Juftice of his remark, with refpect to himself, when compared with the tranfcendent abilities of the right hon. gentleman. In that refpect, he was as ready to allow his fuperiority, as the learned gentleman had been eager to affert it. But when that gentleman quitted Weftminfter-hall, to flide firft into the enjoyment of a great finecure place, and afterwards to be exalted to the high fituation he fill held, he left behind him many who continued to labour with induftry and affiduity, in hopes that the line of preferment would be open to them, as a reward for their labours, and a gratification of their ambition. It was rather hard, therefore, that the right hon. gentleman fhould, in addition to his other advantages, throw his mantle over thofe he had left behind him to toil in the profeffion; that he should check their preferment, and fecure an exclufive claim to himself to return to that profeffion, not for the purpofe of joining in the toil of it, but merely to enjoy thofe pofts of dignity and honour which other men had, in the uniform purfuit of bufinefs, laboured to merit, and hoped to receive, when their turn came.

He concluded his animated fpeech by affuring Lord N-th, that as long as his lordship's political life and his went on together, he never would remind him of any promife he might have made to himthat he never would accufe him of breach of promife-that he never would be fo forgetful of his own character, as to make private differences matter of public complaint; and that he would not fo degrade himself, or be fo loft to the decorum that was due to that House, as to call upon them to interfere in a private negotiation; nor would he fo humble himfelf, as to make a difference with a minifter the ground of his opinion upon a great and important political regulation. At a quarter paft two o'clock in the morning the committee divided, For abolishing the board of trade Against ic

207

199

not, he faid, enter any farther into his own defence at prefent, than to fay, that he had formed no plans, nor purfued any measures, but in concert with the majority of that Houfe; that the plans that had been purfued were folely calculated for the fupport of the dignity of the crown, and the juft rights of the people; thefe being all along his motives, he felt Aevery wanton effort of faction to traduce his character with no other emotion than

that of contempt. He was confcious of his innocence, and, armed with that fhield, whenever an enquiry was moved for against him, he would meet it with confidence, and defend it with fortitude. B In the mean time, he wished that all imputations might be fufpended for that day at leaft, as the real bufinefs of the day would be fufficient to engage the attention of the Houfe.

His lordship then proceeded to lay open the taxes, which have already been noticed, fee p. 150. and already been feverely felt.-Some flight objections were made, on the ground of hearing and granting the prayer of the petitions of the people before voting the taxes and Ld G. G-d-n infifted on dividing the D Committee, when the numbers were 135 in favour of the motion, to 9 against it. March 16,

On the second part of the Budget. Ld N--tb began with lamenting the evil of the day, and hoping that gentlemen would not add to it by unneceflary declamation on matters of perfonal abufe. An hon. gentleman [Mr. H-ty] had faid that the country had been brought into its prefent fituation by his plans and his purfuits; and that the heavy burthens now to be impofed were the natural refult of bis incatures and his crimes. He should

The House went into the order of the day, for hearing witneffes on a complaint against Ld N-th for corrupt practices committed by him, or by agents pretendE ing to act under him, tending to influence the borough of Milbourne Port against the next general election. The complaint was moved by Mr.T: I-t-l, who, in the opinion of the Houfe, failed in bringing the evidence home to his lordship, on which a motion being made F and the question propofed, "That it ap pears to this Houfe, that there have been divers undue and corrupt practices refpeting the election of members to ferve in Parliament for the borough of Milbourne Port, at the approaching general Gelection," an amendment was moved, by S-lici- Gr—l W—li—e, to add, at the end of the question, thefe words, "committed by the Rt Hon. Ld N-th, firft Ld Commiflioner of his Majesty's Treafury, or others as acting as his agents in the faid tranfactions," which was agreed to; and then the question, thus amended, being put, it pailed in the negative.

March 20.

Houfe in another fhape, when he hoped to be able to bring the charge home to thofe perfons whofe names had been fo frequently mentioned in the course of the former day's enquiry.

Mr. F-lar- then rofe and declared he was unacquainted how to act in a matter that had given him great uncasiness, and in which he had felt his honour wounded

by a noble Earl, who in the other Houfe

had made an attack upon his character in a manner the moft illiberal. He had not only mentioned him under the contemptuous appellation of clerk, declaring that he ought not to be trufted with a regiment, but had afferted, that he and his regiment would be as ready to draw their fwords against the liberties of their country as a gainft her enemies. He therefore left it to the Houfe to judge whether he ought to feel himfelf hurt or not.

Earl Nant declared, that perfonal animoties ought to be checked in each Houfe of Pliament; and after fome converfation on the fubiect, in which the Houfe feemed to coincide with his lordship's opinion, the matter pallet off for the prefent.

Sir F-t--r N-r-n role, and apoiogized for having improperly brought forward a matter foreign to the fubiect in debate when the Committee laft fat, (fee p. 497.) though he did not mean to retraft a follable.

Mr. De G―y feized that opportunity to vindicate a venerable character agaialt an unjust aspersion that had been thrown out, by which he thought himself highly injured. A report, he faid, had been circulated, that, upon the refignation of the Chiet Juftice tivo years ago, a fum of money to the amount or 7 or 800cl. was paid out of the Exchequer by Lord N-th, and actually lodged in the hands of a banker, for the use of the Chief Juítice, in lieu of a reverfion to a particular office in the Court of Common Pleas, which the Chief Juftice would have had a right to the difpofal of, if it had fallen while he continued at the head of that court. This report, Mr. De G-y faid, he would take upon himfelf to declare,

was utterly falfe.

Ld N-b rofe, and confirmed what Mr. De G-y had afferted; and the matter palied off, on

A

Mr. Es, Mr. P-w-Sir J-n W--, Sir Ed D-r-g, and other members, expreffed their strong difapprobation of interfering with his Majette's houfhold.

Mr. B-ke's obferving the turn which the debate was likely to take, declared that if the claufe, as he had moved it, was loft, all was gone. In the Treasurer

of the Chamber lay his dependence; the

Treasurer of the Chamber was the first office of the Houfhold that he had laid his hands upon, and if hat flipt through bis fingers, he defpairedtof availing himself of any of the reft; if the doctrine, just plaid down, that the King's Houjbold should not be touched, extended to the Treasurer of the Chamber, the remaining claufes all turned upon the fame hinge, and if one was to be excluded, there was an end to all the reft. He had no defign, as gentlemen had afferted, to limit the expences of his Majesty's table. His Majefty might contact for his table at a hundred guineas a head, and invite roo people to car at it. All he meant, and all he wished for, was, that what was expended fhould be wifely and honeftiy laid out. He afferted, that by the preftat feftem of Doeconomy introduced into his Majefty's kitchen, a rat could not have cleated the cooks, fcullions, &c. of a fcrap of choefe, but at the fame time nothing was faved, becaufe the expence of paying cheats to watch cheats was fo great that it amounted to more than it could poflibly cost his E Majetty it he was handsomely clitated at once. He enforced the claufe by confidering the nature of the office, and fhewing the inutility of it upon the true principles of economy; and concluded with repeating what he had faid before, that, if the quellion was carried againft him, he Ffhould take no more pains to fight it through claufe for claufe and line for line, but would leave it to the people to go on with it, and let them judge by the itfue how far their petitions would be able to procure them redrets.

Attor. Gen. [W--b-e] thought it Gwas-treating the Committee too cavaherly to declare the whole bill neceflarily gone, it the claufe for abolishing the Treafurer of the Chamber fhould be carried against the hon. gent. who patron:fed Mr. B-ke's moving the fifth claufe it. There were many of the principles in his bills, relative to the Theafarer of of the bill, which, he said, he highly ap the Chamber, Treasurer of the Houte-proved; there were others which he hold, Cofferer, &c. (fee p. 121). He propofed putting ait thefe feparate offices into one office, and after the words "Treafurer of the Chamber" the words "be abolithed" fhould fland [The next claufe, enacting that his Majelty's houfFold should be ferved by contract, he

ropoled to omit 1

thought equa:ly abfurd; among the late ter he inftanced that for ferving his Majety's Houshold by contract. He asked the hon. gent. if by his declaring, that if the claufe in question was not agreed to the bill was gone, he meant to treat that Houle like the Parliament of Paris,

and

and to tell them in fo many words, that the bill was his edict, and he would have it regiflered.

Mr. D-- in reply faid, that what his hon. friend [Mr. B.] had faid warranted no fuch interpretation. But what the noble Ld in the Blue Ribbon had done was exactly in point. Let us profcribe the Americans, fays his lordship, A and ftrait the Americans are profcribed. Let us make war against the Americans, and ftrait war is declared. Let us purfue the Americans with fire and fword, favs his lordthip, no fooner faid than done. Let us continue the ravages, fays his lordship, and the horrors of the war continue with unabated fury. If he wants money for the purpofe, millions are inftantly voted. If men, the country is depopulated to fupply his demands.

timents on the propriety of giving the Company warning; and the majority upon a divifion were for approving it.

Mr. Fx moved for a lift of the perfons who fubfcribed for this year's loan, which was granted. March 22.

Sir Js Ltr called the attention of the Houfe to an affair of honour (as it is commonly called) which had that morning been decided, in confequence of words fpoken in both Houses of Perbament. He obferved, if this practice fhould go on, and the Houfe not interpole its authority, there would foon be B an end of all free debate. If, in the difcuffion of public meafures, the fair reprefentation of facts is to be interpreted into a perfonal attack upon every occafion, we fhall no longer be a Parliament of England, but a Polith Dyer, where every member must come prepared to Mr. Bke, having loft the queftion, de- Cefend his opinion with the point of his

The question being called for, it paffed. in the negative, 215 against 158.

clared his indifference to the reft of the bill.

Ld. N-th moved the House, that the Speaker give notice to the Eaft India Company, that, in the courfe of the three vears that their charter has to run, Parliament intend to pay off the money due to the Company, and to take the trade into their own hands.

Mr. F treated the motion with a mixture of furioufaels and pleafantry. He asked the noble Lord if he was in carneft, or only meant to intimidate the Ea India Company. If the former, E where was he to get the money to pay 4,200,000l. principal and intereft? If the larter, whether he thought the proprietors were all fools, and could not fee through his lordship's finetle? If he meant it as a threat, it was the idleft of all threats, because he was unable to carry his threat into execution.

Ld N-b denied that it was intended as a threat. It was a neceffary ftep on the part of the public, towards fecuring a revcifion to which the public were entitled, and without which the public could not legally be put in podelion.

Mr. Be treated it as the most wicked, abfurd, abandoned, profligate, mad, and drunken fcheme that ever was formed; declaring, that, like a new Milfilippi feheme, it was only fit for fuch projector as Mr. Law.

a

Mr. Ggy expreffed his wifhes, that the matter might be confidered with coolnefs and deliberation. It was, he faid, a great queftion of ftate, and ought not to be treated with levity and indecorum. It involved the intereti, power, and dig nity of this nation, and should not be precipitately determined.

boverdi gentlemen delivered their fen

fword.

Mr. A-m rofe, and apologized to the House for an affair of a like kind to that alluded to by the hon. gent. in which he himself had been concerned. He faid no man could regret it more, nor with lefs for occafions to gratify the momentary impulfe of certain principles of honour implanted in his nature than he did; and he trufted that no man, who had the least knowledge of his conduct through life, could for a moment harbour a thought fo intolerably injurious to him as to im agine that motives fo mean, fo infamous, fo much beneath the adoption of a gen tleman, as had been imputed to him ia almost every newspaper, could poflibiy enter or influence his mind in the affair he felt himfelf under the neceflity of alFluding to. He called God to witness, he had no motive whatever but the comiction that he could not exift with honour without taking the fiep which he had taken; and he had one comfort, he faid, amidft the unwelcome fenfations occafioned by recalling to his mind that unG fortunate affair, that it enabled him to do justice in the face of the Houfe to the character of the hon. gent.. with whom he was engaged, and in whom he found al! that fpirit, that manlinefs, that honour, which it was before fuppofed the hon. gent. poffefied, and which might be expected from one whole powertul abilities in other refpects had rendered hum the

H

admiration of that Fioule.

Sir A-m F-g-fon rofe, in juftification of Mr. Fr-n, of whom he spoke in terms of the warmeft friendship; hedeclared his utmolt deteftation of thofe perfonal invectives which of late Lad prevailed more than ever in the courfe of

the debates of that Houfe; and appealed to the candour of gentleman who introduced the fubject, whether it will be fair to proceed to the difcuffion of it in the abfence of the gentleman who principally gave rife to it.

Sir - L-2-r declared he had no intention to enter any farther into the subjećt, than just to fhew the tendency of a practice that was beginning to take place, and which manifettly militated against that freedom of debate which was ellential to the very being of a British fenate.

and Mr. D-nn-ng rose, and, after fhewing the nature and tendency of thofe petitions, reduced the general tenor of the whole into two propofitions neceffarily dependent on each other, namely, to introduce a reform in the public expenditure, and to limit and restrain the increafing influence of the Crown. Thefe two propofitions, he faid, were fairly reducible into one. If the public money was faithfully and frugally applied, the undue influence of the Crown would of confequence ceafe; and, if the Binfluence of the Crown were restricted Other gentlemen fp ke upon the fub- within due bounds, that would naturally ject, and it was the general opinion of the lead to a proper application of the public Houfe, that matters of the kind that had money. The means to accomplish thefe happened that morning fhould rett un- two objects was the tafk which he had diturbed. Duels had happened time this day undertaken to point out. In after time fince the beginning of the Corder to this, he propofed to frame fome world, and would fo continue to the end refolutions to ferve as a batis on which he of it, and no law or regulation of that might afterwards erect a fyftem of meaHoufe could prevent one gentleman call- fures to meet the wishes of the petitioners ing another gentleman out (as the term at large But, previous to what he had is) if he felt, or thought he felt, his himfelf in view, he adverted to what had honour injured. They were therefore already been done by others, to fhew that matters which every man muft lament D no redrefs was meant to be given to the but that no man or fet of men can reftrain. petitioners by the modes already tried, The report of the Committee of ways and at the fame time to point out in what and means refpecting the taxes came particulars thofe who are fuppofed to lead next under the confideration of the Houfe, the majorities of that Houfe are deterand after tome warm expoftulation with mined to defeat every other mode. An Ld. N-th was agreed to; and then the hon. gentleman, he faid, had produced Houfe, adjourned to the 4th of April. a Bill framed partly upon the plan of the petitions; a bill, which, on its first being propofed, had, he believed, the united approbation of every member of that Houle, and forced, even from the minifter himfelt, the warmest eulogiums : but what was its reception when it came to be carried into an act? A fhew of candour was neceffary to be preferved, but Mr. Sec. at War moved the army ef- F every object that it propofed to attain was timates, that they be referred to a Com-* combated step by step; the first caufe, mittee. This was ftrenuously oppofed which went to abolish the office of third by Sir P. J. Cl-rke, Right Hon. T. fecretary of fiate as an ufelcis office, was T-wf-nd, and others, chiefly on the combated by the noble lord in the bluc ground of the new levies, and the par- ribbon, who endeavoured to prove that tality to the Scotch; and particularly to it was an ufeful office, though no fuch the regiment raifed and commanded by office had ever exifted for any length of Mr. Fullarton, a gentleman who had ne- time before the year 1758. At the same ver been in the army, and who knew Gtime it was infifted, that the influence of nothing of a military life. It was re- the crown was not too great, that it was pictented as a cruel injury to the army, confiitutional, and that, with respect to and a moft unjuftitiable matter in itfelf. the expenditure of the money appropri ated to the civil lift, the Houfe was not competent; by thele arguments and these evations the firft claufe of the honourable. gentleman's bill was loft. The next

On that day the hit of fubfcribers to the loan for 1780 was laid before the Houfe purfuant to order.

The lit being read, Ld. N-th moved the order of the day for the fecond reading of the bill for eftablishing a commitlion of accounts, which was agreed to; and then

Mr. Sec. at War juttitied the appointment on the ground of neceflity, faid the regiment was wanted for a particular fervice, and none other offered. To avoid repetition, fee p. 200.

April 6.

This being the day appointed for tak in the petitions of the people into conficaron, the tities of thofe that had been protested (49 in number) were read;

claufe, that for the abolition of the board of trade, could not be fupported, and the member was forced to yield to the force of truth. But what was the fate of the next claufe, that of a reform in the King s boutehold: that was oppoled on parci

ple; and it feemed to be the opinion of this Houfe, that ufelefs places which relate to the functions of the ftate may be abolished, but the king's revenue for the fupport of his houthold is the king's perfonal revenue, with which parliament have nothing to do. Thus the hon. gentleman's bill received its death's wound, and little good, after all the labour and pains bestowed upon it, is to be expected from it.

fidered in no other light than as the individual opinion of the learned gentleman.

Mr. D-nn-ng affured his lordship, that nine out of ten of the petitions julufied the principle contained in his propofitions; that fome of them went farther; A but the length that he meant to go, was to the prayer of every petition, but to contradict nore.

The next attempt to answer the prayer of the petitions was made by his hon. friend [Col. B-rre], who propofed an efficient committee of accounts compofed of independent members of that Houfe: but the noble lord in the blue ribbon dreading to meet fo formidable a teft, without any communication with the hon. gentleman, fnatched that rod out of his hands, and in its room propofes a foftening lafh of his own invention, by which all the balances are to be bundled up and bound round in fuch a knotty manner as never to be unfolded to any ufeful purpofe. Thus every effort that has hitherto been made to obtain redrefsD in the great objects prayed for in the petitions have by the finelie of administration been defeated. It remains, therefore, to bring the matter fairly to the test, and by framing two propofitions, abftracted from the Petitions on your table, to draw forth the fenfe of the committee in a clear and direct negative or affirmative. E

It may be asked, he faid, are your propofitions to be worded in the language of the petitions on the table? by no means. Let it fuffice that my propulitions will not differ from any as to the principles, though copied from none.

Prop. I. That the influence of the crown has increafed, is increafing, and Qught to be diminished.

Prop. II. That it is competent for this Houfe to reform the civil litt, or any part of the public expenditure.

He fupported his propofitions on the ground of notoriety, leaving the proof to the confciences of every man who heard him; but took upon him to name fifty members in that Houfe who voted conftantly with the minifter, who had declared out of the Houfe that the influence of the crown was increased and dangeroufly increated.

Ld. Ñ—th objected to the propofitions as not ftrictly founded on the petitions of the people, and recommended it to the hon. gentleman to take up the fpecific prayer of fome one petition, or to frame them fo as to make them an aggregate of the whole, otherwife they must be con

he

Ld N-g-nt thought the refolution now moved was clearly an abstract propofition; contended that abftract queftions, to be decided by that Houfe, ought to be accompanied by a full explanation of the meatures to be grafted on thofe questions, otherwife the Houfe might be led to approve the queftion, and to reject the measure; whereas, if the measure of correction were to accompany the fact of Cabufe, gentlemen would then fee the way clearly before them, without being liable to any mistake. He declared from his own knowledge, that the propofition was unfounded; he had long fet in parliament, and he never recollected a period in which the influence of the crown was lefs than fince his noble friend in the blue ribbon came into his prefent fituation; but allowing the fact to be true, was this a time, he asked, to attempt a diminu tion? when, by a feries of difappointments, followed by a war with France and Spain, great loans, heavy taxes, and all the unpopular confequences incident to fuch a fiate of things, to contend that the influence of the crown was increafing and ought to be diminished, was in his opinion to the laft degree prepofterous. In the courte of his ipecch he took occafion to acknowledge the American wer a wrong measure as it has proved, and that the provinces were lett, irretrievable loft; but added, that if things could be reftored to the fame flate as before, and he had no fore-knowledge of what would happen, he would mott certainly act as he had done before. To the audition of the hon. gentleman, that there are genGtlemen who vote for the minifter in the Houfe, and hold a different language when out of it, he had only to fay," "that, if there are fuch abandoned wretches within thefe walls, they ought to be held in the utmost contempt.

F

Sir Fl-ich-r N-rt-n combated the pofition of the noble lord, that the queon before the Houte was an abtract question; but

Gen. P―wn-placed it in the most confpicuous point of view. He obferved that the propofition was not an abstract propolition detached from the nature of the bufinels before the Houle. It was

draw..