HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



to shew that enemy, who had con- 

 temptuously used the phrase, that 

 when wc contended with them in 

 ■war, we were as far superior to them, 

 as when we contended with them in 

 trade or in manufactures : and if, as 

 yet, we had made no great efforts in 

 offensive warfare, it was because the 

 defence of the country was the most 

 important object of the war, and 

 must be attended to before any 

 other consideration. Government, 

 however, had not been inattentive to 

 active operations, and had made im- 

 portant acquisitions of territory in 

 the West Indies. He considered 

 that the Irish volunteer force w ould 

 be sufficient to keep down the disaf- 

 fected in that country; and, upon 

 the whole, he was inclined to hope 

 that the situation of the country, at 

 present, and the measures the go- 

 vernment had pursued, would tend 

 io the attainment of a real, perma- 

 nent, and honourable peace, in 

 which the security of other nations, 

 and the balance of Europe, might 

 be preserved. 



The question on the address Avas 

 then put and carried unanimously. 



In the house of commons, on 

 the same day, after his majesty's 

 speech had been read from the 

 chair, 



The honourable CrQpley Ashley 

 rose, to move the address. He 

 went over the" several topics of his 

 majesty's speech, on each of which 

 he made a few observations, w hich 

 were principally to congratulate the 

 country on the present aspect of its 

 affairs, and concluded, by moving 

 the address. 



Mr. Burland began by compar- 

 ing the situation of the continent of 

 Europe, reduced nearly to tlie de- 

 pendence of a petty German state, 

 MJth the proud situation of this 



country, which had preserved itself 

 from anarchy and despotism. He 

 confidently expected that the address 

 would be voted unanimously, as the 

 experience of the last session had 

 convinced him, that however gentle- 

 men might differ about past mea- 

 sures, or plans of defence, yet when 

 the welfare of the king, the consti- 

 tution, and the country, were at 

 stake, the house had but one opi- 

 nion and one voice. He wished the 

 house and the country to be per- 

 fectly aware of the impending dan- 

 ger, in order that they might view it 

 without contempt, or without dis- 

 may. He deprecated the opinion 

 which he had often heard repeated, 

 that Bonaparte knew the dangers 

 of an invasion too well to attempt 

 it. Such an opinion damped the 

 energy of those who entertained it, 

 and was by no means warranted in 

 fact. Bonaparte had not as yet 

 threatened any thing which he had 

 not attempted. Those difficulties 

 which deterred others, did not deter 

 him. He was never afraid of the 

 sacrifice of his armies, as he ap- 

 peared entirely regardless of the 

 lives of his soldiers. If, like the 

 Swiss, the Dutch, or the Hanoveri- 

 ans, we were to wait in torpid secu- 

 rity, till the enemy were at our 

 gates, we must expect to share the 

 fate of those countries ; whereas, if 

 we go forth with one heart and soul 

 to meet him on our coasts, we 

 should, doubtless, drive him back 

 with ignominy. He then took the 

 opportunity of loudly applauding 

 the naval force of the country, on 

 the unexampled patience with which 

 they continued the blockade of the 

 enemy's harbours, so that hardly a 

 gun-boat was allowed to skulk from 

 one port to another. He concluded, 

 by seconding Ihe motion for the ad- 

 B 2 driir 



