To fpeak therefore farther with the fame Freedom upon the Subject of this Mifapplication of the Civil Lift, as I have done upon every other Topic, which has hitherto fallen under my Confideration, I must observe, that it is not eafy for the Publick to judge, whether the Sums now discovered by this Report to be expended out of the Civil Lift in the way, that they have appeared to be expended, were not, upon the whole, as great in former Reigns; the Prefumption is ftrong that they have been much greater, because it is evident, the Civil Lift could have afforded it much better; and as no Parliamentary Enquiry was ever made before as to this Point, or directed to this Particular, at leaft, their Information cannot extend to determine pofitively against this Opinion.

But what if we should be able to discover, that in Truth notwithstanding the Greatnefs of this Sum, the Charge of the Government upon this Head was greater formerly than it is now? yet this feems in a great Measure capable of being proved by Facts and Figures, the strongest Evidence that can fupport any Propofition in the World:

For upon the great Settlement of our Conftitution at the Revolution, the Parliament having called for all the Lights they could procure to enable them to judge of the Expence of Government in all its Branches, in order to make that Separation of the Charge of the Crown, and of the Publick, which was one of the great Benefits of that Change, and took away that extravagant Power, which the Crown before derived from having the fole Management, and Diftribution of the whole Revenue at large; it appeared that the Article of the Secret Service alone (befides the Allowance to the Secretary of State, 6066 1. and the Penfions, which came to 146,703 1. per Annum,) amounted communibus Annis to 89,968 1. 8 s. 2 d. which, notwithftanding the Temper they were then in, was not at all cenfured by Parliament as exorbirant at that Time.

Upon this Foundation I fhall proceed to compare the Expence of Government under this Head before the Revolution, with the Expence of Government under the fame Head, in the prefent Time.

It appears then that computing upon a Term of eleven Years before the Revolution, the Expence of Government upon the Article of Secret Service amounted to 989,6521.10 s. 6d. again it appears by the Report of the Secret Committee (in the Appendix No. 10.) that in the fame Term of eleven Years from the Year 1731, to the Year 1741 inclufive, this Article of Secret Service amounted to 786,355 l. 17 s. 4 d. to which Sum, the Committee have thought fit to add two Articles, both

of

of which are (with Submiffion to fo great an Authority) in a great Measure, different in their Nature from that Árticle, which is properly called Secret Service, viz. Money iffued for Special Service, 272,504 1. 8 d. and Money iffued to re-imburfe Expences 205,390 l. 17 s. 10 d. which two Articles together amount to 477,894 l. 18 s. 6d. They have likewise added further three other Articles, viz. 66,000 l. for the Secretaries of State, 68,800 l. upon Account, to the Sollicitor of the Treasury, and 50,077 l. 18 s. to Authors and Printers, amounting together to 184,887 l. 18s.

Thefe Totals of 786,355 l. 17 s. 4.-477,894 l. 18 s. 6 d. and 184,877. 18 s. come to 1,449,128 l. 13 s. 10 d. and with a few other fmall Articles amount to the compleat Sum of 1,453,400 1. 6 s. 3 d. which is ftated in the Report as fuppofed to be the Expence of the Civil Government in Secret Service, during the Space of the faid Eleven Years 2. But if we are to compare the Expence of the former and the present Government, upon the Face of the two Accounts, it is vifible that we can only put the fingle Article of Secret Service Money before the Revolution, against the fame Article at this Time; which if we do, we shall find, that the fame Article before the Revolution, amounted as above, in a Term of eleven Years, to 989,652 l. 10 s. 6 d. 4. whereas it amounted to no more than 786,355 l. 17 s. 4 d. in the fame Term, from 1731 to 1741 inclufive; fo that, in this Light, the Charge inftead of being encreased is diminished fince that Period, by no lefs a Sum than 203,2961. 13 s. 2 d. 4. And to confider this Point in any other Light, though it may be done, with much Art, cannot, with any Degree of Certainty; for if, as in the Report, other Articles of Expence are brought (as feeming to have fome Relation to it) to fwell the Amount of the Articles of Money lately iffued for Secret Service, it would be requifite to scrutinize with the fame Industry, into other Branches of the Charge of the Civil Government before the Revolution, which is impoffible to do at this remote Distance of Time: So that, undoubtedly (however exceptionable either the Greatnefs of the Sums, at the first Sight, may be, or the Nature of their Application, or the Manner of their being iffued) there is not any one of those other Articles, which in the Report, are joined to this Sum of 786,000 . that can be directly charged to this Account.

For who is it that does not perceive a very wide Difference between Secret Services, and the other two Articles of Special Service, and the Reimbursement of Expences. It is perhaps but

a The Enquiry was appointed for ten Years; but upon examining this Account of Secret Service in the Report, it appears to include eleven.

too

too probable, that fome Part of the Money under these two Heads have been really applied that way. Yet very great Sums muft have been iffued under these Titles, to Purpofes very different from those which ought to have given fo much Alarm to the Publick; and this was undoubtedly the Cafe under fome other Heads in all former Times.-As it is for this Reafon out of our Power to make an exact Comparison in this Way, I think it can be stated in no manner more correfpondent with the Truth, than as it has been stated here, and if fo, the Propofition is as fufficiently proved, as the Nature of the Thing can poffibly admit, that the Charge of Government upon this Head, was greater formerly than it is now.---However, after having thrown this out for the impartial Confideration of the Publick, I will, for the fake of Argument, and to prevent all Poffibility of Cavil, admit both thefe Articles to be added in their full Extent to the Head of Secret Service, by which it will be augmented, though not at all accurately, to 1,264,250 l. 15 s. 10 d.

But after this Conceffion I will venture to fay, as to the other three Articles, viz. that to the Sollicitor of the Treafury, that of the Allowance of 3000l. per Ann. to each of the Secretaries of State, and that of the Money iffued to Authors and Printers, it should seem impoffible, with any Candour, to bring them into the Charge of the Secret Service, and for the following Reasons :

Because as to the first Sum to the Sollicitor, it is given always upon Account, viz. for Crown Profecutions, and other neceffary, obvious and warrantable Occafions of Government, of which the Committee themselves were fo well aware, that they have themselves deducted that Sum from the grand Total.

As to the Second, which regards the Secretaries of State, this is in effect the Appointment of an Office, and stands juftly exceptionable in this Comparison, the rather, because it was made a diftinct Article from that of Secret Service in all Times, and is particularly fo in the State of the Revenue at the Revolution, by which this Parallel is made, being not included in the annual Sum of 89,968 1. 8 s. 2 d. 2, to which the Secret Service then amounted. And this was likewife in fome fort excepted by the Committee.

With regard to the Third, it is rather a Matter to be laughed at than confidered feriously.-In the Nature of the thing, it is by no means a Secret Service: And in its Confequences, efpecially confidering the Authors and their Productions, no Man will fay, that it affected the Publick in the Way, which can only give the People any Right to concern themselves about the Difpofition of the Civil Lift.-It would be extreamly hard, if the Crown might not be allowed the fame Privilege of the Pen, which

2

which is allowed to any private Man, and certainly no Minifter can be cenfured, if by Permiffion of the Prince, and even by the Affiftance of his private Purse, he makes ufe of the same Liberty of the Prefs to defend the Measures of his Government, which the Subject, with Impunity, employs whenever he thinks proper, (and of late, with outrageous Licence,) to cenfure and confound it.

As the Sums iffued therefore upon these three Articles cannot be added by any juft Pretence; after admitting all that can poffibly be admitted in the utmoft Latitude, againft our own Argument, the Account will ftand in this Manner:

Total of Money iffued for Secret Service

1741,

1. s. d.

in eleven Years, from 1731 to 1741, § 1,264,250 15 10 inclufive Total of Monies iffued under the Head of Secret Service for a like Term before the Revolution

989,652 10 06

Ballance upon eleven Years 274,598 5 3

Annual Charge of Secret Service, at a
Medium of Eleven Years from 1731

to 1741

}

114,931 16 10

89,968 8 2

Annual Charge before the Revolution

Which annual Sum of Twenty-four thousand nine hundred and fixty-three Pounds, eight Shillings and eight Pence, is the whole Encreafe of the Expence of the Civil Lift upon this Head, after a Term little fhort of threefcore Years, made up in a way of Accounting, the most partial and most favourable to thofe, who wish a falfe and dangerous Opinion to prevail, which even upon this State cannot prevail hereafter with any reasonable Man.

For every fuch Man will confider this Matter as it ought only to be confidered, that is, upon the Foot of an Influence acquired by the Crown over the Independency of the Subject, in proportion to the Sums applied in fecret Gratuities to the Members of the Legifla ture, more now than in former Times; and every fuch Man will form a Judgment to himself, and create an equitable Ballance, not only upon the Quantum of the Money applied in Secret Service, but will take into his Aid fome farther Confiderations, viz. whether that Part of Secret Service, which is neceffary to all Government, (because as the Committee confefs in the Report, No Form of Government can fubfift without a Power of employing

employing Publick Money for Services which are from their Nature fecret, and ought always to remain fo,) must not unavoidably be from the Circumftances of Time, greater than it was formerly; and again, whether the fame Degree of Influence can be acquired in thefe Times by the fame Sums.

Now these Things being thus candidly confidered, it will appear, that our Engagements with Foreign Powers, the Difficulties of the Age we live in, and the Distractions of Europe have been infinitely greater fince the Revolution than they were be-, fore; that our Secret Service in Foreign Courts must have therefore been greatly more expenfive than it was at that Period; and the Prices of Intelligence undoubtedly much higher than formerly they were; for Things of this Nature go always on encreafing, and the Value of Money is become greatly less in every Part of Europe.

Add to this, that the late Enquiry was confined to a Time of Peace, and a Time of very intricate Negociation (the Prudence or Imprudence of which, is not under our Confideration in this Queftion) during which, Expences of this kind have no established Provifion, as they have in time of War; they have then an extraordinary Allowance of 10,000/ per Annum, befides a Deduction of Two and a half per Cent. out of the Pay of all the Foreign Forces in the Service of Great Britain, of which we have already had Occafion to make fome mention in another Place: And this (as appears by the famous Report of the Commiffioners for ftating the public Accounts, at the latter End of the Queen's Reign, 1712) amounted in the fame Term of eleven Years, to 393,366 1. 9 s. 7. over and above the current Expences of the Civil Government under the fame Head, which could not fail in fome measure to be leffened by it. Upon the whole, leaving it to every Man of Candour to determine how far the two Articles of Money iffued to Special Service, and to reimburfe Expences, may be allowed to have their Place in this Account, and fubmitting to every Man of Senfe and Candour the Difference of the Times, the Deduction of 100,000l. out of the Civil Lift for the Prince of Wales, the Circumftances of all our Foreign Affairs, and one thing more, which is hardly decent to be touch'd upon, but by way of Suppofition, that if there be Corruption at home, its Wages must be much higher than they were heretofore, it is impoffible to deny, but that the Property of the Crown, or in other Words, the Civil Lift, is, not only not really increased, but that it can by no means operate upon the Conftitution in any Degree equal to what it might have done formerly, and therefore that the Power of the Crown is not in this Respect augmented