freeholders. Such was the outline of his fyftem, which was not altogether approved of by those who supported the motion in general. Mr. Fox, particularly, objected to the mode laid down of purchafing the boroughs, though he adopted the transferring of the right of chufing reprefentatives from them to the counties and principal towns and cities. The chief arguments delivered in favour of a reform, were derived from what was stated to be the prefent defective and partial reprefentation of the kingdom at largeThat an active, reforming, and regulating principle, which kept pace with the alterations in the flate, was requifite to preferve the conftitution in its full force and vigour-That as any part of the conftitution decayed, it had ever been the wisdom of the legislature to renovate and reftore it by fuch means as were moft likely to answer the end propofed; and that hence had arifen the frequent alterations that had taken place with refpect to the rule of representation, both before and at the revolution.

On the other hand, it was objected to the motion, that it was not called for by the people, and particularly not by the unreprefented large towns and cities, which it was ftated had a right to claim the benefit which would refult from fuch a measure―That if a bill of reform was once introduced, mens minds were fo unfettled and various on the fubject, that there was no knowing to what extent it might be carried That what were called rotten and decayed boroughs, were frequently reprefented by gentlemen who had the greatest take in the country, and confequently were as much concerned in its welfare, and in that of the conftitution, as any other fpecies

of reprefentatives, in whatfoever manner they might be chofen, could be:-and, finally, that whilft no neceffity was fhewn for fuch a reform, and whilft the rights and liberties of the people remained safe and fecure under the prefent mode of representation, it was hazardous in the extreme to alter what was found to be good by experience, the only teft of truth.

The motion after much extraneous debate, and much perfonal allufion and animofities from both fides of the boufe, at length paffed in the negative, the numbers against it being 248, for it 174.

Previous to the opening the budget for the prefent year, Mr. Pitt called the attention of the house to a general review of the national finances. The whole of the public expenditure (including the interest of the public debt, together with the probable expences of the peace establishment) he estimated at

14,400,000 per annum; and, in order to compare this yearly expenditure with the yearly income of the ftate, he proposed examining the net produce of the taxes for the quar ters ending the 5th of January and the 5th of April 1784, and the produce of thofe ending the 5th of January and the 5th of April 1785. The refpective produce of these four refpective quarters in progreffion was ftated to be as follows:

-the first at £.2,585,000, the fecond at 4.2,198,000, the third at £2,738,000, the fourth at £.3,066,000. According to the increafed produce of the taxes in thefe quarters, he made a variety of calculations on their probable amount for the whole year; higheft of which he placed at £12,600,000, and the loweft at near 13,000,000 per annum.

the

There

There was another calculation, on which he did not lay fo much ftrefs, and that was by expecting a progreffive increase in each fucceeding quarter, proportionate to the fuperiority of the quarter ending on the 5th of April 1785, over thofe preceding, which would raife the yearly amount of the taxes to upwards of fourteen millions and a half. The land and malt tax (at £2,450,000) added to this computed product of the other taxes, he expected would leave an overplus of nearly 1,000,000, for the purpofe of a finking fund, to be applied to the discharge of the national debt; but the nec flary measures for fuch an appropriation, although he withed parliament well to confider the fubject, he did not intend to put it in execution until the year following.

Many objections were made by the oppofition to the mode of calculation pursued by Mr. Pitt; the chief of which were, that it was impoffible to get at the true annual amount of taxes, by extracting particular quarters and feafons of the year in which perhaps the greatest part of the taxes were received, inftead of taking the whole 12 months together; and it was particularly fhewn, from a table of the amount of the cuftoms, that whenever the fpring quarters rofe fingularly high, the fummer quarters were proportionably low: alfo, that the two quarters taken by Mr. Pitt, contained together 15 days m re than half a year.

The aggregate amount of the fupplies voted this year, was ftated by Mr. Pitt at £.9,737,868; the ways and means which had already been voted towards providing for thefe upplies, including the computed

growing produce of the finking fund up to the 10th of October next, the money ftill remaining in the exchequer, and what had been paid in by the paymafters, left together a deficiency of £1,000,oco: this fum he intended borrowing from the bank at 5 per cent. and he should do fo, because the bank would pay the money in as government called for it, and the intereft was to be calculated only from the time the fums were advanced. The intereft of this loan he fhould ftate at £.50,000.

But the most serious part of the prefent budget was, the funding the remainder of the navy bills and ordnance debentures, which had stood over from the laft feffion. Thefe together, notwithstanding they amounted to £10,010,000, he intended funding, he said, the prefent year.

.6,000,000

He obferved, that of the navy bills had been provided for last year at an intereft of 4 per cent.; that the fum required for the intereft of the remainder would now be no more than £.320,000, and which, together with the

50,000 for the loan from the bank, and .40,coo to replace the tax on callicoes, which was now repealed, would make the whole fum to be raised about £.413,000.

With regard to what ftock he fhould fund in, he gave a preference to the 5 per cents, because, although in the 5 per cents. there was a prefent lofs of about 6s. per

100, or about £.30,000 in all, yet it would be amply repaid from the nature of that fort of ftock affording a more eafy and expeditious means of paying it off; in confequence of which, whenever. that came to be done, there would be a faving of near £3,000,000.

3

The

The taxes*, which were impofed, in order to raise the fum of .413,000, for the interest upon this funded debt, paffed with a few regulations and amendments. That on female fervants met with the most opposition.

In addition to the different bills which had paffed for the purpose of regulating the public offices of the kingdom, Mr. Pitt brought one in this feflion "for appointing commiffioners to enquire into the fees, gratuities,perquifites, and emoluments, which are or lately have been received in the several public offices to be therein mentioned; to examine into any abufes which may exist in the fame; and to report fuch observations as fhall occur to them, for the better conducting and managing the bufinefs tranfacted in the faid offices." The oppofition this measure encountered was confiderable. The bill was ftated to be needlefs, futile, and illegal. Needlefs, because the treasury board had every power neceffary to make fuch enquiries as the bill propofed, already vefted in them. Futile, because nothing fubftantial, or equivalent to the extenfive powers granted by it, could be obtained, it being the appearance of a reform, without the effect. And illegal, inasmuch as there was a claufe enabling the commiffioners to fend for perfons, and to examine them when and where they pleased; a principle directly militating against magna charta, and the law of the land. On the other band, it was argued, that the bill,

The

appointing the commiffioners of public accounts, afforded a very recent precedent for granting fuch powers as were now complained of; and that, although the objects of the reform in question were not of equal magnitude with fome others which had appeared before the houfe, yet, on the other hand, they became important on account of their number and extent. queftion on this bill was finally put and carried, in the house of commons, on the 14th of June, the numbers for it being 74, against it 15. It afterwards paffed the house of lords, where it received several amendments, and one in particular which fubjected the commiffioners to the controul of the board of treasury. The commiffioners appointed were two of the comptrollers of the army accounts, and Mr. Francis Baring.

The arrangement of the commercial intercourfe between Great Britain and Ireland took up a confiderable part of this feffion; but as the prefent volume has already fwelled greatly beyond its usual fize, we must beg leave to defer the hiftory of that important fubject to another year,

CHRONICLE.

JANUARY 1784.

Conftantinople, Dec. 10, 1783.

WE

E have had several accidents of the plague fince laft poft; notwithstanding which, the morta lity is almost entirely ceafed. We now flatter ourselves, that the cold weather may put a total ftop to the contagion, which has cost this city at leaft eighty thousand inhabitants fince June laft.

14th. Gen. Sir Guy Carleton, late commander in chief at New-York, arrived in town on Wednesday. He came home in the Ceres floop of war of 16 guns, arrived at Plymouth. When he failed, all the British and Heffian troops, with the loyalifts, had left New. York, and the Americans, with Gen. Washington at their head, were in peaceable poffeffion of that city.

Came on at the East-India house, Leadenhall-street, the ballot for three directors of the faid company's affairs, in the room of fir William James, bart. deceased; fir Henry Fletcher, bart. andJacob Wilkinson, efq; refigned: upon the cafting the ballot, the numbers were, For John Woodhouse, efq; George Johnstone, efq; Richard Atkinson, efq;

Thomas Pattle, jun. efq;
VOL. XXVII.

457

391

372

262

38

Majority for Mr. Bates, Extract of a letter from a possenger on board the Vanfittart Eaft indiaman, dated at fea, August 22, 1783.

"Yesterday, about half past eleven, A. M. we were alarmed with the cry of fire; when running upon deck, we perceived a great fmoke iffuing from the Duke of Kingston Eaft Indiaman, Captain Nutt; foon after which fhe burft out in flames from head to ftern. We were then about half a mile ahead of her, and the Pigot and Earl of Oxford Indiamen about four miles a-head of us. The weather being calm, our captain immediately ordered out the engine, and all the boats, at the fame time firing two guns as a fignal to the fhips ahead. It is impoffible to conceive a more dreadful spectacle than at this moment prefented itself; numbers of the poor wretches throwing themselves overboard, with oars, fpars, &c. to keep them from fink[N] ing;

Our

ing; others crowding on the bowfprit, where they hung in clufters till received into the boats. jolly-boat got out firft, and returned in a fhort time with five men; the long-boat, yawl, and cutter, were hoifted out with equal dispatch, and ufed every effort to fave as many of the crew as they could, the fire having by this time increafed to fuch a degree, that it was impoffible to attempt faving the thip. The boats from the other two fhips were now got out; foon after which our yawl returned full of people, among whom were the first mate and a midshipman, whom they had picked up drowned; we ufed every effort to recover them, but in vain. At three P. M. our long-boat returned with 150 people; the boats belonging to the other Indiamen were allo filled; and having faved every perfon they could find, they left the thip, which at five in the afternoon blew up with a terrible explosion. On the whole 79 fouls perished by this melancholy accident, among , whom were feveral women and children, fome foldiers, and a few paffengers.

Captain Nutt, with two military officers, had paid us a vifit in the morning, and was on board the Pigot at the time the fire broke out, which was occafioned by a failor's drawing fome fpirits out of a caik in the fpirit room, which catching fire, communicated to the other cafks, and burnt with fuch fury, that it was impoffible to fave a fingle article.

John Lee was indicted for 17th. forging an order for payment of money, which order ran in the following words:

Nov. 24, 1783. Pay to Mr. John Lee, or order,

There were eight counts in the above indictment; one with forging it, to defraud lord Townshend, the mafter-general of the ordnance; the fecond, uttering it, knowing it to be forged, &c. and varying it as it paffed different hands.

Mr. James Cufden who keeps the Rofe coffee-houfe, in Bridges-ftreet, Covent-garden, depofed, that in December laft the prifoner came to his houfe, and drank two bottles of wine; that foon after a third gen. tleman came in, and they had a third bottle, when the prifoner fent for Mr. Cufden, who came up stairs, and the prifoner produced the above bill, withing to get five guineas upon it; but Mr. Cufden only advanced him one guinea and a half. When he prefented the note to Meffrs. Cox, &c. agents at Charing. cross, the forgery was difcovered, and the prifoner apprehended.

Mr. Cox proved it was not lord Townshend's writing, and Mr. Pinder produced the bill.

The evidence for the profecution refted here. On the cross examination, it was urged by Mr. Sylvefter, counfel for the prifoner, that the indictment did not correfpond with the bill, for it ftated M. G. to be mafter general, which the profecution had no right fo to conftru&t; that there was no fuch office at Whitehall as the pay office; that it could not be to defraud lord Townfhend, as lord Townshend was not then in office, and confequently not mafter-general of the ordnance. Thefe and feveral other legal ob

jections