1756. ACCOUNT of the new hogshead at a draught, or employ 150 taylors for fix weeks to make him a fuit, when a Lilliputian, of the fize of mafter Simpfon, is content with a common draught, and can be dreft completely, a la mode de Lilliput, in the ufual time, and by the ufual number of workmen ? But, waving the abfurdity of the fiction, there is no merit in the rest of the compofition. The fable runs as follows. Lord Flimnap, jealous of his lady's indulging herself in too great familiarities with the Man-mountain, fends to his wife's two brothers, Bolgolam and Fripperel, to confult with them on this occafion. Bolgolam is a rough tarpaulin admiral; Fripperel is a fop, and a fine gentleman; and the dialogue of each confifts of nothing but the pert common-place language of both those characters, which has merit or entertainment, but as it comes from the mouths of children, who perform their parts with fpirit. Their conference, however, takes up the first scene, which ends as it began, in nothing. The perfonages of the fecond fcene are Fripperel and lady Flimnap, who, it feems, have luckily intercepted a billetdoux from a Lilliputian beauty to lord Flimnap, and concert measures how to make the beft ufe of it. The rest of the fcene is enlivened with fome delicate ftrokes of humour on her ladyship's passion for the Man-mountain. ENTERTAINMENT. B 575 that is fo difptoportioned, that I'll match our little rakes in Lilliput, with any of our finest gentlemen in England." But Gulliver, perhaps, made dull by defign; fo to enliven the scene, enter lady Flimnap, who, after difmiffing her waitingmaid, declares her paffion to Gulliver in Agrofs terms, without the affiftance even of a double entendre; and indeed, fo unguarded is her little ladyfhip's converfation thro' this whole fcene, that (the groffnefs and ftupidity of it confidered together) I am apt to think, the audience would not have liftened to it patiently, if it had been carried on by a grown woman. Gulliver, however, not liftening to her love, he has recourfe to the hackneyed expedient of accufing him, to her husband and brothers, of an attempt to carry her off: Upon which the enraged Lilliputians fummon him to attend the grand court of juftice on the morrow, to anfwer for his offences before the king and peers. Matters being thus fettled, exit Gulliver and enter Keeper with a letter to lord Flimnap, which is C no other than the above-mentioned intercepted billet-doux; on a declaration of which by lady Flimnap, Bolgolam_challenges his lordship, and they retire to fight; but foon return with the news of the whole city's being in an uproar, by the efcape of the Man-mountain. This incident, Bolgolam's threats, and Fripperel's raillery fettles all family differences; and lord and lady Flimnap are fully reconciled by agreeing to allow each other a mutual latitude in gaming, gallantry, and all other fashionable vices. Irony is the most difficult fpecies of humour, and requires to be touched by a more delicate pen than that of our authorling; for which reafon the fatire of this catastrophe E gives but little fatisfaction, and appears rather fhocking in the mouths of children, tho' it must be owned, that the performance of thefe aftorlings has given a fanction to the dullness of our authorling." PROLOGUE to the MISER, acted In fcene the third, after fome common- D place raillery, on the English nation, thrown out by the Lilliputian mob, follows the proceffion, occafioned by Gulliver's being created a nardac of Lilliput, which feems to be good-naturedly levelled at the Coventgarden proceffions. This ceremony ended, Gulliver opens his part in this little drama, and manifefts himself to be fuch a very dull fellow, that we may fafely venture to declare the heroe of this piece, to be in no wife related to Lemuel Gulliver. Confidering his ftrange fituation, one might expect fome characteristic reflections from him on the whimsicalnefs of his circumftances: Inftead of which he talks of every thing about him (even F in foliloquy) with as grave an air as he would of any fimilar occurrence in England. As a fpecimen of the wit and ob at Drury Lane, Dec. 17. to raise Money for cloathing deferted and friendless Boys for the Sea. Writ by Mr. Derrick, and spoke by Mr. Smith. servation of our modern Gulliver take trophies boaft, HILE Gallia's arms triumphant the following foliloquy. "Notwithstand[coaft; ing the figure I make here, the honours I have received, and the greater things intended me, I grow fick of my fituation-G I fhall either farve, or be facrificed to the envy and malice of my brother peers. -They'll never forgive the fervice I have done their country- I wish myself at home again, and plain Gulliver-Every thing is in miniature here but vice, and main; And hoftile banners brave Britannia's 576 Anecdotes of Sir EDWARD HAWKE. Dec. " The merchant cries, "Revenge your coun- Now form the free-born phalanx thro A horted him to behave well, and faid he hoped to fee him a captain; the youth replied, a captain! Sir, if I did not think Ifhould come to be an admiral, I'd never go." He was fome years a lieutenant in the navy; but on March 20, 1733, was made captain of the Flamborough man of war, at Jamaica, by Sir Chaloner Ogle. In the famous action in the Mediterranean, he commanded the Berwick, and he behaved in fo gallant a manner, under the two ill-matched admirals, that at the next promotion of flag officers, July 15, 1747, he was appointed a rear-admiral of the white. On October 14, 1747, being fent out with a fleet to intercept a French fquadron, bound to the Weft-Indies, he fell in with them in lat. 47° 50' N. and long. 1° 2' weft of Cape Finifterre, (fee our volume for 1747, p. 482.) and after giving them an hearty drubbing, took fix of their capital fhips, which were added to the royal navy. For his bravery on this occafion, he was created a knight of Cthe Bath, and raifed to the rank of viceadmiral, and is so much efteemed by his countrymen, and in such high reputation, both as a man of honour and integrity, and as a gallant, experienced and fucceffful officer, that we thought the annexed beautiful engraving of him, would be highly pleafing to our readers. And roam, the vagrant butchers of man- B doms fhore, Be Britons ftill what Britons were of yore, [run, The patriot fire from breast to breaft shall Our fons fhall finish what our fires begun, Nor can we doubt Britannia's future fame, [flame; Wage early war, and vindicate their king; D crew [you. Shall hail the hero whom they owe to [The Epilogue in our Appendix.] The TURN-COAT. An Epigram. IS head long fince Sir Gutling turn'd, HTwas pity no man thought; But all the world feem'd much concern'd The conteft o'er, now haft thou got To fee how much folks think thy coat Some Account of the Hon. Sir EDWARD terranean. BILLS of Mortality from Oct. 26, to Chriftoned Buried, E F Buried Nov. 23. Under 2 Years of Age 660 Between 2 and 5 231 5 and 10 59 10 and 20 52 20 and 30 141 30 and 40 114 40 and 50 174 50 and 60 347 60 and 70 112 75 37 g0 and 100 8 1810 160 Within the Walls City and Sub. Westminster 271 JOURNAL of the PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES in the POLITICAL CLUB, continued from p. 529. In the Debate continued in your last, Mr. Prefident, F mon fenfe itself, was fo plain and fo ftrong against every one of them, I muft allow, that the noble lords who have thought fit to oppofe this bill, were in the right not to make ufe of any fuch arguments in fupport of A their oppofition; and as they neither. have, nor could to any purpofe have made ufe of any of them, I muft take it for granted, that we either muft have a militia, or we must re main liable to be conquered by any foreign army that hal happen to land in this island, provided it be fo numerous as to be able to encounter and defeat the fmall number of na tional mercenaries we can keep in conftant pay. This then is a necef-; fary alternative, and yet notwith-, ftanding the difmal profpect we are prefented with by one fide of this alternative, thofe who oppofe this bill have been fo cruel, as to endeavour to perfuade us, that the other, fide is impracticable. They have endeavoured to fhew that, if fuch a militia as we can depend on for our defence againfl foreign veterans, cannot be established by the militia law now in being, no fuch militia can be eftablished by any law we can contrive: Next they have endeavoured to fhew, that were it poffible to cftablifh fuch a militia, it would be of the most dangerous confequence to our liberties; and, thirdly, They have endeavoured to fhew, that the experiment would be fo expenfive, that it is not worth the nation's while to make it. Such doctrines must be terrible to every true Englishman who confiders the alternative I have mentioned; and therefore for the com. fort of my countrymen, as well as for the fake of the bill now before us, I fhall endeavour to fhew, that every one of them is void of any foundation, either in the nature of 4 D things, ROM the whifpers I heard Thefe, Sir, were the arguments I E 578 PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &c. Dec. things, or in the prefent circumftances of the people of this nation. now fubfifting, it is fcarcely poffible for the crown to cause it to be carried duly into execution. The intention of the law certainly is, that none but gentlemen of character and fortune fhall be appointed officers in the militia; but as the lord lieutenant in each county has an unlimited power to appoint whomfoever he pleases, it is not poffible for the crown to prevent the appointing of fome men of low rank and fortune, and when any one fuch is appointed, gentlemen of fuperior rank and fortune difdain to serve with such officers, and refuse to accept of, or throw up the commiffions they have accepted; by which means all the commiffions in our militia have come at laft to be generally in the hands of men of low rank, and little or no fortune. This is one of the chief caufes that has brought our prefent militia into fuch contempt; and another is, a defect or omiffion in the act itself; for no provifion is therein made for continuing any foot foldier in the fervice for fuch a time as may make him any way mafter of his bufinefs; and the horse militia provided by that act is ridiculous; for there is no obligation upon any man to furnifh fuch a horie as is trained to the fervice, without which no cavalry can be of any ufe, but muft occafion confufion wherever they are. The advisers of the bill now before us were therefore, I think, in the right not to provide for any horse militia; for fuch a one is indeed impoffible, unless you established a riding-house in every divifion; and, indeed, in a country fo much inclosed as this is, there is no great occafion for cavalry; for a body of infantry may always, by means of our inclofures, prevent their being liable to be attacked by cavalry; and for fecuring a diftant pafs, a body of infantry may be mounted on horfeback when great expedition is neceffary. In order to do this, Sir, I must begin with a fhort examination of the militia act we have now fubfifting, and with respect to it I must grant that, if due care had been taken to A carry that law into execution, our militia might always have been upon a much better footing than they are at prefent, but what prevented the due execution of that law is now at an end. When that law was paffed, and for many years after, the difpute B ftill fubfifted among the people, tho' determined by the legislature, about the power of the crown over the militia, which difpute had been one of the causes of the civil war in the reign of Charles the First, and the maxim likewife fubfifted, that the keeping C up of any number of mercenary troops in time of peace, was fo inconfiftent with our conftitution, that the parliament ought never to confent to it. Whilft fuch a difpute, and fuch a maxim prevailed, we cannot wonder at the crown's neglecting D the militia, in order to render the keeping up of a standing army neceflary. But now, I believe, no man difputes the power which the crown ought to have over the militia; nor is any man now fo wrongheaded as to think, that we ought E not always to have, even in time of peace, with confent of parliament, fuch a number of regular troops as may be neceflary for preferving our internal tranquillity, and for oppofing any fudden invafion as may be made with a small number of troops. A well d sciplined militia can therefore now no way interfere with the power or fafety of the crown, but on the contrary will be an addition to both, and confequently we may expect that, if a proper law be pailed for establishing a well difci- G plined militia, the crown will take all poffible care for carrying it duly into execution, But, Sir, with respect to the law F I could mention many other defects, Sir, in the militia laws now fubfifting, A 1756. PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &c. 579 ways keep in or near London, muft require a great many weeks, if not months: Such a preparation we shall always have notice of, if we are not infatuated, at least four or five weeks before it can be finished : Upon the first notice of it, we must fuppofe, that our fovereign will order the militia of fome of the counties at least to be drawn out: From the time they are drawn out they may be exercised every day; and by fuch daily exercise they may in three B or four weeks be fully inftructed, and made compleat masters of every part of military knowledge, in which they were before deficient, fo as to be equal in knowledge and dexterity with any mercenary troops whatever; and as most of our militia will alCways have some stake to fight for, we may reasonably fuppofe, that they will exceed them in courage and refolution. The militia of those counties alone which lie upon the fouth-eaft, fouth, and fouth-west coafts of this island, amount to above 20,000 men, according to what is propofed by the bill now before us: If we had laft winter had fuch a militia eftablished, well difciplined, and ready to be drawn out upon the firft notice, I believe, the French would not fo much as have pretended a defign to invade us, for that they really had fuch a defign I very much doubt. But they would not fo much as have pretended it, because it could not have given us any alarum, or fufpended the execution of any other warlike measure we had refolved on, as with the additions we had made to our army, we could have met them in a few days after their landing, with an army of regulars and militia much fuperior to any they could poffibly embark; and I muft here obfervé, G that if fuch a bill as this had been paffed into a law twenty years ago, much greater and more formidable additions might have been made to our regular army. E But now fuppofe, Sir, that our militia officers, after three or more years fervice, are a little deficient in their knowledge how to form in battalion, or brigade, how to double F their files, how to form the hollow square, or how to perform any of the other operations ufual in war; and fuppofe, that our militia men are not quite fo dextrous as they ought to be in the management of the musket and bayonet; yet let us confider, that to prepare to invade this kingdom with an army fuperior to that we always keep on foot, or even to that part of it which we al |