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3. Newcastle under Line, 11 miles
N. of Stafford, was incorporated by
Henry I. and is governed by a may-
or, two juftices, two bailiffs, 24
common-council-men, &c. and fends
two members to parliament, their
prefent representatives being the
Hon. Baptift Levefon Gower, and
lord Parker. It has a good market
on Monday, and once a fortnight a
great beaft market on the fame day.
Their chief manufacture is hats.
The town is furrounded with coal
pits; the streets are large, broad
and paved, but most of the houses
are low and thatched.

A Defcription of STAFFORDSHIRE. March

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4. Tamworth, 7 miles S. E. of Litchfield, fituate in a pleasant vale, watered by the Tame, which fepa rates this county from Warwickshire, in which part of the town ftands. It has a large church, its market is on Saturdays, and it has a confiderable trade in cloth. It is governed by two bailiffs, a recorder, &c. and fends two members to parliament, the prefent ones being Sir Robert Burdet, and the Hon. Thomas Vil- D liers, Efq;

Well, Horfe- Well, Washing-Well, and Meat-Well. The trade of lock making is carried on here to a very great perfection. Here's a collegiate church belonging to the deanery of Windfor, and a free fchool.-4. Penkridge, about 9 miles N. of Wol. verhapton, has a market on Tuesday, and is particularly famous for its great horfe fair, especially for faddle-nags.

5. Rugeley, 5 miles N. E. of Penkridge, has a fmall market on Tuefdays. 6. Burton upon Trent, 10 miles N. E. of Rugeley, particularly noted for its fine bridge over the Trent, being built of fquared free ftone, with 34 arches, and 515 yards long. Its market is on Thursday, its clothing trade is very confiderable, and it famous for fine ale.-7. Bromley, 8 miles N. W. of Burton, a pretty town, with a good market on Tuesday,

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8. Turbury, 7 miles E. a fmall town, with a market alfo on Tuefday.. Uttoxeter, 7 miles N. W. fituate on a gently rifing ground, at the bottom of which are many fine, rich meadows, that feed abundance of cattle. Its market is on Wednesday, and is the greatest in all these parts for cattle, fheep, fwine, butter, cheese, corn, and all forts of provifions.-10. Cheadle, about 6 miles N. W. has a market on Thursday. E-11. Stone, 6 miles S. W. of

The other market towns are, 1. Walfal, 10 miles S. W. from Litchfield, a good pleasant corporate town, fituate upon the top of a hill, governed by a mayor, &c. In and near it are feveral iron mines, that yield good iron, which the inhabi- Cheadle, has a market on Tuesday. tants manufacture into fpurs, bridle It is faid to have had its name from bits, ftirrups, buckles, &c. in which a heap of ftones annually gathered they carry on a confiderable trade. together in honour of two fons of The market is on Tuefdays.-2. Dud Wolpherus, a pagan Mercian king, ley, or Dudley-Caftle, partly in this murdered here by their father for county, and partly in Worcestershire, turning chriftians.-12. Ecclefhall, about 7 miles S. W. of Walfal, has about 5 miles S. W. of Stone, a a market on Saturday. It gives title small town with a market on Friday, of baron to Ferdinando Dudley Lea, and chiefly for pedlary ware.-13. the prefent lord Dudley.-3. Wolver- Betley, 4 miles N. W. of Newcahampton, 4 miles W. of Walfal, is ftle, has a market on Tuesday.-14. large, populous and well built, and Leek, 13 miles N. E. of Betley, the has a very confiderable market on G chief town of the Moor-lands. The Wednesdays. The only water they buildings are handfome, and it has have is from four fprings of different a confiderable market on Wednefqualities, which they call Pudding day. It is much noted for excellent ale.

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Printed for R.Baldwin Jun! at the Rose in Puter Noster Row

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105

17515 JOURNAL of the PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES in the POLITICAL CLUB, continued from p. 64.

The next Speech 1 fhall give you in the Debate begun in your last, was that made by T. Sempronius Grac chus, which was in Subftance thus:

Mr. Prefident,
SIR,

H

OW long the custom has continued of vefting fuch an arbitrary power in the colonel over the ftaff-officers of his regiment, or when it was introduced, I hall not be at the pains to inquire; but if I have been rightly informed, it is a power that has been very lit. tle exercised, and when all the military laws of Europe have been ranfacked for feverities against foldiers, and for extending the power of their commanders, it is high time for this houfe to inquire into every power, which antient custom or modern regulations have introduced into our army, in order to limit the power of the commanders, and fecure the lives and liberties of the commanded, as far as is confiftent with that due obedience and fubordination, which it is neceffary to preserve among foldiers of all ranks and degrees.

This power, Sir, might in former times have paffed without notice, and may ftill, for what I know, be neceflary in time of war; but we ought to distinguish between a time of war, and a time of peace, which is a diftinction I find fome gentlemen very unwilling to make. We ought to confider, Sir, that the laws made by us relating to our armies, either by fea or land, are meant only for their good government in time of peace; for in time of war, either abroad or at home, his majefty has in a great measure by his prerogative an abfolute power; and thofe to whom the exercise of that prerogative is

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der but the good of the fervice; for whatever might appear to be neceffary for that purpose, would be excufed, even tho' contrary to law; and an act of indemnity for all fuch exertions of power has always been paffed in parliament, as often as it has been thought neceffary.

In paffing this bill therefore, Sir, or any bill of a like nature, we are not to confider what powers may be neceffary for the fervice in time of war, but what may be necessary in time of peace; and as every power is liable to abufe, we ought, in framing our military as well as our civil laws, to be extremely careful not to grant any power but what is abfolutely neceffary, nor to extend any power beyond what is abCfolutely neceflary for the due exercife of government in time of peace and tranquillity. If gentlemen would attend to this diftinction, furely they would not talk of any cuflom among the Romans, whilst the liberties of that glorious commonwealth reDmained entire and free from danger. In time of war, it is true, the generals of their armies had a most unlimited power over the armies they led to the field; but for a long time thofe armies returned always with their general to attend him in E triumph, and as foon as they arrived within the fettled boundaries of the commonwealth, his power ceafed, and all the foldiers of his army being thereby abfolved from their military oath, became again free citizens of Rome.

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This, I fay, Sir, was the customi among the Romans, whilft their liberties remained entire and free from danger; but when they carried their arms into Africa and Spain, they began to continue their armics, and the foldiers of those armies, unde:

committed, have nothing to confi G their military oath, for a number

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March, 1751.

of years; and what was the contequence?

105 PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &c. March

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be advanced by the colonel to be a
corporal or ferjeant in the regiment,
I fhould much fufpect, that it pro-
ceeded from what the Hon. gentle-
man seems to be afraid of; and that
the foldier had by fome means or o-
ther procured a purfe of gold to be
given to his colonel for his advance-
ment; but this could fo feldom hap-
pen, and it would be fo very diffi-
cult to keep fuch a traffick conceal-
ed, that I do not think there would
be the leaft ground for apprehending
fuch a confequence, fhould this claufe
be agreed to, and all our staff-offi-
cers thereby fecured in the enjoy-
ment of their polts quamdiu fe bene
geferint; which is a fecurity every
officer in the army ought to have,
fo far as it is confiftent with the na-
ture of military fervice; therefore I
think, the power of arbitrarily tak-
ing from a man that commiffion or
rank in the army, which he has pur-
chafed by his fervice, is a power
that ought to be lodged no where
but in the crown alone; and tho
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the power of thus fufpending, tilf
the pleafure of the crown can be
known, may be delegated to a com-
mander in chief, the power of arbi-
trarily cafhiering neither ought nor
can be delegated to any fubject
whatsoever.

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quence? the foldiers, by being fo long kept under, abfolute power, began foon to lofe their tafte for liberty, and in little more than a century were made the inftruments for oppreffing the liberties of their country; which would probably A have happened much fooner, if the misfortunes of the fecond Punick war had not given a check to the luxury, and a fillip to the virtue of the Roman people. No cuftom of the Romans can therefore be plead ed for any fort of military law in time of peace, but the misfortune of that people, the overthrow of that glorious commonwealth ought to be a warning to us, to let our foldiers have as often, and as much as poflible, a taste of living under the limited power of a free government, and of the difference between that and living under the abfolute power of a military commander; and for this reafon, as the military laws we make, can relate to nothing but the government of our army in time of peace, we fhould be as fparing as poffible with refpect to every thing, that may look like vefting an abfolute power in the commander over all, or any of thofe under his command. I cannot pretend, Sir, that I fectly understand the duties of a ferjeant or corporal, but I cannot think there is any myftery in the affair, nor can I comprehend how a ferjeant or corporal can be guilty of any failure of duty, which cannot be explained or proved before a court martial. As it does not require any very great brightness of parts, or any extraordinary qualifications, to be a corporal, furely, if a foldier were by nature fo remarkably ftupid, as not to be fit to be a corporal, it could not fail of being known to the officers of the company in which he ferved; and without a recommendation from fome of them at leaft, no foldier is, I am fure, no foldier onght to be advanced to be a corporal or ferjeant; for if without fuch a recommendation any foldier fhould

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In time of peace therefore, Sir,
there can be no danger in prevent-
ing a ftaff-officer or foldier's being
punished, unless by the fentence of a
court-martial; but this arbitrary pow.
er of punishing foldiers, or reducing
flaff-officers, if continued in time of
peace, may be of the most danger-
ous confequence to our liberties both
in a military and civil refpect. In a
military, because men fubject to fuch
an arbitrary power must be confider-
ed, they must confider themselves, as
in a fate of flavery: They are real-
ly in the fame condition with the
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Negroes in the Weft Indies; for tho
by the laws in that part of the world
a mafter be allowed, by his own au-
thority, to punish his Negro flave as

often,

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