GIG 



BRITAIN. 



Britain. 



GEORGE! II. 

 1777. 



General 

 Burgoyr.e 

 'lays down 

 his arms. 



Meeting 

 of parlia- 

 ment 20th 

 November, 



1778. 



Conces- 

 sion;, held 

 out to 

 America. 



grounds on the way to that position had also been 

 seized. Three days subsistence only remained in the 

 camp, and it became necessary to sign <i convention 

 with General Gates, that the British troops should 

 lay down their arms, on condition c-f being transport- 

 ed to Britain not to serve more during the war. Such 

 was the catastrophe of an army, consisting, at its de- 

 parture from Canada, of n-.ore than 10,000 men, 

 but now reduced by the sword and hardships, to 

 little more than half that number. 



The parliament assembled on the 20th of No vein - 

 ber. In opposing the address proposed by ministers 

 in the upper house, Lord Chatham delivered his me- 

 morable philippic against the employment of Indians 

 in the war ; but though the house listened for the 

 time, as if electrified by his eloquence, it produced 

 no change on their real temper or votes. The 3d of 

 .December was memorable, in the lower house, for 

 the disclosure of the fate of Burgoync. The minis- 

 ter acknowledged it with dejection, and even with 

 tears ; and, amidst the torrent of sarcasm and invec- 

 tive with which he was assailed by an increasing op- 

 position, he entreated the house, with evident humi- 

 liation, to suspend their censures, till an impartial in- 

 vestigation of the business should take place. Du- 

 ring the recess of parliament, ths subscriptions that 

 were raised by individuals for the support of the war, 

 and the regiments which were thus furnished to go- 

 vernment by several of the principal towns, seemed 

 to reanimate the drooping spirits of ministers. It 

 wasevident, however, that theirparliamentary strength 

 Lad declined from the late disaster. On Mr Fox's 

 motion for abandoning the plan of conquering Ame- 

 rica, the minority divided 16.5 against 259 ; and al- 

 though the various other motions made by that speak- 

 er, as well as those of Mr Barre and Mr Burke, were 

 rejected, the minister, by offering a second plan of 

 -econciliation, made a virtual concession of past er- 

 rors, which could not but strike his most determined 

 adherets. The substance of this plan was brought 

 before the house in two bills, on the 17th of Febru- 

 ary 1778. * To anticipate a little in the order of 

 narration, the commissioners, Governor Johnstone, 

 Lord Carlisle, and Mr Eden, who were empowered 

 by these bills to treat with the congress, arrived at 

 Philadelphia in the month of June ; ai:d, at the out- 

 set, made concessions far greater than the Ameri- 

 cans, in their petitions to the king, had ever request- 

 ed. They offered, that no troops should be kept in 

 the States without their consent : they offered, in 

 fact, to establish a perfect freedom of legislation and 

 internal government, and every privilege to America 

 short of total separation. But the secretary to the 

 British commission was refused a passport to con- 

 gress, and he was obliged to forward his papers by 

 the common means. The substance of the answer of 

 congress (delivered by their president, Henry Lau- 

 rens) was, that the United States of America being 

 independent, would treat with Britain for such terms 

 of peace and commerce, as might be consistent with 

 their other treaties already subsisting. As a solid 



proof of our sincerity to treat, they required their 

 independence to be acknowledged, ;;nd our armies 

 and fleets to be withdrawn. In the mean time, a 

 treaty of amity and commerce had been concluded 

 between France and America, nnd the former power 

 had completed her preparations for assisting the 

 youthful common-wealth. In the month of April, 

 Count D'Estaign was dispatched with twelve ships of 

 the line from Toulon. Admiral Byron, with a fleet 

 from Portsmouth, was ordered to sail after him ; but 

 as the destination of the Frenchman was supposed to 

 be the Delaware, and as the fleet of Lord Howe in 

 that quarter was unable to protect our operations, if 

 the hostile fleet should arrive there, the commission-' 

 ers for peace had brought out to America, an order 

 for our own army to evacuate Philadelphia, and re- 

 pair to New York. 



Leaving for a moment the operations of the war, 

 it may be proper to notice a division between the 

 leaders of opposition in parliament, which may cer- 

 tainly be reckoned to have contributed to protract 

 the duration of the war. The Marquis of Rocking. 

 ham, and the whole Rockingham connection, main- 

 tained the necessity of admitting the independence of 

 America. It was too late (they argued) to concili- 

 ate : it was impossible to overwhelm the colonies by 

 force ; and to persist in attempting it, was only to 

 accumulate our debt, and accelerate our ruin. The 

 Earls of Chatham, Shelburne, and Temple, who had, 

 unhappily for the Whig interests, kept up a separate 

 party, deprecated the concession of independence ae 

 ruinous and disgraceful. In one of the debates du- 

 ring the spring session of the present year, when the 

 Duke of Richmond moved to address the king for 

 renouncing the impracticable object of the war, the 

 Earl of Chatham came to the house (declaring with 

 a melancholy prediction, that it was probably for the 

 last time), to express his indignation at the idea of 

 yielding up our sovereignty. He rejoiced that the 

 grave had not closed over him, before he had lifted 

 up his voice against the dismemberment of the em- 

 pire. The Duke of Richmond having spoken in re- 

 ply, Lord Chatham rose and endeavoured to give 

 vent to some great idea that seemed to be labouring 

 in his breast ; but, unable to utter a word, he fell 

 amidst the arms of his friends in a convulsive fit, and 

 being conveyed to his villa at Hayes, in Kent, expi- 

 red, after a few weeks, on the llth of May. It 

 would be rash to pronounce upon the consistency of 

 so great a character, or to suppose that his views re- 

 specting America were not changed on grounds de- 

 serving serious consideration. Yet it eeems at first 

 sight difficult to reconcile his opinions on this mo- 

 mentous subject. If we could not force our taxes 

 upon America, it is hard to conceive, that we could 

 wrest from her her independence. 



The spring of 1778 was far advanced, before the 

 contending armies began to act in America. Count 

 D'Estaign's fleet entered the Delaware in the begin- 

 ning of July. A short time after, the British army, 

 now commanded by Sir Harry Clinton, (Sir Wil- 



Britai 



GF.ORGS; 

 1778 



Proceee 

 ings in 

 parliam 



Death 

 Lord 



Cliatli 



iith ; 



1. A bill for removing all doubts and apprehensions with regard to the taxation of America, by the parliament of Great 

 Britain. 



?. A bill to appoint commissioners to treat with the Americans; 



