The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1782-09-10 00:00:00, page 1

I, OND O N,
HOUSE ok COMMONS, May 2, 1782.
rpHE house peing ^efolved into .a committee
I of the whole to take into consideration a
petition, which was last evening presented by the
merchants and planters concerned in the fate of
St. Chriftophers, Nevis and Monferrat. Mr.
Moliueaux spoke to the petition, as he had un
dertaken, in nearly the following terms : " It
is two years since I had the honor to present to
this house a petition from the county of Cam
bridge ; in which it was Wrongly and evidently
demonstrated, that the American war was the
source of all our calamities. I said it then, and
I repeat it now, that the scheme of this destruc
tive war took its rife ina fit ofmadnefs and phren
zy; that it has been supported by ignorance,
nourished by insolence and the abuse of power ;
and that this monstrous offspring of certain cra
zed brains, drenched with torrents of blood, fat
tened with millions of money, upon which it has
gluttonized, was ready to devour all that was
left; nay, would have devoured us also, if we
had not strangled it. Of the deceased adminj
ftration I flhall fay nothing ; de mortuis nihil ?iifi
bonum (if we can not speak well of the dead, it is
best to be silent.) I cannot, however, forbear
faying, that, fimens non leva futfet (if we had not
been light-headed;) if the immortal Chatham
has not been treated as Cassandra was*; it his
enlightened advice had been received as it merit
ed, the crown had not loft North- America, Mi
norca, and most of its sugar islands. Poor Old
England ! under the administration of this great
man, every thing fell prollrate before thee :
Whereas, at this day, finking under the burdens
which oppress thee, if thou dost not fall flat, thou
appeared to stoop every where, throughout the
face of the earth. We rauft not, however give
way to discouragement : .We have now, thank
God, at the head of affairs, a great ministry ; an
administration which pofTefTes the confidence of
the people." After having made a particular eu
logium of each member of the new cabinet, Mr.
Molineaux came to the petition ofthe sugar plan
ters, and asked leave to present a bill to authorise
the inhabitants of the three islands abovenienti
oned, conquered by France, to import their pro
du6ls into Great-Britain, Ireland or America,
fubje& to the fame duties, as sugar, &c. from the
British islands.---" The favourable capitualati
on," added this member," granted to the inha
bitants of these iflands,by themarquis de Bouille,
THAT PRINCE of A GENERAL, would be vain, if
the legislative do not give efficacy to his benevo
lence ; for that mifehievous law, called the act
of navigation, debars foreign sugars from being
entered in our custom houses."
MrT Burke seconded the motion, and observed,
that it woiild be best not.to do things by halves,
and therefore he was oropinion, that in the pre
liminaries of peace, to be concluded with North-
America, they ought to repeal, altogether,
the act of NAVIGATION. The house came in
to the motion, and Mr. Molineaux's bill was
presented accordingly.
Then lord John C'avendifh, chancellor ofthe
exchequer, presented a meiTage from the king;
which is as follows :
* CafGndra, as ancient fables has ic, was wooed by A
oollo ; she suspended her content, upon his beftowi 7, on
her rhe faculty of foretelling future events. When she ob
tained this, playing theji r, she disappointed his goddiip.
Tho' Apollo could not withdraw his favour, yet he contriv
ed to render it vain, by infatuating the Trojans and Aga
memnon, who d;frcg irdingJicr predi&ians, were thereby
ruined.
, A — /'^ —> $ / 7V^"><'\ /~*'*^
WFFKIY INTFmhFVP PR
HARTFORD:
Printed by H UD SON and GOODWIN, near the Great Bridge.
TUESDA Y, September io, 1782.
'• "George Rex.
' " His.majefty having with pain remarked,
that notwithilanding the allillance twice given,
by paying off the debt of the civil lift, and the
augmentation made of this revenue, it has again
contracted a coniiderable debt : his majesty wish
es for the advice and assistance of this house con
cerning the fame, as to means of paying off this
debt, and preventing the renewal of it hereafter,
without laying any new burthens on his people,
as it is his ardent desire to case them as much as
pollible.
" For this purpose his majesty lays before the
house, the plan of reformation, which he thinks
proper to make in his houfhold, that it may be
perfected by the wisdom of parliament for the
honor of his crown and the public advantage."
: His lordship observed, that " the reformation
intended to be made in the public finances, was
not confined to one object. What you haveheard
is only a fragment of the scheme of riged (eco
nomy, which ' the ministry propose to extend to
every part of our public affairs. By this single
eflay, at saving in the civil lift, you will abridge
the expenditure thereon, about seventy thousand
per annum ; a funi which will be in time liqui
date all the arrears upon this eftablithment, with
out laying any new burden on the people." Lord
John Cavendish, then made the customary mo
tion for an address of thanks, which passed una
nimously.
May 6. The order of the day was read, upon
which the house went into a committee ofthe
whole, in order to confider of the King's mes
sage, concerning the debt of the civil lift, and
the plan proposed for introducing ceconomy and
reformation into the expences of the houfhold.
Lord John Cavendish, thereupon, read the fol
lowing state thereof.
DEBT of the CIVIL LIST.
The whole sum which his Ma
jefty owes, - - 433,8931. is. gd.
Remains in the exchequer
for discharging it only, 138,675 4 1 1-2
L. 295,217 18 3 1-2
S A V I N G S.
Salaries of 3d secretary of state, and
his afliftants, abolished. - L. 7500
Board of trade. The business to be
done by the privy council, - 12,600
Board of trade and police for Scotland.
Meerly a sinecure. - - 6600
Board of works, to be regulated on a
new plan, and the duty performed
by artificers, - - 9462
Wardrobe, abolithed. The Lord
Chamberlain to do the duty, - 3506
Uv/elloflice, abolished. The Lord
Chamberlain to take charge of it, - 2000
Treasurer of the chamber. Useless,
abolished, _ - - 3000
Treasurer of the houflihold. The
fame . - - 3000
Six secret aries of the board of green
cloth, - - - 8000
All pensions to be paid at the exche
quer; which will save, - 1200
Salaries fuppreiTed, ' - - 1500
Matter of the buc-hounds, Suppref
fed, - - - 3 0 °°
Board of monies. Their duty trans
ferred to the bank, - - 3000
Salaries fupp^eded, - - 10,000
: TOTAL, U 72,368
There will regulations made in the office of
master ofthe horse, and in the,royal stables.
The places which hereafter become vacant in
the company of the gentlemen of the guard, will
be filled from the half-pay lift ofthe army; which
will be at once a mark of honor, and a recom
pence for services.
" It is proposed," added Lord John, "to
make abundance of other regulations, tending to
the fame purpose ; that is to fay, ©economy ;
and though this system will strip many indivi
duals oftheir employs, we flatter ourfelvcs, that
this circumstance will not however excite those
murmurs, which are usual upon such pecafions,
as there can be no personal or premeditated de
fing pretended : The public neceflity, and the
public interest only forced us to it, besides the
displaced persons; are not succeeded by others
their officers being abolished."
This ©economical plan appeared to be approv
ed, not only be the members who may not fe di-'
re&ly effected, but by those whom it deprived of
their places. They all declared, that they wil
lingly paid this homage to the public ; and some:
went so far, as to renounce the furvivorfhips
which they were entitled to, in order that no
thing of the kind might be granted hereafter.
May 2g. A few days after the accession of
the new ministry, they were informed from Mr.
Adams, through means of a messenger, Mr.
Digges, who is said to be since gone to America,,
that Congress had deputed five commissioners in
Europe; to treat for and conclude a peace : That
their powers were full and ample, and that they
were ready to avail themselves of such powers.
Mr. Laurens being one ofthe five commissioners,
was immediately consulted, and talked to upon
the business, and was difeharged from parole,
and his recognizance to appear at the King's
Bench. About the 4th of April, Mr. Oswald,
Mr. Laurens's friend, was sent with some ques
tions for a negociatior rto the French Minister
and Dr. Franklin, which were better received,
and more liberally answered, than could have
been expelled. Similar quellions were put to
Spanish and Dutch courts ; and the honorable
Mr. Thomas Grenville was soon after sent over
to Paris, from and to whom messages are now
going. From these intercourses, and Mr. Lau
rens having finally left England the 12th instant,
to be nearer the feene of negotiation, some frefli
hopes are entertained, that things are slowly
ripening towards a general parley of the belliger
ent powers for peace/
Advices have been received by government by
the packet, which arrived on Friday last from.
Mr. Grenville, the present negociator for peace
at Paris. He arrived there the begining of the
present month, and has already had a conference
with Mons. de Vergennes, on the fubje& of his
commission, at which the Comte d'Aranda, the
Spaniih Ambassador at Paris, was present. The
conference lasted two hours ; but as nothing
took place but a general explanation of prelimi
naries, he lias not been as yet able to transmit a
ny decisive opinion refpeaing the probable rc
fult of his visit.
June 6. The following information on the
fubjed of the Fate negociation for a peace, may
be depended upon;
" At the accession ofthe present ministry,
who had promised that we were to have the be
nefit of an immediate pacification on their com
ing into placet Mr. Oswald was dispatched to-
Dr. Franklin, at Paffy, and Mr. Laurens to Bruf
fels,where he was to meet Mr. Adams, the Ame tf
No. 920.)