hear, he said, 
HISTORY OF EUROPE: 
declaration of the flourishing state 
of our manufactures, trade, and 
commerce. I must take this upon 
trust ; I cannot object to a fact, the 
proofs of which I have not before 
me. We shall soon have the means 
of knowing, upon better authority 
than mere assertion, the state of the 
country ; and I trust it will turn 
' out to be prosperous and fiearishing. 
| Our agreeing to the assertion, in the 
mean time, must not be construed 
‘to preclude us from enquity, much 
Jess to involve our assent. When I 
that, by the flou- 
rishing state of our manufactures, 
trade, and commerce, onr resources 
are ample and sufficient for the crisis 
bad which we are iuvolved, I must. 
itate in giving credit to an asser- 
“which is so little supported by 
ie public appearance of things. 
| oii think, when I look at the 
of the general funds of the 
untry, the state of the transferra- 
securities of government, the 
monstrous discounts on the enormous 
Z 
} quantities of paper they have issued, 
ther with the daily conferences, 
of which we hear, for relieving the 
uniary embarrassments of trade, 
onclude that the state’ of our re- 
rcés_ is less favourable than his 
jesty’s ministers would make us 
e.*" With that part of the 
ids 
| ‘address, which rejoices in the ge- 
tranquillity. of the country, 
Fox« heartily concurred, as tran- 
i lity, he said, is always a desira- 
thing. But against the insinua- 
that this tranquillity was owing 
9 the two degrading, abominable, 
abhorred acts, passed i in the last 
ion of Jast parliament, be entered 
his most solemn. protest “ No ! said 
y, it is not in the nature of such laws 
duce tranquillity, They may, 
» produce a forced quiet ; 
on Vou. XXXIX, 
WN 
Tile 
but this I consider as a real alarm. 
Where discussion is stifled, and mer 
are condemned to brood in secret’ 
over the grievances which they feel ;, 
such a tranquillity is more alarming 
than tumult, [t is a tranquillity’ 
which every man who loves free-'- 
dom ought to see with pain, and 
every man who loves order to con= 
template with terror. To the pro- 
tection of the ancient ‘constitution 
alone I ascribe that undisturbed tran= 
quillity which the constitution has” 
enjoyed. Let methen, sir, be clearly 
understood, that I do not join in 
this insinuation of praise, on those 
abominable laws. Much as I wish 
for a general approbation of an en- 
deavour to procure peace to this 
country, I should think it purchased 
at too dear a rate if coupled with: 
the approbation of those abhorred 
laws. I am one who think that 
the whole system of the war has 
been a faulty system ; that the sys- 
tem of domestic politics has been 
equally faulty ; I must therefore be 
of opinion, that whatever the result 
of the negociations may be, it will 
still be the duty of this house to re- 
consider the general system of poli- 
tics adopted of late years, and whe- 
ther it be possible to go on if that 
system be persevered in. Peace is 
certainly the great object; it is pre- 
ferable to any single object of policy ; 
but whether peace will be effectual, 
if there be no change in domestic 
politics, may be a matter of doubt. 
‘That peace, however, will be bene- 
ficial, whatever may be the system 
pursued, lam ready to assert. Ifthe 
system continue to be a bad one, 
peace will diminish the calamities or 
it ; if it beamended, peace will aug- 
ment the benefits of it. At all 
events, peace must be desirable. In 
one case it will b2 @ palliative ; in 
C1] the 
