1753. PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &c. 263 ftead of spending it abroad, perhaps among our most avowed enemies? I fhall not pretend to ascertain the fhare of our publick funds belonging to fuch Jews; but I am very certain, that if we could bring them all over, it would add greatly to the produce of our publick revenue, and would prevent a very large fum from being carried out of this country yearly, if the balance of trade be against us, or upon a par; and if the balance of trade be in our favour, which, I hope, it is, it would add yearly a large fum to our national ftock of gold and filver. A they would acquire, by engaging in feveral forts of manufactures here, or by going to live for a few years in our colonies, and which their children born here would of course, without any of thefe methods, be entitled to; for I think it is now generally agreed, that a man born in the British dominions, let his parents be of what nation you will, and let himself be of what religion you will, is a natural born fubject, and entitled to all the rights and priB vileges of an Englishman, fo far, at leaft, as they are enjoyed and belong to diffenters from our established church. Even a Papift born here of foreign parents, becomes entitled to all the privileges of an Englishman, fo far as they are, or can be enjoyed C by thofe of that religion in this country; and if our laws are more fevere against them than those of any other fect, it is because we know from experience, that they will never be content with indulgence, nor will grant it to others where they can acquire dominion, and because we have more reason to be afraid of their acquiring dominion in this country, as their power is much greater than that of any other fe&t of religion. As to what the Hon. gentleman was pleased to fay, Sir, about our felling or making a donation of our birthright, I muft beg his pardon to obferve, that it is rather declamation than argument. A privilege, or if the gentleman pleases, a birthright, which may be communicated without doing an injury to thofe formerly poffeffed of it, is not taken away by communication; and as to all the privileges now communicated D by naturalization, this is the very cafe: No Englishman can properly be faid to be hurt by the communication, because he can no way suffer, unless he made a very bad use of the privilege he enjoyed, by making it a handle for extortion; and I hope E it will not be said, that a man is hurt by preventing its being in his power to practise extortion. But for God-fake, Sir, what are we to do by this bill? What rights, what privileges, are we to communicate ? Not fo much as one, Sir, as will ap- F pear to every man that reads the bill, and attends to what he reads. We are only to enable the parliament to communicate to a rich Jew born abroad, thofe rights and privileges which will belong to his children, or grandchildren, if born here; and fuppofing, that poor Jews could or would apply to be naturalized by bill, we are only to enable the parkament to grant them that which But, Sir, from this indulgence of our laws with refpect to the children of aliens born in this kingdom, the Hon. gentleman has drawn an argument against the bill now before us; for, fays he, as all the Jews know, or will foon know, that their children born here will be deemed natural born fubjects without any naturalization bill, there is no occafion for the bill under confideration; becaufe without our paffing any fuch bill, all the Jews who think of fettling their families here, will come over as foon as poffible, that their children born afterwards may be enG titled to the rights and privileges of Engl fhmen. Can this argument be of any weight, Sir, with those who confider the many incapacities to which which aliens are fubject by our law? If an alien fhould purchase in this country a real eftate of any kind, he cannot hold it, no, not for his life; for the moment he has purchafed fuch an eftate, it belongs to, and may be claimed by the crown: Nay, he cannot hold a leafe for years of any fuch eftate, except only of a houfe for his habitation, in case of his being a merchant, and even of fuch a house the leafe goes to the crown upon his death, or his leaving the kingdom, tho' he per. haps paid a large fine for the leafe, in order to prevent his being obliged to pay yearly a heavy rent. I could mention many other incapacities, but thefe, I believe, will be fufficient for fhewing, that no foreign rich Jew will ever think of coming to live here, while he knows it to be impoffible for him to be naturalized without renouncing his religion, especially if we confider, that fuch Jews generally have children, perhaps grandchildren, born in foreign parts, all of whom muft remain during their lives under the fame incapacities. A B merce fince the revolution, but they have contributed largely towards the fupport of our government, not only by the taxes they pay yearly, but by the vaft fums of money they have advanced for the publick fervice upon many preffing occafions. So much, Sir, I could not in juftice avoid faying as to the merit of the Jews; and as to the danger of our being involved in difputes by naturalized Jews going to refide as Englishmen in foreign countries, I think we may from experience conclude, that it is altogether chimerical. Many Jews born here, and confequently entitled to all the privileges of Englifhmen, have gone to refide, and, I believe, are now refiding in foreign countries; but they C have always behaved with fuch prudence and caution, that we have never to this day been engaged in any difpute upon their account; and we must make very improbable suppofitions, before we can suppose it poffible, that the nation fhould be Dengaged in a difpute upon the account of any naturalized Jew, even with Spain, Portugal, or the paratical ftates in Africa. As to the unanimity of our people, Sir, I believe it can never be expected, whilft we preferve our liberties In free countries there will always be parties and divifions; but E religion has now lefs concern in our divifions than it ever had heretofore, which is owing to that indulgence the feveral fects of religion have fo long enjoyed in this country; and [ am fully convinced, that our eftablished church derives more fecurity F from that indulgence, than it could ever have acquired from the most fevere perfecution; for the mutual jealoufy of the fetaries will always be a fecurity for the established church; and it is certain, that they are all zealous for the fupport of our prefent happy establishment, to which, if we allow any merit, the Jews have at leaft an equal claim; for they have not only contributed to the increase of our national com G Thus, Sir, as no danger can attend our paffing this bill, and as many advantages will, in my opinion, accrue from it, I hope, it will not only be committed, but paffed into a law. The next that Spoke was C. Julius, AGREE with the noble lord who spoke laft, that nothing more feems to be intended by this bill, than to impower the parlia ment to naturalize fuch Jews as fhall apply for it, without obliging them to embrace the chriftian faith. Even this, I think too much in a chriftian country; but whatever may feem S-EJ. 1753. PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &c. 265 A feem to be intended, every gentleman D 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 creafe 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: These in a genera. tion or two become fo incorporated with us, that there is no diftinguishing them from the reft 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 houfe, who have never looked into the Bible fince they were at fchool; but if thefe gentlemen will fubmit to look G once 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 that people, but kept themfelves always a diftinct people; and tho' they were but one family when they firft went into that country, and for moft of the time were kept in continual bondage, and numbers of their male children at laft 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 stop to the naturalization of any more Jews, if their numbers should increase fo much as to become dangerous. But if those 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 fhut it up, after the torrent is broke in, and the Jews are become poffeffed, not only of all the wealth, but of many, perhaps moft 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 to it. Sir, I hope, I am fpeaking to a Chriftian affembly: How long I may indulge myself in this pleating hope, I do not know; but I do not yet fee a Jew amongst us, unless it be in the gallery. If we are till Chriftians, it must have, fome weight to obferve, that by this bill, and by the doctrine lately broached by our lawyers, that Jews born here may purchase and hold land-eftates, we are giving the lie to all the prophecies in the New Teftament, and endeavouring, as far as we can, to invalidate one of the ftrongest proofs of the Chriftian religion. By thofe prophecies they are to remain difperfed They are to remain without any fixt habitation, until they acknow, ledge 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 out any fuch acknowledgment. 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 feveral exprefs laws against it, and no law, that I know of, for difpenfing with them. The act of toleration is so far from allowing 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 dispensing power, which is exprefly declared to be illegal, by the deBclaration of our rights and liberties at the time of the revolution, and was affigned 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, 1 hope care will be taken to amend that part of it, where it is faid to be, by and with the consent 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 to their facred character, the word fpiritual ought to be left out of the bill. Can it be poffible, Sir, that Christians fhould hope to fucceed in any fuch attempt? Especially, when we confider how literally the first part of the Christian prophecy relating to them was fulfilled, by the terrible deftruction 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 those they call the Gentiles. This prophecy has been fo remarkably fulfilled, and now stands fuch a glaring proof of the truth of the Chriftian religion, that if we have faith 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 common 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 honest, before one that hath authority to give the fame for advancement of truth, calling t God to witness 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 witneffes; but the reafon of this is, because the jury are left at liberty to give what credit they pleafe 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 D F are fuppofed to have for the oath they have In fhort, Sir, I think, that inftead of refolving to go into a committee upon this bill, we should refolve to appoint a [This JOURNAL to be continued in our next.] To the AUTHOR of the LONDON SIR, concerning Plaifter of Paris (see p. N reading a letter in your Magazine 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 Bute da Chamont, upon whose summits are placed feveral windmills; it is in thefe mountains where they dig all the plaifter (da Plater) for cementing their ftones in building (at Paris) and for making their different ftatues, images, &c. and is what we call plaister 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. fœtid. Coronopus Ruellii, Carduus ftellatus, frue Calcitrap. B. & capitulis globofis, Eryngium vulg. C. B. &c. Upon the furface are fed great numbers of fheep, and within the body of these 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 these 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 degraisfer. I could learn no other ufe of it, then in taking out spots on cloaths; to the touch it's a little greafy, and to the tafte very abforbent and infipid. When they have got to the bottom of this whitish afh-colour'd ftratum, they come to the vein of stone made ufe of for B 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 D quantities, is of a white, inclining to a brown or yellowish colour, of a crumblish coarse grain, whose substance confists entirely of fine fhining mice, or fparry 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 fance, the mice fmalier, and lefs perceptible, compofed of lamina's, from 3 to 6 and 8 inches thick, separated by layers of the fore-mentioned whitish earth. These thin ftratums of hard ftone, and which is the bottom of all, is full of bluish hard veins, running horizontal, of which I can give you no defcription fo near, as in comparing it to the ludus HelMonti, 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. Here are two fpecies of this; that which is found in greatest 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 when adhering to it, is alfo burnt for plaifter: This is called du Tartre. But 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 seen veins of the most beautiful colours, as red, green, yellow, purple, blue, &c. its mape is always pyramidal, generally two joined together, and is by the workmen called du Geé, and by the curious is known by the name of Lapis Selenites. The way of burning this ftone for plaifter is by breaking the large pieces into thinner, piling them edgeways to about 10 feet high and 15 broad, leaving four or five arched spaces, like ovens mouths, where they light fires with billet wood. There is great care required in not burning the ftone too much, for that makes very bad plaifter: When the fire is put out, if they find pieces that are not burnt enough (and which is known by the blackish parts) they burn it over again, by laying it upon the top of other heaps. Yours, J. H. Mr. AMES, Secretary to the Society of Anti- T AKE a little printers ink, or lamp Between thefe different ftratums of ftone, is found, in most of these quarries, G a fhining, flaky, transparent ftone, of a topaz colour, dividing into the most thin lamina's, hooting always in a pyramidal form, |