now in Being, and advance the Intereft of our Trade and Plantations, but alfo at the fame Time to raise the Value of the Lands of Great Britain, I fhall therefore readily give my Affent to it.

Sir T 5 An fpoke next againft it, and among other Things took Notice, that it was his Miffortune to know too much of the Influence that the Officers of the Cuftoms and Excife had at Elections, for at his own Election there were many of the Voters were fo free and open, as to come to him and tell him that they would vote for him rather than any other, but that thofe Officers had threatned to ruin them if they did; and others told him, that they had Promifes either for themselves or their Sons to be made Officers in the Cuftoms or Excife by his Antagonist; and as their Bread depended upon getting thofe Promifes fulfilled, which they could not expect if they did not vote against him, therefore they hoped he would excufe them. Thus, fays he, I know the Evil of this illegal Influence by Experience, and therefore I fhall always be against any Measure that may tend to encrease it, as this. Scheme moft evidently will; for I hope I fhall always difdain to owe the Honour of reprefenting my Country in Parliament to any Administration whatever; I hope I fhall always depend upon the free Votes of my fellow Subjects, and for that Reason I must be against what I think will deftroy that Freedom upon which only I am refolved always to depend.

W

After him L-d Gly fpoke for agreeing. L-d M -th against it. m Cn, Efq; for Then rofe W. -y, Efq; and fpoke as

it.

follows:

1

SIR,

m P.

Muft fay, that the recommending the Care of the publick Revenue to this Houfe, the recommending to us a Scheme which he thinks may tend to the increafing of it, are Doctrines which come very properly from the honourable Gentleman that fpoke laft, who for feveral Years has had the fingering of the publick Money, as he himself was pleased to exprefs it: But I hope thofe Gentlemen will confider that they and their Pollerity are not all to enjoy the fame Pofts they enjoy at prefent; they may perhaps expect that they them felves are all in for Life, but they cannot imagine that

T t

thofe

thofe Polls are to go by Way of Inheritance to their Heirs; and therefore I hope, that for the Sake at least of their Pofterity, they will confider a little the Power and Influence that this Scheine will give to the Crown'; and fuch a Confideration must certainly be of some Weight in the prefent Debate, even with thofe GenElemen.

It is certain, that the Liberties of this Country depend upon the Freedom of our Elections for Members of Parli-ment; our Parliaments, especially the Reprefentatives of the People in Parliament affembled, are defigned for, and generally have been a Check upon those who were employed in the executive Part of our Government; but if it shall ever come to be in the Power of the Crown, that is to fay, of thofe employed in the executive Part of our Government, to have fuch an Influence over moft of the Elections in the Kingdom, as to get any Perfon chofen they please to recommend, they will then always have a Majority of their own Creatures in every Houfe of Commons, and from fuch Reprefentatives what can the People expect? Can it be expected, that fuch a House of Commons will ever be any Check upon those in Power, or that they will find Fault with the Conduct of the most rapacious, the most tyrannical Ministers, that may hereafter be employed by the Crown.

It is well known, that every one of the publick Offices have already fo many Boroughs or Corporations which they look on as their Properties; there are fome Boroughs which may be called Treafury Boroughs; there are others which may be called Admiralty Bo roughs; in fhort, it may be faid, that almoft the whole Towns upon the Sea Coast are already feiz'd on, and in a Manner taken Prisoners by the Officers of the Crown: In most of them they have fo great an Influence, that none can be chofen Members of Parliament but fuch as they are pleased to recommend. But as the Customs are confined to our Sea-Ports, as they cannot travel far from the Coaft, therefore this Scheme feems to be contrived in order to extend the Laws of Excife, and thereby to extend the Influence of the Crown over all the inland Towns and Corporations in England.

This feems plainly to me to be the chief Design of the Scheme now under our Confideration; and if it fucceeds (which God forbid it fhould)' our future Minifters of State will be very much obliged to the Gentleman

who

who projected it; the Election of a Houfe of Commons, will in all Time to come be an eafy Task for whoever Thall be prime Minister under any of our future Kings; he may fit at home in his great Chair, and iffue forth his Orders to most of the Counties and Boroughs in Great Britain, to chufe fuch Perfons for their Reprefentatives in Parliament as he fhall pleafe to think moft proper for his Purpose: Most of the chief Clerks of the Treafury, and other great Offices, are already Members of this Houfe; they deferve it, they are Gentlemen, and Men of Figure and Fortune in their Country; but if this Scheme takes Place, we may in a little Time fee all the little Under Clerks of the Treafury, and other Offices, Members of this Houfe; we may fee them trudging down to this Houfe in the Morning in order to give their Votes for impofing Taxes upon their Fellow Subjects, and in the Afternoon attending behind the Chair of a Chancellor of the Exchequer, a Secretary of State, or other chief Minifter. Nay, I do not not know but fome of us may live to fee fome vain over-grown Minifter of State driving along the Streets with fix Mem bers of Parliament behind his Coach.

These must be the fatal Confequences of the Scheme now under our Confideration; and therefore I must think that every Man who has a Regard to the Conftitution of his Country, or to the Liberties and Properties of thofe that have put their Trust in him, is in Duty bound to give his Negative to the prefent Question.

Gentlemen may indulge themfelves in the vain Conceit, that by this Scheme all Manner of Frauds in the Tobacco Trade will be prevented for the future, but the Thing is in its own Nature impoffible; when the Duties are fo high, where they amount to five or fix Times the prime Coft of the Commodity on which they are laid, it will be impoffible to prevent all Manner of Frauds, and therefore the Increase of the publick Revenue by this Scheme is fo far from being certain, that it is altogether precarious; and unlefs the publick Revenue be thereby greatly increafed, the Land-holders can expect no Relief: But granting that the Benefits expected by this Scheme were certain, it is as certain, it is demonftrable, that our Conflitution will be thereby deftroyed; and are we to make a Sacrifice of our Conflitution for the poor Confideration of adding four or five, hundred thoufand Pounds a Year to the publick Re

venue ?

venue? That Increase may foon be diffipated by an Administration, under no Fears of being called to an Account by Parliament, and then they will be obliged to come upon the Land-holders for Money to answer the neceffary Services of the Publick. There never was in any Country a Scheme fet up for introducing arbitrary Power, but what was fupported by fome fpecious Pretences: The preventing of Mobs, Infurrections, Invafions, Frauds, or the like, have in all Countries been made the Pretences for introducing arbitrary Power; but in fuch an Affembly as this, where the Principles of Liberty fo much prevail, where there are fo many Gentlemen of good Senfe and Penetration, Į hope no fuch Pretence will ever be of any Weight, To me it appears indifputable, that this Scheme is abfolutely inconfiftent with a free Election of Members of Parliament, and of Confequence it must be incon, fiftent with our Constitution; therefore though the Advantages to be reaped from it were much greater, and much more certain than they are, I fhould be most heartily against it, and for that Reason I must give my Negative to the prefent Question.

E.

Mr. Cr of the Er fpoke next. Then Wm Py, Efq; fpoke again. And after him W — r P7, Efq; ftood up, and among other Things took Notice of fome Gentlemen's having faid, that no Body had oppofed the fubjecting of Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate, to the Laws of Excife, but the honourable Gentleman under the Gallery (meaning Sir J-n B-d) But, fays he, I muft put thofe Gentlemen in Mind, that I had then the Honour to be a Member of this Houfe, and I thank God I did oppofe that Excife Scheme as well as I fhall do this, and every fuch Scheme that shall ever be offered to this Houfe, while I have the Honour of fitting in it. I know how grievous and oppreffive the Laws of Excife are to my Fellow Subjects, and therefore I think I cannot answer to my Country if I do not to the utmost of my Power oppofe every Scheme that fhall be offered for the Extenfion of thofe vexatious and arbitrary Laws.

After feveral others had spoke on both Sides, the Queftion was put upon the first Refolution, upon which the Houfe came to a Divifion, and thereby the Cuction was carried in the Affirmative 249 againft 189.

After

After this, the Queftions were feverally put upon the two next Refolutions, which were agreed to withour any Division; and the laft Refolution being read a fecond Time, Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer ac quainted the Houfe, that his Majefty had commanded him to acquaint that House that his Majefty gave his Confent, that the Houfe fhould do as they should think fit, in relation to the faid Fines, Penalties, Forfeitures, and Seizures? Whereupon the Question was put, and it Jikewife was agreed to without any Divifion.or

6

Then it was ordered, that a Bill fhould be brought in, pursuant to the faid Refolutions, and that Sir Charles Turner, Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Attorney General, Mr. Sollicitor General, Mr. Doddington, Mr. Clayton, Sir William Younge,. Sir George Oxenden, Mr. Scrope, and Mr. Edward Walpole, fhould prepare and bring in the fame.

This famous Bill was accordingly brought in the 4th of April, and was read a firft Time, after which Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, by his Majesty's Command, acquainted the House that his Majesty confented to their making fuch Alterations as they should think fit for the publick Service, in Relation to the Subfidy on Tobacco then payable on Account of his Majefty's Civil Lift. It was next objected that fome Parts of the faid Bill were not within the Refolutions of the Houfe, pursuant to which the faid Bill had been ordered to be brought in; and therefore moved that the Bill should be withdrawn, which paffed in the Negative, 232 againft 176: Then a Motion was made for adjourning, which likewife paffed in the Negative; at laft it was refolved that the Bill fhould be read a fecond Times and ordered, that it fhould be read a fecond Time on that Day Sev'nnight, 236 against z00; a Copy of which Bill we have already communicated to our Readers in our Regifter, No LXX. Next Day after the bringing in of this Bill, a Motion was made for the Printing fuch a Number of Copies as fhould be fufficient for the Ufe of the Members of the House but upon the Quellion's being put, it was carried in the Negative 128 against 112.

As this Bill very much concerned the Trade and Commerce of this Nation, the Lord Mayor of the City ~ of London procured a Copy of it foon after it was brought into the Houfe of Commons, and having laid it before the Common Council, it was there refolved to petition

the