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next meeting, which was to be held by adjournment in the enfuing Eafter week.

emolument of any individual, but the welfare of the community; and confidering, that by the conftitution, the cuftody of the national purfe is entrusted in a peculiar manner to that houfe; they beg leave to reprefent, that until effectual measures be taken to redrefs thofe oppreffive grievances, the grant of any additional fum of money, beyond the produce of the prefent taxes, would be injurious to the rights and property of the people, and derogatory from the honour and dignity of parliament.

the justice of the Commons, moft earnestly request, that before any new burthens are laid upon this country, effectual measures might be taken by that houfe, to enquire into and correct the grofs abuses in the expenditure of public money; to reduce all exorbitant emoluments; to refcind and abolish all finecure places, and unmerited penfions; and to appropriate the produce to the neceflities of the tate.

As this petition served in a great measure as the groundwork for thofe that fucceeded from other counties and towns, we fhall enter the more particularly into its detail. They begin by ftating the following matters as facts-That the nation had for feveral years been engaged in a most expenfive and unfortunate war; that many of our valuable colonies, having declared themselves independent, had formed a strict confederacy They, therefore, appealing to with our most dangerous and inveterate enemies; and that the confequence of thofe combined miffortunes had been, a large addition to the national debt, a heavy accumulation of taxes, with a rapid decline of the trade, manufactures, and land-rents of the king dom. They then declare, that, alarmed at the diminished refources and growing burthens of this country, and convinced, that rigid frugality is now indifpenfably neceffary in every department of the ftate, they obferved with grief, that notwithstanding the calamities, and impoverished condition of the nation, much public money had been improvidently iquandered; that many individuals enjoy finecure places, efficient places with exorLitaut emoluments, and penfions, unmerited by public fervice, to a large, and fill increafing amount; whence the crown has acquired a great unconflitutional influence, which, if not timely checked, may foon prove fatal to the liberties of this country.

They further declare, that conceiving the true end of every legitimate government to be, not the

The clergy upon this occafion dif proved a charge, which had been often laid, and, perhaps, not always without fome foundation, against them; as if they were more peculiarly difpofed to be obfequious to power, and to fupport all measures, of whatever government, and whatever nature, which did not immediately affect their own particular rights or privileges, than any other order of the community. Although the meeting was in the feat of the metropolitan fee, and immediately under the eye of provincial authority and government, not only a confiderable number of that body attended, and zealously. promoted the refolutions and pe

tition;

Newcastle upon Tyne. The county of Northampton declined petitioning, but voted refolutions, and inftructions to their represen tatives, upon the fame ground, and including the purport of the petitions, as a previous measure.

tition; but no less than fourteen Bedford, Effex, Somerfet, Glouclergymen, including two dignita- cefter, Wilts, Dorfet, Devon, Norries of the church, were appointed folk, Berks, Bucks, Nottingham, of the committee, which was in- Kent, Northumberland, Suffolk, tended to give efficacy to the whole Hereford, Cambridge, and Derby, meafure and defign. nearly, if not entirely, in the order The county of Mid- in which they are placed. Hants Jan. 7th, dlefex ftood forth as the had agreed upon a petition, on the 1780. fecond of the county of fame day with Middlesex. The York. In about a week, a very Welsh counties of Denbigh, Flint, numerous meeting was held at and Brecknock, likewife petitionHackney, where a petition, fimi- ed, as did the cities of London, lar to that of York, with feveral Westminster, York, Bristol, Glourefolutions, were unanimoufly a- cefter, and Hereford, with the greed to; and a committee of cor- towns of Nottingham, Reading, refpondence and affociation, con- Cambridge, Bridgewater, and fifting of fifty-three gentlemen, who were diftinguifhed by rank, fortune, ability, or popularity, titioning, or popularity, appointed to conduct the bufinefs. At this meeting, as well as at fome of those which fucceeded in other counties, although the conduct of minifters was treated with little mercy indeed; yet it was scarcely more reprobated than that of the majorities in both houses. The late rejection in the Houfe of Lords, of the two motions of œconomical reform, which had been made on the 7th and 15th of December, was an object of much general and particular cenfure. It became likewife customary at thofe meetings, to return a public tribute of thanks and applaufe to thofe lords and gentlemen in both houfes, who had attempted to ftem the refiftless torrent of the American war, or who had fince as unfuccefsfully endeavoured to check or reftrain the fuppofed wafte in the public expenditure.

The example of York and Middlefex was foon followed by the county palatine of Chefter. And in a pretty clofe fucceffion of time, by the counties of Herts, Suffex, Huntingdon, Surry, Cumberland,

It must not be fuppofed, that in all thefe counties and towns, the fpirit was alike, or that the fame. unanimity prevailed. In many. the weight of property appeared clearly and strongly for the petitions. In others it was more doubtful. But there were few, in which any direct or fuccessful oppofition was made to the measure. So that, explicitly or tacitly, it might be confidered as greeing tolerably well with the fenfe of thofe places.

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The measure of forming committees, and entering into affociations, was a great ftumbling-block in fome of the counties. Many who were heartily difpofed to concur in retraining the fuppofed dangerous influence of the crown, in procuring a reform of the public expenditure, and in reftoring the independency of parliament, by cutting off the means of corruption, were, however, apprehenfive [F] 4

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of evil, and even of danger from thefe measures. Affociations and committees had produced fuch recent effects in America, and even in Ireland, that the very terms were become fufpicious. The friends of government dexterously applied the odium or terror attending these words to all the purposes of which they were capable; and many, who would not venture directly to encounter the popular rage for reformation, or openly to avow that they were the friends of public extravagance or corruption, covered their oppofition by quarrel, ling with thefe obnoxious incorporations. The counties of Suffolk, Northumberland, Hereford, and Derby, where the oppofite parties were pretty equally balanced, accordingly appointed no committees. In Kent, where the popular fide was prevalent, a moderating fcheme was propofed. To this the friends of government, along with thofe who wished for redrefs, but who were enemies to committees, and did not approve of ftrong language, jointly adhered, and fo far acted as one party. By this means, two petitions for edrefs were prefented from that county; and while a committee was formed, and the fcheme of affociation was fully adopted by the majority, a very numerous and confiderable party, either condemned or oppofed both measures.

The members of administration, and men in office, were not wholly deficient in their endeavours to prevent the county meetings. But they were generally overborne by the torren. Nothing could more clearly demonftrate the impetuofity of the fpirit which then prevailed, than that the noble lord at the head

of the admiralty, and at the head
likewife, perfonally, of a great
body of his numerous friends, could
not prevent the measures of a pe-
tition and a committee, from being
carried in his own native and
favourite county; in which he had
exerted himself with his known
ability in this fort of affairs, and
with all the influence of the
many great offices he had held for
fo many years, to form a fecure and
fettled intereft. All direct oppo-
fition being fruitless, endeavours
were used to obtain protefts; but
though one or two perfons of great
property and confequence took the
lead in this measure, it was not
attended with a fuccefs at all e-
qual to expectation. Some protests
were figned in the counties of
Herts, Huntingdon, Norfolk,
Suffex, and Surry.
These pro-
tefts did not oppofe (that indeed
could fcarcely be done) the prayer
of the petitions; but the proteftors
were of opinion, that the whole
ought to be left to the difcretion of
parliament, in whofe public fpirit
and integrity they thought it im-
proper to exprefs, particularly at
that time, any sort of distrust.

Feb. 8th.

The petition from the county of York was the firft prefented, and was introduced in the Houfe of Commons by Sir notwithGeorge Saville; who, ftanding the preffure of a heavy cold and hoarfenefs, accompanied it with a fpeech of confiderable length. Under thefe difadvantages, the novelty and importance of the fubject, and perhaps ftill more, the character of that eminent and revered patriot, produced fo profound an attention, filence, and ftillness in every part of the house, as ferved in a great

measure

measure to remedy the occafional defect.

He obferved, that he had the honour to represent a very extenfive, a very populous, a very mercantile, manufacturing, and a very rich county. That, in fuch a county, it could not be imagined, but that many private interefts might be made objects of parliamentary bounty or fupport, if either the reprefented, or reprefentatives, like fome others, were more attentive to fuch matters, than to the great concerns of the nation. He had, however, no private petition to prefent, or bill to bring in; although in fuch a country as Yorkshire there could be no lack of proper objects of improvement, of new bridges, roads, and havens, which might well deferve the confideration of the legiflature. He brought a petition, which had fwallowed up the confideration of all private objects, and fuperceded all private petitions. A petition fubfcribed by eight thoufand freeholders and upwards. The people had heard, that a regard to private intereft, in that houfe, was a great enemy to the discharge of public duty. They feel feverely the preffure of heavy taxes, and are at the fame time told, that the money, which they can fo ill fpare, is wafted profufely, not only without its producing any good, but that it is applied to the production of many bad effects.

Thefe things, he faid, were reprefented calmly, and with moderation. Nothing was faid of the conduct of minifters; it might have been good, or it might have been bad, for ought that appeared in the petition. Never furely were petitioners to parliament, upon any

great public grievance, more cool and difpaffionate. They confine themfelves, faid he, to one object, the expenditure of the public mo. ney. But though they made no frictures on the paft management of minifters, he could not in candour but acknowledge, that it was pretty plainly hinted or implied, that thofe who had hitherto ma naged our public affairs fo badly, as to afford ground for the prefent complaint, were not fitting to be longer entrusted with the management of fuch important concerns.

He called upon the minister to fpeak out like a man, and to declare, whether he meant to countenance and fupport the petition or not. Such an open and manly declaration of his intentions would fave them much time and trouble, and would better become a man of his quality and power, than any mean arts of minifterial juggling and craft. He made no threats; that petition was not presented by men with fwords and muskets. It was a legal, a conftitutional petition. The request of the petitioners was fo juft and reasonable, that they could not but expect it would be gianted; but should it be refufed-there he would leave a blank; that blank, let the confciences, let the feelings, let the reafon of minifters fupply. Partial expedients-mock enquiries, would not fatisfy. The univer. fality of the fentiments on this fubject, he faid, was no contemptible proof of their juftnefs. wished that houfe to confider from whom that petition comes. It was first moved in a meeting of fix hun dred gentlemen, and upwards; in the hall where that petition was conceived, there was more pro

He

perty

perty than within the walls of that houfe. He then threw down, with fome vehemence, upon the table, a lift of the gentlemen's names, and continued-But they are not to abandon their petition, whatever may be its fate in this houfe; there is a committee appointed to correfpond on the fubject of the petition with the committees of other Counties. He concluded by like. wife throwing on the table a lift of the names of the committee.

The minifter feemed to fhew fome degree of vexation and re fentment in his answer. He faid, that the honourable gentleman needed not to have taken fo much pains to convince the houfe, that the petition ought to be received; nor to have expatiated on fo obvious a truth, as that no man, or fet of men, would dare to reject it. No man in his fenfes, who fat in that houfe, could be ignorant, that the right of petitioning belonged to all British fubjects. He had been called upon to declare, whether he would oppofe or forward the object of the petition. The petition was now before the houfe; it had been read; and it should have his confent to lie on the table for fome time, as was ufual in fuch cafes, for the perufal of the members. The houfe, he doubted not, would take it into their ferious confideration; and after enquiring into the facts alledged, after examining the merits of the caufe, they would freely and impartially decide, according to the best of their judgment; and in fuch a manner, as to confult the good of the petitioners, without lofing fight of that of the country in general. A petition properly introduced, would always, he hoped, in that

house, meet with a fair and candid attention.

With respect to the threats, which, he faid, had been broadly hinted by the honourable gentleman, he hoped they could have no influence in that houfe, nor at all affect the minds of the judges, whether on one way or the other. He had been threatened with unknown but fevere confequences, if he fhould fo much as delay granting the expected redrefs, until an enquiry fhould be made into the existence, nature, and extent of the alledged grievances. Upon that, he muft obferve, that the petition must fuffer no small diminution of its fuppofed value, juftnefs, and importance, from its being accompanied by a prohibition of all enquiry into the validity of the facts on which it was-pretended to be founded. At least fufpicions were thrown out, that any enquiry which might be undertaken, would be with finifter and partial views. How far that was fair and candid, how far fuch fup. pofitions, in a cafe of that kind, were parliamentary, he fubmitted to the judgment of the house.— He concluded by informing the houfe, that they must not confider his proceeding in raifing the neceffary fupplies as any disrespect to the petition. The petition was neither formally nor virtually negatived, although the confideration of it was not preferred to all other bufinefs. The fupplies had been voted, and it would be neceffary, without much longer delay, to enter on the fubject of ways and means.

Mr. Fox took up the minister's fpeech, with that fervour, animation, energy, and feverity, with

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