LETTER XXII. Gray's Inn, June 11. 1782. Your last letter, my dear Roget, put me a little out of humour with you, not because it followed so quickly upon its predecessor, but because it began with an apology for such diligence, as if I did not always, when I had read one of your letters, begin to be impatient for another, and count the days until it should arrive. You have heard, before this time, all the particulars of Rodney's victory over De Grasse, and you perceive undoubtedly the very great advantages resulting from it; that, besides depriving the enemy of eight line-of-battle ships, it has frustrated all their designs upon Jamaica, and will probably enable us to recover many of our islands. The thanks of both Houses of Parliament have been voted to Rodney; they have likewise been voted to the other admirals and captains who were in the engagement, and to every common seaman on board the fleet. A monument, too, is to be erected in Westminster Abbey to Lord Robert Manners, and two other officers who were killed in the action. Rodney has, besides, been made an English Peer, and Admiral Hood, who commanded under him, a Peer of Ireland. Rodney, however, was recalled, and Admiral Piggot sent to supersede him before the news of the late victory arrived here; and the Ministers have not since sent to countermand Rodney's recall. In all this they have, in my opinion, done exceedingly right; they did well to recall him; and to have afterwards countermanded his recall must have made them appear ridiculous and contemptible, as if they were wholly uncertain and undecided in their measures. However, this step In of recalling Rodney has displeased many people, and raised something like an opposition to the Ministry. You have seen an account of the debates upon this subject, I suppose, in the newspapers. A motion of censure was offered to the House, but not made, and the speakers against the Ministry were very few. Governor Johnstone was the most violent. You recollect him, I suppose; he went out as one of the Commissioners to America. the character of a warm friend of Rodney, he has delivered two Philippics against the Ministry, in which he styles the recall of Rodney a disgrace, and the moving of thanks to him by Fox an insult; and, because Fox and Burke had said that, though they thought Rodney deserved great thanks and rewards from his grateful country, yet they could not change their opinion of what had happened at St. Eustatius from anything he had done since; that they thought, however, that the nation ought entirely to forget the transaction at St. Eustatius, and drop all inquiries into it; all the errors of Rodney were hidden under the trophies he had won from France. But this, Governor Johnstone said, he would never agree to; he defied the Ministers to prosecute the inquiry which was afoot; he would agree to no compromise; his gallant friend would never consent to be dressed up with honours and titles, while the world was made to believe that he was a plunderer and a corsair. Don't you think it would have been a more friendly part to have left it to Rodney to determine about this matter for himself; especially as the Admiral seems to be so little anxious to have the inquiry prosecuted, that, this very session, he voted in person against its being gone into by the House? Lord North made a kind of speech which is very usual with him; uncertain, undecided; wishing, but not daring to join in opposition; saying that he should vote against the motion, but exhausting his invention to find arguments in its support; and saying he was sure such a motion would have been made against him, had such a measure as the recall of Rodney been adopted in his administration. Fox answered with a degree of warmth and indignation which a cooler politician than myself would blame; he bade Lord North speak his sentiments boldly, and not, with an affectation of candour and delicacy, vote against a motion which he sought obliquely to recommend to the House. Fox seemed to despise the man, and to scorn his assistance, and indeed, "Non tali auxilio, nec defensoribus istis But if it is impolitic to provoke enemies by such warm language, it is surely much more so to irritate them by the severity of sarcasm. When Governor Johnstone complained that Fox was an improper person to move the thanks of the House to Rodney, Fox said that he was actuated only by zeal for the public, and promised to move the thanks of the House even to Governor Johnstone, Virgil. Æn. ii. 521, 522. if ever he should render any service to his country. And again, when Johnstone, giving an account of his being himself employed by the late ministry, said that he was applied to to command an expedition to South America to foment a rebellion that was said to have broken out there, but that at first he refused it, as not thinking himself equal to such an expedition, Fox observed that he was much too modest when he supposed himself not qualified to excite seditions and rebellions in the dominions of any prince upon the earth. the earth. Are not these the "facetiæ asperæ, quæ acrem sui memoriam relinquunt ? " 1 By Rodney's being created a Peer, his seat in Parliament is become vacant. Hood has been proposed to succeed him; but the Westminster committee have named another candidate. This opposition to Hood is said to be ungenerous and ungrateful; but why, is more than I can tell, unless a seat in Parliament is to be considered merely as a reward, a titular dignity; or unless it be proved that the same qualities are requisite to make a good senator as to constitute a brave admiral. What man, who was engaged in a lawsuit, would, out of gratitude to Hood, take him for his advocate? and yet that would be as reasonable as making him a member of Parliament, only because he fights well; besides that it is impossible he should do his duty as a member of Parliament, without giving up that station in which he is so much better calculated to serve his country. No material change has yet been made in our 1 Tac. Ann. xv. 68. constitution. Sawbridge has made his motion for shortening the duration of Parliament, but it was lost by a great majority. If the Ministry are sincere in their desire to bring about the great changes that have been talked of, they must dissolve the Parliament; and a dissolution is what I fully expect, although it does not seem to be generally thought of. So much for politics, with which I fear I have very much tired you. What I mentioned that I had written about Geneva has been printed: I will send it to you by the first opportunity, though I should be sorry it were seen at Geneva, for this among other reasons, that it might in some measure (what above all things I wish to avoid) influence the conduct of the citizens; for the opinions of the obscurest individual, when they appear in public, are often mistaken by foreigners for the opinions of a nation. Pray continue to be very particular about the affairs of Geneva, whose patriots I regard more as my countrymen than all the literati in the world. But I must answer my dear sister, so adieu with more than fraternal affection. S. R. LETTER XXIII. Gray's Inn, July 16. 1782. Your letter of the 29th of June left me, my dear Roget, in very anxious suspense about the fate of Geneva. The news I have since heard of the city's opening its gates has relieved my mind from many of the horrors which I began to |