1735-36. how apt fome Gentlemen are to break thro' the most strict, Anno 9. Geo. It. and the most neceffary Appropriations, in Cafes where there is not an immediate abfolute Neceffity to apply the Sums fo appropriated to the Ufes for which they were originally defigned; and our Experience in this Particular is one of the chief Reasons, and one of the ftrongest Arguments for the Queftion now before us; therefore if we agree to the laying on of any new Tax, I hope it will be immediately appropriated to the Service of the enfuing Year. The very Question now before us is, whether we ought to lay a Reftraint upon ourselves, with refpect to the contracting of any new Debt, or diverting the Sinking Fund from that Ufe for which it was originally defigned, and to which it ftands appropriated by the exprefs Words of those Acts of Parliament by which it was established? The Reftraint now propofed, is only for this Seffion; but I wish the Restraint were for all Seffions to come; and I am fure if we have any Regard for our Pofterity, if we have any Regard for the present illuftrious Family, if we have any Regard for the future Happiness, I may fay Prefervation, of the Nation, we will at leaft for this Seffion act as if we were under fuch a Reftraint; therefore there can be no Harm in laying ourselves under any fuch. And there is the more Occafion for it, because of the frequent Deviations we have lately made from this neceffary Rule, and because of the bad Use that may be made of fome late Precedents; for if a Check be not speedily put to fuch Measures, as all Administrations are but fleeting Things, we may expect that every Adminiftration will endeavour, to make themselves eafy, and to put off the evil Day as long as they can, by contracting fome new Debt every Year, and mortgaging fome Part of the Sinking Fund as long as there is a Shilling of it left. As we have at present a pretty confiderable Sinking Fund, this Measure may perhaps fupport the prefent Adminiftration as long as it can well be fuppofed to daft, efpecially if no War happens in the mean Time; but fad and melancholy will the Reckoning certainly come to be at laft, when we find ourselves engaged in a dangerous and expenfive War, our People loaded with as heavy Taxes as they can poffibly bear, and all those Taxes mortgaged for the Payment of Debts, except juft as much as may be fufficient for the Support of our Civil Government. This Profpect, Sir, gives me a moft terrible Alarm, and therefore I am moft heartily for the Queftion before us.' Then the Question being put, That the Question be now put; it was carried in the Negative without a Di vifion. VOL. IV. T Feb. Anno g. Geo. II. 1735-36. Feb. 17. The Houfe refolv'd, Nem. Con. That George Heathcote, Efq; was duely elected a Burgefs for Southwark : Mr Heathcote voted Mr Sheppard the Petitioner having fome Days before given up the Dispute. duely elected for Southwark. A Petition of the for Middlefex, a gainst the exceffive Ufe of Spirituos Liquors, which is referred to a Com mittee of the whole Houfe. Feb. 20. A Petition of his Majesty's Juftices of the Peace Justices of Peace for the County of Middlesex, in their general Quarter Seffions affembled, was prefented to the House and read, fetting forth, That the drinking of Geneva and other distilled Spirituous Liquors, had for fome Years paft greatly increased, efpecially among the People of inferior Rank; and that the conftant and exceffive Ufe thereof had already destroyed Thousands of his Majefty's Subjects, and rendered great Numbers of others unfit for useful Labour and Service, debauching at the fame Time their Morals, and driving them into all manner of Vice and Wickedness; and that that pernicious Liquor was then fold, not only by the Distillers and Geneva Shops but many other Perfons of inferior Trades ; by which Means, Journeymen, Apprentices, and Servants, were drawn in to tafte, and by Degrees to like, approve, and immoderately to drink thereof; and that the Petitioners apprehended the publick Welfare and Safety, as well as the Trade of the Nation, would be greatly affected by it, as that Practice was dangerous and mischievous to the Health, Strength, Peace, and Morals, and, tended greatly to diminish the Labour and Induftry of his Majefty's Subjects; and therefore praying that the Houfe would take the Premifes into their ferious Confideration, and apply fuch Remedy as the Houfe fhould judge moft proper. This Petition was ordered to be referred to a Committee of the whole House ; and it was refolved that the House would refolve itself into a Committee of the whole Houfe, on the 23d, to confider of the faid Petition. Four Refolutions of thereupon. Feb. 23. The House having refolved itself into the faid the faid Committee Committee, Sir Jofeph Jekyll mov'd for the following Refolutions, viz. I. That the low Price of Spirituous Liquors was the principal Inducement to the exceffive and pernicious Ufe thereof. II. That in order to prevent the exceffive and pernicious Ufe of Spirituous Liquors, a Difcouragement fhould be given thereto by a Duty to be laid on all fuch Liquors by Retail. III. That the vending, bartering, or uttering the faid Liquors fhould be reftrained to Perfons keeping publick Brandy-Shops, Victualling Houfes, CoffeeHoufes, Ale-Houfes and Innholders, and to fuch Apotheca ries and Surgeons, as fhould make use of the fame by way of Medicine only. IV. That no Perfon keeping a publick Brandy-Shop, a publick Victualling Houfe, Coffee-House or Ale Houfe, or being an Innholder, fhould be permitted to 1735-36. end, barter, or utter the faid Liquors, but by Licence, Anno 9. Geo. II. ith a Duty payable thereupon. Thefe Refolutions were all agreed to without Debate in which are agreed Feb. 24. The Houfe proceeded, according to Order, to Ta Proceedings on the Petition of Sir R. of an undue Election for the County of York. 1735-36. Anno 9. Geo. II. following Queftion was propofed, That Books, called the Original Poll-Books of the laft Election of Members to ferve in Parliament for the County of York, produced by Robert Appleton, Deputy-Clerk of the Peace for the Eat-Riding of the faid County, and which were delivered over to him by the High-Sheriff of the faid County in open Court, at the Quarter Seffions of the Peace for the faid Riding, about two Months after the faid Election, as the original Poll taken at the faid Election, and which have been kept by him the faid Deputy-Clerk of the Peace ever fince among the Records of the Seffions of the Peace for the faid Riding, the faid Books not being delivered over by the faid Sheriff within the Time, nor upon Oath, as required by the A&t of the 10th Year of the Reign of Queen Anne, For the more ef fectual preventing fraudulent Conveyances, in order to mul tiply Votes for electing Knights of Shires to ferve in Parliament, be admitted as Evidence? A Bill ordered in, for miting the Number of Om. cers in the Houfe of Commons. the Yorkihire Election. After Debate, the Queftion being put, it was carried in the Affirmative, by 201 to 164: Hereupon the faid PollBooks, and Copies of them, were delivered in; and then it was ordered that the farther Hearing of the faid Petitions be adjourned to the 26th. Feb. 25. Mr Sandys moved for Leave to bring in a Bill, For the better fecuring the Freedom of Parliaments, by limiting the Number of Officers in the House of Commons; and Leave was accordingly given, and Mr Sandys, Mr Greenville, Mr Gore, and Mr Howe, were ordered to prepare and bring in the fame. Feb. 26. The Houfe proceeded to the farther Hearing of Secon! Debate on the Petitions complaining of an undue Return for the County of York, and the Counfel for the Petitioner Sir Rowland Winn, Bart. and the other Petitioners, having propofed, in order to difqualify John Maken, who voted for Sir Miles Stapylton at the faid Election, and then swore that he was a Freeholder, to prove by Parol-Evidence, that he had no Freehold at the Time of the faid Election, in the Place where he then fwore that his Freehold did lie: The admitting of fuch Evidence was objected to by the Counsel for the fitting Member, who alledged, that no Man's Parol-Evidence could be admitted, or received as any Proof, against the Affidavit of another Man; and the Counsel on both Sides being heard upon this Objection, and feveral Journals relating to it read, the following Quettion was propofed, viz. That the Counfel for the Petitioners be admitted to give ParolEvidence, as to a Perfon being no Freeholder at the Time of the Election, who fwore himself then to be a Freeholder? This 1735-36. This Motion likewise occafioned a long Debate, but at Anno 9. Gea. II. laft the Question being put, it was carried in the Affirmative by 206 against 152; after which the farther Hearing of the Matters of the faid Petitions was adjourned to the 2d of March. Feb. 27. The House having refolved itself into a Committee, to confider farther of Ways and Means for raifing the Supply granted to his Majefty, and the Surpluffes ftated at LadyDay and Michaelmas having been referred to the faid Committee, a Motion was made, That towards raifing the Supply granted to his Majefty, his Majefty be enabled to borrow any Sum or Sums of Money not exceeding 600,000 1. at an Interest not exceeding 3 1. per Cent. per Ann. by Loans to be charged upon the Surpluffes, Exceffes, or overplus Monies commonly called the Sinking Fund, redeemable by Parliament. Upon this Motion there was a Debate, in which the Courtiers urged, The Neceffity of raifing, fome Way or other, the Supplies voted for the current Service of the Year; the Impoffibility that there was of raifing them any other Way, but by throwing the Burden upon the landed Intereft, which would be the more unreasonable, because that Interest had been for many Years overloaded, and obliged to contribute much more than their proportional Share towards the annual publick Expence; the abfolute uncontroulable Right the Parliament had to difpofe of the Sinking Fund yearly to fuch Purposes, as they fhould think most for the Benefit of the Nation in general; the Inconvenience of paying off too much of the publick Debt at once; the Unwillingness of the publick Creditors to receive their Money; and the fmall Intereft the Nation would be obliged to pay for what Money was neceffary to be borrowed upon the Credit of the Sinking Fund.' To this it was anfwered, That the Supplies, neceffary for the current Service of the Year, might have been greatly reduced, if fome Gentlemen had thought fit ; in which Cafe they would not have been obliged either to throw an additional Burden on the landed Intereft, or to incroach upon that Fund, which had always, till of late Years, been deemed facred to the Payment of our publick Debts: That if Words in an Act of Parliament could appropriate any Sum to a particular Ufe, the Sinking Fund was originally appropriated, in the most exprefs Terms, to the Payment of the publick Debts contracted before the Year 1715; and the only Power that was left to future Parliaments, by its original Conftitution, was to difpofe of it to the Payment of fuch of thofe Debts, as fhould at the Time be thought moft neceffary to be paid off: That it would be happy for Debate on a Mothe King to borrow 600,0001, at chargeable on the tion for enabling 31. per Cent. Sinking Fund. the |