/ 
. the last three years. 
108] 
securing the balance of power in 
‘Europe, » and the independence of alt 
states, will continue to give his ma- 
jesty a vigorous support, in) assert- 
ing the general cause of his majes- 
ty; > and his allies, and for presetving 
the good faith, dignity, and'honour, 
of the crown; in full assurance, 
that no steps will be taken incon- 
sistent with these ‘principles, ‘or 
with the future safety and prospe- 
rity of these kingdoms: and should 
the apparently hostile dispositions of 
the court of Madrid, instigated by 
the intrigues and menaces of the 
common enemy, put his’ majesty 
under the necessity of repelling force 
by force, his majesty may rely on the 
* determination of this house to give 
his majesty the most ample sup- 
port in defending; against. every 
aggression, the dignity, rights, and 
interests, of the British empire.” 
The earl of Guildford, though he 
did not oppose the address, but, on 
the contrary, felt great pleasure in 
being able most’ cordially to agree 
with what had been soably moved by 
his noble friend, nevertheless found 
it necessary for him to make a few 
observations on the subject. The 
feading feature of the address, as had 
been justly observed, was to “ re- 
turn thanks to his majesty for his 
most gracious informatiou, that he 
would immediately send a person to 
Paris, with full powers to treat, and 
that it was his majesty’s most anxi- 
ous wish, that the measure might 
lead to a general restoration of 
peace.”” If a safe, honourable, and 
permanent, peace, could now be ob- 
tained, he would sit down content- 
ed with all the obloquy and abuse 
whic) bad been so'plentifully heap- 
ed upon himself, and those with 
whom he had the honour toact for 
The atchieve- 
ANNUAL! REGISTER, 
1797. 
ments of the archduke Charles, he 
said, were noble and splendid in the 
extreme, and, he firmly believed, 
they had’been the nieans of saving 
the house of Austria, and the whole 
of the Germanic body, from a state 
of the greatest humiliation. If these” 
fortunate atchievements should ope- 
rate, as he hoped they would, to 
serve as an advantageous means: of ; 
cool, temperate, and rational, nego~ — 
ciation, they ought to be considered 
as omens of great happiness to us 
and our ally; if, on the contrary, — 
they should have the fatal tendency — 
of reviving the inauspicious hopes ” 
formerly entertained, and cause the 
parties to rise in their demands, so” 
asto be the means of prolonging ¥ 
this miserable and unavailifg con-— 
test, then they would, and ought to, 
be looked upon: as evils and misfor= 
tunes: of the’ deepest dye; and he 
was afraid they would be felt as — 
such, not only by people of the pre-. 
sent day, but by their posterity, — 
for a length of time to come. His 
lordship then said, there was one | 
part of what was contained in the — 
addressy as well as in the speech ‘of — 
the- noble mover, which he could — 
not suffer to pass without making 
acomment; it was this: * That ~ 
the internal tranquillity of the 
kingdom had remained undisturb- — 
ed, and the endeavours of persons — 
to introduce anarchy had been re- 
pressed, by the wisdom and energy — 
of the laws.” It was very true, — 
his lordship said, that the tranquil- 
lity of the kingdom had remained A 
undisturbed ; and it was with the — 
greatest pleasure he could give his 
testimony to this truth. He believ- — 
ed also, that this had been -owing 
to the love and reverence the people 
entertained for the laws of their — 
country ; but if, by ‘ the Yana y) 
an 
