The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1782-09-24 00:00:00, page 1

From RIVINGTON's ROYAL GAZETTE.
AMERICAN (DEPENDENCE.
LONDO N,
HOUSE or LORDS,, July ro, 1782.
Interning Couverfotion on the late Change of Mi
nivers.
TH E question, "That this House do now
adjourn," being put by the Chancellor.
The Duke ofß : cbmond role and said, as the bu
siness was so far at an end, that the question of
adjournment was moved, he trusted, consider
ing the present situation of the public, and con
sidering his own situation ; considering likewise
that it was understood that Parliament was to be
prorogued next day, he should be allowed to fay
a few words upon the situation of the public, and
and upon his own situation, (for which, tho' un
doubtedly a subordinate confederation to that of
the public) he must be supposed to feel somewhat
nicely. His Grace said, when his Majesty had,
happily for this country, thought fit to change
his ministers in Marcli last, the idea whs to col
left and unite men on principle and affection,
but chiefly on principle, in order to form a throng
and permanent administration, by whom it was
hoped we should be extricated from the many
difficulties in which the abominable system of
measures pursued by those who had long held
the government in their hands, had plunged us.
He could not, therefore, recollecting that idea,
but very greatly lament the loss of the noble
Marquis, who had prefixed so lately over the
Treasury; a loss, he would be bold to fay, this
country could never recover! at least, as far as
it was poflible for a country to be affected by the
loss of an able and virtuous individual. The no
ble Marquis had, his Grace said, beyond all the
men he had ever seen in his life, the extraordina
ry talent of unitingmen upon principle,and keep
ing them together. The late administration, he
understood had been connected upon principle,
and the firft and leading point to which they
were to direct their aim, was, to make peace with
America at any rate. When he said, al any rate,
be did not mean that this country was to make
any mean, humiliating or improper concedions,
but he would fay fairly and openly, that the Inde
pendence of America was not to hand in the way
of any treaty.
This being then the basis on which they came
in, and the object having as far as hisjudgment
went, been uniformly pursued by bis MJelly's
ministers, he could not but lament, as a very
great misfortune to the public, the loss of two
members of the other House, one of whom had
been Secretary of State, (Mr. For) the other
Chancellor of the Exchequer, (Lord John Caven
dish.) On the death of the late Marquis of
Rockingham, his Majesty had been pleased to
raise the noble Lord near him to the high office
of firft Lord of the Treasury, in confequcnce of
which, that honorable gentleman, late Secretary
of State, had thought proper to resign the seals ;
a circumstance, when he repeated it, he sincerely
lamented, and which the country would un
doubtedly feel to be a matter much to be lament
ed. A variety of obvious reasons, as well as his
near relationship to the honorable gentleman,
made it improper to fay much refpe&ing him.
As a public man, perhaps there never was a mi
nister of greater abilities, or better calculated for
tranfacling business foreign and domeffic; as a
private man he would fay nothing of him, for
the reasons he had stated ;. their Lordlbips would
be better able tp colled his opinions with regard
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to the private character of the honorable gentle
man from his silence, than from any thing.he
could fay: But loving arid admiring highly, as
he did, he could not so concur with him iig opi
nion, as to think it became him to withdraw his
support from administration, merely because his
honor's relation had thought proper to do so.
The late ministers came into office with a view to
new measures and a new system; in short, to
hold a conduct directly the reverse of that of
their predecessors. While administration per
severed in carrying into practice those principles
on which they came into office, so long he should
think it his duty to support them. He had seen
nothing hitherto that led him to suppose that they
mean to depart from these principles.
Every thing that had been promised the pub
lic, had been performed and no more; he had
no reason therefore to fufpea the nobly Lord's
sincerity; and the less, as the noble Earl had but
that fe'nnight avowed his determination of ad
hering ftrialy to all that was expected 06 him.
If he understood him rightly, it was to form an
original independent administration, to intro
duce the ftriHeft system of oeconomy into eve
department, an&o effectuate a substantial parlia
mentary reform. The noble Earl had also spok
en of the independence of each House of Parlia
ment, and of the crown's having a power to give
its negative to what bills it thought proper. With
these points, his Grace said, he should not med
dle, as they were totally out of the quellion, up
on the present consideration; all he looked to was
peace with America, and a parliamentary reform.
To the one, the House of Commons, constituted
as it was, had led a good way by one of the wis
est votes that ever passed ; he trusted that it
would be effectuated. Th^ Houle would recoi
led, thafhe had been one of the firft men in the
kingdom to point out the necefiity of granting
the independence of America ; he had seen early
in the war, that it must be granted ultimately ;
he could not therefore be fufpeded as a man now
thinking the dependence of America practica
ble; all he meant was he was willing to give
those experiments for the obtainment of peace,
which had been already made fair play. With
regard to his principles, he avowed himfelf a
Whig, and in doing so, he considered himfelf as
a friend to liberty. He said, the ,te Lord Chat#
ham bad declared in that House, and in private,
that he always formed his admiftrations of Whig
men, and upon Whig measures ; how far that
noble Earl had at all times acted confidently to
filch a declaration, was not then the considera
tion.
Having dated this, the Duke said, he could
not fee any occasion for him to leave the present
ministers, merely because the nbbic Earl was
made firft Lord of the,Treafury. Thenoble Earl
was no part of the former administration to which
the Secretary of State, and the late Chancellor
of the exchequer, were with others the fuccef
ford;>neither was he of any other difeription of
men,huto ne of their own body,brought into pow
er by their own principles, and pledged toadhere
to them; n i her had he been in an extraordinary
manner forced upon them, but advanced to his
present digafEed Ration on vacancy and death ;
at the fame time he declared he would keep
his eye upon the noble Earl, and watch every
motion of government; if he perceived the no
ble Earl swerving in the smallest degree from
those principles to which he held himfelf bound,
hudDuld ihrakimnfHf obliged imh'ndy ® re-
tire, and so far from receiving his support, the
noble Earl should receive his most determined
opposition. His Grace pressed this very strongly,
called the present representation in Parliament,
a mockery of truth, and added various observa
tions ; after which he concluded with apologiz
ing to the House for having intruded on them,
when no hueftion was properly before them.
Lord Shelburne began with declaring, that if
the noble Duke had thought it neceflary to apo
logize to the House for speaking when tnere was
not any question before them, it undoubtedly
was equally necessary for him to do the fame-
He could not however but rife, if it were only to
thank the noble Duke for the very corre& and.
very candid manner in which he had quoted his
speech of a few days since. The noble Duke
had done him ftric tjuftice, and had given him.
all the credit he wished from any man upon tha
face of the earth. All he wished was, to be tri
ed by his anions and by his conduct, and not:
by any notions adopted by this man or that man„
broached to answer some purpose of the mo
ment, without the least regard to foundation or
fa&. He understood it had been elsewhere said,
that with refpe& to American independence, %
convention had Tritely been brought about, and
that be bad changed his opinion wholly on that
fubjea. He would he declared, be happy to fee
the man that would tell him of any converhon,
and toffiew him where it was,and in what it con
fided. He had uniformly held and maintained
but one opinion, and the time would come,
when those eager and early declarations of readi
ness to accede to American independency which
had been made, would be proved to have done
infinite mifehief both here and in America,
However people might reason upon the fub
jeft, the loss of America woilld be felt to be a.
severe blow to this country, which he had ever
predicted. He reminded their Lordships of
what had paired upon the fubjedt when the lath
Earl of Chatham spoke upon it, and when the:
noble Duke near him had brought in his bill,
which he said, had never been rightly under—
stood. On that day, the only one on which
there had ever appeared a (hade of difference of
opinion between him and the late Earl of Chat
ham, he had publicly declared his sentiments,
and had argued neither directly with that noble:
Earl, nor with the noble Duke, but as the Earl o£~
Chatham often since told him, he had stood in
the middle between the opinions of both. His\
Lordship said, he was not afraid to avow that he
had fludioufly endeavoured to avoid the granting
of American independence ; he had considered i%
as a measure fatal to this country, and when it
should from the necessity of the times be admit
ted, he inould thank God that the charge of it
should not lay Upon his Shoulders. His Lord
ship declared, that when a late colleague of his
resigned, not one word was said in the cabinet
upon the quellion of American independency,
as if that was the cause of his resignation, nor
did he believe it was the cause. He lamented as
sincerely as the noble Duke the loss the country
had sustained in the death of the late Marquis of
Rockin,aip,of whose fitnefs to hold the highest
office of government he had been so fully con
vinced, that he bad taken great pains to procure
him the appointment, when he height fairly fay
it was within bis own reach.
With regard to the two persons who had
thought proper to go out of office, the late Secre-
Loy of State, and the late Chancellor of the ex-
(No. 922.)