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17513 JOURNAL of the PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES in the POLITICAL CLUB, continued from p. 402.

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S we have generally in our Club his allies, that we may long enjoy a debate upon the address pro- the bleffings of a general peace: To pofed to be prefented to his ma- affure his majefty, that we will chearjefty at the beginning of the feffion, I fully raife fuch fupplies, as fhall be fhall give you the fubftance of fome of found neceflary for the fecurity of the Speeches in our last debate upon his majefty's government, and to that fubject: The motion made in A make good the engagements entered our club upon this occafion, contained into by his majefty for the publick the heads of what the gentleman who good, and which have been commumade it proposed to be the addrefs, as nicated to us: To exprefs the great follows, viz. "To return his ma- fatisfaction, with which we receive his jefty our thanks for his moft gracious majefty's gracious approbation of the fpeech from the throne; and to con- progrefs already made towards regratulate him upon his fafe and ducing the intereft of the national happy return to these kingdoms: debt; affuring his majefty, that we To exprefs our warmest acknowledg- will ufe our immediate endeavours ments of gratitude for his majefty's to finish that great work with justice unwearied endeavours to establish the and equity: To declare our fenfe of present happy tranquillity upon the the happiness we enjoy under his fureft foundations: To congratulate majefty's government; and to affure his majesty on the conclufion of a his majefly, that we will give all treaty with the king of Spain, by poffible attention to whatever may which the particular differences, that promote the trade and commerce of remained unfettled between his ma- these kingdoms; and endeavour to jefty and that crown, are amicably render the laws more effectual by adjusted; and to express our great enforcing their execution, thereby to fatisfaction at the reason there is to difcourage and fupprefs the outragehope, from the affurances his ma- ous enormities committed in defiance jefty has received of the fincere dif- of them." pofition of the catholick king to cement and maintain the most perfect union with his majefty, that the ancient friendship will be reftored, and an uninturrupted good correfpondence fubfift between the two nations, to their mutual advantage and happiness: To acknowledge his majefty's great wisdom and forefight in taking the best measures timely to prevent fuch events, as might hereafter involve Europe in the calamities of war; and to express our wellgrounded hopes, from the full and clear declarations of all the contracting powers in the definitive treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, as well as from his majesty's care and attention to ftrengthen the ties of union and friendship between his majesty and

October, 1751.

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This was the gentleman's motion; and the feveral parts of it, he, in bis introductory speech, endeavoured to explain and enforce; but acknowledged that he had no information as to foreign affairs, except what he had from our publick news-papers, nor any authority but what he had from his majesty's Speech from the throne. However, the motion was feconded; and thereupon T. Sempronius Gracchus ftood up, and spoke to this Effect. F

Mr. President,
SIR,

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ROM what has been propofed by the two Hon. gentlemen who made and feconded this motion, I fhould have concluded, if they had Kkk

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not

442

PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &c.

not told me otherwife, that they were acquainted with all the fecrets of the cabinet, and had seen all the inftructions fent to our ministers at foreign courts, as well as all the advices received from them; for with

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this houfe, and with the uniform practice of our ancestors, to found our refolutions upon any thing but parliamentary knowledge?

But now, Sir, with regard to this news paper knowledge, can any gen

out fuch a thorough knowledge, no A tleman, who has read the common man can, in my opinion, with honews-papers for this twelvemonth nour agree to what they have pro- past, pretend to fay, that we have even from thence a fufficient authoposed; and what gives me much more concern, I am afraid, that such rity for agreeing to what is now a thorough knowledge would be fo propofed? As I have time enough far from warranting fuch a plumb upon my hands, I have read fome of approbation of all our foreign affairs, B the foreign as well as most of our that it would furnish us with fufficiown news-papers; but if the Hon. ent reasons for cenfuring every step gentleman founds his motion upon that has been taken for fome years nothing but what he has read in the paft. As to the authority which, it news-papers, I muft fuppofe he has is pretended, we have from his ma- read none except the London Gajefty's fpeech from the throne, every zette; for if he had read any other, gentleman knows, that in this houfe he could not, furely, talk of the prewe are always to look upon that fent happy tranquillity, when almost fpeech, as the fpeech of the mini- every day's news-papers inform us few very fter; and I have read of of fome of our merchant-fhips being minifters, whofe affeverations, tho' feized by the Spaniards, or of fome in the most religious as well as folemn attack being made upon our infant colony in Nova Scotia by the French; manner, I fhould depend on, with refpect to any fact relating to their own D nor have we of late the leaft account of any endeavours to put a stop to conduct; nor can I fay, that I have more dependence upon the testimony the depredations of the one, or the attacks of the other. What the of our prefent minifters, than I could ever have upon that of any other. I Hon. gentleman means therefore by muft even be fo free as to say, that the present happy tranquillity, I canwhat I have heard this day, renders not comprehend, unless he means the me a little more fufpicious of their tranquillity in Germany; and that would, I believe, have been upon a regard to truth, than I ever was much more folid foundation, if we heretofore. I confefs, I have as lithad never meddled with it; for if tle acquaintance with the affairs of we had never undertaken its defence, the cabinet as either of the Hon. gentlemen, or I believe, as any gen- the princes would have taken care of tleman in the kingdom: I know no- it themselves, by fhewing a little thing of our foreign affairs but what F more condefcenfion to one another, I have from our publick Gazettes, and thereby preferving the union as well as the conftitution of the empire, and thefe I know are often cook'd up in order to deceive; but fuppofe which can never be so effectually difthey were not, and fuppose we had, turbed, as when the conftituent members fall out themfelves, among from this news-paper knowledge, fufficient authority for believing every and rafhly chuse to decide their difthing which, by this motion, we are G putes by the fword, inftead of hav ing them decided by the laws of their to profefs we believe, would this be country. an authority fufficient for this house to found any refolution upon? Is it not inconfiftent with the dignity of

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As to the late treaty with Spain, Sir, if we must talk of it upon the

authority

1751. PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &c. 443

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authority of news papers, I am fure
we have no reafon to talk well of it.
If the articles be fuch as have been
fet forth in fome of our news-papers,
inftead of congratulating, I moft
fincerely condole with my country
upon our being obliged to agree to
it. I cannot fee any thing we have
got by it, but the 100,000l. for our
South-Sea company; and for that
paltry fum we have given up the
affiento contract: We have given up
the claim that company
had upon
Spain, amounting to near a million: B
We have given up all the claims our
merchants had upon Spain, for the
many depredations committed by the
Spanish guarda colta's before the
war, amounting to 3 or 400,cool.
And, finally, we have given up the
freedom of our trade and navigation
in the American feas, and, if the
court of Spain pleases, in every other
fea, and every part of the ocean.
For fuch a trifling fum to give up fuch
confiderable, and fuch juft claims,
or indeed for any fum to barter away
the freedom of our trade and navi- D
gation, would make one think, that
we had not a fhip fit to put to fea
for making reprisals, nor a man able
to bear arms in the kingdom.

I fay, Sir, to barter away the freedom of our trade and navigation; for as the right the Spaniards pretend to for fearching our fhips in the open feas, and feizing and confifcating them, if they find any of what they are pleased to call contraband goods on board, has always by them been founded upon former treaties, our concluding any particu. lar treaty with that nation, and thereby confirming all former treaties, without any explanation, is an acknowledgment of the right they pretend to; and tho' they have hitherto exercised that right only in the feas of America, they have the fame right, and they may hereafter exercife it, in every part of the world. They may fearch our fhips trading upon the coaft of Portugal, or in the

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Mediterranean, in fhort, in any part of the ocean; and if they find any Spanish money, or any of the produce of their American dominions on board, they may from the fame principle claim a right to feize and confifcate fhip and cargo. Can we congratulate his majesty upon the conclufion of fuch a treaty? Can we fay, that any one particular difference has been thereby adjusted, except those that have been tamely, to call it no worse, given up by us? Sir, we all know the complaifance of ministers: We know, that they will proteft in the moft folemn manner, that they have, or that their master has a fincere difpofition to maintain the most perfect union with us, when their actions daily manifeft the direct contrary; and therefore I can entertain no hopes from any affurances given by minifters, who infift upon a right that must occafion continual broils between the two nations, that muft produce a new rupture, unless prevented by a moft abject and fcandalous fubmiffion on our fide; for without this, I will fay, that it is impoffible to live in peace with a nation that pretends to fuch a right, and will exercise it.

As to the wisdom and forefight of our minifters, Sir, in taking the best E measures timely to prevent the events, that might hereafter involve Europe in the calamities of war, I fhall be ready to acknowledge it, when I know what thofe events are, and what measures they have taken to prevent them, in cafe I find, upon examination, that they are really the best for answering the end intended; but without knowing both the events and the measures, I am fure I fhould neither have wifdom nor forefight, if I acknowledged the wifdom and forefight of our minifters; and whatever declarations may have been made by the contracting powers in the definitive treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, I am very fure the late actions of fome of them can give us no K kk 2 hopes

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444

PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &c.

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hopes of long enjoying the bleffings of peace by any other method than that of a late famous minifter, now no more: I mean, by fubmitting tamely to all the infults and indignities they may be pleased to put upon us; for as we must talk upon this A occafion from news papers, do not they inform us, that one of our merchant-fhips being lately obliged to put into one of the Spanish ports in the Weft Indies by stress of weather, and in order to thelter herself from a ftorm, instead of meeting with that comfort and relief, to which fhe was intitled by exprefs treaty as well as by the law of nations, fhe was fearched, feized and condemned, under the old pretence of having contraband goods on board, tho' there was not the leaft proof of her having ever been engaged in any prohibited trade? Do not the French treat us in the most contemptuous manner, by pretending to fend orders to evacuate the Neutral islands, while at the fame time they are every day fortifying themfelves more and more there? What fignify their declarations of peace, when their actions fhould before now have recommenced the war, had we fhewn a proper refentment? And should it at leaft become neceffary for us to fhew a proper refentment, I doubt much, if any alliance we can form could be of advantage to us, because it would draw us into a war upon the conti nent of Europe, which the mifapplying of fo much money in the last, has rendered us now unable to fupport, especially as we muft contribute more when our allies engage upon our account, than when we engage upon theirs.

This, Sir, leads me to the laft head of the addrefs propofed, which I fhall have occasion to speak to,

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and which have been communicated to us, it is impoffible for me, or any one elfe, to comprehend; for no one engagement of any kind has as yet been communicated to us. Surely, the Hon. gentleman will not fay, that our being told, in the speech from the throne, of a treaty with the elector of Bavaria, is a communication of that treaty; or that we ought to engage to make it good, before being informed of any one article in the treaty. If it be only a defenfive alliance, we have nothing to do with it, nor any occafion to engage to make it good: If it be a fubfidy treaty, as we are informed by news-papers it is, I must be against approving it, or engaging to make it good: The experience of what hapCpened in the last war fhould make us refolve against all fubfidy treaties in time of peace: We had for fome years paid a fubfidy to the Danes, and another to the Heffians; but foon after we engaged in the war, the former left us, and the latter actually engaged against us. It will always be fo: The views and circumftances of princes and ftates are changing every day; therefore it is not fubfidies in time of peace, but their own intereft, and our wife counfels, that will make them our friends in time of war, Befides, what occafion have we at present for engaging in any new treaties? We may thereby render things worse, we cannot make them better: His majesty, in his fpeech from the throne, at the opening of last feffion, told us, that all things were well; and we cannot make them better than well, unlefs we were to talk in fcripture language, which is not, I think, the language of politicians. Why then fhould we engage in any new treaties? We may make what declarations we will of the uprightness of

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and by which we are to engage G our intention; but those who are

blindfold to make good all the engagements our minifters have entered into. What the Hon. gentleman means by the words he has added,

our natural enemies will not believe us: They will fuppofe that we have fome ambitious design in view, which

1751. PROCEEDINGS of the will put them upon forming alliances likewife; and by this a mutual jealousy will be raised, which the least accident may kindle into the flames of war.

POLITICAL CLUB, &c. 445. complaifant in our addreffes at the opening of a feffion, than formerly, and much more complaifant than I think we ought to be; but this is a more fulfome compliment, a more particular approbation of measures we know nothing of, a more exprefs promise to make good engagements which we are quite ignorant of, than was ever offered to a British parliament. This the Hon. gentleman who propofed it, was, it feems, himself fenfible of, which laid him under a neceffity to infert fome words, which either have no meaning, or fuch an one as is not strictly true. We cannot therefore agree to it without fome amendment; and the best we can propofe is, to leave out the words or fentences I have mentioned; for which reafon I fhall conclude with moving, by way of amendment, To leave out, &c.

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For these reasons, Sir, I can approve of no fubfidy treaties; and I A am really furprized how minifters can conclude any fubfidy treaty without the leaft previous authority from parliament; for it is bringing us under a dilemma, that we must either expofe our fovereign to the contempt of foreign ftates, by refufing the fubfidy he has engaged to pay, or we must load our country with an expence which we think unneceffary. But of two evils I fhall always be for chufing the leaft, which is that of refufing the promifed fubfidy, because we may in fome de- C gree vindicate our fovereign, by punifhing thofe that advised him, or by fending them in perfon to anfwer for the fubfidy they had advised him to promife; therefore, upon this occafion, I hope we fhall content ourfelves with affuring his majefly, that D we will chearfully raife fuch fupplies as fhall be found neceffary for the fecurity of his government. Thefe words I fhould chufe to leave ftand. ing in the addrefs propofed, but as to all the reft that come between con.

gratulating his majesty upon his safe return, and expreffing our fatisfaction with his majefty's approbation of what we have done in regard to the intereft of the national debt, I think they should all be left out.

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By thus curtailing what the Hon. gentleman has been pleafed to pro- F pofe, we fhall form an addrefs, Sir, that will be confiftent with the dignity of this houfe, and proper to be prefented by an affembly of free Britons to their fovereign; but as it ftands at prefent, it can fuit only a Turkish divan to their fultan. It is, G in my opinion, the most fervile addrefs that was ever propofed to a British houfe of commons: We have for fome years, 'tis true, been more

The next that spoke upon this occafion,
was Julius Florus, whofe Speech
was in Subftance thus.
Mr. Prefident,
SIR,

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F no gentleman were to propofe the addrefs at the opening of the feffion, but one who is thoroughly acquainted with all the fecrets of the cabinet, it could never be propofed by any one but the minifter for the time being, in which cafe there would be much more reafon to call our address the addrefs of the minifter, than there ever was for calling the king's speech the fpeech of the minifter; but every one knows, that his majefty's fpeech at the opening of the feffion, is to give us an account of the state of our affairs both abroad and at home, and to open to us the reafons for his calling us together; and ever fince I have known

any thing of parliamentary affairs, it has been the cuftom of this house, to make our fovereign a compliment upon every fubject he has been

W-P.

pleased

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