fo] 
sultingly hinted, that if they were 
dismissed, still he stood no chance of 
sececeding them ; but whatever mi- 
nistry took their place, however 
superior their abilities might be to 
those of their predecessors in office, 
never should they meet with his co. 
operation while they adopted the 
principles now acted upon iy those 
in power, His conduct, he ob- 
served with great emotion, had been 
represented as tending to lower the 
dignity of the British nation; but 
how coulda man presume to tax 
him with so heinous a charge, who 
had, through his obstinacy, brought 
itso near to absolute ruin?) Mr. Fox 
reminded the house, how ‘earnestly 
he had- recommended conciliatory 
/ measures with France, before the 
commencement of the owar, and 
with what disdain they’had been 
rejected by the minister, ‘Did he 
now imagine, that as advantageous 
terms would be ebtained from the 
French as at that period? dared he 
to hope, after so many disappoint- 
ments, for amore auspicious oppor- 
tugity than the present ? The time 
to negotiate on an equal footing, 
with the Frenc h, was before. an ap- 
peal had been mide torthe sword, 
and not after repeated defeats, 
which had placed them on the 
vantage ground, and lowered our 
own consequence, We then were 
rich in resources, and our reputa- 
tion unimpaired; bat who could be 
so bold as ‘to deny that both kad 
suffered? Our alhes were . then 
strong in numbers, and high in their 
military character ; but how much 
‘fallen since? how depressed in spirit, 
how much weakened and dis- 
united? how desirous to drop the 
contest? It was insufferable, Mr. 
Fox said, that a minister, who had 
so grossly miscalculated the progress 
/ 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1795. 
of events, and so unhappily ma. 
naged the affairs of this country, 
should accuse another of endeavour- 
ing to debase the national character, 
who had uniformly forewarned 
him, that, by persisting in this 
fatal eontest, he would expose this 
country to the most alarming dan. 
gers. This debate concluded by 
Mr. Pitt’s s Moving an adjournment, 
and carrying it, by two hundred 
and nineteen against sixty-three. 
On the 30th “of March, a motion, 
similar to that of Mr. Punts, was 
made, in the house of lords, by 
the earl of Guildford, who sup- 
ported it by much the same argu. 
ments, and inculpated, with great 
acrimony, the measures of governs 
ment, as marked with negligence 
and want of judgment, both in 
the naval and military depart- 
ment. 
He was replied to’ by lord Gren- 
ville, who spoke on the subject of 
Treland, in the same manner as the 
minister, He explicitly affirmed, 
that, however the forces of the coa- 
lition had been unsuccessful on 
the ‘continent of Europe, the for. 
tune of war had declared for the 
British flag in every other, part of 
the world. The commerce of 
France was nearly annihilated, and 
our fleets ruled uncontrollable in 
every sea. The blow given to the 
French at. Toulon would long re- 
main irretrieved; and the repeated 
defeats of their squadrons had so 
thoroughly established our naval 
superiority, that. they had abandon- 
ed all thoughts of meeting \us in 
battle, and confined themselves to 
a war of piracy and plunder, when- 
ever chance offered them our ‘com- 
mercial shipping unproteéted and 
defenceless.. The victorious career 
of the French'on the continent, he 
2°) Monte 
