\ 
“HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
sary to sign a peace to the advan- 
tage of France. 
Lord Minto, supported the re- 
solutions, with considerable force ; 
lord Grenville thought ministers 
might have avoided the war alto- 
gether, by accepting the proffered 
mediation of Russia; on the other 
hand, the lord chancellor and lord 
Hobart defended the conduct of 
ministers. 
_. The house divided upon the first 
resolution, there being 17 peers for 
it, and 86 against it, leaving a ma- 
“jority of 69 in favour of Govern- 
ment. 
- We have seen, in the course of 
the highly interesting debates, in 
both houses of parliament, on the 
question of attaching censure to 
the conduct of administration, that 
it was, by great majorities, acquitted 
of all blame, .in the progress of its 
hostile discussions, on various sub- 
jects with France, since the period 
of the treaty of Amiens, Whether 
‘this solemn acquittal was asufficient 
‘testimony to, and proof of, their 
impeccability, we shall hereafter 
take occasion to discuss at length ; 
yet, even in this moment of triumph 
and exultation, was it apparent to 
the acute and wary observer of 
“political attachments and combina- 
tions, that, at the moment, when the 
conduct of ministers, seemed to 
ve received the most ample coun- 
ance and support from the legis- 
tion; their credit and character, 
th eeiin and without the walls 
parliament, were shaken to the 
ntre, and that what appeared to 
the flush of health and vigour, 
but conceal the rapid progress 
, vital dissolution. 
pat had already been rumoured, 
‘Val. XLy. 
177 
and indeed engaged universal belief» 
that Mr. Addington, justly aware 
of the critical situation of - the 
country at large, and of his own 
as minister, unsupported as he 
was, by any of the talent and pub- 
lic virtue of the empire, (which 
were exclusively found, either rang~ 
ed in the phalanx of decided hos- 
tility to his measures, or hovered 
around in inauspicious neutrality, ¥ 
had endeavoured to attach to him- 
self, in this moment of pressure, the 
great name and abilities of his pre- 
decessor in office,as the securest prop 
to the tottering reputation of the 
existing government. It was also 
known, that in this negociation, he 
had totally failed. "Fhe origin, the 
progress, and the termination of 
this important affair, involving cir- 
cumstances both of present and fu- 
ture interest, of too momentous a 
nature, not to afford matter of se- 
parate consideration, we shall here- 
after fully develop; suffice it at 
present to state, that from the 
period of this transaction, the sup- 
port of Mr. Pitt, feverish as it had 
of late been, was no longer looked 
to as the shield and safeguard of 
the present administration; and 
that even decided opposition, on the 
part of that gentleman and his ad- 
herents towards it, might be fully 
expected. 
In these opinions were the pub- 
lic fully confirmed, when the ac- 
ceptation, by Mr. Tierney, of the 
high and hicrative office of trea- 
surer of the navy, with the rank of 
privy counsellor, was announced 
in the Gazette, within the short 
space of two months, from the pe- 
riod of that abortive attempt to 
strengthen the hands of government, 
N ta 
