of thefe places, and never spent an even ing at home alone, the time during Mrs. B's lying's in excepted, who has, you know, made me the father of two fine girls, within two years after our marriage: and here, my dear fifler, begins the tale I have to unfold. My children are lovely in their perfons, amiable in their difpofitions, and bleft with excellent understandings: but what am I to do with them? Their manners are engaging be yond expreffion, and their minds open every hour. I am, indeed, never fo hap py as when I have them with me; but it is impoffible for me, you know, to be al ways with them, though I affure you I dedicate more of my time to them than you can conceive, and receive infinite pleafure in contributing to their improve ment; but as they are females, there are many things which fall more immediately under their mother's province than mine to inftruct them in and I have intreated her to give them proper inftructions, but intreated in vain; fo that I begin now to be seriously uneafy, when I confider that not only these two promifing children must be left to the care of fervants, while fhe is fpending her hours in folly, but that, as thefe girls grow up, they must know how their mother paffès that time which ought (the greatest part of it at leaf) to be devoted to their education. They muft either defpife her for thus leaving them, or become defirous of doing as the does. I have told her, but to no purpose, of the fatal confequences with which her continuing to act fo unlike a good parent must be attended. To no purpofe have I told her, that the fine lady ought to end where the mother begins: the either laughs at my lectures, as the calls them, or asks me if I can reafonably expect the fhould give up pleafure in life to fit at home every evening teaching a couple of little girls to fay their A, B, C, and few. Upon these occafions, I ask her, in return, what is to become of our children? The conftant anfwer is," Send them to a boarding school, or take a governess into the houfe for them." I do not approve of either of thefe modes. I have for fome time thought a mother the moft proper tutorefs of her own daughters, and have only to regret that I had not, prudently, chofen a woman who would have been their mother in every fenfe of the word. Only confider to what dangers thefe girls are expofed while their mother is abroad they maft, neceffarily, learn numberless bad habits by converfing with the fervants, from whom they can never learn any good Your very affectionate brother. Irifa The Hiftory of the Proceedings and Debates of the firft Seffion of the House of Commons of the fif, teenth "Parliament of Great Britain, appanted to be held at Westminster, on Tuesday, October, 31, 1780. [Continued from our Magazine for Dec. 1781, p. 661.] HOUSE OF COMMONS. We shall pass over fuch business as occurred, until Monday, Nov. 10, 1780. WH THEN there was a long debate on a motion of thanks to Sir Fletcher Norton, and on a divifion there appeared for the motion 136; against it, 96. Tuesday, Nov. 21.] Lord Beauchamp moved, that a new writ be iflued for electing two citizens to ferve in parliament for the city of Coventry. After fome debate the house divided, Ayes 114 -Noes 51. Tourjday, Nov. 21.] The speaker informed the house. that he had received a letter from Sir Fletcher Norton, which had been tranfmitted to him from Sir George Brydges Rodney, in con. fequence of the sharks of the houfe, which had been communicated to him by the late speaker. In this letter, which was dated on board the Sandwich, July 16, 1780, Sir George returned his moft anfeigned the ks for the tranfcendent honour conterred on him by fo august an assembiy, and says, that when he confers the trifling fervices he has done his country, he is at a lofs for words to exprefs the grateful sense he enter tains of the gooduefs of the house in the diftinguished honour which had been done him; but promites that the thanks voted fhall incite him still more to exert his abilities to ferve his country, and prefe:ve the honour of the British flag. Sir George concludes with his particular thanks to Sir Fletcher, for the very polite manner in which he had communicated the vote of the benfe. 15 and 1600 men. By the intended reduction, fewer to pay than last year. The faving upon he faid, we fhouid, this year, have 10,791 men there would amount to 130,5211. and the exPences of the whole of the remaining British troops would be 1,400,390l. To this were to be added 43,611 militia, with the expences of their clothing, and the foreign troops in pay, making which would amount to 4.400,000l. In refpect in the whole 172,000, the total expence of to the Vagrant's bill, by which he had flattered himself the army might be recruited, this, he faid, has disappointed his expectations; however, it had been of fervice to the public, the marines having been very fuccefsful in recruiting, in confequence of this bill, and the price of substitutes in the militia fallen one half; but very few men had entered into the army. He did not mean, therefore, to move for the renewal of the bill. He knew it would be much better to recruit old corps than to raise new ones; but yet if there fhould be no neceffity for more troops, he fhould prefer the railing of new corps for this reafon, that the men would be more fpeedily raised. He acknowledged that the recruiting fervice was not fo brifk as was to be wished; he had been alrea dy obliged to raise great numbers of men to replace those whom we had loft by sickness in the fouthern colonies and the Well Indies. The climate in those places was the most unwholfome of any of our fettlements in America, and had carried off multitudes; but yet gentlemen could not condemn the fouthern expeditions, as they had been productive of fo much advantage to this country. They were also a measure of neceffity; the French had fent out a vaß arma. ment, and Spain was ready to follow the example. Our poffeffions were not to be delivered up to them; we had been therefore obliged to fend a force into that quarter to defend our islands. If we fuffered by fickaefs the lofs was not folely on our fide; the enemy had fuffered ftill more. The lofs of the French had been very confiderable; and that of the Spaniards was beyond imagination; and it was clearly to be attributed therefore to this, that the combined force of our enemies had not only effected nothing, but had not even attempted any thing. Friday, N.v. 24.] The fecretary at war epened the army budget, by ftating the number of British troops at the clofe of the hat year at 113.9:1; and the expence of maintaining them at 1,700.6741. He intended this year, he faid, to move for a reduction in our numbers, by which confiderable faving would arife. He did not mean, however, that this reduction would fall upon the additional companies, thefe being our feries from which our regiments were fupplied, But he intended to reduce the establishments of the regiments; so that all the companies which Bled to confift of 100 men, but had in reality no more than 85, should be brought down to the latter number; and that those companies whofe entablishments were 70 men, but which muftered only 56, fhould in future confift of no more than this laft number. In this reduction he did pot mean to include the troops under the convention of Saratoga. Every method had been used to procure their liberty, but to no purpofe; and he believed the congrels would never libesate them, unless perhaps upon the death, or defertion of the men, they might be induced to exchange the officers as prifoners of war. There were at present about 796 of those troops together; the rest were in hofpitals, or difperfed over the country, amounting in the whole to between Hib. Mag. Feb. 1782. After fome debate his motion were agreed to without a divifion. Monday, Nov. 27.] Mr. Coke rofe to move the thanks of the houfe to earl Cornwallis, for his gallant behaviour at the battle of Camden. He took occafion to remark, that when he first conceived the idea of making this motion, he had not thought of the fervices performed by any other officer; but upon turning the matter in his mind, he faw that there would be fome impropriety in moving a vote of thanks to earl Cornwallis, who was an inferior officer, for his eminent fervices, without taking equal notice of the gallantry and merits of the commander in chief, Sir Henry Clinton, for the very important advantages gained by his arms in the capture of Charlettown; of which the affair at Camden was the consequence. Upon thefe confiderations he had united the two gallant officers in the fame motion of thanks and fo convinced was he, that no gentleman could have any reasonable objection to the moti N on, that he had not confulted any member upon it, or even applied to any perion to fecond it. He then moved, "That the thanks of this house be given to Sir Henry Clinton, K. B. commander in chief of his majefty's forces in Ame rica; and to lieutenant general Charles earl Cornwallie, for the eminent and important fervices rendered by them to his majesty and this country against the rebels in America; particularly in the reduction of Charlestown, by the arms of Sir Henry Clinton; and the glorious fucceffes gained by the army under earl Cornwallis, at the battle of Camden, in which the bravery of our troops equalled their character in any age." Lord Lewisham feconded the motion, and followed his leader by giving his opinion briefly of the war in which the objects of the motion were engaged. Mr. T. Townshend rofe to express his confent as an individual, to the Gimple object of the motien-paffing many eulog ums on the two generals in whole favour it was made. And as he wifhed and hoped it might pass unanimously, he just rose to fuggeft, that from fome words which had caught his ear in the reading of the motion, he feared, that in its prefent form it would not meet that unanimous approbation which the honourable mover, and, he hoped, every other member would with it to receive. But he would not move any amendment to this effect, as he thought it would be more flattering to the officers in question, if the motion fhould pals with out an amendment: he therefore recommended it to the bonourable gentleman to expunge thofe words, and in that cafe, the motion should have kis fupport for one, and he hoped, the concurrence of the whole houfe; but he expreffed his hopes, from the known candour of the gentle man who moved the thanks, that nothing was meant by them invidious to the characters of former commanders. Lord North adopted the idea of Mr. Townhend, and oblerved, that leaving out the words again the rebels in America," would quality the motion according to the honourable gentleman's fuggeftion. Mr. Coke declared, that he meant nothing invidious to former commanders; and as to the worde which seemed objectionable, he had not any particular motive for choofing them, but had taken them in courfe from a fimilar motion of thanks pafied in favour of the duke of Cumberland, in the year 1746. ་་ The motion being thus altered, in conformity with Mr. Towafhens's hist, and the word "rebel" omitted, Lord Beauchamp rofe to remind the house, that the commander of the British fleet in America had alle his fhare in the reduction of Charleftown; and therefore he moved, by way of amendment, these words, after the word "A merica," And to Marriot Arbuthnot, E.q; commander in chief of his majesty's fleet in America," which after fome debate was put and agreed to without a divifion. Tuesday, N.v. 28.] Mr. Ord brought up the report of the committee upon the army eftimates, which was read by the clerk. Mr. Hussey moved, " that this report be re committed, and after fome debate the house dis vided on the motion, when there appeared for the re-commitment 37, against it 108. The refolutions of the committee refpecting the army eltimates were then read, and agreed to by the houfe. Wednesday, Nov. 29. The house refolved itfelf into a committee of fupply, Mr. Ord in the chair. Sir Charles Cocks rofe, and illuflrated the ord nance estimates by a long detail of disbursements on the different fervices, as made in the present year, and expected in the enfuing one. He di vided the estimates into three diftinct heads, viz. the unprovided fervices ef last year, the ordinaries and extraordinaries, and expatiated on them leparately, to juftify an incurment of 80,000l. by which the vote now proposed was to exceed the last one. He contended that, in fact, the stated excels, and more, had been applied towards defraying unprovided fervices, so that the eftimates now on the table were, truly considered, more economical than the former ones. To support this propofition, a series of calculated amounts were adduced. After enforcing the neceffity of ftrenuous exertion in every department of the war, and afferting the indefatigable attention of the ordnance board, in anfwering every requifition, furnishing our magazines, arfenals, &c. he concluded with moving the two following refolutions:-That 528,9291. 49. 20. be granted to his majefty, for defraying the expences of ordnance in the land fervice of the enfuing year. Alfo 447,182). 45. 6J. for defraying thole unprovided for last year. The refolutions propofed were unanimously agreed to, and Sir Grey Cooper moved for the lums of 1,500,cool. and 1,000,000l. for Exchequer bilis, which were granted without oppofition. ་ Thursday, Nov. 30.] Agreed to the report of the refciutions of yesterday on the fapply. That $4,9291. be granted for defraying the expences of the office of ordnance for land fer. vice for 1781. That 447,182. be granted for the office of ordnance, not provided for in 1780. That 1,500,cool, be granted for paying off Exchequer bills of latt feffions. And, That 1,000,000l. be granted for paying off. Exchequer bilis on votes of credit of last feti ons. Colonel Barre moved, "That a lift be laid before the house, of the army in America and the Welt India iflands, at the end of the year 1779, correfponding with the last returns within that year, and the diftribution of the fame, diftinguishing the national, provincial, and foreig troops," The lift required was ordered unanimously. The colonel then moved the three following motions, which met with no objection: "That there be laid before this house an account of men loft and difabled in his majesty's land fervice, including marines ferving on thore, and foreign troops in British pay, by death, captivity, delertion, wounds, or ficknefs, in North America and the Weft Indies, from the it of November 1774, to the date of the last returns inclufive, diftinguishing each year, corps, and fervice. fervice." Alfo "An account of all the men railed for his majesty's land fervice (militia and fencible men in America not included) in Great Britain and Ireland, from the 29th of September 1774, to the 29th of September 1780, diftinputing each year."—And also "Totals of the embarkation "returns of all the British corps and recruits, which have been feat from Great Britain or Ireland to any port of North America, or the Weft Indies, in the years 1778, 1779, and 1760, diftinguishing each year," Sir Philip Jennings Clerke, after a few introfrary words, moved, "That there be laid befere the houfe the monthly returns of the army in the militia of Great Britain, from the 25th of March last, as far as the faid returns are come in." The fecretary at war faid, he must object to this motion, because it was directly telling our temic the force of the kingdom. Sir Philip perfifted in his motion, declaring he had reason to believe that fome impofitions were practiled upon government and upon the public, by the regiments in the militia not being duly mattered; which he understood they never yet had been, the returns being just what the colonels chose to make them. Though the militia was a popular fervice, he thought it his duty to Endeavour to detect thefe impofitions. A divifion took place. 16 59 For the question Against it Monday, Dec. 4.] Lord Liburne moved the order of the day; and the house having refolved itself into a committee of fupply, Mr. Ord in the chair, his lordship entered into an explanation of the articles which made up the estimates of the ordinary and extraordinary repairs, &c. of the navy for the entuing year, with the half pay of the feveral officers not in immediate employ, the provision for officers widows, and benevolences affigned to the families of men who had etinguished themfelves more particularly by their fervices, fuch as the captains Farmer, Cook, &c. The total amount of all thefe eftimates was 670,0161. This, he laid, was not so much as the extraordinaries of last year, though the board of admiralty had employed all their experience nd powers to encrease the Itrength of our naval force, by every poffible exertion in the king's yards, and by accepting every offer made to them for building ships in private yards. His lordship concluden with a motion, that a fum not exceeding 386,261, 159. 80. be granted to his majetty for defraying the ordinary charges of the avy, including the half pay to fea and marine officers, Mr. Fox repeated what he had faid on a for mer occafion, that he would confent to the fepply only on this condition, that an enquiry thould be iaftituted into the conduct of the firit lord of the admiralty, for the abules that appeared in the adminiftration of naval affairs; and for the fgrace that had been thrown upon the navy by the promotion of a gentleman who stood convicted upon record of having preferred a malicius and ill-founded profecation against his com mander. Mr. Fox was called to order by Lord Nugent, who lamented that of late years a caltom had prevailed of entering upen all occafions into perfonalities. If fome check was not given to the licentiouinefs of debate, the houfe of commons would infallibly degenerate into a Polifh diet, where matters would not be determined by argument, but by the fword. Mr. Fox faid, that what the noble lord point. ed out as the probable confequences of the freedom of debate, fhould never deter him from do ing his duty: and let the conlequences be what they might to himself, he was determined to fpeak his fentiments, which juftice to his confituents, whofe money he was going to vote away, would not fuffer him to fupprefs. He difclaimed perfonalities as much as the noble lord; and he could not conceive bow his lordthip could accufe him of having ufed any, when he had confined his felf to a bare recital of the sentence of a court-martial that flood upon record. The appointment of the perfon convided by this fentence to a high and honourable employment, was a difcouragement to officers, anu bad banithed fome of the ban from the navy. The Howes, the Harlands, the Barringtons, the Byrons, the Campbelis, were no longer in the fervice, becaule they could no longer ferve with iafety to themns felves, when a perfoc convicted of having brought a malicious charge againft his admiral, was railed to honours, and rewarded with a place of emo lument and dignity. Indeed, fuch was their opinion of adminithation, that they would have been fit for Bedlam if they could have contented to ferve under it. This had been done by the first lord of the admiralty, in whole hands the glory of the British navy had been eclipted; while the navy of France and Spain were riling to formidable fuperiority. He therefore held himself bound to make a motion againit lord Sandwich, that he might be removed from his majefty's councils. That he might not be fuipreted of hazarding opinions which could not be fupported, he laid, he had two very diftinét grounds for thote opinions, which would juftity him in faying that fuch a man ought never to be honoured with any promotion in the fervice. ift. He was an accufer, who fo far from making good his accufation, was convicted by a court ma tial of having brought a charge founded on malice. 2dly, The gentleman himself was tried, and but barely acquitted, and indeed he coula fcarcely fay that he was acquitted; because the fentence ablolutely contained a ch⚫ge of neglect of duty. Lord North entered warmly into the defence of Sir Hugh Palliler, and the jullification of miniflers in the measure of his promotion. The appointment to Greenwich hofpital, he admit ted, was properly in the department of the admi ralty; but en the prefent occation, if there was any blame, it ought net to fall tolly on the t lord of the admiralty; for the late promotion had not been made by his majefty, without the advice of his brother fervants; he him!f, tuce. fore, as one of the fervants of the crown, was habie to a fhare in whatever blame was dug to He would not, by dilputing on that meature. the point of order, or by any parliamentary trick, endeavor to ward of an enquiry that was On the contras levelled against adinolfiration. ry, he would fairly and bolly N 2 ect the charge, and argue upon the propriety of measures which had been taken in confequence of an advice given by his majesty's ministers. He took then for granted, that the fervants of the crown were arraigned for having promoted to the government of Greenwich hofpital, a gentleman who had been convicted of having been a malicious profecutor. The hon. member had faid that the present governor of Greenwich hofpital had been barely acquitted on his own trial. For his part, he conld not agree with him on that head. A court, compoled of gentlemen of his profeffion, had minutely examined his conduct; and after the ftrictest enquiry, pronounced his conduct to be exemplary and meritorious (lord Lifburne whifpered highly exemplary, &c.) Lord North then turning to Sir Hugh Palliter, who fat by his fide, begged the honourable admiral's pardon for omit ting so essential a word es bighly. The court martial, by pronouncing his conduct to be highly exemplary, had certainly held up the gallant admiral as an example for those of his profeffion; and by declaring that his conduct was meritorious, had given him the strongest recommendation to the royal favour. The hon. member had charged lord Sandwich with convicted falfhood and recorded treachery. These were harsh words; but ftill they little af fected that noble lord, for the conviction was fimilar to that of the hon. admiral of malice. Both were convicted; but neither had been tried. With respect to the officers who had declined any command in the navy, the hon. member feemed to be very ingenious in difcovering the motives of their conduct, which they themselves never affigned; but the hon. gentleman feemed to have a knack of difcovering reafons for gentle men which never entered their own heads; and he had given a ftriking inftance of that ingenuity a few days ao in the discovery he had helped an honourable baronet to in a debate. Thefe officers, the honourable gentleman faid, had fo contemptible an opinion of administration, that they would be fit for Bedlam if they thould accept of a command under them. Minitters would certainly be just as proper objects for Bedlam, if they should give commands to officers who enter tained tuch opinions of them. Sir Hugh Pallifer now arofe and said, that if he had a mind to call the honourable member (Mr. Fox) to order, he certainly had given him fufficient reason, by his personalities. Such at tacks, however, he had been prepared to meet, from what he underflood had in an unmanly manner been faid of hira in his ablence; and as he was not blelled by nature with talents for speaking in a po ular affembly, he had committed his thoughts to writing, which he begged leave to read in defence of the most injured charafter in the nation. Sir Hugh then read a long narrative which took him up an hour and a half, wherein he complained of his enemies, Mr. Keppel's friends, who not content with founding his praises to the world, had excited mobs to break open his house, attack his perion, and infult his friends and relations; not blushing at countenancing and encouraging thefe violent outrages and felonies. He afferted that the part of the fentence upon which so many changes had been rung was totally extrajudicial, and confequently injurious to him: becaufe conviction had preceded trial; nay. he had been convicted contrary to every idea of law, juice, or equity-without a trial. He wilhed, for the good of the service, not to revive a conteft which already had been produetive of difadvantages to the public; but if his enemies fhould perfevere in their perfecuting fpirit, and endeavour to drive him from the ling of his profeffion, which he withed to purfae, ready as he was to facrifice to the good of his country, he could not fo far overlook what he owed to himielf, as to remain filent. If therefore, his enemies should remain quiet, he would do the tame; but if they thould endeavour to perfecute him any more, he then would difclofe to the houfe the motives which induced him to accuse the admiral, and why he had not brought his acculation fooner. Admiral Keppel next rafe and said, “That he could not refrain from getting up to make fome reply to what had been urged by the governor of Greenwich hofpital." He reminded the house of their humanity to him in ordering his trial on fh re, without which he never could have furviv ed the trial; and to the fame humanity he attributed all their fucceeding favours to him after his acquittal. He mentioned the diffidence which he ought to have had in embarking in the public fervice under lord Sandwich; the caution he ever had after his trial of trufling his life and honour into fuch handis; and contended that the event of the day had juftified his caution. lutimidating menaces had been thrown out by the governor of Greenwich hofpital (for he would never call him by any other name) but he did not mind them. He difclaimed all compromises, and had no objection to a further invelligation of the affair. In the name of God, faid he, let the two courts martial be abfolved from their oaths; let them be examined at the bar of the houte; and I make no doubt but I shall come out of the trial with as much eclat as I did out of the former But for the future, I fall not answer any one. thing thrown out by the governor of Greenwich hofpital; nor thall I trouble the house with our private altercation. I have but one thing to accufe myself of relpecting the tranfaction in queftion, which was, that I did not take a much earlier opportunity of bringing the governor of Greenwich hospical to trial; though I deny my having ever been his accufer. He was my inferior officer, and I could have blown him away with a fillip. My tecretary knows, and will take his oath in any court whatever, that the letter firft written by me, was not the fame which I fent to the admiralty. The first letter contain. ed the genuine fentiments of my heart; but that fent officially to government I attempted to garble; and the contents not being true, it was no wonder I made a strange jumble of it! The relolutions propoled by lord Liburns were then agreed to without a divifion, and the houie adjourned. Tuesday, Dec. 5. The report of the committee of fupply, cro taining the two refolutions of yesterday, ros brought up and read, and |