It is a fundamental maxim, that when any law is proposed, which indicates more good than evil to a State, fuch law ought to be received. The unconftitutional effects, the oppreffion, and inefficacy of the prefent mode of levying men for the navy by an imprefs, are but too fenfibly felt by the whole nation. A valuable fea officer (Governor Johnstone), who is a diftinguished ornament to this Legislature, and whofe private and public character do real honour to human nature, having formerly treated of the practice of impreffing, fays, "It dif graces Government, fhocks the spirit of our Conftitution, and violates the laws of humanity; therefore every plan to obviate the evil has a claim to a political hearing and candid difcuffion." That worthy member's remarks muft, I am fure, ftrike every body, who duly confiders them as juft and forcible. Is it not an abominable fight, in a free country like ours, to have a number of failors, with fire arms and cutlaffes, frequently in the dead of night, fometimes intoxicated with liquor, making their way into the habitation of peaceable people, dragging a sober, unoffending fubject from his home, and fettled means of livelihood, to convey him om board an impress tender, from thence to a guard ship, imprisoned amidst the moral and physi cal contagion of a miscellaneous, kidnapped crew, to be driven across the feas, no mortal can tell him where, nor for how long a time; and what is still worse, feized by surprise, not suffered to bid a kind farewel to his wife and family, nor have thought of their future fubfiftence, when deprived of his care; to adopt a new way of life, perhaps that to which his limbs and faculties are the worst calculated and fashioned by his Creator? And, Sir, is it not a ferious matter of reproach to this wife, this liberal nation, never yet to have provided a remedy for fuch dreadful and extenfive fufferings? What tumults, fears, and confufion, arife in every city, town, and country, within ten or twelve miles of a prefs-gang? And what numberless inconveniencies to all conditions of perfons throughout Great Britain! In 1770 the Lord Mayor of London represented

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to the Board of Admiralty, that the city of London was fo infested with prefs-gangs, that tradefmen and fervants were prevented from following their lawful business. A gentleman in Yorkshire, of worth and veracity, (who was formerly a member of this Houfe), fends me word, that such is at this time the general apprehenfion in that part of England from a prefsgang at Tadcaster, that the labourers on his eftate are difperfed abroad like a covey of partridges; neither could half of them be brought back to their work, till the fteward had given them affurance of his master's protection; ftill it seems they are afraid to return to their own homes at night, and therefore conftantly beg leave to fleep upon straw in the ftables and outhoufes of the landlord. In the Weft of England the public are now so prejudiced by prefs-gangs, that I have read a letter from Exeter, dated February 29, which obferves, that there had been no fish in their town for upwards of a fortnight→ a circumftance scarcely known within the memory of man; and another correspondent of mine paints the miseries of the neighbouring coasts in as ftrong colours as if there were famine, peftilence, or fome other awful and almost preternatural vifitation of Providence: markets deferted, the price of the moft urgent neceffaries of life thereby greatly enhanced, and numbers of families among the inferior claffes of mankind from the infecurity of the masters of those families, by whose toil and industry they had long been maintained in comfort, reduced at once to the verge of poverty and wretchednefs! How shamefully has this unconstitutional license of the impress been abused in the town of Lancaster, where men, the most unfit in every respect for the fea fervice, were kidnapped, collared with iron, and manacled with cords or fetters, fent up to London in the basket of a flage coach, as I understand, under command of a ferjeant of militia, in violation of the moft facred laws of your Conftitution; with an heavy local expence, and to no better end than to have them at length put up at large, as totally incapable of the errand they fet out upon! The animofities

within this very metropolis of your empire, on the fubject of impreffing men for the navy, and the lawsuits depending thereon in the Courts of Westminster Hall, muft occafion, as well to Government as to People in general, much embarrassinent and apprehenfion. In feveral of the ports along the North-eaft coaft of England, you have actually fubfifting a dangerous connection among large bodies of fea-faring people, occafioned by many lawless proceedings of the prefs-gangs; and every day's poft brings fome new detail of innocent lives loft, or limbs broken in that quarter. Sir, there have been lately no less than one hundred and twenty men preffed, without distinction, in or about Bethnal Green and Spitalfields; of which between seventy and eighty, after suffering every hardfhip, and leaving their families diftreffed at home, obtained a discharge, as of no use to the service. Having already cursorily touched on fome of the calamities and unconstitutional outrages affecting these manufacturers, mechanics, and husbandmen, who never exercifed, nor had in contemplation, the trade of a feaman, I must take a short view of your cruelty towards mariners by profeffion. They are not only liable to the fame inhuman violence and surprise with landsmen, but when seized on board trading veffels for the purpose of serving His Majesty, are often impofed upon by fraudulent bills, on account of wages due to them for paft hire in the trader's employ. The lives of many brave officers and their followers have been facrificed, or they have come off cruelly maimed by this invidious part of their duty. A multitude of feamen have been drowned by attempting to fwim afhore from their fhips, or have been fhot by the centinels while they endeavoured to escape under cover of midnight darkness; being driven to phrenzy and despair, for want even of a fhadow of hope, that they might one day or other be entitled to a legal discharge.

Honourable Temple Luttrell, March 11, 1777.

I am really astonished that the learned gentleman (Mr. Wedderburne) is not ashamed to avow the reason he has affigned, for the concealment he has used, and reducing the House to act as fo many midnight conspirators, who, under the colour of devifing measures for public preservation and national safety, has every appearance of plotting, in the dark at midnight, its deftruction, coming like so many hired ruffians, with weapons concealed under their cloaks, to bury their poniards in its very bowels.

Such an act as that for impreffing men into His Majesty's service might be very neceffary, but I have many reasons to believe not to the extent moved for; but why bring it forward at this dark and filent hour? When the clock has ftruck twelve, and most of the members retired home to their beds? Why, in God's name, not propose it early in the day, in a full House?

The reafon affigned for this affaffinate mode of conducting public bufinefs is, to the laft degree, unfounded and diffatisfactory, "left the public fhould be apprized of it." Has not the learned gentleman already told us, that the bill is to act retrospectively? That it is to commence on that melancholy, I fear, fatal day, on which the Spanish Minifter delivered the Manifefto now on your table? Has he not farther informed us, that the Miniftry have not been unmindful of their duty, for that they have exceeded all their former attacks on the conftitution of their country? They have trampled on the laws, and have found an advocate to defend their conduct, in the perfon of the learned gentleman who has moved this extraordinary bill, in this very extraordinary manner. Is then the learned gentleman's love of his country not fatisfied with the injuries inflicted on the most deserving part of the community, by robbing them of that protection which the laws have given to them, and by breaking the national faith, which is the great pledge and fecurity to every Englishman for their due performance? Would the learned gentleman not let one fa

ther,

ther, one husband, one brother, or one child escape, in this general fcene of oppreffion and injuftice! Methinks I hear the heart-felt fhrieks of the miferable wife this inftant piercing my ears, and entreating, in accents of rage and despair, the midnight ruffian not to drag from her fide her tender and affectionate husband, the father of her children, and her only fupport! I think I hear the aged and helpless parent in accents of finking woe, mifery, and diftrefs, bewailing the lofs of his dutiful and beloved fon! I confefs I am filled with horror at the various ills and miferies this inftant inflicting in every part of these kingdoms, contrary to every principle of law, justice, and humanity: but the learned gentleman has a stomach for all this, and much more; for he says, he has stood up at this midnight hour to propofe a law, which, if propofed in open day, in a full house, might, perhaps, have this one confequence, that of procuring, for the perfons to be affected by it, that perfonal fecurity, by flight and concealment, which the laws of their country, and the affurance of public faith always fuppofed to accompany them, have been inadequate to.

Sir George Saville, June 23, 1779.

Great abilities and greater industry have been exerted in the vain endeavour of maintaining, that affociations, committees of correfpondence, delegations, and petitions to this House figned with more than twenty names, are contrary to law and the conftitution. I am forry to fee talents and industry employed fo idly; but, indeed, it requires both to give any thing like a colour to fuch a doctrine. After what has been fo ably advanced by gentlemen on the fame fide of the House with myself, it will not be neceffary to enter into a tedious repetition of the question of law. It is a clear fundamental point in the conftitution of this country, that the People have a right to petition their representatives in Parliament, and it is by no means true, that the number of names figned to any fuch pe tition is limited. The act which paffed in the reign of Charles