HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
rulers of that country more favour- 
able to the preserving of such rela~ 
tions. Ministers ought, in the 
“mean time, to be reminded with 
what powers they had not scrupled 
to enter into treaties of amity, and 
of what deeds they had, in conse- 
quence, been the abettors. Mr. 
Fox, reviewed the events of the 
war with great accuracy and pre- 
cision, with a view of shewing the 
illemanagement of those who had 
conducted it. He ridiculed the 
idea that the French were more 
deserving of confidence on account 
of their new constitution; their 
principles werestill the same, though 
they had adopted another mode of 
ruling. But neither those princi- 
ples, nor their antecedent govern- 
ment, ought to have been made 
the pretext for waging a war of 
extermination, It was time to end 
it on any conditions, not deroga- 
tory to the dignity of this country: 
and ministry ought no longer to be 
suffered to protraét the war, on the 
pretence they had so continually, but 
falsely, alleged, of incapacity in 
the enemy to maintain a good un- 
derstanding. 
The sentiments of Mr. Dundas 
were, that to offer terms of peace 
to the enemy would be attended 
with no disgrace, but that ministers, 
in such case, should be left to aé 
discretionally, and not to be com- 
pelled to make a peace of which 
they disapproved. ‘The amend- 
ment, for that reason, was inequi- 
table, as it fettered their operations 
against all experience and prece- 
dent. He denied the objeét of the 
war to be the restoration of despo- 
tism in France, or that this country 
could have indulged the hope of an 
advantageous peace till the present 
period. Less than a year before, 
[57 
the successes of the French had ren- 
dered them untraétable, and it was 
only since their late defeats that 
reasonable men had begun to hope 
for, equitable conditions, Never 
before had they, during the whole 
of this war, condescended to ex- 
press the least willingness to recon- 
ciliation, . The king’s message could 
not have been delivered ata fitter 
opportunity: the suppbes for the 
continuance of the war had been 
granted, and the nation had proved 
itself able and willing to maintain 
the contest. This was exattly the 
situation in which we should appear 
to the enemy, upon whom it would 
doubtless make that impression 
which was intended. It weuld con- 
vince the French, that, however we 
might be desirous of peace, we 
were ready for war, and not dis- 
posed to treat on dishonourable 
terms. The debate closed by re- 
jeéting the amendment and carrying 
the address. A similar one to this 
was, on the next day, tenth of De- 
cember, proposed and passed in the 
house of lords. 
On the fifteenth of February, Mr. 
Grey introduced his motion for 
peace by a speech, wherein he ob- 
served, that, contrary to general 
expectation, the ministry, in heu 
of a negociation for peace, were 
making preparations for a continua- 
tion of the war. But with what 
well-grounded hope of success could 
they persist in this unfortunate sys- 
tem? There was no confidence 
nor unity of views in the remain- 
ing parts of the coalition ; and yet 
this country was to bear the weight 
of this pretended alliance in favour 
of the common interest of Europe. 
The public was exhorted to rely on 
the discretion of ministers : but were 
they worthy of any trust, after be- 
ing 
