Imatges de pàgina
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1734-35.

pofed the Claufe, could not fay, that by any Order his Ma- Anno 8. Geo. II. jefty could give, the Juftice of Peace was obliged to dif charge the Man inlifted, upon his declaring before him his having repented of what he had done, and returning to the Officer the inlifting Money and all the Charges the Officer had been at for inlifting him: That what was proposed by the Clause was to lay an Obligation upon the Juftice, and to give a poor Fellow an Opportunity to get off upon reasonable Terms, in cafe he should repent of what he had done; neither of which could be effectuated by any Order his Majesty had given, or could give for regulating the Army: That the Grievance complained of was, the inveigling of Men to inlist, and making a Property of them after their having been fo inveigled: That this was a Privilege which they hoped no Officer would infift on: That the Abolishing of this Privilege was what the Clause offer'd chiefly aim'd at; and therefore they hop'd the House would agree to it.

Sir R. Walpole. Sir Robert Walpole and Mr Henry Pelham having de- Mr H. Pelham, clared, That they would be for the Claufe, if it could be fo drawn as not to be attended with any Inconvenience to the Service; and thereupon proposed that the Debate be adjourned till the next Day, in order that fuch a Claufe might be contrived: And it being admitted of the other Side, that the Claufe, as it then ftood, might perhaps stand in need of fome little Amendment, it was agreed to adjourn the Debate accordingly till next Day; when the Claufe was agreed to, and added to the Mutiny-Bill.

Mr Walpole's Motion for a Subfidy of 56,250l. to Den

mark.

Feb. 28. The House being in a Grand Committee on the Supply, and the Treaty with Denmark, dated Sept. 19, 1734, having been referred to the faid Committee, a Motion was made by Mr Horatio Walpole, That the Sum of 56,2501. be granted to his Majefty, on account of the Subfidy to the King of Denmark, pursuant to the said Trea- Debate thereon. ty, for the Service of the Year 1735. This occafioned a Mr H. Walpole. long Debate, in which Mr Walpole's Motion was fupported Mr Willes. by Mr Winnington, Mr Willes, Col. Bladen, and Sir Col. Bladen. Robert Walpole, as follows:

Sir,

Although we are not engaged in the present War, yet, as the Balance of Power in Europe depends very much upon the Event of it, we may be foon under a Neceffity of joining one or other of the Parties; therefore it is incumbent upon us to ftrengthen ourselves before-hand, by engaging as many foreign Powers as we can to join with us upon fuch an Event. In this Situation, it was natural to caft our Eye first towards Denmark, the Interest of that Nation being VOL. IV. generally • Attorney General, now Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas.

M

Winnington,

Sir R. Walpole.

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Anno 8. Geo. II. generally, the fame with our own; and at prefent was the more neceffary, because great Endeavours were us'd to engage that Court on the other Side of the Queftion, which might have proved of the moft fatal Confequence to the Liberties of Europe, and confequently to thofe of this Na

Sir W. Wyndhamn.
Mr Pulteney,
Sir J. Barnard.

tion.

The Experience of the last two Wars against France may convince us, Sir, how dangerous it is to allow any one Power in Europe to exalt itself too much, and how expenfive it may prove, to reduce a Power that has once got too great an Afcendant over its Neighbours. The Expence, which Great Britain is to be put to by, this Treaty with Denmark, must appear very inconfiderable to every Gentleman who confiders, that we thereby not only fecure the Affiftance of a powerful Kingdom, but prevent their being engaged against us, in cafe the Event of the War fhould make it neceffary for us to join the other Side. In all Cafes it is certainly prudent upon any Emergency, to lay out a fmall Sum, when it is probable we may by fo doing prevent our being afterwards brought under a Neceffity of putting ourfelves to a much greater Expence: And this is the very Cafe at present in relation to our Treaty with Denmark.

It is well known, Sir, that Nations are, in all their publick Tranfactions, governed by their own Intereft; and as all Europe knew that great Offers were making to Denmark, to fecure them on that Side, against which we might foon be under a Neceffity to engage; therefore it became abfolutely neceffary for us to offer them fuch Terms as might convince them, that it was more their Intereft to join in Alliance with us, than with either of the Parties concerned in the War: I must therefore think, that the concluding this Treaty was one of the most prudent Steps his Majefty could take, and the Conditions on our Part are fo reasonable, that I think every Gentleman in this Houfe muft approve of them; and therefore, I hope, this Motion will be agreed to without Oppofition.'

Mr Walpole's Motion was oppos'd by Sir William Wyndham, Mr Pulteney, Sir John Barnard, Mr Sandys, Mr Shippen, and Sir John Hynde Cotton, who alledg'd the folSir John Hynde lowing Arguments against the Motion.

Mr зdys.

Mr Shippen.

Cotton.

Sir,

I am glad to hear that we are as yet no way engaged in the War; if it be fo, I am fure it is ridiculous to put the Nation to a great Expence, to provide against a Danger which may never happen. As we have no particular Intereft of our own for inducing us to engage in the prefent War, but only the Danger the Balance of Power may be in by that Event: And as all the Powers of Europe are as

much

C

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much, or more, interested in the Preservation of that Ba- Anno 8. Geo. II.
lance than we are; if it fhould come to be in any real
Danger, they would certainly engage in its Defence, with-
out receiving any valuable Confideration from us; but if
we fhould be always the firft to take the Alarm upon any
War's breaking out, and offer Bribes and Penfions to all the
Princes in Europe, the whole Charge of preferving that Ba-
lance would fall upon this Nation; and each of them would,
upon every fuch Occafion, expect a Bribe or a Penfion from
England, for doing that which he would otherwise be obliged
to do for his own Preservation: Even the Dutch may at last
refuse to affift, when the Balance of Power is really in Dan-
ger, unless we submit to make the Grand Penfionary of Hol-
land a Penfionary of England, and take a Number of their
Forces into English Pay.

It is really furprifing, Sir, to hear Gentlemen talk of
the Balance of Power's being in Danger, and that we must
already begin to provide for its Preservation, when there is
not a Prince or State in Europe, who feems to apprehend
any fuch Matter. The Dutch have not put themselves to
one Shilling Expence on account of the prefent War, or for
that Mediation they are engaged in as well as we. The
Princes and States of Germany are so far from being appre-
henfive of any Danger, by the Event of the prefent War,
that fome of the moft confiderable of them have actually en-
gaged in a Neutrality. Even the King of Denmark, whom
we have thought neceffary to engage by a confiderable yearly
Penfion, is himself a Prince of the Empire, and would cer-
tainly fuffer, by the Overturning the Balance of Power in
Europe, much fooner than this Nation would; and therefore
we must conclude, that it is more immediately his Interest to
engage, not only in Defence of that Balance, but in Defence
of the Empire; yet we, it seems, have been fo generous as
to promise to reward him bountifully for doing what is ab-
folutely neceffary for his own Prefervation. This, Sir, is a
moft pernicious Example, it may at laft bring the Balance
of Power into real Danger, because it may tempt all the
Princes of Europe to neglect it, until we grant them yearly
Penfions for taking Care of it; and perhaps this very Pre-
cedent has now provoked all the other Princes of Germany
to ftand off, on Purpose to engage us to extend our Bounty
in the fame Manner to each of them.

To tell us, Sir, that if we had not entered into this Treaty with the King of Denmark, he might have been prevailed on to have concluded a Treaty with another Power, which might have been prejudicial to us, is, in my Opinion, very odd. Princes, 'tis true, Sir, do not always. fee their real Interefts, but if we refolve upon every OccaM 2 cafion

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Anno 8. Geo, II. cafion to clear their Eyefight by a Penfion, I am afraid none of them will ever open their Eyes without receiving some fuch Remedy from us. We are never to fuppofe that any Prince of Europe will engage againft the Liberties of Europe, or will perform any former Engagement, when the Performance comes to be apparently inconfiftent with the Liberties of Europe, and confequently with his own Independency, unless he be very much blinded by fome particular Interest of his own: And of all the Princes of Europe the King of Denmark is, in this Refpect, the leaft liable to any Temptation; there are feveral other Princes of Europe, who may be tempted to join with those who have Defigns against the Liberties of Europe; because they may be made from thence to expect fome Addition to their own Dominions; and these are the Princes upon whom we ought to have a watchful Eye; these are the Princes, if any, upon whom we ought to bestow our Penfions, in order to keep them firm to the general Intereft of Europe. If we had by any Subfidy engaged the Duke of Bavaria in an Alliance; if we had by any Subfidy difengaged the King of Sardinia from his prefent Allies; or if we had laid out a Sum of Money in engaging the Polanders to make fuch a Choice of a King, as would have prevented the breaking out of the War, (and perhaps a lefs Sum might have done than the Expence we have been at on account of the War) there might have been fome Reason for our being at fuch an Expence; but I can fee no Advantage we can expect, from the Expence we are to be at, on account of this Treaty with Denmark.

I fhall readily agree with the honourable and learned Gentleman [Mr Willes] that Nations are entirely governed by their own Intereft; but as it is the Intereft of Denmark, as much as it is the Intereft of this Nation, to preferve the Balance of Power in Europe, therefore I must think it was quite unneceffary for us to give them a Fee for doing fo: I fhall indeed grant, that they were in the Right to take it, for, I believe, few will refufe to take a Fee for that, which is both their Duty and Intereft to do without any Reward. As I have a great Opinion of the Honour and the Penetration both of the King and the Ministers of Denmark, I muft conclude they would never have entered into any Engage. ments, that were inconfiftent with the Liberties of Europe; I must conclude they will always be ready, without any Fee or Reward, to join with all their Force in the Prefervation of the Balance of Power, whenever it fhall appear to be in any real Danger. Confequently it was altogether unneceffary for us to enter into any fuch Treaty as that now before us, or to promise any fuch Subfidy as is by that Treaty fipulated; and therefore, as one of the Reprefentatives

of

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of the People, to whom they have entrusted the laying out Anno 8. Geo. II, their Money, in the moft frugal Manner, I cannot agree to fuch an unneceffary Expence as what is now propofed.'

Mr Howe.

Upon this Sir Jofeph Jekyll, and Mr Howe declar'd, Sir Jof. Jekyll. That they approved of the Treaty as little as any Gentlemen did: That tho' they thought it was altogether unneceffary, to put the Nation to fuch an Expence 'till the Danger became more apparent, yet as it was the firft Treaty his Majefty had concluded upon the prefent Emergency, they would agree to the Motion; because if that House should not agree with what his Majefty had done with refpect to that Treaty, it might be, at fuch a Conjuncture, of the most dangerous Confequence to the Liberties of Europe, by encouraging the ambitious Views which fome of the Parties engaged in War may now have, or hereafter form to themfelves, and by difcouraging any of the Princes or States of Europe from entering into any Treaties with his Majefty, even tho' the Circumstances of Europe should then abfolutely require fuch Treaties to be concluded.'

moves for a Bill for reftraining the Number of Play

Houses.

Debate thereon.

Mr Pulteney.

Then the Question being put for agreeing with the Motion, it was carried in the Affirmative, by 270 to 178. March 5. Sir John Barnard mov'd for bringing in a Bill, Sir J. Barnard for reftraining the Number of Houses for playing of Interludes, and for the better regulating Common Players of Interludes. In Support of this Motion he reprefented the Mifchief done to the City of London by the Play-Houses, in corrupting the Youth, encouraging Vice and Debauchery, and being prejudicial to Trade and Industry; and how much thefe Evils would be increas'd, if another Play-House should be built in the very Heart* of the City.' Sir John Barnard was feconded by Mr Sandys, and fupported by Mr Pulte- Mr Sandys. ney, Sir Robert Walpole, Sir Jofeph Jekyll, Sir Thomas Sir R. Walpole. Sir Jof. Jekyll. Saunderfon, and feveral other Members; Mr James Eref- Sir T. Saunderfon. kine in particular reckon'd up the Number of Play-Houfes Mr J. Ereskine. then in London, viz. The Opera-Houfe, the French PlayHouse in the Hay-Market, and the Theatres in Covent-Gar-Trial den, Drury-Lane, Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, and Goodman'sFields; and added, 'That it was no less furprizing than shameful, to see so great a Change for the worse in the Temper and Inclinations of the British Nation, who were now fo extra-, vagantly addicted to lewd and idle Diverfions, that the Number of Play-Houses in London was double to that of Paris; That we now exceeded in Levity even the French themfelves, from whom we learned these and many other ridiculous Customs, as much unsuitable to the Mein and Manners of an Englishman or a Scot, as they were agreeable to the Air and

•There was at this Time a Project on foot for erecting a Play-Houst is St Martins le Grand,

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