in its prefent application and amount, was not neceffary to fupport the dignity of the crown; and he appealed to gentlemen, who had read the prefent lift, whether there were many names on that lift which could contribute to the fupport of the dignity of the crown. He confidered that lift as an hofpital for incurables; for men who were fick and weak in principle and ability; adding, that from his observation, perfons who were not fit for any fituation whatsoever in the ftate, thought themfelves entitled to receive a pension as a reward for the negative accomplishment of being qualified to be a burtheh to their country; he farther observed, that the majority on that lift appeared to be a description of perfons who were too low to be much refpected, and yet, perhaps, too high to be absolutely neglected; they might, with propriety, be ftiled the lumber of every administration.

He faid that he trufted that no perfon would contend that the prefent penfion lift was neceffary to fupport the dignity of the Houfe; and obferved, that the moft refpectable perfons whose names were on that lift, must find it difficult to refift the prejudice which would be excited against them in the public mind, when they were obferved to be in fuch bad company. That the circumstance of the names of so many members of the Houfe appearing on that lift, as penfioners during the pleasure of the minister, had fubjected individuals in the House to fufpicions and reports very injurious to their legiflative character. Amongst others there was one which had made great impreffion on the public mind, which, therefore, he should ftate, and which intimated that it had been a practice of certain members in the Houfe, to whom penfions had lately been granted, to carry them instantly to market, and expofe them to fale; that from this circumstance the people had been induced to confider modern penfions to members of parliament, as in effect a prefent from the minifter to the member of a specific fum, for his parliamentary fervices. The characters of men invefted with such

an

an important trust as that of legislators, ought not only to be chafte but unfufpected. He obferved that neither the members nor the House could poffefs that degree of respect and confidence neceffary to support their authority, if every man in this city was empowered to say that he had seen the price of a certain member's parliamentary services, or the equivalent, hawking about the Exchange, like a fheet of lottery tickets, and offered for fale to every broker, money-fcrivener or ufurer. That it had been even reported that a clause was inferted in some of the affignments of penfions, by which the member covenanted, that in case he should be deprived of his penfion, in confequence of any difference in opinion, on political fubjects, between him and the minifter, that part of the purchase money was to be refunded, which gave occafi on to a money-broker in this city to affert lately, that he had the confcience of a certain member of the Houfe of Commons in his pocket.

He said he hoped that after this statement no perfon would contend that the penfion lift, in its prefent application and amount, could contribute either to support the dignity of the crown, (unless he proved that the dignity of the crown was to derive fupport from the disgrace of parliament) nor to the support of the dignity of the House, (unless he proved that the fupport of the dignity of that House was to originate in the degradation and contempt of its members.)

He obferved that part of his bill involved the question of constitution, and difabled perfons who had penfions during pleasure or for a number of years, from fitting in the Houfe of Commons. He stated that it had appeared by the lift that many members of the House had penfions during pleasure; and contended that they were dependent on the will of the minifter. To those who argued that a pensioner during pleafure was not dependent, I would answer that human nature spoke against them; that as long as the hopes of reward, or

the

the fears of a diminution of income, had any influence on the minds of men, a penfioner during pleasure must be dependent; for the truth of this pofition he appealed to the feelings of every man who had the pride of station to maintain, or the wants of a family to fatisfy. He faid that he was warranted by the language of the different English acts of parliament, excluding fuch penfioners from the Houfe of Commons, to affirm, which he should without hesitation, that a member of that Houfe, who had a penfion during pleasure, was not an independent man. He did not wish to injure the feelings of any man; the gentlemen who were fo circumftanced ought not to impute blame to him, but they should lament that they were deftined to live under a free conftituti on, the principles and policy of which were fo repugnant to their practice. He faid that the only anfwer he should make to those who still contended that a grant of a penfion to a member of that Houfe during pleasure was not inconfiftent with the principles of the conftitution, was, that reafon spoke against them; as nothing could be fo abfurd as to fuppofe, that the conftitution invefted the Houfe of Comnons with a power of controul over the crown, and at the fame time invefted the crown with a prerogative of granting penfions to members of that Houfe during the pleafure of the crown, which, by making the members dependent on the crown, rendered that controul useless.

He then adverted to the third part of his bill, which difabled any perfon from being elected or fitting in the House, who held any office or place of profit created after the first of January 1787. He faid, if gentlemen would examine the lift of places created within thefe laft twenty years, they would find that most, if not all, thofe places exceeding three hundred pounds yearly, had been created to accommodate and gratify members of that Houfe, which made the measure indifpenfably neceffary; and he observed, that the best remedy for the abufe was to prevent the temptation to commit it.

:

He

He then reminded the House, that English precedent had been reforted to by adminiftration, to justify the introduction of a riot-act; when they recollected the circumstance attending the riot-act in England, they would not reject the whole of his bill, unlefs they wished to convince every man in the country, that they were determined to adopt only the penal laws of the English code; thofe which tended to punish the subject, but not those framed to advance or fecure his liberty. The circumftance to which he alluded was, that in the fame feffion in which GEO. I. gave the affent to the riot-act, he also affented to an act to fecure the independence and honour of the Commons, by depriving any penfioner, for a number of years, from fitting in that Houfe; thus while the crown received in one hand from the parliament an encrease of its power, it gave to that parliament with the other an additional fecurity against the abuse of that encreafed power; from this circumftance, he faid, a political maxim was to be de duced, which had not entered into the contemplation of the prefent minifters; that in order to attach the people of any country to its government, the legislature fhould bind them to the state by benefits, and never hope to make men good. citizens by profcription. That part of his bill was a tran script of that act of George I. to which he had alluded,

Upon dividing the house, there appeared for reading the bill on the 1ft of Auguft,-Ayes 129,-Noes 65.

On the 12th of April, Mr. Secretary Orde again proceeded to take into confideration the ftate of education in this country, which he described as in fo deplorable a fituation, at least fo far as refpects the lower claffes of the community, that it might be truly faid of them, " for lack of learning the land perisheth."

To a want of education, and confequently a want of that moral and religious fenfe of duty to the legislature and obedience to the laws, which is the great bond of fociety, he imputed all the violent and atrocious acts which had too often

Cifgraced

difgraced this nation. Men of strong fenfibility and ingenious but ardent minds, under the guidance of education may be led to undertakings the moft honourable to themselves and most beneficial to their country; but if repreffed by ignorance or misled by error, they either become torpid and useless to their country, or that vigour of mind which nature bestowed as a bleffing to fociety turns to a curfe; and the legislature which has firft neglected to train its youth to virtue and religion is never after able to prevent the perpetration of crimes even by the most fanguinary laws. The neceffity therefore of educating youth with a juft reverence for religion and the laws, he preffed upon the committee in the strongest manner, and put to the feelings of country gentlemen the advantages and fatisfaction they must receive from training the rifing generation to virtue. He made fome comparisons between men even in the loweft ranks of fociety in other countries, to whofe education the ftate paid fome attention, and the unfortunate neglected peafantry of Ireland, who though bleffed with minds as vigorous, and forms as true as any people on earth; and though inhabitants of a country poffeffing the advantages of a free conftitution, and the benefits of an extended commerce, yet feem to be confidered by the legisla ture as of no manner of weight in the political fcale.

Let it not be imagined, faid he, that as a stranger affect ing faftidious comparifons from my recollection of fuperior habits, better order, and more decent fubmiffion to the laws in another land of equal liberty with this, I am difpofed to indulge the pitiful prefumption of abafing the people among whom I now refide, and as one of whofe reprefentatives I account it an honour that I am placed here among you. No motives of fuch illiberal tendency gave birth to those reflections, which in the character of their reprefentatives, and ftill more in that of one put in authority under their gover nor, I venture to offer upon the lamentable condition of the Irish peafantry. I conceive very different ideas of their in

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