king 250,000l. to inable him to concert measures against Geo. I. Sweden, there was for a minute or two a great filence in the 1717. house. Mr. Pulteney, who broke it firft, expreffed his furprize at it; and added, He had not yet faid any thing to this matter, because he thought it inconfiftent with decency to oppose a motion, that came from the court, while he had the honour to be his majefty's immediate fervant; but that, having refigned his place, that he might act with the freedom becoming an Englishman, he could not forbear declaring against granting a supply, in a manner altogether unparliamentary and unprecedented. That he could not perfuade himself, that any Englishman advised his majesty to fend fuch a meffage; but he doubted not, the resolution of a British parliament would make a German miniftry tremble.' The lord Finch feconded Mr. Pulteney, and objected to fome steps, which had been taken in relation to the affairs of the north, alledging, That it appeared by the memorial prefented by the Ruffian minifter, and by the answer, which had been returned to the fame, that fuch measures were purfued, as were likely to engage us in a quarrel with the czar.' Mr. Stanhope, in a long fpeech, vindicated the king and his minifters, in relation both to the czar and the king of Sweden. With refpect to the czar, he obferved, That hitherto he had been obliged to be filent; but he was now at liberty to fet this matter in a clear light, and to acquaint the houfe, that the coldness, which appeared of late between the king and the czar, proceeded from his majesty's refufing to become guarantee of his czarifh majesty's conquefts; and from his folliciting the czar to withdraw his troops from the duchy of Mecklenburg. That, as to the firft, his majesty's conduct deferved the applause and thanks of a British parliament, fince it appeared, that his majefty was tender not to engage the nation in foreign quarrels. That this indeed had been his principal care fince his happy acceffion to the throne; and he might affure them, that Great-Britain was intirely free from any engagements, and at liberty to follow fuch measures, as beft fuit with her intereft. That as for the inftances, which his majesty has caused to be made with the czar, and the measures he may have concerted to get the Ruffian troops out of the duchy of Mecklenburg, his majefty has acted in all this as elector and prince of the empire. That he was perfuaded, all the gentlemen there would agree with him, that the king's dignity, as king of Great-Britain, But, was never understood to tie up his hands with refpect to his interests in Germany, and as prince of the empire; befides, Geo. I. befides, he must defire gentlemen to confider, that, long be1717. fore his majefty's acceffion to the crown, Great Britain was in ftrict union with the emperor and empire; fo that if, by virtue of ancient alliances, the emperor fhould require GreatBritain to use these inftances with the czar, which the king has made only as elector of Hanover, Great-Britain could not avoid complying with his requeft. That, in relation to Sweden, the king's conduct was not only blameless and unfpotted, but worthy of the higheft commendations. That, in the late queen's time, Great-Britain interpofed to procure a neutrality in the north, whereby the king of Sweden might have preserved his poffeffions in the empire. That the regency at Stockholm agreed to this overture; but that the king of Sweden rejected it with haughtiness, and the utmost fcorn, declaring, he would use thofe as his enemies, who fhould pretend to impofe fuch a neutrality upon him.. That, during the whole courfe of that negotiation, the 'king, then elector of Hanover, ufed all friendly offers in favour of Sweden. That the fame having proved ineffectual, through the king of Sweden's obftinacy; and the king of Denmark having, by the fortune of war, reconquered the duchies of Bremen and Verden; his majefty, as elector of Hanover, had purchased the same with his own money for a valuable confideration. That although it was never in his majefty's thoughts to engage Great-Britain in a war to fupport that acquifition; yet, if gentlemen would give themfelves the trouble to caft their eyes upon the map, and fee where Bremen and Verden lie, he hoped they would not be indifferent as to the poffeffor of thofe two duchies, but would agree with him, that their being in the king's hands fuits far better with the intereft of Great-Britain, than if they were in the hands either of the czar, who gives already but too much jealousy in the empire, or of the king of Sweden, who endeavoured to raife a new rebellion in Great-Britain, and harbours our fugitive rebels.' This speech made a great impreffion upon the majority. However, Mr. Smith thought fit to anfwer Mr. Stanhope, and faid, He had already declared his reafons for oppofing the granting this fupply in fuch an extraordinary manner; and fome expreffions, that had efcaped a gentleman in the miniftry, inftead of making him alter his opinion, rather confirmed him in it. That he did not pretend to be thoroughly acquainted with affairs abroad; but, having had the honour to fit fo long in that houfe, where fo great a variety of bufinefs, both foreign and domeftic, had often been debated bated, he might prefume to have fome knowledge of them. Geo. I. That, however, he would not fay any thing to what had 1717. been advanced by the honourable member who spoke laft; but, if an eftimate of the conduct of the ministry, in relation to affairs abroad, was to be made by a comparison of their conduct at home, he was fure they would not appear altogether fo faultlefs, as they were reprefented. Was it not a mistake (added he) not to preserve the peace at home, after the king was come to the throne, with the universal applause and joyful acclamations of all his fubjects? Was it not a miftake, upon the breaking out of the rebellion, not to iffue a proclamation, to offer pardon to fuch, as fhould return home peaceable, as had ever been practifed before upon fuch occafions? Was it not a mistake, after the fuppreffion of the rebellion, and the trial and execution of the principal authors of it, to keep up animofities, and drive people to defpair, by not paffing an act of indemnity and grace, by keeping fo many perfons under hard and tedious confinement, and by granting pardons to fome, without leaving them any means to fubfift? Is it not a mistake not to truft to a vote of parliament for making good fuch engagements as his majesty fhall think proper to enter into ; and, instead of that, to infift on the granting of this fupply in fuch an extraordinary manner? Is it not a mistake to take this opportunity to create divifions, and render fome of the king's best friends fufpected and obnoxious? Is it not a mistake, in fhort, to form Parties and Cabals, in order to bring in a bill to repeal the act against occafional conformity? To this speech Mr. Stanhope replied, That he had the honour to serve his majefty fince his happy acceffion to the throne, but, as there were other perfons (fome of them in, and others out of place) who had a greater fhare than himself in the administration of affairs, he left it to them to juftify themselves. That, however, he would clear a principal point, by affuring the affembly, that he had fome time ago the king's orders to draw up an Act of Indemnity (b)." Mr. (b) Mr. Barrington Shute adfwered Mr. Smith more at large, and faid, That the king was indeed come to the throne with the joyful acclamations of moft of his fubjects; but that the difaffection, that appeared foon after, did not proceed from the ill conduct of his minifters, but who 1717. Geo. I. Mr. William Young, fon of Sir Walter Young, faid, That fome days before he had been againft the motion for granting who in the worst of times had given undoubted proofs of their affection and attachment to his intereft, in the room of those, who had been preferred in the laft reign, as the fittest inftru.ments to deftroy the Proteftant fucceffion, even before it took place, and who had fince been in open rebellion against his majesty. That, as for the other miftakes charged upon the adminiftration, they might be reduced to thefe two, The not paffing the Act of Indemnity, and the defign to repeal the Occafional Bill. That, as to the first, there were various opinions about it; and, confidering the restlefs fpirit of the difcontented party, it was hard to determine, whether an Indemnity was a proper way to reduce them, fince it was notorious, that the repeated instances of clemency, which his majefty had given fince his acceffion, have been abufed and detpifed. That, as to the repeal of the act against the Dillenters, nothing, in his opinion, was either more juft or reafonable; and he could not but wonder, that a gentleman, who had been turned out of his employment in the lait reign, and reitored fince the king's coming to the crown, fhould account it a mistake, on the other hand, to make his majelly's undoubted friends easy.' Mr. Smith, after an explanation demanded and given, about his being turned out of place and restored, replied to the laft part of Mr. Shute's speech, That he ever was for allowing liberty of confcience to the Diffenters, and had even voted against the Occafional Bill: But that, the fame being paffed into a law, it was his opinion, that it could not be repealed without dif quieting the whole nation.' The defign mentioned in the fe fpeeches, of repealing the Schifm and Occafional Conformity acts, took its rife from hence: Mr. Hillerfden, member for Bedfordshire, and Mr. Tuckfield, member of Ashburton, happening to meet at a tavern, and complaining to each other of the breach of court promises, with regard to the Diffenters, came to a refolution each of them to invite three members to meet the next night at the fame place. When these met, they all entered into the fame way of thinking; and, when they parted, every one agreed to invite their friends. In a little time, the number increased to above two hundred members of the house of commons, who, on the 26th of March, had a meeting at the Rofe Tavern near Temple-Bar, in order to confult together, Whether a bill for repealing the act against Occafional Conformity thould be brought in? The lord Molefworth, Mr. Jeffop, Sir Richard Steele, and fome others, made fpeeches, to fhew the reasonableness and juftice of eafing the Diffenters of thofe hardships, which had been put upon them in the last reign,' chiefly upon account of their zeal and affection for the Pro teftant granting a supply upon the king's meffage, because he thought Geo. I. it unparliamentary; and it was then his opinion to addrefs 1717. the king to enter into fuch engagements, as his majesty fhould think proper; and that the commons would make good the fame. But that, fince the majority of the house had determined to grant a fupply, they had brought themfelves into this dilemma, either to grant what was asked as neceffary for the fervice, or to tell the king, that fervice muft remain unperformed, which they, in a manner, determined to be neceffary, by granting a fupply. This fpeech was fupported by Sir John Brownlow, and Mr. Gould, who owned, That we could not carry on our trade to the Baltic, without bringing the king of Sweden to reafon; and therefore he was for granting the supply.' teftant fucceffion, and of putting VOL. XIX. for he hoped, the whole af- trary opinion; but, Mr. Stan- were made to fhew the neceffity |