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HISTORY 
nature; recommending unanimity 
at home, and such terths as might 
be likely to gain over to the side of 
peace the enemy, with whom we 
were enzavred in so cruel a contest. 
After a modest exordium, beseeming 
a young man, and a young mem- 
ber of parliament, Mr. Pollen said, 
when he looked at the other (the 
opposition) side of the house he 
could not with-hold his admiration, 
from the talents of which many who 
Sat upon it were possessed; but he 
‘regretted extremely that they were 
so often employed for the purposes 
of self-interest, andthat the good of 
the public was so frequently sacri- 
ficed to the illiberality of party- 
spirit. The consequence was, that 
the debates were conducted with 
so much acrimony, and intermingled 
with so munch personal invective, 
that even the speaker must have 
foundit difficultto pursue the thread 
of the argument, and to preserve 
order and decorum in their proceed- 
ings. It was not for the empty 
hand to blame the prodigality of the 
full one, or for the person sitting 
safe upon the top of a rock, and 
viewing the ship tossed by the winds 
and the waves, rashly to censure 
the conduct of the pilot. It was 
to be recollected, that though the 
right honourable gentleman (Mr. 
Pitt) had sitten at the helm, while 
the vessel of the state was exposed 
to storms and tempests, and though 
the ship had sustained considerable 
damage, from the accidents which 
had betallen it, the pilot, perhaps, 
might not be to blame, and that, 
had it been in other hands, instead 
of being shattered, it might have 
been sunk. Instead of indulging in 
idle complaints, or peevish igvective, 
he thought, that, at the present 
crisis,every hand ought te be active 
OF EUROPE 
[169 
in the service of the country, 
and every heart should glow with 
an ardent desire to extricate it 
from its present embarrassments. 
Having said this much in general, 
he proceeded to state the situation 
in which the country was placed. 
Having commenced the war in con= 
cert with several of the most re- 
spectable and powerful nations in 
Iurope, we were deserted by al- 
most all our former friends, and had 
now to contend against some who 
were at one time our allies. Instead 
of carrying our arms to the enemy’s 
door, we were in daily terror of a 
hostile invasion ; instead of calcu- 
lating upon the ruin of the finances 
of our adversaries, and exhausting 
their resources, our whole attention 
was confined to the restoration of 
our own credit, and the salvation 
of our own independence. He was 
convinced, that the people of 
France were as earnest in their 
wishes for peace, as the people of 
Great Britain. It might be asked, 
perhaps, that, if they were so de- 
sirous for the termination of hosti- 
lities, why did they not carry their 
complaints to the bar of the direc- 
tory, and demand redress? To 
this he would reply, that they were 
taught to consider the ambition of 
England as the sole cause to which 
the prolongation of the war was 
to be ascribed, and, that it was to 
her thirst for aggrandizement the 
happiness of Europe was sacrificed. 
And, if this was the case, would a 
British house of commons permit 
that England, the parent of com- 
merce; England, the source of 
every proud and every generous 
feeling, and the bright example of 
regular government and salutary 
regulation, should be branded as 
the interested author of all the 
é calamities 
