of prevention and defence were now rendered
necessary to preserve the peace of the country. The Militia was to be
augmented by volunteer companies, and the law officers of the Crown were
to exercise with vigilance the powers entrusted to them for bringing
malcontents to justice. But it was not by such means alone the
Administration proposed to meet the evil. It appealed to the good sense
and loyalty of the people. Upon these elements it depended for the
ultimate success of its efforts. The language of patriotism never found
more felicitous or energetic utterance than in these words of Lord
Grenville's: "The hands of Government must be strengthened if the
country is to be saved; but, above all, the work must not be left to the
hands of Government, but every man must put his shoulder to it,
according to his rank and situation in life, or it will not be done."

LORD GRENVILLE TO THE MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM.

Whitehall, Nov. 14th, 1792.
MY DEAR BROTHER,

The events in Flanders have brought so much hurry of things to be
done and thought of upon me, that I really have been unable to
answer your letter, which I have been some days intending to do.
With respect to what you mention about prosecutions, you do not
advert to the forms of our laws, by which no step of that nature
can be taken by the Attorney-General, except in term time, when
alone his informations can be filed. No seditious publication has
ever come to my knowledge, without my referring it to the
Attorney-General for prosecution; and out of the five which you
mention, viz., Jockey Club, Paine, Cooper, Walker and Cartwright,
the three first have been so referred, the two last I have never
seen. In truth, without assistance from the magistrates and
gentlemen of the country, who give none except Addresses, it is
very vain for Government to attempt to see and know, at Whitehall,
every libel which may be dispersed in the country.

But the real fact is, that these people were completely quelled,
and their spirit destroyed, till the Duke of Brunswick's retreat.
Since that they have begun to show themselves again, and nothing
that I know of has been neglected that could tend to put the law in
force against them. Steps are now taking by Government to send
persons into the counties to purchase these libels, with a view to
indictments at the Christmas Qu