Графични страници
PDF файл
ePub

which he always aftonifhes and overpowers his hearers. He compared his prefent language, that the confideration of the petition might very fitly be poftponed to that of ways and means for raifing the fupplies, with, what he called the generous and magnanimous admiration of miniftry, when they could not find words fufficiently to applaud the fpirited conduct of the armed affociations in Ireland, who refufed to grant fupplies for more than one half year, until their grievances fhould be redreffed, and the prayer of their petition for a free trade fhould be granted. He asked if there was one law for the affociations in Ireland, and another for thofe of England? No! there could not. The noble lord was a man of accuracy and confiftency. He must therefore mean, whatever may have fallen from him in the heat and hurry of debate, that the affociations in England, in imitation of thofe in Ireland, ought to grant no fupplies, until their petition find a proper refpect; until its prayer be fully granted.

enforcing their petitions. It was to thefe means the honourable gentleman alluded, when the noble lord would fuppofe that he threw out threats of another kind. But let not, faid he, the mild, though firm voice of liberty, be mistaken for the difmal and difcordant accents of blood and flaughter. The evil which the honourable gentleman prefages, if this or other petitions are fpurned with contempt and infolence, is of another, though not of a lefs formidable nature. The people will lofe all confidence in their reprefentatives, all reverence for parliament. The confequences of fuch a fituation need not be pointed out: but let not the contemplation of neceffary effects be confidered as a denunciation of vengeance.

He could not imagine, he faid, that any objection could poffibly be made to the petition. But fome perhaps might fay, we finners above all that went

are

before us, like thofe on whom the Tower of Siloam fell?" Are we more corrupt than other parliaments, who were never peftered After indulging this vein of with petitions of this kind? No, irony, he faid, that he was at a faid he, I don't fuppofe you are; lofs to conjecture the threats, but though former parliaments which the noble lord faid had were as bad as you, and you been hinted by the honourable know the feverity of that compagentleman; thereby intending to rifon, yet the people did not fix a ftigma on the prefent and on know it. Now they feel it; they other petitions. The people are feel the preffure of not in arms, they do not menace they beg you would not lay your civil war. The nature of our hand fo heavily upon them, but conftitution, (and it is undoubt be as economical as poffible in the edly one of its highest perfections) expenditure of their money. Let has happily endued them with o- the minifters grant the requests of ther powers of redrefs befides the people, and the whole glory arms. They have legal, confti- of fo popular a compliance will tutional, and peaceable means of be entirely theirs. Like charity,

4

and

it

it will cover the multitude of their past fius. Ireland has given them a foretaste of what they may ex pect. Their praises have been founded in loud ftrains there, for granting, what that people had made good for themselves by their own muskets. He would put the controverfy, he faid, between the miniftry and his fide of the houfe to the fame iffue, on which the wifeft of kings and of men refted the determination of the difpute between the two women, each of whom claimed the living, and difavowed the dead child. We fay to ministry, you mifapply the public money; nay, you do worfe, you apply it to bad purposes:

Ministry, fay to us, you want our places; and thus the charge of corruption is given and retorted. But the time is now come to put the fincerity of both to the teft, and to know, whofe child corruption really is: we challenge minifters to the trial; we call upon them publickly, and ftrenuously urge them, to facrifice that difclaimed, but evidently dear and favoured child. If they refuse to abide by this tefl, no doubt can remain as to the parentage.

There was little debate at the times of prefenting the other petitions, which followed this leading petition very faft.

In two days after a petition from the principal merchants, planters, and others, interested in the island of Jamaica, was prefented to the houfe. In a ftrong and unusually vehement ftyle of complaint, they ftate the neglect of protection to that ifland, and the imminent dangers therefrom arifing. At the fame time that

they reprefent, that the temporary fafety which it had hitherto enjoyed, proceeded merely from the direction of the enemy's force to other objects, and not to any intrinfic means of defence provided by his majefty's minifters, they freely declare their opinion, that the fafety of such a poffeffion ought not to have been commit. teď to chance. They farther reprefent, that the island of Jamai ca is not inferior in value to any of the dependencies of Great Britain; that a great part even of what appears to be the interior wealth of Great Britain itself, is, in reality, the wealth of Jamaica, which is fo intimately interwoven with the internal intereft of this kingdom, that it is not easy to diftinguish them; that a great part of the trade and navigation, a large proportion of the revenue, and very much of the mercantile and the national credit, and of the value of the landed intereft, depend immediately on its prefervation; that its defence is therefore an object as important to Great Britain, as any part of Great Britain itself; and that it is an object to be provided for with ftill greater care and forefight, because its natural means of home defence are infinitely less confiderable.

The petitioners declare. that, confcious of their invariable loy. alty to the crown, and their unbounded attachment to the profperity of the whole empire, they are not able to conjecture for what offence, real or pretended, they have fo long been put under this profcription; if they had been active by factious clamours, or delufive reprefentations, by con

cealing

cealing true, or fuggefting falfe even ruinous perfonal fervices, information, in betraying their were chearfully given; and thus, fovereign and their country into under the double weight of taxes war, they might have the lefs and impofitions in England and reafon to complain of the neg- in Jamaica; under heavy perfoleft by which they have fuffered nal fervice in the latter; and fo many diftreffes, and have been under all the fatal, though not expofed to fo many dangers; but unforeseen confequences, of the it was in the recollection, they feparation from North America; faid, of the houfe, that at an they had been farther induced, on early period of the prefent un- fuggeftions from friends of gohappy troubles, the body of the vernment, to refort in their indiWeft India planters and merch- vidual characters to their almost ants did humbly ftate their ap- exhaufted purfes, and had actualprehenfions to parliament, and ly made a large private fubfcripdeprecated the unhappy measures tion for their own defence. They which were then taken; it was appeal to a number of facts and the misfortune of the public, as dates, to fhew their repeated apwell as theirs, that no attention plications and ineffectual remonwas then paid to their humble ftrances, down from the year prayers, and that their most du- 1773, to government; and agtiful reprefentations were totally gravate the neglect or refufal of neglected. defence, by the declaration of the fecretary at war, that his majefty then commanded more numerous forces by fea and land, than the moft formidable monarch of the world had under his orders, when his power alarmed all Europe; they feel, that they are amongst thofe who are taxed for the maintenance of an army of upwards of 70,000 men in North America; and they prefume, that the fuppreffion of no rebellion whatever can be a more near and urgent concern of any government, than the protection of its loyal and useful fubjects. They conclude, by claiming protection as their undoubted right; and declare, that they look back with horror at thofe dangers, from which by the fole difpenfation of the divine providence, they have efcaped, while fundry of their fellow-fubjects are now obliged to proftrate themselves at

They proceed to ftate a number of facts and arguments to fhew, that they did not deferve to be thus abandoned, through any failure on their fide, in not having purchased for a valuable confideration the protection of the ftate. On that ground they obferve, that befides their trade being almoft wholly confined to the mother country, and the ge. neral refidence of both planters and merchants there, and the produce of their eftates being as largely taxed in Great Britain to the common fupport as that of any others, they endured other great and heavy burthens, peculiar only to themselves. The affembly of Jamaica had, beyond any former example of liberality, and far beyond their abilities, laid deftructive impofitions on their eftates and property within the island; vaft, burthenfome, and

the

the foot of the throne of the French king, and to implore the mercy of that monarch, inflead of the protection of their natural fovereign.

This long petition, which ftated facts with fo little management, was fubfcribed by 75 of the principal planters, merchants, or others, who were immediately interested in the island of Jamaica. It was prefented by Mr. Pennant, who in his introductory fpeech, among a number of pointed charges, of neglect, fupineness, or indifference, on the fide of the miniftry, directly charged the noble lord at the head of affairs with paying fo little attention to the reprefentations of its danger made by the governor and council of that invaluable ifland, that he had openly confeffed in that houfe that he had never read them. A declaration, he faid, for which the noble lord deferved to be impeached.

Both the minifter, and the noble lord at the head of the American department, took fome part in the fubfequent debate; but as the matter was more fully entered into, on Lord Rockingham's motion, upon the fame fubject, in the House of Lords, we thall defer our recital to that occafion. A fort of a protest, against the petition, figned by about 40 names, afforded room for fome farcafm, and even ridicule, in both houses. It was oblerved on that fubject, that the favourite contractor, and the keeper of the convicts, on board the hulks at Woolwich, were the principals in that production; and that the generality of the other fubfcribers, instead of coming under the

defcription of planters or merchants, were either men of no name any where, or were poffeffed of no property of any confequence in the island of Jamaica. After a strange fort of a loose fraggling debate, interrupted by fome unusual noise and clamour, it was at length agreed, that the petition fhould lie upon the table.

It was on the fame Feb. 11th. day, that Mr. Burke, purfuant to the notice which he had given before the recefs, prefented his plan For the better fecurity of the independence of parliament, and the economical reformation of the civil and other

[ocr errors]

establishments." As the celebrated fpeech with which he introduced and fupported his plan has been published by authority, has gone through feveral editions, and must have been seen by most of our readers, we shall only touch upon thofe leading features, or outlines of the fubject, from which fome general but comprehenfive ideas of its defign and objects may be formed.

He laid down the following general principles, as containing thofe fundamental rules, by which he was determined to raife his fuperftructure of reform.

That all jurifdictions which furnish more matter of expence, more temptation to oppreffion, or more means and inftruments of corrupt influence, than advantage to justice, or political adminiftration, ought to be abolished.

That all public eftates which are more fubfervient to the purposes of vexing, overawing, and influencing, thofe who hold under them, and to the expence of

percep

perception and management, than of benefit to the revenue, ought, upon every principle, both of revenue, and of freedom, to be difpofed of.

That all offices which bring more charge than proportional advantage to the ftate; that all offices which may be ingrafted on others, uniting and fimplifying their duties, ought, in the first cale, to be taken away; and in the fecond to be confolida ted.

ing it as long as they can, and accounting for it as late as they can, ought to be diffolved. They have a tendency to perplex and distract the public accounts, and to excite a fufpicion of government, even beyond the extent of their abufe.

To thefe principles or rules of internal government and finance, we shall add, as a farther illustration of the fubject, and for the better comprehending the nature of this fcheme of reform, the statement of its end and object, and of the limits which the author affigned to himfelf, as drawn from Mr. Burke's introductory fpeech previous to the recefs.

That all fuch offices ought to be abolished, as obftruct the profpect of the general fuperintendant of finance; which deftroy his fuperintendency; which difable him from foreseeing and proHe intended, he faid, a reguviding for charges as they may lation, fubftantial as far as it Occur; from preventing expence went. It would give to the pubin its origin, checking it in its lic fervice two hundred thouprogrefs, or fecuring its applica- fand pounds a year. It would tion to its proper purposes. A A cut off a quantity of influence minifter under whom expences can equal to the places of fifty membe made without his knowledge, bers of parliament. He relied can never fay what it is that he more on a plan for removing the can spend, or what it is that he means of corruption, than upon can fave. any devices which might be used to prevent its operation, where thefe means were fuffered to exift. Take away, faid he, the means of influence, and you render difqualifications unneceffary. Leave them, and no difqualification can ever wholly prevent their operation on parliament.— His plan, he obferved, flood in the way of no other reformation: but, on the contrary, it tended exceedingly to forward all rational attempts towards that great end. It certainly could not make a carelefs minifter an economist. But the beft minifter would find the use of it; and it would be no fmall check on the worst. For its main pur

That it is proper to establish an invariable order in all payments; which will prevent partiality; which will give preference to fervices, not according to the importunity of the demandant, but the rank and order of their utility or their justice,

That it is right to reduce every eftablishment, and every part of an eftablishment (as nearly as poflible) to certainty, the life of all order and good management.

And lastly, that all fubordinate treasuries, as the nurseries of mifmanagement, and, as naturally drawing to themselves as much money as they can, keep

pofe

« ПредишнаНапред »