"for an act repealing that of the fixth of George I, CHA P. for fecuring the dependence of Ireland." MR. THOMAS PITT feconded the motion, and members of all parties concurred in applauding it; lord Beauchamp alone expreffed a doubt that the repeal, leaving the queftion of right undecided, would not fatisfy the Irish nation. The motion paffed without a divifion, as did two others, one for an addrefs to the king, praying the adoption of meafures for rendering the connexion between the two kingdoms folid and permanent; and another declaring the interests of both infeparable. XLIII. 1782. THE proceedings in the upper houfe were nearly 17th May. fimilar, and no divifion arofe. Lord Loughborough, however, pointed out feveral inconveniences which might poffibly enfue from the extenfive construction of the refolutions, and recommended fome delay, for the fake of preparation, and to avoid that precipitancy which would feem to refult from fear. THE repealing act paffed both houfes in general 11th and filence. Its reception in Ireland juftified, in fome de. 14th June, gree, lord Beauchamp's anticipation: for Mr. Flood, by maintaining that the conceffion was infufficient, inafmuch as the principle on which the act of George I. was founded was not renounced, wrefted from Mr. Grattan, who afferted the contrary, a portion of his popularity. The Irish parliament, however, fhewed great fatisfaction at the acquifition, and voted addresses 27th June. of thanks, and a hundred thoufand pounds for a levy of twenty thousand feamen for the British navy. Efforts for IN profecution of another avowed object, the limi- 8th April. tation of influence, the popular meafures prefented in limiting former feffions were revived. The bill for excluding influence. contractors, was in a committee before the expulfion Contractors of the late administration; it was now amended and recommitted, and paffed the houfe of commons with inconfiderable oppofition. In the lords, the principle * See reports of the debate on this fubject, Remembrancer, vol. xiv. p. p. 307. $19. bill. was XLIII. 1789. CHAP. was ftrenuously, and with great force of argument, oppofed by the lord chancellor and lord Mansfield. In the committee, lord Ashburton fuccessfully proposed an amendment, exempting from the operation of the bill those who made contracts for the produce of their own eftates; but the houfe of commons difagreed, and the bill paffed in its original form. 24th and 27th May. 8th to 25th April. ficers bill. ad June. WITH equal eagernefs, the bill for preventing reRevenue of venue officers from voting in elections of members of parliament was preffed on the houfe. It was ftrenuoufly though unfuccessfully oppofed in the commons; but a rider was added to prevent its extending to those who held places for life; they, it was argued, could not be under the dominion of influence. On the third reading in the upper houfe, lord Mansfield made an able and eloquent speech against the principle of the bill; he was answered by the bishop of Peterborough, and the marquis of Rockingham, who declared his fituation as firft lord of the treasury would be extremely uneafy if the bill was rejected. In feventy boroughs, he faid, the election depended chiefly on revenue officers. Nearly twelve thoufand of thefe perfons created by the late administration, poffeffed votes in other places; and he could not without remorse subject them, by his influence, to the neceffity, or at least, the imputation of voting against the dictates of gratitude and their confciences. This curious argument, which implied that unless the voters were deprived of the power of doing wrong, the minister could not refrain from compelling them, terminated the debate, and the bill paffed". 3d May. the Middle ANOTHER facrifice to popularity, in the fhape of reRefolution form, was the expunction from the journals of the reforefpeeing lution of the feventeenth of February 1769, respecting fex election the Middlefex election: the motion being made and feconded by Mr. Wilkes and Mr. Byng, members for the county. Mr. Fox oppofed it, on the principle that sefcinded. 34 to 18. There were feveral divifions in the houfe of commons in the proportion of 7 or 8 to 1. the 66 XLIII. 1782. the house of commons ought, for the advantage of the CHAP. people, to have the privilege of expelling thofe whom they, as reprefentatives, thought unworthy of a feat, and the privilege was too valuable to be furrendered. In fupport of this doctrine, he framed an extraordinary cafe. Suppofe," he said, "the bill for excluding contractors had been rejected by the houfe of lords, and the house of commons had come to a refolution of their own, that no perfon holding à contract fhould have a feat; the contractors now in parliament would be expelled, but might be re-elected; and then, if the inherent privilege did not impede it, thofe very men whom the houfe had declared improper to fit, muft remain amongst them." He acknowledged himself, however, indifferent to the event of the motion, as the proceedings against the magiftrates of London had demonstrated, that whatever privileges the house might poffefs, they could not be exercised in opposition to the voice of the people. MR. DUNDAS, although on the fame fide, warmly reprobated the unconftitutional doctrines of Mr. Fox; and the motion was carried by a great majority. Elated with this final triumph, after an annual defeat, Mr. Wilkes publifhed a letter expreffive of his raptures, and his refolution to perfevere in the cause of freedom and parliamentary reform: but few people now participated his raptures; the queftion had ceafed to be interesting, and the popularity attached to the name of Wilkes had been repeatedly transferred to others, and was in a state of daily fluctuation. Disfran EARLY in the feffion, a bill was introduced for 18th Feb. disfranchising the borough of Cricklade in the county chifement of of Wilts. A committee on the petition of an unfuc- Cricklade. cessful candidate, reported that great abuses had been committed; and Sir Harbord Harbord affirmed, that out of two hundred and forty voters, eighty-three had had already been convicted of bribery, and actions for VOL. II. i 115 to 47. EE the CHAP. the fame offence were pending against forty-three XLIII. others. In the houfe of commons the disfranchise 1782. 13th Mar. ed May. sch May. ment was oppofed with confiderable ability, but without effect. It was juftified on the fame principles as that of the electors of New Shoreham. "When that bill was fhewn to the late earl of Chatham," faid Mr. Montagu, "he expreffed his joy at finding the borough removed from Bengal to its ancient fituation in the county of Suffex."-If the present were rejected, Cricklade would certainly be removed from Wiltshire to the Eaft Indies. THE progrefs of the bill through the house of lords was rendered remarkable by the zeal and ability with which the lord chancellor, lord Mansfield, and lord Loughborough oppofed, and lords Grantly and Ashburton fupported it. The latter lords found a powerful auxiliary, or rather an able leader, in the duke of Richmond; but his grace, in the course of debate, reproached the lord chancellor with indifcriminately refifting every measure of regulation or improvement. Lord Fortefcue, enlarging on the fame topic, bewailed the degraded dignity of the houfe, lowered and tarnished by a profufion of lawyers. It was no longer a houfe of peers, but a mere court of law, where all the folid, honourable principles of truth and justice were thamefully facrificed to the low pettifogging chicanery and quibbles ufed in Westminster Hall. That once venerable, dignified, and auguft affembly, resembled a meeting of attornies in a Cornish court, acting as barrifters. The learned lord on the woolfack feemed fraught with nothing but contradictions, and law fubtleties and diftinctions, and all that. SUCH remarks obtained no anfwer, and did not prevent the exertions of oppofition; evidence was called and counsel heard against the bill; when the duke of Richmond again gave vent to his indignation against what he termed the profeffional phalanx. Attacked by lawyers above the bar, and interrupted by lawyers below, he confidered himself unequal to the conteft; and and therefore obtained the aid of counfel in fupport of CHA P. the bill, which finally paffed, great majorities in its XLIII. favour, appearing on every divifion *. 1782. holders of A MORE important and beneficial law was intro- Bill compel duced under the influence of lord Shelburne, for ling the compelling future holders of patent places in the offices to recolonies or plantations, to refide and act in their fidc. offices. HITHERTO all the reforms fupported by adminiftration had been fanctioned by the concurrence of parliament. One remained on which the public felt confiderably interested, from the great pains which had been employed to procure, in all popular affemblies, votes and refolutions in its favour, and to exhibit it to the people as a measure on which their freedom and profperity depended: this was a reform in the reprefentative fyftem of the houfe of commons. Exertions of public bo clubs and dies for a re form of par liament. MEASURES for enforcing this reform were fyftemati- March and cally adopted in the preceding year, by the delegates Ap. 1781, of the affociated or petitioning bodies, comprifing pretended representatives of the counties of York, Surrey, Hertford, Huntingdon, Middlefex, Effex, Kent, Devon, and Nottingham, and the city of Weftminster. They refolved, that the public evils were produced by the grofs inadequacy in parliamentary representation, which the addition of a hundred county members in due proportions would tend to correct. The feptennial act was declared a violation of the rights of the people, which impaired the constitutional connexion between them and their representatives, and expofed parliament to great unconstitutional influence; and its repeal would form a strong barrier against the inroads of parliamentary corruption, and the alarming influence of the crown. These refolves were enforced by addreffes to the electors of Great Britain, urging the neceffity of reform, by statements deduced from hiftory, and arguments founded in right and policy'. 31st Jam * On the commitment, 13th May, the divifion was 47 to 22. 1 See Remembrancer, vol. xiii. p. 193. 179 RE 2 The |