tain. He likewife expatiated largely on the mutual and refpective interefts of both countries; and very happily collected into one point of view almoft all thofe queftions of commerce and policy, which we have already feen agitated upon the subject. Indeed, it would not have been eafy at prefent to discover much new ground, upon the general queftions of right, juftice, or reciprocal advantage, whatever might be derived from expedience or immediate neceffity. Such was the happy temper now prevailing, that the refolutions were agreed to without the fmalleft oppofition. Some fhort difcourfe of the nature formerly related; fome reproach for delay; and fome doubt of the complete efficacy of any thing which could be done in the prefent circumstances to give complete fatisfaction, was the whole of what paffed on a fubject, which would formerly have agitated, poffibly convulfed the whole empire. But the late great revolution had rendered every change eafy. Bills founded on the two first propofitions were accordingly brought in, paffed both houfes with the utmoft facility, and received the royal affent, before the recefs. The third, being more complex in its nature, requiring a variety of enquiry, and being fubject to several limitations and conditions, was fuffered to lie over the holidays in its prefent ftate of an open propofition; not only to afford time for confideration here, but for acquiring a knowledge of the effect which the measure would produce in Ireland.

charged to the extraordinaries of the army, and which every year became ftill more enormous, had long been a fubject of complaint with the oppofition in both houfes of parliament; who had likewise, from time to time, made various ineffectual attempts to restrain them within fome defined limits.

Although the bufinefs feemed more properly to appertain to the Houfe of Commons, yet the former failure, or prefent hopeleffness of fuccefs there, probably were the motives which induced the Earl of Shelburne to bring it now forward before the 15th. lords, who were accordingly fummoned for the purpose. He introduced his motion by entering into an ample difcuffion of its fubject, and by an accurate comparative estimate of the extraordinary military fervices of former reigns, and of the present. On this ground he ftated a number of curious and interefting facts. He fhewed that the extras of King William's reign, when a war was carried on in Flanders, Ireland, and the Weft Indies, did not exceed, in the highest year of the revolution war, 100,000l. That in the next, the fucceffion war, which we maintained in Germany, on the banks of the Danube, in Flanders, Spain, the Mediterranean, North America, and the Weft Indies, the extras never exceeded 200,000l. And, that in the first war of the late king, waged with France and Spain jointly, they did not, in any one year, exceed 400,000l.

That during the late war, the moft extenfive, and alfo the moft expenfive, in which this country

had

had ever been engaged, the extraordinaries of the year 1757 were only 800,000l. while those of 1777 amounted to 1,200,000l. befides a million granted for the transport service; thus, upon the whole, exceeding two millions. That the highest year of the late war, that of 1762, when our arms were triumphant in every quarter of the globe; when we fupported 80,000 men in Germany, befides victorious armies in North America, the British and French Weft Indies, the Eaft Indies, in Portugal, on the coaft of France, and at the reduction of the Havannah, the whole of the extras did not exceed two millions; whereas the two laft defenfive campaigns would be found, when the accounts of the latter of the two were made up, to amount to the enormous fum of upwards of three millions each. And that the extra military charges in the laft four years, during the greater part of which the conteft was confined to the Americans only, would be found to amount to a fum very nearly equal to the whole expenditure of the first four years of King William's, and fully equal to the two first years of the Duke of Marlborough's campaigns.

He then proceeded to ftate and explain the causes, to which he attributed the monftrous difproportion between the prefent military extraordinaries, and thofe of any former period. In this curious and particular detail he ftated, that only one contractor had been employed in the laft war for the fupply of the forces in America; but that the minifter had split the prefent contract into twelve parts, in order to make a

return to fo many of his friends for the fervices which he received from them at home. That in the former inftance, the fole contrac tor, Sir William Baker, was bound to furnish provifions on the fpot, in America, at fixpence a ration; whereas the prefent contractors were only to deliver rations at the fame price in Corke; fo that the whole freight, infurance, rifque, and all other poffible expences, were taken out of the pockets of the public, and put into the pockets of the minis ter's contracting friends. From which, and from a variety of other fpecified inftances of mifmanagement, he pledged himself to the proof, that every ration now delivered in America ftood the public in two fhillings, instead of fixpence, which they coft in the laft war.

That

He went the whole round of contracts in this courfe; and while he treated the conduct of the minifter without mercy, he was nothing more fparing of the contractors. He paid particular attention to the fuppofed favourite of the minifter in that line. man, he faid, notwithstanding his reprobation in parliament, and his detection in the moft glaring impofition on the public, had contracts given him, in the years 1777 and 1778, to the amount of 1,300,000l.; and probably, his contracts in the preceding year, (the accounts of which were not yet deliverd in) far exceeded those in either of the two former. He was exceedingly fevere on the conduct of the minifter with this fuppofed favourite contractor. Nor did he país over the gold, or bullion contractor, through whose

hands,

hands, he faid, no less than three millions feven hundred thousand pounds in fpecie had been tranfmitted to America, and for which a fingle voucher had not been, produced. That immenfe fum, he faid, had been written off in thirty or forty lines, without any account, or fpecification whatever, forty thousand pounds in one line, twenty in another, and thirty in a third. When it was remembered that the tranfport fervice, ord nance, provifions, ftores, pay, new appointments, and, in' word, every item of expence that could be thought of, were all feparately provided for, and each brought to account under its proper head, it muft furely puzzle the moft quick and fertile genius, even to guess, in what manner, or to what ufe, this enormous fum, of nearly four millions, could have been applied.

a

After going over a vast quantity and great variety of matter relative to the fubject, he opened his views more particularly with refpect to his intended motions. He faid that an unconftitutional, ministerial influence, had ufurped the regal prerogative, which it was now become ablolutely neceffary to cruth for the falvation of this country. That this mischief arofe principally from the opportunity, now afforded in a greater degree than ever to the firit lord of the treafury, of ex. pending millions of the public money without account, and confequently without ceconomy. And, that as the army extraordinaries' afforded the most unlimited means to the minifter, for the propagation and fupport of that fatal fyftem of influence and corruption,

he would make that lavish head of expenditure the first and great object of his enquiry and cenfure.

He accordingly moved his firft refolution to the following purport,-That the alarming addition annually making to the prefent enormous national debt, under the head of extraordinaries, incurred in the different fervices, requires immediate check and controul.The increafing the public expence beyond the grants of parliament, being at all times an invafion of the fundamental rights of parliament; and the utmoft economy being indifpenfably neceffary, in the prefent reduced and deplorable ftate of the landed and mercantile intereft of Great Britain and Ireland.

The defence on the part of the miniftry was extremely fhort and dry. It is not clear, whether this arofe from fome difagreement between the minifters, which did not permit them to be much difpleafed with the arraignment of a conduct, in which none in that Houfe was officially concerned ; or whether at the time, they were not fufficiently inftructed in the ftate of the queftion to answer to it fully. Whatever was the caufe, the chancellor feeing no likeli hood of a debate, after waiting a confiderable time, proceeded at length to put the queftion. This called up a noble duke in the oppofition, who expreffed the utmost aitonishment and indignation, that minifters fhould venture to fit ftill under fuch charges, without an attempt at anfwer or defence. A noble earl likewife, who had lately fucceeded to his feat in that Houfe, declared, that during fifteen years he had fat in the other

he

or

This at length drew out fome vindication of the character of the noble minister in the other House; who was faid to be clean handed in the most eminent degree; and who would go out of office in a ftate of poverty, if it were to happen on the following day. They chiefly relied on the defect of proof to support the facts charges; that the motion reverfed the order of things; it proceeded to punishment before it convicted, and was therefore prepofterous; that every part of the public expenditure was already fubject to check and controul at the exchequer. That fuch enquiries, and fo conducted, would be in fact to eftablish a new committee of fafety, and, under pretences of correcting the abufes of adminiftration, would tend to the fubverfion of the conftitution; that we were befides engaged in a great war, and must not ftarve it; if a proper confidence was not placed in our commanders, it could not at all be carried on; and, that the principal precedent brought to Thew the former interference of paliament on fimilar occafions, was drawn from the fcandalous administration of the year 1711, which fhould alone be a fufficient motive for reprobating the present motion.

1

It was accordingly rejected, upon a divifion, by a majority of 81, including 21 proxies, to 41, including four proxies; being as VOL. XXIII.

nearly two to one, as it was poffible without being quite fo.

The noble earl, after the divifion, having informed the House of the purport of his fecond intended propofition, which went to the appointment of a committee for enquiring into the several parts of the public expenditure, and confidering what reductions or favings could with confiftency be made, then moved, that it should be taken into confideration on the 8th of the following February, which was agreed to.

The rejection, however, of his first motion, together with that of the Duke of Richmond's, on the 7th inftant, ferved much to increase the public diffatisfaction, which, whether with or without reafon, did now, much more than at any former period, certainly prevail without doors, and to give ftrength and confirmation to that opinion which was also very generally prevalent, that no hope of obtaining redrefs now remained, until fuch meafures were pursued by the people at large, as would, by diffolving that unnatural combination which was charged to fubfift between minifters and the reprefentative body, restore the antient dignity, and the former ener gy of parliament. Thanks from the city of London were voted to the noble duke and earl for their paft motions, accompanied with the fulleft approbation of that announced for the 8th of February, and an affurance of every conftitutional fupport in their power to thofe neceffary plans of reformation propofed by them. The bufinefs was likewife foon adopted in the counties; and from this time that spirit of reformation be

gan to appear, which we have fince feen produce fo many meetings, affociations, and projects, in almost all parts of the kingdom, though with different degrees of warmth, and different extent of objects, for correcting the fuppofed vices of government, and for restoring the independency of parliament. The city of London likewife fent feparate letters of thanks and acknowledgment to all the lords who had voted in fupport of the two paft motions, including his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland, whofe name appeared at the head of the minority on the last division; thefe letters, with their refpective anfwers, were published in most of the papers at that time.

It was on the very day of Lord Shelburne's motion, that Mr. Burke opened in the House of Commons fuch parts as it was yet thought fitting and neceffary to expofe, of that celebrated plan of public œconomy, and attempt towards a reform or leffening of corrupt influence, which afterwards afforded fo many fubjects of parliamentary difcuffion, and was, for a long time, an object of fo much general admiration. He likewife gave notice, that he would bring on the bufinefs as foon after the holidays as poffible; and amidst a variety of obfervations and arguments, to enforce the propriety, expediency, and neceffity of the propofed measure, particularly alluded to the bufinefs then carrying on in the other House.

He faid, that the defire of reformation operated every where, but where it ought to operate moft ftrongly, in that House. That

It

the propofitions which had been lately made, and were that day making, in the other Houfe, although highly laudable in themfelves, were no less than a reproach to that in which he fate. To them, who claimed the exclufive management of the public purfe, all interference of the lords, in their peculiar province, was, at leaft, a reproach. might be fomething worfe; for, if the lords fhould affume or ufurp the performance of a duty of theirs, which they neglected, they would be fupported in an ufurpation which was become neceffary to the public. Privileges were loft by neglect, as well as by abuse. That old parliamentary forms and privileges were were no trifles, he would freely grant; but the nation called for fomething more subftantial than the very beft of them; and if form and duty must be separated, they would prefer the duty without the form, to the form without the duty. If both lords and commons fhould confpire in a neglect of duty, other means, ftill more irregular than the inteference of the lords might be now confidered, would be undoubtedly reforted to; for, he conceived the nation would, fome way or other, have its bufinefs done; or otherwise, that it could not much longer continue to be a nation.

Other arguments, on different grounds, but tending to the fame object, will appear in their proper place. A noble lord, of a family highly confidered for its conftitutional principles, and who always draws great attention in the House of Commons, where he is looked on as a leader of the Whigs, de

clared,