1792. - remarhs on Tljunderproofs cfsays. 97 



account ought no doubt to be treated with greater 

 lenity than his performance deserves. 



The first thing Mr Thunderproof quarrels with, in 

 these ktt^fr remarks, is the fortrefs of Gibraltar, the 

 retention of which, by Britain, he considers as highly 

 criminal as well as absurd. Whether this garrison has 

 produced ad^^antages to Britain equivalent to the en- 

 ormous expence it has cost her, may perhaps be diffi- 

 cult to sa}' : Could it be razed to the ground, or over- 

 whelmed by an earthquake, or some convulsion of na- 

 ture, Vv'ithout occasioning the lofs of any lives, either 

 of these events might perhaps be auspicious to this 

 country; but as we can have no reasonable expecta- 

 tion of getting rid of it in this manner, it is certain 

 that ■ if we do give it up, it must pafs into the 

 hands of the Spanifh monarch, or at least into those 

 of some of the other European princes ; and its im- 

 portance is such as must make it add considerably to 

 the weight and consequence of the sovereign to whom 

 it belongs. Now, as it is a settled maxim in politics, 

 that in proportion as any nation rises in strength and ' 

 power, its neighbours sink into insignificance and oj)- 

 scurity, perhaps this consideration alone may afford a 

 sufficient reason for its retention; not to mention that 

 it fhelters our fleets in the time of \var ; that it ren- 

 .ders our commerce in the Mediterranean and Le- 

 vant more secure than that of any other European 

 •nation; and, besides, that it materially contributed 

 to the preservation of our West India islands in our 



late wars with France and Spain. Mr T , as it is 



natural to suppose, would fain make us believe that 

 th.-sewars, on the part of the latter power, drew their 

 origin cliiL-fly from our pofsefsion of this fortref;. 

 VOL. X. >• 



