"And if, after this third poll, the number of votes fhall still fall fhort of 4000, then all perfons rated in the faid diftriét at 100l. per annum and upwards, (and who have already voted in the firit, fecond, and third poil) fhall be intitled to give a fourth vote, paying again, as before 21. 2%.

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And it, after this fourth poll, &c. then all perfons, rated, &c. at 2001. &c. (and who have, &c.) fhall be intitled to give a fifh vote, &c.

"And in like manner, if need be, afcending for every additional 100l. rated, an additional vote, paying an additional

21. 29.

"Every reprefentative thall receive out of the election levy paid by the cloctors, the fum of 400l. to be paid to him by the prefiding officer of the refp:ctive district.

"If, at the conclufion of the poll, the number of votes given fall fell fall fhort of 4500, then the majority of votes given fhall determine the clection; and the deficiency of the fun of eight thousand Bur hunded pounds, fhall be made good by a proportionate afficinent by the pound, according to the rates) on tech non voters who are rated at 201. and upwards, in the Jaid difritt.

"The prefiding officer of cach difuit fall, together with his return of the writ, deliver into the Exchequer, the fum received from the electors (together with the names of thofe who have polled) except the fum of 400l. which he fhall at the fan e time pay to the reprefentative.

Each reprefentative fhail, before he is permitted to take his feat in Parliament, produce a voucher from the Exchequer for at left 8oool. and for as much more (exclufive of 40cl.) as thall have been paid by the voters at his election.

"My Lord, if fome plan on a principle fomething like the foregoing, fhould be taken into confideration, the juftice and whoom of Parliament would, I doubt not, in the proper places infort the proper figures. But, in my judgment, the qualification which Lady entitles a man to vote, fhould be very low, as I have placed it; but the fum to be paid in with the vote fhould be higher than I have placed it; and the affeffiment for thed beiency ought not to defend lower than on thofe rated at This revenue would be Imoft if not altogether voluntary. I world be cert in as to its loweft amount of 4,104,cool. would be paid in ne, and punétually to government. It would fpport a war if neceliary; but it would more probably produce an instant peace: for it is a refource which no country but our own can enjoy; and which would inftantly caft, our enemies into despair. It would enable the prefent miniftry not only to forbear additional taxes, but immediately to relieve many

It

of the heavy burthens of the people. And it would infpire the people with an ardour to bear any neceffary burthen cheerfully.

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My Lord, if the virtue of the times, or if the underftanding of the times, I hope (I fhall not offend any one by laying the fault there) would permit the plan, which I have thus fketched partially and imperfectly on the ipur of the prefent occafion, to be carried to the extent of which it is capable, and that the election levy were by that means to become the only national tax or impofition in the country, the people would inftantly be relieved from full three-fourths of their prefent burdens, and the poorer fort from every burden. The conftitution of the government would become eternal; the national difficulties would vanish; the landed and commercial interest would flourish; moft of the penal laws would be done away; the statutes would at one stroke be reduced to a fingle volume; and that monftrous tax and burden upon the people of law-fuits and proceffes, (equal to and more vexatious than a hundred other taxes) would be almost abolished. This country would become the refuge, the warchoufe, and the metropolis of the world.

"But your Lordship will bardly think me ferious, if I proceed in this ftrain. I may, however furely, without being too romantic, fuppofe that fome part of the administration may be clear fighted enough to fee that the people must be fatisfied in their juft expectations, and moft furely will be fo. Ministers will furely grant with a good grace what cannot be much longer withheld. They will at laft (if not infatuated) catch the prefent fortunate opportunity (in the midit of our diftreffes) to combine an important measure of revenue, with the ceffion of their rights to the people. They will not wait till the people of Ireland have feized by force what we urge with humble intreaty. They will not wait to be received with fcoin and hootings for their offer to us of that, which we should now reccive with gratitude.

"I will venture to affert that they have no time to lofe.

"His Majefty's conduct has rescued his own perfonal character from cenfure, (for in fpite of forms and decorum Kings have a perfonal character) and I doubt not he will for ever henceforward remain very dear to his fubjects. He ftands fully justified from all that has paffed; for he has liftened to the voice of his people, where the conftitution intended that their voice fhould be heard, and to which place the royal ear is by the fame conftitution directed. Members are fent to Parliament to keep up the communication between the King and his fubjects. There it is, in a real and fair Parliament, that the people with their VOL. II.

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voice to be truly heard, and that they may have removed from them the occafion of thofe honeft, because neceffary, though irregular, meetings, petitions, and interference to which they have for fome years paft been involuntarily driven. But the voice of the people in the prefent reign has not been heard till lately (and then heard but once) within the walls of the Houfe of Commons, nor will it be ever heard there again; fiefh errors and fresh milleadings will again take place, the voice of contractors, of penfioners, and jobbers, together with the proprietors of a few decayed burgage tenures, will again be called the only voice of the people, unless the honefty, or the good fenfe of adminiftration afford the remedy by reforming Tubstantially the vices of reprefentation.

"We have been accustomed to be told, that there was fomething behind the throne. My Lord, there can be nothing behind the throne more malevolent to the rights of the people, than what we now fee before it. The people are no longer to be cheated, they look to adminiftration for the late defeat of their wishes,

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"What can they who have carried all for themfelves, carry nothing for the people, who, if Minifters themfelves are to be crediod, have pufhed them into office? The people know that if all the prefent adminiftration had chofen to do them juftice, if they had been half as unanimous for national rights as they have been for national honours and emoluments, the queftion would have been highly carried laft Tuefday. Good God Is it always to be thus one pay mafter denies, the other defpifes the voice of the people.

"What, fays he, the people! If your hands are dirty, will you go to the puddle to clean them ? I am heartily forry, my Lord, that there should be any members of the prefent adminis ftration who require to be informed, that the fane thinness of the web which indkes the water-bubble rife; when rifen makes it burft.

"if they are timely wife, they will yet give to the people their fober, moderate, fair and honeft rights.

"The prerogative of the crown, which is glorious to the monarch, and beneficial to his fubjet, they will place (as it ought to be placed) high, bulliant, and independent-- A great weight at bottom can bear a gren weight at top.

"Ler the aniocracy, unenvied, cujoy their fill and honourable proportion of influence to which they are juflly intitled in the fate, but let them cesie, as a faction, to thackle the hands of ther overcign, whoft mey dobafe and plunder his fubjects.

“I am happy, my Lord, that, without forfeiting your friendflip, I can venture to achiel, the thu hs to you, and that I

am

am able ftill to retain all thofe fentiments of veneration and affection for Lord Afhburton, which the public at large, and every individual who knows him, have, through the course of his life, entertained for Mr. Dunning.

"Mr. Horne had not in the year 1782 taken the additional name of Tooke."

Major CARTWRIGHT examined by Mr. TookE.

Q. Look at that, and fee whether that is your hand-writing? fhewing him a paper.)

Lord Prefident. What is this you are fhewing now to Major Cartwright?

Mr. Tooke. My Lord, this is an accufation on this gentleman, who is a member of the Conftitutional Society, of which I am a member, and of the Society of the Friends of the People, entered into and figned with his name, of the nature and the fame fort of act as the charge brought against me, to thew the object of that which brought them together; and this gentleman is a member of that fociety to which I belong, this is in order to fhew what his mind was in that fociety to which I belong.

Lord Prefident. As far as it tends to fhew your mind it is material; but as far as it tends to fhew Major Cartwright's, it is perfectly immaterial.

Mr. Tooke. I thought the minds of the people with whom I connected was proof against me, fuppofing my mind to be the fame as theirs.

Lord Prefident. That is with refpect to what is charged against you; this accufation makes no part of the charge against you-does it?

Mr. Tooke. No; but it must appear by what means we are entangled, and how it comes that evidence which would not be admifible in any other cafe, is compelled to be admitted here; where a charge is made against a man ignorant of a court of juftice, I fhould have thought myself the last man in the world to produce any pofterior or previous declarations of that which is imputed to be criminal; but in this cafe the profecutors have driven us to that fort of evidence, that any man, however ufed to courts of juftice, would have blufhed to produce, namely, the overt acts laid, which have compelled the profecutor to produce evidence never before produced, and which has compelled this Court to fit from day to day, and introduce that

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train of evils in which I am an unfortunate fufferer. Thus we ftand in every fort of charge, except this charge of compafling the death of the King; the inclinations of men are taken to be valid until they are proved not to be fo. How is the cafe here; you will find throughout the whole of this cafe here is an attempt not to punith the bad actions of man, but a man's fuppofed inclinations; here lays the mifchief, all the evidence feems to endeavour to prove upon men certain inclinations, which are either republican and anti-monarchical or not; a man may be a republican, and yet do no act offenfive. The law punifles an offence if the law fuppofes an inclination evil; it is to be refrained by that punithment which the law fanctions, but here happens a charge, namely, the intention of compaffing the death of the King; the overt act is the intention; here is an intention charged as a crime, and your Lordship knows the neceflity of an overt act to be laid, because the intention or inclination must be fhewn; fuppofe we had an overt act charged of an intention to go to church, if it had been stated in the indictment that an intention was had of going to church for the purpofe of compaffing the death of the King, it would be just as fatal to me as an overt act charged not of a meeting had, but a defire that certain prions thould meet together, and that at that meeting they thould propofe fomething improper to be done, would that be proof of compafling the death of the King? All this difficulty and miftake fprings from an innocent overt act, which mufl be made guilty by every thing upon earth that can be produced; I am fure all the conduct I have received from your Lordship, and the profecutor, has been fuch as has changed the temper of mind with which I came into Court; and I never fhall be able to exprefs my thanks fufficiently. My Lord, I think I am entitled to produce this original act of affociation, in 1780, figned by Mr. Pitt, Mr. Fox, Mr. Sheridan, and other perfons of diftinétion, and in high fituationsthey go to the fame overt act, with expreffions ftronger than thofe ufed by any fociety.-I have heard of omifiions which have been charged as crimes--if the word Parliament is omitted, the omiffion is a crime--if inferted it is a pretext, so that whether the relief was to come from Parliament, or if Parliament is not mentioned, in the fame cafe the Attorney General has loaded me with it over and over again. If I am guilty, every body with me muft be; the minifter himself, for I have his letter, which every mortal refpected and talked of in this country, and I can prove them to be equal traitors with myfelf.

Lord Prefident. If you could prove that, it would not touch this charge; I could have wifhed you had forborne a great

deal