The New-Hampshire gazette and general advertiser. [volume], April 19, 1783, Image 1

About The New-Hampshire gazette and general advertiser. [volume] (Portsmouth [N.H.]) 1781-1784

Image provided by: Dartmouth College

                
NEW-HAMPSHIRE GAZETEE,
A N D
GENERAL ADVERTISER. -
¥ol. XXVIL. |
L OND O N, Febroary 21,
Housk of Commons, Monday, Feb.l7.
R. THOMAS PITT opened the de-
M bate in declaring te the Houte, that
3¢ was with a mixture of pain and pleasure
that he at length {aw the day arrive, so lung
wished for, which, putting a pericd to a ru
inous war, restored to the Britith empire the
blessings cf peacé.——* A mixture of
pleature and pain (continued he)— Ot pain,
2t the view of the facrifiCes it bas been tound
indispensably neceflary to make ;—but of
pleature, in anticipating the various telicity,
‘with which peace was hastening to compen
{ate to the nation for these very facrifices,
¢ Although this fatter sentiment will not
be so readily adopted as the former; altho’
gt is unhappily too true, that mankind are
more inclined to maniteft their discontent,
than their joy and fatisfaction ; although,
of course, experience has constantly demon
ftrated,that peace,how ardently soever it may
be desired becofites always unpopular as soon
as it is thade, it is, ncverthelefs, apparent to
gvery impartial mind; thit however the loss
and gain may be balanced 2t the end of 2
war, peace is 2lways 3z blefling. But two
teafons concur, in the firft moments, to pre
sent it to ue in dnother point of view. If
the war has been glorious, our spirits, eléva
ted, set no bounds'to our pretensions, nor to
the supposed humiliation of the enemy ; if,
oh the contrary; ft=has been; like that from
which this nation is jaft beginning to respire,
only a series of difaffer, our rational pride
can barely sloop to exaét no conceflions,
But if we disdain even moderation like this,
ought such unseasonable arrogance to pro
long the war, till we are not only unable to
support it,but even to prefervé our being asan
independent people? Too deeply imprefled
with this just reflection.it is not without pain
¢hat I undertake the task which hasthis day
§allen to my lot. How reasonably soever my
humble facultles may represent the matter,
I know Now ill what [ have to propose will
be recelved ; I 2lready anticipate she cla
mours of prejudice ; but it is without these
walls ; here I expect to encounter po fuck
enemies to reason and comuion sense, and I
submit myfélf to the candour which diftin
guithes this Honourable House. = =
¢¢ When two nations enter into 2 war,
neutral fpe@ators 2lways have fonie reasons
to determine which of them will have the
ad\i’angg.i ‘Fhé compligation of events,
¢he combination of causes, which have fuc
ceflivély declared against us, have too well
juftified the opinion of foreigners, and the
fears of our own people, that the confedera
tion of our-eénemies would at length be found
oo powerful for the naked, unsupported
firength of this nation. These fears have
Been realized 3 qur enemies have determin
ed their superiority ; and by thisincontefli
ble truth alone, we must be governed'in de
termining whether peace was, or was not
neceflary, i o R ey
¢ 1f Gentlemen will repeat here, what has
been jaid out of doors, that we might have
made a better peace, let them produce the
means, & let the most prejudiced minds pro
nounce on the pofiibitityor impoflibityof put
ting them in execution. Alas,this is a fubjeét
on which one cannot fix 2 moment’s atten
tion, without uttering a painful sigh at those
SATURDAY, Arrit 19, 1783,
execrable firft causes, which Inevitably drew
after them every succeeding calamity; That
invaluable branch of this empire, which, at
the close of last war, extended from Hud{un's
Bay to the gulph of Mexics, at the very be
ginning of this, was almost confined within
the narrow. limits of the former French pof
feflions ih America. Thus we were no lon
ger that powerful nation, which, twenty
years before, could have defied 2 confedera
cy of all Europe. ;| A decline of power an
noynces a diiffiinution of success: it was im
possible to recover cur loft superiority, since
the whole nation had determined, that Anie
rica was loft for ever to the Britith crown,
It was in this wildernefslef calamities,when
we had nothing but future misfortunes in
perfpe&tive, that our Miniflers seized 2 mo
ment of vi¢tory, the only moment, perhaps,
in which the fafety of the nation was prac
ticable, to listen to those terms of peace,
which prejudice alone can confider as unfa
vourable. What mufi we have dong? An
swer me this single question ; whether it was
better to continue the war, than 1o accept z
peace, of which the worst that can be said,
is, that it dees not correspond to the wishes
of 2 people accustomed to conquer, and cle
vated by previous {uccefles. But before any
Gentlemen will answer in the z2ffirmative,
let me call their attention to the iollowing
fkeich of the fiaie of the nation, at that time
when his Majenty’s DMinillars resolved that
peace was indispensable. The papers 1 thail
lay before the House cannot be {fufpedled,
since they contain the repori of 2 gommittee
appointed for this purpoic, in crder 19 pre
pare the House for a difcufivn which mauft
have taken place on this, or {uine atber day,
and to convince them of the true tate of the
public finances, As thisinquiry was demand
ed by myfelf, my eondut in this refpeét has
been plain and confifient ; I have uniformly
re probated the American war ; and I shall
now demonstrate, that the pursuit of that wat
dlone has so fatally exhausted €he finances of
this country, For this purpose, I thall lay
before the House 2 comparaiive slate of, our
préfent fitnation, and of that before the con
test with America. In January, 1776, the
amount of the national debt was 123 -milli
ons, the annual interet of which was
ho oA VBAE" b i a s Ty
Mr, Pitt then proceeds to shew, that a 2 war
of 5 years cost 5 millions more- than al! the
wars of the las a,gc,inclu?in”'g-:thc splendid
3nd important vitories ot the Duke of Marl
borough ; and concludes with demontfirating,
that the present annual interest of the natio
nal debt amounts to £.9,393,137—The civil
- lift expences, to £. goo,ooo—T he expences
of government, in time of peace, to£. 3,500,
coo-—Total of annual expence, £. 13,793,
137 — (without including the arrearage of tie
civil lift, amounting to £. 2,500,000, which,
he fays, must be paid by some .means or
other)—while the present taxes, all of whick
must be continued, produce enly 12,500,
cool. v leepaty INSEE T at o
He proceeds—*¢ These taéls, I think, are
fufiicient to convince ,this House, that a de
cree from Héavcn,tfla‘t should have con
demned this nation to another year’s war,
would have, in effe@®, condemned ber to cer-,
tain deftrs&tion : 2nd if lam npt deceived
in'this belief, I think 1 may assume it as a
principle, and of course, as 2 rule for the
conduct of Parliament, that a peace, such as
tbe Ministers have concluded, is 2n object ex-~
tremely 10 be desired. .1 know that unhap
pily, exceptions may always be made to the
molt accuraie general obtervations, | kinow
that certain partial contiderations of com
merce militate with my gencral principle ;
but trade basinfinite 2nd prompt resources,
which landed preperty bhas not; and this
property which conilitutes the ladical
firength of every couniry, was leflening its
value every day. .l am not ignorant, that
there is a certain defcripticn, ¢f men, who,
witbout any other mctive than_the malig
nant pleature of finding fault ; withour any
other view than to leaie men in cffice, fay
among themselves— /lhere was the mighty
hurry < Why not take the chance of another cans
paign ¢ Mighty fine, tiuly !~=This is the
preciie language ofa mad gamester, who,
crying out, $f One throw more, and the last,”
jult completes bis ruin.——ls these. conside
rations are just, I flatter myfelf, the House
will turn a deaf ear to the clamouts of two
forts of men, equally. to be fufpe@ed ™
mean those who have been, and Ithofe who
wish to be, Miciflers.. 1 confider g
perions as deglers in, the fame market, who
deprecizte the commodities of other pegr®s
in order to raise . the value of their ph, I
confess, . 2m 3lways armed agzinft them
both ; and if they present ,i!_f_méic.l-.\?es only
to fay, it is a bad peace, I aniwer, their bare
affcrtion is_ infignificant, It they offer to
prove it, let me ask them, whether they
could have made a better; If they fay,jer
~-come, then, fay Itellus how,-- Here they
are at 2 dead non plus, and can only return
tothe watch wood ot their parties-- Iz is a
bad peace ! - We. shall be zble tg form an
idca of the piejudices of men of this class, by
a knowledge of the following fact, I haye
addrefled myjelf, indireétly, to Mr, Fox and
JLord North,"to engage £he firli not to inter
rupt the quiet of his country, by examining,
in detail, a negcciation,which ought to, and
can be judged only inthe. mass ; and advi
sing the second to seize this epportunity of
making some. repa-ation to this nation, for
the errors 2nd calamities of his ill- starred ad
minifiration, by juflifying a tréaty, which
the miseries of the American war have for
ced upom ber, . if, before we ‘irocézed\,{b vote
upon. the question which I shall submit to
the House, these two Honorable l\&x‘nbe'rs
will answer my firft question, and fay they
could have a more advantageous peace, et
them do me the favor to determine, whether
the profpe& of advantage were ¢qual to the
hazard of another campaign, and the cer
taip expence of 20 millions flerling.”
He goes on’to observe, that the cessions
made to France and Spain were of no great
importance, and then lays--* It is true, that
by the treaty with the United Statcs.of_Ame
rica, we acknowledge their independence ;
but all the world knows, that,. in so doing,
we only seem to give them what God and
nature have already put into their hands s
and in defining their limits, we i} reserve
Nova-Scotia and Canada, countries large.
encugh for all the speculations of commerce
.¢ I pass now to the only article, that afa
fli&ed, cruelly sfllicted me, at the firft read
ing : that I'mean, which relates io the Loy-
i 3
[ Vs, 138&