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drefs be prefented to his Majefty, expreffing our unfeigned thanks to his Majefty for his Majesty's gracious communication of the treaty of navigation and commerce concluded between his Majefty and the most Christian King; that, ever folicitous to encrease the fources of mutual prosperity in Great Britain and Ireland, we humbly entreat his Majefty to accept our grateful acknowledgments for the prefent fignal instance of royal attention to our common interefts in treaties with foreign ftates; and we retain the firmest confidence of an equal care in his royal breaft on all fimilar occafions. That we humbly thank his Majefty for the provifions made by this treaty to fecure and extend our manufactures upon fuch a liberal foundation of reciprocity as gives affurance that the treaty will be permanent; and that we truft that an habitual intercourse of commercial interests and good offices with the kingdom of France will excite in us a friendly emulation in the industrious arts of peace; that we shall immediately enter upon the confideration of the proper means to give effect to the conditions of the treaty, and to enable his Majesty fully to carry into execution engagements which appear to us to be founded in wisdom and equity, and to afford a beneficial encouragement to the encreasing efforts of the nation in manufacture and commerce."

The motion for the addrefs paffed without a divifion.

The house having met on the 13th March, the Speaker reported that the houfe had attended his Grace the Lord Lieutenant with the addrefs of both houfes of parliament to his Majefty, and that thereupon his Grace was pleased to return the answer following.

"My Lords and Gentlemen,

‚ I will immediately transmit this dutiful and loyal address to be laid before his Majefty."

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On the fame day, the Chancellor of the Exchequer prefented to the house, according to order, a bill for continuing "an act for facilitating the trade and intercourse between this kingdom and the united states of America."

Mr. Grattan alfo moved the houfe to come to the following refolution, viz. that if it fhall appear at the commencement of the next feffion of Parliament, that public tranquility has been reftored in thofe parts of the kingdom that have been lately difturbed, and due obedience paid to the laws, this house will take into confideration the subject of Tythes, and endeavour to form fome plan for the honorable fupport of the clergy, and the ease of the people."

After much debate, the question was put for going into the order of the day (for the purpose of superceding Mr. Grattan's motion) and it was carried without a division.

CHAP.

СНАР. У.

Bill introduced to limit the amount of penfions-speech of Mr: Forbes-ftate of national education-speech and motion of Secre tary Orde thereupon-resolutions—principal bills passed this feffion-clofe of the feffion 1787--Lord Lieutenant's speechprorogation-death of the Duke of Rutland-lord Juftices ap pointed Marquis of Buckingham appointed Lord Lieutenant.

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Bill was introduced for limiting the amount of Penfions which had now fo confiderably increased that the penfion lift amounted to the fum of £104,133: 17: 11

Mr. Forbes having moved that this bill should be read a second time, the Chancellor of the Exchequer observed that the fame bill was introduced before and rejected and as nothing had occurred to make the bill more proper now, than heretofore, he would move that it fhould have its fecond reading on the ift of Auguft.

Mr. Forbes in reply faid that he felt himself encouraged to persevere in urging the prefent measure refpecting penfions, from the mode of resistance offered by the enemies to that measure, both this feffion and the laft; inftead of moving to adjourn the confideration of his bill to a distant day, they would have met it with a direct negative, were they not conscious that the principle of the bill could not be controverted; therefore, from the conduct of the Houfe, he was VOL. II. warranted

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warranted in affirming that the principle of the bill was ad mitted; he derived confidence alfo from the reflection, that as great a neceffity exifted for the measure in this feffion as the last, considering the bill either as a measure of conftitution or œconomy; of conftitution, as administration granted fince laft feffion a penfion during pleasure to a member of the House; of economy, as the experience of this feffion had proved that unless fome fyftem of retrenchment was adopted, no increase of revenues however confiderable could equalize the expences of the country to its income, and prevent the further accumulation of debt. He ftated the excefs of the public expence over its income for the four laft years, and that from the statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the like excefs was to be apprehended next year. He obferved, that in the present fituation of the finances, parliament were reduced to the alternative of either impofing new taxes, or adopting a fyftem of retrenchment. That from the prefent circumstances of the country, it was impoffible aay additional taxes could be productive; additional taxes muft annihilate our manufactures by encreafing the price of the neceffaries of life, and of courfe that of labour; the mafs of the people could not bear any greater burthens. It had been stated in the Houfe this feffion, that a confiderable portion of the inhabitants of this country, the Peafantry of the South, were in a moft wretched and diftreffed condition; he asked if any additional taxes could be paid by them; if there was any attempt made to tax them, could any thing be extracted from their poverty and mifery, but tears and execrations? If an addition of tax was impofed on the land, the landed intereft, already depreffed, must be abfolutely impoverished.

Under thefe circumftances it was a duty incumbent on the House to adopt an effectual fyftem of oeconomy, and adhere to it with firmness and perfeverance. Influenced by thefe confiderations, he said that he and fome of his friends had applied themselves to the investigation of the public accounts this feffion,

feffion, and had propofed many measures in the committee of accounts for the purpofe of effecting retrenchment in different articles of the public expenditure; but every propofition of this nature had been refifted by the minifter. His reafons for preferring a bill on the fubject of penfions, to refolutions, was that experience had proved the infuffici ency of the latter. That he objected to refolutions, as if they were directed against particular pensions, they might have appearance of perfonality, which he wished to avoid.

He obferved, that after every other attempt to establish a fyftem of retrenchment had been fruftrated, to the present measure he had resorted as the last expedient for the relief of the country; and the refiftance of the minifter to this meafure, could not fail of convincing the House and the country, that adminiftration had formed a determination to refift every propofition which tended to establish a system of retrenchment. He then adverted to the divifion he had made of the fubject, in point of economy and conftitution. Viewing his bill as a measure of oeconomy, he faid, that every impartial man must adniit that, from the prefent enormous amount of the penfion lift, it was one of the most obvious and proper objects for retrenchment. He alfo obferved, that in the amount of penfions, which he had ftated, he had not includ ed falaries of a certain defcription, which were, in effect, penfions; as confiderable falaries within a few years, added to packers and fearchers in ports where a fhip never enters, or a bale of goods never lands; alfo to offices, to which no other duty is annexed than that of going twice in a year to the treasury to receive thofe falaries, and coming down to the Houfe to fupport the minifter. He faid that the prefent penfion list was not now neceffary to the fupport of government as an instrument of patronage, as of late years the number of new places which had been created, were fo confiderable as to be fufficient to fatisfy the most rapacious ministerial dependent. He then proceeded to fhew that the pension list,

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