Book III. DISCONTENTS in the Houfe of Commons.-Clamours PART II. Two Laws of Political Oeconomy. -Difcontents in Scotland, and Caufes of them.The King's Grand Scheme, for gaining the Scotch, disappointed. An Oppofition in the Scottish Parliament. Arts to irritate the Members. They prefent a Remonftrance.. Fruitless Attempts to pacify them. 1689. WHILE the late king, in attempting to recover his Great difdominions, found himself reduced, even by his fuc- contents in ceffes, to a state of dependence upon his Irish subjects, and was ftung with the reflection, that he had only brought calamities upon those who were venturing their all for him in Scotland, William was under equal difficulties in the management of the two kingdoms he poffeffed. The diforders in Ireland, the bad fuccefs of the fleet at BantryBay, the defeat at Killikrankry, raised great difcontents in the English parliament; and they imputed to the king and his minifters, what was owing to the excess of their own parfimony, and to the inevitable distractions of a prince who had been only a few months upon the throne, and who could take no measures of vigour, without trem[N] 2 bling the house of commons. PART II. bling left he should offend those laws which he had fo BOOK III. lately avenged. In the beginning of June *, the com1689. mons appointed a committee to enquire to whom the delays in fuccouring Ireland were to be imputed. As all national discontents in England fall firft upon the king's minifters, a motion was, the fame day, made by Mr. Howe, a whig member, and debated, " for an address "to the king to remove from his presence and councils "those who had been impeached in parliament:" A motion directed chiefly against Lord Danby, lately created Marquis of Caermarthen. Next day they refolved + to apply to the king for copies of the commiffions and inftructions relating to Ireland. Having been furnished with thefe, they, a few days after 1, addreffed for leave to infpect the books of the privy-council, and of the Irish committee, for papers relating to Irish affairs. The king § gave no answer. They addreffed again. He kept the fame filence. Upon this they voted, "That those persons "who have been the occafion of delaying to fend relief "to Ireland, and those persons who advised the king to "delay giving inspection of the minute-books of the "committee for Irish affairs, are enemies to the king and "kingdom." Immediately after a motion was made for an addrefs" to remove the Marquiffes of Hallifax and "Caermarthen from his majesty's councils," because to them the care of Irish affairs had been chiefly committed; but upon debate it was adjourned. Whilft the difpute was between the king and the commons, these minifters interfered not; but, when they faw it pointed at themselves, they advised their mafter to give inspection of the books. The houfe of lords followed the example of the commons, and called || not only for those books, Journals of the house of commons, June 2. + Ibid. June 3. lbid. 28th June, 3d and 13th July. but but for the books of the admiralty, to find out the causes PART II, of other national disappointments. Book III. the Dutch. The discontent of the commons appeared at the same 1689. time, in their jealoufies of the Dutch. One member hav- Their jeaing declaimed upon the danger of falling into the hands loufies of of the French and the Irish; another called out with a fullen voice and air: " Add the Dutch." The commons had formerly defired* to know from the king, what were the mutual obligations of affiftance between Holland and June 26. the crown: But now, irritated because the Dutch had not been at the battle of Bantry Bay, they defired to know what number of fhips and feamen + the Dutch were obliged to fit out for the fummer's expedition: And when July 3. they voted their fecond addrefs for infpection of the books relating to Ireland ‡, they inftructed their committee to enquire why the Dutch had not sent out their fleet fooner to join that of the English; although by comparing the dates of the treaty between the nations, which lay before the house, and of the junction §, it was obvious, the Dutch fleet had been sent out as foon as could have been expected. chants. The English jealoufies of the Dutch were increased, by Clamours of the clamours of the trading part of the nation. The the merEnglish and Dutch fleets joined together, and, confifting of between 60 and 70 ftrong fhips of war, had hovered moft of the fummer on the coafts of France, and in autumn had spread themselves along the coafts of Ireland; by which stations, they had prevented the French from fending fuccours of any confequence into Ireland. The French, in the mean time, invented a new fpecies of war: For, laying up their ships of war fafe in their harbours, + Ibid. June 26. Journals of the house of commons, 25th March. Ibid. 3d July. § The treaty was dated 29th April. of the house of commons, ift July. The junction was made day of June, a few days after the battle. Vide journals they Book III. 1689. PART II. they tranfported their feamen on foot, on horses, and in carriages, by land to different ports, and put them on board a vast number of small vessels which they feized in the ports, and converted into privateers, in order to destroy the trade of their enemies. The merchants, whofe complaints in England are always the loudest and the most liftened to, exclaimed, "That a Dutch king, and Dutch Continuation of the counsellors, had laid a scheme to ruin the trade of Eng"land, with a view to engross that of the world to their "countrymen. In vain were the English navies mafters "of the fea, if the English trading veffels could find no "fafety in it. The pomp and parade of fleets, fent to "hover in fight of the enemy's harbours, and to ferve "only as magnificent fpectacles, for the entertainment "of that people whom they ought to ftrike with terror, "were infults upon the miferies of a nation which was *at the expence of maintaining them," All trading nations are jealous; but men must be doubly fo, who are feparated by their situation from the rest of the world, and who, prizing liberty with all the paffion of lovers, cannot bear that other nations fhould either fnatch it from them, or enjoy it with them. It was in vain for the king, or his minifters, to remonftrate, "That a new and unexpected "fpecies of war, put in execution on a fudden, no hu"man prudence could forefee, or ward off in an inftant. "That, for thefe piratical gains, France had facrificed "her own trade, the reputation of her maritime arms, and the ftill more important object of giving permanency to the civil wars of her enemy." The merchants heard, could not anfwer, yet continued to complain. The commons, in the mean time, drew up votes and discontents bills which discovered both the greatness and littleness of of the com mons. July 16. *Journals of the Houfe of Commons, July 16, + Ibid. June 4 party. |