1735-36. Anno 9. Geo. 11. the Nation, if they could pay off all their publick Debts at once: That the Unwillingness of the publick Creditors to receive their Money was a certain Sign of their having an advantageous Bargain; and was therefore a Demonftration, that it was the Intereft of the Publick to pay them off as fast as poffible: And that, tho' they might perhaps be able to borrow the Sum then propofed at 31. per Cent. yet even at that Rate, it was adding to the future yearly Expence of the Nation a Sum of 18,000l. per Ann. for ever; which, tho' perhaps a fmall Sum in the Eyes of Gentlemen who dealt in Millions, was however a Sum, that might thereafter be greatly wanted for the current Service of fame fucceeding Year: That confidering the great Expence we had been at in the then current Year, and the great Expence we were like to be put to in the next, for the Defence of a Foreign Nation, they were furprized to find that no Subfidy had been received, nor any Sum like to be brought, at leaft to the publick Account, for anfwering the Expence we had been, or were like to be at on that Occafion : That we found by Experience, no Nation would fo much as promise us any Affiftance, without our granting them a large annual Subfidy, to commence as foon as the Promife was made, and to be paid, tho' no fuch Affistance fhould ever be wanted : That even when fome of our Allies had, for very valuable Confiderations, engaged to aflift us at their own Expence, yet when that Affiftance was required, they had always found Pretences for not complying, 'till we engaged to defray any Expence they should be put to upon that Account: That it was certainly our Intereft to protect our Allies, and to prevent any one of our Neighbours growing too powerful by conquering another; but if we always fhewed ourselves ready to protect the weakest Side at our own Expence, every one would find Pretences for throwing all the Burden upon our Shoulders, by which Management we must neceffarily at last become the weakest of all our Neighbours; and having thus fpent our whole Force, and thrown away all our Money in the protecting of others, we should at laft have nothing left wherewithal to protect or fupport ourselves.' To this it was replied again, That we had given no Affiftance, nor had lately put ourselves to any Expence in the Defence of any Nation, but what we were obliged to, not only by the most folemn Treaties, but even for the Sake of our own Preservation: That with regard to the Nation fuppofed to be meant [Portugal] it was very well known, that we were as much interested in the Defence and Prefervation of that Nation as of any other; and it was likewise known, that we were far from being at all the Expence, for that Nation itfelf had been at a very great Expence in providing for its Own 1735-36. own Defence, and a great Part of the Money laid out in Anno 9. Geo. II. that Provifion had been brought to this Kingdom: That as that Affair was then upon the Anvil, it could not at this Time be fully explained, but a Time would come when it might; and when that Time did come, the Houfe might then, if they thought fit, inquire into it; upon which Occafion the Neceffity, the Juftice, and the Wisdom of our prefent Conduft would, they believed, be eafily explained to the Satiffaction of almost every Gentleman, who might then have the Honour of being a Member of that House.' Then the Queftion being put for agreeing to the Motion, it was carried in the Affirmative without a Divifion. the Yorkshire Elec March 2. The House having re-affum'd the Hearing of Farther Debate on the Petitions relating to an undue Election for the County of tion. York, the Counsel for the Petitioners examin'd Joshua Wilfon, in order to difqualify the above-mentioned John Maken, as having had no Freehold, at the Time of the faid Election, in the Place where he then swore that his Freehold did lie; and the faid Wilfon beginning to give Evidence of that Difqualification, by relating the Confeffion of the faid John Maken, he was interrupted by the Counsel for the fitting Member, who faid, That as the House would not admit of a Man's Confeffion, even before them, as an Evidence against what he had fwore at the Time of an Election, they would not furely admit of a Man's private Confeffion to a Neighbour in the Country, as an Evidence against what he had fwore at the Time of an Election. Upon this the Counsel of both Sides were heard, and feveral Journals read, particularly the Refolution of that Houfe of the 12th of Feb. then laft, in the Cafe of the Election of the Borough of Southwark, against admitting the Petitioner's Counfel to examine Thomas Gaman, in Contradiction to his Oath at that Election: And then the following Question was propofed, viz. That the Counfel for the Petitioners be admitted to give Evidence, as to what a Voter confeffed of his having no Freehold, who at the Time of the Election fwore he had. Upon this Motion there was alfo a Debate; but upon the Question's being put, it was carried in the Affirmative by 181 to 132. After this the Counsel for the Petitioners proceeded to examine the faid Wilson and several other Witneffes, in order to difqualify feveral other Perfons, who voted for the faid fitting Member at the faid Election; and having begun to examine a Witnefs, in order to difqualify one of thofe Perfons, to whom the Petitioners, in the Lifts by them deliver'd, pursuant to the Order of the Houfe of the 16th of January laft, had objected, that he was not affeffed, nor had 2 Anno 9. Geo. II. a Freehold of 40 s. per Ann. in the Place, where, at the 1735-36. Time of the faid Election, he fwore that his Freehold dia lie; and it appearing that the Evidence, which the Witnefs gave, tended to prove that fuch Perfon had no Freehold at all there, he was interrupted in his Evidence by the Counfel for the fitting Member, who faid, That by the faid Order, Petitioners were obliged to deliver to the fitting Members Lifts of the Perfons intended by the Petitioners to be objected to, who voted for the fitting Members, giving in the faid Lifts the feveral Heads of Objection, and distinguishing the fame against the Names of the Voters excepted to: That as the Petitioners had not objected to this Perfon that he had no Freehold at all, but only that he had not a Freehold of 40 s. a Year, where, at the Time of the faid Election, he fwore that his Freehold did lie; therefore no Evidence was to be admitted for proving that he had no Freehold at all. The Counsel of both Sides being heard upon this Objection, after fome Debate, the Question was put, and carried, That the Counsel for the Petitioners be admitted to give Evidence as to a Perfon's having no Freehold at all, to whom the Petitioners had objected, in their Lift of Objections, that fuch Perfon had not a Freehold of 40 s. per Annum. Then the farther Hearing of this Affair was adjourned to the 4th Inftant. A Petition of the The fame Day a Petition of the Quakers was presented relating to Tithes; to the House, and read, fetting forth, That notwithstanding the several Acts of Parliament made for the more eafy Recovery of Tithes, Church-Rates, Oblations, and other Ecclefiaftical Dues, in a fummary Way, by Warrant from Juftices of the Peace; yet as the faid People confcientiously refused the Payment thereof, they were not only liable to, but many of them had undergone grievous Sufferings by Profecution in the Exchequer, Ecclefiaftical, and other Courts, to the Imprisonment of their Perfons, and the Impoverishing and Ruin of them and their Families, for fuch small Sums as were recoverable by thofe Acts; and therefore praying, that the House would be pleased to take the Premifes into Confideration, and afford them fuch Relief therein, as A Bill order'd in to the House should seem meet. Hereupon it was order'd, that Leave be given to bring in a Bill to amend, and render more effectual the Laws then in being, for the more eafy Recovery of Tithes, Church-Rates, Oblations, and other Ecclefiaftical Dues from the People called Quakers, and that Mr Glanville, Sir William + Yonge, Mr Henry Archer, and Mr Hampden, fhould prepare and bring in the fame. accordingly. A Commifioner of the Revenue in Ireland. March 1735-35. tion for a Duty of March 8. The House being in a Grand Committee on Anno 9. Geo. II. the Supply, Sir Jofeph Jekyll mov'd to refolve, That for all Spirituous Liquors, which any Retailer thereof fhould, from Sir J. Jekyll's Mo and after the 24th Day of June, 1736, be poffeffed of, there 20s. per Gallon to fhould be granted to his Majefty a Duty of twenty Shillings tous Liquors. per Gallon: But this was oppos'd by feveral Members, who thought the laying on fo high a Duty was in fome Measure a Prohibition: And upon this Occasion Mr William Pulteney flood up, and spoke as follows: Sir, Motion. • I believe it will be admitted by every Gentleman, that the Mr Pulteney's conftant and exceffive Use of spirituous Liquors among the Speech against the inferior Rank of our People, is a Practice which has of late Years grown to a monft'rous Height, and it will be as generally and as readily admitted, that this Practice is dangerous and mischievous to the Health, Strength, Peace, and Morals of the People; and that it tends greatly to diminishing the Labour and Industry of his Majefty's Subjects; therefore I believe we shall all agree in this, that fome Method ought to be taken for putting a Stop to this Practice; but whether it be neceffary for this End, to lay a total Prohibition upon the Retail of fuch Liquors, is a Question that will, in my Opinion, admit of fome Doubt, and deferves our moft ferious Confideration, because of the many bad Confequences with which such a Prohibition must certainly be attended. Let us confider, Sir, that the Distilling Trade is a Bufinefs which has been carried on by Royal Authority for about an hundred Years, and that it has been not only highly approved, but very much encouraged by feveral Acts of Parliament paffed fince the Revolution. Under fuch publick, fuch great, and fuch folemn Sanctions, what Perfon in the Kingdom could imagine that the Trade was in itself pernicious, or that it was inconfiftent with the Health and Welfare of the People; no Man could: And accordingly great Numbers of his Majefty's Subjects, especially within thefe laft forty Years, have betaken themselves to this Bufinefs, and have employed all the Money they were Masters of in providing Materials proper for the Bufinefs. And far ther, Sir, as the diftilling of fuch Spirits has met with great Encouragement from the Legislature for many Years paft, fo likewife the Retail of them hath been fo much encouraged, or at least connived at, and there is not now an Inn, an Alehoufe, or a Coffeehouse in the Kingdom, but what owes a great Part of its Profits to the Retail of fuch Liquors By which Means there are now fuch Multitudes of Families in the Kingdom who owe their chief, if not their only Support to the diftilling, or to the retailing VOL. IV. U fuch 1735.36. Anno 9. Geo. 11. fuch Liquors, that they very well deferve the Care and the Confideration of a British House of Commons. The only Complaint now before us, Sir, is against the conftant and exceffive Ufe of fpirituous Liquors among Perfons of inferior Rank There is no Complaint against the Liquors themselves, nor was it ever faid that a moderate Ufe of any fort of fuch Liquors was hurtful; nay, it will be granted, I believe, that the moderate Use of them is upon many Occafions convenient, if not neceffary; fo that by a total Prohibition of fuch Liquors by Retail we feem to be carrying the Remedy much farther than the Disease, even with refpect to our home-made Spirits. But with respect to Rum, I am fure there never was any Complaint against the constant and exceffive Ufe of that Liquor among Perfons of inferior Rank; therefore I can fee no Reafon for putting a Stop to the Retail of that Liquor; and when we confider the prefent low and diftreffed Condition of our Sugar-Colonies, and that they are now chiefly fupported by the Sale of their Rum, I think we ought not to put almost an intire Stop to the Confumption of that Liquor, without fome very strong and very urgent Reafons for fo doing. From what I have faid, Sir, I hope no Gentleman will fuppofe or imagine, that I am arguing against our taking fome Method for putting a Stop to the conftant and exceffive Ufe of fuch Liquors amongst Perfons of inferior Rank. No, Sir, I fhall readily and willingly agree to any proper Method for that Purpofe; but I muft declare that my Concern is fo great for the Multitudes of Families both in this Ifland and in the Weit-Indies, who now owe their chief Support to the making and vending of fuch Liquors, that I cannot give my Confent to any Regulation which will turn them entirely, and at once, out of the Bufiness to which they at prefent owe their chief Support; especially, as I am convinced the Difeafe we have under our Confideration does not any Ways ftand in need of such a desperate Cure And I have likewife fo great a Regard for his Majefty and his illuftrious Family, and for the Peace and Quiet of this Kingdom, that I cannot give my Confent to a Regulation which I foresee will raife great Difaffection to the preient Government, and may produce fuch Riots and Tumults, as may endanger our prefent Establishment, or at leaft fuch as cannot be quelled without fpilling the Blood of many of his Majesty's once faithful Subjects, and putting an End to the Liberties of the People. It is a dangerous, it is, Sir, a terrible Thing, to reduce many thousands of Families at once to a State of Despair, which will be the cerLain Confequence of laying fuch high Duties upon the Re tail |