prevail that the prefent Ld. Chancellor was to retire with a pension of 2,600l. a year, and the reverfion of a Tellerfhip in the Exchequer befides; and that other penfions to a very confiderable amount were now agitating.

Chanc. Pitt, in reply, faid, the Tellerfhip was in confequence of a former promife made by his Majefty; and the penfion was fubject to the revifion of Parliament.

Mr. Powys thought, that if any exception to the regulations of last year was to be admitted, it ought to be in favour of Chancellors, who quit their profeffions for an office which they hold only during pleafure.

Chanc, Pitt, notwithstanding what the Hon. Gent. who had juft fitten down had faid, expreffed his defire that the bill might go on, as by the leaft delay other A countries might get footing in America, which once eftablished would not be easily removed. He fhould not, however, prefs it contrary to the opinion of thofe who were more immediately interefted in its fuccefs. He had no wish diftinct from the general good; and if B that was properly attended to, his end was answered.

Solic. Gen. had no objection to the deferring of the bill for further confideration. He was forry that Ireland was not in a capacity at prefent to take part in the bill, and the rather as the Hon. Gent. [meaning Mr. Eden] was not Cauthorifed to ufe her name in it. But as that could not be, it was not to be expected that England fhould lofe the opportunity of availing herself of circumitances as they fhould arife, merely becaufe Ireland could not in the fame inftant partake of them. It was, upon the whole, agreed to poftpone the bill till the fenfe of the merchants principally con

Some fpirited altercation enfued. The balances in the hands of public accomptants were mentioned, and Mr. Fox thought himfelf glanced at. He difclaimed all concern in the balances due from his noble relation, vet eventually acknowledged himself interested in fettling the account. The conteft feemed to be grounded on who had profited moft at the public expences and the conclu-D fion was, that thofe who had the greateft fhate had the leaft gratitude. Little was faid refpecting the merits of the Bill; it was however read the fecond time, and ordered to be committed.

The House went then into committee on the bill for establishing a provifional intercourfe with America.

cerned could be known.

March 6.

Mr. Powys rofe, to take the fenfe of the Houfe, as he had promifed, on the act of laft year, for regulating penfions, &c. He began by adverting to the critical fituation of the times, when a fyftem was Mr. Eden ftrenuously oppofed the fet up and gloried in, of defpifing public progrefs of the bill. He ridiculed the opinion, and acting upon principles reciprocity that was faid to be the bafis which fet that opinion at defiance;-when of the bill; for what had the Americans party bore fway, and when it might be to give for the privileges they were to thought prefumptuous for men of his receive? They were now a foreign defeription, who were neither the leaders power in every fenfe of the word; yet F nor followers of a party, to intermeddle to be treated on the footing of favoured with ftate affairs; yet, at fuch a time, fubjects! They could grant no indul- when Adminiftration, which had long gences to Britons, because they were re- been burning in the focket, was now ftrained from fo doing by their engage quite extinguished, he could not help ments with other ftates. They were to doing what he thought his duty. In be permitted a free trade to our Weft the diffolution of that Adminiftration he India iflands, and, by their fituation, they could not, however, but lament the rewould foon fubftantially enjoy it to tGtreat of one Right Hon. Gentleman now exclution of our own fhipping; befides that Ireland, whofe Parliament, not being fitting, could take no meafures in concert with us, would have reafon to complain, that though we had granted them a free trade, we had prevented them from reaping the advantages, if, any, that were to be derived from it. Upon the whole, as the bill was of fuch magnitude as to involve the commercial interefts of both countries, he thought it ought not to be fuffered to pafs witha thorough inveftigation.

in his eye [Mr. W. Pitt], whofe fhining abilities would adorn any station; and the rather as, now he was going to speak of penfions, he had the mortification to find that no compenfation had been made him for quitting a profeffion to which he would have been an ornament. That Right Hon. Gent. had ferved his country with an unimpeachable character; and though in the general confederacy that had been formed, he could not lend his fuffrage, and rather chofe to retire than reliquifh his principles, he would carry

with him what was more valuable than riches, the applaufe, the esteem, and the admiration of his country.

gulating the granting of penfions, &c. the Houfe trufts that the fame reftrictions will be observed in refpect to any While Mr. Powys was warm in the penfion his Majefty may be advised to praifes of the young patriot, he was A grant antecedent to the 5th of April as interrupted by Mr. Martyn, who, fpying by the faid act are thenceforth ftrictly a peer below the bar, defired he might and abfolutely prefcribed. be ordered to withdraw. The Speaker Mr. Martyn feconded the motion faid, he had ordered the Serjeant not to But Captain John Luttrell expreffed his permit peers to fit below the bar; but disapprobation, not only of the motion, thought on the prefent occafion it were bet- but of the whole at alluded to. He ter for the Houfe to give the order. Mr. B was free to fay, that the power of the Martyn took the hint, and was about to Crown was by no means too great, nor move to clear the Houfe, when the peer could he think it confiftent with the ho[Lord Walfingham] withdrew. nour of that House to go about to abridge it. To deprive his Majesty of the free exercife of his munificence was beneath the dignity of Parliament, and perhaps beyond its conftitutional power.

On that

the power of rewarding merit; and to li mit his Majefty's bounty to the narrow pittance of a private gentleman, was, at once, to divest the Crown of its munificence, and the King of his higheft gratification.

Mr. Powys then proceeded to obferve on the pentions lately granted, and, after approving that beftowed on the Chancellor, took notice of the claufe which left the power with the Crown to give pen-The nobleft appendage of Royalty was fions beyond the extent fpecified in the act to fuch perfons as had been employed in eniballies to foreign courts. claufe, he faid, he should only remark, that it first enabled the Crown to cinploy unfit perfons, and then to reward them for their unfitnefs. It had beenD The motion, however, fo far as it reremarked the day before, that the ope- fpected the advisers of the late ignominiration of the act in queftion was not to ous peace, he was ready to fupport: take effect till the 5th of April, 1783, for, inftead of reward, they, in his opiand much had been faid, that, although nion, deserved cenfure. He was prothe letter of it had no force till then, the ceeding, when the Speaker intimated to fpirit of it was binding upon Minifters; him, that the queftion before the House and that, in as audible and diftinct landid not properly connect with the adviguage as could be ufed, the bill criedfers of the peace. On which he bowed to Minifters," Forbear." He was there- obedience to the intimation of the chair, fore not a little furprized to hear a and fat down. right hon. gent. high in office, exclaim, "Forbear! on what compulfion? Is it fo nominated in the bond?"-To this he would reply,

It is not fo expreft; but what of that? 'Twere good you do fo much for charity. For charity to the public; for charity to an almost bankrupt nation!

E

Chancellor Pitt entered into a justification of the different penfions that had lately been granted. Nobody, he faid, could object to that given to the late F Chancellor of Great Britain. I was not more than had been given to other Chancellors; and as to the Tellership, of the Exchequer, it was in confequence Of the only penfions that he had heard of his Majefty's promife when that nowere paffing through the offices, there bleman accepted the Seals. Two other was one to a noble perfon, of whom he penfions, he faid, of 2000l. a-year each had never heard the leaft difpraife; nor (oneto Sir Jofeph Yorke, the other to Lord had he the smallest objection to any of theGrantham) he juftified both from the gentlemen who had or were about to participate of the royal bounty; his only aim was, to lay fome restraint on Minifters from granting away the public money in penfions between the prefent day and the 5th of April, contrary to the fpirit and meaning of the act in queftion, and for that purpofe he moved, That an humble addrefs be prefented to his Ma-" jelly, humbly to reprefent, that whereas his Majefty had been gracioufly pleafed to give his royal affent to an act for re

fpirit and the letter of the act; their long and faithful fervices at the courts abroad where they had refided would be remembered with gratitude by the friends of peace, and the commercial interefts of this country. Two other penfions, one of 700l. a year, the other of 500l. a year, have been bestowed on two Clerks of the Treafury, who had been long in the public fervice, and whom, for the fake of fome official arrangements, it had been found neceffary to fupefan

nuate.

nuate. Another penfion, he faid, there mode of defending them; he did not like was, which the Houfe well knew did to hear the name of Majefty fo frequently not originate with his Majefty's prefent introduced. By making the acts of Miniffervants, and that was one of 350l. a tens dependent on the promifes of the year, promited to Mr. Morgan (now King, that refponfibility which the conwith Sir Guy Carleton) when he con- A ftitution had placed in the advisers of the fented to go abroad, as a compenfation for Crown was done away; and, befides, quicting his connections at home. One Members could not fpeak with that pention more he should ftate, though freedom of measures which it was their frily within the letter of the act, and duty to canvas, as if wholly uninfluenced that was a penfion of 2001. a year granted by any perfonal reftraints. With regard to a gentleman on his leaving the Tax- to the Lord Chancellor, he had long office, and coming into the fervice of the lived with him on terms of friendship; B Treasury, the fift being for life, the he admired his abilities; and wished latter dependent on the change of Mi- them employed for the advantage of his nifters. Having now, he faid, fairly country; but he wifhed too that the proftated all the penfions and proceedings of vifion that had been made for him, prothat nature which had taken place in per as it most certainly was, ad not the courfe of the fummer, he trufted been refted on the promife of his Mato the candour of the Houfe, declaring Cjefty. As to Lord Grantham's penfion, himself ready to take his fhare of the re- he frankly declared, that the penfion itfponibility for having fet his hand to felf did not appear to him fo objectionthem; but hoping at the fame time that, able as the manner and time of granting if there was any thing wrong in having it. When Lord Grantham accepted granted them, the Houfe would not the office of Secretary of State, his Mathink of revoking either thofe that had jefty promifed him a penfion of 20001. been fully granted, or of ftopping thofe a year whenever he fhould quit it. that were not yet fully confirmed; butD What did this lead to, if the practice would proceed to fuch measures as fhould prevailed, but a moft dangerous and prevent the repetition of fimilar errors, if alarming exertion of the Crown! By this errors they were. Under this impreffion, means the Crown could always obtain he hoped his honourable friend would con- an adminiftration without the leaft refent lo to modify his motion, as to take gard to the fente of Parliament, or the away from it any words that might con- confidence of the people; he was very vey a retrofpective cenfure; and when full in reprobating this practice. it was fo altered, it would undoubtedly E came next to fpeak of Sir Jofeph Yorke's meet with his chearful fupport. As to penfion, which he frankly owned he that part of the honourable gentleman's could fee no neceffity for. That gentlepeech in which he had done him the man, it was true, had ferved his counhonour to fpeak of him in terms which try for thirty years in foreign embaffies excited in his mind the moft fenfible but the honours and emoluments he had emotions, he could only fay, that to received were, he thought, an ample merit them was the height of his ambirecompence. He fpoke of Mr. Mortion; and with regard to thole other re- gan's penfion as a matter with which he wards that had awaited his colleagues in was unacquainted when in office; peroffice, he neither coveted, nor defired to haps, he laid, it might be known by the fhare thein. Called upon, as he had been, noble Lord below him [meaning Lord at an early period of life, to fill the ex- J. C.], yet it was not the lefs objedjonalted station in which he had been able. He thought the principle perniplaced, it was reward fufficient for him cious. Penfions granted as bribes to that his weak endeavours to difcharge take efficient offices, was a wanton watte the duties of it faithfully had not been of public money; and he could not help difapproved; and that he had done noremarking, though with no invidious thing to forfeit the good opinion of that view, that when a noble and learned Houte, nor of his country. Lord then in his eye [the Lord Advocate] accepted an office for life, at the fame time that he accepted the office of H Theafurer of the Navy, all the world wondered at the ftrangeness of the tranfaction. The penfions to the two Clerks of the Treasury Mr. F. treated as a job to accommodate the Minifter; and as to the penfion of 200l. a year to the Clerk

Mr. Powys faid, he had no objection to the wording of his motion, fo that the principle was not affected.

Mr. Fox declared, he had no inclination to disturb or revoke any of the pensions that had been fo fairly and fully ftated to the Houfe; but he did not entirely approve of the honourable gentleman's

F

He

taken

taken from the Tax-office to the Treafury, he looked upon that in the fame light. He concluded his remarks on the policy of granting penfions, with colerving as fomewhat extraordinary, that the Crown fhould think proper tot reward thofe Minifters who had affifted in making the peace (which, to say the beft of it, had not met with the approbation of that House), one of them with honours, the other with emoluments. Before he fat down, he begged leave to digrefs a little from the principal fubject of debate, to take notice of an extraordinary remark made by the gentleman who moved the addrefs, "that there were fome people who avowed, who boafted, and who gloried in acting independently of the public opinion;" if his honourable friend meant to allude to him, he was miftaken; he had neither avowed, boafted of, nor gloried in any fuch conduct; but, on the contrary, had maintained the reverfe. He lamented that his honourable friend, who was every wav refpectable and independent, fhould differ with him in opinion at a timeD grant another penfion) he would menwhen it was necellary that all good men tion the perfon to whom he alluded, fhould agree. He pathetically exhorted namely, a penfion to Lord Rodney. It all fides of the Houfe to unite through a had been faid on a former occafion, a due fenfe of the critical fituation of the "Why a penfion to that nobleman! He'll country. He advised moderation and bring home a million of money.” So far unanimity, as the great means of reftor- from this, he was perfuaded Lord Roding the national honour; and thanked ney's fortune was not equal to the fupMr. Powys for his vigilance in bringing E port of his rank. Having faid this, he forward, at fuch a moment a motion fo exprelled a wifh, that fuch an Adminif wife, fo neceffary, and every way lo tration might be formed as would rescue proper as that now before the House. us from the derifion of the world. He faid, he would fupport fuch an Administration whether formed on a broad or a narrow bottom.

Mr. Fx, who juftified the tranfaction alluded to, which no man in that House, he faid, ever thought dishonourable except the learned Lord. He declared upon his honour, that he knew A nothing of the condition on which the learned Lord accepted the Treasurership of the Navy; but he knew that the Lord Chancellor refuted putting the Seal to the Patent of Keeper of the Signet till he was appointed Treafurer of the Navy. B Mr. R-by did not like the address moved for, nor the act alluded to. He faw clearly that, by diminishing the influence of the Crown, many of the prefent inconveniences had arifen; and should the honourable gentleman's at continue in force, it would be impoffible to carry Con the affairs of government in that Houfe. So far from thinking there were too many penfions, he wished there had been at leaft one more; and as that would probably be the last opportunity that he should have (as in all likelihood the addrefs would be carried, and then Minifters dared not advife the Crown to

Lord Adv. thought it odd that, in a fpeech wherein unanimity was fo carneftly recommended, the hon. gent. fhould at the fame time indulge hinfelf in matters likely to create diffenfion. As to what refpected himself, he would affure the hon. gent that he had not obrained the place of Keeper of the Signet in Scotland, as an inducement to accept the Treasurership of the Navy of England, a place which, he was willing to own, was very unfit for him, and which he confented to hold only till a more proper perfon fhould be appointed to fill it But he would not fay he was unit for the place he had obtained in Scotland; and as his Majefty had been pleafed to honour him with a patent place, he affured the honourable gentle man, he would never difhonour it by carrying it to market. This pointed alJufion called up

• Mr. Sec. Townfend with a peerage, and Lord Grantham with 2000l. a year.

Chancellor Pitt begged pardon for havFing omitted to fpeak of two pensions that were in contemplation to fettle, one on Lord Rodney, and one on General Eliott for three lives, which, however, were not to be paid out of the civil lift.

Mr. Bing remarked on Mr. Fox's exchange, that the Clerkship of the Pells had no fooner patted out of his hands, than it was increafed a full thoufand ayear to the gentleman for whom it was purchafed.

Gov. Jobnfone charged gentlemen with want of fpirit to meet the question fairly. They declared themselves enemies to penfions in general, but were afraid to fpeak of the individuals to whom they were granted. They were bold in ad

*Exchanging the Clerkship of the Pells in Ireland for a penfion in that kingdom, to accommodate government. vancing

vancing a theory, but fhrinked when they came to reduce it into practice. He digreffed to the American. war. He reprobated it as mean and unmanly to charge that war, the war of the Houfe, to the account of the noble Lord in the Blue Ribbon, because it had proved unfuccefsful. He neither approved the act alluded to, nor the prefent motion.

A

Like the vile ftraw that's blown about the street,

Some needy members flick to all they meet, Coach'd, carted, trod upon, now loofe, now faft,

And carry'd off on fome dog's tail at laft. He concluded with approving the motion. Earl Nugent rofe to recommend Lieut. Gen. Boyd to a penfion; but the Houfe was clamorous for the motion, which, after fome amendment, was agreed to without a divifion. B March 7.

The order of the day, for taking into confideration the ordnance estimates, was read; but the earl of Surrey expreffing a defire for the Houfe to fufpend that order till the Bill for eftablishing an intercourfe with America fhould be taken into confideration; and the Lord Mavor Cof London ftating to the Houfe the ferious and alarming confequences that were to be dreaded if the trade to America was not immediately opened,

Mr. Courtney, in a vein of fatirical humour, kept the Houfe in a continual laugh. He thought nothing could, be more unreasonable than that Ministers, who had figned a peace which had fallen under the cenfure of the House, fhould be fo far perfecuted as to be deprived of every fpecies of confolation; and that, while they had incurred the difpleafure of Parliament, and the abhorrence of their country, they might not be allowed the honeft and reputable fatisfaction, which was ftill left them, of being a burthen to the public, or penfioners to the Crown. It was unworthy of the liberality of the right honourable gentleman [Mr. Fox] to reflect on gentlemen for having made a previous ftipulation with the Earl of Shelburne, as nothing fo ftrongly indicated their thorough know-D ledge of that Minifter as the caution they had ufed in clofing a bargain with him before they engaged to fupport his adminiftration. The learned Lord, it has been alledged, had one of his employments fecured for life: and the other [Lord Grantham], we are told, had a pofitive promife of a penlion from the King; both of them equally manifelting, by their conduct, that they had virtue, and that it was neceffary fuch virtue fhould be purchafed for a valuable confideration before they would part with it; and that they confidered a promife from the Earl of Shelburne as no confideration at all. For the declaration that Mr. Rigby had made, that he would fupport administration whether on a broad or a narrow bottom, Mr. Courtney gave the honourable gentleman entire credit. His motive could be no other for fo do ing, than to preferve peace and unanimity in this country; to maintain the due equilibrium between the Crown and the people; and to hold to the laft every balance in his hand. He was aware, he faid, of the light in which malice would fee this declaration, namely, that if the right honourable gentleman and his friends could fup; hat the coalition, they would; if they could not, they would he fatisfied with taking all they could get from Minilters of any defcription.

Mr. Pitt Thomas confented to it; and a motion was made that the Speaker do leave the Chair, which being feconded,

Mr. Eden rofe, to ftate his objections to the Bill, as it would introduce a total revolution in our commercial fyftem, which, he was afraid, would shake it to its very bafis. It was a business the moft complicated in its nature, and at the fame time the most extenfive in its confequences, that he had ever remembered in Parliament. One great objecEtion to the Bill was, the claufe by which the Navigation Act was to be affected. In the late fettlement with Ireland, thofe who were well-wishers to both Kingdoras had introduced a claufe into Mr. Yelverton's Act, by which the British Navigation Act was made a part of the law of Ireland; but fill with this proF vifo," that it shall ceafe to be binding

upon Ireland, whenever it should "cease to be binding upon Great Bri"tain." Now the Bill before the Houfe compleatly repeals the Navigation` A&t in Great Britain, and of courfe repeals at the fanie moment the fame Act in GIreland, fo that Great Britain may bid adieu for ever to any Navigation A& the moment this Bill paffes into a law. Mr. Eden proceeded to enforce his former objections, adding the injury that would be done to the fugar refinery, and to the trade of England, by the exH portation of our manufacturing tools, which would enable the Americans to rival our manufactures, and be a firoke that our commerce would fcarce be able to

furvive.