—) e.a Sa 
44. Memvirs of the Earl of Rofslyz. 
ency, between conduct and opinion.” 
‘* From the fhort time it took his Lord- 
fhip, and tome cther great Minifters, to 
fettie thefe contrarieties (he added), it 
Wes evident that the concealéd authors of 
the prefent fy@em of American meafures 
had the addref& to unite perfons and par- 
ties, of the moft- contradiétory opinions ; 
and fuch being the cafe, he tinfed it 
would, hkewie, unize their epronents to 
purfve one fteady plan of aétion, that of 
preventing the impending ruin cf this 
couniry, by the tetal lofs of its American 
Gominions.”” He prediéted, « thar, by 
the meafures then purfuing, America, 
waich, in the reign of George II. con- 
fiituted a part of the Britifh . empire, 
would, inthe reign ot George IIT. be dii- 
fevered from it; as tor the colonies, they 
had already cealed to be Britith damini- 
ens, and were now no more fothan Calais, 
which, as well as they, was once an 
Enzlifh province.” 
He then alluded to the recent creation 
cf a new cffice,* thar of Secretary of 
State for the Colonies, which, he infited, 
could neither be legally nor confitution- 
ally done; and he concluded by obferv- 
ing, ** that the precedent quoted from 
the reign of Edwasd VI. was a miferable 
pretext fer evading a pofitive law, with 
the dark detign of placing a favourite and 
odfequious willing flave at the head of 
the American department.” 
Cn the death of his friend, Mr. Gren- 
ville, however, in 1770, the intenfity of 
Mr. Wedderburn’s patriotiim appears to 
have cocled ; for, in the courfe of Hilary 
Term, 1771, he accepted the office of So- 
licttor General to the King, and Cofferer 
to her Majefty. In the courfe of the next 
feffion, we find him fupporting the Royal 
Marriage Bill; in 1773, he thielded Lord 
HBulifborough, whom he himflf had be- 
fore aifailed, frem the attacks of his ad- 
veriari s, refpe€iing the Carib lands in 
the Hland of St. Vincevt’s, and affifted 
Lord North in his Bill for new modelling 
the Esf India Company; the fruitful 
parent of Mr. Fox’s, Mr. Piti’s, the 
Deciaratory, the Exolanatory, and fome 
feces ot Aéts of Parliament, one of 
‘which occafioned the difmifial of a whole 
Minifiry: — 
On the ninth ef March, 1774, the Pre- 
mier having moved feveral refolutions, 
relative to the right of the legiflature of 
Great Britain to bind America in all 
cafes whatfoever, Mr. Solicitor General 
fended theie propeficions, ina moft elo- 
quent fpeech, and, ct the fame time, re- 
enced 
* jacuary 23. 
[ Feb. 1, 
commended fome law which would effee- 
tually punifh the authors and actors in the 
late riot at Bofton; in confequence of 
which, tle Bofton Port, the Adminiftra- 
tion of Juftice, the Quebec, the Prohibi- 
tory, and the Capture Bills, were all f{e- 
verally enacted, and carried into effe&. 
It is but candid to hope, and even be- 
lieve, that Mr. Wedderburn, upon this 
eccafion, was actuated by the pureft mo- 
tives, and that a change fo fuddén, a con- 
verfion fo initantaneous, ovigmated in the 
moit profound conviéticn. His enemies, 
however, were bitter in their refentment, 
and fo illiberal in their animefity, that 
they would not allow the intervention of 
any one honourable principle. They car- 
ried their hatred to fuch a length, that 
they attacked his principles, his profeffion, 
and even his country. They obferved, 
that, while in oppofition, he had frankly 
predicted the ruin likely to enfue, in cen- 
fequence of a conteft with America, and 
yet, no fooner had he been invefied with 
the office of Soliciter General, than he 
aided the Minifer in all his aéts, and 
thus tended, with ai] his might, after the 
lapfe cf only four years, to realize his 
own prophecy, ** that the American colo- 
nies would, in the reign of George IIT. 
be diflevered from the Britifh empire.” ~ 
Having complained, in the courie of a 
reply (Feb. 6, 1775), ‘* that the rebel- 
hous dijpefizion of the Americans had 
been encouraged by thofe who avowed 
their caufe in England,” Colcnel Barre 
immediately arcfe to-anfwer him. ‘“* He 
allowed, the Americans might weil be 
encouraged by their confidence in having 
friends at home, “ when they recollected, 
that the Honourable Gentleman’s voice 
was made hoarfe in condemning the mea- 
fures of this country towards América, 
and had never been Icuder than in his in= 
veciive againft Lord Hillfborough (the 
then Secretary of State), for the letter 
which he infifted deferved impeachment.” 
Having, in the courfe of the fame fef- 
Gon, entered into an elabora'e defence of 
the meafure of, garrifoning Gibraltar and 
Minorca with Hanoverians, founded on - 
the precedent, that fereign trcops had 
been in: roduced into the kingdom, with- 
out the confent of Parliament, and moved 
the previous gueition, he was replied ta 
by Mr. Burke, who odferved,-** that the 
learn:d gentleman had ranfacked hiftery, 
flatutes, and journals, end had tekena 
very long journey, as was ufual with him, 
th:ough which he did not with to follow 
him, but he was always glad to meet him — 
ov his return home. Let. us (lays he) 
firip of this learned foliage entirely from 
eet dis 
af ne 
