514 PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY. ranean and the Bay of Biscay, thirty No fubitantial anfwer was attempt ed to be given to thofe facts, or the general or particular charges made in confequence of them; only the minifter reprehended Mr. Luttrell as diforderly for taking notice of what had pafied in debate in the other Houfe; to which the latter replied, that he thought himself fully juftified in fo doing, having only copied the example of that pattern of good order, wifdom, and rectitude, the Earl of Sandwich, who had in the Houfe of Lords reviled him in the moft indecent terms, for what had fallen from him in debate, in the Houfe of Commons, and falfly imputed the part he had taken in the prefent distracted The above bill went through a committee of the whole House, was reported, ordered to be ingroffed, and read a third time on the Wednesday following. A motion was made that the fubjects of France and Spain be excepted out of the bill, and a fhort debate enfuing, the queftion was put, and the committee divided, ayes 22, noes 53. The bill was intended for the more eafy and expeditious manning of the navy, and to procure seamen to navigate our merchant veffels. The plan of it was taken from one paffed during the late war, which, we think was as full of wisdom and found policy, as the prefent is replete with folly and temerity. The laws in being forbid our entertaining any man in our fleets or armies, who is a Papift, or known to be fuch; and the act of navigation fpecially ordains that two thirds of our feamen aboard our merchant thips, fhall be natives, or British fubjects. In 1755 adminiftration wifely forefaw on the breaking out of the French war, accompanied with the profpect of a Spanish war, that either our fleets muft remain unmanned, or our merchantmen be ftripped of their hands, to the great detriment of our trade and commerce: on which they paffed a law as it were fufpending the navigation act, to anfwer the exigencies of the times. It ordained that foreign feamen might be entertained aboard our fhips of war, and that our merchantmen might be navigated by foreign feamen, fo that no more than three fourths of the crew were foreigners. The prefent bill was a literal copy of that law, and was framed with the fame intention. But here, in our opinion, a very effential dif ference arifes. The French feamen were at that time entirely out of the cafe, as we were at actual war with that nation. The Spaniards, it is well known, feldom go into foreign fervice 1776. PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY. service, and at that time more particularly, as a rupture between England and Spain was much talked of. Then again, the Genoefe, who carry on the greatest trade of any of the Italian powers, and who generally form in time of war one third of the feamen of France, put them likewife in a great measure out of the cafe. Thus comparing the times, we are clearly of opinion, if the bill will have any operation at all, it will be big with mifchief, it will give the French, Spaniards, and Genoefe a knowledge of our coafts, harbours, docks and arfenals; it will tend to the difcouragement of our own naval ftrength, at least in respect of feamen, to ferve aboard our veffels of war; but above all, if we fhould be compelled to go to war with the united power of the Houfe of - Bourbon, fuch of their fubjects as are in our fervice at the time will go home or be recalled, under the penalty of being declared traitors; the effect of which will be an immediate want of them aboard our own thips and veffels, and as immediate a fupply aboard thofe of our natural and dangerous enemies, with this additional circumftance of their being rendered able feamen and skilful navigators. No answer was returned on the part of the ministry, but that none of the confequences urged on the other fide, happened when a fimilar bill was paffed in 1755, which was juft faying nothing, as the circumftances fo widely and effentially differed. March 26. The above bill was this day read a third time, and was paffed without a divifion, but not without the following among other cogent reafons being offered against the propriety and policy of it. It was urged that the bill would deftroy the British nurferies for feamen, and give foreigners the means of laying a foundation to rival us in the fovereignty of the feas; that it was directly contrary to our treaties with the African powers, and to our pafles for the Mediterranean and Levant trade, which paffes, ftate and derive all their virtue from the confidence in our performance of thole treaties, by grant. ing them purely on the condition, that two thirds of the crew fhall be natives, or naturalized fubjects of Great 515 Britain; that from the continued communication with the Barbary rovers, which must be the confequence of the bill, and the admiffion of Levant feamen, there would be much danger of the plague, which with a thousand other circumftances equally mortify. ing and humiliating, furnifhed a picture of diftrefs, bloodshed, internal weaknefs, and threatened bankruptcy' that could not be looked at without grief and horror. And to compleat the whole, foreigners were to compofe our armies, to man our fleets, to take charge of our most important fortreffes in Europe, to fight our battles in America. Our commerce was to be carried on by foreigners. In short, there was nothing it was faid wanting to render us the most despicable nation in Europe, from within a very few years being the most powerful and refpectable on the globe, but the report of the great keys of the kingdom, Chatham, Portsmouth, and Plymouth being intrufted to the defence of the corps of mercenary foreigners (Scotch Dutch) in the fervice of the ftates of Holland, being authenticated. March 27. Mr. Burke moved" for leave to bring in a bill to prevent the inhuman cuftom of plundering fhips wrecked on the coafts of great Britain, and for the farther relief of fhips in diftrefs on the faid coaft."-After fome oppofition, the motion was agreed to by a majority of 56 to 13. April 1. Lord North moved for leave to bring in a bill" to authorize for a time to be limited, the punishment by hard labour of offenders, who for certain crimes are now liable to be transported to any of his Majefty's colonies and plantations." No material objection was ftated to the motion, and the bill was of course ordered in. The fame day the ftate of the nation refpecting its revenues, the expences actually incurred in the profecution of the American war, the proba ble amount of the army extraordina ries, of the navy debt, navy bilis, tranfport service, and the expence of victualling the troops and famen serving in that country, was opened very fully by Mr. D. Hartley. It would much exceed the intended limits affigned to this abftract, to pursue that 3 U 2 gentleman PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY. 516 He firft pointed out the neceffity of enquiring into the revenues and the expenditure, and by afcertaining their respective amounts, be enabled thereby to fate the balance. When that was done with precifion, the nation would know what they had to provide and the means they had of providing it. To know what the actual or probable expences of the prefent civil war, to be carried on against America, would in his opinion be extremely neceffary for many reafons, but for none fo much as it would prefent one very important object, towards decid. ing the question of expediency of pro. fecuting the war on the principles now openly avowed, becaufe if it fhould appear upon enquiry, that the enormity of the expence would be fuch, that even the most defirable train of military fucceffes terminating in unconditional fubmiffion, would be no folid equivalent, a queftion well worthy of the moft zealous partizan of the measures now fanctioned by Parliament would then arife, whether it would not be every way more advifable to conclude and relax, than affert, our rights to the extent they were meant to be afferted, when the beft that could happen would be no more than the poffeffion of a ruined defolated country,the inhabitants ofwhich would never be willing, nor for a long feries of years be O&t. able to contribute a fingle filling to wards the discharge of the additional debt thus incurred. He next pointed out the feveral artifices administration had used the preceding feffion to trepan, by the most infidious means, the landed intereft and the nation at large into the present unnatural civil war. He faid the king's fervants had called for a three fhilling land tax, and even a reduced peace establishment before Christmas, then reprefenting the troubles in America, as originating from a few factious persons, who by their machinations had raised difcontents in one or two of the northern provinces. After Christmas however, thofe trifling difcontents were magnified into a local rebellion; and thus Parliament by a fallacious confidence in minifters were induced to pledge themfelves to their fovereign, that they would, at the rifque of their lives and fortunes, exert themselves to fupprefs it. This point being once gained, the augmentation of the army and navy in the fpring, followed of course. The mafque was however not yet to be entirely laid afide. It was poffible the nation might ftill be alarmed fo as to break or impede their measures; the landed gentlemen might be alarmed by an increafed land tax; the trading and mercantile part might be alarmed for the lofs or fufpenfion of commerce, the witholding their property on the other fide of the Atlantic, and with the dread of new impofts. What was the confequence? Treachery was added to the groffeft impofition. The war in America was fuffered to languifh for want of a fufficient force to carry it on; a British army, to the dif grace of the British arms, was obliged to fuffer a blockade for eleven months, and withal the nation was put to an expence of five millions to no man. ner of purpose. Even all this was not fufficient to oblige adminiftration to develope their real intentions. At the opening of the prefent feffions, they practifed the fame fpecies of deception in part. The people were again to be amufed. The fleet was propofed to be augmented 6000 men, and the army twenty. That, faid they, will be amply fufficient, we defire no more, while at the very in ftant they were in treaty for a body of nearly 20,000 Germans, At the meet. 1776. PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY. ing of Parliament immediately after the recefs, the report first began to fpread; and towards the latter end of February, the measure was formally announced, by the treaties with the Landgrave of Heffe, Duke of Brunf wick, and Prince of Hanau, being laid officially before the Houfe. Where then are we? Have not all the predictions from this Houfe been literally fulfilled? Has it not been errant folly in administration, to plunge us into our prefent fituation? or downright treachery afore-thought, to lead their unfufpecting country, ftep by step,into an irreconcilable civil war, to dip Great Britain and America in blood, and to cut off the retreat to peace and fafety? Which ever be the cafe, adminiftration have at least forfeited all claim to confidence. Peace is not, fay they, to be obtained, without relinquishing the conftitutional dominion and controul which this legislature had a right to exercife over our American colonies; nor is the whole power of this country equal to the undertaking. That however reasonable it might have been last year, to have forefeen the immenfity of the war; yet, parliament would not have been difpofed to have granted more extenfive aids, and therefore, that no more were then applied for. But now, we are dipt in, and muft wade through; if an army of 50,000 men, and one hundred fhips of force, are thought neceffary, the minifterial language is, there is no retreat, it must be done.-Wishing how ever, that the nation, nor that House, may longer continue to be impofed on, and that they might be put in poffeffion of fuch facts, as would fhew Tome of the confequences of the prefent measures, purfuing in America, he faid, he had some motions to fubmit to the Houfe, which if complied with, would bring forth fuch materials, as would effentially lead to, and affift in forming a judgment and coming to a decifion. The three great branches of national expence, are the Navy, the Army, and the Ordnance; and each of these three branches is divided into two parts, viz. expences which are voted upon fpecific estimates, and extraordinary expences, which are incurred every year in the three fervices, partly at 517 the difcretion of the refpective commanders, and partly at the difcretion of the ministry, in their feveral departments. In conformity to this rule of incurring expence, the House has already before it all the specific eftimates; but the immeafurable part of the expence, will be in the fecret and hidden clafs of extraordinaries left to the unrestrained difcretion of minifters, commanders, commiffaries, and contractors. The Houfe and the public are amufed with nominal estimates, while this bottomlef gulph is opened behind us, and threatens national ruin and public bankruptcy. It is therefore high time, that this chaos of extraordinaries, particularly on the prefent occafion, when afcertaining nearly their amount makes a part of the question of expediency of perfifting in our unmodified claims on America, fhould be reduced to fome reasonable fhape of computation. Minifters will hardly have the effrontery to refufe to co-operate in fo neceffary a work; they will, it may be prefumed, hardly dare to tell this Houfe feriously, that they have not the leaft measure of what they recommend or undertake. It would not be decent for them, to come in the next feffion, with a boundlefs demand of debts incurred upon the confidence now repofed in them, and tell us then, as they have frequently in the courfe of the prefent feffion," we forefaw all these expences, but we concealed them carefully from you, that we might infenfibly lead you on." He then moved, that there be laid before the Houfe the probable expence of the navy, under its several heads of buildings, rebuildings, repairs, tranfport and victualling, for the year 1776; and likewife, of the extraordinaries of the army and of the ordnance for land fervice, over and above the provifion already made in this teffion of parliament. These are the materials which are abfolutely neceflary to lay before us, in order to form a proper judgment on the expediency of purfuing the American war, on the new doctrine of unconditional fubmiffion. This is what may properly be called laying the ftate of the nation before the reprefentatives of the people. The miniftry cannot now, in the month of April, be ignorant of the number of fhips 518 PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY. fhips deftined for fea fervice for this year, the complement of men for each rate, confequently how much either will exceed the number voted by parliament. In forming fuch an estimate, the board of admiralty can furnish a lift of the feamen to be employed, the paymaster of the marines can fend an account of the number of marines; the value of ftores contracted for fhips, building-yards, and rope-yards, may be easily afcertained; elfe, how is the navy to be provided? The ufage of This office juftifies this affertion. journal on the ad of May 1771, eftablishes the precedent.-Clerk reads. Value of ftores, materials, &c. contracted, for his Majefty's fhips and yards., Wages to inferior officers, and workmen in his Majesty's several dock yards. Value of ftores, materials, &c. for his Majefty's rope-yards. Wages to feamen, &c. to be employed at fea, in the courfe of the enfuing year; and, value of provifions to be purchafed, &c. &c. Thefe are enough for a fpecimen; the farther diftribution of the feveral heads of naval estimates may be seen in the fame paper. As for the extraordinaries of the land fervice, as well as of the navy, they furely can be afcertained, or else how are they to be provided for? We cannot be at any great lofs; look at the last bill of extras; are they not claffed methodically?-Supply to the forces at Bofton, at Montreal, Quebec, &c. Clothing and accoutrements, forage, live stock, vegetables, and beer. The last estimate fought by these motions, is that of the office of ordnance. Is their powder not yet fhipped? Are their guns not yet caft? Are their baggage waggons not yet built? This is not meant to perplex minifters, by looking for a captious minute eflimate. It is not to afcertain numbers or quantik, or a hand-filer powder, a gun-lock, or a that this enquiry tends; it is laid down on the fcale of millions. If the minifter will condefcend to gratify the Houfe as far as he is able, on these feveral heads; then the queftion will come nakedly and fairly before parliament; whether with their eyes open, they will purfue this civil war, with all its certain evils in point O&. of an enormous expence, and hazard, befides all confequences of defeat or a ruinous protracted war? Whether they will confent to expend, or rather incur a debt of twelve millions, and run the rifque of doubling it the next And whether, in the campaign? third year, after incurring a debt of thirty millions, commit themselves helplefs, exhaufted, and defenceless to the mercy of France and Spain? The whole extent of my propofition is intended to go to this; as I perceive no token of confent, on the other fide of the House, either that the noble Lord would lay before the Houfe, the belt evidence and information in his power, by authentic estimates; or that he will allow me to offer my conjectural estimates; or that he will give himself the trouble to point out in what parts he may think thofe now offered are erroneous. Having nothing to misrepresent, and hardly room to exaggerate, the whole is freely committed to the candour of the Houfe. To bring the whole into one point of view, it will be necessary to ftate the following particulars, Sums voted upon eftimate, £6,157,000 Sums remaining to be voted ditto, Probable excess of the expences of the navy, army, and ordnance, 750,000 5,300,000 |