by the most effectual and immediate application of the force entrufted to him by parliament. They were informed that proper orders had been given, for bringing, the authors, abettors, and perpetrators of thofe infurrections, and of fuch criminal acts, to a speedy trial, and to fuch condign puniment, as the laws preferibed, and the vindication of public justice demanded. His majefty concluded, that though he truffed it was not neceffary, yet he thought it right at that time, to renew his folemn affurances to them, that he had no other object but to make the laws of the realm, and the principles of our excellent conftitution in church and state, the rule and measure of his conduct; and that he should ever confider it as the first duty of his ftation, and the chief glory of his reign, to main. tain and preferve the eltablished religion of his kingdom, and, as far as in him lay, to fecure and to perpetuate the rights and liberties of his people. This fpeech was generally approved of on all fides, and the customary addreffes carried without oppofition. Some animadverfion, however, paffed in both houses, and no fmall degree of cenfure was thrown upon the conduct of adminiftration, with re. fpect to the late difturbances; the mischiefs that had happened, and all the unhappy confequences that might enfue, being directly charged to their neglect, in not calling forth the civil power in time, and to their delay, in not employing the military until it was too late. To the laft charge, it was replied, that the fervices were fo numerous, and the applications fo continual, and from fuch various quarters, for protection or affistance, as the apprehenfions or danger of the people increafed, that the troops at hand were not half fufficient to answer the demands, until the arrival of the regulars and militia from the country. The following day brought on in a committee of the whole house, the confideration of the several petitions, praying for a repeal of the late bill, which had been made the occafion of fo much mischief. No repeal was propofed upon those petitions. No evil had actually happened from the relaxation of the fingle penal law which had been relaxed; and the confequences apprehended from it, were confidered as weak and visionary. There was rather much difcourfe than debate upon the fubject, very little having been faid on the part of the petitions. The queftion was, however, folemnly, and very largely fpoke to, and with the greatest eloquence. The chief fpeakers were Lord North, Lord Beauchamp, Sir George Saville, Mr. Wilkes, Mr. Burke, and Mr. Fox. The two latter fpoke for three hours each. For the first time they all fpoke on the fame fide; and fupported the doctrine of toleration, on grounds much larger than thofe on which the bill complained of food. In order, however, to quiet the minds, and to remove the apprehenfions, of fuch well-meaning but ill-informed perfons, as might be among the petitioners, refolutions to the following purport were were moved for by Lord Beau- the Proteftant religion in the eyes champ, agreed to by the commit tee, and confirmed by the houfe. That the effect and operation of the act paffed in the 18th of his prefent majefty, for relieving his fubjects profeffing the Popish religion from certain penalties and difabilities, impofed on them by an act of the 11th and 12th of William the Third, have been misrepresented, and mifunder flood. That, the faid act, of the 18th of his prefent majefty, does not repeal or alter, or in any manner invalidate, or render ineffectual the feveral ftatutes made to prohibit the exercife of the Popish religion, previous to the ftatute of the 11th and 12th of William the Third. That, no ecclefiaftical or fpiritual jurifdiction or authority is given, by the faid act, to the Pope or the See of Rome. That, this houfe does, and ever will, watch over the interefts of the Proteftant religion with the most unremitted attention; and that all attempts to feduce the youth of this kingdom from the eftablished church to Popery, are highly criminal, according to the laws in force, and are a proper fubject of further regulation. And, that all endeavours to difquiet the minds of the people, by mifreprefenting the faid act of the 18th year of the reign of his prefent majefly, as inconfiftent with the fafety, or irreconcileable to the principles of the Proteftant religion, have a manifeft tendency to difturb the public peace, to break the union neceffary at this time, to bring difhonour on the national character, to diferedit of other nations, and to furnish occafion for the renewal of the perfecution of our Proteftant brethren in other countries. On the fame principle of af. fording fatisfaction to, and quieting the minds of thofe, who had been milled by error and mifre- prefentation, a bill was brought in (though otherwife generally thought unneceffary) and paffed the Houfe of Commons, for affording fecurity to the Proteftant religion from any encroachments of Popery, by more effectually retraining Papifts, or perfons profeffing the Popish religion,, from teaching, or taking upon themfelves the education or government of the children of Proteftants. A letter which had been written during the late difturbances, by the noble lord at the head of the army, and confirmed by others of a fubfequent date, containing orders to the officer who commanded the military forces in the city of, London, to difarm all perfons, who did not belong to the militia, or who did not carry them under the royal authority; this measure, being confidered as contrary to the natural rights of mankind, as well as to the exprefs law of the land, it gave no fmall umbrage without doors, and be-. came a fubject of fome animadversion within. It likewife occafioned fome confufion in the city, where the inhabitants were affociating and arming for mutual defence, under the conduct of their respective magiftrates; became the ground of a correfpondence, which has been publifhed, between the chief magi[*N] 3 and ftrate, ftrate, and the Lord Prefident of the council. This matter was taken zift. up in the Houfe of Lords by the Duke of Richmond, at whole motion (after fome animadverfion on the fubject on a preceding day) the letters in question, the plan of an affociation by the Lord Mayor, and the declaration of rights in the 2d of William and Mary, were all read. The Duke of Richmond then obferved, that thofe letters were depofited in the public archives; that they would defcend to pofte rity a moft alarming precedent, of a moft violent and unwarrantable infringement of the conftitution, if no refolution of cenfure and disapprobation was entered on the records of parliament. He had nothing to do with the noble lord's intention: his intention might be perfectly innocent, nay, it might be laudable. But the letter of the order was dangerous; future advantage might be taken of it to the deftruction of our freedom, and therefore it was that he anxiously wished, their lordships to come to fome refolution upon the fubject. He accordingly moved a refolution to the following purport, That the letter of Jeffery Lord Amherst, dated the 13th of June, to Colonel Twifleton, then commanding an armed force in the city of London, in which he orders him to difarm the inhabitants, who had armed themselves for the defence of their lives and properties, and likewife to detain their arms, contained an unwarrantable command to deprive the citizens of their legal property; was exprefsly contrary to the fun damental principles of the conftitution, and a violation of one of their most facred rights, as declared in the 2d of William and Mary, that every Proteftant fubject of this empire is entitled to carry arms in his own defence. The noble lord who was the fubject of the propofed refolution, had, upon the firit mention of the affair, juftified the letter, by faying it related only to the mob, and the riotous rabble, who, he had received information, were poffeffed of firelocks; that he had done his duty, and was ready to abide the confequences. But this justification not being admitted on the other fide, who contended that it was totally overthrown, by the word inhabitants in the first letter, and the explanations relative to the armed affociations in the fucceeding, new grounds of vindication or defence were taken by the minifters upon the making of this motion. They faid, that while they allowed the right of Proteftant Englishmen to arm, whether in defence of their own perfons and houfes, or thofe of their neighbours, they must confider a wide difference between their acting in this defenfive manner, for the immediate protection of their perfons and properties, and their affembling armed in bodies, and marching out in martial array; the firft was clearly juftifiable, because neceffary; the latter might lead to many dangerous confequences. That it was not easy, even now, to look back with an equal and compofed mind, or indeed without confiderable emotion, to thofe dreadful disturbances; what then must it have been, been, in the midst of that scene mons, where they met with a fimiof outrage, danger, and confular fate. fion? It was in the wild uproar and confufion of that fcene, that the noble lord gave the order. The measure was prompted by the fpur of the occafion. The neceffity and occafion, as in number lefs inftances, muft juftify the act. It was not to be conceived, that in the fituation in which the noble lord was engaged, he could pay nice attention to his expreffions; or that a man educated in the field, fhould be acquainted with all the privileges of the bill of rights. But the oppofition contended, that there was no weight in the argument, that the letter was written in a state of hurry and confufion; for the date fhewed, that it had been written feveral days after the difturbance and danger were over. It was therefore to be confidered as a measure taken upon due deliberation; and it was of too serious and alarming a nature, to be paffed over with out the notice of parliament. They therefore urged, and even fupplicated the house, not to permit fuch a letter to defcend as a record and precedent to pofterity, without fome mark of their disapprobation; at any rate, they faid, a direct negative would be highly impolitic. They ought at leaft to take fome gentle method of difpofing of the propofition; and to leave fomething, however lenient, on their journals, which might prove an antidote to the poifon. The queftion was, however, negatived, without a divifion. Two motions on the fame ground were made by Mr. Sawbridge, a few days after, in the Houfe of Com On bringing up the bill for the regulation of Popish fchools from the Houfe of Commons, the lords in general, including the right reverend bench, appeared much on the fide of toleration; and indeed fome of the peers, fpiritual as well as lay, expreffed the most liberal and enlightened fentiments on the fubject; fo that the bill fcarcely feemed to be any farther confidered as neceffary, than merely as tending to allay the jealou fies and apprehenfions of the peti tioners. But feveral of the lords confidering it as a great indignity to parliament, and to that house particularly, to pass a bill, which carried all the appearance of being forced upon them by outrage and threat, and the fame idea operating by degrees with others, it was contrived, (after feveral proposed, and fome received amendments) upon its being brought up to be reported from the committee, to fet it afide, without a diJuly 4th. rect negative, by moving it might be read the third time, on that day week, which being carried, had the effect of a previous question, as it was known that a prorogation would take place in the interim. The speech from the July 8th. throne acknowledged, that the magnanimity and perfeverance of parliament, in the prosecution of the present juft and neceffary war, had enabled his majefty to make fuch exertions, as would, he trufted, difappoint the violent and unjuft defigns of his. enemies, and bring them to listen to equitable and honourable terms [N] 4 of of peace. That thefe exertions perfon who makes the attempt, or in the fubversion of our free and happy conftitution.. had already been attended with fuccefs by fea and land; and the late important and profperous turn of affairs in North America, afforded the fairest profpect of the returning loyalty and affection of the colonies, and of their happy re-union with their parent country. Particular obligations were acknowledged to be felt, and thanks accordingly returned to the Commons, for the confidence they had repofed, and the large and ample fupplies which they had fo chearfully granted. But the ftrength of the freech feemed thrown into the concluding paragraph, in which both Lords and Commons were earnest ly called upon to affift his majefty, by their affiftance and authority in their feveral counties, as they had already by their unanimous fup. port in parliament, in guarding the peace of the kingdom from future disturbances, and watching over the preservation of the public fafety. To make the people fenfible of the happinefs they enjoy, and the diftinguished advantages they derive, from our excellent conftitution in church and ftate. To warn them of the hazard of innovation; to point out to them the fatal confequences of fuch commotions as have lately been excited; and to imprefs on their minds this important truth, That rebellious infurrections, to refift or to reform the laws, mult either end in the deftruction of the Such was the end of this unufually long, and very extraordinary feffion of parliament. A feffion, in which almoft every day produced a queftion, and every queftion a debate, which in any other would have been deemed highly interesting; but which were frequently loft, in that glare of fill greater matter, which was fo continually thrown out in this. A feffion, in which unexpected victories, and unaccountable defeats, alternately raised and funk the hopes of the contending parties, from the highest pitch of exultation, to the lowelt ftate of despondency. The point of decifion feemed more than once quivering, and hanging only by a hair. Upon the whole, it may be faid with confidence, that fo great a number of important affairs were never agitated in any one feffion. The riot, in the close, threw a general damp upon all endeavours whatever for reformation, however unconnected with its particular object. Popular fury feemed, for that time at least, the greateft of all poffible evils. And adminifiration then gathered, and has fince preferved, no fmall degree of power, from a tumult which appeared to threaten the fubverfion of all government. This may likewife be confidered as concluding the political exiftence of that parliament. С НА Р. |