HISTORY OF EUROPE 
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@H A&A Po: HIV. 
Petitions for the Dismission of Ministers.—Motion to that Effect in the 
- House of Lords.—And in the House of Commons.— Motion in the House 
of Commons for a Reform of Parliament.— Motion in. the House.of Peers 
for considering the State of the Nation.—Prorogation of Parliament. 
Ty the midst of so many difficul- 
ties and dangers as assailed Great 
Britain at the same time in the 
stormy year, 1797, it was not possi- 
ble that government, to whom, in 
every country, the people are apt to 
impute more than a just share of 
either the good or the evil that be- 
fallsthem, couldescape public andse- 
vere animadversion, Petitions were 
presented for the removal of his 
majesty’s ministers, from almost 
every county, city, and town of note 
in England and Ireland.* The ge- 
‘neral dissatisfaction at the conduct 
of ministers, which, from the num- 
‘ber and tenor of these petitions, ap- 
peared to prevail throughout the 
‘ation, encoutaged the opposition- 
party, in parliament, to bring for- 
ward motions for a change in the 
administration. 
in the house of peers, that he con- 
sidered it as his duty to himself, his 
family, his king, and his country, to 
‘moye, “ That a humble address 
might be addressed to his majesty, 
humbly requesting him to dismiss 
from his councils, his minister, the 
first lord of the treasury, whose per- 
On the 27th of ' 
“March, the earl of Suffolk declared, 
nicious measures had deprived him 
of the confidence of the country.” 
Lord Grenville opposed this mo- 
tion, and warmly defended his rela- 
tion and friend, who, he contended, 
had neither lost the confidence of 
the most respectable part of the pub- 
lic, nor deserved to do so. That the 
‘allies had riot been so successful as 
they expected, he was ready to ad~ 
mit; and also that’ such accidents 
had happened as were incidental 
to all wars: but he hoped all parties 
would acknowledge that the exer- 
tions of this country had been un-' 
paralleled in the page of history, 
and had been attended with un- 
paralleled success. Our naval vic- 
tories had been more brilliant than 
ever before distinguished any age 5 
and it appeared peculiarly hard, that 
all the honour, praise, and glory, 
should be ‘reaped by individuals, 
whilst the censure, and all the re- 
sponsibility were thrown on minis- 
ters. 
The duke of Norfolk, in answer 
to lord Grenville, who had insinua- 
ated that thecharges brought against 
Mr. Pitt, were not substantiated on 
facts, said that proofs of his misma~ 
oe * For specimens of which, see Appendix to the Chronicle, page 84. 
nagement 
