1734-35. have met with fo few or fo fmall Difturbances, if our Trade Anno 8. Geo. II. has fo greatly increased, what Advantage hath the publick reaped from the happy State we have been in? What Part of the publick Debts have we discharged? What Taxes 11 have we relieved the People from? Surely, Sir, if we have :been for fo many Years in fuch a happy State, a great Part of our Debts might have been discharged, and feveral of our most grievous Taxes taken off. But the Fact is otherwife; we have been every Year keeping up great Armies, fitting out great Fleets, and putting the Nation to a vast Expence. In fhort, Sir, we have been for thefe feveral Years in a very odd Sort of State; we have had War without Ho'tilities, and Peace without Quiet; and while the Nation continues in the fame mongrel Sort of State, fhall this Houfe pafs high Compliments on the Conduct of our Minifters ? To pretend, Sir, that the Amendment offered will shew a Diffidence in his Majefty's Conduct, is to tell this House, that we must never recommend any Measures to our Sove. reign, or rather to the Minifters of our Sovereign; which is a Maxim no Member of this Houfe will, I hope, admit of. Surely, Sir, we are not to neglect our Duty to our Country, or to our King, for fear of giving foreign Courts Caufe to think that we have a Diffidence in his Majesty's Conduct: Such Surmifes we are always to difregard, even tho' the Nation were in much greater Danger than it is at prefent; and for this we have many Precedents, but one I fhall take Notice of, which I think directly to the Point. I believe it will be granted, that in the Year 1702 this Nation was in greater Danger than it can be fuppofed at prefent; we had then actually declared War against France and Spain, who had at that Time in Alliance with them the King of Portugal, the Duke of Savoy, and the Duke of Bavaria, whereas we had none but the Emperor and the Dutch; yet in that Year this House not only recommended to the late Queen, to prevail with the Dutch to prohibit Trade with France and Spain; but actually made it one of the Conditions of the Power they gave her to augment her Forces, and that no foreign Troops the fhould take into her Service, fhould enter into English Pay 'till that Condition was complied with. I do not doubt but the House was then told, that fuch a Recommendation, much more fuch a Condition annexed to this Grant, would fhew a Mistrust in her Majesty's Conduct; but they thought it their Duty to do fo, and therefore they had no Regard to fuch Infinuations; and we all know, that their Behaviour was attended with no bad Confequence. Anno 8. Geo. II. 1734-35 The Balance of Power in Europe is certainly of as much Confequence to other Nations as it is to this; and when it comes to be really in Danger, it is not to be queflioned but we shall find other Powers as ready to join with us as we are to join with them, for its Prefervation; and unless we fhew too much Readiness to bear all the Expence, it is alfo certain, that those who are in equal Danger will never refufe to bear their proportionable Share of the Expence. Ba: if ever this Nation fhould fet itself up as the Don Quixote of Europe, we may then expect that most of the Powers of Europe, who are not immediately attacked, will leave the whole Burden upon us; and this, I am afraid, is too much the Cafe at prefent; for as our Neighbours the Dutch are more exposed to the Danger than we are, I must conclude from their Inactivity, that either they do not think the Blance of Power in Danger, or otherwise we have given them Room to believe that we will take upon us the Defence of this Balance, without putting them to any Trouble or Expence; and for this Reafon I think it is become abfolutely neceffary for us to give fome fuch Recommendations to his Majefty, as is propofed by this Amendment, in order to convince the World, that we are resolv'd not to set ourselves up as the Dupes of Europe. Such a Refolution can subject us to no Dependency, because it is a Refolution we can alter whenever we have a Mind; for if fuch a Cafe fhould happen, as it is hardly poffible it ever will, that most of the Nations in Europe fhould refolve to look tamely on, and fee the Balance of Power quite overturned, I fhould then think it the Duty and the Honour of this Nation, rather to play the Don Quixote of Europe, than to see our own Liberties fwallowed up in the Ruins of those of our Neighbours.' Then the Queftion being put for agreeing to the Amendment, it paffed in the Negative by 265 to 185. Whereupon the Addrefs was agreed to, without any farther Debate; and a Committee was appointed to draw up the fame. Jan. 28. The Addrefs was reported to the Houfe by Thanks agreed to; Mr Hedges, and agreed to. An Address of And prefented. Addrefs. Jan. 29. The fame was prefented to the King as follows. Moft gracious Sovereign, WE E Your Majefty's moft Dutiful and Loyal Subjects, the Commons of Great Britain in Parliament aflembled, beg Leave to return Our humbleft Thanks, for Your Majefty's most gracious Speech from the Throne ; ard to acknowledge, in the most grateful Manner, Your Majelly's tender and affectionate Concern for the Wel fare 1734-35 fare of Your People, in fteadily pursuing fuch Measures Anno 8. Geo. II. Among fo many differing Interefts and contending Pow ers engaged in the prefent War, it is Your Majefty's Wildom and Goodness alone, which could have fecured to Us Our prefent happy Situation; and the Crown of Great Britain could never appear with greater Honour and Lufture, than by Your Majefty's interpofing Your good Of'fices between the contending Parties: And as they have received them with due Refpect, we cannot but hope, ⚫ their own Prudence will help to compleat fo defireable a • Work. It is our Duty, and we beg Leave to exprefs the grea' teft Gratitude to Your Majesty, for the Care and Concern, which must have attended Your unwearied Endeavours, both in beginning and carrying on thefe good Offices, which being accepted, have brought Things to fo great a Forwardness, that a Plan, in concert with the States General, may in a fhort Time be offered to the Confideration of all the Powers engaged in the War; which, notwithstanding the great Difficulties that must attend fo great a Work, may serve for the Bafis of a general Negotiation ⚫ of Peace, confiftent with the Honour and Intereít of all Parties, as far as the Circumstances of Time, and the prefent Situation of Affairs will permit. 6 • If these Measures, concerted for the common Repofe and Tranquility of all Europe, fhould unhappily meet with any Difappointment, Your Majefty's Wisdom and Care must be acknowledged to have deferved that Succefs, which the wifeft Counfels cannot always command. But, whatever the Event may be, We beg Leave to affure Your Majefty, That this House will Chearfully and Effectually raife fuch Supplies, as fhall be neceffary for the • Honour and Security of Your Majefty and these Kingdoms, and enable Your Majefty to act that Part, which Honour, and Juftice, and the true Intereft of your Peo ple fhall call upon Your Majefty to undertake.' To this his Majefty made the following Answer + Gentlemen, fwer thereto. Return you my Thanks for this dutiful and loyal Ad- His Majefty's Andres. depend entirely upon Your Fidelity and AF "fection, and Your due Regard to the publick Welfare, that I fhall be fupported in fuch Measures, as I may be obliged to purfue. And You may be affured, that the "Honour 1734-35 Anno & Geo. II." Honour and Interest of My Crown and People fhall "be the Rule and Guide of all My Actions and Re"folutions." Motion, in the Grand Committee on the Supply, for Men for the SeaService, for the granting 30,000 February 7. The Houfe being in a Grand Committee on the Supply, a Motion was made, That 30,000 Men be employ'd for the Sea-Service for the enfuing Year: But fome Members declaring that they thought 20,000 Men fufficient, a great Debate enfued; and the Motion for 30,000 Men was fupported by Sir Robert Walpole, Mr Horatio Walpole, Mr H. Walpole. and Mr Oglethorpe as follows; Mr Speaker, Year 1735. Debate thereon. Sir R. Walpole. Mr Oglethorpe. With refpect to the Queftion now before us, I hope no Gentleman expects, that for his Satisfaction his Majefty fhould be obliged to difclofe to this House all the Secrets of his Government, all the Negotiations he is now carrying on with foreign Powers, and all the private Informations he may have received, in relation to the Views and Designs of the feveral Powers now engaged in War: Nor can it be expected that his Majefty fhould now declare pofitively to us what he is refolved to do, in relation to his engaging or not engaging in the prefent War: If any fuch Thing could be done, I believe it would very foon put an End to the Queftion, but no fuch Thing has ever yet been practifed, nor has this Houfe ever thought fuch a Practice neceffary, for inducing them to agree to any Demand made by the Crown, and I hope it never will. For if ever this fhould come to be thought neceflary, it would lay this Nation under a very great Difadvantage; because it cannot be expected that what is once difclofed, in fuch a numerous Affembly, fhould continue long a Secret; from whence this Inconvenience would neceffarily enfue, that foreign Powers might, at all Times, proceed with great Secrecy in their Measures, for the Destruction or Disturbance of this Nation, while we could do nothing to annoy our Enemies, nor even be provided for our own Defence, but in the most open and publick Manner. Nay, if our King fhould at any Time get Information of the Defigns of our Enemies, he would be obliged to discover to this Houfe, that is to fay, he would be obliged to tell our Enemies, from whom he had that Information, and on fuch a Suppofition 'tis certain no Information would ever be given to us; we could never know any Thing of the fecret Defigns of our Enemies, till the very Moment of their Execution; and therefore we must conclude, that fuch a Maxim in this Houfe would be abfolutely inconfiftent with the Safety of our Country. For this Reafon we muft, in the prefent Cafe, and in all fuch Cafes, take the Argument entirely from what appears in his Majefty's 1734-35. Majefty's Speech, and from thofe publick Accounts, which Anne 8. Gẹo. Iễ has as yet appeared we are not, 'tis true, obliged to engage in the present War; for as the Motives, or at least the pretended Motives of the War, relate entirely to the Affair of Poland; and as that is an Affair in which the Interest of this Nation is no Way concerned, we are not obliged to engage in the War upon that Account: The Emperor has, indeed, called upon us for the Succours, which he pretends are ftipulated by the Treaties fubfifting between us; but as we are not, by any Treaty, engaged to fupport either one Party or the other in Poland, or to fupport his Imperial Majefty in his Views relating to that Kingdom, therefore we do not think ourfelves obliged, by any Treaty fubfifting between us, to furnish him with Succours in a War, which has been occafioned, as is pretended at leaft, meerly by the prefent Difpute about the Election of a King of Poland. If we were absolutely certain, that the Motives affigned were the real and the only Motives for the prefent War; if we had a full Affurance that the Parties engaged would carry their views no farther, I fhould readily grant that there would have been no Occafion for our putting ourfelves to any Expence, nor would there be now any Neceffity for the Augmentation propofed; but this is what we neither could at the Beginning, nor can yet depend on. Foreign Courts may have secret Views which cannot be immediately discovered; but his Majefty, by offering to interpofe his good Offices, has taken the moft effectual Method for difcovering the fecret Views of all the Parties concerned; and if, by the Interpofition of his good Offices he fhould difcover, that either of the Parties engaged in War will accept of no reasonable Terms, we may from thence conclude, that the Affair of Poland was not the only and real Motive for the War; but that under that Pretence there was a Design formed to overturn the Balance of Power in Europe; in which Cafe we fhould be obliged, both in Honour and Intereft, as well as by Treaty, not only to take a Share in the War, but to join with all our Force against that Party, who we found had formed fuch a Defign. In the Formation of every Defign for overturning the Balance of Power in Europe, the Party that forms it must not only have great Ambition, but, before he dares attempt to |