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for acts thought innocent when committed. Our Saviour sent his Apostles to teach and proclaim peace to all nations; but the litical Apostles to be sent out by the Mi

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nister would be harbingers of civil war, in all its most horrid and hideous forms, accompanied by fire, sword, and famine.' Fox also made a strenuous opposition to the bill, but it availed nothing; it was passed into a law. As this scheme was alledged to be contrived to starve America, and imputed to a Scotchman, it gave rise to many jokes. Wilkes, speaking of this bill, and perhaps also alluding to the slenderness of the Solicitor's person, called him Starvation Wedderburne. Mr. Dundas distinguished himself on this question, by his plain, strong reasoning; and though somewhat laughed at for his pronunciation by those that attended to sound more than to sense, was heard with great attention by the leading men of Opposition, as well as by his own party. Whatever jokes he underwent on account of his broad Scotch, no one, that looked in his face could, on that ground, call kim STAR

VATION HARRY. Mr. David Hartley proposed a conciliatory bill, somewhat different in detail from Burke's, but on the same general principles,-the abandonment of taxation, and the repeal of the obnoxious laws. Burke supported this bill, but to no effect.

All attempts being unavailing to prevent the continuance of the war, its conduct next became a subject of animadversion. In the discussion of this subject Fox took the lead. The Americans, he contended, had been successful in the preceding campaign; and that their success must have been owing either to the weakness and inadequacy of the ministerial plans, or to the misconduct or misfortune of the military and naval commanders; and therefore moved an inquiry, as the means of fixing the blame, if there was any, or ascertaining if there was not.

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Admitting,' said Mr. Fox, the coercion of America to be right, the question is about the means. The means have not hitherto answered the end: we must inquire

to what that has been owing, that we may hereafter either employ better means or apply them more vigorously. If we wish to subdue America let us see how it is to be done; and for that purpose, what has till now prevented our progress.'

Fox pressed the necessity of an inquiry with such force, that the Ministry would not answer him directly, alledging this was not the proper time.

A petition being presented against the prohibitory bill from the West-India merchants, for the immense loss that must accrue to them by the interclusion of commerce with America, Burke shewed himself completely master of the West-India trade, and entered into a very accurate detail of the various articles of traffic between the Islands and the Colonies. Finding that the Ministry paid no regard to the petition, or to any information tending to shew the hurtfulness of the contest with America, he proposed the following ironical resolution:

That it is necessary and proper to come to a resolution, that evidence concerning the state of America, the temper of the people there, and the probable resolutions of an act now depending, is unnecessary to this house, this house being already sufficiently acquainted with these matters.' When we recollect the obstinacy with which Ministry refused to listen to any representations in favour of America, or to examine evidence on the subject, we must allow that the irony was fair. In discussing this question, both parties went over the whole grounds of the American dispute: the Ministers declared themselves convinced that the provincials would yield on the first appearance of the great armament then preparing against them, and avowed that nothing short of unconditional submission would satisfy Government. Burke persisted in supporting his uniform opinion to the contrary: and from the treasures of his historical knowledge quoted examples of the fate of armaments sent to a distant country, and dwelt on the destruction of the fleet and army of

the Athenians at Syracuse. Among many instances of the successful resistance of men fighting for their liberty, he entered at large into that of the United Provinces, against which forces were not to be sent at the distance of three thousand miles, but from their neighbourhood, forces much more numerous and equally disciplined, and against a much inferior body of people to the Americans, both in number and resources.

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Burke is believed to be the author, or at least the reviser of various pamphlets and essays not avowed by him, censuring the measures of Government. It is certain that many of the writings on that side contain arguments that had been used by Burke.

The Ministerial writers were more numerous than the Opposition, but less able. Except Johnson, Dr. Fergusson, Dean Tucker, and Mr. Baron, the writers for Ministry were mostly men of inconsiderable talents. Dr. Fergusson's pamphlet contained the most ingenious reasoning: Mr.

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