Burke,
Townshend, and Fox, all, in their turns, assailed the haughty secretary,
and revelled in descriptions of the loss and disgrace which we had
sustained--necessarily, from chagrin, heightening the effect of the
picture by exaggeration. The solicitor-general, Wedderburne, endeavoured
to reconcile the house to this loss, by appealing to British magnanimity
under distress, which, he conceived, was the harbinger of victory.
During the war of the succession, he said, General Stanhope was
compelled to surrender himself, and his whole army, prisoners of war in
Spain; but the disgrace only served to call forth an ardour which soon
effaced the stigma, and achieved glorious successes. Lord North, having
declared that he had from the beginning been desirous of peace; that if
the surrender of his place and honours could obtain it he would resign
them; and that while he remained in office he would support it to the
best of his power, the conversation dropped.

In the house of lords, however, the subject was taken up more seriously.
On the 5th of December, having previously arranged matters with the
opposition peers, the Earl of Chatham moved, "that an address be
presented to his majesty for copies of all orders and instructions
issued to General Burgoyne, relative to the late expedition from
Canada." Chatham commenced an able, though rambling speech, which he
delivered on this occasion, by criticising the king's speech at the
opening of the session; representing it as containing an unfaithful
and delusive picture of the state of public affairs. He then lamented
Burgoyne's fate, in pathetic terms. His character, he said, with the
glory of the British arms, and the dearest interests of the country,
had all been sacrificed to the ignorance, temerity, and impotence of
ministers. Yet almost in the same breath, Chatham said that he would
not condemn ministers without evidence! Burgoyne, he remarked, might or
might not be an able officer; he might have received orders it was not
in his power to execute; and those instructions might have been wisely
given, and faithfully and judiciously executed, although the general
had miscarried. Many events, he said, happened which no human foresight
could prevent; but, as it was evident, a fault had been committed either
by Burgoyne or the ministers, he was desirous of having the papers laid
before the house, in order to ascertain to whom the blame was in reality
attached. At the same time, he asse