Mr. Montague.

"Majefty continues to receive affurances from all foreign powers of their friendly difpofition towards this country:

That we are fenfible of His Majefty's goodness in "having directed the treaty of commerce and navigation "with the Moft Chriftian King, and the convention agreed sc upon with the Catholic King, to be laid before us: That "both thefe events, particularly a measure fo important " and extenfive as a commercial engagement between this "country and France, muft be highly interefting to us, " and our conftituents, and that it will afford us the truest "fatisfaction to concur in any measure calculated for the encouragement of industry, and the extenfion of lawful commerce, and which, by promoting a beneficial inter"course between the two countries, fhall appear likely to "give additional permanence to the bleffings of peace.

That His Majefty may rely on our readinefs to make "due provifion for the feveral branches of the public fer"vice; and that the ftate of the revenue, fo nearly con"nected with the national credit, and the safety and prof66 perity of His Majefty's dominions, will continue to engage "our unremitting attention;

"That we fhall be defirous of taking fuch meafures as may be neceffary for the tranfportation of convicts, in "order to remedy the inconvenience which has arifen from "the crowded state of the jails in different parts of the "kingdom;

"That we fhall diligently apply ourfelves to the confide"ration of any regulations which can be adopted for the

eafe of the merchants, and for fimplifying the public ac"counts in the various branches of the revenue; and that "it will be equally our duty and inclination to use our " utmost exertions in purfuit of fuch objects as may tend "ftill farther to improve the national refources, and to "fecond His Majefty's gracious and paternal wishes for the "welfare and happiness of his People."

Mr. Montague obferved, that previously to his feconding the motion, he muft beg the indulgence of the Houfe, whilft he adverted to thofe parts of the addrefs, which corresponded with the topics of His Majefty's gracious fpeech from the throne. He wished to exprefs his hearty concurrence with those sentiments of joy and congratulation which are so naturally excited by His Majefty's late happy deliverance. Happy indeed might he call it, fince the general horror and alarm had been fraught with no other confequence than the moft earnest teftimonies of the general love and veneration for his facred perfon. Upon this interefting occasion, truly might we remark that, "We felt for our own danger, we rejoice in our own preservation,"

For

For his own part, he could proteft that he derived fome degree of confidence from the affurance that the present feffion was opened with the most joyful profpects of returning wealth and profperity. He rejoiced that it was not his business to urge the House to renew the efforts of an unfuccefsful war, or even to join in the acclamations of victory. He contrasted the uncertainty and deftruction attending schemes of conqueft with the folid advantages of peace and amity; the foundations of which were only to be laid on the bafis of mutual advantage.

The Houfe, he believed, would form a fimilar idea with himself of the loffes to our trade by every fucceffive war with France; of the weight of debt incurred by difputes with our rival neighbours, which nothing but the almoft preternatural force of accumulated induftry could furmount. The principle of the treaty, the expediency of the provi- . fions, he left to be enlarged upon by thofe who were more competent to speak on fuch fubjects; he expreffed his own approbation, the refult of what judgement he was capable of exercising on fo extended a bufinefs. He enforced the neceffity of fuch a treaty, at the prefent conjuncture, from the lofs of our monopoly of the American market; and because the trading capital which had been forced towards that quarter by the extraordinary profits of the monopoly, muft take fome new direction. The prefent treaty only cleared and made free those channels through which the efforts of trade would tend to pafs in fpite of injudicious obftructions, He compared the monopoly of America to an annuity upon an uncertain ill-adminiftered fund, the trade to France to a fee fimple, with prompt and conftant payment. After mentioning the neceffity of a fimplification of the cuftoms, he concluded his fpeech, by afking the Houfe what was to be the confequence, if the prefent treaty received the fanction of Parliament? The triumph of the fuccefsful warrior, was followed by the exulting eyes and hearts of his fellow citizens; regardlefs of the hazards we have run, the dangers we have escaped, we think only of his services and his conquefts; and should the laborious wifdom of political prudence, which reaches permanent ends without the intervention of chance, which fecures the bloodless acquifition of endlefs wealth, the price of empire, the hope of public redemption, pafs unnoticed, unpraised, unrewarded? Should the minifter who enriches his country, inattentive to his own private emolument, be unrevered? No. To recompence a character fo illuftrious, reputation and glory fhould eagerly step forward; and if the patriotic father defervedly beheld the laurels thickening all around him, amidst the brilliant fucceffes of those warlike enterprizes which arofe

Mr. Fox.

arofe upon the bafis of his fagacious counfels, not lefs abundantly fhould wreaths of olive gather about the perfon of his equally afpiring defcendant, whom the rectitude of his heart and the force of his own abilities, each animated by the recollection of paternal inftructions, and more by attachments to his country, and stimulated to the happiest cultivation of all the arts of peace.

The addrefs was now read from the chair; and afterwards,

Mr. Fox faid, that on the present occafion, he thould not hefitate to affure the Houfe how thoroughly congenial with his fentiments were thofe of the fpeech, and confequently of the addrefs. Indeed, he should have been exceedingly forry had there been occafion for any difference of opinion refpecting an address beginning with expreffions of congratulation to His Majefty, upon an event, in the failure of which every man, of every party and defcription, both within and without thofe walls, muft be of one and the fame mind, and muft cordially and fincerely join in the moft heart-felt joy and fatisfaction. He was glad therefore that the addrefs had been fo properly worded, that it did not call for oppofition or objection of any fort, fince without pledging the House to an approbation of the treaty of commerce, or to any future vote upon the fubject, it barely returned thanks for His Majefty's gracious communication of the fact, and promised to confider it, when properly before the House, with the attention which a matter of fuch infinite importance well deferved. That being the cafe, and as for the fubject of the early part of the addrefs, it must be to be wifhed, that fuch an addrefs fhould pafs nemine contradicente, he affured the House that he would not object to it, and that, in all probability, he fhould have contented himself with giving his filent vote to the question then before the Houfe, had not fomething fallen from the noble Lord and the honourable gentleman, who moved and feconded the addrefs, and particularly from the latter, that looked fo like grafping at general principles, as the principles upon which the commercial treaty was to be maintained, that he thought it neceffary to rife then, and in as few words as poffible, take fome notice of thofe principles, which he would do in a general manner, without entering at all into detail upon the treaty, which he was well aware was neither properly before the House, nor then under difcuffion, but which he would give his fentiments upon at a future opportunity.

On the prefent occafion both the noble Lord, and the honourable gentleman who moved the Addrefs, had contrafted the uncertainty of war with the folid advantages of peace, and the substantial benefits of commerce with the

deftructive

destructive means of conqueft, as if it were a fact that this country had ever gone to war for the fake of extending dominion, or gratifying a luft of power, and an inordinate ambition. He could affert that all knew, beyond the fhadow of a doubt, that the fact was directly the reverfe; and he flattered himself, that the Houfe would give him credit for poffeffing at leaft fufficient English fpirit to induce him to ftand forward in the vindication of his country, and before the prefent affembly advance a pofitive affirmation (which he would utter, could fuch an opportunity arife, in the hearing of every national affembly upon earth) that throughout the courfe of all our late, if not of all our earlieft wars, Great Britain had never drawn the fword either in obedience to the dictates of wild ambition, or for the purpofe of augmenting by victory the extent and multitude of her dominions. On the contrary, fo often as fhe fent her armies into the field, or covered the ocean with her fleets, her military and her naval enterprifes originated from an indifpenfably requifite principle of felf-defence, or from the view of fheltering the tyrannically-invaded liberties of furrounding and even diftant ftates; thus preferving, from every attempt dangerously to incline it to either fide, the balance of power, and of courfe, checking the inordinate pride of France and her alarming efforts to grafp at the government of all the nations of the European quarters of the globe. Whofoever confulted the hiftory of this country must unavoidably discover this to be the true ftate of the cafe; he therefore denied, in the moft unequivocal manner, that any infinuations to the prejudice of this country, as if fhe had heretofore gone to war for the mere fake of triumph and of conqueft, had any the fmalleft foundation in truth. Every man knew, that peace was preferable to war; commerce preferable to conquest; it would be highly prepofterous to advance an oppofite opinion: and upon that principle had the government of this country been uniformly conducted for the last century. Concerning the treaty with France, he had not yet made up his mind; nor was it poffible for him ultimately to decide upon it, until the treaty was not only properly before the Houfe, but until he had heard from His Majefty's Ministers a full explanation of the real character of the measure. He was not yet aware whether it was to be confidered as a treaty having a political tendency, and calculated to operate in the manner of an alliance with France, or whether it was to be confidered as a treaty merely, and as having no other effect than the establishment of a commercial intercourfe with the neighbouring kingdom. In one or other of thefe lights the treaty must have been made, and in one or other of thefe lights must Minif

ters

ters mean that it fhould be regarded; but then it could be confidered in one of these lights only, and not in both. One of them must be denied, and the other avowed; one defended, and the other difclaimed. But not meaning to go into the treaty then, and not having the information that Minifters poffeffed, it was not in his power to fay which of the two defcriptions was the proper one, but thus much he was willing to fay beforehand, and without any farther information on the fubject, that he fhould be much better pleafed if Minifters were to declare that they meant it merely as a commercial treaty, and that France understood it as fuch, and as fuch only. In that cafe Minifters would have to prove, that it did not provide a new channel of commerce at the expence of all the other ancient channels, which this kingdom had long been in poffeffion of, and which had been found to be fources of commercial wealth and profperity. If, on the other hand, Minifters avowed that the treaty was meant by them as a political measure, and that they had in view that fort of connection that should render it more difficult for France and this country to go to war than heretofore, they then would have to fhew ftrong and fatisfactory reafons for their having purfued and concluded a measure fo new in the annals of this country, and of fuch infinite magnitude and importance.

On the prefent occafion, he muft intreat the House to call to their remembrance that France had only changed her means, but not her end. Her object had uniformly been the fame, though her fyftem of acting was different. In the reign of Louis the Fourteenth, the aim of France was open and avowed; the means fhe employed to attain her end, offenfive, arrogant, and fhameless. She had feen her error, and acted upon principles of a wifer policy; her means were now mild, more amiable, more benevolent. They did her humanity credit; they allured, they conciliated, they worked her purpofe fecretly, but fecurely. Formerly oppreffion and power were her engines; engines offenfive to all who beheld their unjuftifiable exercife, and fuch as could not fail to roufe general indignation, and animate to resistance every power that had a fpark of fpirit, of generofity, or of goodnefs in its compofition. Hence the weak found advocates, the oppreffed protection; and hence the daring attempts at univerfal monarchy, made by Louis the Fourteenth, were oppofed, baffled, repelled and fruftrated! What was the engine with which France operated her wifhed-for end at this time? Influence! that fecret and almoft refiftless power; that power with which ambition gains its purpose, almoft imperceptibly, but much more effectually than with any other! At this time too, it ought to be recollected,

that