Anno 8. Geo. II. 1734-35.

Mr Harris's Motion for a Address of Thanks,

1

"I make no doubt but I fhall find in this House of "Commons the fame Zeal, Duty, and Affection, as I have "experienced through the whole Courfe of my Reign; and "that you will raife the neceffary Supplies with Chearful"nefs, Unanimity, and Dispatch.

"The Senfe of the Nation is beft to be learned by the Choice of their Representatives; and I am perfuaded, "that the Behaviour and Conduct of my faithful Commons "will demonstrate, to all the World, the unfhaken Fidelity "and Attachment of my good Subjects to my Perfon and "Government.

My Lords and Gentlemen,

"It is our Happiness to have continued hitherto in a "State of Peace; but whilft many of the principal Powers "of Europe are engaged in War, the Confequences muft more or less affect Us; and as the beft concerted Mea"fures are liable to Uncertainty, We ought to be in a "Readiness, and prepared against all Events; and if Our Expences are in fome Degree increased, to prevent greater, and fuch as if once entered into, it would be difficult "to fee the End of, I hope My good Subjects will not "repine at the neceffary Means of procuring the Bleffings "of Peace, and of univerfal Tranquility, or of putting "Ourselves in a Condition to act that Part, which may be "neceffary and incumbent upon Us to take."

Jan. 27. Mr Speaker having reported his Majefty's Speech, Mr Harris, Member for Fowey, mov'd, That an humble Addrefs be prefented to his Majefty to return his Majesty the Thanks of that Houfe, for his moft gracious Speech from the Throne: To acknowledge his Majesty's Wifdom and Goodness, in pursuing fuch Measures as tended towards procuring Peace and Accommodation, rather than involve this Nation and all Europe too precipitately in a general and bloody War: To exprefs the juft Senfe that House had of his Majefty's tender Regard for the publick Repose and Tranquility, and of his unwearied Endeavours in forming, in Concert with the States General, fuch a Plan of a general Pacification as his Majefty, in his great Wisdom, conceived was confiftent with the Honour and Interest of all Parties, as far as the Circumftances of Time, and the prefent Pofture of Affairs would permit: To affure his Majesty, that that Houfe would chearfully and effectually raife fuch Supplies, as fhould be neceffary for the Honour and Security of his Majefty and his Kingdoms: And whatever fhould be the Succefs of his Majefty's gracious Endeavours to procure the Bleflings of Peace and general Tranquility, would enable his Majesty to act that Part which Honour and Ju

ftice, and the true Intereft of his People fhould call upon Anno 8. Geo. 11. him to undertake.'

1734-35

Mr Harris being back'd by Mr Campbell of Pembroke- Debate thereon. shire, feveral Members objected to fome Expreffions in the Mr Campbell. Motion, which, as they thought, imply'd a too general Approbation of former Measures: And upon this Occafion

Sir William Wyndham propos'd, That the laft Paragraph Sir W. Wyndham, fhould run thus, To affure his Majesty that, after a full State of the Affairs of the Nation had been laid before them, and confider'd by them, they would chearfully and effectually raife fuch Supplies, as fhould be neceffary for the Honour and Security of his Majesty and his Kingdoms, and in Proportion to the Expences to be incurred by the other Powers, who were under the fame Engagements with this Nation, and not then involved in the War: And whatever fhould be the Succefs of his Majefty's gracious Endeavours to procure the Bleffings of Peace and general Tranquility, would enable his Majefty to act that Part, which Honour and Juftice, and the true Intereft of his People should call upon him to undertake.'

But fome Gentlemen difliking the first Part of this Amendment, Sir Jofeph Jekyll offer'd an Amendment to the A- Sir J. Jekyll. mendment propos'd by Sir William Wyndham, as follows:

To affure his Majefty, that that House would chearfully and effectually raife fuch Supplies, as fhould be neceffary for the Honour and Security of his Majefty and his Kingdoms, and in Proportion to the Expences to be incurred by the other Powers, who were under the fame Engagements with this Nation, and not then involv'd in the War: And, whatever should be the Succefs of his Majesty's gracious Endeavours to procure the Bleffings of Peace and general Tranquility, would enable his Majefty to act that Part, which Honour and Juftice, and the true Interest of his People fhould call upon him to undertake.'

The Motion for the Amendment was ftrenuously supported by Lord Morpeth, Lord Noel Somerfet, Mr Shippen, Sir Thomas Afton, Mr Dundafs, Mr Gibbon, Mr Sandys, Mr Walter Plumer, and Mr William Pulteney: The Reafons they gave for their Exceptions to the Addrefs as firft propos'd, and for the Amendment offer'd, were as follows: Mr Speaker,

As this is a new Parliament, I hope we shall begin with hewing a little more Regard to the ancient Custom and Dignity of Parliaments, than has been fhewn of late Years. In former Times, the Addreffes of this House, in Return to is Majesty's Speech from the Throne, were always conceived in the moft general Terms. Our Ancestors would ever condescend upon that Occafion, to enter into the Farticulars

Ld Morpeth.

Mr

Ld Noel Somerfet.
ir hiperton.
Mr Dundas.
Mr Sandys.

Mr Gibbon.

Mr W. Plumer.
Mr W. Pulteney.

1734-35.

Anno 8. Geo. 11. Particulars of his Majefty's Speech: When they were to approach the King, and to declare their Affection and their Fidelity to him, they thought it was inconfiftent with that Fidelity they were to declare, to approve, upon that Occafion, of any minifterial Measures, and much more so, to declare their Satisfaction with Measures they knew nothing about. This Houfe is the grand Inqueft of the Nation, appointed to inquire diligently, and to reprefent faithfully to the King, all the Grievances of his People, and all the Crimes and Mifmanagements of his Servants; and therefore it muft always be a Breach of our Fidelity to our Sovereign, as well as a Breach of our Duty to his People, to approve blindly the Conduct of his Servants. When we have examined diligently, and confidered deliberately the Conduct of any Minifter, and are at laft fully convinced that he has acted prudently and wifely for the publick Good, it is then our Duty to return him the Thanks of the Publick, and to represent him as a faithful Minifter to his Master; but to make Panegyricks upon the Conduct of any of the King's Servants, before we have examined into it, is more like the Language of Slaves and Sycophants to a prime Minifter, than that of loyal and faithful Subjects to their Sovereign.

I must acknowledge, Sir, that the Motion now made to us is more general, and more adapted to the ancient Custom of Parliament, than most I have heard fince I have had the Honour to be a Member of this House. I hope we fhall not find that this extraordinary Modefty proceeds from a Conscioufnefs of Mifconduct: For the Sake of the Publick I heartily wish we may find that it proceeds from fuperior Merit; which is, indeed, generally attended with fuperior Modefty; but as I have always been, upon fuch Occafions, against general Encomiums upon Minifters, and as the Propofition now before us, or at leaft a great Part of it, implies a general Approbation of all our late Meafures, particularly thofe relating to the prefent War, which the Majority of this Houfe are, in my Opinion, intirely ignorant of, I cannot agree to it; because I have not yet learned Complaifance enough to approve of what I know nothing about, much lefs to approve of what I violently fufpect to be wrong.

I had the Honour, Sir, to be a Member of this Houfe in the last Parliament; and I remember feveral Motions were then made, for getting fome Infight into the State of our foreign Affairs and our late Tranfactions; Motions which appeared to me highly reafonable, and even abfolutely necaftry to be complied with, before the Houfe could reafonably comply with the Demands that were then made upon

them ;

1734-35.

them: But every one of thefe Motions had a Negative put Anno 8. Geo. II.
upon it. I have always had a Sufpicion of the Works of
Darkness; I do not like any Conduct that cannot ftand the
Light at Noon-Day; and therefore I am afraid fome of
our late Tranfactions are fuch as no Man could approve of,
if they were expofed to publick View. We have been long
amufed with Hopes of fome extraordinary Benefits, that were
to accrue to the Nation from our many tedious and expen-
five Negotiations: We have been long in Expectation; but
when one Negotiation was over, we have been always told
to have Patience, the next was to accomplish all our De-
fires; we have accordingly had a great deal of Patience;
but, fo far as I can comprehend, I can observe no Bene-
fits that have accrued, or are like to accrue; but, on the
contrary, many Dangers and Difadvantages; So that the
whole Train of our late Negotiations really feem to me
to have been calculated for no other End, but to extricate a
Set of puzzled, perplexed Negotiators, from fome former
Blunder, by which they have generally been led into a fe-
cond, of worfe Confequence than the firft: Every fubfequent
Negotiation feems to me to have had no other View or De-
fign, but to get rid of fome Dilemma we were thrown into
by the former; and happy have we thought ourselves, after
a great deal of Money spent, if we could but recover our
former Condition. In fhort, Sir, if any Gentleman will rife

up
and fhew me any Addition, or any new Advantage, with
refpect either to our Trade or our Poffeffions, that this Na-
tion has acquired by any of our late Transactions, I fhall a-
gree to the Motion; but confidering the great Expence this
Nation has been put to, and the great Loffes many of our
Merchants have, without any Redress or Satisfaction, sustain-
ed, I cannot agree to pafs Compliments upon, or declare
my Satisfaction with, our late Management in general, 'till
it be made appear to me, that these publick and private
Loffes have been fome Way ballanced by National Advan-
tages.

The fecond Paragraph of the Motion I am, indeed, furprized at upon another Account, to make our Acknowledgements to his Majefty, for not involving the Nation too precipitately in a bloody War, is, in my Opinión, very far from being a Compliment to his Majefty; It is impof-fible, it is not to be prefumed that his Majefly can do any fuch Thing; but if it were poffible, and if any fuch thing had been done, to be fure it would have been doing the Nation a very notable Mischief; and according to the Idiom of our Language, at least in private Life, to thank a Man, or to make our Acknowledgements to a Man, for his not doing us a notable Mischief, is a contemptuous way of expref

fing

1734-35.

Anno 8. Geo. 11. fing ourfelves, and is always an Infinuation, that from fuch a Man's Malice, or his Weakness, or Imprudence, we expected fome notable Mischief; and therefore when we are difappointed, when the Mischief is not fo great as we expected, we fay, by way of Contempt, that we are obliged to him. If none but Minifters were concerned in this Part of the Motion, I should have let it pass without any Remark, nay, I should readily have agreed to it; but as his Majesty is concerned, I hope the Gentlemen who made the Motion will take Care to have it some way altered, if they are resolved to have it stand Part of the Addrefs. This fhews, Sir, how apt People are to fall into Blunders, when they attempt to make extravagant and forced Compliments; and therefore I with we would refolve to avoid fuch Dangers, by confining our Addrefs to a general Acknowledgement of Thanks to his Majefty, for his moft gracious Speech from the Throne, and a Declaration of our Affections towards him, of our Attachment to his Family, and our Zeal for his Service.

However, Sir, as it has been granted upon all Hands, that nothing contained in our Addrefs can prevent the future Inquiries of this Houfe, or can be a Bar to our cenfuring what we fhall upon Inquiry find to be amifs, therefore I fhall propofe no Amendment to the former Part of the Motion: But I must take Notice of one Thing which is apparent, without any Inquiry, to every Man in this House, to every Man who knows any thing of publick Affairs; and that is, the great Charge this Nation has already been put to on account of the War, while the other Powers of Europe, not yet engaged in the War, have not put themfelves to one Shilling Expence: Nay, even our Allies the Dutch, who, as his Majefty has been pleafed to tell us, are under the fame Engagements with us, have not put themselves to the leaft Charge on account of the prefent War. Now, Sir, as his Majefty has told us, that we had no Concern with the Caufes or Motives of the War, we cannot therefore be involved in it, unlefs it be for the Preservation of the Balance of Power; and as all our Allies are as much interested in this Refpect as we are, it is reafonable they fhould bear their proportionable Share of the Expence: And as they have yet done nothing like it, I think it is become neceffary for us to take fome Notice of this Matter in our Addrefs to his Majefty, for which Reafon I fhall move for this Amendment to the latter Part of the Address: viz. That this House will chearfully and ef fectually raife fuch Supplies, as fhall be neceffary for the Honour and Security of his Majefty and his Kingdoms: And in Proportion to the Expences to be incurred by the other

Powers