ed on the journals, with the names of
ten peers protesting against its rejection.

Despite this "vast and invincible majority," as it was called by Burke,
on the 14th of March the Duke of Grafton moved for an address beseeching
his majesty that a proclamation might be issued, declaring that if the
revolted colonies, within a reasonable time, before or after the
arrival of the troops in America, should present a petition to the
commander-in-chief, or to the commissioners appointed under the late
act, setting forth what they considered to be their just rights and real
grievances, hostilities should be suspended, and the said petition be
referred to parliament for consideration. In making this motion, the
Duke of Grafton asserted that both France and Spain were arming, and
that two French gentlemen had already been to America, and had had
conferences with Washington and with congress. These assertions,
however, were treated by ministers as chimerical, and Lord Weymouth,
secretary for foreign affairs, assured the house that there never was a
time when Great Britain had less to fear from foreign powers, and that
every courier brought assurances of the pacific intentions and friendly
feelings from all the courts of Europe. After a long debate, in which
old arguments were reiterated on both sides of the house, the duke's
motion was negatived, by a majority of ninety-one against thirty-one.
About a fortnight after this Mr. Hartley presented the form of another
address in the commons, which was conceived in a better spirit, but it
shared the same fate as that of the Duke of Grafton. On the 10th of May
Mr. Sawbridge, who had succeeded Wilkes as lord mayor, made a similar
motion, for placing the Americans in the same situation as the Irish.

During the debates on this motion, Mr. Temple Luttrel, a younger brother
of the colonel, uttered very violent language; declaring that the
king's speech was a sanguinary parole, and the ministry an infernal
administration: quoting the well-known observation of the philosopher
Thaies; "that of all wild beasts, the worst was a tyrant, and of all
tame ones, a flatterer." The motion was negatived, as was also a motion
subsequently made by General Conway, for inspecting the powers vested in
his majesty's commissioners proceeding to America.

PROROGATION OF PARLIAMENT.

On the 23rd of May, at the moment when his majesty was expected in the
house of lords to prorogue parliament, Mr. Hartley