scheme appears to me; but to the Honourable Gentleman who proposed it to us, I am perfuaded it appears in a quite different light, otherwise I am certain he would never have proposed it to this Committee. However, fince the generality of the nation have already fhewn a great diflike to it, I hope the Honourable Gentleman may be prevailed on to delay it till another Seffion of Parliament: in fuch a delay there can be no danger, there can be no great lofs to the Public, more especially fince the money to be thereby raised, is not so much as propofed to be applied to the current service of the present year. If it be delayed till another Seffion of Parliament, Gentlemen will then have time to confider it fully, and to confult with their Conftituents about it; by that time it may poffibly appear in a quite different light both to me and many other Gentlemen without doors as well as within; and then, if upon examination it appears to be a good thing, as fome Gentlemen now seem to believe, it will, without doubt, be approved of by the generality of those without, as well as by the majority of those within.

But I hope thofe Gentlemen who have now fo good an opinion of the scheme, will not think of thrufting it down people's throats, when they fee that the generality of the nation have an opinion of it quite different from what they have; fuch a Refolution, fuch an attempt, might produce confequences which I tremble to think of: and this is another motive which is of great weight to me, I have the honour to know his Majesty, his Royal Perfon I have formerly had the honour to approach, and know him to be a Prince of fo much goodnefs, that were this scheme represented to him in this light, he never would approve of it; to him it will always be a fufficient reason against any propofition, that the generality of the people have fhewn their dislike to it. I love his Majesty, I have a fincere and a dutiful refpect for him, and all the Royal Family; and therefore I fhall always be afraid of any thing that may alienate the affections of many of his Majesty's faithful fubjects, which

I believe would be the certain confequence of the establishment of this scheme; for which reafons, if the Queftion be now pufhed, I fhall moft heartily give my negative to it.

Sir Paul Methuen, March 14, 1733.

;

THE profperity of this nation, Sir, or at least our fecurity, depends upon the tranquillity of our neighbours: while they are at peace, they will always confume more of our manufactures than when they are involved in blood and confufion and confequently we fhall always, in times of peace, have a greater demand for the manufactures of our country than in time of war. Befides, while they continue at peace, the Balance of Power can be in no danger; but the events of war no nation can depend on; and therefore this nation, amongst the reft, may be deeply affected by the extraordinary fuccess of any one Power in Europe. Let us not therefore grudge a trifling expence, when it may evidently contribute towards restoring peace among our neighbours, upon which our own prosperity and fecurity does and always muft depend.

Our house is not yet on fire, but our neighbour's is all on a flame; and then certainly it is time for us to prepare the engines neceffary for preferving our own. These are a powerful fleet, and a fufficient body of regular well-disciplined troops, ready to march at the firft word of command. This, Sir, will give weight to his Majefty's Councils, it will make all the parties concerned give a due regard and attention to what may be proposed by his Majesty's Ministers for restoring the peace of Europe; for a Minister, whofe equipage confists of a large body of good troops, will always be better hearkened to, than one whofe equipage confifts only of a great number of fine pages and useless footmen.

Sir Robert Walpole, Feb. 14, 1735.

As this day seems to be a day of paradoxes, amongst the rest, we have been told one with refpect to our trade.

N 2

We are

told,

told, Sir, that the profperity of this nation depends upon the tranquillity of our neighbours; and that in times of peace, there is always a greater demand for the manufactures and produce of this country than in time of war. This, Sir, is so far from being a true maxim in trade, that the direct contrary is true. The chief part of the produce of this country, confifts in the neceffaries, and not the luxuries of life; and confequently our neighbours will always confume as much of fuch fort of things in time of war as in time of peace. But the difference is, that when their heads are not distracted, nor their hands diverted, by any foreign or domeftic war, they have time to apply themselves to tillage; they have time to apply themfelves to manufactures of all kinds; they have leifure to think of, and to improve all the arts of peace; and by fo doing, they furnish themselves at home with a great many of thofe neceffaries which, in time of war, they are obliged to purchase of us. This is not only evident in theory, but is confirmed by experience; for our trade has fuffered more by the domeftic improvements made by our neighbours, during the laft long tranquillity in Europe, than it has done by any other means; except the heavy duties we have laid upon ourselves, and the great trouble, and many fees, and many perquifites we have fubjected our Merchants to, both in importing and exporting their goods and merchandize.

Mr. Pulteney, Feb. 14, 1735.

OUR great King Edward III. fhewed fuch a regard for our trade and navigation, that upon a complaint from our Merchants of their having been plundered by the Spanish pirates or guarda coftas of those days, he immediately fitted out a fleet, and went in perfon to revenge the depredations that had been committed upon his fubjects; by which he restored the freedom of our commerce, and added a naval triumph, to the many triumphs he had before obtained at land. The protection of trade and navigation has always been one of the

chief concerns of all great Kings and all wife nations. Even the Romans, who could never be faid to be a trading people, fhewed a great regard for it, as appears from the reproof Cicero' gave them in his days, for neglecting to fupprefs the pirates, and to affert the honour of their flag.

Mr. Pulteney, March 30, 1738..

OUR travellers, Sir, who make but very fuperficial inquiries into the manners or customs of any country they pafs through, may perhaps imagine the people of France or Holland, are more heavily or more oppreffedly taxed, than the people of this kingdom, because they hear the people complain there as they do here; but any Gentleman who understands these things, and has made a proper inquiry, may foon be convinced of the contrary; and as for the other countries of Europe, they have not, it's true, fuch numbers of rich Merchants, masters of manufacturers, and mafter tradefinen, as we have in this country, which is the reason that many of their poor live in idleness, or ftarve for mere want, because there are few or no rich Masters or Merchants in the country, that have money to employ them; but in all countries, where the poor have any employment, they are pretty nearly equally poor; they neither get, nor expect more than a comfortable fubfiftence by their daily labour and if you enhance the means of that subsistence by taxes on the neceffaries and conveniencies of life, their Mafters must increase their wages; fo that all taxes fall at last upon the Masters, foreign or domeftic, who must pay for that increase of wages in the price of goods they purchase but the difference is, that a tax laid directly upon the Master, only prevents his growing rich fo faft, or makes him live lefs luxuriously, but does not enhance the price of your manufactures: whereas a tax laid upon those things, that are neceffary for the fupport of the poor, enhances the price of labour, and confequently raises the price of all your manufactures both for domestic and foreign fale, which at laft ruins your trade. There

fore, if the poor' of this kingdom be more heavily taxed than the poor of any other country of Europe, it is what ought to be remedied as foon as poffible; it is what will give that country a great advantage over us, if they should ever begin to apply themselves to trade, which every country, of Europe is now aiming at as much as they can. Sir John Barnard, March 21, 1737*

DEFENCE.