commerce

land-forces.

Three or four days after their addrefs, the commons paf- Geo. I. fed a bill for prohibiting all commerce with Sweden, as long 1716-17. as the king fhould think it neceffary for the fafety and peace of the nation. The bill was approved by the lords, and received A bill to prohibit the royal affent. The trade with Sweden was of great moment to the merchants, but the indignation was fo general in with Sweboth houses, that the bill met with little oppofition. Before den. the fupplies were fettled, the commons voted ten thousand Debate afeamen for the year 1717. Then they took into confidera- bout the tion the estimates of the land-forces. In the debate, the Tories alledged, that, the late rebellion being fuppreffed, and the Swedish confpiracy seasonably discovered, there was reafon to hope, the counties would be foon eafed of the grievous burden of quartering foldiers; but, if it appeared that the king of Sweden perfifted in his design to invade Great Britain, they would all readily give their votes for keeping the present forces on foot. The contrary party urged the neceffity of taking speedy and vigorous refolutions in relation to the army, At length it was refolved, without dividing, that the fum of 959,943 1. fhould be granted, for maintaining the guards, garrifons, and land-forces, for the enfuing year. Not long after, they palled the mutiny and desertion bill, by which the foldiers were exempted from arrefts for debts. When this bill was before the lords, the licentiousness of the army, and bout the the diforders committed by the foldiery, particularly at Ox- mutiny-bill. ford, were complained of, and a motion was made, that, before they paffed a bill in their favour, they fhould inquire into the riot, which happened in that city on the prince of Wales's birth-day. The court infifted on the neceffity of paffing the bill without delay; but readily confented, that the Oxford riot fhould be inquired into. Some lords of the other Debate 2fide, who were apprehenfive, that the university would get bout the no credit by fuch an examination, endeavoured to wave it, Oxford riot, by propofing a general inquiry into the conduct of the army. This was oppofed by the court lords, who obferved, that they ought not to arraign a confiderable body of men, against whom there was no legal complaint; and that fuch a proceeding could not but be disagreeable, and even injurious to

Debate 2

Geo. I. the king, who, by his prerogative, has the command of the 1716-17. army; and, if any abutes and diforders are committed by the

foldiers, the complaints ought firft to be laid before him: But, fince it had been moved to inquire into the Oxford riots, which had indeed made a great noife, and been examined in council, they ought to addrefs his majefty, that he would be pleased to caufe all the papers relating to that affair to be laid before the house. The addrefs was refolved and prefented, and, the papers being laid before the lords, there arofe a great debate. The archbishop of York and the bifhops of Rochester and Chefter endeavoured to juftify the univerfity, alledging, among other things, That for forty years past they had not paid any regard to the birth-day of any prince of Wales, or even of the prince fitting on the throne, by making public rejoicings: That the univerfity had a method of expreffing their loyalty more confiftent with the dignity of their founders, and the characters of their perfons, than illuminations, bonfires, and firing of guns: That, as for the mayor and magistrates of the city of Oxford, they had this to plead for their excufe, that they were ignorant it was the prince's birth-day: That, the feveral affidavits and informations, upon which the mayor and magiftrates grounded their complaints, having been fent up to court, copies of the same were returned to the officers of the regiment quartered at Oxford, in order to give them an opportunity to justify their proceedings; which produced another fet of affidavits and depofitions in behalf of the officers: That the magiftrates had no opportunity to make any replication in their own defence; and therefore it was moved, that the house would come to no refolution, upon the foot of the two fets of affidavits; but that they would adjourn the further proceedings, and appoint a day, when they would hear the perfons concerned in those informations. They infitted upon this method, because nothing could fet this matter in a truer light, than the crossexamining and confronting the evidences on each fide; urging, that this method, their lordships very well knew, was the conftant practice of the courts below, and even of all the hearings at the bar of their lordships house; and that their lordfhips had never vet refused to admit of a replication: That as to the difrefpect to the prince regent, charged upon the univerfity for their neglect of ringing the bells on his roval highness's birth-day, of the fixteen colleges in the univerfity, only three had any bells to ring: And that it appeared plainly by the affidavits taken before the mayor and magnitrates, that the riotous proceedings were occafioned by the infolence

and

and rude behaviour of the foldiers, encouraged by feveral Geo. I. members of the univerfity, calling themfelves the Conftitution- 1716-17. Club; and by the neglect of the commanding officers of the regiment, in not iffuing proper orders to fupprefs the difturbance.' The duke of Bucks, the earl of Abingdon, the lords Harcourt, Trevor, North and Grey, and fome others, spoke also in favour of the university and magiftrates of Oxford.

The lord Coningsby, who fpoke firft on the other fide, faid, That he knew the ufage of the university to have been otherwise than had been reprefented; and gave a fhort account of their behaviour in the reigns of king Charles II. and James II; and diftinguished between their past and prefent loyalty.' He owned, That, in these two reigns, they had expreffed their loyalty in a moft extraordinary manner, and had made fuch great advances to countenance an unlimited power in the prince, that, if providence had not miraculously interpofed, they had, as far as in them lay, destroyed the liberties of their country, which would have involved the university in certain ruin.' 'The lord chancellor, the duke of Kingfton, the earl of Sunderland, the lord Parker, the lord Townfhend, the lord Cadogan, and fome other peers, who fpoke on the fame fide, obferved in general, That the difrefpect to the prince regent, charged upon the university and city of Oxford, was manifeft, because the major of the regimeht did, about ten o'clock in the morning, go to the mayor, and complained, that he had fhewed no regard to the prince's birth-day, by ringing the bells; to which the mayor returned a fhuffling answer, pretending, he did not know it to be the prince regent's birth-day. That upon this the major told him, He would draw out the regiment to celebrate the day, with proper rejoicings, which he did accordingly; but that the mayor, inftead of joining in the rejoicings, with a vaft mob after him, filled up the public ftreets; and fome of his attendants infulted the foldiers on their march, and gave them opprobrious language, crying out, Down with the Roundheads.' That they proceeded fo far in their infults, as to throw dirt and ftones at the foldiers, and even attempted to difarm some of them. That the house, wherein the officers of the regiment, and fome of the collegians met to celebrate the feftival, was, in an infolent manner, affaulted, and the windows broke by ftones thrown from the oppofite houfe of one Hurft, an ironmonger, upon which the foldiers, to revenge the affront, began likewife to break windows, of which the major was no

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fooner

Geo. I. fooner informed, but he immediately went out and bid them 1716-17. defift. That it was indeed affirmed in fome of the affidavits produced in behalf of the university and magiftrates, that a certain collegian went round the bonfire, and encouraged the foldiers to break the windows of Hurft, and all that were not illuminated; but, that the fame was contradicted by no less than five or fix perfons, who upon oath declared, that the collegian was from feven till ten that evening in their company, and had not stirred from the house all that time. That, upon the mayor's applying to the major of the regiment, the latter gave immediate orders for patrols to go through the city, and fend home to their quarters all the foldiers they fhould find in the ftreets. And that, the patrols being infulted by fome of the mayor's attendants, two or three of the foldiers fired, but with powder only, pursuant to the orders given them.' During this debate, the earl of Abingdon offered a petition from the vice-chancellor, and the mayor, and magiftrates of Oxford, praying to be heard; and infifted, that it fhould be received and read: But it was urged on the other fide, that, the houfe being in a grand committee, the receiving any petitions was irregular. Then it was moved, that the chairman fhould leave the chair; which being carried in the negative, the debate was refumed, and about fix o'clock in the evening the two following refolutions were agreed to by a majority of fixty-five against thirty-three.

Debates about the

Tupplies.

I. Refolved, That the heads of the univerfity, and mayor of the city, neglected to make any public rejoicings on the prince's birth-day; but, fome of the collegians, with the officers, being met to celebrate the day, the house, where they were, was affaulted, and the windows were broken by the rabble; which was the beginning and occafion of the riots that enfued, as well from the foldiers as the fcholars and townfmen; and that the conduct of the major feemed well juftified by the affidavits produced on his part.

II. Refolved, That the printing and publishing the depofitions, upon which the complaints relating to the riots at Oxford were founded, while that matter was under the examination of the lords of the committee of council, and before they had time to come to any refolution touching the fame, was irregular, difrespectful to his royal highnefs, and tending

to fedition.'

The commons, proceeding upon the fupplies, among other things, granted 24,000l. for the payment of our battalions of Muntter, and two of Saxe-Gotha, which the king had taken into his fervice, to fupply the place of fuch as, during the rebellion,

rebellion, fhould be drawn from the garrifons of the States- Geo. I. general to the affiftance of England. This occafioned a great 1716-17. debate. It was faid, as thefe troops did not ferve, they ought not to be paid. It was replied, by the treaties, it was agreed that they fhould be paid whether they ferved or not, and the circumftances of the times made fuch an agreement neceffary. It was moved, and the queftion put for an addrefs to the king, that the inftructions, given to those who tranfacted the treaties for the fix battalions, might be laid before the houfe, but it paffed in the negative by a majority of one hundred and fixty-five against thirty-eight. It was believed these treaties were called for, and the addrefs moved by fome gentlemen, with a defign to bring a cenfure on the German minifters. About 5,500l. was alfo granted to make good the damages and loffes fuftained by the tumultuous and rebellious proceedings in feveral counties, particularly the demolishing of the meeting-houses. The money voted for the army, navy, and other particulars, amounted to above two millions and a half.

from the

To raife thefe fupplies, the commons granted a land-tax A meffage of three fhillings in the pound, and the malt tax. While king for an these things were tranfacting, Mr. fecretary Stanhope deli- extraordinavered to the house the following meffage from the king:

• His majesty being defirous, above all things, not only to fecure his kingdoms against the prefent danger, with which they are threatened from Sweden, but likewife to prevent, as far as poffible, the like apprehenfions for the future, thinks it neceffary, that fuch measures should be early concerted, as may conduce most effectually to this end.

And, as this may require fome expence, his majefty hopes, that his commons will, by their affiftance at this juncture, inable him to make good fuch engagements, as may ease his people of all future charge and apprehenfions upon this ac

count.'

ry fupply.

it.

The confideration of this unexpected meffage was deferred Debates on till the next day, when Mr. fecretary Stanhope made a motion, That a fupply be granted to inable his majesty to concert such measures with foreign princes and ftates, as may prevent any charge or apprehenfions from the defigns of Sweden for the future.' He urged the advantage and fecurity, that would arise to the nation, by inabling his majesty to reduce the king of Sweden; and what confidence they ought to repofe in the king's honour, wifdom, and economy, in the management of what money fhould be thought neceffary for that fervice. Mr. Shippen replied, That it was a great

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