quiry ought to be inftituted to discover by what means a debt of near 300,000l. could have been contracted. Cavendish. Lord John Cavendish moved, that the Chairman be directed Lord John to move the House for leave to bring in a bill to enable his Majefty to pay off the debt on his civil lift, to prevent the like in future, and to carry into law the retrenchments which his Majefty had graciously propofed to make in his household. His Lordship prefaced his motion with fome. fhort observations, fuch as he ufed when he delivered the royal meffage to the House. Mr. Aubrey faid, that he had fo very feldom troubled the Mr.Aubrey. Houfe, for a confiderable time paft, that he fhould hope for greater indulgence, if, in that moment of triumph to the fteady opponents of public corruption and prodigality, he felt himself called upon to join his voice to the general congratulations of the independent part of the kingdom. The bill before them would, he was perfuaded, in that aufpicious hour, and under the gracious patronage, which then recommended it to the Houfe, experience a different fortune from that which attended the virtuous, but ineffectual exertions. of the right honourable mover (Mr. Burke) of that business in the laft Parliament. That the prefent bill, with two others of a fimilar tendency and complexion, (the contractors and the revenue officers bills) which had lately paffed the Houfe of Commons, would, he did not doubt, go down to pofterity, perpetual monuments to the honour of an adminftration, who availed themfelves of power to no other purpose, than to fulfil their promifes when out of power; and would be received by the people of England as pledges of a farther and more effential reformation in the ftate, He obferved, however, that there was another fubject which he trufted would not be ne lected. That it had been lately matter of converfation in the Houfe, and appeared to him to be immediately connected with the principle and objects of the bill before them. To what caufes was to be attributed the extremity of diftrefs, which had been fo rapidly brought upon a great and glorious empire; and which rendered the moft penurious economy effential to its very exiftence? Who were the authors of the mifchief? What was the extent of it? In fhort, he wished to know what was the precife political condition of this country, both at home and abroad, as far as could be collected from the fair reports of the different departments of government, when the adminitration of affairs was transferred to the prefent miniftry? An An accurate knowledge of our fituation he thought was equally neceffary to the purposes of economy and policy, and would be our beft guide in forming new plans and regulations. An important step, he obferved, had always been taken in that bufinefs upon the fuggeftion of an honourable gentleman of high diftinction in that Houfe (Mr. T. Pitt) who lately moved for an enquiry into the ftate of the finances; and Mr. Aubrey added, that it was with infinite fatisfaction that he had more than once attended to declarations, coming from a moft refpectable quarter, which juftified a hope that an enquiry into the ftate of the nation would take place upon the moft extenfive fcale, and would meet with the fupport of a right honourable gentleman (Mr. Fox) the powers of whofe mind appeared to be fuperior to difficul ties, and who seemed determined that his reputation for clear and unequivocal rectitude of conduct, as a minifter, thould not yield to the fame of his abilities. That though he was only delivering in his place the opinion of an individual member of Parliament, he was nevertheless moft thoroughly convinced, that, in urging that enquiry, he spoke the wishes, and he might add the expectations of the great body of the English nation. In that point he believed the public was unanimous; and that was an unanimity which ought to command the refpect of that House. He then gave an account of the different forts there were of unanimity (alluding to the recommendation of unanimity lately urged very strongly by fome of the friends of the late minif try); he faid there was a specious fort of unanimity, which he hoped never to fee cherished in that House. There was a fort of unanimity, which was founded in collufions; and might be better defcribed by the name of confpiracy. That the unanimity he wifhed to fee prevail in that Houle, as well as in the nation, fhould fpring from a general union of fentiment, and from a general combination of wildom and virtue. That if, for the fake of maintaining a treacherous external of unanimity, every channel of information was to be clofed, all diftinctions confounded, every principle of justice, and retribution confounded, all ideas of responsibility exploded; he, for one, fo far from withing to fee that Houfe unanimous upon fuch terms, fhould, against the bent of his character and temper, be obliged to become an advocate for difcord. Mr. Aubrey then fpoke of the miferable afpect affairs bore in this country, the rapid declension of which, he faid, ftood a fingle inftance in hiftory: it had no 4 example example in the annals of the world. He hoped they would not exhibit an inftance, equally unexampled, of a stupid and monftrous infenfibility, to events of fuch deep intereft and importance. On the contrary, he hoped they would give a folid proof of unanimity, by entering heartily and fully into an enquiry, in which the honour of the English name, the reputation of the laft administration, and of the prefent, were equally concerned. That it was in firm expectation that fuch an enquiry would, in due time, be fet on foot, he had double fatisfaction in voting for the present bill, perfuaded that unless they returned to the old conftitutional doctrine of refponfibility, the best meant, the best planned projects of reform muft, in a great measure, fail in producing their effect. Mr. Fox declared, that he held the enquiries to be abfolutely neceffary to the falvation of the empire; and he would not, for the fake of unanimity in that House, lend himself to fcreen any man or fet of men from juftice; an unanimity in that House, might be productive of difcontents through the kingdom. Unanimity had reigned triumphant within the walls of Parliament in a neighbouring kingdom, (whofe affairs he fhould foon bring before the Houfe) but it was in oppofition to the declared voice of the people at large, who had at last taught their reprefentatives to think better of the inftructions of their conftituents; and at laft made them vote unanimoufly for thofe very measures, which they had been in the habit of almoft unanimously condemning. This was a good leffon to minifters; and he was refolved to procure, if poffible, unanimity without doors, though it Thould be at the hazard of creating oppofition within them; for though he was not of a very timorous nature, he profeffed himself to be thoroughly afraid to propose measures which muft, in their nature, be unpopular, without fhewing to the people that they were rendered neceffary by the mifconduct of his predeceffors. An enquiry into the finances of the country, as the most important, was already on foot; he very much wifhed for another into the ftate of the navy, which he had found deplorable beyond conception. As to the ftate of foreign alliances, it required no enquiry; if a committee fhould fit upon that bufinefs, their report must be comprised in thefe words: We have NONE. He then spoke of the other various objects of retrenchment which would foon follow thofe propofed by the King's meffage. Sir William Dolben. Mr. Pulte ney. Mr. Pratt. Sir William Dolben gave his confent to the measures then under confideration, as his Majefty had propofed them himfelf. But he confented only under this condition, that due care, fhould be taken, that the pomp and fplendour of the crown be kept up! Mr. Pulteney did not with that patent places fhould be abolifhed; but he could not fee any reafon why they fhould enjoy greater emoluments in proportion as the burdens and expences of the nation became greater. Mr. Pratt faid, he was one of the tellers of the Exchequer; but though he would not be very willing to give up his patent, ftill he would not ftand in the way of any œconomical regulations which might be thought neceffary in the Exchequer. The queftion was put on Lord John Cavendish's motion, which was carried without a divifion; and Mr. Burke, the Chairman of the committee, quitting the chair, immediately moved the House for leave to bring in the bill, which was granted of course. The House then refolved itself into a committee of fupply; The Secre- the Secretary at War moved, that the fum of 58301. be granted tary at War. for the repairs, &c. of roads and bridges in Scotland. Mr. Aldm. This was oppofed principally by Sir Charles Turner; but fo unfuccefsfully, that on a divifion, there appeared, for the motion, 82; againft it, 10. Majority, 72. The House was then refumed, and adjourned. May 7. The bill of pains and penalties against Sir Tho. Rumbold, and Peter Perring, efq. was introduced and read a first time. Mr. Alderman Sawbridge brought up a petition from the Sawbridge. fugar-refiners, praying to allow the importation of fugar from neutral islands, and in neutral bottoms. It was ordered to lie on the table. A fhort converfation took place, begun by Lord Beauchamp, on the fubject of the Irish question, when Lord John Cavendish faid he would bring it on in the course of a few days. Mr. Wm. and REFORM OF REPRESENTATION. Mr. William Pitt rofe, and prefaced his intended motion with an apology for undertaking a task fo extenfive; and a which required abilities and experience fo much greater than his; but having faid this, he would truft to the indulgence of the the House, and believed that the importance of the fubject to which he meant to call their attention, would induce them to treat it with the utmost serioufnefs and refpe&t. The reprefentation of the Commons in Parliament was a matter fo truly interefting, that it had at all times excited the regard of men the most enlightened; and the defects which they had found in that reprefentation had given them reafon to apprehend the moft alarming confequences to the conftitution. It would be needlefs for him, in the prefent moment, to recall to the memory of the House the many occafions upon which he and others, in an anxious ftruggle with a miniftry, who laboured to exert the corrupt influence of the Crown, in fupport of an inadequate reprefentation of the people, maintained the neceffity that there was for a calm revifion of the principles of the conftitution, and a moderate reform of fuch defects as bad imperceptibly and gradually fiole in to deface, and which threatened at laft totally to destroy the most beautiful fabric of government in the world. Upon thefe occafions, they were unfuccefsful in their efforts, on account of that corrupt influence of which he had spoken; but at laft, he thanked God, the voice of the people had happily prevailed, and we were now bleffed with a ministry, whose wishes went along with thofe of the people, for a moderate reform of the errors which had intruded themselves into the conftitution; and he was happy to fee that there was a fpirit of unanimity prevalent in every part of the kingdom, and alfo in every part of that House, which made the present day the fitteft for undertaking this great talk. The minifters had declared their virtuous refolution of fupporting the King's government by means more honourable as well as more permanent than corruption; and the nation had confidence in the declarations of men who had fo invariably proved themfelves the friends of freedom, and the animated fupporters of an equal and fair fyftem of reprefentation. That the frame of our conftitution had undergone material alterations, by which the Commons' Houfe of Parliament had received an improper and dangerous bias, and by which, indeed, it had fallen fo greatly from that direction and effect which it was intended, and ought to have in the conftitution, he believed it would be idle for him to attempt. to prove. It was a fact fo plain and palpable, that every man's reafon, if not his experience, muft point it out to him. VOL. VI.* R He |