthe 
reception it afforded to the British 
fleet, in the proximity of the many 
harbours occupied by the enemies 
to this country. 4 
A recapitulation of the victories 
won, towns taken, and the other 
advantages obtained, by the French; 
was laid before the house» by the 
marquis of Lansdowne, with his 
usual accuracy. He warmly in- 
veighed against the continuance of 
the war; especially since the ap. 
proach of the French to Holland, 
which would inevitably fail into 
their hands, sow that the rivers 
were, through the intenseness of the 
frost, become passable every where. 
He noticed that Germany was in. 
clinable to peace ; Prussia, in par- 
ticular, could not'be deemed a real 
enemy to’ France, while Austria, 
the great rival to both, had an ex- 
istence, National credit, the mar- 
quis observed, had long stood its 
ground ; so it had in France, under 
the former government, but failed 
at last, This was an admonition 
not to be slighted. . It was, in the 
mean time, absurd to deny the com. 
petency of the French government 
to formtreaties. In the fluétuation 
and uncertainty of itsinternal situa. 
tion, it had not violated its engage. 
ments with foreign states. Advert. 
ing to Corsica, he cited Volney and 
Neckar in proof of its little yalue. 
His opinion was, that the French 
government would refuse to treat 
(L 3] with 
