Page:American Historical Review, Volume 12.djvu/263

 French Reports of Parliamentary Debates 253 vantes a la Chambre Haute de I'etre, nous ne pourrions pas refuser de remettre toutes choses a Dunkerque dans I'etat qu'il avait ete regie par le traite d'Utrecht, et qu'en cas de refus, bien loin de nous regarder comme leurs bons amis et allies, il fallait nous regarder comme leurs plus grands ennemis. M. de Poltenay appuya aussi forte- ment ce discours, et M. de Walpole ne put repondre autre chose, sinon que M. Amstrume [Armstrong] avait ete charge par le roi d'Angleterre il y a quelques mois d'aller visiter le port de Dunkerque; qu'ainsi il n'y avait que lui qui en put rendre compte, mais que par malheur il I'avait envoye en France pour y travailler a un projet d'execution, et que d'abord qu'il serait revenu, il se rendrait a la Chambre. A quoi M. de Poltnay et M. Ouvindham [Wyndham] repondirent qu'on devait avoir le rapport de jI. Amstrum par ecrit, et qu'ainsi il n'y avait qu'a le communiquer a la Chambre sans remettre une affaire de cette importance a son retour. Le debat dura jusqu'a huit heures du soir, et on a remis a demain a traiter cette affaire. La Chambre en general a paru ap- prouver les raisons du parti oppose, ce qui a empeche M. de Walpole de demander que Ton allat aux voix, craignant que la pluralite ne fiit pas de son cote. From 1732 the reports of debates were sent with the political correspondence, not at long intervals but very frequently, once, twice, and as often as three times a week.^ We must bear in mind that about that time the French were just beginning to understand something of England. Voltaire's Philosophical Letters, first pub- lished in the English language, were translated into French in 1734. Montesquieu was pondering over his theory of constitutional monarchy, the example of which he found in England. On the other hand, never had the power of Parliament been so great as in the time of Walpole, under the foreign dynasty of Hanover. Never had its debates been more passionate and interesting; and the re- ports in the Gentleman's and London Magacincs, being much fuller than those formerly given by the Political State of Great Britain and the Historical Register, allowed the British public to follow the proceedings more closely than they had done up to that time. No wonder if the French envoys paid more attention than before to what appeared to be the main factor in English political life. In 1738 and in the following years the "Journal du Parlement " was drawn up every third day, and the ambassador or the charge d'affaires did not fail to give a regular notice of its forwarding. A number of letters begin thus : " Sir — I have the honor to send ' Cf. in 1733 the reports dated April 20 (debate on the excise duties, in the House of Commons) and April 27 (same in the House of Lords), vol. 380, ff. 80, 128; in 1735, the reports dated February 8, 12, 13, 14, 20, 28, 29, old style (de- bates on the address, the election of the representative peers of Scotland, the treaty of subsidies with Denmark, the number of the land and sea forces, the recruiting service, etc.), vol. 390, ff. 143-151, 153-158, 182-186, 245-247, 251- 259, 270-275, 300-302. 337-341, 342-351, etc.