the minister; but even supposing
it real, as it was only a formidable mockery, an idle threat, that could
never be executed, it was not necessary, that in order to obviate it, we
should give ourselves implicitly into the hands of France.

It was not necessary, my lords, that we should suffer them first to
elude the treaty of Utrecht, by making a port at Mardyke, and then
directly and openly to violate it by repairing Dunkirk. That this latter
is a port contrary to treaty, the bills of entry at the custom-house
daily show; and as the customs are particularly under the inspection of
the commissioners of the treasury, this man cannot plead ignorance of
this infraction, were no information given him by other means. If it
should now be asked, my lords, what, in my opinion, ought to be done, I
cannot advise that we should attempt to demolish it by force, or draw
upon ourselves the whole power of France by a declaration of war, but
what it may be difficult now to remedy, it was once easy to obviate.

Had we shown the same contempt of the French power with our ancestors,
and the same steadiness in our councils, the same firmness in our
alliances, and the same spirit in our treaties, that court would never
have ventured to break a known solemn stipulation, to have exasperated a
brave and determined adversary by flagrant injustice, and to have
exposed themselves to the hazard of a war, in which it would have been
the interest of every prince of Europe who regarded justice or posterity
to wish their defeat.

Now they see us engaged in a war, my lords, they may be animated to a
more daring contempt of the faith of treaties, and insult us with yet
greater confidence of success, as they cannot but remark the cowardice
or the ignorance with which we have hitherto carried on this war. They
cannot but observe that either our minister means in reality to make war
rather upon the Britons than the Spaniards, or that he is totally
unacquainted with military affairs, and too vain to ask the opinion of
others who have greater knowledge than himself.

Nothing, my lords, is more apparent than that the minister was forced,
by the continual clamours of the nation, to declare war, contrary to his
own inclination, and that he always affected to charge it upon others,
and to exempt himself from the imputation of it. It is, therefore,
probable that he has not acted on this occasion so wisely as even his
own experience and penetration might, if the