172 America, and his Majefty having received advice, that the warlike preparations in France become every day more confiderable; his Majefty thinks that, in this critical conjuncture, he should not act confiftently with the care and concern, which he always feels for his faithful people, if he omitted any means in his power that may contribute to their defence: therefore, in pursuance of the acts of parliament, enabling his Majefty to call out and affemble the militia, in the cafes therein mentioned, his Majefty has thought it right to make this communication to the House of Commons; to the end that his Majefty may, if he fhall think proper, cause the militia to be drawn out and embodied, and to march as occafion shall require. G. R.

Refolved, nemine contradicente,

That an humble addrefs be prefented to his Majefty, to return his Majesty the humble thanks of this House, for his moft gracious meffage; and to express the juft fenfe we have of his Majefty's goodness, and of his paternal care of his people, in providing every means in his power that may tend to their defence, and in his intention to call out and affemble the militia, if it fhall be found neceffary for that purpose.

Lord North moved to bring in a bill to continue an act of the 16th of his present Majefty, for employing convicts on the river Thames.

Mr. Burke feared the time would come when we should put prifoners and felons to death on the principle of economy.

Sir William Meredith difapproved of the mode of punishment; faid, it was much more fevere than transportation, and totally repugnant to the general frame of our laws.

Mr. T. Townshend faid the act had not the defired effect, for robberies were encreased instead of being diminished; that in the course of the winter every day furnished some fresh account of some daring robbery or burglary. He faid, scarce a night paffed in which there were not robberies committed in Park-lane, and firing of piftols heard.

Mr. Gascoigne faid, he had been to fee the convicts at work; that their punishment was far from fevere; that though it was called hard labour, they do not do as much work in a day as may be done for hire for ninepence.

Mr. Gilbert faid, the act was meant as a temporary law, and as fuch he was for continuing it, till fomething else was subftituted in its place.

Sir Charles Bunbury faid, that we still poffeffed feveral places in America, to which felons could be tranfported.

Mr.

Mr. F. Montagu was for fending the bill to a committee. He faid, he expected a bill upon a much larger plan; but in the mean time, if that fhould not be practicable, he thought the prefent act ought to be continued.

Mr. Burke faid, the felons ought to be tranfported to Canada, Nova Scotia, and the Floridas.

Sir Richard Sutton moved for a committee to inquire into the state of the prifoners, and to report the fame to the House. The other motion was withdrawn.

Colonel Barré gave notice that he would make a motion on Friday next (the 27th) refpecting the expenditure of the public

money.

Lord North obferved, that the motion would lead to a large field; and if the gentleman would not declare to what particular parts of the expenditure his motion was meant to be directed, it would be impoffible for him to rely on his bare memory, fo as to be able to give the House a clear and fatisfactory

account.

Colonel Barré faid he did not mean to take the noble Lord by furprize, nor was his motion a captious one. He would afk no queftions but what might be easily answered.

. Lord George Cavendish remarked, that he never remembered it to be customary to give the House a bill of fare on notice of a motion.

No debate.

March 24.

March 25.

The House in committee of fupply.

Lord North moved, that 1,406,9231. be granted to his ma jefty, to defray the extra expences of his Majesty's land forces. That 18,8951. be granted for the charge of the augmenta tion to his Majesty's forces.

That 69987. be granted for the expences of roads and bridges in Scotland.

March 26.

Lord North prefented the bill for laying a tax upon Houses, and moved, that the fecond reading be on Monday next, the 30th.

Sir George Yonge wifhed the fecond reading deferred to a more diftant day, as he took it to be a matter of very great. confequence to the inhabitants of the cities of London and Westminster, and parts adjacent, in one point of view; and to the whole landed intereft of England and Wales in another. He faid, the noble Lord's attempt to hurry it through the Houfe wore a very fufpicious appearance; that certainly

it

it was one of the moft oppreffive and injurious taxes that was ever devised; and resembled more a law of punishment upon the metropolis, than a fair, equal, and proportionate tax upon property. He doubted not but the citizens of London, &c. would, if they had due notice, petition that House against it; and this was the means taken to steal a march upon the perfons to be affected by the bill, and carry it through the House by furprise. He said, the Chancellor of the Exchequer had acquainted the committee, when the tax was firft proposed, that farm houses were to be exempted. He begged to know from the noble Lord if provifion had been made in the bill for that purpose ?

Mr. Byng, after condemning the bill in ftrong terms, faid, the noble Lord had given the committee likewife to underftand that mansions would be exempted, becaufe, if they were not, the tax would operate, to all intents and purposes, as a land-tax: yet, if this iniquitous tax muft pafs, he would be against the exemption; because then the people without doors would have just reason to say the individuals compofing that House had taxed every one but themselves.

Lord North replied to the first speaker, that farm houses of certain denominations might be exempted; but he never entertained a fingle idea of not taxing manfions; but in the com mittee (the principle of the bill being clearly out of the question) would be the proper place to settle those matters.

Mr. Burke moved to have the bill printed, that those who were to bear nine-tenths of the burden, which it intended to impofe, might be timely informed of its contents. He called it a bill of punishment on the citizens of London, &c. for their daring to disapprove of the American war.

Hon. T. Walpole faid, it was a melancholy confideration, that those and their posterity who, within and without that Houfe, difapproved and reprobated the American war, should have their inheritances and properties mortgaged for the enor mous fums spent and lavished in endeavouring to effect fyftems equally fraught with folly, cruelty, and injuftice. He faid, the noble Lord in the blue ribbon could not, without manifefting the highest contempt for the inhabitants of this great metropolis, refuse to confent to the printing of the bill. His worthy relation (the late Sir Robert Walpole) who, without any difparagement to his Lordship, was his equal, in the fcience of politics, upon a falfe alarm, acted in the manner now recommended on his own account. A great alarm fuch as that against the prefent bill, was raised in the year 1733 against the excife fcheme. A falfe bill was printed and circulated through the country. The minifter moved to have

one

one printed by the order of the Houfe, by which means the counterfeit was detected, and the clamour in a great measure inftantly fubfided.

Mr. Rigby oppofed the printing of the bill, as unprecedented in refpect of a money bill. It was an established rule, he faid, never to print them; and if the present bill should be printed, what end would it anfwer? for it was likewise another eftablished rule, never to receive a petition against a money bill.

The question was then put, and the divifion was, for printing 44, againft it 71.

Mr. Gafcoigne (Sir Charles Whitworth being indisposed) brought up the report of the refolutions agreed to in the committee of supply.

Mr. Rigby faid, he had, fince the preceding day, made particular inquiry into the matter refpecting the stoppages of the armies ferving in America, and had found, that the fame had been iffued by the deputy paymafter-general, by orders from the commander in chief, by warrants for that purpose. He then read, from papers, the orders from Sir William Howe, directing to pay fo much, and to ftop fo much, on account of so many rations of provifions. He profeffed his ignorance of the particular grounds of thofe orders-thofe lay with the General to explain, who he doubted not would do so very fatisfactorily in due time. This could not be done, however, till next year, when the whole would be cleared up to the fatisfaction of the House.

Lord North faid, that every thing upon future examination would appear clear and fatisfactory; that the rations were diftributed; and where they were not, there the ftoppages accrued. That the ftoppages were made on the effective men and non-commiffioned officers; and, confequently, though the numbers might be confiderably lefs, the effectives, and the number of rations diftributed, might easily account for the difference.

Mr. Baker was fevere on the contractors for providing the gold coin. He faid, the commiffion was exorbitant, and unprecedented. But fuppofing that one one-half per cent. might be reasonable for the Spanish and Portugal coins, which he was fure it was not, what would the nation think of minifters who could, with fuch a wanton hand, enough to create the most unfavourable fufpicions, give a commiffion of one one-half per cent. on English gold fent to America, and bills drawn on this country by the commander in chief. He infifted that half per cent. was full enough, and was the current price for which acceptances were done by every merchant

in

in the city of London, and that too on fmall fums, where there was more trouble in accepting and paying five thoufand pounds than what fell to the fhare of the contractors in accepting and paying a million. He spoke of the 300,000 guineas fent to America, and obferved, on that article alone the contractors made only the trifling fum of four thoufand feven hundred and twenty-five pounds.

Mr. Burke moved an amendment, to except out of the refolution the fum of 160,000l. His reafon for doing fo was, that he hoped an English House of Commons would never confent to pay this fum, which he said had been advanced to purchase hatchets, tomahawks, fcalping-knives, razors, fpurs, &c. for the favages of America to butcher, torture, fcalp, and maffacre old men, women, children, and infants at the breast.

On the question the amendment was rejected, 21 for it, and 56 against it.

No debate.

Adjourned to the 30th.

March 27.

March 30:

House-tax bill read a fecond time. No debate No debate upon it. Colonel Barré. He began with obferving the enormous fums which had been granted for army extraordinaries for the three last years, and how fhamefully they had been fquandered. He read, from papers on the table, the fums granted; the detail of each year's expenditure; the particular fervices; and the persons who had perforined the contracts. He faid, when the first extraordinaries of 800.ccol. came before that House, in the year 1776, he endeavoured to get explanations. The answer was, We have no vouchers; thofe cannot be had till the next year. We have as yet procured no more than an account of the fums iffued, to whom iffued, and the fervices for which they were issued. All these are not vouchers to the Houfe; the vouchers fhewing in what manner the money thus iffued has been expended will come the next year. So it happened, he faid, the following, and fo it has happened this year. This Houfe has each fucceffive year been told, that they are to have the vouchers of the preceding; none have been as yet produced; but the noble Lord, after his repeated and folemn promifes, has thought proper to keep the parliament and nation in the dark. The fame confidence, he might call it shameful confidence, and delufion on one fide, and the fame fhameful and traiterous fervility on the other.

He