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pose was to correct the prefent prodigal conftitution of the civil executive government of this kingdom; and unless that was done, he was fatisfied no minif. ter whatever could poffibly introduce the best economy into the adminiftration of it.

With respect to his affigned limits; the first, he faid, we found in the rules of juftice. And therefore he did not propofe to touch what any private man held by a legal tenure.-The fecond limit was in the rules of equity and mercy. Where offices might be fuppreffed, which formed the whole maintenance of innocent people, it would be hard, faid he," and hardship is a kind of "injuftice, that they who were "decoyed into particular fitua"tions of life, by our fault, "fhould be made the facrifice of "our penitence. I do not mean "to ftarve fuch people, because "we have been prodigal in our "eftablishments." The removals, he faid, would fall almoft wholly on those who held offices by a tenure, in which they were liable to be, and frequently were, removed merely for accommodating the arrangements of adminiftration; and furely the accommodation of the public, in a great cafe like the prefent, was full as material a caufe for their removal, as the convenience of any adminiftration, or the difpleafure of any minifter.

The third fort of limits, he faid, were to be found in the fervice of the ftate. No one employment, really and fubftantially useful to the public, and which might not very well be otherwife fupplied, was to be retrenched, or to be diminished in its lawful and

customary emoluments. To cut off fuch fervice, or fuch reward, was what he conceived neither politic nor rational in any fenfe.

The fourth of his limits was, that the fund for the reward of fervice or merit was to be left of fufficient folidity for its pròbable purpofes.-And the that the crown fhould be left an ample and liberal provifion for perfonal fatisfaction; and for as much of magnificence, as was fuitable with the burthened state of this country.

He had before observed, that the whole of our grievances were owing to the fatal and overgrown influence of the crown; and that influence itself to our enormous prodigality. That they moved in a circle; they became reciprocally cause and effect; and the aggregate product of both was fwelled to fuch a degree, that not only our power as a ftate, but every vital energy, every active principal of our liberty, would be overlaid by it. He knew that influence was thought neceffary for government. Poffibly, in fome degree it might. But he declared that it was for the fake of government, for the sake of reftoring to it that reverence, which was its foundation, that he wished to refrain the exorbitance of its influence. Is not every one fenfible how much that influence is raised? Is not every one fenfible how much authority is funk ? The reason, he faid, was perfectly evident. Government ought to have fufficient force for its functions; but it ought to have no more. It ought not to have force enough to fupport itself in the neglect, or in the abuse of them. If it

has,

has, they must be, as they are, abused and neglected. Men will throw themselves on their power for a juftification of their want of order, vigilance, forefight, and all the virtues, and all the qualifications of a statesman. The minifter may exift, but the government is gone.

" and other lands, tenements, "and hereditaments, held by his "majefty in right of the faid prin" cipality, or county palatine of "Chefter, and for applying the produce thereof to the public "fervice."

Fourth, "A bill for uniting to "the crown the duchy and coun

ty palatine of Lancaster; for "the fuppreffion of unneceffary "offices, now belonging thereto; "for the afcertainment and fecu"rity of tenant and other rights; " and for the fale of all rents,

"

As the whole of this comprehenfive fcheme of reform, was included in the five bills which were propofed by its author, a recital of their titles will afford fome general idea of the principal objects to which it was directed.— lands, tenements, hereditaments, The first was entitled, "A bill "and forefts, within the faid duchy "for the better regulation of "and county palatine, or either "his majesty's civil establish-" of them; and for applying the "ments, and of certain public produce thereof to the public "offices; for the limitation of "fervice." "penfions, and the fuppreffion "of fundry useless, expenfive, " and inconvenient places; and for "applying the monies faved there"by to the public fervice."

The fecond, "A bill for the "fale of the foreft and other "crown lands, rents, and here"ditaments, with certain excep. "tions; and for applying the " produce thereof to the public "fervice; and for fecuring, afcer"taining, and fatisfying, tenantrights, and common and other " rights."

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And fifthly, "A bill for unit"ing the duchy of Cornwall to "the crown; for the fuppreffion "of certain unneceffary offices

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now belonging thereto; for "the afcertainment and fecurity "of tenant and other rights; "and for the fale of certain "rents, lands, and tenements, " within or belonging to the faid "duchy; and for applying the "produce thereof to the public "fervice."

On this fubject, befides dif playing the most intimate and comprehenfive knowledge of the origin, hiftory, nature, government, and ftate of thofe various jurifdictions, as well as of their refpective eftablishments, and of the numerous interefts which were affected by or connected with them (for all of which he propofed to provide, either equitable and liberal compenfations, or perfect indemnification and rememedy), his fertile genius drew fuch [G] materials

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materials from ground which feemed the whole eftablishment of the

fufficiently barren, as enabled him to combine the beauties of defcriptive poetry, with the clearest statement of facts, and with all the powers of argument.

He commenced his reform with the royal houfehold; an establishment which he confidered as exceedingly abufive in its conftitution. He fhewed that it was formed upon manners and cuftoms, which had long fince expired; and in many respects upon feudal principles. He stated that manners and modes of living had totally changed; that royalty itfelf, as well as private men, was obliged to give way to the prevalence of that change; but with this very material difference, that private men had got rid of their antient establishments along with the reafons of them; whereas the royal household has lost all that was ftately and venerable in the antique manners, without retrenching any thing of the cumbrous charge of a gothic eftablishment. But when the reason of old establishments was gone, it was abfurd to preferve nothing but the burthen of them. He treated several parts of this fubje&t with infinite humour; and by throwing them into various fhades of ridicule, increafed the difplay of their abfurdity.

His fcheme of reduction went in the whole to the following parts -To the treasurer, the comptroller, and the cofferer of the household; the treasurer of the chamber, the mafler of the houfehold; the whole board of green cloth, and a vaft number of fubordinate offices in the department of the fteward of the household; to

great wardrobe, the removing wardrobe, the jewel office, the robes; the board of works; and took away almoft the whole charge of the civil branch of the board of ordnance. All these arrangements taken together, he faid, would be found to relieve the nation from a vaft weight of influence; and that fo far from diftreffing, that it would rather forward every public fervice.

His plan likewife extended to the deftruction of fubordinate treafuries, and of course to the two treasuries, or pay-offices, of the army and navy. He propofed, that thefe offices fhould be no longer banks or treasuries; but mere offices of adminiftration; and that all money which was formerly imprefted to them, fhould in future be imprefted to the bank of England. He would likewise have the bufinefs of the mint, excepting what related to it as a manufactory, transferred to that great corporation. The plan

went to the total removal of the fubordinate treasury, and office, of the paymaster of the penfions; the payments being in future to be made by the exchequer; the great patent offices of the exchequer to be reduced to fixed falaries, as the prefent lives and reverfions fhould fucceffively fall; the feveral places of keepers of the ftag hounds, buck hounds, fox hounds, and harriers, to be totally abolished. He also propofed to reform the new office of third fecretary of itate, commonly called fecretary of flate for the colonies; the fabrication of which, like that of all other late arrangements, he confidered merely as a

job, the two antiént fecretaries courfe the queen, together with

being fuppofed now, as heretofore, fully competent to the whole of the public bufinefs. He concluded his plan of reduction by propofing the total annihilation of the board of trade, as an office totally useless, answering none of its avowed or fuppofed purposes, and ferving merely to provide eight members for parliament, and thereby to retain their fer-, vices. We should also obferve, that he propofed a limitation of penfions to 60,000l. a year; but he did not propofe to take away any man's prefent penfion, and thought it more prudent in that respect not to adhere to the letter of the petitions.

To this plan of reduction he fubjoined a plan of arrangement. This he profeffed to be his favourite part of the fcheme, as he conceived it would effectually prevent all prodigality in the civil lift in future. He propofed to eftablish a fixed and invariable order in all payments, from which the firft lord of the treasury fhould not be permitted upon any pretence whatever to deviate. For this purpofe, he divided the civil lit payments into nine claffes, putting each clafs forward according to the importance or juftice of the demand, or to the inability of the perfons intitled to enforce their pretenfions. In the frit of thefe claffes were placed the judges; the minifters to foreign courts in the fecond; tradefmen, who fupplied the crown, in the third; domeftic fervants of the king, and all perfons in efficient offices, whofe falaries did not exceed 2001. a year, in the fourth; the penfions and allowances of the royal family, comprehending of

the ftated allowance of the privy purfe, compofed the fifth clafs. The fixth took in thofe efficient offices of duty, whofe falaries might exceed two hundred pounds a year; the whole penfion lift was included in the feventh; the offi. ces of honour about the king in the eighth; and in the ninth, the falaries and penfions of the first lord of the treasury himself, the chancellor of the exchequer, and the other commiffioners of that department. To thefe arrangements were added fome regulations, which would for ever have prevented any civil lift debt from again coming on the public.

No fmall ufe was made in this fpeech of the economical reform, which Mr. Necker had introduced in the French finances, and the great effects which it had already produced, both as an example and ground of argument, for adopting Mr. Burke's fystem.

Such was the nature and defign of this celebrated plan of reform, which took up the largest part of this very long feffion. During a long fpeech of more than three hours, every fide of the Houfe fhewed equal marks of the most profound attention. Men of all parties, however many of them might afterwards oppofe, or difapprove of Mr. Burke's fyftem, could not for the prefent refrain from beltowing their applause. Nor were his opponents in parliament by any means backward in declaring their admiration, of that amazing fund of knowledge, with refpect to every fubject of conftitutional right, of foreign policy, of domeftic or colonial government, and of relative or ge

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neral

general commercial interefts, of which that gentleman had upon the prefent as well as former occafions, given fuch eminent proofs.

The minifter felt that the Houfe was much struck and affected with what they had heard. He knew that the public loudly called for fome plan of reform; and one now appeared, which it would be highly dangerous to try the experiment of rejecting on the first propofal. He therefore agreed to admit the queftion on the firft motion. He, who is ufually candid and liberal in his manner of treating his adverfaries; and being a man of great abilities and eloquence, feems pleafed with talents, even when they prefs hard upon himself; now paffed the highest encomiums on the author of the plan. He likewife affured the Houfe, that no member in it was more zealous for the eftablishment of a permanent fyftem of ceconomy than he was himfelf. But, that befides the fubjects of the prefent being fo numerous and various as to require fome time for comprehenfion, fome of them likewife affected the king's patrimonial income, on which account, he thought the permiffion of the crown fhould be first obtained before they proceeded on them. On this ground he proposed to poftpone the three bills which related to the crown lands, and to the uniting the principality of Wales, the county palatine of Chester, with the duchy and county palatine of Lancaster, to the crown. Although this diftinction was ftrongly controverted; yet, when it was infifted on as a point of decorum only, it was agreed to

poftpone the bills to a future day. In three days after, they were, however, brought in without oppofition. The laft bill, for uniting the duchy of Cornwall to the crown, was objected to by the furveyor general of the duchy, on account of the minority of the Prince of Wales, whofe rights were concerned. Although the minifter was totally filent on the fubject, and that Mr. Burke ftrongly contended against the principle of the objection, he, however, at length, confented to withdraw that motion for the prefent. Thus the queftion for bringing in the bills, paffed for that time without any difficulty.

We have feen before the recefs, that on the lofs of the Earl of Shelburne's firft motion, he deferred his fecond (which he, however, left during the intermediate time for confideration) to the 8th of February, for which day the lords were then fummoned. There was accordingly an exceeding full Houfe on the appointed day, and the noble earl opened the businefs with a motion to the following purport.

That 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 faving can be made, confiftent with public dignity, juf tice, and gratitude, by an abolition of old and new created offices, the duties of which have either ceafed, or fhall on enquiry prove

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