302 
muinifter was ftrongly oppofed by feveral 
refpectable members. Lord Shefheld 
called it “the moft extraordinary and 
wnjuft meafure he had ever heard of.” 
Mr. Tierney and Sir William Pulteney 
were alfo againft it. At length the 
queftion was put and agreed t@without a 
divifion. The Chancellor of the Ex- 
chequer has been equally fuccefsful in 
fome fubfequent itages of this bill. 
On the 3d of April, Mr. Wilberforce 
made another effort in the Houfe of Com- 
mons to procure the abolition ofthe flave 
trade; but the majority of the members 
were as ufual inflexible to the tales of 
eruelty and oppreffion which are exercifed 
upon the unhappy Africans by civilized 
Europeans. The propofitien was ftrongly 
oppefed by Mr. Bryan Edwards, whofe 
focal knowledge of the fubje&t feemed to 
make a forcible impreffion upon the houfe. 
‘Upon a divifion there appeared for the 
Motion 83, againft it 87. 
About this time, Mr. Secretary Dundas 
itreduced a bill, which was {peedily 
paffed into a law, to enable his Majefty 
to augment the internal force of this 
country by encouraging armed affociations 
throughout the nation ; and ina few days 
afterwards he iffued to the Lords Lieu- 
tenants of Couuties printed copies of 
direétions how to act, refpecting the driv- 
tng off cattle, and providing for the army 
in cafe of an aétual invaiion. ; 
On the 20th of April, the fame gentle- 
man prefented to the Houfe of Commons 
a mefiage from the King, purporting that 
his Majefty thought it proper to acquaint 
his faithful Commons, that from advices 
which had been received, it appeared that 
the preparations for the embarkation of 
troops continued to be carried on with 
encreafing activity in the ports of France, 
Holland and Flanders, with the avowed 
defign of an immediate invafion of thefe’ 
kingdoms; and that in doing fo, the 
enemy was, éncouraged by their corre- 
fpondence with traitorous focieties within 
the realm. 
reliance on the bravery of his fleets and 
armies, and on the zeal and confidence of 
his people. ‘That his Majefty had em- 
bodied the fupplementary cavalry, and 
that it was his intention to embody the 
fupplementary militia and to make every 
other poffible preparation. ‘That he re- 
commended to the Commons to centfider, 
without delay, of fuch further means as 
they might devife, in order to defeat the 
machinations of wicked and difaffected 
erfons within the realm. 
Mr. Sheridan refe on the prefent oc- 
That his Majefty had a firm 
State of Public Affairs. 
cafion, and faid, that he-hoped to fee no 
common, no ordinary fpirit animate the 
people fo a manly refiftance to the enemy, 
when they had to preferve their charaéter 
as Englifhmen, and their independence 
as anation. With refpeét to the French 
Republic, he did not mean’ to retraét 2 
fipgle iota of what he had formerly 
afferted ; for he was firmly perfuaded that 
the attempt of the coalefced princes to 
crufh the infant Republic of France 
produced that gigantic republic, whofe 
object feemed to be that of fubjugating 
every other civilized nation in Europe. 
The objet of the enemy was to obtain 
the dominion of the fea ; nor from this 
would they depart, whether a monarchical 
or a republican form of government 
prevailed ; any attempt, therefore, to re- 
{tore the ancient monarchy would be as 
futile in-effect, as it would be abfurd in 
{peculation. He would not follow the 
high example in Ireland, of calling 
Buonaparte either a monfter or a rufhan ; 
he conceived fuch epithets as foolith as 
they were improper. At.this crifis, he 
faid, all party confiderations fhould ceafe ; 
this was no time for difcuffing the errors 
which brought us into our prefent pre- 
dicament. ‘The queftion was, whether 
we chofe to be conquered by France, or 
whether we fhould fruitrate their inten- 
tions by a prompt and manly refiftance. 
Thofe who had feceded from the whig | 
party, he faid, had much to atone for; 
they had deftroyed the confidence of the 
people by joining the ftandard of the 
minifter for places and emoluments, in- 
ftead of what they protefled, the fupport 
of religion, morality and regular govern- 
ment. He beftowed the higheft enco- 
miums upon Mr. Fox, and expreffed a 
great anxiety to fee him in fome fituation 
of oftenfible truft ; becaufe if the talents 
of any individual could fave the country, 
he poffefied them. He concluded by 
giving his cordial fupport to the addrefs 
to his Majefty on the Meffage.—Mr. 
Pitt beftowed the higheft compliments 
upon Mr. Sheridan for the manly and 
{pirited manner in which he had come 
forward ; and hoped that his defire to pro- 
mote unanimity would meet congenial 
fentiments in every corner of the country. 
The addrefs was agreed to nem. con. 
On the fame day two Mafters in 
Chancery brought a bill from the lords, 
which had been carried through all its 
ftages on that day, for the fufpeniion of the 
Habeas Corpus A&. It was read a firft 
time, when the Houfe went into a com- 
mittee upon it, in which Mr, Sheridan 
moved 
