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be a Member of this Houfe. If we look into his Majefty's Anno 8. Geo. II. Speech, we there find that he has not yet engaged himself any way but by his good Offices, for reconciling the Differences at present fubfifting in Europe: From his Majefty's Speech it cannot therefore be pretended, that we are now in any greater Danger than we were laft Year, unless these good Offices have been employed in fuch a blundering way, by those his Majefty has entrusted, as to make us Parties in the Difpute, which I hope no Man in the least suspects; and therefore, from his Majesty's Speech, there cannot be drawn any Show of an Argument for the Augmentation proposed.

The Argument then, Sir, muft reft wholly upon the Accounts we have from publick Gazettes and News-mongers; and if any Credit can be given to such Informations, I must now think, as indeed I have always thought, that 20,000 Seamen were more than fufficient for the Service of this Nation laft Year; for, confidering that those from whom we have any thing to fear by Sea, were then deeply engaged in War, it could not be supposed that they would infult or invade us, unless they had found that we were to have engaged against them. I fhall grant, that it would have been very much for the Intereft of France to have had this Nation join with them; but confidering the great Standing Army we then had in Britain and Ireland, confidering the Number of Ships we then had in Commiffion, and confidering how generally well affected this Nation is to the present happy Establishment, can we fuppofe that France would have attempted to overturn our Government with a Squadron of 18 or 20 Men of War, and an Army of 4 or 5 Regiments; when by making fuch Attempt, and failing in it, they would have drawn the higheft Refentment of this Nation upon themselves; and that at a Time when they were deeply engaged in War with another Power, and when without fuch a Provocation they had, in all Appearance, nothing to fear from this Nation? Apprehenfions founded upon fuch odd Suppofitions can never be wanting; and if this House should give way to fuch Apprehenfions, we must never expect to be relieved from the Load of Debts and Taxes we now groan under.

'But, Sir, we had the laft Year fo little Reason to fear that France had any Defign against us, that it was certain, their Fleet which was fitted out at Breft, was at firft defigned for the Relief of Dantzick, and would probably have failed thither time enough to have prevented the Ruin of that trading Proteftant City, if it had not been for our extraordinary, and, I think, unneceffary Armaments in Britain. The honourable Gentleman took Notice, that the Breft Fleet did not go to Dantzick, and feemed from thence

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Anno S. Geo. II. to infinuate, that it was defigned against this Country, if the Defign had not been prevented by our Preparations; but it is very well known, that it was our Preparations that prevented that Fleet's failing to Dantzick, as it was really defigned; it is very well known, that Spain imagined our Fleet was defigned for the Mediterranean, in order to prevent their Expedition against Naples and Sicily, and therefore they infifted upon it, that the French Fleet should remain at Breft, in order to watch the Motions of the Fleet we were fitting out. This, Sir, was, I believe, the true and the only Reason why that Fleet did not fail to the Relief of Dantzick; but this was not the only Effect of our voting 20,000 Men for Sea-Service: Neither France nor Spain could imagine, nor could they, I think, have any Reason to imagine, that we were putting ourselves to fuch a vaft Expence, for no other End but to make a Show at Spithead or in the Downs; they both began very reasonably to fufpect, that we had fome Defign against them; and, upon this Account they both began to add to their Naval Preparations: This again we find, increased our Jealoufies and Fears, and produced that memorable Vote of Credit, with which the laft Parliament, I may fay, expired; and, in Purfuance of that Vote of Credit, we are now told, this Nation has been charged with maintaining 7000 idle Seamen, befides the 20,000 voted laft Seffion of Parliament: Thus one unneceffary Expence produc'd another, and both are now join'd together, not only to be continu'd, but alfo to produce a third.

However, Sir, though I am still of Opinion, that 20,000 Men was a Number much greater than was neceffary for the Service of laft Year, yet I shall not propose to leffen that Number for the Year enfuing; but I am really surprised to hear an Augmentation of one half of that Number called for, and that without his Majesty's having fignified to us, either in his Speech or by a particular Meffage, that fome Defigns were hatching against this Nation in particular, or against the Liberties of Europe in general. His Majefty having made an Addition laft Year of 7000 Men, by Virtue of the Powers granted to him laft Seffion of Parliament, cannot be any Argument with me, as a Member of this Houfe, for continuing that Number, unlefs his Majesty had been pleafed to communicate his Reafon for making that Addition: As his Majefty has not been pleased to do so, and as I am of Opinion that 20,000 was too great a Number, I must confequently be more ftrongly convinced that 27,000 was too great a Number; and as I cannot fee that we are in any greater Danger this Year than we were the laft, I must therefore be against loading my Conftituents with maintaining that additional Number for the Year enfuing,

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It may be true, that the French and Spaniards have Anno 8. Geo. II. = continued their Ships of War in Commiffion; but if we can I rely upon publick News-Papers, and these, it seems, are the only Accounts we are to have, the French have difmiffed all or moft of the Seamen belonging to their Brest Squadron; and neither they nor the Spaniards are making any extraordinary Naval Preparations, nor are they fitting out any confiderable Squadron at any Port in either of thofe Kingdoms; fo that we have this Year really less Reason to apprehend any Danger by Sea, than we had the laft; because it cannot now be faid, that a foreign Squadron, with a Land-Army on Board, is to pafs by our very Doors: They may perhaps have a little more Command over their Seamen than we have, tho' I cannot allow they have a great deal, confidering our Method of Preffing; but it is E not poffible for both these Nations joined together, to fit out a Fleet, fuddenly and privately, itronger than any we can fend against it, as long as we have 20,000 Seamen in actual Service; for it is very well known that if a Man of War has two Thirds Sailors on Board, and another Third Land-Men, fhe is always fufficiently manned, either for Sailing or Fighting; fo that from a hot Prefs among our Coafters, Colliers and Inland Trade, we could in a very few Days increase the Number of Men on Board our Ships of War to 40,000 at least, which is a greater Number than we ever had Occafion for during the laft heavy War, 32,000 Seamen and 8000 Marines being the greatest Number that was ever provided in any one Year during that War.

• Whether the Motives for the prefent War relate entirely to the Affair of Poland, or whether we had any Concern in that Affair, is what I fhall not, Sir, take upon me to determine; but I think it is pretty plain, that the Motives of the Kings of Spain and Sardinia could not any way relate to the Affair of Poland; their Motives certainly proceeded chiefly from fome late Transactions between the Emperor and them, in which, I believe, we had fome Concern: And even with refpect to the Affair of Poland, if we give Credit to common Reports, which are the only Grounds of our present Debate, we had fome Concern in that too; for it has been confidently reported, that when Auguftus, late King of Poland, was first taken ill, which was a Year or two before his Death, the French Court, with which we were then in very good Terms, defired to know of us, whom we inclined to have for Succeffor to Auguftus, as King of Poland; that we did not then give them any pofitive Answer, but told them negatively, we did not incline that any German Prince fhould be raised to that Dignity; and that fome Time after there were pofitive Inftructions

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Anno 8. Geo. 11. fent to our Minister in Poland, to co-operate with the French Minifter, in bringing about the Election of King Stanislaus: This, Sir, is only a common Report, and therefore I shall not take upon me to aver the Truth of it; but as the Letters and Inftructions fent upon that Occafion to our Minifter in Poland, were moved for in laft Parliament, tho' a Negative was then put upon it, I hope it will hereafter be complied with, in order to clear our Conduct from that Imputation.

To deprive our Neighbours of all Hopes of Success in any of their ambitious Views, is, without doubt, the most effectual Way to prevent their forming any fuch, or at least their attempting to put them in Execution; but how is this to be done, Sir? It is to be done by a wife and frugal Management of our Affairs in Times of no Danger, by avoiding all Occafions of needlefs Expence, and by referving our whole Strength for the Day of real Danger: Our Ships of War may foon be fitted out, our Armies may foon be raised and brought into the Field, if we have but Money enough for thefe Purposes; but if we have thrown away our Money upon idle and unneceflary Armaments; if, by vain Fears and ridiculous Apprehenfions, we have run ourselves in Debt, or neglected to clear thofe Mortgages our former Misfortunes had fubjected us to, our ambitious Neighbours will look upon us with Contempt, and will certainly conclude, that it is not in our Power to put a Stop to their ambitious Defigns. In this View, Sir, is it not evident, that the more Money we spend in unneceffary Armaments, and before the Danger calls upon us, the lefs able we fhall be to deprive our Neighbours of the Hopes of Succefs in any of their ambitious Projects? Neither this Nation nor the Liberties of Europe are, at present, in any apparent and immediate Danger, but a Time may come, a Conjuncture may happen, when we, and perhaps the greatest Part of the World, will be neceffarily involved in a moft dangerous and a moft bloody War: If the prefent Emperor fhould die before the Affairs of Germany are fully fettled, may not every Gentleman foresee what must be the Confequences? The Princes of the Empire all tearing one another to Pieces, and every one of its Neighbours endeavouring to take hold of fome Part of the Auftrian Dominions: The Turks attacking it on one Side, the French attacking it on the other, and the Balance of Power in Danger of being loft, let whatever Side be the Conqueror. This, Sir, is an Event that may happen, I hope it never will, but as it is poffible, we ought to provide against it; and for that Reafon we ought not to exhauft the Money and the Strength of the Nation in needlefs Expences or unneceffary Equipments: Whereas

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we feem to be pursuing a quite contrary Measure. Tho' it Anno 8. Geb. II. be now, with respect to this Nation, a Time of profound Peace and Tranquility, yet I reckon our Expences for next Year will amount to three or four Millions, which is a most prodigious Expence, a greater Expence than the Nation was put to in any one Year of that heavy War in King William's Reign; for the Expences of that War never exceeded three Millions a Year: And even during the War in Queen Anne's Reign, that War which proved fo glorious to this Nation, and fo beneficial to every one of our Allies, there never was a greater Number of Seamen provided for by Parliament, than what is now proposed in a Time of profound Peace : For 30,000 Seamen, and 8000 Marines was, as I have already taken Notice, the greatest Number that was provided for by Parliament, in any one Year of that glorious and fuccefsful War:

To pretend, Sir, that the Preparations we made laft Year, or the Powers granted the laft Seffion of Parliament to his Majefty, produced the Acceptation of our good Offices, is fomething very furprizing, especially when we confider what Sort of an Acceptation we have been favoured with: The Emperor has accepted of our good Offices under this express Provifion, that his Acceptance fhould not be looked on as a paffing from those Succours, which he infifted on we were obliged to furnish him, by the Treaties now fubfifting between us: And the Allies have likewife made their Acceptation conditional; for they have accepted of our good Officés under this expreß Condition, that we fhould continue neutral, with refpect to the present Disputes between them and the Emperor. Can it be imagined that warlike Preparations were neceffary, or that extraordinary Powers granted by Parliament were neceffary, for producing fuch limited Acceptations? Can any Man doubt but that we should have obtained fuch an Acceptation of our good Offices, tho' no fuch Preparations had ever been made, tho' no fuch Powers had ever been granted? But even fuppofing that this Accéptation was produced by the warlike Preparations we made. laft Year, must not every Man agree, that this conditional limited Acceptation has coft us a terrible Price, when he confiders, that it has coft this Nation at least a Million Stering: And if the Plan we are to offer, in Pursuance of this Acceptation, should at last be rejected, what Benefit, what Honour can we receive from the Expences we have put our[elves to ?

6

For our Encouragement to go on with thefe peaceful Preparations, we are told, Sir, that the Dutch have joined cordially with us in all our Meafures: This Affertion, Sir, I am furpriz'd at; it really amazes me. How far VOL. IV.

they