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the king's perfon, and government, was formally read, and produced long and spirited debates on its various claufes. The duke of Leeds moved, that, instead of the word, government, in the fecond claufe, the words, confifting of king, lords, and commons, fhould be fubftituted, as defining, more fpecifically, the conftitution, than the word, govern

ment.

vember, the bill for the fafety of an ufurpation of national rights, and ariftocracy an oppreffive inftitution: they boldly gave the public to underftand, that both thefe branches of the conftitution ought to be lopped away, and democracy alone to remain; threatening, at the fame time, to lofe no opportunity of carrying thofe purposes into execution. Were fuch flagitious designs, faid the lord chancellor, permitted to be avowed, in the undisguised, infulting, manner they had fo long been, to the aftonishment and indignation of the fenfible part of the public, what muft become of the authority of the ftate, and of the fafety of all its component members? Was it not evident, that all the evils which had afflicted this nation, in the last century, and all thofe experienced by France, at the present hour, would be renewed in this country, did not the legiflature proceed with expedition and fpirit to put a stop to the diffemination of those principles that tended, fo manifeftly, to produce fuch calamities?

The lord chancellor, and lord Grenville, were of a different opinion; but lord Thurlow afferted the difficulty of defining, with exactnefs, the terms, government and conftitution; the penalties enacted by the fecond claufe appeared to him unduly fevere. Was it equitable to criminate a man for faying it was an abuse, that twenty acres of land, near Old Sarum, fhould fend two members to parliament? The laws in existence were, in his judge. ment, amply fufficient to punish every crime, and mifdemeanour, therein alluded to, without needing its affiftance. He reprobated the fyftem of adding new laws and penalties to thofe already enacted, and condemned the whole of this claufe, together with the following one, by which minifters were empowered to profecute difcretionally.

Much furprize was expreffed by the lord chancellor, at the opinion delivered by lord Thurlow. The enormity of the offences, at which this claufe was pointed, muft, he faid, be acknowledged by all who read the publications of the day: they were, in every fenfe, directed against the existence of the government, and the conftitetion: they explicitly told the people, that they were in no wife bound to fubmit to their rulers; that monarchy was

The lord chancellor was fupported by lord Mansfield, and oppofed by lord Lauderdale, who noticed, that instead of encountering the arguments of lord Thurlow, he had defcribed the pernicious tendency of the writings circulated by the democratic faction, which had not been denied, and which were no lefs deprecated by the parliamentary oppofition to miniftry, than by minifters themselves. But the fact was, that we lived in times, when the partiality to one branch of the conftitution, was fuch, that revilers of the others might go unnoticed and unpunished, while that alone would be fenced and protected by claufes and penalties against thofe that fpoke, or wrote, of it difre

fpectfully.

would never be refufed an attentive hearing.

Mr. Sheridan feverely animadverted on the motives affigned by Mr. Wilberforce for fupporting the bill. Instead of strengthening public liberty, it went directly to deftroy it, by filencing every voice that might have heard in its defence. Minifters had boldly afferted, that one of the fortunate confequences of the war, was the eradication of French principles; but the falfehood of this affertion was evident, from their gradual increase through out the multitude, The difcuffions of the people would now, he obferved, be wholly at the difpofal of minifterial dependants and agents, either to permit, or to forbid, as they thought proper, or, more probably, as they were directed. Thus, in fact, that liberty of fpcech, upon which Englishmen were wont to value themselves, they would hereafter hold barely upon fufferance. Were the bill to pafs, he fhould confider the house of commons as no longer able to exprefs the real fentiments of their conftituents, who, when reftrained, by terror, from the manifeftation of their thoughts, would not have it in their power to lay them before their reprefentatives, between whom, and themfelves, that free communication of ideas, on the national business, must ceafe, which conftituted the principal bafis of English liberty.

The bill was oppofed allo by Mr. Martin, who explicitly charged the minifter with having fcized the opportunity of the late riots, to raife an alarm throughout the nation, that might be converted to the fupport of the ruinous measures in which he was ftill refolved to perfift. War, alone, was now become the object

of minifters. They ftudied to propagate the like infatuation in every part of the country, which now exhibited endlefs fcenes of military parade.

The bill tended, as other minifterial meafures, to introduce an arbitrary fyftem of government. This was evidently the project which he muft have formed, by accompa nying it with fo many reftrictions on the perfonal freedom of individuals. There was a time, when the people of this land would not have borne fuch an audacious attempt on their liberties, nor any minister have dared to try the experiment.

Mr. Windham fharply contended in favour of the bill. He obferved, that loud affeverations, of the lofs of liberty, were heard from the oppofition in the house, and the popular meeting a marked unanimity of fentiments fubfifted between them. But it was time to fupprefs these fentiments, wherever they took occafion to manifeft themselves, by punifhing, with merited feverity, their propagators and abettors. It was abfurd to affect an ignorance of the defigns in agitation at the meetings of the commonalty, and of the focieties, that pretended to have no other object in view, than peace and reform. Their object was to concert the methods that were most likely to embarrass and fubvert the present government, and to fubftitute another more confiftent with their own notions, which were, in fact, thofe adopted in France. This was the country of their predilection, and to the arms and councils of which they notoriously wifhed every poffibe fuccefs against the machinations of fo dangerous a party, exifting in the bofom, as it were, of the nation, and ftriving, with indefatigable efforts, to infule into it the

poifon of their deteftable opinions. Was it not the duty, as well as the intereft, of the legislature, to arm itfelf with every precaution? Every man that valued his country, and its constitution, would, on this occafion, come forward, and join, with heart and hand, in its prefervation from the calamities that muft befall it, were the French, and their English adherents, to fucceed in their defigns against this country. It was against thofe united enemies the prefent bill entirely militated: it was inimical to no Englishman that loved his country. In the actual circumstances of affairs, it was the only remedy applicable to the mif chiefs meditated by our foes abroad and at home, who, if not impeded in their plans, by the measures so judiciously propofed, would continue to carry them on, till it might become highly difficult to fruftrate them. These plans were, undeniably to overturn every political inftitution differing from that established in France, which they boaftingly afferted was the only juft and lawful one in Europe. He would atk every man of fpirit and patriotism in that houfe, and in the whole nation, whether fuch prefumption were fupportable? Could it be deemed unjuft to take up arms against fo af fuming and arrogant a people, or to frame acts for the counter-acting of thofe among ourselves, who were either fo weak, or fo wicked, as to abet them? The bill he allowed to be of a nature hitherto unknown, and new to the ideas of the pco ple of this country; but extraordinary cafes required extraordinary treatment. Enormities, uncommonly atrocious, muft be encountered by laws adequately fevere. Such was the rage that actuated the enemies

to government, that they had cir-. culated opinions and fentiments tending, unequivocally, to affect the king's life. Could the legiflature, confiftently with its profefled attachment to the fovereign, and, with its own reputation and dignity, pafs by, unpunifhed, fo execrable a violation of all principles on which the conftitution of the land, and the peace of the public, was founded? Did · ever any government fuffer individuals, of this character, openly to meet and confult together in the face of day? They had too long been tolerated, and it were a difgrace to parliament, and would argue pufillanimity, to allow them to meet any more. No fuch meetings were permitted by the new conftitution lately adopted in France, however the rulers, in that country, might be ready to avail themselves of our imprudence, in having fo long, and fo unpardonably, connived at them.

In reply to these allegations, it was obferved, by Mr. Gray, that miniftry, after exulting in the extinction of democratic principles, operated by their vigilance, now came forward with a bill, which they founded on the neceffity of obviating the alarming progrefs they had made, and were daily making, throughout the nation: to which of thefe affertions were we to give credit? If thofe principles were not extinguifhed, miniftry had been deceived, or had endeavoured to deceive the public. If they were, in reality, extinguished, the bill they propofed to pafs against them origi pated from other motives; and those could be no other, than to filence the complaints of the people, enraged at their mifconduct, and, chiefly, at their perfifting in it, notwithstanding

withstanding the admonition of conftant experience, daily proving, in the face of Europe, that they had undertaken what was impracticable, or, at least, what they had not abilities to execute. The connection between the meetings, and the infult offered to the king, inftead of being fupported by the leaft evidence, was totally difproved by every circumftance. But minifters wanted a pretence for depriving the people of that privilege which they moft dreaded, that of expofing their incapacity, their imprudence, or their evil defigns. Which of thofe imputations lay heavieft on miniftry it was hard to decide; but the public, at large, loudly charged them with every one of them. The ftanding laws were of fufficient energy to reach and to punish confpiracy and fedition. To what end were additional ones to be enacted, unlefs to arm miniftry with powers unknown to the conftitution; and which, from their incompatibility with its nature, muft unavoidably affect its destruction. It was, therefore, incumbent upon every friend to the conftitution to oppofe the bill with the firmest perfeverance, as the paffing of it would prove the fureft ftep towards that uncontrolable fituation, wherein minifters had fo long, and fo vifibly, made every effort to place themselves. After a few other remarks, on each fide of the queftion, the motion for bringing in the bill was carried by two hundred and fourteen against forty

two.

The propriety of a call of the houfe, previously to the decifion of fo weighty a matter, being infifted on by Mr. Fox, he was told, by Mr. Dundas, that he had fo little objection to his demand, that, unless

it could be made apparent, that a plurality of the people fided with miniftry on this occafion, the bill ought certainly not to pafs, but he was fully fatisfied of its being generally approved. He had, he faid, "been befieged in his office, for months paft, with applications for fuch a bill." It was in concurrence with the defire of a great number of perfons of weight with ministers, that they had been perfuaded to bring it into parliament.

The fpeech of Mr. Dundas gave occafion to Mr. Sheridan of making fome pointed obfervations. Minif ters, he faid, had, in the firft inftance, grounded the neceffity of the bill upon the outrageous behaviour of the populace; but the force of truth had now compelled them to acknowledge, however inadvertently, that this bill had long before been refolved upon: thus the profeffions of minifters were unworthy of credit, and their arguments stood upon no juftifiable grounds; they made the firft in defiance of truth, and they used the fecond with undeniable consciousness of their impropriety. Mr. Sheridan concluded by intimating that minifterial refentment, at their difappointment in the trial of Hardy, and the other members of the correfponding focicty, had, ever fince, been brooding over the means of obtaining revenge.

Mr. Maurice Robinson, and Mr. Grey, feconded the motion of Mr. Fox for a call of the house, before a final decifion took place in a bufinefs of fuch universal concern to the nation: the motion was agreed to accordingly, and the call appointed for that day fortnight.

In a committee of the whole houfe of peers, on the eleventh of No

vember,

1

the king's perfon, and government, was formally read, and produced long and spirited debates on its various clauses. The duke of Leeds moved, that, instead of the word, government, in the fecond claufe, the words, confifting of king, lords, and commons, fhould be fubftituted, as defining, more fpecifically, the conftitution, than the word, govern

ment.

vember, the bill for the fafety of an ufurpation of national rights, and ariftocracy an oppreffive inftitution: they boldly gave the public to underftand, that both thefe branches of the conftitution ought to be lopped away, and democracy alone to remain; threatening, at the fame time, to lofe no opportunity of carrying thofe purposes into execution. Were fuch flagitious defigns, faid the lord chancellor, permitted to be avowed, in the undifguifed, infulting, manner they had fo long been, to the astonishment and indignation of the fenfible part of the public, what muft become of the authority of the state, and of the fafety of all its component members? Was it not evident, that all the evils which had afflicted this nation, in the last century, and all thofe experienced by France, at the present hour, would be renewed in this country, did not the legiflature proceed with expedition and fpirit to put a stop to the diffemination of those principles that tended, fo manifeftly, to produce fuch calamities?

The lord chancellor, and lord Grenville, were of a different opinion; but lord Thurlow afferted the difficulty of defining, with exactnefs, the terms, government and conftitution; the penalties enacted by the fecond claufe appeared to him unduly fevere. Was it equitable to criminate a man for faying it was an abuse, that twenty acres of land, near Old Sarum, fhould fend two members to parliament? The laws in existence were, in his judge. ment, amply fufficient to punish every crime, and misdemeanour, therein alluded to, without needing its affistance. He reprobated the fyftem of adding new laws and penalties to thofe already enacted, and condemned the whole of this claufe, together with the following one, by which minifters were empowered to profecute difcretionally.

Much furprize was expreffed by the lord chancellor, at the opinion delivered by lord Thurlow. The enormity of the offences, at which this claufe was pointed, muft, he faid, be acknowledged by all who read the publications of the day: they were, in every fenfe, directed against the existence of the government, and the conftitetion: they explicitly told the people, that they were in no wife bound to fubmit to their rulers; that monarchy was

The lord chancellor was fupported by lord Mansfield, and oppofed by lord Lauderdale, who noticed, that instead of encountering the arguments of lord Thurlow, he had defcribed the pernicious ten-dency of the writings circulated by the democratic faction, which had not been denied, and which were no lefs deprecated by the parliamentary oppofition to miniftry, than by minifters themselves. But the fact was, that we lived in times, when the partiality to one branch of the conftitution, was fuch, that revilers of the others might go unnoticed and unpunished, while that alone would be fenced and protected by claufes and penalties against thofe that fpoke, or wrote, of it difre.

fpectfully.

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