188] 
be considered as less formidable than 
at its primary formation, The suc- 
cesses of France had been stupen- 
gous, and the ople were ani- 
mated with the conviGion, that they 
were fighting for their existence, 
and that no medium remained for 
them, but to conquer their enemies, 
ot become their slaves. While this 
idez, which was a just one, was 
uppermost- in their minds, they 
would sacrifice their property with. 
out reluctance to preserve them. 
selves from+so great an evil as that 
of becoming a conquered nation. 
This war, he noticed, had been’ 
dignified by its abettors, as waged 
in the cause of God, and humanity : 
but vas it promoting the honour of 
the divine Being, or the welfare of 
the human race, to sacrifice hun. 
dreds of thousands ‘of men in. the 
field of battle, and to involve whole 
countries in misery and desolation ? 
The unbiassed* and unprejudiced 
agreed, that the condition of the ge. 
derality of people in France, espe. 
cially the infertor clases, who con- 
stituted every where the bulk of so- 
ciety, was preferable to whatit had 
been under the former’ monarchy. 
What, therefore, ‘could be our pre- 
tence for insisting ‘on ‘the propriety 
of a.change) of government im that 
country?) Whatever hed been as- 
serted about the vast proportion of 
royalists, and) their resolution never 
‘to submit to the republieans,! facts 
had proved that they could notavoid 
submission, arid that they were con- 
istantly not only overcome; but out- 
numbered “wherever they ventured 
“to “rise against the government. 
<Their’resistanee how was'no other 
that 6f sbanditti,” associated onfor 
the! purposes "of: plunder, © Wasvit 
“en such. men, without ordervorsdis- 
ipline, “that we cotld-depend-fér 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1705. 
anyregularandsubstantialassistante? 
Peace therefore was the most judiL 
cious, as wellvas the safest measure 
we could embrace: France, it was 
experimentally found, was not to be 
subdued by force of arms. ‘ Neither 
did it appear that we should be able 
to weary out the French by dint of 
superior finances: the depreciation 
of their assignats had not operated as 
we had long expected and prediéted. 
Such as they, were, they still upheld 
the fabric for the support of svhich 
they had been created, andhad proved 
more serviceable than our hatred 
and prejudices. would permit) us to 
acknowledge. Our own finances 
had undeniably suffered through this 
war, and ic would bewise to: termi 
nate it before we made; a much 
longer trial how far the resources of 
this country might ‘be stretched, 
without bringing it to ruin. 
The duke was answered by lord 
Grenville,, who re-adduced’ those 
numerous arguments, so often al< 
leged against treating with France 
in its present sitvation. He assert. 
ed, that it appeared to him that a 
majority of the French were «in. 
clined to.the royal cause. <A 
Frenchman, of’ sense and erudi, 
tion, had lately published a per. 
formance, wherein he’ expressed.a 
doubt ~ which ‘of the two parties 
was the most ‘numerous in France, 
the royalists or the republicans. 
But. so great was the alarm of 
the French government, Jest the 
royal party: should, be «proved the 
most numerous, that the work was 
suppressed, and the author, threat- 
ened .to be ibrought before .the 
revolutionary ‘tribunal. * A proof 
of vthe instability of that system of 
anoderation, ‘said to prevail at pre- 
sent; -was the. difficulty;which that 
‘party experienced in. bringing to 
justice, 
