he army and navy, both
in America and Ireland. Chatham now made another speech, in which he
expressed great alarm as to the actual state of those two important
fortresses, Gibraltar and Minorca; contending that they were not secure
from the grasp of France and Spain. He also took occasion again to
extol the Americans, and to plead their cause, still justifying their
opposition to the mother country. The motion was granted without
opposition.

FOX'S MOTION FOR INQUIRING INTO THE STATE OF THE NATION.

On the same day Mr. Fox made a motion, similar to that of the Duke of
Richmond, in the house of commons. The committee was at once agreed to
by ministers; but when Fox made a call for papers, Lord North opposed
it, as liable to make discoveries prejudicial to the interests of the
country. This drew down upon him a series of odious comparisons. Burke
compared him to the "pigmy physician," who watched over the health of
Sancho Panza, in the government of Barataria, and who snatched away
every dish from his patient's well-supplied table, on various pretences,
before he could get one mouthful. The house was convulsed with laughter,
but Lord North remained immoveable; nor could the intelligence that the
lords had granted the papers, alter his determination to oppose their
production. Fox again spoke when he discovered that the premier was
resolute; and this time he fell upon the chief manager of American
affairs,--Lord George Germaine. He remarked:--"For two years that
a noble lord has presided over American affairs, the most violent,
scalping, tomahawk measures have been pursued: bleeding has been his
only prescription. If a people, deprived of their ancient rights, are
grown tumultuous, bleed them!--if they are attacked with a spirit of
insurrection, bleed them!--if their fever should rise into rebellion,
bleed them!--cries this state-physician. More blood! more blood! still
more blood! When Dr. Sangrado had persevered in a similar practice of
bleeding his patients, killing by the very means he used for a cure, his
man took the liberty to remonstrate on the necessity of relaxing in a
practice to which thousands of their patients had fallen sacrifices,
and which was beginning to bring their names into disrepute. The doctor
answered, I believe, indeed, that we have carried the matter a little
too far; but you must know I have written a book on the efficacy of
this practice: therefore, though every patient should die by it,