prosperity the industry and com- 
merce of those nations,’”? which 
chey state to be our rivals, which 
hey charge us with ‘ unjustly 
Attacking, when we can no longer 
ape,” and which they throughout 
ontemplate as their own depen- 
encies, united in arms, and. fur- 
ishing resources for our future 
umiliation and destruction... They 
esort to that well known and con- 
tant allusion of their’s to ancient 
uistory, by which 
‘ France as modern Rome, and 
ngland as modern Carthage,”’. they 
ccuse us of national perfidy, and 
old England up, ‘‘ as an objectto be 
blotted out from the face of the 
earth.” ‘Tbey falsely assert that the 
paglish nation supports with impa- 
tience the continuance of the war, 
and has extorted all his Majesty’s 
vertures for peace ‘* by complaints 
and reproaches ;” and, above all, 
not only in that passage, but 
throughout their official note, they 
shew the most marked adherence 
to that insidious and intolerable 
policy of their system, by which 
they, from the commencement of 
the revolution, sought to trouble 
and subvert all the governments in 
Europe. They studiously disjoin 
the English nation from its so- 
vereign. 
' 10th. Because, having acted 
throughout the course of this aw- 
ful and momentous crisis upon 
the principles herein expressed, 
and afier having, on the present 
occasion, not only fully reconsi- 
dered, and jealously examined their 
soundness and validity, but gravely 
attended to, and _— scrupulously 
weighed the merits of all those 
argumeuts which have been offered 
to induce a dereliction of them, 
conscientiously adhering to, and 
- 
- 
S; TiAl EF ELPA PEAR B 
represenung 
[193 
firmly ‘abiding by them, 1 ‘thus’ so- 
lemnly> record them, in ‘justifica- 
tion of my own conduct, “and in 
discharge of the duty I owe to my 
king, my country, and general 
‘interests of civil society. 
WentTwertH Firzwitiram. 
Message from his Majesty to the 
House of Lords 12th Dec. 1796. 
George R. 
HIS majesty is concerned’ to ac- 
quaint the house of lords that his 
endeavours to preserve peace with 
Spain, and to adjust all matters in 
discussion with that court by an 
amicable negotiation, -have been 
rendered ineffectual by an abrupt 
and unprovoked declaration of war 
on the part’ of the Catholic king. 
His majesty, at the same time that 
he sincerely laments this addition to ‘ 
the calamities of war, already ex- 
tended over so great a part of Eu-' 
rope, has the satisfaction to reflect 
that. nothing has been omitted on 
his part which could contribute to 
the maintenance of peace, on 
grounds consistent with the honour 
of his crown, and the interest of 
his dominions ; and he trusts, that, 
under the protection of divine Pro- 
videiice, the firmness. and wisdom 
of bis parliament will enable him 
effectually to repel this unprovoked 
aggression, and to afford to all 
European additional proof of the 
spirit and resources of the’ Biitish’ 
nation. . 4. 
G.R. 
Message from ‘lis Majesty'to the 
House of Lords, 17th Dec. 1796. 
Ri a4 e fo er 
HIS Majesty thinks proper to 
acquaint the bouse of: ‘peers; that 
he 1s:at present engaged: in‘ concert- 
ing ‘twoasures*’ with his “allies, in 
order 
