fift of, for the Service of the Highlands) Twenty fix Thoufand three hundred and eighty three Men; 2dly, That the Sum of 885,494 Pounds 9 Shillings and 4 Pence be granted for defraying their Charge; 3dly, the Sum of 157,6372. 16s. 5 d. for the Garrifons in the Plantations, Minorca and America, and for Provifions for the Garrisons of Annapolis Royal, Placentia, and Gibraltar, for the Year 1727; 4thly, and the Sum of 30,7501. 195. 5 d. for defraying feveral extraordinary Expences and Services incurred, and not provided for by Parliament; which Refolutions being the next Day reported, were agreed to by the Houfe.

On Friday the 27th of January, Copies and Tranflations of feveral Memorials, Letters, &c. relating to the Courts of Vienna and Spain, were laid before the Houfe, and order'd to lie on the Table; after which in a grand Committee, the Commons confider'd of Ways and Means to raise the Supply, and Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer having fhew'd the Neceffity of laying four Shillings in the Pound on Land, the fame was oppofed by fome Members, who alledg'd, That it were more elegible to apply the Produce of the Sinking Fund, towards the prefent Neceffities; but, at laft, by a Majority of 1.90 Voices, against 81, it was refolv'd, That towards raifing the Supply, the Sum of four Shillings in the Pound be raised in the Year 1727, upon Lands, Tenements, Hereditaments, Penfions, Offices and Perfonal Eftates, in England and Wales, and a proportionable Cefs on Scotland: Which Refolution being, the next Day reported, was agreed to by the Houfe; and a Bill was order'd to be brought in accordingly; and then the Houfe adjourn'd till the Tuefday following, by Reafon of the Martyrdom of King Charles I.

Being met again, on the 31st of January, the Commons order'd the Thanks of their Houfe to be given to the Reverend Dr. William Baker, for the Sermon by him preach'd before the Houfe, the Day before, and that he be defired to print the fame. Then Mr. Farrer prefented to the Houle the Land-Tax Bill, which was receiv'd, read the firft, and order'd to be read a fecond Time.

On Wednesday the firft of February, Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer laid before the Commons, the Convention between his Majefty and the Landgrave of Heffe Caffel, dated March 12th, 1725-6, as alfo the Convention between Great-Britain, the States General, and the Landgrave of Helle Gaffel, dated the 13th of February

1701-2

1701-2; and then the Land-Tax Bill was read the fecond time, and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

After this, the Commons went into a grand Committee to confider of the Supply, and refolv'd to grant, ift, the Sum of one Hundred Thoufand Pounds for the Charge of the Office of Ordnance, for Land-Service for the Year 1727, and towards the extraordinary Stores fent to Gibraltar and Port-Mahon, upon account. 2dly, The Sum of 199,071 1.7 s. 8 d. for the Ordinary of the Navy (including half Pay for Sea Officers) for the Year 1727: Which Refolutions being the next Day reported, were agreed to by the Houfe. The fame Day, Mr. Speaker was order'd to iffue out his Warrants for two new Writs, one for electing a Burgefs for Ludlow, in the County of Salop, in the Room of Acton Baldwin, Efq; deceafed; the other for electing a Burgefs for Higham-Ferrers, in the County of Northampton, in the Room of the Hon. John Finch, Efq; who had accepted the Office of one of his Majesty's Counsel Learned in the Law.

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That Day, Febr. 2d, the Commons in a grand Committee, made a Progrefs in the Land-Tax Bill ; as they did alfo the next Day, and then adjourn'd to Monday the 6th, when Mr. Sandys moved, 'That an humble Address be prefented to his Majefty, that he would be gracioufly pleafed to communicate to this Houfe, Copies of the Declaration, Letter, or Engagement, which in the Marquefs de Pozobueno's Letter to the Duke of Newcaftle of the 21st of December last, is afferted to be a • Pofitive Promife, upon which the King of Spain founds his peremptory Demand for the Reftitution of Gibraltar, which had been fo folemnly yielded to the Crown of Great-Britain by the Treaty of Utrecht, and was afterwards confirm'd and granted to Great-Britain by the 6. King of Spain's Acceffion to the Quadrapule Alliance.' This Motion was ftrenuously feconded and fupported by. Sir William Wyndham, Mr. Hungerford, and Mr. William Pulteney, who, among other Particulars, took Notice of a Letter written in 1721, to one of the Emperor's Plenipotentiaries at Cambray, wherein a Promife for the Restitution of Gibraltar was exprefly mention'd: But they were strongly oppofed by Mr. Pelham, Mr. Thomas Broderick, Mr. Horatio Walpole, and his Brother Sir Robert Walpole. The latter did not disown, That fuch a Promife might indeed have been made, in a former Administration; but this he was fure of, that if there was

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fuch

fuch a Promife, it was upon certain Conditions, which not having been perform'd, within the limited Time, was thereby become invalid; and as for the Declara tion, or Letter, the Communication of which was in< fifted on, the fame was altogether impracticable and unprecedented; the private Letters of Princes being almost as facred as their very Perfons.' After a Debate, that lafted till about four in the Afternoon, the previous Queftion was put, whether the Question upon Mr. Sandys's Motion fhould be put? Which was carried in the Negative, by a Majority of 204 Voices against 97.

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The next Day, (Febr. 7th) the Commons refolv'd to addrefs his Majefty for Copies of fuch Memorials and Reprefentations as have been made to the Court of Vienna,TM concerning the Charter granted to the Oftend Company, with the Anfwers thereto After which, the Lord Morpeth (Eldest Son to the Earl of Carlisle) moved, That another humble Addrefs be prefented to his Majefty, that he would be graciously pleafed to direct Copics to be laid before this Houfe, of all fuch Memorials, or Reprefentations to his Majefty, from the Crowns of Sweden and Denmark, as did induce him to fend the Squadron of Ships the laft Year into the Baltick, at so great an Expence to this Kingdom.' This Motion was fe conded by Sir William Wyndham; but the Question being put thereupon, the fame was oppofed by Sir William Yonge, Mr. Verney and Mr. Horatio Walpole. This laft Gentleman in a fet Speech that lafted an Hour and a half, with great Vehemence, endeavour'd by Arguments chiefly taken out of a Pamphlet lately printed, intituled, An Inquiry into the Reasons of the Conduct of GreatBritain, &c. to justify all the Steps that had been ta ken by Great-Britain, fince his Majefty's happy Acceffion, particularly from the Opening of the Congrefs of Cambray, to this prefent Time, to preferve the Balance of Power, the Peace of Europe, and the Tranquillity of the North; and with this latt View to prevent the Czarina's Designs against Sweden and Denmark, in favour of the Duke of Holft ein. Mr. William Pulteney anfwer'd this Speech; but was reply'd to by Mr. Broderick, and fome other Gentlemen, fo that the Debate lafted till about five of the Clock in the Afternoon, when the Question being put upon the Lord Morpeth's Motion, it paffed in the Negative by a Majority of 196 Voices against 79.

On Wednesday, the 8th, the Commons, in a grand Committee, went through the Land Tax Bill, and made feveral

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feveral Amendments thereto : The next Day, Mr. Chocke from the Exchequer, prefented to the Houfe an Account of fuch of the National Debts incurr'd before the 25th of December 1716, as are redeemable, and when fuch Intereft, or Annuity will be reduced, and when the fame are redeemable After which, upon Mr. Myddleton's Report from the Committee, to whom the Petition of Edward Conway Efq; (one of the Mafters in Ordinary to the High Court of Chancery) was referr'd, a Motion was made, and the Queflion put, That a Bill be brought in for enlarging the Time for Edward Conway, Efq; to pay in the Balance of his Account? But the fame was carried in the Negative; fo that, pursuant to an Act in that behalf, he was to be divested of his Place of Master, the Produce whereof was to be apply'd to the Payment of the faid Balance.

On Friday, the 10th, Mr. Farrer reported the Amendments made by the grand Committee to the Land-Tax Bill, feveral of which were agreed to; as were also the reft the next Day, and the faid Bill order'd to be ingroffed. The fame Day, Mr. Pelham Secretary at War, prefented to the House, an Eftimate of 4000 Horfe and 8000 Foot of his Highness the Landrave of Heffe-Caffel, from the ft of April to the 24th of December 1727, ftipulated by a Convention between his Majefty and the faid Landgrave; and then the Houfe adjourn'd to Monday the 13th of Fe-. bruary.

Upon that Day, Mr. Rudge prefented to the Houfe the Report of the Trustees for the South Sea Company, which was order'd to lie on the Table: Then upon the Order of the Day, for the House to go into a grand Committee to confider of the Supply, feveral Papers were referr'd to the faid Committee, viz. the Copy and Tranflation of the Convention between Great-Britain, the States-General, and the Landgrave of Hesse-Caffel, Febru ary 13th, 1701-2: The Eftimate of the Charge of 4000 Horfe and 8000 Foot of the Landgrave of Heffe-Caffel, from the rit of April, to the 24th December 1727. The Eftimate of the Charge of the Out-Perfioners of ChelseaHofpital for the Year 1727; and the Lift of the reduced Officers of his Majefty's Land-Forces and Marines upon Half-pay in Great-Britain, with an Eftimate of the Charge thereof for the Year 1727. At the fame time, a Motion was made by the Courtiers, and the Question was propofed, That the Account fhewing how the Money given for the Service of the Year 1726, has been disposed of, diftinguished under the feveral Heads, until the firft

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Day of February 1726, and the Parts thereof remaining unfatisfied with the Deficiency thereupon, be referr'd to the faid Committee: But there being in that Account, an Article of the Sum of one hundred and twenty five thousand Pounds, charged, in general Terms, as iffued out for other Engagements and Expences over and above, fuch as are therein particularly fpecified, Mr. Shippen, Mr. Onflow, and Mr. William Pulteney ftrenuously infifted, that before the faid Account of the Deficiently of the laft Year's Grants, was referr'd to the Grand Committee (which Reference, according to the Ufage of Parliaments, ta citly implies an Acquiefcence in the Difpofal of the Moneys therein mentioned) the Houfe fhall be acquainted with a particular Difpofition of fo confiderable a Sum as that of 125,000l. This was as strongly oppofed by Sir William Strickland, Mr. Horatio Walpole, and Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer; fo that the previous Question being put, That the Queftion be put, upon the Motion before mention'd, the fame occafion'd a Debate that lafted till about fix in the Evening, when the faid previous Question being call'd for, it was refolv'd in the Affirmative, by a Majority of 178 Voices against 78; and then the main Question being put, it was or der'd, That the faid Account be referr'd to the faid Committee.

Then the Houfe refolv'd it felf into a grand Commit tee, to confider of the Supply, and came to the following Refolutions, viz. 1. That the Sum of 60,000l, be granted upon Account, to reduced Officers of his Majesty's Forces and Marines for the Year 1727.

2. The Sum of 4847 l. 2 s. 6d. upon Account, for Out-Penfioners of Chelfea-Hofpital for the Year 1727.

3. The Sum of 50,000l. to compleat the Sum of 125.000 7. due and payable to the Landgrave of HefeCaffel, for railing, maintaining, and keeping a Body of 12000 Men for his Majefty's Service, purfuant to the Treaty between his Majefty and the faid Landgrave of Hefe-Caffel, dated the 12th Day of March 1725-5.

4. The Sum of 170,000 1. upon Account for the Subfidy to the Landgrave of Helle Caffel, and the Pay of twelve Thoufand Men of his Forces to be taken into his Mi jefty's Service, and the Pay of a Lieutenant-General to command the faid twelve Thoufand Men, and for Forage-Money, Waggon-Money, and other neceffary Chatges relating thereto, pursuant to the fame Treaty.

5. The Sum of 160,3067. 175. d. to make good the Deficiency of the Grants for the Service of the Year 1726. This

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