196] 
would, like plunderers on asmaller’ 
scale, fall out among themselves 
about the division of the booty, and 
keep the world in continual alarms 
and dissentions. ‘wo of the mem- 
bers of the coalition had already 
acted on this plan, in the business of 
Poland, One of them, Prussia, had 
deserted us, and the other would 
probably do the same, were France 
to proffer better terms than England, 
Thus, after throwing away immense 
treasures, we might at length be 
abandoned to our sole exertions 
against an ancient enemy, provoked 
at our endeavours to reduce him to 
a worse degree of servitude than he 
had ever experienced; and become, 
through our folly, more able than at 
any former period to make us feel 
the weight of his resentment. It 
was in the mean time illusory to 
boast of the extent of our com- 
merce. Insurance,. the best crite- 
rion of Joss or gain, was continually 
rising ; and of three islands taken by 
usin the West Indies, oneonly, Mar- 
tinico, remained. Instead of inciting 
the Chouans and other insurgents to 
persevere in a fruitless resistance, 
“were it not more consistent with 
humanity. and good policy to treat 
with the French government for gn 
amnesty to the emigrants, or on 
failure, to make them a donation of 
haif a million, or more if necessary, 
to enable them at once to fix them- 
selves in'some settled way of living? 
“The marquis concluded by adverting 
to the affairs of Ireland, on which 
he expressed himself in the same 
manner as the other speakers in the 
opposition. 
The other adherents and oppo. 
nents to ministerial measures took 
part also in this debate. Lord 
Lauderdale in particular took no- 
tice, that, according to ministers, our 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1795. 
allies were the whole human race,. 
and our wealth that of the whole 
world, Yet, with allies innume. 
rable, and wealth inexhaustible, we 
could not, he observed, bring the 
French to our terms. The earl of 
Guildford’s motion was negatived 
by @ majority of ninety. 
Asa final struggle on the part of 
opposition, Mr. Wilberforce, on the 
27th of May, moved the house of 
commons to declare itself of opi- 
nion, that inthe present circum. 
stances of France, the British go. 
vernment ought not to object to 
proposals for a general pacification, 
and that it was the interest of the 
Nation to put an end to the war as 
soon as just and honourable terms 
could be obtained. He supported 
his motion in a long and pertinent 
speech. Though he would not, he 
said, insist on the common axiom, 
that the voice of the people was the 
voice of God, yet much weight 
should be allowed to sentiments ge- 
nerally received. Thus the public 
being in the persuasion that a speedy 
end ought to be put to the present 
ruinous war, it was incumbent on 
the legislature to pay a due defer- 
ence to the inclinations of its con- 
stituents, and earnestly to seek for 
every facility inthe way to attainit. 
The people were the more justified 
in their warm expression of so rea- 
sonable’ a desire, when they heard 
how readily the most potent of our 
allies acceded to the wishes of his 
people in this particular: the very 
day on which the emperor signed 
the treaty for a loan of money 
from this country, he also signed a 
rescript, expressing that he was ready 
to enter into a negotiation with the 
French. What were we to think of 
such behaviour? Did he really mean 
to be true to the conditions on 
which 
