1786.

Hiftory of the Briti]b Parliament.

ternally would be found to be the fource of fatis faction, and of ftrength to this country. That a full and free participation of commercial advantages fhould produce any other confequences he did not expect. The kill and ingenuity of our manufacturers; the boldness, the enterprize, and the experience of our mariners; the large float ing property our merchants poffeffed, all thefe were circumstances to ground a rational hope upon, that with care and attention, economy and prudence, Great Britain would rife rapidly; her commerce was already encreasing apace, her vigour returning, and her wealth beginning to accumulate. To what then had we to look, but to the pleafing profpect of her being enabled foon to raise her head among the nations.

Mr. Eden returned the worthy alderman his hearty and fincere thanks for the honour he had done him in feconding his amendment, and for the valuable body of information he had communicated to the committee. He faid, he would very readily embrace the worthy alderman's proposed amendment and let it stand ftates of America, instead of united states. Indeed ftrong reafons had occured to him that it ought to be fo, within thefe few minutes. Mr. Eden then proceeded to adduce a variety of arguments to fhew that the particular state of the tobacco trade and the different duties under which tobacco was ime ported into this country and into Ireland, rendered it highly neceffary, that fome guard should be put into the propofitions on that point.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer acknowledg, ed that he perceived fome weight in the obfervations this day made, though he did not by any means view them in the lame forcible light, in which they seemed to appear to the hon. Gen tleman who urged them. He acknowledged that it would in fairness be expected of Ireland to lay fuch duties in Ireland as would give the produce of our colonies a preference over that of foreign countries, but beyond this we had nothing to require. We were not at prefent to regulate the foreign trade of Ireland, every fuch authority had long fince been difclaimed. But in what regarded the immediate produce of our colonies, there was not the smallest doubt but Ireland was to lay fuch duties on all foreign importation, as muft give ours an effectual preference. Under this head, however, he was not ready to fay that we were to include tobacco, which was not by any means fo much the growth of our colonies, as of other places, nor would their produce be adequate to the demand for tobacco, even to fupply the internal confumption of Ireland. He was not therefore to be underflood as pledging himself to go every length which feemed this night to be pointed out, while he acknowledged that the ideas fuggefted on this occafion were deferving of every attention and regard.

Lord Beauchamp faid, that were his motion of yesterday adopted, it would prevent the difagreeable dilemma in which the house were now involved, by being obliged either to undertake the office of legiflating for Ireland, or facrificing, perhaps, in fome degree, the interests of the revenue of this country, as well as the advannge of its colonies.

After this a long and very defultory debate

269

arofe, in which the article of tobacco feemed to be most alluded to, when after several speeches, in which Mr. Dundas, Mr, Fox, Mr. Jenkinson Mr. Powis, Mr. Pelham, the Attorney and Solicitor General, Lord North, and others fpoke, the question was put, and the refolution amended as above, and after fome explanations taking place, in which it was agreed to debate it when the claufe for giving a preference to the produce of each country should come to be discussed, it was carried without a divifion.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer then moved his 6th refolution, which in its amended state ftands as follows:

"Refolved, that it is the opinion of this committee.

"6. That in order to prevent illicit practices, injurious to the revenue and commerce of both kingdoms, it is expedient that all goods, whether of the growth, produce, or manufacture of Great Britain or Ireland, or of any foreign country, which shall hereafter be imported inte Great Britain from Ireland, or into Ireland from Great Britain, fhould be put, by laws to be paffed in the parliaments of the two kingdoms, under the fame regulations with respect to bonds, cockets, and other inftruments, to which the like goods are now fubject, in paffing from one port of Great Britain to another."

Lord North faid, he would, not at present op pofe this refolution, as he had little hopes of fucceeding in having it altered in fuch a manner as he should wish, viz. for changing duties for pro hibitions; he at the fame time laid in his claim to contend in favour of prohibitions in fome futue ftage of the difcuffion.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer replied, by making fome obfervations in fupport of prohibitory duties, againft direct prohibitions.

Mr. Sheridan faid, that in the course of this bufinefs, he avoided giving his vote against any of the Irish propofitions, confidering them in their original state as ferviceable to that country, and poffeffing none of those ruinous confequences to the interefts of this country, which were fo generally attributed to them; but though the opinion he before entertained of them induced him thus, in fome measure to acquiefce in the provifons, he could no longer do fo, when he perceived the independance of Ireland so much affected by the alteration. He believed it neceffary that fomething fhould be done for Ireland; but delufive and chimerical advantages were all that at prefent retained in the provifion of this arrangement. All the advaantages at any time offered to Ireland confiited in foreign trade, which by the amendments and alterations daily making, were now reduced to nothing; and the privilege of the English market, which yet remained to them, was a circumftance from which they could not poffibly profit. After making a variety of obfervations on the provision of the 6th propofition, he moved that the laft claufe, from the word "another," be omitted.

Mr. Rofe then rofe to speak on the advantages of prohibitory duties over direct prohibitions, which drew on a converfation between him, Mr. Pitt, Lord North, and Mr. Fox.

The Solicitor General faid he wished the hon.
Gentleman

Nor were we wanting in our best efforts,

To teach him what was right, and what was

wrong.

But he, the wilful, self-sufficient youth,
Would only liften to the fycophant,
Or to the tamer of the headstrong steed,
Or to the master of the twanging bow.
Befides, his premature participation,
With his great father, in affairs of state,
So much intoxicated his weak mind,
That being giddy with the fumes of power,
He foon difcarded learning from his breaft,
To every elegant enjoyment loft.
Thereafter, deeming every other man
Merely the creature of his changeful will,
From fteep to steep of abfolute command,
From wild to wild of lawlefs luft he roams,
Like a vain meteor, across the skies
Tremendous fhining to fwift diffipation.
Yet may we make one defperate attempt,
To turn him from the fatal precipice.
Perhaps a latent fpark of virtue dwells
In fome dark corner of his gloomy heart,
Which only waits occafion to expand,
And to expel the rubbish from around it.
If farther counfels might accomplish this,
What good would flow to him, what joy to us!

ALPINA S.

Go, ftop the headlong cataract, command
The raging deep to hufh its angry roar;
Go, bind the furious tempeft, and withhold
The bafty lightning breaking from the cloud;
Then go, and not till then go, to restrain
Outrageous Commodus from evil works,

VARRO.

N O T E.

If this is fo, the jaws of jeopardy
Yawn wide before him: miferable man!
O for the wisdom of an Antoninus,
To reafon and to rescue him from ruia!
Hillborough.
J. H.
*For the fake of the unlearned reader, it may
be neceffary to mention here, that Commodus
was the eighteenth emperor of Rome, and per-
haps as bad a one as ever obtained that furprifing
fummit of dominion; though fome of his im-
perial predeceffors, from the abandoned wicked-
Defs of their lives, ieem to have had renounced
every claim to humanity. Who has not heard of
a Caligula, and a Nero? Their favage difpofiti-
ons, and horrid crimes, have entailed upon their
memories the deteftation of all ages.

It may likewife be proper to add, that by the prefent performance,, which is founded on the truth of hiftory, the author intended to exhibit a view, of what fort of perfons thofe mafters of the world, as they have been called, generally were. Why he made choice of Commodus for that purpose, in preference to any of the other amperors equally vile and vicious, he has it not in his power to inform curiofity; as the circumftances, which give rife to literary productions, cannot always be ascertained with precifion. But he is enabled to obferve, what is much more worthy of being attended to, that whoever duly confiders the condition of the Roman people un

H

A Character.

USH'D be each thought-let malice reign,
Triumphant in my breast,

Cries out the selfish man, 'tis plaing

I'll nearer be to reft.

Forth malice come, its envious darts,
Environed all his foul,

He's not content for ardour fmarts;

O let him bear controul.

This likewife haftes to foothe his mind,
Ambition next infpires,

Nor this can pleafe, ftill crofs inclin'd
He fans vile treach'ry's fires.

On he purfues, 'till his weak bands,
Destroyed by the wife,

Point out to fhun the shelving fands;
Of base malicious lies.

A

Epigram.

R. Y.

Told his Curate each Sunday to pray for his

health;

Which oft having done, a parithoner faid,
That the Curate ought rather to wish he was

dead.

For my truth, fays the Curate, let credit be

giv'n,

I ne'er pray'd for his death, but I have for his-living.

N 0 T E.

der the reigns of the emperors, from whatever
fources he may derive his information, can hard-
ly fail of having his mind strongly impreffed with
indignant ideas of arbitrary power, and his heart
dilated with fentiments in favour of civil liber-
ty and its concomitant bleffings. He shall then
perceive human nature in a point of view the
most abject and humiliating: fince, after the
abolition of their liberties by Julius Cæfar, there
arole an almost uninterrupted fucceffion of ty
rants, who reduced the Romans to a state of
vaffalage and wretchedness, which perhaps has
not its parallel in the hiftory of any nation. The
Romans as defcribed by Tacitus, for instance,
fcareely appear to be the fame race of men with
thofe courageous citizens celebrated by Livy, fo
much had they been depreffed by the cruel hand
of tyranny. And the confequence of this fpirit
of oppreffion on the one hand, and of that fer-
vile degeneracy on the other, was eventually the
noted diffolution of the Roman empire. Would
it not feem to follow therefore, as a natural con
clufion from what has been remarked, that mo-
dern governments never fhould endeavour to ex-
ercife unwarrantable authority over the people,
and that the people, in cafe of fuch arrogant at
tempts, never fhould fubmit to them? For, 43
Additon makes his Cato speak,

A day, an hour, of virtuous liberty,
Is worth a whole eternity in bondage.

FOREIGN

་་

Nor were we wanting in our best efforts,

To teach him what was right, and what was

wrong.

But he, the wilful, felf-fufficient youth,
Would only liften to the fycophant,
Or to the tamer of the headstrong steed,
Or to the master of the twanging bow.
Befides, his premature participation,
With his great father, in affairs of state,
So much intoxicated his weak mind,
That being giddy with the fumes of power,
He foon difcarded learning from his breaft,
To every elegant enjoyment loft.
Thereafter, deeming every other man
Merely the creature of his changeful will,
From fteep to steep of abfolute command,
From wild to wild of lawless luft he roams,
Like a vain meteor, across the skies
Tremendous fhining to fwift diffipation.
Yet may we make one defperate attempt,
To turn him from the fatal precipice.
Perhaps a latent spark of virtue dwells
In fome dark corner of his gloomy heart,
Which only waits occafion to expand,
And to expel the rubbish from around it.
Ir farther counfels might accomplish this,
What good would flow to him, what joy to us!

ALPINA S.

Go, ftop the headlong cataract, command
The raging deep to hufh its angry roar;
Go, bind the furious tempeft, and withhold
The hafty lightning breaking from the cloud;
Then go, and not till then go, to restrain
Outrageous Commodus from evil works,

VARRO.

If this is so, the jaws of jeopardy
Yawn wide before him: miferable man!
O for the wifdom of an Antoninus,
To reason and to rescue him from ruia!
Hillborough.

N

от E.

J. H.

* For the fake of the unlearned reader, it may be neceffary to mention here, that Commodus was the eighteenth emperor of Rome, and perHaps as bad a one as ever obtained that furpifing fummit of dominion; though fome of his imperial predeceffors, from the abandoned wickednefs of their lives, feem to have had renounced every claim to humanity. Who has not heard of a Caligula, and a Nero? Their favage difpofitions, and horrid crimes, have entailed upon their memories the deteftation of all ages.

It may likewife be proper to add, that by the prefent performance,, which is founded on the truth of history, the author intended to exhibit a view, of what fort of perions thofe mafters of the world, as they have been called, generally were. Why he made choice of Commodus for that purpose, in preference to any of the other amperors equally vile and vicious, he has it not in his power to inform curiofity; as the circumftances, which give rife to literary productions, cannot always be alcertained with precifion. But he is enabled to obferve, what is much more worthy of being attended to, that whoever duly confiders the condition of the Roman people un

der the reigns of the emperors, from whatever
fources he may derive his information, can hard-
ly fait of having his mind ftrongly impreffed with
indignant ideas of arbitrary power, and his heart
dilated with fentiments in favour of civil liber-
ty and its concomitant bleffings. He shall then
perceive human nature in a point of view the
moft abject and humiliating: fiuce, after the
abolition of their liberties by Julius Cæfar, there
arole an almost uninterrupted fucceffion of Ly-
rants, who reduced the Romans to a state of
vaffalage and wretchedness, which perhaps has
not its parallel in the hiftory of any nation. The
Romans as defcribed. by Tacitus, for inftance,
fcarcely appear to be the fame race of men with
thofe courageous citizens celebrated by Livy, fo
much had they been depreffed by the cruel hand
of tyranny. And the confequence of this fpirit
of oppreffion on the one hand, and of that fer
vile degeneracy on the other, was eventually the
noted diffolution of the Roman empire. Would
it not feem to follow therefore, as a natural con
clufion from what has been remarked, that mo-
dern governments never fhould endeavour to ex-
ercife unwarrantable authority over the people,
and that the people, in cafe of fuch arrogant at-
tempts, never fhould fubmit to them? For, 23
Additon makes his Cato speak,

A day, an hour, of virtuous liberty,
Is worth a whole eternity in bondage.

FOREIGN

THE