that the two noble lords did him injustice, when they imputed his accusations to anonymous slander, or vague unsubstantial testimony; that when this boasted service of the noble earl came to be enquired into, it would be found he had been intrusted annually with twice as much of the public money as any one of his predecessors in office; therefore he ought certainly to have the fleet in a more formidable condition; but certain it was, that a great part of this treasure was not applied to the uses for which it was granted; there had been a multitude of errors, and much corruption, which he was prepared to produce evidence of, whenever the House would give a candid hearing. The Resolution was agreed to, and the House resumed. Mr. Luttrell then moved, as the first evidence necessary, on which to establish the truth of his charges, and even for the material information of parliament, independent of the proposed address to the King, to displace the earl of Sandwich; "That there be laid before this House the latest weekly accounts received at the Admiralty, prior to the opening of the present session of parliament, from the admiral, or commander in chief, of his Majesty's ships and vessels at the several ports of Chatham, Portsmouth, and Plymouth; together with the latest accounts received at the Admiralty, prior to the commencement of this session, of the state and condition of all ships and vessels of war employed on channel service, or on the coasts of Great Britain or Ireland." He would shew by these accounts, that the information given to both Houses on the first day of this session, of the state of the navy, when it was officially alleged, that we had 23 ships of the line fit to take the seas, and many more in great forwardness, and that our fleet at home was then a full match for the combined squadrons of France and Spain, should they visit these coasts, was a dangerous, wicked, and wilful imposition on parliament, and the whole nation. We had not, he said, near 7,000 effective men in the 23 guardships put together, and, to complete their complements for war, near double that number would be requisite. Our frigates, sloops, and small craft, were most of them upon remote service; and those ships of the line, put lately into commission, alleged by the American secretary to be in great forwardness, had not a twentieth part of their war complement; neither were the returns of the impressed men in and about this metropolis, on the first night of issuing the warrants, above onethird in number of what the runners of government were ordered to spread abroad. At Portsmouth, and its environs, the intention of impressing men was known to all the seafaring people 24 hours before the press-gangs were in motion; so we succeeded but ill in that quarter, and still worse on the western coasts. In short, if the people of England knew the real state of our marine power and resources, and the great superiority of our natural enemies in these seas, they would scarce suffer so many ships and men to be dispatched to the furthest quarter of the globe, even on a more rational and profitable pursuit than the reduction of our American colonies to despotism, before we had secured the seat of our empire from invasion and ruin. He was confident, after the impatience of the noble earl's friends to bring him to a fair ordeal, he should be seconded in this motion by one of the lords of the Admiralty, or the noble lord (Mulgrave) in his eye. The Attorney General argued strenuously against receiving the motion: and the friends of administration were for throwing it out without further discussion. Mr. T. Townshend, after shewing that the motion was strictly parliamentary and of material import to the business then before the House, seconded it; and asked what opinion any unprejudiced person could entertain of those gentlemen who so strenuously encouraged the hon. gentleman in his enquiry, and now shrunk from the trial. This clandestine and unwarranted step of with-holding the first official papers called for, would stamp a sentence on their friend and patron, not much to his honour or his advantage. Mr. H. W. Hartley supported the motion, and drew a mournful picture of this country in its present condition, and a very odious one of the administration, and the systems on which they acted. Mr. Luttrell insisted, that the absolute management of the maritime power of the British empire was too arduous, too solid, too important a trust, to be committed to a bon vivant of lord Sandwich's levity of disposition and known depravity of conduct, especially now the piping hours of jubilee and dalliance were at an end; and we ought to prepare for naval operations of the most substantial import to the safety of these islands. The motion was negatived without a division. Proceedings respecting the Shaftesbury election and return for the borough of Election.] Nov. 22. Sir George Savile Shaftesbury, and in particular a resolusaid, he had a petition to present from tion, That it appeared to this House, Thomas Rumbold, esq. respecting the from the said minutes, that the petitioner Shaftesbury election. The petitioner pray- was a principal promoter and suborner of ed that the votes of the House of last ses- wilful and corrupt perjury at the said sion, by which the House agreed with the election; and that the petitioner had not committee on the Shaftesbury election, any intimation given him, that any promight be re-considered, and such relief ceedings were intended to be had with regiven to the petitioner as the House in its spect to him; and, as the petitioner is wisdom should think fit. After expatiat- conscious of his innocence, he trusts he ing on what he thought the injustice that should have been able, had he been aphad been done to the petitioner on the prized of such proceedings, to have satisnecessity of supporting the dignity of par-fied the House, that there was no foundaliament, he moved for leave to bring up the petition. Mr. Grenville opposed the bringing it up at that time. He had no interest in the question, nor any connection with the parties; but he knew, that several gentlemen who had served on the Shaftesbury committee were absent, it being generally understood some days since, that no more public business was to come on before the holidays; and many of the country gen. tlemen who were interested in the question were also absent. He therefore moved, that the debate be adjourned to Feb. 3. Mr. Powis seconded Mr. Grenville's motion. tion for so heinous a charge; and that the petitioner's character and reputation are highly affected by the said resolution; and that the petitioner did make an application, in the last session of parliament, to the House, for relief in the premises, which was rejected; and the resolution concerning which the petitioner offered his said petition having been passed in the said session, the petitioner apprehends, that that circumstance might have been a motive to the House, not to grant the prayer of his said petition: the petitioner therefore hopes, that, this clause no longer existing, his request may now be more favourably received." A similar petition was also presented from Francis Sykes, esq. Sir G. Savile then moved, "That the entry in the Journal of the House, of the 14th of February in the last session of parliament, of the proceedings of the House, on taking into consideration the minutes of the examination taken before the select committee, who were appointed to try and determine the merits of the petition of Hans Wintrop Mortimer, esq. complaining of an undue election and return for the borough of Shafton, otherwise Shaftes Mr. Hans Stanley seconded sir G. Savile's motion. He said, he had as great respect for the members absent as any man, but God forbid a regard for any persons should prevent a British House of Commons from doing immediate justice. The House was now by three times fuller than when the votes complained of by the petitioner were passed. The parties concerned had known that a motion for rescinding those hasty resolutions would be made before the holidays. He knew it was the sense of the House to have re-bury, in the county of Dorset, so far as scinded them last year, if it had not been contrary to the standing order of the House, not to permit the same question twice in one session. Mr. Grenville's motion was negatived. Then the Petition was brought up, and read; setting forth, "That, in the last session of parliament, the House came to divers Resolutions, upon taking into consideration the minutes of the examination taken before the select committee, who were appointed to try and determine the merits of the petition of Hans Wintrop Mortimer, esq. complaining of an undue the same relates to Thomas Rumbold, esq. together with the order of the same day to the Attorney General to prosecute the said Thos. Rumbold, esq. might be read." And the same being read accordingly, he next moved, "That the said order to the Attorney General, for prosecuting the said Thomas Rumbold, esq. be discharg ed." The like orders for prosecuting Mr. Sykes and six of the electors, were also discharged. On the 13th of December both Houses adjourned to the 23rd of January, 1777. END OF VOL. XVIII. Printed by T. C. Hansard, Peterboro Courty |