fit in the Committee; but rather thought the Committee fhould be appointed by ballot.

Commodore Johnstone perfectly coincided with the right Commohonourable Chancellor. He could not admit that Mr. Fox dore John ftone. had been actuated by a principle of philanthropy, as ftated: by the gentleman who made the motion, in bringing forward his bill for the government of India. That honourable gentleman had of late dedicated a great portion of his time to the confideration of India affairs; but he was much inclined to fufpect that ambition had as great a share in prompting fuch ideas as a spirit of philanthropy, or any other motive whatever. The villanies perpetrated in India were a favourite topic with certain gentlemen; but he was convinced as great villanies were committed in this metropolis. The Commodore then went into a long examination of the principles of Mr. Fox's India bill, and anfwered fully Mr. Eden's arguments.

Mr. Dempfter expreffed a wifh that fomething decifive Mr.Demp might be done for India, and that in the confufion of affairs fter. at home that continent might not be neglected till it was totally loft to this country.

Mr. Fox afferted, that if India was loft to this country, it would no longer have any thing worth retaining, but would in fact perifh along with it. He hoped the Chancellor of the Exchequer would quickly bring forward fome scheme for the regulation of India; if not, he must once more take it upon himself.

Mr. Lufhington said a few words in favour of the motion made by Mr. Eden.

Commodore Johnstone replied; after which the motion was put and agreed to.

March 12.

Mr. Alderman Sawbridge moved for a Committee to take into confideration the ftate of the reprefentation of the people; which, after fome debate, was negatived by 141 against 93.

March 15.

Appointed a Select Committee to examine the accounts of the India Houfe.

March

March 16.

A fhort converfation occurred on the first reading of the Alnerican Intercourse bill.

March 17.

On voting the annual fum for Chelfca Hofpital, Sir Cecil Wray ftated the enormity of the expence; it amounted to 5rl. 5s. a man he wifhed therefore the house was pulled down, and an annuity given to the men.

March 18.

A fhort converfation occurred again on the American Intercourse bill, fupported by Mr. Eden, Mr. Herbert, and Mr. Pitt..

March 19.

The order of the day being read for the reports of the amendments made in the Committee on the American trade Lord Shef- and intercourse bill, Lord Sheffield faid, he always wifhed to

field.

avoid giving trouble, and was forry to find it neceffary to oppose the bill then before the Houfe, in its laft ftage, but the diftruft of the Minifter, which he had expreffed on a former day, was greatly increased by the requifition, to have the extraordinary powers contained in it, granted for fo long a term as three months, at this period of the feffion especially, it was now extraordinary; the prefent Solicitor General, no longer ago than last year, had objected to it for more than three weeks. His Lordfhip faid, he trufted the House would not think any bill of the kind neceffary; that every meafure in any degree complicated, appeared to the ignorant extremely difficult; but when these will give themselves the trouble of a little enquiry and examination, those which feemed difficult, would appear perfectly fimple and easy. He was fure it would prove fo, as to what was neceffary to be done in regard to America; but if this was too much for the Minifter, the prefent proclamations might have been thrown into a bill for the prefent, the Minifter might have propofed fuch alterations or omiffions as his knowledge might fuggeft; any other Minister would have ftudioufly declined fuch extraordinary refponfibility. If the prefent was not difpofed to defperate measures he must have done fo; his Lordship said he could not place fuch confidence in a man, whofe greatest admirers

admirers did not pretend to any ground for their confidence, except his having done nothing; a child juft born had the fame advantages, yet might not be fit to be Minifter; but he was forry he could not confider the Minister in fuch a harmlefs ftate of innocence.-Exclufive of his conduct towards this House, and the leading part he took in the late peace, there are acts by which he can be judged --First, the bill he brought in laft year for the regulation of trade between the American States and the fubjects of Great Britain; every ciaufe was altered; but the principle was fo bad, that at length the bill was dropt: It would have proved ruinous to our navy and commerce; and Parliament rather chofe to give an extraordinary temporary power to the King in council, of difpofing of laws, the continuance of which power, for a longer time, is now moft unneceffarily demanded. nother tranfaction by which he is known is, the manner of circumventing the late Adminiftration, perhaps the moft capable and efficient this country has ever known; that fubject required no illuftration.-The third act by which he may be judged is, his late ineffectual Eaft India bill; on which it is only neceffary to obferve, that although many voted for it, as proceeding from the Minister, it was not believed a fingle member fincerely approved it. His Lordfhip added, that fo far from admitting the Minifter had yet done nothing, and therefore he should be tried, he thought him guilty of a high crime and mifdemeanour, by making or keeping open a breach between the Crown and the reprefentatives of the people. It is not neceffary now to comment on the words he has put in the mouth of Majefty, but the time may come when the measures of the Crown or Minifters may not be popular; this House, degraded and made infignificant as it is, will not be in a fituation to ftep in between or fupport them, but in the mean time, because it is not fubfervient to every measure of the new Minifter, because it cannot change its principles and alter its proceedings as quick and as often as Adminiftrations are changed, it is to be diffolved; when that happens on fuch ground, there is an end of the Conftitution, and there can be no change for the worfe: but the young Chancellor of the Exchequer feems to fancy the exiftence of the empire depends on his continuing firft Minifter, when it is obvious to the world, that on his refignation of an office, for which he is fo unfit, order would immediately take place of our present miferable, helpless ftate, and much impending mifchief would be prevented. He will however find that VOL. XIII.

even

The Sec. at

War.

even if he should have a majority in Parliament, he and his affociates would not be capable long to carry on the business of the country. His Lordship concluded by faying, that not having any other acts by which he could judge of the Minifter, those we knew should infpire every man with diftruft inftead of confidence; and he was juftified in ftating his reasons for not trufting him with the unneceffary and extraordinary powers now demanded, especially when it was known he wishes to promote and establish, through it, the principle of that deftructive bill he introduced laft year, which would have ruined the marine of England, if this House had not refused to adopt it.

Sir Adam Ferguson, Sir P. J. Clerke, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer took part in the debate; and nearly the same arguments were brought forward as had been used on the former readings of the bill; after which the report was brought up and agreed to.

The report from the Committee of the whole House on Lord Mahon's bill, for preventing bribery and corruption at elections for members to ferve in Parliament, was brought up.

Lord Mahon moved that the amendment be now read.

Mr. Minchin oppofed the motion, and moved that fix months be inferted instead of now.

After fome debate the House divided upon Mr. Minchin's motion. For 1, 49; against it, 70.

A claufe was then propofed by Mr. Huffey, for providing, that nothing in the act should be conftrued to extend to the preventing of candidates from defraying all necessary expences of voters from their homes, to the place of voting, and back again; ftill keeping up the principle that the voter, nor any one for himn fhould touch the money; but it should be paid to those who had carried and fed the voters. The motion was afterwards modified; but the principle of it was carried, and the Houfe adjourned.

March 22.

The Secretary at War moved the order of the day, for going into a Committee of fupply, on the estimates for the extrordinaries of the army: the order was accordingly read, and the Secretary at War then moved, “ that the Speaker do now leave the chair."

Siz

Sir Grey Cooper begged leave to fay a few words before the Sir Grey queftion was put. He faid it was now generally understood, Cooper. that the Parliament was to be diffolved: but fo daring and unwarrantable a measure would a diffolution be under the prefent circumftances of affairs that he could not conceive how ministers had ventured to refolve upon it. The Houfe, it was true, had voted the army; but how was that army to be paid? . He believed there was not a man in the Houfe who would be bold enough to say that any money could be iffued for the pay of the army, after the refolution had been paffed to the cons trary, until an appropriating act should have paffed: a speedy diffolution would prevent that, and the mere votes, both of the troops and pay, would be completely done away by either a prorogation or a diffolution. If therefore any money fhould be iffued for the pay of the army after the diffolution, and before the paffing of the appropriating act, he would not hefitate to say that fuch a measure would be an infraction of rights, inafmuch as it would caufe to be kept up and paid an army without the confent of Parliament; and Minifters must recollect, that when a bill of rights was prefented to King William and Queen Mary, it was prefented as the condition by which they were to hold the Crown. Minifters might expect an act of indemnity; but they fhould beware how they establish the dangerous precedent of violating the Constitution, with the hope of being able to have fuch a Parliament returned as would indemnify them from the confequences of violation of the Conftitution. As to a diffolution in the middle of the feffion, while fo much business remained to be dispatched, it was a measure that had never been heard of. The diffolution in 1705, on account of the difpute between the two Houses in the Aylesbury cause, was not a cafe in point; for almost all . the public bufinefs had been dispatched, the army and navy voted, the fupplies, and the appropriating act paffed, and the feffion very far advanced, before the Parliament was diffol ved.

Mr. Harrifon did not see the smallest pretence that Minifters Mr. Harriq had now for a diffolution. The gentlemen on his fide of the fon. House (the oppofition fide) had declared that they would not oppose the measures of Adminiftration. Why therefore was, not the publ business brought forward? The reason was plain; Minifters knew that their popularity was founded only in delufion, and mifrepresentation, and that the revolution of a few weeks would put an end to it; and therefore, they trufted for fupport, not to their measures and their popularity, but to a new Houfe of Commons. If this was not the cafe,

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