Mar. 26. you a copy of an original let house adjoining, which might once have Mr. URBAN, been a great tavern; er elle formerly, when the old Guildhall was used for the corporation, there was adjoining to it a capital houfe of entertainment, to fupply the body corporate with fome of the good things of this life, in which they delight; and in which there might have been a large pleasant room, according to the taste of those days, with a handsome carved chimney-piece, on which the landlord chofe to have feveral emblematical reprefentations, which in thofe days might have furnished much entertainment to his guests, and given an additional gout to their repaft. The fourth emblem I am at a lofs to make out, Some think it an emblem of the Trinity, others a fhip mark. Again, others fuppofe a great merchant lived here, that the dolphin was an emblem of his hip failing over the main, and that this fourth emblem was the mark or feal he made ufe of in his tranfactions of bufinefs. However, the difcuffion of this point must be left to wifer heads than mine to determine. Other conjectures are, that this houfe ftanding in the ancient fifh-market, it was the dwelling of an eminent fishmonger, as in Catholic times this trade was of confequence. B. A. I Mr. UREAN, Andover, March 2. there any monumental infcription in the church of Wyly, in Wilts, to the memory of the Rev. Thomas Botver, or to the Rev. John Lee, both rectors of that parish, who died about 1620? I am informed, by the fon of a late rector, that what the register of that parifh fays concerning thofe perfons is highly curious, and wifh fome correfpondent would fend you a tranfcript of it. Yours, &c. SEARCH. SEND Oliver Cromwell's in my poffeffion. It is fomewhat difficult to afcertain the letters of the name of the minifter to whom it is written. But I have copied them exactly, as well as the whole of the letter, which is written in a very fmall hand, and is endorsed, "Oliver Cromwell's I're to M. Hicch of Ely in 1643," in the fame hand as the letter itfelt. A COUNTRY RECTOR. "Mr. Hitch, Leaft the fouldiers fhould in any tumultary or diforderly way attempt the reformation of the cathedrall church, I require you to forbear altogether your quire fervife, foe unedifyeing and offenfive; and this as you will anfwer it, if any disorder fhould arife thereupon. "I advife you to cattichife, and read and expound the Scripture to the people; not doubting but the Parliament, with the advife of the Affembly of Divines, will in due tyme direct you further. "I defire your fermons, where ufually they have bin-but more frequent. Y'r lov' friend, January 10, 1643. OLIVER CROMWELL." Mr. URBAN, Feb. 10. THE HE inclofed (plate III. fig. 2.) is a drawing of a filver coin found near London Bridge. I take it to be a penny of Edward III. ftruck at the BiIt reads on hop of Durham's mint. the obverfe fide, GLI €..... DVS... which must be for Edwardus Rex Angli; and on the reverse, .....ITAS DVREME for Civitas Dureme. It has a crofs pattee for a mint-mark; and on the reverfe one part of the cross is formed into a crofier, to fhew it was struck at the Bishop's mint. It is the most common of all marks-a merchant's mark. EDIT. B. SUMMARY OF THE PROCEEDINGS IN PARLIAMENT, SESS. V. Debates in the Fifth Seffion of Parliament. (Continued from p. 136.) Friday, December 7. The land-tax and malt-duty bills were read a first and second time. A bill for regulating the marine forces while on fhore was read the first and se MR. Jervoife prefented a bill for the cond time. rebuilding of the parish church of Saint James Clerkenwell, which was read the firft time. Several papers from the East India-ho. the titles having been previously read, were ordered to be laid on the table. GENT. MAG. March, 1788. The order of the day being read, for the House refolving itself into a committee of the whole Houfe, for taking into confideration thelgranting of a fupply to his Majefty, and Mr. Gilbert having taken the chair; The The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved, that the fum of 175.4071. 55. 11d. be granted to his Majefty, for defraying the expences incurred by the late naval armament. Refolved. That the fum of 59,879 45. be granted to his Majefty, for defraying the additional expences of the army, Refolved. That 18,300l. os. S. be granted for the expences of the Ordnance. Refolved. That the fum of 58,1667. be granted to his Majefty, being a fum iffed from the civil lift for fecret fervices abroad. Refolved. That the fum of 20,cccl. be granted to his Majefty, for the like fum iffued for the repairs of Carlton-house, in compliance with the addrefs of the Houfe of Commons to his Majefty. Refolved. That 60,ool. be granted to his Majefly, for the like fum iffued for the payment of the debts of his Royal High nefs the Prince of Wales, conformably to an addrefs of that Houfe. Refolved. That the further fum of 101,000!. be granted for the payment of his Royal Highoefs's debts, making in the whole the fum of 161,000l, the fum voted by Parliament for the purpose. Refolved. And that the fum of 17,496 145. 6d. be granted to his Majefty, to make good the fum ifiued in compliance with the addrefies from that Houfe to his Majefty. Refolved. Mr. Burke brought up the report of the committee appointed to confider of the anfwer delivered at the bar of the Houfe of Lords by Warren Haftings, to the charges exhibited against him by the Commons of Great Britain, for high crimes and mifdemeanors. On Mr. B's moving that the fame be read, and the motion being agreed to, the report was read by the clerk, and was in fubftance as follows: The anfwer delivered at the bar of the Houfe of Lords, by Warren Haflings, to the charges exhibited against him, is an attempt to cover his crimes by falfchood and evafion, and give a glofs and colouring to his tranfactions unfanctioned by truth; it is, therefore, the opinion of the committee, that the Houfe, in aid of the caufe of justice, fhould, with all convenient fped, fend up to the Houfe of Lords a replication to that anfwer, to inform their Lodhips, that they aver the charges to be true, and will prove them at their Lerdhip, bar, or in any other place that their Lordfups fhall deem proper, and at whatever time they hall appoint. The replication was then read, which was the fame as the report, except the conclufion, which promifed, in the name of the knights, citizens, and burgefles, in Parliament affembled, and of the whole Commons of Great Britain, to fubftantiate the charges exhibited at their Lordships bar against Warren Haftings, of extortion, bribery, corruption, cruelty, breach of faith, and of every other crime with which he ftands charged by them, and prayed of their Lordthips fpeedy juftice and exemplary punishment. The report and replication being, on motion, read a fecond time; The Speaker put the queftion, Whether that replication fhould be the replication to the answer, given in at the bar of the House of Lords by WarrenHaftings, to the charges exhibited againft him of high crimes and mifdemeanors; and this being agreed to, Mr. Burke moved, that the replication be engrolled. Ordered. Monday, Dec. 10. Mr. Burke moved, that the engrossed replication of the Houfe to the aniwer of Warren Haftings fhould be read; which having been done, he moved, that it fhould be tent up to the Houfe of Lords, This motion was agreed to, and Mr. Burke appointed the meffenger, who, in carrying it up, was attended by most of the members in oppotition. Two Malters in Chancery brought an answer from their Lordships, which was in fubitance, That they had fixed upon Tuesday the 13th day of February next for the trial of Warren Haftings, efq; at the bar of their Houfe; and that they would give orders for the erection of proper conveniences for the accommodation of the managers of the impeachment. Mr. Ald. Sawbridge informed the Houle, that he had in his hands a petition from fome electors of Queenboro' in Kent, which he thought it his dutyto prefent to the Houfe. The petitio ners, who were only four in number, complained, that the Board of Ordnance, in laving out the public money in that borough, paid much lefs attention to the public intereft, than to the establishment of a corrupt influence among the electors, in which the Board had fucceeded fo well, that, for the laft 30 years, Queenborough had been invariably reprefented by a member of that Board: and, after ftating various grounds of accufation, prayed, that they might be permitted to eftablith, by proofs at the bar bar of the Houfe, the allegations of their and inftructions abovementioned should Sir John Miller complained, that very unbecoming liberties had been taken in one of the public prints in reporting the fpeeches of members of that Houfe, which he, for one, was not difpofed to countenance, or fuffer to pats unnoticed. He therefore cautioned the perfons alluded to, that, if they perfifted in the indecent practice of abufing a Member for his fpeeches in that affembly, or of mifreprefenting them, he would, however reluctantly, move, that the standing order for excluding ftrangers fhould be rigorously enforced. Mr. Gilbert, after a fhort introductory fpech, moved, that a committee should be appointed to take into confideration the state of the poor, and of the laws which provided for their maintenance. Agreed to. Mr. Courtenay observed, that, though an order had been made for taking the Ordnance estimates into confideration this evening, yet he thought the difcuffion of the army eftimates would take up fo much time, that the confideration of the former must be put off to fome other day; and that, confequently, certain papers might be produced, which, in his opinion, ought to be perufed by the Members before they voted the fupply for the Ordnance. Thofe papers were, the warrant from his Majefty to the Duke of Richmond for railing a corps of military artificers, and the confequent inftructions iffued by his Grace for raising the men. The plans of the noble Duke were, he remarked, diftinguished by an originality of idea from thofe of every other mortal, of which the plan in queftion was a striking instance. According to his conception, the merit of a carpenter, a mafon, or a bricklayer, was not to be estimated by a knowledge of his trade, but by the altitude of his perfon; for every man who was in height 5 feet 8 inches was to be admitted into the corps; while a man of ten times more skill in his bufinefs was excluded, if unfortunately he wanted half a quarter of an inch of that standard. And, as if this was not enough, the Duke had established a Sunday School for inftructing thofe tradefinen on the Sabbath-day in the manual exercife. concluded by moving, that the warrant He The Houft then went into a committee of fupply on the army and ordnance eftimates. The Secretary at War propofed, that the military eftablishment for N. Ame-. rica and the Weft In ties fhould be augmented from 9,746 to 12,610 men. The annual expence of the former establishment was 244 cocl. and the expence of the number now propofed would be 315,000. This augmentation had been recommended by the governors and com manders of the West India Iflands, as well as by a board of general officers, fummoned for the purpose of giving their opinions on the fubject. To compenfate, however, in fome measure, for this increafe of eftablishment, his Majefty had graciously offered to confent to a reduction in the number of his houfehold troops. Our guards and gerrifons, in 1787, amounted to 17,638 men; but in the enfuing year it is intended to reduce them to 16,982. The Houfe, he hoped, would not object to the prefeat plan, as it would remove all apprehenfions for the fafety of our foreign dependencies at a ti fling additional expence. He concluded by moving a refolution to the above purpose. Col. Fitzpatrick difapproved of the propofed augmentation. The peace eftablifhinent of 1783 had been confi. dered as adequate to all the purposes of national defence; and, before the pr. fent measure had been brought forward, it ought to have been fatisfactorily proved, that, fince 1783, circumftances had occurred which rendered an increase of our eftablifhment indifpenfably neceffarv. But nothing of this kind had been demonftrated. Our foreign poffeffions did not appear to be in a state of infecurity; and from our late fuccefs in baffling the defigns of the French in Holland, he was inclined to think, that a reduction of our ftanding army was more advifable than an augmentation. With regard to the expedient lately practifed, of confulting the governors and general officers on this fubject, he thought the opinions of thofe gentlemen inadmiffible; and this mode of recurring to them evinced the propriety of appointing permanently a commander in chief of the army. As to the deftination of the troops to be railed in addition to the picient prefent establishment, he remarked, that, if they fhould be principally intended for the West Indies, a very material queftion would arife, namely, whether we fhould concur in adopting a new fyf tem of defence for our poffeffions there; and whether the augmentation of the land-forces would not, probably, be fucceeded by additional fortifications, to the neglect of the proper defence of those islands, our navy? As to the re duction of the household troops, that fcheine might have been properly adopted without any increase of the other part of the army. He enlarged on thefe points, and at the clofe of his fpeech obferved, that as thofe who had oppofed, and caufed the rejection of, many of the Minifter's plans, had acted with more real kindnefs towards him than if they had affented to them, there was now an opportunity for his profeffed adherents to prove the fincerity of their attachment, by rejecting the meafure under deliberation. He concluded with moving, as an amendment to the motion of the Secretary at War, that the num ber of men, and fums of money, inferted in his motion, fhould be the fame as in the establishment of the prefent year. Mr. Baftard, after a few handfore compliments to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, faid, that he did not altoge ther approve the propofed augmentation, as he was not fufficiently convinced of its neceflity, and thought that this attention to the army would leffen our ability of paying a due regard to the navy, which he confidered as the fole conflitutional defence of this country. However, as he placed great confidence in the Minifter, he would not oppofe the motion of the Hon, Baronet. Col. Phipps, Sir G. P. Turner, Col. Norton, and Sir Jofeph Mawbey, fupported the motion; Gen. Burgoyne, Mr. Ald. Sawbridge, and many other gentlemen, oppofed it. Mr. Fox hoped, that the Houfe would not agree to a measure, which, while it was no juftified by any grounds of expediency, was fraught with the most pernicious confequences. He dwelt on the peace eftablishment of 1783, which had taken place during his adminiftration: this establishment, he faid, was nearly the fame with that which prevailed in 1749, after the treaty of Aixla-Chapelle, and alfo with that of 1763. If the number of troops employed at thofe periods had proved fufficient for our defence, when our foreign depen dencies were confiderably more nume rous than they are now, what motive can be alledged for increafing the military eftablishment at prefent? Some gentlemen had been led fo far by their confidence in the Minifter, as to feem willing to give him credit for his meafures, without taking the trouble of be towing a thought on their probable tendency. But a general bill of credit to Miniftry, arising from an excefs of confidence, might lead to very dange rous conceffions. The intended increase was alfo, he faid, rendered more unneceffary by the recent fubfidiary treaty with Heffe-Caffel; as the having a body of foreign troops ready at our call fhould induce us rather to diminish than add to our ordinary establishment. The Minifter, it was faid, had difconcerted the projects of France, had restored the conflitutional government of Holland, and had recovered the former glory of this nation. To the Hon. Gent's conduct on the late occafion, he was ready to give his tribute of applaufe, but he had flattered himself that different confequences would have refulted from it; he expected, inftead of the profufion of augmentation, the economy of reduction. Mr. Pitt recapitulated, and endeavoured to refute, the principal arguments urged against the motion. He infifted, that in time of peace we ought to prepare for the contingencies of war, and that the defign of the prefent augmentation was to prevent fudden or unfufpected attacks, which might perhaps take place before we could fit out our fleets, or embody our militia. Nor did his attention to the army flacken his cfforts to put the navy on the most refpectable footing; 10,000 men had been voted for that fervice this year, which were 2000 more than had been in pay the preceding year: the extraordinaries of the navy fince the year 1783 had amounted to a million and a half; and thirty fhips of the line had been launched fince the termination of the war. From these circumftances he fubmitted to the Houfe how far he was entitled to their confidence. The divifion on the first motion, res fpecting the plantation eflimates, was, For it 242-gainst it So-Majority 162. On the fubfequent motion, relative to the ordnance eftimates, the numbers were, For it 140-Against it 28-Majority 112m Traf Tuesday Dec. 11. The House went into a committee on the land-tax bill. Mr. Rofe informed the committee, that hitherto regulations relative to this tax had been established by law in fome counties, which were not law in others; and that, while they accelerated the collection of the tax in the former, the want of them delayed it in the latter. In some counties the collector was authorised to levy a diftrefs immediately, if the affeffment was not paid; while in others he was obliged to go through the circuitous, and confequently dilatory, procefs of fending informations to fuperior officers, and waiting for their warrants. He propofed, therefore, that a claufe fhould be inferted, for putting all the counties in the kingdom on the fame footing, so that the collector in every county fhould be enabled to levy a diftrefs immediately, if the tax was not paid. Having moved this clause, Mr. Ald. Sawbridge oppofed it, on the ground of its being an innovation of an oppreffive kind. Mr. Rofe contended, that it was not an innovation, but an extenfion of an old regulation; and, that it was not oppreffive in its nature, might be reafon ably inferred from the counties already fubject to it not complaining of it as a grievance. The motion paffed without further oppofition; and the Houfe was refumed. The report from the committee of fupply on the army and ordnance estimates was then brought up, and read the first and fecond time. An oppofition was made to the refolution refpecting the force deftined for the plantations, because the number of men defigned to ferve in the Weft In dies was not specified. In reply, it was ftated, that the numher could not be eafily afcertained, on account of the fluctuating state of that fervice, arifing from the nature of the climate. All the refolutions were, however, agreed to, without a divifion. Mr. Fox then moved, that Mr. Franeis fhould be added to the committee appointed to take into confideration the anfwer of Mr. Haftings to the impeachment brought against him by the House of Commons. This motion occafioned a debate. In fupport of the motion it was urged, that the knowledge which that gentleman had of the revenues and government of In dia, eminently qualified him for ma maging the impeachment. On the other hand it was contended, that as Mr. Francis and Mr. Haftings, after a political oppofition, had been engaged in a perfonal quarrel, it would not be for the dignity of Parliament to countenance au opinion that private refentment could poffibly be admitted to have any share in a profecution commenced and fupported on public grounds, and for public purposes. After much debate, the House divided on the motion, when there appeared, For it 62-Against it 122—Majority 60. Adjourned. Wednesday, Dec. 12. Ald. Watfon prefented a petition from the diftillers of London, ftating, that the diftillers in Scotland had, by misrepre fenting the fituation of their trade, procured from the legislature certain exemptions, which gave them great advantages over the diftillers in London. The Scotch diftillers had ftated, that the mill or machine which they used turned but once in the fame space of time that the English mill turned three times; but this, it now appeared, was fo far from being the truth, that the Scotch machine turned fix times while the Englifh was turning once: and this impotition not only confiderably injured the trade in England, but was a fraud upoa the revenue. After fome converfation, the petition was ordered to be taken into confideration on the 1ft of February next. Mr. Ald. Sawbridge made another attempt to get the petition from the electors of Queenborough received, though it had been rejected on Monday. It was altered fo that no objection could lie against it in point of order, on the score of its having been once rejected during the feffion. He moved for leave to bring it up. Mr. Dundas admitted, that a charge against a branch of the executive government for fquandering the public mo ney, by employing it as an engine of corrupt influence, moft certainly required attention and investigation; but he objected to this petition, becaufe it was improper to encourage private individuals to complain of abufes in government; for, if they were fo countenanced, there would be fuch a deluge of petitions of a fimilar nature, excited by party, that the whole time of the Houle would be taken up in enquiring into them. Charges for abuses of power would come more properly from Mem |