the
grounds of their dissatisfaction; by reforming parliament, and granting
them a fair representation. The people, he said, were already taxed
to an enormous extent; and should a war be the consequence, when it
appeared every precaution had not been taken to prevent it, ministers
would incur a heavy responsibility, both to the public and to that
house, for having precipitated the nation into so great a calamity.
The debate lasted till midnight; and when the house divided there was
a majority in favour of the address of two hundred and ninety against
fifty.

This large majority snowed that a great portion of the Whigs had parted
company with Fox. Nothing daunted, however, at this desertion, he gave
notice that to-morrow he would move an amendment upon the report. The
object of this amendment was to induce his majesty to open a negociation
with France, for the purpose of preventing the calamities of war. In the
speech which Fox made in support of it, he threw the whole blame of the
horrid scenes which had occurred in France upon the coalition; and he
eulogised the spirit and valour of the French republicans in the warmest
strains of panegyric, he thanked God, he said, that nature had been true
to herself; that tyranny had been defeated; and that those who fought
for freedom were triumphant. All the inhabitants of Europe, he said,
sympathised with the French and wished them success, regarding them
as men struggling with tyranny and despotism. Sheridan seconded this
amendment, and Burke opposed it, affirming "that to send an ambassador
to France would be a prelude to the murder of our own sovereign." Fox
had said, in the course of his speech, that the republic of this country
was readily acknowledged by European courts in the time of Cromwell,
after the execution of Charles I.; but Burke shattered this argument,
in favour of acknowledging the French republic, at a blow. He remarked:
"The French republic is _sui generis_ and bears no analogy to any other
republic or system of government that has ever existed in the known
world. The English commonwealth did not attempt to turn all the states
of Christendom into republics. It did not wage war with kings,
merely because they were not democrats; it professed no principles
of proselytism. The same might be said, of the republic of the United
States of America. But France wanted to make all the world proselytes to
her opinions and dogmas: France was for turning every government i