things utterly unknown to the laws of this land, and which arise from a fundamental mistake of the whole order and tenor of our conftitution.

Parliament is not a congress of ambaffadors from different and hoftile interefts; which interefts each must maintain, as an agent and advocate, against other agents and advocates; but parliament is a deliberative affembly of one nation, with one intereft, that of the whole; where, not local purpofes, not local prejudices ought to guide, but the general good, refulting from the general reafon of the whole. You chufe a member indeed; but when you have chosen him, he is not member of Bristol, but he is a member of parliament. If the local conftituent should have an intereft, or should form an hafty opinion, evidently oppofite to the real good of the rest of the community, the member for that place ought to be as far, as any other, ⚫ from any endeavour to give it effect. I beg pardon for faying fo much on this fubject. I have been unwillingly drawn into it; but I fhall ever use a respectful frankness of communication with you. Your faithful friend, your devoted fervant, I fhall be to the end of my life: A flatterer you do not wish for. On this point of instructions, however, I think it scarcely poffible, we ever can have any fort of difference. Perhaps I may give you too much, rather than too little trouble.

From the first hour I was encouraged to court

your

your favour to this happy day of obtaining it, I have never promised you any thing, but humble and perfevering endeavours to do my duty. The weight of that duty, I confess, makes me tremble; and whoever well confiders what it is, of all things in the world will fly from what has the least likeness to a pofitive and precipitate engagement. To be a good member of parliament, is, let me tell you, no eafy tafk; efpecially at this time, when there is fo ftrong a difpofition to run into the perilous extremes of fervile compliance or wild popularity. To unite circumfpection with vigour, is abfolutely neceffary; but it is extremely difficult. We are now members for a rich commercial city; this city, however, is but a part of a rich commercial nation, the interests of which are various, multiform, and intricate. We are members for that great nation, which however is itself but part of a great empire, extended by our virtue and our fortune to the fartheft limits of the east and of the weft. All these wide-fpread interests must be confidered; must be compared ; must be reconciled if poffible. We are members for a free country; and furely we all know, that the machine of a free conftitution is no fimple thing; but as intricate and as delicate, as it is valuable. We are members in a great and antient monarchy; and we must preserve religiously, the true legal rights of the fovereign, which form the

22

SPEECH AT THE CONCLUSION,

&'c.

key-stone that binds together the noble and wellconftructed arch of our empire and our conftitution. A conftitution made up of balanced powers muft ever be a critical thing. As fuch I mean to touch that part of it which comes within my reach. I know my inability, and I wish for support from every quarter. In particular I fhall aim at the friendship, and fhall cultivate the best correspondence, of the worthy colleague you have given me.

I trouble you no farther than once more to thank you all; you, gentlemen, for your favours; the candidates for their temperate and polite behaviour; and the fheriffs, for a conduct which may give a model for all who are in publick ftations.

MR.