_ HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
French should be the first to sue for 
peace, as ministers presumptuously 
asserted ? 
The amendment brought forward 
by the duke of Bedford was strongly 
oppose by earl Spencer, who con- 
tended that in so extensive a war, 
waged in almost every part of the 
globe, it could not be expected that 
the mercantile shipping of this coun- 
try would always escape the vigilance 
of an enemy, whose only and per- 
petual object at sea was depreda- 
tion. It was indeed more surpri- 
sing that his captures were so few, 
when it was considered that we 
carried on nearly the whole trade of 
Europe. He gave asatisfactory ac- 
count of the naval transactions du- 
ring the precedingseason, and made 
it appear that the mischances which 
had befallen the commercial fleets 
were owing to unavoidable accidents 
and not to misconduct. He justi- 
fied the employment of Mr. Puis- 
Saye, as @ person through whose 
means the principal communica- 
tion was kept up with France, where 
he headed a considerable party of 
royalists. 
The duke of Norfolk spoke for 
[13 
the amendment, and the lord chan- 
cellorin opposition to it. The duke 
of Bedford in resuming the subject, 
recurred to the expressions used by 
lord Grenville, which were, that 
‘*in case the constitution now of- 
fered to the people of France, 
should be found likely to establish 
itself in such a form as to secure a 
government that might preserve the 
relations of peace and amity, his 
objections to treat with them would 
be entirely removed.” 
The substance of what had been 
spoken by lord Grenville, was con- 
formable to the words taken down 
by the duke of Bedford; but the 
former declared himself of opinion, 
that it was not parliamentary to 
make the words of a peer, uttered 
in the course of the debate, a formal 
ground of proposing or of recalling 
a motion. Hereon the duke cone 
sented to withdraw his amendment ; 
refusing however his approbation 
to that part of the address which 
asserted an improvement in the 
situation of public affairs. The ad- 
dress was then finally moved, and 
carried in the affirmative. 
CHAP. 
