1774.

CHAP. tolerated, it was established. The people of Canada XII. had hitherto been happy under toleration, and looked for nothing farther. By this establishment, faid they, the proteftant religion enjoys at least no more than a toleration; for the popish clergy have a legal parliamentary right to a maintenance, while the protestant clergy are left at the king's difcretion. Various amendments were proposed in the house of commons, and feveral changes took place; but the ground-work continued the fame. A petition was presented by the city of London to the king, praying him to withhold the royal affent: as the bill regarded religion, a very great popular clamour was excited, and an apprehenfion of popery revived. It went through the houses, however, with a very great The bill is majority, and was, on the 22d of June, paffed into a law.

paffed.

Gold coin.

Although America occupied, during this most memorable session, the principal attention of parliament, feveral other affairs of confiderable importance came before the houses. The diminution of the gold coin had been long a subject of general complaint. In the clofe of the feffion of 1773, it had been brought before parliament; and an act was paffed on the last day of the feffion, to prevent the counterfeiting or diminishing the gold coin of the kingdom. By the law, the lofs on the dimi nifhed gold, amounting to a very large fum, fell upon the immediate poffeffors, and thereby principally affected the great money-holders or bankers. During the recefs its operation had been severely felt, and the more especially as the commercial world had not yet recovered from the diftreffes occafioned

by

XII.

1774.

by the failures of the former year. The law had be- CHAP. come very unpopular at the commencement of the feffion of 1774; and several strictures were paffed on the gold coin act, which was affirmed to be highly oppreffive and injurious to individuals. Bankers had received coin according to its nominal value, on the public faith, and under the fanction of government. It was very unjust that a particular body of men fhould be obliged to make good to the public a lofs sustained through the iniquity of others, and the culpable negligence of the police in not restraining fuch criminal and pernicious practices. The lateness of the season at which the law was propofed, when many members had left town, and the hurry with which it had been carried through the houses, fo as to afford no time for examining its nature and tendency, alfo underwent fevere animadverfion. It was answered by the minister, that the evil had been fo urgent as not to admit of any delay, and that it was neceffary to be remedied, even late as it was in the feffion. He denied that it was unjuft; for the lofs, he contended, had fallen on thofe who had been gainers by the fituation which occafioned it, and who had always profited by the public money. A committee, however, was appointed to take into confideration the ftate of the gold coin, and in confequence of their report, weights were established, under the direction of the officers of the mint, a conformity to which was neceffary to constitute a current gold coin, and a re-coinage took place agreeably to that standard. The effect of these regulations was, that no perfon could be defrauded in the receipt of gold coin, except by his own negligence

XII.

and

CHAP. gligence in not weighing the proffered money, this was a very material reform in the great me. dium of commerce.

1774.

Inquiry into

the ftate of

Howard.

During this feffion, a committee having been the prisons appointed for inquiring into abufes practifed in gaols, among other gentlemen examined was Mr. Howard, fheriff of Bedford, a man of exquifite philanthropy, who, it was found, had vifited thofe manfions of mifery through the greater part of Eng. land at a very heavy expence, and with a continual risk of his life, in order to devife and adminifter relief. From the reports delivered by him to the house, feveral improvements were immediately fuggefted, and many more were ultimately devised, which have fince tended fo powerfully to mitigate human wretchedness. The thanks of the houfe were unanimoufly returned to the benevolent man who had inspected such scenes of diftrefs, for the purpose of alleviation; and the various inquiries which arofe from the efforts of Mr. Howard, tended not only to foften the evils of poverty, but to diminish concomitant evils, and to prevent the frequency of infectious diftempers, which were before so prevalent, from the fqualid and noxious atmosphere of mismanaged gaols.

Libels.

Some proceedings on an inclosure bill gave rise to a libel, which was feverely profecuted by the commons. Several petitions, it feems, had been prefented against the inclofure in queftion; and the attention bestowed upon thefe by the speaker, had not fatisfied the advocates of the bill. A moft virulent letter was immediately printed in the Public Advertiser, charging fir Fletcher Norton with grofspartiality.

XII.

1774.

partiality. The commons not only acquitted their CHA P. speaker of the accufation, but voted the letter a falfe, scandalous, and malicious libel, contrary to all law and justice, and an open violation of their privileges. The printer being fummoned, threw himself upon the mercy of the houfe. He declared that he had received the letter from Mr. Horne; that it had been published in the hurry of business; and, as he had never before offended the houfe, he expreffed his hopes for its compaffion. On inquiry it was found, that Mr. Horne was the reverend Mr. John Horne, clergyman of Brentford. It was moved, that Mr. Woodfall, the printer, fhould be committed to the custody of the ferjeant at arms; and Mr. Charles Fox, ardent in enmity to the licentiousness of the prefs, friendly as he has ever fhewn himself to its liberty, propofed that Newgate should be the fcene of confinement: the more gentle motion, however, was carried. Mr. Horne was next fummoned, but eluded the order, by pretending not to confider himself as the person to whom it was addreffed. The next day being taken into cuftody, Mr. Horne pleaded not guilty. The only evidence against him being Mr. Woodfall, who was thought to be incompetent because he was himself in cuftody and a party, Mr. Horne was difcharged. Mr. Fox the fame day complained of a letter in the Morning Chronicle, as a libel on the conftitution and the royal family; and, at his inftance, directions were given for profecuting the printer.

The fupplies propofed for this year caufed great Supplies. debates oppofition alleged, that the number of forces, twenty thoufand for the fleet, and eighteen

thousand

XII.

$774.

CHAP thousand for the army, was greater than a peace establishment required; and the expences being in feveral articles, and upon the whole, higher than ufual, produced loud complaint and severe cenfure from oppofition. The minifter admitted the expendi ture to be great, but infifted that it arofe from circumstances which he could not prevent, and, for the future, he was confident he would be able to lessen the expenditure.

The house of lords this feffion, in its judicial capacity, determined the great queftion of literary property, which was brought before them by an appeal from a decree in chancery. The prefent age, in this country, favourable to every species of me ritorious and beneficial induftry, has been pecu. liarly advantageous to literary ability. In former times, when the circulation of learned productions was confined, and the number of readers fmall, genius often lay buried in obfcurity, and merit was not fufficient, without a fortunate coincidence of circumstances, to enfure protection and fupport: the most fuccefsful adventurers could receive no other recompence than the patronage of the great, and at best could only enjoy a precarious and irkfome dependence. Since the art of printing has rendered the multiplication of copies eafy, and the progrefs of fcience and erudition has introduced a tafte for reading among numerous claffes of people, authors have had it in their power to repay themfelves for their labours, without the humiliating idea of receiving a donative. But the degree in which they were to reap this benefit, depended on the fecurity and the duration of their literary property.