the
conduct of present ministers, and endeavoured to show that it tended
to produce similar mischiefs to those which had been produced by the
counsels of the House of Stuart. In particular, he criticised the
conduct of ministers with regard to Burke's economical plan of reform,
which, he said, they were reducing to a nullity--to a thing naked and
shorn, and useless to the country; and he expressed a hope that the
people of England would resent the insults they had received from men
who added mockery and contempt to oppression and neglect. Those who
supported Dunning maintained that it was solely through the corrupt
influence of the crown that Lord North had retained his office so long;
that his sole occupation for years past had been to frame excuses and
expedients, in order to procure supplies from year to year; and that he
had neither method in his financial department, nor any comprehensive
scheme of any kind. The speaker, less convinced by the eloquent
pleadings of the petitions before him, than by his recent
disappointment, took part with the opposition. He insisted strongly
on the exorbitant power of the crown, and the increase of corrupt
influence; and contended, that it was the duty of the house to attend
to the demands of the petitioners. The effect which the arguments of the
opposition had upon the country gentlemen was so great that ministers
became alarmed. The lord-advocate of Scotland, Mr. Dundas, attempted
therefore to stifle inquiry, by moving, that the speaker do leave the
chair; and this failing, Lord North rose to defend his own conduct. He
spoke at considerable length, and in the course of his speech declared
that he was ready to retire from office whenever his sovereign and the
people desired it; adding, that if he had continued so long in office,
it was because the country had no faith in the wisdom and patriotism of
his opponents. His speech seemed to be lost to the members of the house,
and Mr. Dundas rose again to his rescue, proposing this time, as an
amendment to the original proposition, the prefix of the words, "That
it is now necessary to declare." This was carried by a majority of
eighteen; and Mr. Dunning, pursuing his success, proposed and carried
a second proposition--namely, "That it was competent to the house to
examine into and to correct abuses in the expenditure of the civil list
revenues, as well as every other branch of the public revenue, whenever
it should seem expedient to tha