France to declare it now, while America gives full employment to our arms, and is pouring into her lap her wealth and produce. While the trade of Great Britain languishes, while her taxes increase and her revenues diminish, France is securing and drawing to herself that commerce which is the basis of your power. My motion was stated generally, that I might leave the question at large to the wisdom of your Lordships. But, my Lords, I will tell you fairly what I wish for-I wish for a repeal of every oppreffive Act paffed fince 1763; I would put America precisely on the footing the stood at that period. If it be asked, Why should WE submit to concede? I will tell you, my Lords: Because you have been the aggressors from the beginning; you ought, therefore, to make the first overture. I fay again, my Lords, you have been the aggreffors, you have made descents upon their coafts, you have burnt their towns, plundered their country, made war upon the inhabitants, confifcated their property, proscribed and imprisoned their perfons;-you have injured, oppreffed, and endeavored to enflave them. America is therefore entitled to redress. Let then reparation come from the hand that inflicted the injuries; let conciliation succeed to oppreffion; and I maintain, that Parliament will again recover its authority; that his Majesty will be once more enthroned in the hearts of his fubjects; and that your Lordships,

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ships, as contributing to so great, benignant, and glorious an event, will receive the prayers and benedictions of every part of the British empire." The Peers in Administration repeated upon this occafion their accustomed arguments against conceffions of any kind, as an acknowledgement of weakness on our part, which would excite the contempt of our friends, and foster the malice of our enemies. They positively denied any danger from France, and afferted, that "the affiftance given to the Americans proceeded neither from the Court nor the Ministers, but from the spirit of military enterprise and commercial adventure; and finally, that the motion arraigned in the most improper terms measures which had received the fanction of Parliament." On a divifion, the numbers were 99 to 28 Peers who supported the question.

On the 7th of June, 1777, the session was terminated, and his Majesty expressed in his speech his entire approbation of the conduct of Parliament, lavishing upon them high and flattering compliments for the unquestionable proofs they had given of their CLEAR DISCERNMENT of the TRUE INTERESTS of their COUNTRY.

During the feffion, a Memorial, in a very unusual style, was delivered by Sir Joseph Yorke, Ambassador at the Hague, to the States General, in which his Excellency declared, That the

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King his master had hitherto borne with unexampled patience the irregular conduct of the subjects of their High Mightinesses, in their interested commerce at St. Eustatia, as also in America. If, faid the Ambassador, the measures which your High Mightinesses have thought proper to take, had been as efficacious as your assurances have been amicable, the undersigned would not now have been under the neceffity of bringing to the cognizance of your High Mightinesses facts of the most serious nature. His Excellency then proceeds to state, that M. Van Graaf, Governor of St. Euftatia, had permitted the seizure of an English vessel, by an American pirate, within cannon shot of the ifland; and that he had returned from the fortress of his government the falute of a rebel flag: and the Ambassador concludes with demanding, in his Majesty's name, and by his express order, from their High Mightinesses, a formal disavowal of the falute by Fort Orange at St. Euftatia to the rebel ship, and the dismiffion and immediate recall of the Governor Van Graaf; declaring farther, that, until such fatisfaction is given, they are not to expect that his Majefty will fuffer himself to be amused by mere affurances, or that he will delay one instant to take such measures as he shall think due to the intereft and dignity of his Crown."

The

The States, highly offended at the imperious language of this Memorial, would give no answer whatever to the Ambassador, but ordered Count Welderen, their Resident in London, to deliver into the King of England's own hand a CounterMemorial, in which they complain of the menacing tone that reigns throughout that of the English Court, such as ought not to take place between Sovereign and Independent Powers; adding, however, "that from the fole motive of demonftrating their regard to his Majesty, they have actually dispatched orders to M. De Graaf to render himself within the Republic without delay, in order to give the necessary information respecting his conduct; nor do they fcruple to disavow, in the most express manner, any act or mark of honor which may have been given by their officers to any vessels belonging to the Colonies of America, so far as it may imply a recognition of American Independence." The King thought proper to declare himself satisfied with these conceffions, but the utmost coolness from this time subsifted between the Courts of London and the Hague.

The acrimony displayed on this occafion by the former, may be without doubt imputed in a great degree to the extreme offence taken, previous to the interchange of these Memorials, at the refusal of the States to part with the Scots brigade

gade in their service, at the defire of the King of England, fignified by a letter written to their High Mightinesses in his own hand. " In what an odious light must this unnatural civil war appear to all Europe?" said one of the Deputies of the Province of Overyffel, M. Vander Capelle, in the debate which arose on this subject. "More odious still would it appear for a nation to take part therein who have successfully refifted oppreffion, and fought themselves free. Superlatively detestable must it appear to those who, like me, regard the Americans as a brave people, engaged in defending those rights which they derive from God, not from the Legislature of Great Britain. For the purpose of fuppreffing such a revolt, or, as some please to call it, such a rebellion as this, I had rather see janissaries hired than the subjects of a free state."

The CAMPAIGN Of 1777, in America, commenced early in the spring by the destruction of a confiderable magazine of stores at a place called CourtlandManor, on the banks of the North River, by a detachment under Colonel Bird, and another at Dan- bury, by another corps conducted by General Tryon, late Governor of New York, who was attacked on his return by a large body of provincials, led by Colonel now General Arnold, and suffered in his retreat great loss. Arnold on this as on all ocса

fions diftinguished himself by acts of extraordinary VOL. II. personal

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