12 The HISTORY of the laft Seffion of Parliament. dences, concerning the prices and quantity of corn in this kingdom and concerning the neceflity of prohibiting the exportation thereof, made, delivered, and offered, to his majesty, or his privy council, during the recefs of parliament; and alfo, a copy of his majesty's order in council for fluing the proclamation, which was published on the 26th day of September laft paft, and of the said proclamation; but upon the queftion's being put it paffed in the negative and on the 5th of Dec. after reading the order of the day it was moved, that it be an inftruction to the faid committee that they have power to receive a claufe or claufes, to afcertain the charges and damages fuftained in confequence of the late order in council and proclamation for prohibiting the exportation of wheat and wheat flour, by or on account of any demurrage or of any injury or expences occafioned by keeping the faid corn on board, or by loading or unloading the fame. But upon the queftion's being put it paffed in the negative, as it deferved; for I am really furprised how fuch a motion came to be made; as it was an inftruction that was impoffible to be complied with, unless the committee upon this bill had been to fit for at Jeaft a twelve month, in order to inquire into and determine the multitude of claims that would have been made on this account and after they had done fo I fhould be glad to know how or by whom the claimants were to be fatisfied; for it would have been most unjust to have charged the public with fuch an expence, as all loffes and damages occafioned by any public meafure, which was abfolutely neceffary for preventing the ruin of the nation, are accidental misfortunes which every fubject is obliged by the nature of fociety to fubmit to; the public may afterwards in charity give as much relief as it can spare to thofe that have by fuch misfortunes been reduced to real digress, but charity can never be charged as a debt upon the public, no more than upon any private man. For thefe reafons I fay this motion deferved to have a negative put upon it, and then the houfe, after having gone through the bill with feveral amendments, ordered the report to be Beceived on the 8th, when it was made by Mr. Fuller, one of the amendments Jan. difagreed to, the reft agreed to, and feveral amendments being made by the houfe, the bill, with the amendments was ordered to be ingroffed. On the 9th the bill being now intitled a bill for indemnifying fuch perfons as have acted for the fervice of the public in advifing or carrying into execution the order of council, of the 26th of September laft, for laying an embargo on all ships laden with wheat or wheat flour, and for preventing fuits in confequence of the fid enbargo, was read the third time, palled, and fent to the lords, where it was agreed to without any amendment; and received the royal affent on the 16th. As to the fubftance of this act it will fully enough appear from the title and the inftruction upon which it was founded; but there is fomething curious in the preamble, therefore I thall give it the reader at full length. It recites as follows: His majesty having been pleafed, by an order in council, bearing date the 26th of September laft, to order, that an embargo fhould be laid upon all fhips and vellels laden or to be laden in the ports of Great Bri. tain, with wheat or wheat flour to be exported to foreign parts, from the date thereof, until the 14th of November following: which order could not be justified by law but was fo much for the fervice of the public, and fo neceffary for the fafety and preservation of his majesty's fubjects, that it ought to be justified by act of parliament; and all perfons advifing, or acting under or in obedience to the fame indemnified: It is therefore enacted, &c. From the firft title of this bill we may judge that the words in italicks were not at first in the preamble, but were inferted by way of amendment in the committee, and proceeded from a jealoufy of the conftitutional powers of the crown which fome people feem ftill to be poffeffed with, though it could never be more groundless or unfeafonable, as we have now more reason to fear that the crown has not a conftitutional power fufficient to ftem the torrent of a factious majority in both houfes, that shall confederate together for fetting up an oligarchy; but we have now a great deal to fear from an anticonftational power in the crown, which has been growing ever fince 1768. The HISTORY of the last Seffion of Parliament. 13 1660, when our parliaments first began bill, and that the petitioners should be to raise a public revenue by taxing the heard by their counsel thereupon if consumption instead of the property of they thought fit; and though the methe people, and which is now called thods by which the authority of the bribery and corruption. company was obtained for presenting I have already given an account of this petition were very well known, one of the fortunate bills brought in yet this motion was supported by seveand passed in consequence of the par. ral members; but, at lalt it was moved liamentary inquiry into the affairs of and ordered that the debate be adjournour East India company * and shall ed till next day ; after which it was now proceed to give an account of ordered, that the East India company fuch of the rest as I think the most do lay before the house, to morrow important. On the 13th of May, a morning, an account of the proceedmotion was made, and leave given, to ings of the general court holden yelbring in a bill to regulate the qualifi. terday, with such protests as were cations of Eat India stock, and Mr. made at the same court ; and that the Onslow, Mr. Price Campbell, Sir Wil- chairman and deputy chairman of the liam Baker, Mr. Fuller, Sir George said company, or one of them, do atColebrooke, Mr. Cust, Mr. Coventry, tend this house to morrow morning; Mr Walsh, and Mr. Ongley were or- and then it was resolved, that the said dered to prepare and bring in the company do lay before this house a Tame. list of the names of the several proOn the 19th, There was presented prietors of East India stock, who bal. to the house the following extraordi- lotted at the general court of the said nary petition, which, because of its company which was holden yesterday; being of an extraordinary nature, together with the quantity of stock in and because of the extraordinary fate each persons name who ballotted, and it met with, I shall give at full length their places of abode. as follows : It was intitled a petition There was then presented to the of the united company of merchants of house and read a petition, under the England trading to the East Indies, modest title of a petition from theunder and being read; set forth, that the pe- subscribers, proprietors of East-India titioners observe, by the votes of this stock, and although it was of the same liouse, that a bill is depending for fur- tenor with the former, and almost in ther regulating the making of divi- the very fame words, yet such regard dends by the East India company, and was thewn to it, that it was presently that the petitioners are advised, that referred to the said committee, and certain claules in the faid bill as now the petitioners had leave to be heard proposed, if pafled into a law, would upon their faid petition, if they prove extremely prejudicial to the thought fit. rights and property of the petitioners, Next day, before the debate upon and would materially affect public cre- the former petition was resumed, Mr. dit in general, as well as the particular Onslow presented to the house a bill to interest of that company; and that the regulate the qualifications of the propetitioners apprehend that the motives prietors of East India stock, when it to the conduct of the proprietors, at was read a first time, and ordered to their late general courts, with relation be read a second time ; and before the to the dividend they have agreed to, rising of the house they resumed the as well as the circumstances of the said adjourned debate,' but having company, which induced them to vote previously ordered to be read, the acsuch a dividend, have been very much count of the proceedings of the genemisunderstood; and therefore praying, ral court of the said company, holden that the petitioners may have leave to the 18th of May 1767, wherein are lay before the house, the true state of inserted such protests as were made at those matters, and may be heard, by the same court; and also minutes of themselves, or their counsel, against the court of directors of the said comSuch parts of the said bill as may affect pany, holden on the 19th of May their intereit. 1767, relating to the protest of the Upon this it was moved to refer the said court against the resolution of the petition to the committee upon this general court of the 18th of May See our la vol. p. 655. 14 LATE CHANGES 1767, for proceeding immediately to a ballot on a question proposed at the faid general court; and the fame being accordingly read, they very plainly fhewed that the petition had been obtained by thofe means which the bill intended to put an end to, confequently the question for referring the petition was not only carried in the negative, but the petition itself rejected. [To be continued in our next.] From the POLITICAL REGISTER. To the EDITOR. SIR, A S feveral great and material changes have been made in the adminiftration of government fince the publication of your last number, and as your readers will doubtless expect fome account of them, I will give you what I believe may be depended upon: but, to ftate the apparent motives of thefe changes, it will be neceflary to take a flight retrospect of the occurrences of the last four months. It is plain, from both the event and the nature of the fummer-negotiation with the marquis of R. (fee our laft vol. P. 446.) that the miniftry did not then think themselves ftrong enough to ftand the enfuing winter; and the death of Mr. Townshend, which happened foon after the failure of that negotiation, rendered them ftill weaker. By powerful folicitation a fucceffor to Mr. Townshend's place was obtained; but the want of his abilities was feverely felt by the furviving minifters; and it was obvious, that they could not go on with the public bufinefs without receiving fome affiftance from the oppofition. The Marquis of R. they had twice entreated without effe&; Mr. G. they dreaded: they confeffed his abilities, but were afraid to put their own inferiority into the fame scale. What then must they do? Or to whom Should they apply? They took no fteps; like people who had given themselves up to defpair, they trufted to chance, which has wrought more in their favour than any of their most fanguine friends durft have wifhed, or could have expected: for, upon the meeting of p, it was evident, from what paffed the first day, that the feveral great parts of the oppofition were fo ar from being united, that there was Jan. a ftrong diversity of opinion among t them: upon this the minifter threw out the offer of a treaty to a felect number of the friends of the D. of B. Thefe accepted the propofal: but, as it regarded only a few, a declaration was made to the other respectable perfons, who had acted with, and adhered to, that intereft with uncorrupted fidelity; "That it was hoped their acceptance of the offer which had been made to them, would not be confidered as a breach of the good faith that bad fubffled between them A fubdivifion of one of the parts of oppofition being thus effected, a negotiation for terms of acceptance was openly fet on foot; and, by the twenty-fecond day of December 1767, the following arrangements were agreed upon: Earl Gower, lord-prefident of the council, in the room of the earl of Northington, who retires upon a penfion of 40001, per annum. Earl of Hillsborough, fecretary of ftate for the American colonies.-A new office. Viscount Weymouth, fecretary of ftate for the northern department in the room of Mr. Conway. Mr. Conway to have the fift military vacancy worth his acceptance. Earl of Sandwich, joint poft-mafter, in the room of Lord Hillsborough. Lord Charles Spencer, a lord of the admiralty, (in the rooin of Mr. Jenkinfon, made a lord of treasury fome weeks before. Right Hon. Mr. Rigby, one of the joint vice treasurers of Ireland, in the room of Mr. Ofwald, who retires with the reverfion of a lucrative place in Scotland for his fon. Hon. Hen. F. Thynne, master of the heufhold, in the room of Mr. Harris, deceased. Richard Vernon, Efq; a clerk of the board of green cloth, in the room of the Hon. Mr. Grey. The idea of a third fecretary of ftate, whofe business is to be confined to the colonies only, is not a new one. nor is it a measure that is wholly unneceffary. It was originally proposed at the time that Lord Hallifax was first lord of trade; but the expence of fuch an additional department was the ob jection to its being then carried into execution, though it was intended that that the employment of third fecretary should be given to the firft lord of trade, in order to fave the expence of one of the falaries. Upon the acceflion of the marquis of R to power, the fame scheme of fecretary of ftate for the colonies was again adopted, and the employment was still intended to be given to the first lord of trade, for the fame reafon as before. And, to prevent as much as poffible an increafe of expence, it was alfo intended that the clerks of the board of trade hould likewife be the clerks of the new fecretary, and that the lords of trade should be a kind of council to him. But when this plan was ready to be carried into execution, and nothing remained to be done, but for Lord Dartmouth (who was then firft lord of trade) to kiss his M's hand upon it, Lord Chat that inftant came into power, and, because he would not adopt any plan of a predeceffor's, he difapproved of this of a third secretary; which was the true and only reafon of Lord D's refignation on the 30th of July, 1766. Lord Ch's first meature of government, after he had made his arrangements, was to transfer the American bufinefs from the board of trade to the office of secretary for the fouthern department, and the board of trade he reduced to the capacity of a board of reference only; in which capacity, by thefe laft alterations, it is till to remain. From the manner in which the coJonv-bufinefs has of late been tranfacted, or rather neglected, the neceffity of a fecretary of state for the colonies only, has been more manifest ; and it would certainly be deemed, by could difpute the power of the crown to create thofe peers, yet fuch an extraordinary exertion of the prerogative was regarded by the people as dangerous to the happiness and interefts of the kingdom; and fo in fact, it proved; for, a few days after the introduction of thofe lords into the upper house, the court carried a question by the majority of them only. The minifters then ventured upon making that infamous peace which fo immediately fucceeded. In a like manner ought we to regard, and to be alarmed at, an increase of places, as being liable, in bad hands, to equal mifchiefs and abuses. To the manner of this new appointment of a third fecretary of state there are two objections; one is, the increafe thereby made to the power of the crown, which has been just mentioned; the other is, the expence it will be to the public; for, being an entire new office, there muft, of courfe, be a new establishment for it, which will amount to no inconfiderable fum annually. Then comes the falary of the fecretary himfelf, and poffibly an under fecretary, who probably may be a member of parliament, which, if they are not more, will at least be the fame with those of the other secretaries of state, and may therefore be fafely put down at 8000l. per annum. So that upon the whole, this change of hands may fairly be faid to have been accomplished at the additional expence of at least 14 or 15000l. per annum. Second Letter from Mr. J. J. Rouffeau to Mr. D. (Sec laft vol. p. 534.) Dear Sir, moft men, a right measure, if it had TH not the appearance of a job. A creation of new offices is an accumulation of power to the crown, which is ever to be dreaded in this country, for a time may come, when Englishmen may not be fo happy to have a George the Third upon the throne. It is poffible, that a prince of a contrary complexion and principles, may hereafter sway the fceptre of this country; and what can hinder fach a prince from making a wicked afe of this increased prerogative? Burnet fays, upon Queen Anne's creat. ing twelve new peers to carry the job of the peace of Utrecht, though nobody HOUGH I have long fince formed a refolution to live in a narrow corner of this heap of dirt, unknown to the world, and forgot by it; I will yet take the liberty of addreffing to you a few of my letters. I know the ties of gratitude, ties, in my opinion, as facred as thofe of friendship; a word common even among traitors. How great is the number of these mifcreants! I will not talk like a moralift, left I Could frighten away the monsters. The evil is general, the remedy ineffectual, and a reformation impoffible. Confider, weak, vain, and imperious man! confider thy own infigni ficance 16 Letter from Rouffeau. ficance, thy own nothingness! remember the duft whence thou art fprung; and if the view of thy origin fills thee with humility; why, let me afk thee, doft thou ever lofe fight of it? blind monfter! thou art great only in thine own eyes. Quit thy proud palaces, withdraw from the bustle of populous cities come, if thou haft courage, come, and learn wisdom in these woods! Behold thofe animals, vile indeed, in thy estimation! but behold and admire them, and be covered thyself with fhame. Amongst them there prevails no rivalship; nature is their guide and their law, uniform and innocent nature; but that fame nature, which thou alledgeft in excufe of thy crimes; upon her thou throweft the blame of all thofe black and atrocious deeds, which proceed only from thy own headArong and brutal paffions. Oh! man, how contemptible art thou in my eyes! Thou monster of iniquity! But, fuch is thy incurable blindness, thou art not afhamed of thy own wickedness. You fee, my dear friend, I am not afraid to discover to you, my moft fecret thoughts. There are ftill in the world fome felect fpirits, who deferve that tender appellation, that honourable title, infinitely preferable to all those vain titles, which human vanity hath arrogated to itfelf. You deferve, my dear friend, by your ingenuous conduct, the warmeft wishes of my heart; you have already deserved them by your difinterestedness and generofity. A prefent fo fmall is little worthy of your acceptance: may my zeal and fincerity add value to the gift. I look down with difdain upon the pride of cities. To me a retired and folitary life hath charms more attractive than the gilded palaces of kings; palaces of dirt, erected by vanity, and inhabited by vanity. The true mo. narch, is he who enjoys him felf, were it in the midst of the most gloomy forefts. To you, ye wild beats, to you of right belongs the fovereignty of the woods: you poffefs them as maiters. "Tis man alone, that cruel monfter, that troubles your repole. Not fatis. fied with making war upon his equals, he comes armed for your deftruction; for you he lays inares, and with a heart full or malice, he robs you of thofe bflings, which he hath not procured for you, but which you derive from Jan. nature; you, who, content with acorns or thistles, envy him not his treasures, frequently the fruit of his rapine and extortion. Yes, my dear friend, I can eafily read the fentiments of your heart; of that heart, fo tender, fo fincere and virtuous. You approve my conduct, and I am proud of your approbation. Generous Pylades! I could live the age of Neftor with fuch an Oreftes as you; but inconftancy, you know, is the characteristic of man; and fuch, I own, is my foible. I am a man, and, of confequence, am fubject to the failings of humanity. Eloquent in delivering the most excellent precepts, men are themselves the first to transgrefs them: they fuffer themselves to be hurried away by the whirlwind of inconftancy. A thousand times have I made vows; a thousand times have I broken them. I confefs my faults; I repent of them; and next moment I fall into new ones. With fo many caufes for humility and abafement, ought any one in this world to be puft up with pride? You fee, my friend, I acknowledge my weakness, and do not diffemble it; but pity, tender pity, fhall always be my favourite virtue. I could fuit my temper to the humours of the world: but I dread men, and their dark defigns; and I therefore withdraw myfelf from the noife of those venemous infects, who want only to fting and bite you, and to fuck your blood, to fatten their own leannefs. I fly men without hating them: I only hate their vices; and hateful as thefe are, why should I love them? Long, perhaps too long, have philofophers declaimed against perfidy, difhonefty, treachery; monsters bred in fociety; nourished, cherished, and encouraged in fociety. Overturning their reafonings by the courfe of their actions, men have offered incenfe to the ruins of thofe idols, which they had just been deftroying; and forry, it would feem, for having demolished them with one hand, they have reared them up with the other, and have paid them all their worship. Such is man; fuch is that being, who, with the molt ridiculous vanity, prefers himself to other animals, and dares infolently fay, "I have reafon for my guide." Why, thou monster! thou odious com pound 1 |