1753. PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &c. 265 A feem to be intended, every gentleman may foresee, that a general naturalization of the Hebrew nation will be the confequence; for our laws are fo immutable, and every fubject has in this country fo: much fecurity for life, liberty, and eftate,, that I make not the leaft doubt of our having every feffion a multitude of Jews applying to be naturalized; and as a number of them, I cannot fay how many, may be included in one bill, the expence to every one will be very inconfiderable, efpecially as we must suppose, that every rich Jew who is to be naturalized, will take care to have as many of his poor brethren as poffible, included in his bill, without infifting upon their paying their B full share of the expence. Then as to the poor Jews, who may not be able to get themfelves naturalized, what should hinder them from following their rich brethren? They may have houfes and shops for carrying on their trade; they may have licences as brokers or hawkers, without being naturalized: Their children born here will, they know, be naturalized; and if they grow rich, they may themselves be naturalized by bill, whenever they please to apply for it. that people, but kept themselves always a diftinct people; and tho' they were but one family when they firft went into that country, and for most of the time were kept in continual bondage, and numbers of their male children at last destroyed, yet when they were led out of it by Mofes, they amounted to about 600,000 fighting men, befides women, children, and fervants. This account will not, I hope, Sir, be controverted either by the Jews themfelves, or by their friends in this house and when I confider this account, when I confider the numbers of them that are here already, and when I confider the numbers that will flock hither in confequence of this bill, I do not wonder at the alarm taken by the people without doors; I am amazed how it has been poffible to prevent its breaking into this houfe. The noble lord has endeavoured to appease this alarm, by telling us, that the parliament can put a flop to the naCturalization of any more Jews, if their numbers fhould increase fo much as to become dangerous. But if thofe of true English blood have not now the power to prevent opening this fluice for letting the torrent in upon us, can we hope, that they will have power enough to shut it up, after the torrent is broke in, and the Jews are become poffeffed, not only of all the wealth, but of many, perhaps most of the land-eftates in the kingdom? This hope, I am fure, is much more chimerical than the danger of our being overwhelmed by the torrent before we begin to think of putting aftop I must therefore, Sir, look upon this bill to be in effect a bill for a general naturalization of the Jews; and confidering what infinite numbers of them are fpread over the whole face of the earth, I am perfuaded their numbers will in crease fo faft in this country, and they will get fuch a confiderable part of our land-eftates into their poffeffion, that they will foon contend for power as well as property. Let us confider, Sir, that the Jews are not like French refugees, or E German proteftants: Thefe in a genera. tion or two become fo incorporated with us, that there is no diftinguishing them from the rest of the people: Their children, or grandchildren, are no longer French or Germans, or of the French or German nation, but become truly Englith, and deem themselves to be of the English nation. But the unconverted Jews can never incorporate with us : They muft for ever remain Jews, and will always deem themselves to be of the Hebrew not the English nation. Perhaps there may be fome gentlemen in this house, who have never looked into the Bible fince they were at fchool; but if these gentlemen will fubmit to look G ence again into it, they will find from the Jewish history, as there recorded, that tho' the Ifraelites were 430 years in Egypt, yet they never incorporated with June, 1753. F to it. Sir, I hope, I am speaking to a Chrif tian affembly: How long I may indulge myfelf in this pleafing hope, I do not know; but I do not yet fee a Jew amongst us,unless it be in the gallery. If we are still Chriftians, it must have fome weight to observe, that by this bill, and by the doctrine lately broached by our lawyers, that Jews born here may purchafe and hold land-eftates, we are giving the lie to all the prophecies in the ' New Testament, and endeavouring, as far as we can, to invalidate one of the ftrongest proofs of the Christian religion. By thofe prophecies they are to remain difperfed: They are to remain without any fixt habitation, until they acknowledge Chrift to be the Meffias, and then they are to be gathered together from all corners of the earth, and to be restored to their native land; but by this bill, and this new doctrine, we feem refolved to gather them from all corners of the earth, LI and 266 Obfervations on PLAISTER of PARIS. and to give them a fettlement here with out any fuch acknowledgment. June fecret committee to enquire, whether the? Jews be allowed to have a fynagogue, or other place of publick worship in this kingdom, and if they have, by what authority that indulgence has been granted or allowed; for I am fure, we have feve ral exprefs laws against it, and no law, that I know of, for difpenfing with them. The act of toleration is fo far from allows ing it, that it exprefly excludes from any benefit or indulgence thereby granted all fuch as deny the Trinity; confequently, to allow the Jews any place of publick worship, or even to connive at it, is an exercife of a difpenfing power, which is exprefly declared to be illegal, by the deBclaration of our rights and liberties at the time of the revolution, and was aligned as the first and chief caufe for our inviting over the prince of Orange, and taking arms against that unfortunate and ill-advised prince king James II. But, Sir, if it be refolved to go into a committee upon this bill, I hope care will be taken to amend that part of it, where it is faid to be, by and with the confent of the lords fpiritual and temporal; for it cannot be fuppofed, that the reverend bench, or any one of our bishops, advised or confented to this bill: I hope, they have all unanimously joined in a folemn protest against it; and therefore I think, that in juftice to them, and out of regard D to their facred character, the word fpiritual ought to be left out of the bill. Can it be poffible, Sir, that Chriftians fhould hope to fucceed in any such attempt? Efpecially, when we confider how literally the first part of the Chriftian prophecy relating to them was fulfilled, by the terrible destruction brought upon A their nation and city, foon after their. imbruing their hands in the blood of our Saviour, how many of them fell by the edge of the fword, how many were led away captive into all nations, and how long Jerufalem has been trodden down by thofe they call the Gentiles. This prophecy has been so remarkably fulfilled, and now ftands fuch a glaring proof of the truth of the Chriftian religion, that if we have ith in any thing relating to that religion, it must terrify us from attempting to give a fettlement to unconverted Jews, either by act of parliament, or by wrefting the common law of this kingdom. I fay, wrefting the coramon law, Sir; for the Jews, tho' born here, were C never till lately deemed natural born fubjects: They cannot, in my opinion, be as yet deemed fuch by common law, because they cannot take an oath; for an oath is by all our old law books defined to be, an affirmation or denial by any Chriftian of any thing lawful and honeft, before one that hath authority to give the fame for advancement of truth, calling God to witnefs that his teftimony is true. In trials, indeed, we have been under a neceffity to admit them, as well as thofe of all other falfe religions, to be examined as witnesses; but the reafon of this is, because the jury are left at liberty to give what credit they please to their teftimony; and if they do give credit to E what they fay, it proceeds more from its verifimilitude, than from the regard they are fuppofed to have for the oath they have taken; for I hope no lawyer will fay, that as to thofe crimes, fuch as treason, where two witnesses are exprefly required, two Jew witneffes would be fufficient even against a Chriftian. If this, by the quirks of our lawyers, fhould be deemed a compliance with the ftatutes, "I could affign a reason why a wicked minister should defire to increase the number of Jews in this country; but as this, I am fure, was not fo much as thought of by thofe who introduced this bill, and as there are other reasons enough against it, I have no occasion for explaining myself upon this head. In fhort, Sir, I think, that inftead of refolving to go into a committee upon this bill, we should refolve to appoint a G N reading a letter. in your Magazine Concerning Platfer of Paris (fee p. 177.) I thought it would not be unacceptable to your readers to have a further account, how that, fo useful a substance, is found and procured. The following obfervations I made upon the spot. Out of the Fauxbourg St. Martin, are fome large mountains, called La Baie du Chamont, upon whofe fummits are placed feveral windmills; it is in these mountains where they dig all the plaister (du Plater) for cementing their flones in building (at Paris) and for making their different statues, images, &c. and is what we call plaifter of Paris, after being calcined. Upon the declivities, and furrounding these mountains, grows a short grafs, intermixed with the following most remarkable 1753. Mr. AMES's Receipt for taking off Infcriptions. 267. remarkable plants, viz. Trifol. lupulin, Marrub, nigr. fætid. Coronopus Ruelli, Carduus ftellatus, frue Calcitrap, B. & capitulis globofis, Eryngium vulg. C. B. &c. Upon the furface are fed great numbers of Theep, and within the body of thefe hills are a prodigious number of caverns, where they have been digging for many cen: A turies. The upper ftratum, which is generally from 10 to 15 and 20 feet deep, is a fort of yellowish, white foapy earth, having whiter ftreaks or veins traversing it: In fome parts of thefe hills it is found breaking fomewhat like bole, but harder in others, and confifting of the most thin flaky lamina's, occafioned, I fuppofe, by the foil being drier, not having moisture enough to cement these lamina's into one folid mafs, as that is which is found by Belle Ville, where the country is more, low: This earth is called by the workmen, le marn, ou terre à degraiffer. I could learn no other wfe of it, then in taking out fpots on cloaths; to the touch it's a little greafy, and to the taste very abforbent and infipid. Here are two fpecies of this; that which is found in greateft quantities is the worst fort, much harder, more opake, and nothing near fo beautiful to the eye; this fort is found intermixed between the lowest ftratum of plaifter ftone, and plaifter: This is called du Tartre. But when adhering to it, is alfo burnt for the first mentioned fine fort the workmen pick out and preferve for cleaning gold. and filver lace (which they told me was very prejudicial in wounding their hands ;) in this, when held to the light, and by regarding its glaffy furface, are feen veins of the most beautiful colours, as red, green, yellow, purple, blue, &c. its B fhape always pyramidal, generally two joined together, and is by the workmen called du Gee, and by the curious is known by the name of Lapis Selenites. D When they have got to the bottom of this whitish afh-colour'd ftratum, they come to the vein of ftone made ufe of for burning to plaifter. This ftone, the deeper they go, changes into different degrees of hardness and colour. The first ftratum, and what they find in larger quantities, is of a white, inclining to a brown or yellowish colour, of a crumblish coarse grain, whofe fubftance confifts entirely of fine shining mice, or sparry-like particles: This is the fort made use of for cementing the ftones in building; at the bottom of this is found another ftratum of a harder and more compact fub- E ftance, the mica fmaller, and less perceptible, compofed of lamina's, from 3 to 6 and 8 inches thick, feparated by layers of the fore-mentioned whitish earth. These thin ftratums of hard stone, and which is the bottom of all, is full of bluish hard veins, running horizontal, of which I can give you no defcription so near, as in comparing it to the ludus Helmontii, or waxen vein, found in great quantities about Sydenham, near London, and many other places. This last mentioned ftratum is what makes the finest and hardest plaifter, and which is always chofen to caft ftatues, bufts, &c. with. F Between thefe different ftratums of ftone, is found, in most of these quarries, G à fhining, flaky, tranfparent ftone, of a topaz colour, dividing into the most thin lamina's, fhooting always in a pyramidal form. The way of burning this stone for plaifter is by breaking the large pieces. into thinner, piling them edgeways to four or five arched fpaces, like ovens about 10 feet high and 15 broad, leaving mouths, where they light fires with billet wood. burning the tone too much, for that There is great care required in not makes very bad plaifter: When the fire is put out, if they find pieces that are not burnt enough (and which is known by by laying it upon the top of other heaps. the blackish parts) they burn it over again, Yours, J. H. Mr. AMES, Secretary to the Society of Anti- TAK AKE a little printers ink, or lamp plate is well cleaned, and cover over the in white letters, L12 ; 268 Summary of the laft Seffion of Parliament. SUMMARY of the most important Affairs in the laft Seffion of Parliament. T HE Laft feffion, being the 6th of this parliament, did not affemble until the 11th of January laft, when his majefty opened the feffion with a moft gracious fpeech, which our readers may fee in our Magazine for that month, p. 28. The addrefs of the house of lords, in anfwer to this fpeech, was moved for by the earl of Marchmont, and feconded by the lord Archer; and that in the house of commons was moved for by Charles Yorke, Efq; and feconded by Robert Tracy, Efq; both which addresses, with his majesty's answer to each, the reader may fee in our faid Magazine, p. 28, 29. June Some objections were made against the addrefs propofed in the house of commons, particularly against acknowledging his majesty's wisdom, that is to fay, the wifdom of his minifters, in purfaing fuch measures as might best contribute to maintain and render permanent the general tranquillity of Europe; and some severe fpeeches were made against the measures of our adminiftration; but in this house, as well as the other, the addrefs was agreed to without a divifion; and the two grand committees of fupply and of ways and means being established in the ufual manner, as there was nothing very extraordinary in any of their refolutions, we fhall give only the following abstract of the fums granted and provided for by them. SUPPLY in SESSION, 1753. FOR maintaining ten thousand feamen for 13 months, beginning Jan. 1, 1753, at 41. per man per month, Jan. 22, - ORDNANCE. Feb. 1. For the charge of the office of ordnance, land fervice, for -- FORCES. Jan. 29. For 18,857 effective men for guards, garisons, and other For defraying the extraordinary expences of land forces and other fer- For the out-penfioners of Chelsea-hofpital, for 1753 NOVA-SCOTIA. Feb. 20. An account of charges incurred in maintaining the colony of Nova-Scotia in 1752, not provided for by parliament On account of maintaining the faid colony, for 1753 47448 5 10 47167 6 6 SUBSIDIES. Feb. 1. To enable his majesty to make good his engagements with the elector of Bavaria, purfuant to treaty The like with the king of Poland, slector of Saxony 94615 12 4 20000 32000 52000 DETI 1753. Summary of the laft Seffion of Parliament. DEFICIENCIES. Feb. 20. To make good the deficiency of the additional stamp duties 269 s. d. 7916 19 11 749 3 3 9846 3 3 18512 6 6 Feb. 15. To capt. John Vernon, in full fatisfaction for his interest in For defraying the charges of the civil establishment of Georgia, and 1753 to June 24, 1754 Feb. 8. By the land-tax 2s. in the pound for one year from March 25, By the like of the furplus of the funds for lottery, 1714 March 27. By the finking fund 750000 By the furplus of the grants for the year 1752 18035 9-4 N. B. The feveral duties on falt, and on red and white herrings delivered out for home confumption (which by act of 18 of his prefent majefty, have continuance till March 25, 1759) made perpetual, fubject to be redeemed by parliament; and after the principal and intereft due to the proprietors of orders made in pursuance of the faid act, and charged on the faid feveral duties, thall be difcharged; all the monies arifing from the faid duties are to be made part of the finking fund. And that our readers may have at one view a ftate of our publick accounts, we hall add the following, A |