per Judges of that; but we never can judge rightly, Sir, unless we are to fee all the Inftructions that have been given by our Ministry here, to the feveral Officers and Ministers abroad; and give me Leave to fay, Sir, that the Refolutions we have already come to are, if we don't agree to fuch an Addrefs, idle and ineffectual.

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ther of our Minifters at home, or our Governors and Officers abroad, without having it in our Power to perufe the whole Series of our Correfpondence, to compare one Part of it with another, and to have a clear and comprehenfive View, how far the Of ficers and fubordinate Ministers have acted up to the Orders they received from the Government here; how far the Government here has confulted the Dignity of this Crown and Empire in the Orders they have given, and how far the Demands of the Crown of Iberia left them at Liberty to continue with Honour fo long a Negotiation.

But, Sir, as I find that the Hon. Gentlemen who spoke against the Motion are of Opinion that the Negotia. tions, now on foot with Iberia, may poffibly be interrupted, by expofing the Papers tranfmitted from that Court to our Ministers; as they feem to think, Sir, that there is somewhat contained in these Papers not yet ripe to be communicated to this Houfe; and as I know the two Hon. Gentlemen have very great Opportunities of being perfectly well acquainted with the Contents of these Papers, I fhall, with my Hon. Friends Leave, no longer infist upon that Part of the Motion that relates to our addreffing for the Papers that may have been tranfmitted from the Court of Iberia to our Ministers here, but fhall confine the Motion, which I take the Liberty to make, to F the following Terms, vix.

At the fame time, Sir, I am of Opinion with the Hon. Gentleman who made the Motion, that this House can- B not be full and proper Judges of the Propriety of thefe Orders, and how far they were confiftent with the Honour and Intereft of the Empire, unlefs we see the peremptory Demands that have been made by the Crown of Iberia, and unless we fee the Reasons that have been given by her Ministers for deferring or denying Juftice to our injured Merchants. If their Reasons, Sir, are fuch, as, if admitted, would render the Subjects of this Empire refiding in Columbia, no better than Tenants at Will to the Court of Iberia; if they are grounded on a Claim of the whole Property of Columbia, by Virtue of a ridiculous Gift from the Sovereign Pontiff; if they are fuch as muft inevitably ruin the Trade and E Navigation of this Empire, our Minifters, Sir, have been egregiously to blame in continuing their Negotiations fo long. They ought, Sir, to have thrown up all Correfpondence with fuch a Court; our Admirals and Captains, Sir, ought to have been our only Minifters and Plenipotentiaries in that Cafe. If, on the other hand, the Reafons of that Court are founded on Exceptions to Facts not fufficiently proved, on the doubtful Words of a Treaty, or a Mifapprehenfion of our Court's Meaning, they ought to have had a reafonable Time for giving a categorical Answer; and if they exceeded that Time, our Minifters ought to have look'd upon them as treating with no other View than to fhuffle with and amufe us, in order to gain Time. But, Sir, it is impoffible for us to know the true State of the Cafe betwixt us and Iberia, or the Confiftency of the Conduct. ei

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That an humble Address be presented to his Majefty, that he would be gracioufly pleafed to give Directions for laying before the Senate Copies of all Letters written, and Inftructions given, by the Secretaries of State, or Commiffioners for executing the Office of Lord High Admiral of Lilliput, to any of the Governors of the Lillipu tian Plantations in Columbia, or any Commander in chief, or Captains of his Majefty's Ships of War, or his Majefty's Minister at the Court of Iberia, of his Majefty's Confuls in Degulia, fince the Treaty of Sebfule, re

or any

Majefty's Subjects by means of Depredations committed by the Subjects of the King of Iberia, in Degulia or Columbia.

The Prime Minifter's Brother spoke next to the following Effect:

SIR,

WE

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likewife to all our Confuls and Gover nors of our Settlements abroad. This, Sir, might be attended with very bad Confequences to the trading Part of the Empire; Gentlemen know very well, that, in case of a Rupture betwixt A Iberia and us, the Iberian Court immediately confifcates the Effects of EREI not thoroughly convinc'd our Merchants refiding there. For that it would be highly impro- this Reafon, Sir, it has always been the per for us to agree to this Motion, I Custom for our Ministry, upon the Thould be the lait Member in the Houfe leaft Appearance of such a Rupture, to to oppofe it. As I have had the Ho- give timely Notice to the Lilliputian nour to be employed in fome Negotia- Merchants to withdraw their Effects tions, I hope Gentlemen will not take from the Iberian Dominions. Thefe it amifs, when I fay that I ought to Notices, Sir, are communicated to the know a little of the prefent Queftion. Confuls, either by the Miniftry here, I know, Sir, how dangerous it is to or our Minister at Mardit, and perhaps expose the Powers of any Minifter by both. Now, Sir, I fhould be glad acting at a foreign Court, efpecially if any Gentleman would inform the if any Differences fubfift betwixt his Houfe how it is poffible, in cafe their Mafter and that Court; because in all Orders were laid open to the World, fuch Cafes, Sir, a Minifler is furnished for our Merchants to fave one Grull of not only with publick but private In- their Effects there? Would they not, ftructions, and these private Inftructions Sir, ferve as a Direction to the Iberians commonly contain Things no way D to prevent our Merchants fending any proper to be communicated to the of their Effects away time enough to Court where he refides. It has been hinder their Confifcation? Let Genmany times known, Sir, in Negotiati- tlemen, Sir, confider that fuch Inons, that a Minifter has been inftruct- ftructions muft naturally depend on ed publickly to infift on very high the Succefs of the Demands which our Terms, and yet has had private In- g Court has to make, and the Condition ftructions to abate very much of these which it finds itself in to fupport them. Terms, provided he could obtain an It has therefore been always thought Equivalent, or compass a favourite View proper to let our Confuls know, that as foon as the Differences betwixt the two I don't know, Sir, whether this is Courts fhall arrive at fuch a Crifis, and or is not the Cafe with regard to the not before, they are to give the MerInftructions fent to our Minifler at chants notice to make the best of their Mardit, becaufe I never had any Con. Way with their Effects. cern in our Tranfactions with that fhould fuch an Inftruction as this come Now, Sir, Court; but, Sir, it is both very poffi- to the Knowledge of the Iberians, it is ble and very probable that it may be a kind of Watchword to put them the Cafe, and if it is, his Majefty will on their Guard, and muft unavoidably no doubt have very good Reason to be G occafion the Ruin of Thousands of the offended at an Addrefs, which, fhould Lilliputian Subjects. It must have anhe comply with, might lay open the other bad Effect, Sir, by letting the moft private Tranfactions of his Cabi- Iberians know the Ultimatum of our net, and difcover Secrets that ought, Demands and Conceffions, and the for the Good of this Empire, to be con- Empire may thereby be depriv'd of cealed. The prefent Motion, Sif, not many Advantages which the might only includes Inftructions given by our reap, were no fuch Discovery made. Miniftry and Admiralty to our Pleni potentiaries at the Court of Iberia, but

of his Court.

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I remember, Sir, the Occafion of our coming to the Refolutions menti

oned

oned and read by the Hon. Gentleman; but, if I am not very much miftaken, the Question then, and the Debate that followed upon it, were of the fame Nature with the present. The Hon. Gentleman and his Friends infifted then upon our seeing all the Papers that had come from Iberia to our Minifters here. The Houfe thought fuch an Addrefs might be attended with Inconveniencies, because thefe Papers might relate to a depending Negotiation; therefore the Right Hon. B Gentleman who fits before me, mov'd that the latter Part of the Motion might run as we have now heard it. He did not deny that a great many Papers were needful on that Occafion to be laid before the Houfe, but thought that it might be attended with very bad Confequences if thofe of an inflam. matory Nature were communicated. What is the present Subject of Debate, Sir? It is not, I believe, deny'd by the Gentlemen who are of my way of thinking as to this Affair, that there will be a Neceffity of feeing a great Number of Papers; but it is affirmed that there may be Papers included in this Motion, which it is neither neceffary nor proper we fhould fee. Therefore, Sir, I think the two Cafes are parallel, and that the one ought to ferve as a Precedent to the other. That Queftion, Sir, was propofed at a very critical Juncture, juft before we entered upon the Examination of the Facts contain'd in our Merchants Petition; the prefent Question, Sir, is propofed at a very critical Juncture likewife, juft before we enter upon the Confideration of the Convention. They feem both to have been calculated for the fame Ends, to inflame the Empire against his Majefty's Measures.

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unfulfilled, and it would be doing a very imprudent Thing, fhould we put it out of the Power of our Officers abroad to fulfil them; which must be the Cafe if they are now discover'd to the Public. Befides, Sir, there is nothing more easy than to find Fault. Objections may be raised to the best concerted Plan that ever was laid down, and the Approbation which it meets with generally depends upon the Event. Therefore, Sir, it ought not at all to furprize Gentlemen, if they whofe Characters, perhaps their Lives and their Fortunes, depend upon the Success of these Schemes, oppose the Motion. On the other hand, Sir, it must be furprizing to thofe without C Doors, as well as to us within, to hear that fuch a Motion has been made in this House. Have not the Ministers, Sir, been cry'd out against for not entering into vigorous Meafures, as they are called; and fhould we agree to this Motion, don't we take the most effectual Method to disable them from purfuing any Measure with Vigour? I am far from denying, Sir, that the Motion we are now confidering would be a proper Motion, if all Danger of a War were over, and if we had conE cluded a definitive Treaty with Iberia; were that the Cafe, there would be no Inconveniency in our adreffing for thefe Papers, because there would be no farther Ufe for the Inftructions contain'd in them; but, Sir, that is far from beF ing the Cafe at prefent. The Treaty that is concluded is but a Preliminary, and the Conclufion of a definitive Treaty depends upon our Unanimity and Refolution to pursue the fame vigorous Measures that we would have done had this Preliminary never taken place. G But, Sir, give me Leave to say, that if we fhould agree to this Motion, we put ourselves under an Incapacity of our purfuing thefe Measures, because we expole them to the Public, and thereby give Iberia and her Allies an Opportunity of defeating them.

I fhall take the Freedom, Sir, to examine the Propriety of this Motion, fo far as it relates to the Instructions given, by the Government here, to our Admirals and Captains; and I fhall have but very little to add to what was H obferved by the Hon. Gentleman who first spoke in this Debate. These Inftructions, Sir, are very probably yet

There is another Inconveniency which muft arife from our agreeing to the prefent Motion; and I da e fav

that it will have a great Effect upon Gentlemen. We are to confider, Sir, that tho' the Stipulation for our Merchants Redress is a pofitive Stipulation, yet that the Performance of it is, in Reality, but eventual. I don't mean, Sir, that there is any Ambiguity in the Terms of that Article in the Convention, or that any Event can happen which will juftify the Iberian Monarch in refufing to pay the Sum there fpecify'd; but we all know very well, Sir,

A

He was answered by Juan Branard,
Hurgolet, to the following Effe&:
SIR,

I

Have fate long enough in this Houfe

to hear many Debates on this Head, but I never knew one good Effect attend our giving a Negative to a Motion of this Nature. Did Experience tell us, Sir, that the Counfels of a Miniftry have been always more advantageous to this Empire than the DeliberaBtions of the Senate; did this Empire that Princes are often determin'd never find the Misfortune of being goby Intereft, without Regard to the verned by a Miniftry who preferred frict Laws of Juftice and Equity. their own Intereft to her Honour; Now, Sir, if our expofing thefe Pahad there never been an Inftance when pers fhould afresh embroil us with Ibethe Interpofition of the Senate refcued ria, if she should imagine that, upon C the Empire from the wicked Effects being informed of their Contents, fhe of Mal-Adminiftration; then might could take fuch Measures as to prevent I have had fo much Confidence in the our distressing her in the fame Manner prefent Miniftry as to agree in my Senwe might have done had they been timents with the Hon. Genrleman who kept fecret; in fuch an Event, Sir, fpoke laft. But, Sir, I have seen the Complaifance of the Senate to the Miniftry attended with fo many bad Effects to the Empire, especially of late Meons, that I think it is high Time for us to alter our Measures, and to judge from what we fee, and not from what we hear.

who can answer for it that she will
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not create Pretexts and frivolous Ex-
cufes, to put off the Payment of the
ftipulated Sum? I am fure, Sir, I have
heard that Court charg'd in this House
with as grofs Violations of her Faith,
and I dare fay that if our agreeing to
this Motion were to have that Effect, E
Gentlemen would think that they had
a great deal to accuse themselves of.

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In the mean time, Sir, I am far from thinking that there will be no Occafion for our feeing any Papers at all before we come to a Refolution with I know regard to this Convention. we shall have Occafion to fee a great many, and we have no Reafon to doubt that his Majefty, as he has ordered the Convention to be laid before us, will likewife order thofe Papers to be communicated to the Houfe which G are proper for us to fee. But, Sir, I think we should act with great Precipitancy, fhould we address for any Papers that may draw a Refufal from his Majefty, and may occafion an Interruption of that Union betwixt his Majefty and this House, which in the prefent Juncture of Affairs is our beft and greatest

H

The Hon. Gentleman, Sir, who fpoke laft, and his Friend who spoke before him, on the fame Side of the Queftion, have, indeed, faid as much in favour of the Negative to this Mo tion as poffibly can be faid; but, Sir, I own that all they have faid rather confirms me in the Affirmative, than otherwife. All that the Hon. Gentlemen have faid, in my Opinion, amounts to this, that the Papers now mov'd to be addrefs'd for relate to an unfinished Negotiation, and therefore it will be doing an Indignity to his Majefty to addrefs for thele Papers; that it might likewife put the Iberians on their Guard,

fhould the Manner in which we are to
attack them come to their Knowledge,
and thereby the Ends of the Conven-
tion might be frustated.
The Remainder of this Speech, and this

CB

and DB.

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If the War which is proclaim'd against Spain fhould become general and very deftructive, the following Scheme by a Lady, who is a new Correfpondent, will probably meet with Attention, and perhaps that Calamity may be the only means to restrain Luxury, and restore Frugality. A new Method for making Women as useful and as capable of maintaining themfelves, as the Men are; and confequently preventing their becoming old Maids, or taking ill Courfes. By a LADY. TIS the Misfortune of this Nation that B

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the most Part of our Gentlemen and Tradefinen bring up their Daughters at a Boarding School, where Mifs is taught to work a Cushion, or a Picture, in seven Years, a little Dancing and French, with English and Writing, which the is never made perfect in. In short, her Time is, for the most part, employ'd in Trifles, whilft the useful and becoming Part of her Education is wholly neglected, as her being taught to cut out and make up (her own and the Family's) Linnen, and the prudent Management of Houfhold Affairs, whereby the might become qualify'd for the Government of a Family, at her En- D trance into the married State.

But no fooner does the little Creature leave School, furnifh'd with all these trivial Accomplishments, than the Father and Mother are for fhewing her off to get her an Husband. This of courfe fpoils the Girl; for fhe now thinks of nothing but Drefs, receiving and returning Visits, Tea-drinking, and Card-playing, which laft is of the most fatal Confequence. Thus She becomes giddy, thoughtless, and idle; her Time lies heavy on her Hands at Home, except there be Company to divert her, and her chief Delight is gadding Abroad. And if this manner of Life fails of getting her a Husband, when young, and her Parents are unable to give her a large Fortune, fhe is obliged to live an old Maid, and die useless to her Generation. On the contrary, if her Parents die, and leave her only a small Fortune, The can't live upon the Intereft, and con. fequently must endeavour to marry for a Livelihood; whence she becomes a Prey to fome defigning mercenary Fellow, or other wife the fpends her narrow Income, and then what muft fhe do for a Support? Why he takes to ill Courfes; which makes fo many Women kept awhile, and then come upon the Town, to the inevitable Ruin both of Soul and Body.

If now we look for the Origin of this Evil, we shall find it generally owing to the Mismanagement of the Parents at

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Mifs's first fetting out; for tho' many of them know they are able to give a Daughter but a fmall Fortune, yet Mifs muft have a good Education, as they call it, which is bringing her up in Pride and Folly; fo that if the is afterwards forced to fhift for herself in the World, fhe is look'd on as a poor helpless Creature, and defpifed by Mankind.

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In order to prevent thefe Misfortunes, and make ourselves as ufeful, valuable, and even defirable, as may be, I have form'd the following eafy Scheme:

Let all Gentlemen who have several

Daughters, and Tradefmen,, who can't give about 1000 or 1500l. a-piece to their Daughters, and fome who are able to give no more than two or three hundred Pound, on the Intereft of which no Woman can live genteelly, and still lefs if Interest should be lower'd; let fuch, I fay, take Care their Daughters be taught the moft useful Part of Needle-work, all the Arts of Oeconomy, Writing, and Bookkeeping, with enough of Dancing_and French to give them a graceful easy Freedom both of Difcourfe and Behaviour: And when they have acquir'd thefe necef fary Accomplishments in fome Degree of Perfection, let them at the Age of fifteen or fixteen be put Apprentices to genteel and eafy Trades, fuch as Linnen or Woollen Drapers, Haberdashers of finall Wares, Mercers, Glovers, Perfumers, Grocers, Confectioners, Retailers of Gold and Silver Lace, Buttons, &c.

Why are not these as creditable Trades for the Daughters of Gentlemen as they are for their Sons; and all of them more proper for Women than Men? Is it not as agreeable and becoming for Women to be employ'd in felling a Farthing's Worth of Needles, a Halfpenny Lace, a Quarter of a Yard cf Silk, Stuff, or Cambrick, as it is abfurd and ridiculous to see a Parcel of young Fellows, difh'd out in their TieWigs and Ruffles, the Lords of the Creation, as Men affect to be call'd, bufied in Profeffions fo much below the Honour and Dignity of their Sex?

There are few Trades in which Women cannot weigh and measure as well as Men, and are as capable of felling as they and I am fure will buy as cheap, and perhaps cheaper: For they can go to the wholefale Merchant's Houfe, and purchafe their Goods; whereas the Men generally tranfact all Bufi efs of this kind in Taverns and Coffee-houfes, at a great additional Expence, and the Lofs of much Time, fo as even frequently to neglec their Affairs at Home, whilft Women, upon the Conclufion of a Bargain, have no

Induce