minority, that adminiftration were as much at variance, as the title, preamble, and body of the bill.

Though the amended claufe was much oppo ed in debate, it was, however, at length received withSout a divifion. The minority could not now conceal their joy and triumph. A gentleman eminent for his eloquence and abilities, felicitated the house and the nation, on the escape they had from, at least a temporary ftate of tyranny, and which was perhaps intended, in good time, to have been rendered perpetual. He congratulated the minority, who notwithstanding their weaknefs in number, had accomplished that happy event, by their correction of fo reprehenfible and dangerous a bill; though a minority, the minifters were not only convinced, but afhamed, and had accepted of their alteration. The noble Lord at the head of affairs, he faid, was obliged to the minority alone, for digesting,

altering, and correcting his bill; neither he nor the nation, owed any obligation to his numerous friends the majority, who were ready to fwallow it, with all its original crudities, errors, injustice, and cruelty..

Their gaining this favourite point, did not prevent their ftill continuing to combat, though more faintly, the principle of the bill, and carrying their oppofition, after a long and late debate, to a divifion upon the queftion of the third reading, which was carried against them, by a majority of 112 to 35. The main queftion being then put, that the bill do país, it was carried without a divifion.

The bill paffed the Lords without debate or amendment; the minority peers having fo generally abfented themselves from that houfe, that the Earl of Abingdon found himself alone in entering a protest against it.

CHAP.

faid, that it was a mockery of the Commons, to lay a heap of indigeiled, ambiguous, or unintelligible papers before them, under the colour and name of giving a fair fatement of the difpofal of the public money.

With respect to particular charges, the contracts for horfes, for tranfports, and for rum, afforded the principal fubjects of animadverfion. It was faid, that round fums of money were charged in a fingle line, for the purchase, or the keeping of the former, without any fpecification of price or number. That the charge made for the hire of fhipping in the tranfport fervice, was very confiderably above the ufual price, without any adequate caufe for the rife. That in the beginning of the prefent troubles, whilst trade was ftill flourishing, and a greater demand confequently for fhipping, they were hired at the rate of 9s. per ton, but now, when trade is nearly annihilated, and a vast number of merchant fhips confequently out of employ, government genercufly rifes the price without regard to the market, and faddles an already ruined and plundered nation, with an unwarranted additional expence of four or five fhillings in the ton, and that for every month, in the year, merely to gratify and enrich a few rapacious contractors.

But the contracts for fupplying the army in America with rum, afforded a wider field for animadverfion, and were more feverely fcrutinized than any others. Thefe, it was faid, fo far as their terms were acknowledged, were rated at about four fhillings a gallon, which was full a fhilling

higher than the market price. But this impofition upon the pubtic was not fufficient. The fame perfon, whofe charge had been allowed for the the purchase and keeping of horfes without tale, had also been favoured with the privilege and benefit of fupplying rum in the aggregate, without the trouble or inconvenience of afcertaining any quantity. This perfon had obtained credit for the grofs fum of 35,000l. wrote off in two lines, For rum delivered "in America, for the use of the " forces there," without the fmalleft fpecification of the quantity, the quality, the price, the time when delivered, or the perfons by whom received. Such, faid they, are the accounts laid before parliament, to enable the commons to do juftice to their conftituents, and to afford them the fatisfaction of knowing, that their money was not more wifely beftowed, than frugally applied. They can no longer entertain any doubt of the integrity of their governors, or the watchful attention of their reprefentatives, when they fee fuch an item as 35,000 l. ftruck off at once to an obfcure perfon, without the accompanyment of a fingle ray of light, or the fmalleft collateral proof or circumftance, which might tend to fatisfy them that the tranfaction was a fair one, or, if foul and difhoneft, which might lead to the detection of the fraud.

This difcuffion led to much fevere reflection upon contractors in general, and the under influence obtain. ed, and the pernicious confequences that attended, the granting of contracts to members of that

houfe.

houfe. This, they faid, carried the dangerous properties of a twoedged fword, which cut fatally both ways at once. The na tional treafure was fquandered in an iniquitous contract, and the contractor was bribed with their own money to betray the interests of his conftituents. The ruinous confequences of the tranfaction were extended ftill farther, and impeded all the parts of the public fervice. The contractor, fully fenfible of the conditions upon which he obtained the favour, well knowing that it was estimated to him at all the money which it could poffibly produce, that the manner of fulfilling the contract was not at all thought of, and that he would be entirely covered from all enquiry into his conduct, laid himfelf out, without caution or apprehenfion, to make the most of his bargain.

Thus it was, they faid, that our armies and fleets were rendered incapable of fervice; and thus, without fighting, our brave feamcn and foldiers were deftroyed by bad and unwholesome provifions. The very excefs of the calamity, and the confequent increase of hofpitals, which proceeded from one job, filled up the measure of intended profit for others. From hence it was, that lean beef and carrion pork, were falted in the heat of the dog days, and fent off from Ireland to New York and Canada. From hence, damaged American flour, which having out-paffed the market, had lain in the warehoufes of London and Bristol, till it became totally unmerchantable, was bought up at a con

temptible price, and fent back to the continent which produced it, to fpread infection and death through the British army and navy, whilft the nation was paying for that trah, the highest price that was given for the bett English flour. And thus, they faid, was a most unhappy and ruinous civil war prolonged, and rendered ftill more fatal, by the corrupt, and fhameful manner ia which it was conducted.

The minister took very confiderable pains to obviate the intricacy of the accourts, and to fupply their deficiency by explanation. He ftated the num ber and price of the horles, and inufted that they were purchated in the most advantageous manner, and upon the most reafonable terms. He denied that the hire of shipping had advanced fo much in price as had been flated. He faid the price given by government for tranfports, and which it did not exceed, was twelve fhilings and fix-pence per ton. That however confiderable that rife was, beyond the flandaid price in time of peace, nothing could be more reasonable or equitable.

Infurance had rifen to an enormous pitch. Seamens wages were more than doubled. Government employed none but the best and ftouteft fhips. Thefe were armed, and provided for war and defence. Thus, befides the advance on wages, the merchant was obliged to employ a double number of hands. And that it was evidently impoffible for him to fupport all thofe extraordinary charges, without confiderable advance on the price of tonnage.

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The affair of the rum tracts, rather afforded more trouble to the noble Lord than any other. It was acknowledged that the price given on that contract, which had excited fo much cenfure and ridicule from its being unaccompanied with any fpecification in the account laid before the houfe, was five fhillings and three-pence per gallon. But intead of admitting any want of attention or economy in the give ing of this high price, the lower rates of the other contracts were brought as proofs of the greatest vigilance and frugality, and it was almoft infinuated, that the contractors must be lofers upon them.

A round fum of 44,0001 which had been charged in the accounts as iffued to Col. Fawcit, without any explanation, or fpecification of purpose, was among thofe items which had undergone cenfure, and which was now accounted for, by fhewing that it had been applied to fatisfy an unexpected demand, made by the Landgrave of Heffe for levy-money. This demand was founded upon the treaty of 1755, though notice whatsoever had been taken of it in the late treaty.

no

The minifter reprefented the demand to be fair, though unexpected, and the payment of the money to be of courfe equitable and neceffary. The Landgrave had quoted the treaty of 1755 as a precedent; that treaty was particularly understood to be the bafis of the prefent: this was prefumed to draw after it all the advantages of the former, as well as to fecure the due performance of its own particular engage

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As to other objections that had been made, it was contended, that the strictest œconomy, and greatest frugality, had prevailed in all the departments of government; that the contracts had been conducted with the greatest prudence and judgment, and the beft poffible terms obtained from the contractors. was denied, that any preference had been given to members of that house in contracts. They were always entered into with thofe, who feemed the most able, and who were the best calculated to fulfil their obligations. That, however, there was nothing particular in the fituation of a gentleman's holding a feat in that house, which fhould exclude him from the advantages he might otherwife derive as a man of bufinefs, either from his engagements with the public, or with individuals. That fome bad provifions had been fent to America was acknowledged; but that was attributed to the neceffity of the cafe, and the fuddennefs of the demand. When good meat could not be procured, cattle muft be killed, though even out of

feafon

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