were betrayed and fold. - Away then with your interference for the Porte with Ruffia." Mr. Gray was feconded by other Speakers, whofe arguments were much of the fame purport as thofe antecedently alleged on the fubject in agitation. The principal anfwer to them proceeded from Mr. Dundas; who maintained with his ufual dexterity, the juftnefs of the conduct obzerved by miniftry, in every part of their tranfactions; forcibly urging every argument to invalidate thofe that were adduced on the part of oppofition. As to the paper brought forward as the production of the Grand Vizier, he treated it as a mere fabrication, vifibly deftitute of authenticity. The debate clofed by an adjournment of the question to the following day. The debates on the first of March began with an obfervation made by Mr. Martin; which was, that wherever much fecrecy prevailed, either in public or in private affairs, much fraud and deceit might be expected: purfuant to this maxim, he would vote for the motion of minifterial cenfure. He was followed by Mr. Francis, who fpoke fharply on the fame fide of the question. From his perufal of the papers, he had, he faid, difcovered more, he believed, than they were intended to reveal. They empowered him to demand, whether minifters were not engaged in a Pruffian, rather than an Englifh quarrel? If such were the cafe, the maxims they followed were very different from thofe that were uppermoft on his first entrance into public life. Continential connections were then held in averfion, as the bane of this country. German alliances were particularly dreaded, as attended with endlefs as well as unprofitable expences. But the times were alarmingly changed; and fuch maxims would no longer be tolerated. The English character was now, to throw afide all steadi. nefs in politics and national purfuits, and adhere only to pecuni ary fpeculations. The balance of Europe, he obferved, had been held out by minifters, as a fufficient reafon for their conduct refpecting Ruffia:-allowing that is prefer vation was an indifpenfable duty, why fhould it be configned to the care of this country, more than of the nations on the continent of Europe, who were no lefs deeply interested in it than ourselves? Mr. Francis concluded by remarking, that to the altercation with Ruffia was due an injurious delay of several commercial advantages, which might have been obtained from that power, and which were of the higheft importance to the trade of this country. Mr. Fox rofe next. The quef tion concerning the balance of Europe, was, he noticed, involved in a cloud of intricacies. The fyftem was of to complex a nature, that it was eafily disturbed and deranged: fome of its parts were at fuch a diftance from us, as to merit little of our attention, and might rather amufe our curiofity than alarm our intereft. In this light the honour of Great Britain was much more deeply engaged in the business of Oczakow, than any other national concern. Its value, which in itself was nothing, had acquired importance only through the imprudence of administration; which ought therefore never to have made it an object of contention. The miniftry, it was faid, had fhewn a laudable deference to the public opinion, by defifting from its intended measures: but this deference might be attributed to another caufe; the fear, when embarked in them, of meeting with fuch an oppofition as would through the refufaloffupplies, difable them from acting. But enough had been expended on this difhonourable tranfaction. It had coft the nation half a million, to no other end than to fee Oczakow feized by Ruffia; the Turks whom we ftyled our friends and allies, humbled, and ourselves degraded by the conditions of a treaty, which, after compelling us to abandon them, loads us with the further ignominy of guaranteeing to Ruffia what he has wrefted from them. No interference at all would certainly have been better than fo fcandalous a dereliction of thofe of whom we had affumed the protection. Then the reputation and welfare of a people may thus, with impunity, and by alleging frivolous excufes, be facrificed to ill-founded projects. Well, faid Mr. Fox, might the enemies to the conftitution of the country avail themfelves of fuch undeniable abuses, to bring it into difrepute, to reprefent it as a mere nullity, and to perfuade their auditors or readers that they spoke truth. Mr. Pitt's answer to these heavy charges, was, that the indifpenfable neceflity of preferving the balance of Europe, was an argument of fuch evident propriety, that no reafonings could invalidate it. The queftion could only be, To what degree of exertion the ftrength and influence of Great Britain ought to have been carried on this occafion? Upon this ground, which was a fair and equitable one, he would readily meet all objections to his conduct. Could any man converfant in politics, admit that the Turkish empire, if unable by its own intrinsic strength to refift the attacks of its two potent neighbours, Ruffia and Auftria, fhould be abandoned by the other European powers, every one of which was fo vifibly interefted in the prefervation of its independencies? But were they either fo indolent, or fo impeded by untoward circumftances, as to remain inactive in its defence, could Britain neglect to affume it? Could a British miniftry look on with indifference or tranquillity, while commerce in thofe parts was fo manifeftly threatened, and the maritime power of Britain, not only in the Mediterranean, but throughout the world, muft receive the moft fatal blow from the iminente increase of fhipping that would accrue to thofe two powers, were they to become mafters of the Turkifh dominions in Europe? Ruffia efpecially, already formidable at fea, muft through the poffetfion of the Archipelago, derive fuch an acceffion to the number of her feamen, as would in a fhort time render her in all probability the first maritime power in Europe. Thefe were ferious confiderations, and authorized a British minifter to act with uncommon vigilance and care, to prevent fo great a calamity from befalling this country, as to lofe the fovereignty of the feas; without which the immediate fafety of Great Britain muft neceffarily become precarious. The Turks, Mr. Pitt allowed to have been the oftenfible aggreffors; but Ruffia had inconteftably afforded every provocation; provocation; and the ambitious and important provinces as Beffa plans the had concerted against the Turkish empire were univerfally known, and needed no proof. Nothing at the fame time was more obvious, than that if Great Britain had not affumed that hoftile pofture, of which oppofition fo unjustly complained, the primitive demands of the court of Peterburgh would have been infifted on. They had been made previously to a victorious campaign; and could it be believed that fo rapacious a power would have relinquished fuch extenfive rabia, Moldavia, and Wallachia, after conquering them, unless it had dreaded a conteft with the first naval power in the world; which would have probably been attended with the annihilation of its own marine. This difcourfe of Mr. Pitt terminated the debates on the interference of Great Britain between the Porte and Ruffia. Mr. Whitbread's motion was rejected, by two hundred and forty-four against one hundred and fixteen. CII A P. IX. Debates on the Treaty of Marriage between the Duke of York and the Princefs of Pruffia. Statement of the Finances. Petition to Parliament against Lotteries. Debates on the Slave Trade in the House of Commons and in the House of Lords. SUBJECT which took up prefent, amounted to a fum equiva A much of the national and lent to 22,0001. fterling; which, in parliamentary attention, during this feffion, was the marriage of the Duke of York with the King of Pruffia's eldest daughter. It was not the importance of the object itfelf, fo much as the circumftances attending it, that occafioned the uncommon notice taken of this tranfaction. The prodigious difparity of the pecuniary advances and fettlements made by the refpective courts, were matters of confiderable furprise to the people of this country; and gave occafion to a variety of fpeculations, which, though not expreffive of the leaft difapprobation of the match itfelf, ftill indicated an opinion not favourable to the ftipulations with which it was accompanied. The portion paid by the King of Pruffa, together with a nuptial cafe of the Princefs's demife before the Duke, was to be returned to him; but no reverfion of a like fun given on the part of England (as a counter-portion with the Duke, together with 6000l. as a bridal gift) had any place in the ftipulation. Her private revenue was fettled at 40001. a year; and her jointure, in cafe of the Duke's deceafe, at 8000 a year, with a refidence and establishment answerable to her rank. Thefe pecuniary settlements were accompanied at the fame time with a folemn renunciation by the King of Great Britain, and the Duke of York and his defcendants, of all right of inheritance to the crown of Pruília. In addition to 12,000l. annual income, already enjoyed by the Duke, the the further fum of 25,000 a year, was voted to him by parliament, on account of this matrimonial alliance. The difcuffions that took place in the Hufe, on this occafion, were neither warm nor interefting. Mr. Fox obferved, that in a monarchical government fuch as England, founded on the preference given to it by the natives to all other forms, the splendor with which they were defirous to fee it attended, of course required that every branch of the royal family fhould be maintained with fuitable magnificence. a He alfo obferved, that the freedom and perfonal dignity of the feveral perfonages who were more diftant part of that family, ought to be particularly confulted, by providing for them in fuch manner as to prevent their total dependence on the crown. There was at the fame time fome difference of opinion concerning the allowance to be granted to the Duke of York on his marriage: feveral members deemed the revenue propofed by the minifter too large; as the Duke received a very confiderable one from the bifhoprick of Ofnaburgh, ftated by fome at no lefs than 35,000l. a year. But this appearing an object unfit for parliamentary difcuffion, the votes propofed by the ministry paffed in his favour. After the fettlement of this bufinefs, which took place on the 17th of February, the Houfe refolved itfelf into a committee, to confider the state of the finances. Mr. Pitt reprefented them in fo favourable a light, that a diminution of the public burdens might reafonably be expected. The permanent taxes, from the year 1791 to the com mencement of 1792, had produced 16,730,000l. exceeding the average of the laft four years about 500,000; deducting from which the total of the expenditures, amounting by the reductions propofed, to 15,811,000L. the permanent income would exceed the permanent expence, including the million annually appropriated to the extinction of the national debt, by no less than 400,000l. The fupplies wanted for the prefent year, would amount to 5,654,000l. for which the means provided amounted to a fum exceeding the former, by 37,000!. From the foregoing ftatement, Mr. Pitt was of opinion, that the furplus of the 40001, would enable government to take off such taxes as bore chiefly on the poorer claffes, to the amount of one half of that fum; and to appropriate the other half to the diminution of the public debts. By the methods projected for the redemption of this debt, 25,000,000 would be paid off in the fpace of fifteen years; towards which the intereft of the fums annually redeemed, fhould be carried to the finking fund, till the annual fum to be anplied to the redemption of that debt, amounted to 4,000,000. Having made this favourable reprefentation of the state of finances, Mr. Pitt added to it a warm defcription of the actual profperity of the nation; which, though arrived at an eminent degree, had not yet attained that fummit of grandeur and felicity which lay within the reach of its industry and manifold abilities. But, to fecure thefe hap py projects, domeftic tranquillity, and peace with other nations, were indifpenfably required. Of both thefe thefe bleffings, however, he doubted not the long permanency. He concluded, by an earnest recommendation to the care and vigilance of thofe of whom it was the duty to preferve them. After some strictures on Mr. Pitt's fpeech, by Mr. Sheridan and Mr. Fox, partly farcastic and partly ferious, the Houfe coincided with Mr. Pitt's propofal for a repeal of thofe taxes on fome articles that were the moft unpopular. Among the various meafures objected to, or cenfured by members in oppofition, during this feffion, the long standing practice of railing part of the fupplies by means of a lottery, underwent the fevereft reprobation. In the committee of fupply on the 8th of March, Mr. Pitt having propofed the raifing of 812,000l, by means of a lottery, he was vigoroufly oppofed by Mr. A. Taylor; who highly blamed him for having recourfe, in a feason of public tranquillity at home and abroad, to a method of levying money which nothing could juftify but the extremeft neceflity and diftrefs of the ftate. It was notorioufly inimical to the private welfare and morals of all individuals, by inftilling into them a spirit of gaming, which had unhappily diffufed itfelf among all claffes, and occasioned a variety of fatal accidents too well known and ⚫ afcertained to fuffer a denial. Perfons in affluent circumstances had, by indulging in this pernicious practice, acquired ruinous habits of venturing more than either difcretion could warrant, or the intereft of their families reafonably permit; and the lower claffes, by the delufive profpects of bettering their conditions, were oftentimes reduced to the worst extremes of miferies, and driven by their fufferings to the commiffion of crimes to extricate themselves, for which they became amenable to courts of justice. Suicide alfo was fometimes the confequence of the imprudences to which this odious practice gave birth, efpecially among the lower claffes; who poflefs but little to venture and to lofe, and who, when ftripped by unpropitious fortune of their fcanty lot, often gave way to defpair, and rushed into the most deplorable extremities. In proof of the juftnefs of thefe allegations, feveral inftances of general notoriety were laid before the Houfe. Mr. Taylor concluded this invective againft lotteries, by representing the minister fo refolutely bent to add to the revenue by every poffible method, as to confider fuch addition, however repugnant to good policy, as of more importance than the prefervation of public or private morality. Other members inveighed with equal warmth against the use of lotteries. Mr. Mainwaring presented, on the 3d of April, a formal petition against them from the grand jury of Middlefex, ftating the divers mifchiefs arifing from them, and recommending to the ferious confideration of the Houfe, the propriety of obviating fuch evils, by a fuppreffion of the caufe from whence they originated. This remonftrance of the grand jury was feconded with great vigour. The regulations that had been made by parliament to prevent the evils attending a lottery, were defcribed as totally infufficient. Evafion and fubterfuges were always found to elude them; as fuch was the age for gaming, excited by lotteries, that they had from their first inflitution gradually per |