330 THE CONCILIATION PROPOSALS CHAP. 



resolute as we seem unhappily to be firm, dissolution 

 must follow." Knowing the Americans as he does, " I 

 cannot," he says, " give up the opinions I have formed 

 of them, of their rights and of their power likewise. But 

 we know not what is for the best. It seems to be the 

 will of Providence that after we have humbled the pride 

 of the most potent Houses of Europe, we should be 

 humbled likewise by our own selves. Had our greatest 

 enemies the direction of our councils they could not drive 

 us to a more dangerous precipice." \ 



On January 20 Franklin attended the House of Lords 

 by Chatham's invitation, to hear his motion for with- 

 drawing the troops from Boston, and was charmed with 

 his eloquence and wisdom. The motion was of course 

 defeated ; a little band of eighteen voted in its favour 

 including the Duke of Cumberland, the king's brother. 

 The ministry however felt that something should be 

 attempted towards a settlement. A cabinet meeting was 

 held at Sandwich's house on the next day, and adopted 

 a curious resolution, in which the influence of the Harpur 

 Street scheme may be traced. An Address was to be 

 proposed to the two Houses, declaring that if the colonies 

 made provision for the support of civil government and 

 justice, and for their own defence, and in time of war 

 contributed extraordinary supplies in a reasonable pro- 

 portion to what was raised in Britain (this was Fother- 

 gill's article), the Home Government would desist from 

 the exercise of the power of taxation except for com- 

 mercial purposes. Whenever any of the colonies made a 

 proposition of this kind, laws to embody it were to be 

 considered. In the meanwhile the king was entreated 

 " to take the most effectual methods to enforce due 

 obedience to the laws and authority of the supreme 

 legislature." 2 It is easy to see that this was a com- 

 promise between the conciliatory and the coercive parties 

 in the cabinet, and that the last clause, enforcing subjec- 

 tion by arms, nullified its value as a measure of peace. 



1 Letter quoted by Sharpless, Quakers in the Revolution, p. 113. 

 2 Dartmouth MSS. pp. 372, 373. 



