refpect to the infertion, as a matter of honour to General Eliott, it was furely unneceffary for the gallantry of General Eliott's conduct would have entitled him to equal praise if the object had been lefs important.

Mr. Burke ftrongly fupported the amendment; he faid Mr. Burke. it would give the Minifters a handle for obftinately refifting all demands for a ceffion of Gibraltar. It had been often faid of English negociators, that they had, in all ne gociations, the advantage of impotence; that is, the advantage of not having it in their power of complying with the demands of an unreafonable enemy.

The amandment he thought highly neceffary to the honour of General Eliott; for though other officers might have behaved gallantly, and nobly in other quarters, yet he derived additional luftre from the great theatre on which his abilities had been difplayed. Polybius had observed, that is was abfurd to compare Timoleon to Alexander.

Sir Adam Ferguson was against the amendment; he Sir Adam agreed entirely with Governor Johnstone, in opinion, that Fergufon. the words of the motion could not have been too fimple; he was always much better pleased with the fimple epitaph made by Simonides, for the gallant Spartans, who had fallen at Thermopylæ, than with the moft pompous and Inbored panegyric of the dead. All that Simonides faid of thefe gallant heroes, was; "Go, ftranger, and tell the Lacædemonans, that we fell here in defence of our country."

Sir Charles Turner was also against the motion, because he Sir Charles was not yet ripe to fay, that Gibraltar was the most valuable Turner. fortress we had; it would require time to deliberate, before

a man could bring himself to declare which was the most valuable of our foreign fortreffes.

Lord John Cavendish faid he would not have cared if the Lord John amendment had never been propofed; but, having been pro- Cavendi pofed; it might be productive of the moft fatal confequences, if it fhould go over to Spain that the House of Commons had not dared to pronounce Gibraltar a valuable fortress.

General Conway afked if gentlemen were yet ripe to pro- Ceneral nounce Gibraltar the most valuable of our fortreffes? would Conway, they fay, for inftance, that it was more valuable than Madras, the lofs of which might be productive of the lofs of all our poffeffions in India?

VOL. IX.

P

Mr.

Mr, Demp

fter.

The Lord

Mr. Dempfer, in order to obviate this objection, moved an amendment to the amendment, which was, that before the words, "the most valuable and important," fhould be inferted the words "one of:"

The Lord Advocate of Scotland called this a new edition of Advocate. the debate, and opposed the new amendment, supporting the oiginal motion as the only one that ought to pafs, pending the negotiation for peace.

Mr. D. P.
Coke.

General

Mr. Wilberforce faid, the gentleman on the other fide the Houfe dealt unfairly by Minifters; let them judge them by their actions. They had spent the fummer in forwarding peace, and yet the gentlemen now addreffed their arguments rather to their words, than their actions. Mr. Wilberforce fupported Mr. Pitt very ftrenuously, and ended his fpeech with declaring, that his honourable friend poffeffed hereditary ability and hereditary honour.

At length Sir George Howard again defired to withdraw his amendment, and Lord Fielding confented; but just as the Speaker was about to put the queftion,

Mr. D. P. Coke rofe, and declared, he would not confent, as he fhould not, perhaps, have another opportunity of declaring his refolution never to agree to cede Gibraltar; fooner than do which, he faid, he would cut off his right hand.

General Conway told Mr. Coke he would undoubtedly Conway have many opportunities of declaring that opinion by a vote, but advised him, as the more manly way, to take an opportunity of moving a direct queftion upon the fub ject.

Mr. Coke.

General Conway.

Mr. Coke faid, the ill-fuccefs of his motion, for the abo lition of an unjuftifiable penfion laft feffion, had determined him not to attempt another motion. As, however, he had learnt that he fhould have fufficient opportunity hereafter to declare his deteftation of the ceflion of Gibraltar, he had no objection to the amendment's being withdrawn.

The amendment was withdrawn accordingly, and General Conway's original motion carried nemine contradicente.

General Conway then rofe, and faid, he begged leave farther to trouble the Houfe with a few words, in order to open to them another motion, which he meant to offer, and to which, as he humbly hoped there would be no objection, fo he did not imagine it could occafion any debate. The motion to which he alluded, was a motion of thanks to Lord Viscount Howe, for his having fo gallantly

relieved

relieved the garrison of Gibraltar. An honourable gentleman had declared in that House on a former day, that there had been fome mistake made refpecting a fignal, but that honourable gentleman declared at the fame time, that he did not impute that mistake to the noble Lord who commanded the fleet, and that he was far from faying, that he was far from faying, that the noble Lord was himself to blame, only that there was caufe for blame fomewhere. He trufted, therefore, that the harmony of that day's proeceding would meet with no interruption, and that the motion he was then going to make, would pafs without a negative. He then moved,

That the thanks of this Houfe be given to the right honourable Lord Viscount Howe, for the important fervice he has done to this country by the late relief of the fortress of Gibraltar, and by his gallant and able manœuvres of the fleet under his command against a fuperior fleet of the enemy.

Sir Charles Turner, after fome interruption by the clamour Sir Charles for the queftion, called upon gentlemen, if they had any Turner. thing to fay against the conduct of the noble Admiral to stand up now and pronounce their opinions.

The queftion was put, and carried with the fingle negative of Governor Johnstone.

Conway.

General Conway then rofe again, and faid to compleat the General bufinefs, the Houfe ought, in his mind, to vote their thanks to the other diftinguifhed officers concerned in this fervice. The General then fhortly ftated the merits of the feveral officers included in his motion, and moved:

That the thanks of this Houfe be given to Lieutenant General Boyd, Major General La Motte, Major General Green Chief Engineer, to Sir Roger Curtis, and to the officers, foldiers, and failors, lately employed in the defence of Gibraltar.

General Rofs paid high compliments to General Eliott, Gen. Rofs. and the other officers and foldiers of the garrison, excepting General Boyd, of whom he spoke in terms very

fevere.

of Surrey.

The Earl of Surrey called him to order, as the General The Earl was not prefent to defend himself.

General Rofs declared, that what he had faid proceeded Gen. Ros not from perfonal pique, revenge, or malice; but he perfifted in what he faid, and he would take the fense of the

P 2

House

Mr. Burke.

Gen. Rofs.

House against the vote of thanks to General Boyd, even if he fhould ftand fingle.

Mr. Burke, General Conway, Governor Johnstone, Mr. Rolle, Mr. Secretary Townfhend, Mr. Chancellor Pitt, and other Members ftrongly defended General Boyd; and Mr. Secretary Townshend in particular reported to the House, the very honourable teftimony which General Eliott paid to his merit, although it was known that there was a coldness between them.

General Ross, perfifted, and moved as an amendment, that the name of General Boyd be left out of the motion.

This not being feconded, General Rofs left the House, and the original motion paffed unanimously.

December 13.

The House, on the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, went into a committe of ways and means; and Mr. Ord having taken the chair, Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer moved, that towards raifing the fupply granted to his Majefty, four fhillings in the pound and no more be impofed as a land tax.

This motion having been read, Sir Jofeph Mawbey rofe, and was entering into an ample difcuffion of the ftate of the nation, finances, and negociation for peace, adverting occafionally to what had been faid in the Houfe on these fubjects in former debates. Upon this he was called to order by Mr. Coke, (of Norfolk) who said he was afhamed to fee how debates were carried on in that Houfe, and how fond fome gentlemen were of them; he was afraid, that, in the end, the ftrangers in the gallery would have a contempt for their proceedings, and that the public at large would lofe all veneration for the Houfe,

The queftion was then put, and carried without oppofition; as was also another motion, made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for impofing the, ordinary duty on malt,

December 14.

Mr. Speaker acquainted the House, that he had received, from Sir Roger Curtis, the following letter, in return to the thanks of this Houfe, fignified to him by Mr. Speaker, in obedience to their commands of Thursday last :

"Sir,

December 14th, 1782,

"I have this morning been favoured with your letter of the 12th inftant, accompanying a refolution of the Houfe

of Commons, paffed the fame day, whereby their thanks were given to certain officers (amongst whom I have the honour to be named), and to the other officers, the foldiers, and failors, lately employed in the defence of Gibraltar.

"I am not capable, Sir, to express how very sensibly I am affected by the high honour that has been thus conferred on me. I hope, therefore, the House will believe I feel as much as any man can, how honourable it is to obtain the approbation of the Houfe of Commons. The officers and men who served in my department at Gibraltar will, I am fure, join with me in these fentiments, as they did moft heartily in their best endeavours towards the defence of that fortrefs.

"I have the honour to be, &c.

The Right Honourable

"ROGER

CURTIS."

the Speaker, &c. &c. &c.

December 16.

On the bill for allowing the fale of prize fhips, Mr. Huffey moved an alteration, which on the representation of Mr. Brett he withdrew.

The Lord Advocate of Scotland stated to the Houfe the pro- Ld. Advo grefs, which had been made in the India bufinefs, and the cate of Scot ftage in which it now ftood. The bill againft Sir Thomas land. Rumbold, and Peter Perring, Efq. by means of an act of Parliament, was continued in force; and with refpect to the refolutions made on the Bengal judicature, they stood in a very fingular fituation.

The House of Commons had refolved that the Governor General of Bengal ought to be recalled; the Directors of the India Company, conformably to the refolution of the Houfe, had refolved to recall him; but a Court of Proprietors, called fome short time afterwards, had thought proper to refcind, or at leaft to fufpend the refolusion of the Court of Directors; and thus a perfon, who, in the judgment of the House of Commons, and of the Court of Directors, ought to have been recalled to Great Britain, was pronounced by a Court of Proprietors, a fit perfon to remain at the head of affairs in India: here was a clashing of opinions, of the utmoft confequence to the public in general; an fuch as it would well become the wifdom and prudence of Parliament to take into their most ferious confideration. The correspondence

that