ven then had sent him to
sea too weak; that he believed the French fleet was as strong as was
represented in the papers which he found on board the frigates he had
captured; and that, upon that conviction, he was for the first time
obliged to turn his back upon the enemy. Lords North and Mulgrave
defended Sandwich and the admiralty-board; imputing some blame to
Keppel, and the motion was negatived by two hundred and four against one
hundred and seventy. Subsequently, Mr. Fox moved that the state of the
navy at the breaking out of the war was inadequate to the exigencies of
the service. In his speech, Fox observed, that nothing but good fortune
had saved the country from invasion and destruction; but Lord Mulgrave,
in reply, said, that all the "good fortune" had been on the side of
France--that nothing but "good fortune" had saved d'Or-villiers from
Keppel, and d'Estaing from Lord Howe. The latter admiral, who was now
in the house, showed that he was scarcely in a better temper with the
administration than was Keppel. He declared that he had been deceived
in accepting the command in America; that he had been ill-used while he
held that command; and that he would never again accept active service
under the existing ministry. On this occasion, Fox's motion was lost,
but a few days after he moved that the omission to reinforce Lord Howe
in America before the month of June, and the not sending a fleet to the
Mediterranean, were instances of gross misconduct and neglect. Fox was
again outvoted, yet on the 19th of April he made his promised motion for
dismissing Lord Sandwich from his majesty's presence and councils for
ever. This motion was likewise negatived, and a similar motion, made
a few days after in the upper house by the Earl of Bristol, shared the
same fate. Other motions hostile to Sandwich were made in both houses,
but they were all lost by majorities of nearly two to one. But even
these large majorities exhibited the waning influence and popularity of
the administration; for in the earlier days of Lord North's government
the majorities were usually four to one.

INVESTIGATION RESPECTING THE CONDUCT OF GENERAL AND LORD HOWE.

The managers of the war-office were doomed to similar attacks as those
of the admiralty. Early in the session General Burgoyne imputing his own
misfortune and the failures of all other commanders, whether by land or
sea, to the administration, had moved that all the letters written
by h