enjoy (which, though contrary to the right honourable gentleman's opinions, he believed was the general fense of the nation) then it became the duty of thofe, to whom public affairs were entrusted, to endeavour, as much as poffible, to render the one permanent and to remove the profpect and dangers of the other.

This was the object of the prefent treaty. For the great advantages likely to arife from it would not only strongly operate upon every fucceeding adminiftration in both countries, fo as to induce them to avoid a war as long as it could be avoided with honour and prudence, but would alfo ftrengthen the refources of the country towards carrying on a war, whenever it fhould become indifpenfably neceffary to engage in one. This was, he faid, the true method of making peace a bleffing, that while it was the parent of immediate wealth and happiness, it fhould also be the nurse of future ftrength and fecurity. The quarrels between France and Britain had too long continued to harrafs not only thofe two great and refpectable nations themselves, but had frequently embroiled the peace of Europe; nay, had disturbed the tranquillity of the most remote parts of the world. They had, by their paft conduct, acted as if they were intended by nature for the deftruction of each other; but he hoped the time was now come, when they fhould juftify the order of the universe, and fhew that they were better calculated for the more amiable purposes of friendly intercourfe and benevolence.

With regard to the diftinction that had been made between commercial and political treaties, he confeffed he could not conceive a commercial intercourfe between any

two nations, that must not neceffarily have a powerful effect on their political conduct towards each other. The right honourable gentleman, when fecretary of ftate, muft have been at the point of propofing fome treaty with France. If it was his intention to have propofed fuch a plan, as he now seemed to think the only proper one, a plan of a commercial arrangement, that should not create an intereft in either nation to maintain and render it permanent ;-fuch a pian as fhould not be confidered by either party as more defirable than a ftate of hoftility and war; if such was his plan (and it was evident that he would not have approved of any other) he had then acted prudently in deftroying all traces of it, and in taking care not to leave any copy of fo very notable a project in his office behind him..

With refpect to the state of our negociations with Portugal, he obferved, that as it was not a question before the houfe, he fhould by no means enter into it; but if any gentleman fhould defire to know how far our connection with Portugal was likely to be affected by the French treaty, he should then think himself bound to fatisfy him by one or the otherof the following anfwers

either that the connection would not be at all affected; or that we were left at full liberty, by the terms of the prefent treaty, to carry into effect the fpirit of the old fubfifting treaties with the court of Portugal. The fact was, that the latter was the cafe ; and he should not hesitate, to fay, that when the court of Portugal fhewed herself entitled to receive fuch a benefit at the hands of Great Britain, he should be ready to concur in granting it; but as long as the court of Portugal con

tinued to withhold from us our proportion of the mutual advantage provided for both nations by the Methuen treaty, as she had done for many years paft, fo long he should think it the duty of adminiftration to fufpend the execution of that part of the French treaty that left us at liberty to fecure to the king dom of Portugal a continuance of that favour, which fhe had hitherto enjoyed, but to which her prefent conduct feemed but little to entitle her.

Feb. 5th. On Monday the fifth of February, Mr. Pitt. moved, "That the houfe fhould refolve itself into a committee on the Monday following, to take into confideration that part of his majefty's speech on opening the feffion, which related to the treaty of commerce and navigation formed with his most chriftian majefty."

This was strongly objected to by oppofition, as leaving too fhort a time for deliberation; and accord ingly Lord George Cavendish moved, that Monday fe'nnight should be fubftituted in the room of Monday next, and that in the mean time a call of the house should be ordered.

In fupport of the amendment it was urged, that the delay propofed could not be productive of any con-fiderable inconvenience; that a measure of fuch magnitude and importance, both in commercial and political points of view, called not only for the moft mature deliberation, but alfo for the fulleft attendance; and that it was highly proper the nation at large fhould have it in their power to declare their fentiments of a measure, which went to repeal the established laws, and to reverfe the most approved

maxims of our ancestors; to break the bonds of our old alliances, and to connect us with those whom we had long regarded as our rivals and our foes.

Mr. Pitt was admonished to profit of his paft experience, and to recollect, that in his propofed commercial arrangements with Ireland, and in his bill for eftablishing an intercourfe with America, he had been refcued, by the falutary delay which had then been procured, from all the mischievous confequences of his own rashness and precipitancy.

Neither the arguments nor the farcafms of oppofition moved the minifter. He contended that every moment's delay would be attended with ferious inconveniences, as the merchants and manufacturers had already engaged in fpeculations to a vast extent upon the faith of the treaty. The importance of the measure, he said, had of itself operated as a call of the houfe, and rendered it totally unneceffary, as fully appeared from the crowded attendance of that day. The whole bufinefs had been before the public for more than four months. The watchful jealoufy of merchants and manufacturers was well known; and yet not the fmallest complaint or objection had yet been made from any quarter whatsoever.

He concluded by retorting upon Mr. Fox the attack that had been made upon him refpecting the rashnefs of his former measures, by referring to the proceedings upon. the celebrated India Bill; a meafure, he faid, which from its novelty, its magnitude, and its obvious effects, feemed eminently entitled to the most deliberate difcuffion, and yet which no entreaties, no perfuafion, could reftrain him [E] 4

from

from hurrying through the house with the most shameless precipita

tion.

On a divifion there appeared for the amendment 89, against it 213. On the ninth Mr. Fox Feb. 9th. again endeavoured to bring the confideration of the negotiations with Portugal before the house, previous to their coming to a decifion upon the French treaty. The probable ftate of our future trade with Portugal was, he faid, extremely effential for the houfe to advert to. The most proper period of treating with Portugal would have been before the conclufion of the treaty with France-it would have manifefted a fairness and a decency on our part to an old ally, and convinced the world that whilst we were seeking for new friends and new connections, we had no intentions of facrificing the old.

Befides, fuch a procedure would have been not lefs politic than manly and dignified. We were treating with France, under the prefent circumstances, at a manifeft disadvantage; for if, through any pique or perverfeness, the court of Lifbon fhould refuse to renew the Methuen treaty, now virtually abrogated by the new French treaty, France would in that cafe derive great additional advantages from the feparation, for which we neither fhould have an equivalent, nor could claim any, The duties on the wines of Portugal would, in fuch a cafe, be left as they now ftand, and confequently both the real and the comparative duties on the French wines would be greatly leffened.

He concluded by moving for copies of the inftructions that had been given to his majesty's minifters in Portugal, refpecting the complaints of the British merchants;

and of the anfwers of the court of Lisbon to fuch representations.

rela

This motion was oppofed by Mr. Pitt upon feveral grounds. If its object, in bringing under the examination of the house papers tive to a negotiation pending between the two courts, was to induce them to take an active part in the formation of the treaty, it was clearly unparliamentary.

He denied that the conclufion of the French treaty would neceffarily put an end to the Methuen treaty. This confequence, he faid, might be avoided, if it should be thought proper, by their coming to a refolution to lower the duties upon Portugal wines before the day specified, upon which the reduction of the French duties fhould take place.

He defended.the policy of concluding the French treaty firft, upon this obvious principle, that it was always best to referve in our own hands a refource, in case of disagreement with those, with whom we are negotiating. Before we opened our negotiations for the remedy of our complaints against Portugal, we had fhewn that court, that we could do without her, by having formed fuch a connection with France, as would make it eligible for us to transfer to that country, should she reject them, thofe advantages, which fhe at prefent enjoyed.

But waving thefe arguments, and allowing that the French treaty might throw difficulties in the way of our negotiations with Portugal, and even upon the fuppofition of a final rupture with that country, he was ready to defend the former treaty upon its own merits, and under thefe difadvantages.

The motion was rejected without a divifion.

Feb.

Before the house reFeb. 12th. folved itself into a committee upon the treaty of commerce and navigation with France, a petition was presented by Mr. Alder man Newnham from certain manufacturers, affembled in their chamber of commerce, praying that the houfe would not that day come to any decifive refolution upon the commercial treaty with France, as the petitioners had not had leifure to understand the treaty, and confequently were not yet aware to what degree their interefts, and the interests of other manufacturers, were likely to be affected by it.

Upon this petition Mr. Pitt remarked, that its contents, and the moment of presenting it, were fomewhat fingular. The French treaty had been published between four and five months, during which time the petitioners it feems had not chofen to find leisure to examine and understand it; and now, on the day upon which the house had agreed to take it into their confideration, without pointing out one fpecific objection to it, they had the modesty to request parliament would delay for an indefinite time all further proceeding upon it. This, he faid, he thought the house ought by no means to confent to. The order of the day was accordingly loudly called for; and the house being refolved into a committee, Mr. Pitt rofe again, and, in a fpeech of three hours, entered into a full explanation and defence of the treaty.

He confidered it in three points of view, as affecting our manufactures, our revenues, and our political fituation-With refpect to the first, he undertook to prove, that though the treaty had been formed upon principles of frict reciprocity, yet

that this country muft, from the nature of the cafe, unavoidably have the advantage. To understand this, he faid, it would be neceffary for the committee to confider the relative state of the two kingdoms. It is a fact generally admitted, that France has the advantage in foil and climate, and confequently in her natural produce; while it is equally true, that Great Britain is decidedly fuperior in her manufactures and artificial productions. The wines, brandies, oils, and vi negars of France are articles which we have nothing to put in competition with, except our beer. But it is equally clear that we, in our turn, poffefs fome manufactures exclufively our own, and that in others we have fo eminently the advantage of our neighbour, as to put competition at defiance. Such is the relative condition, and fuch the precife ground on which it is reasonable to fuppose that a valuable correfpondence and connection between the two nations might be established. Having each its own distinct ftaple, having each that which the other wanted, and not clafhing in the great and leading lines of their refpective riches, they resemble two opulent traders in different branches, who might enter into a traffic mutually beneficial.

But nothing, he faid, could be more evident than that trade was more or less advantageous to any nation, in proportion to the degree of labour, industry, and capital employed in bringing its commodities to market, and to the excefs in value of the perfect manufacture above the raw materials: and this principle gave a decided advantage to us over the French. For, granting that large quantities of their

natural