The Speech of the Right Hon. the May it please your Grace. The wisdom of the principle which the commons have established and perfevered in, under your Grace's aufpices, of preventing the further accumulation of national debt, is now powerfully felt throughout the kingdom, in its many beneficial confequences-public credit has gradually rifen to a height unknown for many years-agricul His majefty's faithful commons do now cheerfully continue all the Pr.fent taxes; and having conftantly experienced how well founded their confidence has been in your Grace's prudent adminiftration of the public tre fure, they do with the greater fatisfaction declare, that they give and grant them in the moit decided expectation, that by your Grace's frugal and juft management of the public revenue, they will be rendered fufficient to anfwer the public expence with out the further accumulation of debt or increase of taxes. ture has brought in new fupplies of The Speech of his Grace Charles Duke wealth-and the merchants and manufacturers are each encouraged to extend their efforts, by the fecurity it has given them, that no new taxes will obftruct the progrefs of their works, or impede the fuccefs of their fpeculations. Such is the happy fituation of this kingdom from the fupport which your Grace's conftant and zealous care has given to the operation of that principle; and this fituation is peculiarly fortunate at the prefent period, when his Majesty's gracious attention to the interests of his people has opened new objects of manufacture, and new channels of commerce to their industry. Happy, however, as our fituation is, we know that all its bleffings will be a vain expectation, if a fpirit of outrage and oppofition to law fhall prevent internal induftry, and depreciate the national character; we have, therefore, applied ourselves to form fuch laws as muft, under the firmnets and juftice of your Grace's government, effectually and fpeedily fupprefs that lawlefs fpirit. of Rutland, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, to both Houses of Parliament, May 28, 1787. My Lords and Gentlemen, In relieving you from further attendance in the prefent feffion of parliament, I have the fatisfaction of fignifying to you his Majesty's entire approbation of the wife and vigorous meafures by which you have diftinguifhed your zeal for the prefervation of the public peace and the tranquillity of the country. My trenuous exertions fhall not be wanting to carry your falutary provifions into execution, to affert the juft dominion of the laws, and to establish the fecurity of property, as well as perfonal fafety, to all defcriprions of his Majesty's fubjects in this kingdon. The decided tenor of your conduct affures me of your continued and cordial affiftance, and that you will, with your utmost influence, imprefs upon the minds of the people a full conviction what dangerous effects to the general welfare, ad to the growing pofperity of the nation, nation, arife from the prevalence of even partial or temporary difturbance. Admonish them, that the benevolent but watchful fpirit of the legislature, which induces it to encourage induftry and exertion, will, at the fame time, be awake to the correction of thofe exceffes, which are the infeparable companions of idlenefs and licentious diforder. of it; a principle which, with your a cuitomed wifdom, you have fill further corroborated by the late arrangement of your laws of navigation. The loyalty and attachment of his faithful people of Ireland are highly grateful to the King, and by his majefty's exprefs command I am to affure you of his most gracious and affectionate protection. To fulfil my fovereign's pleafure, Gentlemen of the Houfe of which conftantly directs me to study Commons, I thank you, in the King's name, for the fupplies which you have fo cheerfully provided for the fupport of his Majefty's government. You may depend upon their being faithfully applied to the purpofes for which they are granted. The meatures whi h you have taken for increasing public credit and diminishing the national debt, are confonant to that wifdom and aflection to your country which have ever diffinguifhed the Parliament of Ireland. My Lords and Gentlemen, A new and powerful incitement to the national industry has been opened by the Treaty of Commerce with France, in which the utmost at.ention is manifefted to the interefts of Ireland. The claims of this kingdom to an equal participa tion in treaties between Great Britain and Portugal, have been acknowledged by the Court of Lif bon. Thefe are decided teftimonies of his majesty's paternal regard, and fresh confirmations of his gracious refolution to confider the interest of Great Britain and Ireland as infeparable: a principle which, by uniting the faculties and affections of the empire, gives trength and fecurity to every part the true happiness of this kingdom, is the great and fettled object of my ambition; and upon this bafis I fhall hope to have established a permanent claim to your good opinion, and to the confidence and regard of the people of Ireland. WHEREAS we cannot but ob ferve, with inexpreffible concern, the rapid progrefs of impiety and licentioufnefs, and that deluge of profanenefs, immorality, and every kind of vice, which, to the fcandal of our holy religion, and to the evil example of our loving fubjects, hath broken in upon this nation; we therefore esteeming it our indifpenfable duty to exert the authority committed to us for the fuppreffion of thefe fpreading evils, fearing left they fhould provoke God's wrath and indignation against us, and humbly acknowledging that we cannot expect the bleffing and goodness of Almighty God, (by whom kings reign, and on which we entirely rely) to make and every of them, decently and our reigu happy and profperous to reverently to attend the worship of ourfelf and our people, without a God on the Lord's day, on pain of religious obfervance of God's holy our higheft difpleafure, and of laws, to the intent that religion, being proceeded against, with the piety, and good manners may ac- utmoft rigour that may be, by law. cording to our most hearty defire) And for the more effectual reformflourish and increase under our ad- ing all fuch perfons who, by reafon ministration and government, have of their diffolute lives and converfathought fit, by the advice of our tion, are a feandal to our kingdom, privy council, to iffue this our royal our further pleasure is, and we do proclamation, and do hereby de- hereby ftrictly charge and comclare our royal purpofe and refolu- mand all our judges, mayors, thetion to difcountenance and punish riffs, juftices of the peace, and all all manner of vice, profaneneis and other our officers and ministers, immorallity, in all perfons, of both ecclefiaftical and civil, and all whatsoever degree or quality, other our fubjects, to be very viwithin this our realm, and particu- gilant and ftrict in the difcovery, larly in fuch as are employed near and the effectual profecution and our royal perfon; and that, for the punishment of all perfons who fhall encouragement of religion and mo- be guilty of exceffive drinking, rality, we will, upon all occafions, blafphemy, profane fwearing and ditinguifh perfons of piety and curting, lewdnefs, profanation of virtue by marks of our royal fa- the Lord's day, or other diffolute, vour. And we do expect and re- immoral, or diforderly practices; quire that all perfons of honour, and that they take care alto effectuor in place of authority, will give ally to fupprefs all public gaming good example by their own piety houfes, and other loofe and difor and virtue, and to their utmost con- derly houfes; and alfo all unlitribute to the discountenancing per- cenced public fhews, interludes, fons of diffolute and debauched and places of entertainment, using lives, that they being reduced by the utmost caution in licenfing the that means to fhame and contempt fame; alfo to fupprefs all loose and for their loofe and evil actions and licentious prints, books and pubbehaviour, may be thereby alfo lications, difperling poifon to the enforced the fooner to reform their minds of the young and unwary, ill habits and practices, and that and to punifh the publishers and the vifible difpleasure of good men venders thereof; and to put in exetowards them, may (as far as it is cution the statute made in the 29th poffible) fupply what the laws year of the reign of the late king (probably) cannot altogether pre- Charles II. intitled, "An act for vent. And we do hereby ftrictly the better observation of the Lord's enjoin and prohibit all our loving day, commonly called Sunday;" fubjects, of what degree or quality and alfo an act of parliament made foever, from playing on the Lord's in the 9th year of the reign of the day at dice, cards, or any other late king William III. intitled, game whatsoever, either in pub-An act for the more effectual lic or private houses, or other place fuppreffing of blafphemy and proor places whatsoever; and we do fanenefs;" and alfo an act paffed hereby require and command them, in the 21st year of our reign, in titled, titled, "An act for preventing certain abuses and profanations on the Lord's day, called Sunday," and all other laws now in force for the punishing and fuppreffing any of the vices aforefaid; and alfo to fupprefs and prevent all gaming whatfoever in public or private houses on the Lord's day; and likewife that they take effectual care to prevent all perfons keeping taverns, chocolate-houfes, coffeehoufes, or other public-houfes whatfoever, from felling wine, chocolate, coffee, ale, beer, or other liquors, or receiving or permitting guests to be or remain in fuch their houfes, in the time of divine fervice on the Lord's day, as they will anfwer it to Almighty God, and upon pain of our highest difpleafure. And for the more effectual proceeding herein, we do hereby direct and command all our judges of affize, and justices of the peace, to give ftrict charge. at their respective aflizes and feffions, for the due profecution and punishment of all perfons that fhall prefume to offend in any of the kinds aforefaid, and alfo of all perfons that, contrary to their duty, fhall be remifs or negligent in putting the faid laws in execution: and that they do, at their refpective affizes and quarter-feffions of the peace, caufe this our royal proclamation to be publicly read in open court immediately before the charge is given. And we do hereby further charge and command every minifter, in his respective parish church or chapel, to read, or caufe to be read, this our proclamation, at least four times in every year, immediately after divine fervice; and to incite and ftir up their refpective auditors to the practice of piety and virtue, and the avoiding of all immorality and profanemeis. And to the end that all vice and debauchery may be prevented, and religion and virtue practifed by all officers, private foldiers, mariners, and others, who are employed in our fervice by fea and land, we do hereby strictly charge and command all our commanders and officers whatsoever, that they do take care to avoid all profaneness, debauchery, and other immoralities, and that, by their own good and virtuous lives and converfation, they do fet good examples to all fuch as are under their care and authority, and likewife take care of and infpect the behaviour of all fuch as are under them, and punifh all thofe who fhall be guilty of any of the offences aforefaid, as they will be antwerable. for the confequences of their neglect herein. Given at our Court at St. James's, the ift day of June 1787, in the 27th year of our Reign. GOD fave the KING. Circular Letter from the Right Hon. Lord Sydney, one of his Majefty's Principal Secretaries of State, to the feveral High Sheriffs of England, inclofing the foregoing Proclamation. Whitehall, June 23, 1787. SIR, In confequence of the depredations which have been committed in every part of the kingdom, and which have of late been carried to fuch an extent as to be even a difgrace to a civilized nation, his majefty has thought it expedient again to iffue his royal proclamation, directing the ftrict execution of the laws which have been made, and are still in force, against the profanation of the Lord's day, drunken nefs, nefs, fwearing, and curfing, and other diforderly practices. Convention between his Britannic THE king of Great Britain, and the Moft Chriftian king, being willing, in conformity to the 6th and I tranfmit to you herewith fix copies of the faid proclamation ; and I am commanded to fignify to you his majesty's pleasure, that you do take the moft early opportunity of convening the magistrates within your county, and enjoining 43d articles of the Treaty of Nathem, in the strongest terms, to purfue the most effectual methods for putting the laws in execution, and for encouraging all officers and perfons to exert their utmost diligence in their feveral stations, for the prevention of fuch dangerous offences. The inattention which feems of late to have been fhewn in granting licences to public-houfes, and other places of entertainment, without paying the least regard to their fituation, or even the characters of the perfons who undertake their management, is, amongst others, a matter which requires an immediate confideration, not only for remedying the evil upon future occafions, but for diminishing the number of thofe public-houfes which do not evidently appear to be calculated for public utility and con venience. I am perfuaded, that I need not call upon you for your active affiftance in the purfuit of measures fo evidently calculated for the public good, as you must be convinced that the exertions of all perfons in authority are now become abfolutely and indifpenfably neceffary, even for the prefervation of the lives and properties of his majesty's fubjects. I am, Sir, vigation and Commerce, figned at Verfailles the 26th of September, 1786, to explain and fettle certain points which had been referved, their Britannic and Most Christian majefties, always difpofed more particularly to confirm the good understanding in which they are happily united, have named, for that purpofe, their refpective plenipotentiaries, to wit, on the part of his Britannic majesty, William Eden, efq. privy-counfellor in GreatBritain and Ireland, member of the British parliament, and his envoy extraordinary and minifter plenipo tentiary to his Moft Christian majefty; and on the part of his Most Chriftian majesty, the count de Vergennes, minifter and fecretary of ftate for the department of foreign affairs, and chief of the royal council of finances; who, after having communicated to each other their refpective full powers, have agreed upon the following articles. ARTICLE I. in the 6th article of the said treaty, Their majefties having ftipulated, That the duties on hardware, cutlery, cabinet ware and turnery, and on all works, both heavy and light, of iron, fteel, copper, and brafs, fhall be claffed; and that the highest duty fhall not exceed ten per cent. ad valorem," it is agreed, that cabinet ware and turnery, and every thing that is inSYDNEY. cluded under thofe denominations, Your most obedient, humble Servant, 1787. (E) as |