dour, and the fame fpirit, that have in former times carried this nation through fo many difficulties and dangers, and have fo often enabled their ancestors to protect their country and all its dominions, and to fave not only their own rights, but the liberties of other free ftates, from the reftlefs ambition and encroaching power of the House of Bourbon.

We acknowledge, with thankfulness, your majefty's goodness and attention to the addrefs of this Houfe, refpecting your loyal and faithful kingdom of Ireland, in being pleased to order fuch papers to be communicated to this Houfe, as may affift our deliberations on this important bufinefs: and we -beg leave to affure your majesty, that we will not fail to take into our confideration what further benefits and advantages may be extended to that kingdom by fuch regulations, and fuch methods, as may most effectually promote the common ftrength, wealth, and interefts of all your dominions.

Permit us, Sir, to return our humble thanks to your majefty, for the gracious manner in which your majefty renews and confirms your entire approbation of the good conduct and fteady difcipline of the national militia; and to affure your majefty that we concur moft fincerely with your majefty, in acknowledging and applauding the meritorious zeal and fervices of thofe loyal fubjects who ftood forth in the hour of danger, and who have added confidence, as well as ftrength, to the national defence.

Your majefty's faithful commons receive with gratitude, and take a fincere part in, your majesty's pa

ternal expreffions of concern, that the various and extenfive fervices and operations of the enfuing year muft unavoidably be attended with great and heavy expences: yet, when it is confidered how much the commerce, the profperity, and the fafety, of Great Britain depend on the iffue of this conteft, we doubt not that fuch powerful confiderations and motives will induce all your majesty's fubjects to fuftain, with chearfulness and magnanimity, whatever burthens fhall be found neceffary, for raifing fuch fupplies as may enable your majefty to profecute the war with vigour and effect, and to make every exertion, in order to compel your enemies to liften liften to equitable terms of peace and accommodation.

Address of the Archbishop, Bishops, and Clergy of the Province of Canterbury, in Convocation, affembled, prefented to his Majesty on the 17th of November, 1780.

Most gracious Sovereign,

E

your majefty's most duti ful and loyal fubjects, the archbishop, bishops, and clergy of the province of Canterbury, in convocation affembled, humbly beg leave to approach your throne, and with the deepest fenfe of gratitude for the protection we continue to enjoy under your majefty's reign, to offer our unfeigned congratulations on the further fecurity of your majefty's illuftrious Houfe, by the birth of another prince, and on the happy recovery of our gracious queen, the patronefs of religion and virtue.

We are, on this occafion, particularly

cularly obliged to acknowledge and admire a late inftance of your majefty's attention to the interefts of Chriftianity, in your royal munificence to the pious defigns of the fociety for the propagation of the gospel in foreign parts, erected by a charter from your glorious predeceffor, King William, and now restored to its former activity, by the liberal contributions of your fubjects, encouraged by your majefty's example.

Amidst all the protection and favour we derive from the goodnefs of your majefty's heart, we lament the neceffity of confeffing, that the licentioufnefs of the times continues to counteract your paternal care for the ftate of national religion. Bad men and bad books are the produce of all times; but we obferve with particular regret, that the wickednefs of the age hath of late been directly pointed at the fences of piety and virtue, eftablished by God himself, and apparently fecured by law.

The open violation of the Lord's day, and the invitations of men to defert the religious duties of that day for amusements, frivolous at best, appears to call for the aid of the civil magiftrate, to check the progress of an evil fo dangerous both to church and ftate, by fuppreffing on the Lord's day, places of refort for pleasure, where the interpofition of the minifters of religion is impracticable. We humbly affure your majefty, that fo far as any exertion of our's can reach, we shall not fail to admonish and rebuke, both by word and example.

We have the comfortable hope, Sir, that it will appear to your majefty, that Popery is lefs preva

1

lent than it has been in this part of your dominions. We are too zealously attached to Protestantism not to oppofe the errors of the Church of Rome, as well in controverfial attacks, as in the more fuccefsful way of teaching the doctrines of our Apoftolical Church; adhering, at the fame time, invariably to the principles of the reformation, which direct us to oppofe error of every kind, by argument and perfuafion, and to difavow all violence in the cause of religion.

May Almighty God, who, for our fins, hath permitted your majefty to be involved in a war, juft, indeed, and neceffary, but in its own nature productive of much ca. lamity, blefs your majesty's efforts with decifive fuccefs!

It becomes us, as minifters of the gofpel, to praise God for every victory which has a tendency to the bleffings of peace; and whenever it fhall please his infinite wifdom to reftore them to this nation, we fhall further befeech him to grant to your majefty the full enjoyment of those bleffings for many years, in the profperity and unanimous loyalty of your fubjects.

To which Address his Majefty was pleased to return the following moft gracious Answer:

I THANK you for your congratulations on the increase of my family, and the happy recovery of the queen.

I hear with pleasure the zeal you exprefs for the interefts of our holy religion; and I fhall continue to make it my conftant endeavour to fupport them upon the principles

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principles of the reformation, against the encroachments of licentioufnefs or fuperftition.

Trufting to the justice of my caufe, I rely on the continuance of the bleffings of Providence on my endeavours to reftore to my people a fafe and honourable peace.

PROTEST OF THE LORDS.

Die Martis, Feb. 8vo.

Moved,

TH

HAT a committee be appointed, confifting of members of both Houses, poffeffing neither employment nor penfion, to examine without delay into the public expenditure, and the mode of accounting for the fame; more particularly into the manner of making all contracts, and at the fame time to take into confideration what favings can be made confiftent with public dignity, juftice, and gratitude, by an abolition of old or new created offices, the duties of which have either ceased, or fhall on enquiry prove inadequate to the fees or other emoluments arifing therefrom, or by the reduction of fuch falaries or other allowances and profits as may appear to be unreasonable; that the fame may

be applied to leffen the prefent ruinous expenditure, and to enable us to carry on the prefent war against the House of Bourbon, with that decifion and vigour which can alone refult from national zeal, confidence, and unanimity.

After a long debate, the Houfe

divided at half paft one, when there appeared

For the motion 55. Against it 101, including proxies. Majority against the motion 46.

DISSENTIENT,

ift. Becaufe, however the wafte of public money, and the profufion of useless falaries, may have been heretofore overlooked in the days of wealth and profperity, the neceffities of the prefent time can, no longer endure the fame fyftem of corruption and prodigality.

The fcarcity of money, the diminished value of land, the finking of rents, with the decline of trade, are melancholy proofs that we are almoft arrived at the end of taxation, and yet the demands are annually increased, while the hopes of peace are every year put to a greater diftance.

For let any man confider the immenfe debt increasing beyond the poffibility of payment, with the prefent accumulation of taxes upon every article, not only of luxury, but of convenience and even of neceffary use; and let him carry his thoughts forward to those additional duties which muft immediately be impofed to make good the intereft of the approaching loan, and of that debt which will remain unfunded, he will find that at least one million and a half of intereft must be provided for, befides what may be further neceffary to make good the deficiences of the late taxes.

Under these circumftances, the favings of a ftrict and vigilant economy in every branch, and the application of overgrown falaries, unmerited penfions, and ufelefs

places,

places, to the public fervice, are almost the only refource left in the exhausted state of our finances. But befides this ftrong argument of neceffity that preffes upon the prefent moment, fuch and fo great' are the abuses in the management and expenditure of the public money as would call for the ftricteft enquiry and animadverfion even in the best of times. The practice of expending immenfe fums without confent of parliament, under the fallacious head of contingencies and extraordinaries, the greater part of which might eafily be comprised in an estimate; but because fome unforeseen articles are not capable of fuch precision, the minister has, under that colour, found out a method of expending the public money first ad libitum, and when it has been fo expended, has found means to induce parliament to think itself bound in honour to ratify and make it good, deserves the highest cenfure; and no minifter who fhall dare to take the public credit, for money that has not been voted, ought to be juftified by a lefs authority than an Act of Indemnity. The millions which remain in confequence unexplained and unaccounted for; the fhameful facility of admitting almost every claim; the improvident bargains made for the public fervice; the criminal neglect and even contempt of the few checks eftablished in the Board of Treafury, befides great part of the money being fhared in its paffage among a tribe of collectors, clerks, agents, jobbers or contractors, or paid away by official extortion, or topped in its courfe to breed intereft for fome ingroffing individuals, are

grievances which the prefent motion has in view to remedy.

2dly. But great and important as the motion is in this view of it, it is fill more important in another, as it tends to narrow the wide fpreading influence of the crown, that has found its way into every corner of the kingdom.

It is fufficient to allude to this grievance, without any farther enlargement; but this argument, though perhaps the ftrongeft in favour of the motion, has been turned into an objection to it, as if it meant to abridge the rights of monarchy, and make the crown dependent on the parliament.

If the objection means to infinuate that corruption is neceffary to government, we fhall leave that principle to confute itfelf by its own apparent iniquity.

That this motion is intended to diminish the conftitutional power of the crown, we deny. The conftitutional power of the crown we are no lefs folicitous to preferve, than we are to annihilate its unconftitutional influence. The prerogative rightly understood, not touched or intended to be touched by this motion, will fupport the crown in all the fplendour which the king's perfonal dignity requires, and with all the authority and vi gour neceffary to give due effect to the executive powers of government.

It has been argued, that this is not a proper time for reformation, when all the attention of the kingdom fhould be employed upon the war, as the great and only object in the prefent time of diftrefs: to which we beg leave to infist that the prefent is, for that very rea

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fon,

fon, the propereft time, becaufe nothing is fo effential to the conduct and profecution of the war as the frugal management of that fupply by which only it can be carried on with any profpect of fuccefs. Nor ought the plan of œconomy to be any longer delayed at the rifque of a general bank ruptcy; and from the hiftory of this, as well as other countries, times of neceffity have been always times of reform.

3dly. Because we conceive that the mode of a committee, which might act with a committee of the other House, and might, if neceffary, be rendered durable, and vefted with due powers by an -act of the whole legislature, might bring back the public expenditure to its conftitutional principle,might devife proper regulations for opening contracts to the propofals of every fair bidder for reforming the abufes of office, and the enormity of fees, with a variety of other abufes, particularly that of large fums of money lying in the hands of individuals, to the lofs of the state.

An objection has been ftrongly urged on the ground of an apprehenfion expreffed by fome lords, as if they feriously entertained it, of its producing à quarrel between the two Houses of parliament; in confequence of which, the public bufinefs might be obstructed, by a claim on the part of the House of Commons to an exclufive right of confidering and providing for the fubjects of this motion.

Such a claim certainly cannot be fupported, as a confequence of the claim of that Houfe to originate money bills. Not a fingle Lord appeared to entertain an idea

that fuch a claim would be well founded. In truth, the objection, fuppofes it to be ill-founded, and that therefore the House will refift it; and yet it affumes that the Houfe of Commons will advance and perfift in this ill-founded claim. We cannot difcover any colour for fuch a fuppofition, unlefs we were to adopt the infinuations of those who represent the corrupt influence (which it is our wish to fupprefs) as already pervading that Houfe. Those who entertain that opinion of one Houfe of parliament, will hardly think lefs difrefpectfully of the other. To them it will feem a matter of indifference, whether the motion is defeated by the exertion of that influence, to excite a groundless claim in the one Houfe, or by a groundlefs apprehenfion of fuch a claim in the other. But we, who would be understood to think with more respect of both, cannot entertain an apprehenfion fo injurious to the Houfe of Commons, as that they would at this time efpecially, and on this occafion, have advanced fuch a claim.

The motion has likewife been objected to on account of its difqualifying perfons poffeffing employments or penfions, to be of the propofed committee. We are far from fuppofing that the poffeffion of place or penfion neceffarily corrupts the integrity of the poffeffor. We have feen, and the public have feen, many illuftrious inftances of the contrary; yet we cannot but fuppofe that the public expectation of advantage from this measure would have been lefs fanguine, if they had feen perfons poffeffing offices felected to diftin