HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
struggle, not merely for one year, 
-but till we shall have brought it to 
a successful issue; some measure, 
by which we shall be enabled to 
complete our army; and to call 
into action the national strength, 
and give activity to all the military 
skill, discipline, and experience we 
possess. I do not know if gentle- 
amen feel, as I do, upon this occa- 
sion, or if I have been successful in 
making my feelings understood. Im- 
pressed, as I am, with those feel- 
ings, and unprepared for the deci- 
sive vote, which is offered in the 
direct negative or affirmative, of the 
propositions before the house, I 
move that the other orders of the 
day be now read.” 
Lord Hawkesbury said,that never 
before, had he risen in parliament, 
with such feelings as those that now 
oppressed him. With every wish 
to do justice to the feelings of his 
right hon. friend, in making the 
motion with which he had con- 
cluded his speech; he and his col- 
leagues should be shrinking from 
their duty to themselves, if they 
could accept the compromise of- 
fered between a direct censure, and 
a total acquittal A charge of 
crimination, founded upon papers 
daid upon the table, had been 
brought forward. He asked, if 
there was an instance, in which 
propositions, founded on such do- 
-cuments, and involving the con- 
_ duct of ministers, had not been met 
either with a direct negative or af- 
-firmative? A motion of inquiry 
might be got rid of, by a previous 
question ; but, when a direct charge 
was made, grounded on facts, ris- 
' ing out of public documents, a pre- 
vious question was not the fit way 
@f disposing of the subject. No 
175 
fan was more ready than he was, 
to acknowledge the prerogative of 
the crown to choose its own mi- 
nisters ; but, on the other hand, 
ministers were responsible to par- 
liament for the exercise of their 
functions; and when parliament 
saw sufficient grounds of censure, 
they ought to state it; and then 
ministers, no longer able usefully 
to serve the public, ought to retire: 
Independently of private considera- 
tions, he must contend, that the 
credit of the government ought to 
be maintained, particularly at such 
a crisis as the present. But he had 
no difficulty in saying, that those 
who wished to destroy the admini- 
stration, ought to vote for the reso- 
lutions, because that was their ob- 
vious tendency, while the vote, 
which his right hon. friend had pro- 
posed, would have the effect to dis- 
credit government, to leave them 
discredited, in possession of func- 
tions, which they could not exer- 
cise with honor to themselves, or 
advantage to the public. His right 
hon. friend (Mr. Pitt) had declined 
going into details. He wished, 
however, that he had afforded some 
details ; that he had pointed out 
those parts of the conduct of minis- 
ters, which he could not approve, 
that they might have an opportu- 
nity of meeting any charge, or ex- 
plaining what was deemed excep- 
tionable. It was possible, that in 
a long and arduous course of cou- 
duct, some points might be liable 
to objection. In a country like 
this, however, he always considered 
it to be the fair principle, both of 
support and of opposition to minis~- 
ters, that those who agreed or dis- 
agreed with them, should do so on 
a general system. It was not to be 
expected 
