144] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1796. 
He was replied to by the marqui 
of Lansdowne, who pointedly ani- 
madverted on the prosperous situa- 
tion wherein ministers asserted the 
country stood at the present mo- 
ment. What he had foretold was 
come to pass; our allies had desert- 
ed us, and our enemics were every 
where victorious. The trite argu- 
ment of their ruined finances was 
still revived ; butin what state were 
our own ? were they inexhaustible ? 
were they equalto the support of 
ourselves, together with the weight 
of those pretended friends who had 
taken our money, and converted it 
to purposes entirely foreign to those 
for which it was granted, and who 
were waiting with their accustomed 
avidity for fresh grants. ‘Taxes 
could only be carried to a cer- 
tain length: beyond which they 
would in this country, as in all 
others, become intolerable. But 
money alone was no security for 
success ; sagacity was of far greater 
consequence. .The ministerial pro- 
jects and enterprizes displayed little 
of this essential requisite; fatlures 
and disappointments continually at- 
tending them. This however was 
not surprising, as their attempts a- 
gainst the foe were glaringly marked 
with imprudence. The expedition 
to $1. Domingo, for instance, was an 
unpardonable act of temerity ;- here 
the French were insurmountable : 
it was the capital seat of their 
strength in the West Indies; of this 
the great lord Chatham was so well 
convinced that he wisely forbore, 
even in the midst of his succ{sses, to 
make it an object of attack.,; The 
French, it was true, were straitened 
for money, but they bad that which 
was better; they had good soldiers 
and “excellent commanders; on 
those they chiefly depended, and 
fortune had favoured them. Cou- 
rage was inexhaustible, but wealth 
had its limits: and the example of 
France ought to. warn us of the 
danger of stretching the pecuniary 
resources of the nation beyond their 
natural bearings. The war had 
triedthem to such an extent, that 
it was time to cease the experiment 
how far they would go, and to make 
negociation take place of hostili- 
ties. ; 
The earls of Mansfield and Darn- 
ley spoke in favour of the address, 
and the duke of Grafton and the 
earl of Lauderdale against it. The 
latter inveighed bitterly against mi- 
nisters for the assurances they had 
given to the public in the former 
sessions, that such was the superior 
might of the confederacy, that 
France would be utterly unable 
to resist it; but how different the 
reality from the fair appearances 
they had held out! defeat and de- 
sertion had characterised those allies 
in whose name such lofty promises 
had been made; and to complete 
the picture of the national calami- 
ties, we were now visited by a 
scarcity, undeniably owing to the 
improvident conduct of those at the 
helm 5; yet ministers boldly asserted 
that our condition was improved, 
and thatof the enemy worse than 
ever. But did not facts give the 
strongest denial to those shameful 
asseverations ? was not the enemy 
in possession of all we had conquer- 
ed, and preparing for new con- 
quests ? was not the coalition broken 
and dissolved, and some of its prin- 
cipal members in. treaties of peace 
and amity with the French ? could 
any man of sense and integrity in- 
terpret such things as improvements 
in the situation of this country ? did 
they entitle us. to expect that the 
French 
