The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1780-02-23 00:00:00, page 1

LONDO N.
The SPEECH of EDWARD BURKE, Esq. in
the House of Commons, May 31, 1779, ° n the
Supplies for that Year; extraded from the Par
liamentary Debates.
MR. Burke said, the public lay under
great obligations to the honourable gen
tleman [Mr. Hartley] who had jult fat
down, as well on the present as on ma
ny former occasions. His details were always im
portant and correCt, and in particular, well worthy
the attention of the noble Lord io the blue ribbon.
The honourable gentleman had stated, and truly
stated, that the expence of the campaign 1779 would
be little short of the enormous firm of twenty mil
lions, including the navy debt, vote of credit, and
services ; which, from the manner they were necel
farily incurred, could not be regularly palled in ac
count within the year He had Rated the unlund
ed debt only at sixteen millions, which he thought
was considerably lower than it might be jul'tly com
puted. He differed from the honourable gentleman
with great reluctance and diffidence in matters of
computation and finance; but he was convinced,
that if the war was to ceaie the instant he was speak
ing, that a tail of ten additional millions of unfund
ed debt, which, with the eleven millions already
stated by his honourable friend, would make in the
whole twenty-one, or at leall twenty millions of un
funded debt behind. The debt already funded Lore
an interest of near a million a year; this unfunded
debt, when funded, would add to the interelt paid
to the public creditors, about another million ; 16
that the firft face the American war at this Rage of
the business presented to the people of England was,
a mortgage on their lands, moveables, trade and
commerce, in perpetuity, of two millions a year,
America loft, and not a shilling to balance this un
paralelled loss, and an insupportable burden in return.
The noble Lord, if he could judge from his lan
guage; whatever his secret feelings might be, kept
up his countenance tolerably well, and leemed to be
already preparing for another American campaign.
Says the noble Lord, the finking fund will be more
productive this year than it was in the last ; the
house and servants tax will come into its aid; and,
inßead of being a burden, as they were to the a
mount of seven hundred thousand pounds this year,
they will considerably augment its receipt in the next.
Says the noble Lord, a sum of money is expect
ed the next year from the Eaft-lndia company ; and
in consideration of the territorial revenues, an an
nual supply will be expected by way of equivalent ;
anti in a year or two, on the ceasing of some deter
minable annuities for years, the linking fund will be
further augmented, to the amount of two hundred
thousand pounds pet annum.
For the present I shall confider those gulden pro
mises in no other light than as they arc 1k Id out, as
stimulatives to induce this houie and the nation to a
farther prosecution of the American war.
You hear no more of railing the supplies within
the year, but you are told of the increaling Rate of
the linking fund, and of a Randing, fixed Eaft-lndia
revenue, in which one supposition, perhaps impoifc
ble, is followed by another luppofition, pet haps mure
impossible. The firft is, the luppolcd flcui:faing
Rate of the finking fund, and the certainty of ob
taining a fettled revenue from Indit; the second is.
whether those resources, it red, can or will prelect
such a security to the money lenders, the next year,
as they will be willing to advance their money upon;
but of this, more hereafter.
The noble Lord is preparing for another Ameri
can campaign ; that is the main object of my riling
He gave us to understand, early in the fellion, that
it was his intention to do so ; that the present wat
to be carried on upon a moderate Icale; that it was
to be moderately fed; but that from the difpofitiot
of the people of America to return to their formei
Rate of obedience, and from the inability of the
Congress to support their usurped dominion, the
loyalty of the majority or body of the people, and
NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE.
[Vol. lII.]
WEDNESDAY, February 23, 1780.
This is not the language of declamation, of hear
say, or conjecture; the two Generals who command
ed there, hold it; every officer of rank who served
under them confirm it. What then is the next con
sideration ? Most assuredly, if we cannot recover
America, or if even the probabilities were balanced,
that it would be a most hazardous experiment, to
determine on the properest mode of relinquilhing
the attempt.
, In the face of all these difficulties, however, the
noble Lord appears determined to rifle another cam
paign. The difficulties seem as nothing in his con
templation. The House and nation is with him,
and all he looks for or attends to is the means. I
recoiled well when the noble Lord said, on the firft
budget day, the American war must be “ moderate
ly fed," the House resounded with hear'ems ! while
twenty fat contractors cried out with one voice,
some in hoarier, some in more sonorous accents,
" feed ! feed ! feed !" If this deluded country was
to be bled to death, to be plundered to the last
shilling, wliat cared the contractors ? Like fC&ny
ravens and birds of prey, they wished only to fuck
her inmost vitals, to feaft on her entrails, and final
ly glut their all devouring maws on her lifelefs
cadaver.
But to return to the means pointed out by the
noble Lord for carrying on this ruinous war : an in
crease of the finking fund ! 200,0001. a year deter
minable annuities, and a permanent annual East-
India revenue. The noble Lord knows that the
finking fund will not answer what it is already charg
ed with; he knows that the furcbarge of the cus
toms and excises, the post-horse tax, nor that upon
Ramps, cannot, from the nature of collecting them,
be brought into the receipt of the exchequer by the
end of the Christmas quarter. As he is sensible of
all this, he must of course know, that instead of an
increase of the finking fund, there must be a de
crease to the amount nearly of the interest of the
whole loan of the present year, a sum of upwards
of 400,0001. So much for his Lordship's expecta
tions from that quarter.
As to the determinable annuities, which will fall
in 1781 and 1782, surely the noble Lord does not
mean to be serious, when he Rates them as part of
the ways and means for the year 1780.
The India company, however, in his Lordship's
opinion, holds out something more certain, and of
greater magnitude; a fixed revenue to be obtained
will be a good security. Here the fame objection
holds to this resource as to that of the finking fund.
the vigorous, unanimous exertions of this country,
the fate of America would be determined in the
year 1780. This was the substance of what fell in
several conversations upon this fubjeCl. If I have
mis-stated the noble Lord's sentiments, his Lordlhip
will rife and set me right: if not, I shall take it for
granted; and his financial discourse this day con
firms to me, that I neither misunderstood, nor have
misrepresented him. Here then is another ten milli
ons to be added to our burdens, and an annual inte
rest of half a million to be paid in perpetuity. If this
however is certain loss, let us look forward to the
probable gain. Nothing ! America is loft; and all
we have to balance against this rifque and loss is,
a war with France, Spain, and America ! 1 shall
beg leave to assign my reasons.
We have been fitting in this House, twice a week,
till midnight, in examining officers upon the proba
bility of success in the American war. We have
been informed, that the people in general are hostile
to us ; that the face of the country, at almost every
mile's dißance, presents a native fortrefs; that the
rebels are well disciplined ; that they are the most
dexterous in the world at railing field-works and
bidden defences; that, from the nature of the coun
try, it is next to impossible to obtain intelligence ;
that the country in general is interfered by broad,
deep, and rapid rivers; abounds in creeks, and is
covered with woods and morasses. In short, that a
fuccefsful war is totally impracticable, with any
force or assistance we could be able to procure and
fend.
THE
Supposing the terms fixed, and the aft passed, and
the revenue certain, can the money be remitted, or
investments made time enough for the payment of
the interest growing due in the year 1780? Impos
sible : But in my opinion the plan of a fettled regu
lar revenue is totally impracticable; and I dare fay
the noble Lord will be convinced of this melancholy
truth, when he comes to negociate with the money
lenders ; they will not trust to so precarious a secu
rity. The truth is, our territories in the East-In
dies are able to render certain advantages in com
merce and military ftiength to this country, and no
more. We tried the experiment once before, and
were at laR obliged to forego an ideal revenue of
400,0001. per ann. but not until the company be
came bankrupts, and were obliged to apply to this
House for aid. The great military establishment
kept up in that country has swallowed up all the
land revenue ; and all the real advantages we can
ever expeCt to reap from it, is in the way of trade,
and the increase or private property spent within the
kingdom, and the power and the weight and prefe
rence it has given to us in that quarter of the globe,
over Holland, France, Spain, and all the other
European powers who possess any territories there.
I he company will be able to defend their own pos
sessions, and annoy our enemies there, and of course
will add to the aggregate Rrength and dignity of the
British empire; but, 1 fear, if our East-India pof
feilions are to come under the patronage of the
crown, and are to be governed as a military pro
vince, that they will follow the fate of our domini
ons in the Well, and will finally be wrested from
this country. Ido not mean however to disapprove
of, or controvert the controuling power and guardi
anlhip of this House. Let this House and the Par
liament be the medium of controul; but I hope I
Ihall never behold it ingrafted or invested in the ex
ecutive power of tins country ; waving, however,
every more remote consideration, so far as a fixed
revenue may be applicable to the immediate relief
of this country, to enable us to- raise the supplies
with greater facility, and upon better terms, I be
lieve it is clearly demonstrable, that it can answer
no such purpose for the ensuing year.
If then the .American war is impracticable, I think
I have proved that Iris Lordship's means are no less
so, whichclearly amount to this, that the annuities
payable on the loan cf the next year must be paid
by additional burdens to be laid upon the people, and
that the additional burdens thus to be laid, falling
probably fliort of the sums they will be taken for,
as in the three preceding years, must be drawn from
the linking fund, which will be an anticipation of
the gicatell part of its produce. Whether national
aids procured in such a manner, and upon such terms,
to carry on a war impracticable and deftruCtive in
its nature, would be a wife meafuie, I leave to this
Houle and the noble Lord to determine; but I had
an additional reason for riling on the present occa
hon, equally Rrong witli any of the foregoing, to
thew the folly and madness of prosecuting the Ame
rican war; and it is connected with what fell from
my honourable friend who spoke before me.
My honourable friend fays, that he has strong
reasons to believe, that America would at present
be willing to treat upon amicable terms with this
country, if we desisted from farther hostility, as they
begin to fee into the designs of France, and that
Spain continues and is determined to preserve a
neutrality. My honourable friend, with his usual
ability and zeal, has followed this information by
earnestly prefling the noble Lord to make some pro
position in Parliament, tending to a full reconcilia
tion with the colonies, because, said he, if from any
accident Spain should depart from her neutrality
and be drawn in as a principal in the war, America
will refufe to treat upon any terms. To strengthen
this argument, my honourable friend has stated the
very formidable naval force of Spain, to ihew that
we should be over-matched by such an union of
power as 1 rance, Spain, and America, I differ in
part from my honourable friend, both in his fads
and conclusions. 1 have strong doubts that America
[Numb. 113.]