Anno 8. Geo. II. 1734-35. of. Nor does it fignify to tell us, that at this Rate we shall always be obliged to fit out Squadrons, and put ourselves to a great Expence, whenever any of our Neighbours begin to fit out one; for I take it to be a right Maxim, I really think we ought to prepare and fit out a Squadron, whenever we fee any of our Neighbours doing fo, unless we very well know the Purposes their Squadron is defigned for. The Expence beftowed upon fitting out a Squadron may be an Expence to the Publick, but it is little or no Lofs to the Nation; the whole is expended among our own People, and it not only improves our Seamen, by making them acquainted with the Service on Board a Man of War, but it increases their Number; for every Fleet we fit out encourages a Number of Land-Men to engage in the Sea-Service: Whereas, if by neglecting to do fo, the Kingdom fhould be invaded, and a civil War kindled up, the Nation would in that Cafe fuffer a real Lofs, a Lofs which might far furmount the Expence the Publick could be put to by the fitting out of twenty Squadrons; fo that We may fuffer by neglecting this Maxim, but can never fuffer by obferving it. I fhall readily grant, that this Nation would be more formidable, if we owed no publick Debts, and had the fame Fleet and the fame regular Army we have at present ; but if we had no Squadron ready to put to Sea, nor any regular Troops ready to take the Field, I cannot admit that we fhould then be fo formidable as we are at prefent, even tho' we did not owe a Shilling in the World. We all know, that what now makes a Nation formidable, is not the Number nor the Riches of its Inhabitants, but the Number of Ships of War provided with able Seamen, and the Number of regular well difciplined Troops they have at Command : And, whatever Gentlemen may think of the Acceptation of his Majesty's good Offices, I am perfuaded they would not have been fo readily accepted, if the Parties had not seen us preparing to do them bad Offices, in Cafe they had refufed to accept of our good. The accepting of our good Offices will, at leaft, furnish us with an Opportunity of making ourfelves better acquainted with the Views of all the Parties concerned; and there is no Condition annexed by either Party, but what was and must have been understood when we made the Offer. For furely, when we offered the Interpofition of our good Offices, we were not to fuppofe that the Emperor was, by his Acceptance, to pafs from any Demands he thought he had upon us; nor were we to fuppofe that the Allies would or could accept of our good Offices, unless we continued neutral: And while we do fo, our Preparations can give no Encouragement to either Side to infit upon unreasonable Terms; nor can they give the leaft Jealoufy 1734-35. Jealousy to either Side, unless one or the other have Views, Anno 8. Geo. II. which they know to be inconfiftent with the Preservation of the Balance of Power in Europe. I find, Sir, fome Gentlemen have got into a very odd way of talking, when they have Occafion to mention the publick Expence; for if it the leaft exceeds a Million it is to be called two, if it exceeds two it is to be called three : and because it may probably this Year a little exceed three Millons, therefore it is to be called four: So that a Million with these Gentlemen feems to be of very little Confideration; yet when we talk of English Money, I cannot but think that a Million, or near a Million, is a Sum not to be defpifed, and one in four is furely a material Difference. What the publick Expence was, during the War in King William's Reign, or what the Number of Seamen was that was kept up during the late War, I fhall not now inquire; I believe both were as the honourable Gentleman has been pleased to reprefent, but I think neither material at prefent; for we are not to proportion our yearly Expence, or our Number of Seamen, by paft Times, but by prefent Neceffities. When our Neighbours increase their publick Expence, or their Numbers either of Seamen or Land-Soldiers, we must increase ours, otherwise we may happen to fall a Sacrifice to our Frugality: And as both France and Spain, but especially the latter, have very much encreased their Naval Force fince laft War, if we should be obliged to engage against those two Powers, which I hope will not be the Cafe, it is certain we should be forced to maintain a greater Number of Seamen, than we had at any Time during the late War; and the fooner we begin to provide, the less Harm fhall we do our Merchants, the less Stagnation fhall we make in our Trade. This, Sir, naturally leads me to take Notice of the Damage done to our Trade, by the fitting out a Squadron laft Summer. I fhall allow, that our Merchants thereby fuffered fome Inconvenience, and were put to greater Charge than usual for the Freight of Ships and Wages of Seamen : But when the Whole is in Danger, the private Interest of particular Perfons muft yield to it; and the Stop that was put to our Trade laft Summer, is, in my Opinion, the strongeft Argument that can be thought of for the Augmentation now proposed, and for our laying it down as a Maxim, always to begin early to fit out Squadrons, as foon as the Danger of War begins to appear: For if we fhould never think of any Augmentation of Seamen 'till we come upon the very Brink of a War, we must take or prefs 30 or perhaps 40,000 Seamen all at once into the Service of the Publick: And if the raifing of 12 or 15,000 Seamen last Summer 1734-35 Anno 8. Geo. 11, Summer put fuch a Damp to our Trade, furely the railing of 30 or 40,000 all at once would put an entire Stop to it: Whereas if we begin early, and raise our Seamen by Degrees, fresh Men encouraged by high Wages, will be daily entring into the Merchants Service; thofe that enter this Year will be Seamen against the next, and thus every Year will afford a new Fleece for the Navy, fo that in a little Time we may have our Navy fully provided, even for the most heavy War, without putting at any Time any great Stop to our Trade. -As for the Dutch, Sir, I do not think it neceffary to enter into a Difquifition about what they have done, what they ought to do, or what Number of Land-Forces may be neceffary for the Safety of that Republick? For tho they are our natural Allies, yet furely we are not in every Thing to be directed altogether by their Conduct: We are a distinct Nation, and tho' our Interests be generally the fame, yet in fome particular Cafes they may happen to be dif ferent; and when it fo happens, we muft certainly follow different Measures. The Dutch are, 'tis true, a wife People, but, as wife as they are, they may perhaps neglect or mistake their own Intereft, as well as the general Interest of Europe; and if they do fo, muft we neceffarily do the fame ? I hope no fuch Thing will be pretended; for in fuch a Cafe we should become in fome manner a Province to Holland, we should become a meer Cypher in all publick Tranfactions, and should be no way regarded by any of the Powers of Europe; for if they could but fecure the Dutch, they might always depend upon getting us into the fame Meafure; and when the Dutch found we had fuch a thorough Dependence upon them, as good Allies as they are, they might perhaps, now and then, make use of it in a Way which would no way contribute either to our Interest or Honour. Permit me now, Sir, to take fome Notice of the ReRections that have been thrown out upon our late Negotiations and Treaties. As for the Treaties of Hanover and Seville, we had certainly very good Reafons to enter into them at the Time they were negotiated and concluded: And as they were approved of by both Houfes of Parliament, I think I have no Obligation to fay any Thing in Favour of either; for the Approbation ofa British Parliament I take to a more authentick Proof of their Utility, than any thing that can be faid by a private Gentleman in their Commendation; and all the Objections to them have been already fo often answered, that 'tis needless to repeat them: But when Gentlemen give us fuch a terrible View of the Confequences, that may eníue in Cafe the prefent Emperor fhould hap pen 1734-35. pen to die before the Affairs of Germany are fully fettled, Anno 8. Ges. II. I am surprised to hear them find Fault with the late Treaty of Vienna, which was concluded for no other End but to prevent that fatal Catastrophe: Fatal it would certainly be to the Affairs of Europe in general; and therefore I must think we had the ftrongest Inducement to enter into the Guaranty of the Pragmatick Sanction, in the most unlimited Manner, as being the only Expedient by which that fatal Catastrophe may be prevented. What Reasons the Dutch might have for their Backwardness or Caution about entering into that Treaty, I do not know; but if I were to judge of their Wisdom from their Behaviour in that Refpect, I cannot fay I fhould have the best Opinion of it. With regard to the Attack made upon the Emperor in Italy, by the Spaniards and the King of Sardinia, it is certain, that this Nation has neither given them any Encouragement nor any Provocation to do fo; and whether the Imperial Court has given them any juft Provocation, is an Affair, which the Mediators muft of courfe inquire into, when they come to offer a Plan for a Pacification. As to the Affair of Poland, where the honourable Gentleman had his Information, with refpect to what he has been pleased to relate to us about that Affair, I fhall not pretend to guefs; but I must believe, that his Majefty knows nothing about any fuch Answers having ever been given to the French, or about any fuch Inftructions having been sent to his Minifters in Poland: This I must believe from what his Majesty told us in his Speech, at the Opening of laft Seffion of Parliament; and if there ever was any fuch Thing, I am very fure that I am not to answer for all the Measures that have been lately pursued, for that is one Article I know nothing of. To conclude, Sir, the Nation has already been put to a great Expence, and must be yet put to a farther Expence on account of the prefent War; perhaps too fome private Men may have been expofed to fome Inconveniencies, by the Preparations we have already made; but thefe Expences and thefe Inconveniencies ought to be born with Patience, when we confider the Difference between our Situation and that of fome of our Neighbours: I believe I may juftly compute, that by the bloody and obftinate Battles, Sieges and Skirmifhes, which have already happened fince this War first broke out, each of the Parties engaged has loft at least 50,000 Men; fo that while the Trade of our Neighbours is interrupted, while a Stop has been put to all forts of Manufactures and Improvements among them, while their Lands are laid waste, fuch Multitudes of their Men deftroyed, we have carried on our Trade with Security; our Manufactures have been 1734-35. Anno 8. Geo. 11. been improved, and extraordinary Quantities of our Corn exported; no British Farmer has been difturbed, not art Acre of Land laid wafte, not a Drop of British Blood spilt: Therefore, while we enjoy fo much Safety and Quiet, I can't think any Man has Reafon to complain of the Charge the Nation has been put to, or of the few Inconveniencies he has fuffered, for the Prefervation of that Safety and Quiet which he has enjoyed: And as I am fully fatisfied, that what is now propofed is abfolutely neceffary, for fecuring our future Enjoyment of the fame Safety and Quiet, I fhall most heartily give my Confent.' 3000 Men voted for the Sea-Service Then the Question being put, That 20,000 Men be emfor the Year 1735. ploy'd for the Sea Service for the Year 1735 it paffed in the Negative by 256 to 183. After which it was refolv'd, without dividing, that 30,000 Seamen be employ'd for the faid Service. Feb. 13. Mr Sandys moved, That an humble Addrefs be prefented to his Majelly, that he would give Directions to the proper Officer to lay before the Houfe an Account of the Expences incurred, in Confequence of the Vote of Credit paffed at the End of laft Seflion of Parliament.' But this Motion was oppos'd by Mr Horatio Walpole, Mr Henry Pelham, Sir William Yonge, Col. Bladen, Mr Winnington, and Mr Danvers, who alledg'd, That the Houfe had then before them what was propos'd to be defir'd by the Addrefs moved for; for in one Account they had the whole of the Expences that had been incurred by any Addition made to the Sea-Service, in Confequence of that Vote of Credit; in another they had an Account of the whole Expences that had been incurred by any Addition made to the Land Service; and in a third they had an Account of what had been incurred on occafion of the Treaty lately concluded with Denmark: Befides all which, they had an Account of what Monies had been iffued from the Treafury, for all or either of thefe Services in Purfuance of a Claufe in an Act of Parliament, pafs'd laft Seffion, for enabling his Majefty to apply any Part of the Money granted for the Service of laft Year, towards the Expence of making fuch Augmentations of his Forees by Sea or Land, or of concerting fuch other Meafures as he fhould judge necessary for the Safety of this Nation: That from thefe Accounts any Man might eafily fee what Expences had been incurred, in confequence of that Vote of Credit; for that as to the Sea-Service, whatever appeared from that Account to have been incurred, over and above what was granted by laft Parlia ment, for maintaining the 20,000 Seamen then voted for 1.ft Year's Service, muft appear to be an additional Expence, incurred confequerce of that Vote of Credit; And as to the Land |