nifters refolve that Hanover fhall be I must not conclude, Sir, without taking fome Notice of the terrible Hobgoblin, the Hon. Gentleman was pleased to frighten us with: I C E have but a mean Opinion, both of the Strength and Courage of their Country. Thank God! I have a better Opinion of both; and therefore, I have the Pleasure to think, that if our Marine were put upon a good Footing, and the best Use made of our Navy, we have nothing to fear from both thefe Nations combined together against us. Their Land-Armies, in which their Strength confifts, could be of no Service to them against this Nation, unlefs they were Mafters at Sea, which they never could be, if we managed right, because we have three Times more Ships of War already built, and thrice as many Seamen as both put together; and I am fure, we can build and refit fafter than they can. But of all Things I fhould be glad to know, how they could tranflate the War to this Inland? Can they march an Army over from Calais to Dover? Can they waft it over in Cockle-Shells? I am fure, they cannot in Ships, at leaft fuch an Army as would be fufficient for conquering this Ifland; and if any of their Troops fhould be landed by Stealth, they must conquer, or be made Prifoners of War. The Hon. Gentleman must therefore, and I wonder he did not, call the Pretender and the Jacobites to his Aid, in order to make his Hobgoblin any Way terrible. In Cafe of fuch a War, Sir, I will fay, it would be right in us, not to feek for any Ally upon the Continent, unless we could form fuch mean, that of our being engaged Fa Confederacy upon the Continent, in a War with the united Power of France and Spain, and without one Ally to affift us, by which, he faid, the War would be tranflated from the Continent to this Ifland. Sir, from the whole Tenor of Negotiations and Treaties, that Gentleman was engaged in for twenty Years together, I have fome Reafon to think, that he and his Friends as would be able, with a very little Affiftance from us, to engage in a Land War againft France and Spain, with a probable View of Succefs; for a Land War, which mutt be fuppored almoft entitely at our Expence, will Galways do us more Harm than Good; because it diverts us from profecuting the War in that Manner, which is noft natural to us, and which is the the only Manner of profecuting a War, by which this Nation can ex- pect to reap any Advantage for it- To conclude, Sir: What we have moft to fear, may be brought upon tinue to purfue the fame Measures; us, by our present Method of aflift- A [This JOURNAL to be continued in Danger we have moft to fear is, our being left engaged by ourselves a- lone, in a War against France and Spain, after our Treasures have been exhaufted, and our publick Credit funk, by an unsuccessful Land War, B to fuch a Degree, as to difable us from fitting out, or keeping our Navy at Sea. This may really translate' the War from the Continent to this Island, and this may probably be the Confequence of our pursuing any longer the Scheme, we now feem to C be engaged in. By our taking a wrong Method for affifting the Queen of Hungary, both fhe, and the King of Sardinia may, at laft, be over- Confiderations on the Laws rela- ting to the POOR; fhewing hors the Deficiencies therein might be re- medied, by fixing a Qualification for the Choice of Church-wardens and Overfeers, by limiting the Sums to be raised by their Rates, and by bringing them to Account pro- to prescribe; and this, after we have ftretched our publick Credit to its utmoft Length, in giving them an ufelefs, but expenfive Support: Can we think, that fuch an Event would not have a fatal Effect upon our pub- lick Credit, when fo ftretched to its utmoft Length? Sir, It would cer- tainly ruin it at once, and reduce all our Paper-Currency to its primitive Nothing; fo that we fhould be left engaged in a War, by ourselves alone, against France and Spain, at a Time, when our Government could not, perhaps, raise or borrow 50,000!. to fit out a Squadron. This, Sir, is no imaginary, it is a real Dan- is a Law that, in its Intention, does F may be perverted; and when they are fo, they become deftructive to the very Society they were meant to support. That the Laws relating to the Poor *N. B. As this Pamphlet is on an Affair of the utmost Importance to the Properties of a great to need much Proof; and had the particular Grievances arifing from thefe Las been as clearly laid before the Legiflature, as they are heavily felt in moft Parts of this Kingdom, the two late Alts would doubtless have been extended to a full and fufficient Re- A drefs. That the Power, by thefe laft mentioned Alts, given to infpect RateBooks, &c. is undoubtedly necessary to the finding out an Impofition, no one can deny: But a Discovery of that, and at the fame Time a Knowledge that one can meet with no final or B conclufive Redress, is only Mortifi cation added to Lofs: For this Impofition may be repeated, even fo often as Parish Officers ball think fit; and a daily Caufe of Action, or legal Dif pute, tho' upon the most certain and beft Foundation, for the Property a C Man is depriv'd of, lets him into a greater Grievance than the Lofs itself. No Law, therefore, can be extenfive enough, that does not take away the very Caufe of the Evils complained of. For this Reafon are the following Obfervations calculated, which attempt to lay out the manifold Abuses of the Poors Lars, with the Caufes thereof A Method is alfo fhaped, and fubmitted for an Amendment; fuch a one, it is hoped, as will go to the very Root; and at the fame Time abrogate * fundamental Part of the 43d of Eliz. but enforce every Part of it to its juft Intent and Meaning; Juch a one as will break through no alreadyfettled Point in Westminster - Hall; but will leave no material Point relating to this Law hereafter to be fettled there; or fuch a one, at least, as F the Wisdom of the Legislature may be minded to form from, in a very short Aa, fuch an Amendment as full redrefs the Grievances complained of, which are in Fact become intolerable to the People. N * Cb.25 D E G every Parish to keep and find their aged and impotent Poor by voluntary Alms at their Difcretion. By another A&t, 5 & 6 Edw. 6. Ch. 2. the Poor of every Parish were to be relieved with what the Parishioners would give; but these Acts not proving a fufficient Security for the Maintenance of the Poor, it became neceffary to have a Law more effectual, to prevent their starving. By the 43d of Eliz. a Power was therefore granted for the Levying a Tax for their Relief; and to the End that fuch Tax might be levied and employed, and the Law carried into Execution by the Hands of proper Officers, the Power of appointing Overfeers was then fixed in Juftices of the Peace: But at the fame Time it was required, that none other than Subftantial Householders fhould by the faid Juftices be nominated; from which it appears, that the Legislature forefaw the Subftance of the Officers would be neceffary to the right Adminiftration of the Law. And as it was heretofore ufual to chufe Perfons of the best Abilities and Cha racters in their Parish into the Office of Churchwardens, by the principal Inhabitants in Veftry for that purpofe affembled, and fuch Churchwardens being, by the Law abovementioned, Overfeers of Course, the Legislature undoubtedly concluded the due and equal Execution of the fame ftood well fecured; in that the Officers would all of them be Men of the first Abilities and Characters in the Parish. But it was not then properly confidered, that where fo large and conftant a pecuniary Truft was vefted, Men of the leaft Abilities and worst Principles would be tempted to obtain the Office of Churchwardens, which they might generally, if not always, compass, as their leffer Occupations would more than double in Number the greater, and, confequently, their Votes be 1745 vaitly B Nor was it vafly more numerous. then duly confidered, in what Manner Juftices of Corporations ftood, or might afterwards ftand connected, in Point of Intereft, with the Inhabitants of the fame; That in their own Parifhes they are immediately Parties A concerned; That in relation to the whole Body Corporate, the Intereft of the Juftices and that of the Freemen are infeparable; That tho' the Number of Freemen refiding in Corporations is generally fmall in comparifon of the Number of Non-Freemen, the greater Number may easily be oppreffed by the Power of the lefs; That the meaner Parishioners can always compliment one another with the Office of Churchwarden, that they may be complimented with it in their Turn; That thefe Corporation Juftices are, in great Meafure, bound to compliment the Freemen with the Appointment of Two, Three, or Four of their own Over'feers, to fecure a Majority of Ofcers in their favour: Nor confequently was it confidered, that it of all fuch whofe Parents fhall not be thought able to keep and maintain them, and to fet to Work all fuch Perfons, married or unmarried, having no Means to maintain them, and use no ordinary and daily Trade of Life to get their Living by: And also to raife weekly, or otherwife, (by Taxation of every Inhabitant, Parfon, ОссиVicar, and other, and of every pier of Lands, Houfes, &c. in fuch competent Sums of Money as they fhall think fit) a convenient Stock of Flax, Himp, Wool, Thread, Iron, and other Ware and Stuff, to fet the Poor on Work: And alfo competent Sums of Money for and towards the neceffary Relief of the Lame, Impotent, Old, Blind, and fuch other among them, being Poor, and not able to Work; and Calfo for the putting out of fuch Children to be Apprentices, to be gathered out of their Parish, according to the Abilities of the fame Parish, and to do and execute all other Things, as well for the difpofing of the faid Stock, as otherwife concerning the Premifes, as to them fall feem convenient. They are to met at least once every Month in the Church, upon the Sunday in the Afternoon after Divine Service, there to confider of fome good Courfe to be taken, and of fome meet Order to be fet down in the Premises; and within four Days after the End of their Year, and after other Overfeers nominated, they are to make and yield up to two Juftites of Peace, a true `and perfect Account of all Sums of Money by them received, or rated and fiffed and not received; and also of F fuch Stock as fhall be in their Hands, or in the Hands of any of the Poor to work, and of all other Things concerning their faid Office, &c. D E would be in the Power of thefe Of ficers, and thefe Juftices, to lay the whole Maintenance of the Poor upon the Land-holders, or rather the Land owners, who have for the mot Part nothing to do with Corporations but in the unhappy Article of being It may inconftantly impofed on. deed be faid, that Overleers mult be Men of Subftance, for that the Act provides it. An Anfwer to this, is, the Act, in this respect, to speak in the Terms of Westminster-Hall, is only directory; the Juftices of thefe Places are the determinate Judges of the Subftance of the Perfons they choofe, and of every Act to be done by them: So that whenever Persons are put into Office for evil Purposes, thefe Juftices can carry them thro' the Whole without any poffible Means G of Redrefs. By this Act, Overfeers are empowered to fet to Work the Children Now let the Power of these Offifuch comcers, under the Words, petent Sums as they fall think fit,' be first confidered, and then let it be judged, whether fuch a Power over other Mens Properties ought to be velted in the Hands of any fuch Men The FRAUDS and ABUSES of the PARISH OFFICERS. 19 A of being eafed thereby in his future Men as conftantly get into Office, efpecially in larger Towns or Places. That the Act, by the Word competext, means, they fhould raise no greater Sums than neceffary, is plain; but it has, by four or five unhappy Words immediately following, given them an arbitrary Power of raifing what they hall think fit. With honelt Men, the Word competent will have Weight; but a Law, which takes a Part of a Man's Property, the Fruits of his Industry and Labour, and dif tributes it to the Wants of others, B ought at least to guard him against the Abuses and Impofitions of the Wicked and Difhoneft: And against thefe laft how is he guarded? Cannot they raise what Sums and as often as they fball think fit? For those that have the Power to judge in an C Appeal to a fubfifting Rate, can only go to the Equality of it; the Overplus raised by and in the Hands of the Officers, is Matter of Account at the Expiration of their Office, and the Account then too generally to be taken before fuch Juftices as will prefently be fhewn not to be even in a Condition to be fair and impartial Judges. But fuppofing, againft common Experience, that the Judges of the Accounts were equal and impar tial, and that the Overplus were fairly and honeftly accounted for, the Injury then would not be clearly removed; for the Overplus is to be paid to the fucceeding Officers, and they, if they will, may employ it another Year to their own Ufe, as they can make Rates for what Sums they pleafe, without taking any no- F tice of fuch Overplus. And what Satisfaction is this Accounting to a Man removed from one of thefe Places, pending the Impofition, when the Half of his Substance may be in the Hands of thefe Officers, under a hameful and exorbitant Diflrefs? The Overpius being paid into the Hands of fucceeding Officers cannot remedy him, even in the diftant Hope D By 9 GEO. I. Ch. 7. Sect. 4. it is enacted, for the greater Eafe of Paribes in the Relief of the Poor, that the Churchwardens and Overfeers Part of the Parishioners, or Inhabi may, with the Confent of the major tants, in Veftry, or other Parish or fembled, purchase or hire any Houfe publick Meeting for that Purpose afin the fame Parish, and contract with any Perfon or Perfons for the Lodging, Ging any, or all juch Poor in their Keping, Maintaining, and EmployParijh; and there keep, maintain and employ them, and take the Benefit of their Work, Labour, and Service, C 2 By |