1782.]

STATUTE OF GEORGE I. REPEALED.

447

desired an adjournment of the great question then to be discussed; but Lord Charlemont wrote to Fox that he should greatly fear the consequences of any postponement. Grattan was ill; but he was inflexible in determining that there should be no adjournment "unless the duke of Portland would pledge himself that all the claims of Ireland should be agreed to."* Mr. Hutchinson, the new Secretary, when the House of Commons met on the 16th, delivered a Message similar to that delivered to the British Parliament. Mr. Grattan, upon the motion for an Address, as moved by Mr. Ponsonby, rose; and considering that the battle was won, thus commenced one of his splendid harangues :

"I am now to address a free people: ages have passed away, and this is the first moment in which you could be distinguished by that appellation.

"I have spoken on the subject of your liberty so often, that I have nothing to add, and have only to admire by what heaven-directed steps you have proceeded until the whole faculty of the nation is braced up to the act of her own deliverance.

"I found Ireland on her knees; I watched over her with an eternal solicitude; I have traced her progress from injuries to arms, and, from arms to liberty. Spirit of Swift! spirit of Molyneux! your genius has prevailed! Ireland is now a nation! In that new character I hail her! and, bowing to her august presence, I say, Esto perpetua!

"She is no longer a wretched colony, returning thanks to her governor for his rapine, and to her king for his oppression; nor is she now a squabbling, fretful sectary, perplexing her little wits, and firing her furious statutes with bigotry, sophistry, disabilities, and death, to transmit to posterity insignificance and war.

"Look to the rest of Europe, and contemplate yourself, and be satisfied." Grattan's motion for.an Amendment to the Address embraced all the points of the previous Declaration of Rights. "No one man," wrote Fitzpatrick to Fox, " presumed to call in question a single word advanced by Grattan, and spoke only to congratulate Ireland on her emancipation, as they called it." The triumph was soon completed by the pressure of that national will which no sane administration could resist. On the 17th of May, Mr. Fox presented to the House of Commons the Resolutions of the Lords and Commons of Ireland on the King's Message of the 16th of April, and he moved the repeal of that Statute of George I. which asserted the dependence of Ireland. A Bill for this repeal passed both Houses without a division. Lord Holland ascribes the adjustment of 1782 to the confidence which Mr. Fox and Mr. Grattan placed in each other, as well as to "the force of circumstances, and the skill of negotiation." The mutual confidence of two great men, and the skill of negotiation, would have little availed, if the Parliament of England had not acquired sufficient wisdom not to risk another civil war, with another possible dismemberment of a portion of the empire, for the sake of another assertion of legislative supremacy.

The Parliament of Ireland was overflowing with gratitude to Mr. Grattan. They desired to vote him a hundred thousand pounds for the purchase of an estate. He at first refused to receive any such public acknow

Letter of Fitzpatrick, in "Memorials of Fox," vol. i. p. 395.

448

NATIONAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO GRATTAN.

[1782. There

ledgment of his services, but eventually accepted half the amount. was another orator in the Irish Parliament who regarded with embittered feelings the testimonies of national gratitude to one whose political experience had been far less than his own. Mr. Flood maintained that the mere repeal of the Act of George I., which was simply a declaratory law, left the question of the English supremacy undisturbed. At the time of the repeal of that statute a case of appeal from Ireland remained undecided in the Court of King's Bench, and lord Mansfield gave judgment, as he had before done, in the usual course of law. A violent contest sprung up in Ireland, which renewed the old distrust of England. Grattan lost some of his popularity. Flood laboured to stimulate the ancient jealousies. The government of lord Shelburne took the proper measure of endeavouring to quiet the alarm, by bringing in a bill, in January, 1783, "for removing and preventing all doubts which have arisen, or might arise, concerning the exclusive rights of the Parliament and Courts of Ireland in matters of legislature and judicature, and for preventing any writ of errors or appeal, from any of his majesty's Courts in that kingdom, from being received, heard, or adjudged, in any of his majesty's Courts in the kingdom of Great Britain."

Overtures for Peace between Franklin and Shelburne-Rival negotiators from England-Death of Lord Rockingham-Resignation of the Secretaryship by Mr. Fox-The Siege of Gibraltar -Naval Affairs-Lord Hood-Loss of the Royal George-Hood's relief of Gibraltar after the first bombardment-Negotiations for Peace concluded-The Preliminaries laid before Parliament-Parliamentary censures of the terms of Peace-Lord Shelburne, being defeated, resigns-The king and the American minister-Washington's farewell to his army, and his retirement.

IN securing the tranquillity of Ireland, by yielding in time to a force which could not be resisted, the administration were free to negotiate for peace, with a prospect of more favourable terms than the general issue of the war might authorise them to demand if the sister-kingdom were hostile. Ireland responded to an act of justice by an instant exhibition of cordiality. Her Parliament voted a hundred thousand pounds for the levy of twenty thousand seamen. The overtures for peace were first opened by Dr. Franklin, in a letter which he wrote to lord Shelburne. They had been known to each other during Franklin's diplomatic sojourn in London; and Franklin wrote to Shelburne on the 22nd of March, before the ministry was settled, to congratulate him on the returning good disposition of England in favour of America. When Shelburne replied, he was Secretary of State; and he adopted the course of sending a confidential friend, Mr. Oswald, to Paris, who was fully apprised of his mind, and to whom Franklin might give entire credit. This gentleman assured Franklin that the new ministry sincerely

450

DEATH OF LORD ROCKINGHAM,

[1782.

wished for peace, and if the Independence of the United States were agreed to, there was nothing to hinder a pacification. Franklin declared that America could only treat in concert with France; and Mr. Oswald had, consequently, an interview with the count de Vergennes. This unofficial negociator returned to England; and was authorized by a minute of the Cabinet to proceed again to Paris, to acquaint Dr. Franklin that it was agreed to treat for a general peace. A more regular envoy was sent very quickly after Oswald. Mr. Thomas Grenville, the second son of George Grenville, was the bearer of a letter to Franklin from Mr. Fox. Oswald again went back to London, and again returned, to discuss the most important matters with Franklin, whilst Grenville was also in constant communication with him. The shrewd old American soon found himself "in some perplexity with regard to these two negotiators." He began to suspect that the understanding between the two Secretaries of State was not perfect. "Lord Shelburne seems to wish to have the management of the treaty; Mr. Fox seems to think it is in his department." Grenville was annoyed by the interference of Oswald, and wrote bitter complaints to Fox. In the midst of these differences, the head of the ministry, the marquis of Rockingham, died on the 1st of July. The day previous Fox was in a minority in the Cabinet upon the question of acknowledging the Independence of America, before a treaty of peace was arranged. He accordingly declared his intention to resign. It is not within the province of our history to enter into an examination of those disagreements between lord Shelburne and Mr. Fox which led to another important though partial change of administration. "Differences of opinion, suspicions of under-hand dealing, and hostile cabals and intrigues, and great resentment thereupon subsisted in the minds of Mr. Fox and Mr. Grenville." There were the usual cabals about having another man of high title, great connections, and small abilities, to succeed lord Rockingham as prime minister. It was not a mere contest for superior power between the two able secretaries. The duke of Portland was recommended to the king to be the First Lord of the Treasury. The king appointed lord Shelburne to the high office. Fox and Cavendish resigned; Burke and Sheridan followed their example. William Pitt became Chancellor of the Exchequer; Thomas Townshend and lord Grantham, Secretaries of State. Grenville returned indignantly from his position at Paris, much to the annoyance of his brother, earl Temple, who obtained the Lord Lieutenancy of Ireland. Walpole observes that when the First Lord of the Treasury adorned his new Board with the most useful acquisition of his whole administration, his Chancellor of the Exchequer, "young William Pitt," in accepting the seals, accepted "the more difficult task of enlisting himself as the rival of Charles Fox, who had fondly espoused, and kindly, not jealously nor fearfully, wished to have him as his friend." ± Their fathers were rivals. But of how much greater import was the rivalry of the sons of Holland and Chatham-how much longer was its duration; what mightier events called forth its unceasing exercise!

1782.]

RESIGNATION OF MR. FOX.

451

The public sympathy did not go along with the popular favourite upon the question of his abdication of office, at a time when unanimity of councils was essentially important. The parliamentary explanations of Fox and Burke have floated down the stream of time, with many other historical straws. The principle of the mistake into which the great Whig leader fell has been candidly stated by one who has a claim to speak with authority. Lord John Russell says, "The field of battle was the worst that could be chosen. Lord Shelburne, the friend and colleague of lord Chatham, a Secretary of State under lord Rockingham, a man of varied acquirements and undoubted abilities, was, personally, far superior to the duke of Portland as a candidate for the office of Prime Minister. The king, therefore, had a great advantage over Mr. Fox in the apparent ground of the quarrel. Had Mr. Fox declared that he would not serve under any one, or, at all events, not under lord Shelburne, who had withheld from him knowledge indispensable to his per formance of the duties of Secretary of State, he would have stood on firm ground. The choice of a Prime Minister against the choice of the Crown, and that in the person of a man whose rank and fair character were his only recommendations, appeared to the public an unwarrantable pretension, inspired by narrow jealousies and aristocratic prejudices." *

The Session of Parliament was prorogued on the 11th of July, immediately after the formation of lord Shelburne's ministry. The king's speech was wise and temperate. He would make every effort to obtain peace; but if the hope of a speedy termination of the calamities of war should be disappointed, he trusted that the blessing of heaven upon our arms would enable him to obtain fair and reasonable terms of pacification. "The most triumphant career of victory would not excite me to aim at more; and I have the satisfaction to be able to add, that I see no reason which should induce me to think of accepting less." The contest in America was reduced to a very narrow field of exertion. Rodney's great victory had prevented any immediate attempts to renew the maritime war in the West Indies. There had been decided successes in the East Indies, after a series of events which occasionally threatened our ascendancy; but the contest there was not yet ended. One great struggle required to be decided before Spain would be willing to relinquish the chief object for which she engaged in the war, the re-conquest of Gibraltar.

When the Spanish ambassador, on the 16th of June, 1779, presented a manifesto to the Court of St. James's, which was considered equivalent to a declaration of war, general Elliott, the veteran governor of Gibraltar, was not quite unprepared for the possibility of hostilities. He had a force of artillery and engineers of about five hundred men; four English regiments, and three detachments of Hanoverians,-altogether amounting to upwards of five thousand rank and file. On the 21st of June the communication between Spain and Gibraltar was closed, by an order from Madrid. A few small British ships were at that time in their usual anchorage off the fortress. A friendly intercourse had been previously carried on between the military of

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"Memorials of Fox," vol. i. p. 467.

The narrative of East Indian affairs, from the period of Hastings becoming GovernorGeneral, will be resumed in our next volume.