you compare the charge with the receipt, you will find that it furnishes no exception to the general rule. The duchy and county palatine of Lancafter do not yield, as I have reason to believe, on an average of twenty years, four thousand pounds a year, clear to the crown. As to Wales, and the county palatine of Chester, I have my doubts, whether their productive exchequer yields any returns at all. Yet one may fay, that this revenue is more faithfully applied to its purposes than any of the reft; as it exifts for the fole purpose of multiplying offices, and extending influence.

An attempt was lately made to improve this branch of local influence, and to transfer it to the fund of general corruption. I have on the feat behind me, the conftitution of Mr. John Probert; a knight-errant, dubbed by the noble lord in the blue ribbon, and fent to fearch for revenues and adventures upon the mountains of Wales. The commiffion is remarkable; and the event not lefs fo. The commiffion fets forth, that "Upon a report of the deputy "auditor (for there is a deputy auditor) of the principality "of Wales, it appeared, that his majesty's land revenues in "the faid principality, are greatly diminished;”—and “that 66 upon a report of the furveyor general of his majesty's land "revenues, upon a memorial of the auditor of his majesty's

revenues within the said principality, that his mines and "forefts have produced very little profit either to the public "revenue or to individuals;”—and therefore they appoint Mr. Probert, with a pension of three hundred pounds a year from the faid principality, to try whether he can make any thing more of that very little which is stated to be so greatly diminished. "A beggarly account of empty boxes." And yet, Sir, you will remark-that this diminution from littleness (which ferves only to prove the infinite divifibility of mat

ter)

ter) was not for want of the tender and officious care (as we fee) of furveyors general, and furveyors particular; of auditors and deputy auditors; not for want of memorials, and remonftrances, and reports, and commiffions, and conftitutions, and inquifitions, and penfions.

Probert, thus armed, and accoutred,-and paid, proceeded on his adventure;-but he was no fooner arrived on the confines of Wales, than all Wales was in arms to meet him. That nation is brave, and full of fpirit. Since the invasion of king Edward, and the maffacre of the bards, there never was fuch a tumult, and alarm, and uproar, through the region of Prestatyn. Snowden fhook to its bafe; Cader Edris was loofened from its foundations. The fury of litigious war blew her horn on the mountains. The rocks poured down their goat-herds, and the deep caverns vomited out their miners. Every thing above ground, and every thing under ground, was in arms.

In short, Sir, to alight from my Welsh Pegafus, and to come to level ground; the Preux Chevalier Probert went to look for revenue, like his masters upon other occafions; and like his mafters, he found rebellion. But we were grown cautious by experience. A civil war of paper might end in a more ferious war; for now remonftrance met remonstrance, and memorial was opposed to memorial. The wife Britons thought it more reasonable that the poor wafted decrepit revenue of the principality, fhould die a natural than a violent death. In truth, Sir, the attempt was no lefs an affront upon the understanding of that refpectable people, than it was an attack on their property. They chofe that their antient mofs-grown caftles fhould moulder into decay, under the filent touches of time, and the flow formality of an oblivious and drowsy exchequer, than that they should be battered down all at once, by the lively efforts of a

penfioned

penfioned engineer. As it is the fortune of the noble lord to whom the auspices of this campaign belonged, frequently to provoke resistance, so it is his rule and nature to yield to that resistance in all cafes whatsoever. He was true to himfelf on this occafion. He fubmitted with spirit to the spirited remonftrances of the Welsh. Mr. Probert gave up his adventure, and keeps his penfion-and fo ends "the famous "history of the revenue adventures of the bold baron North, "and the good knight Probert, upon the mountains of "Venodotia."

In fuch a state is the exchequer of Wales at present, that upon the report of the treafury itself, its little revenue is greatly diminished; and we fee by the whole of this strange transaction, that an attempt to improve it produces refiftance; the resistance produces fubmiffion; and the whole ends in penfion *.

It is nearly the fame with the revenues of the duchy of Lancaster. To do nothing with them is extinction; to improve them is oppreffion. Indeed, the whole of the eftates which support these minor principalities, is made up, not of revenues, and rents, and profitable fines, but of claims, of pretenfions, of vexations, of litigations. They are exchequers of unfrequent receipt, and conftant charge; a fyftem of finances not fit for an economist who would be rich; not fit for a prince who would govern his fubjects with equity and justice.

It is not only between prince and fubject, that these mock jurisdictions, and mimic revenues, produce great mischief.

Here lord North fhook his head, and told those who fat near him, that Mr. Probert's penfion was to depend on his fuccefs. It may be fo. Mr. Probert's penfion was, however, no effential part of the queftion; nor did Mr. B. care whether he ftill poffeffed it or not. His point was, to fhew the ridicule of attempting an improvement of the Welsh revenue under its prefent establishment.

They

They excite among the people a spirit of informing, and delating; a spirit of supplanting and undermining one another. So that many in fuch circumstances, conceive it advantageous to them, rather to continue fubject to vexation themselves, than to give up the means and chance of vexing others. It is exceedingly common for men to contract their love to their country, into an attachment to its petty fubdivifions; and they fometimes even cling to their provincial abuses, as if they were franchises, and local privileges. Accordingly, in places where there is much of this kind of estate, perfons will be always found, who would rather trust to their talents in recommending themselves to power for the renewal of their interests, than to incumber their purses, though never fo lightly, in order to transmit independence to their posterity. It is a great mistake, that the defire of securing property is univerfal among mankind. Gaming is a principle inherent in human nature. It belongs to us all. I would therefore break those tables; L would furnish no evil occupation for that spirit. I would make every man look every where, except to the intrigue of a court, for the improvement of his circumstances, or the security of his fortune. I have in my eye a very strong cafe in the duchy of Lancaster (which lately occupied Westminster-hall, and the house of lords) as my voucher for many of these reflections *.

For what plausible reason are these principalities suffered to exist? When a government is rendered complex (which in itself is no desirable thing) it ought to be for some political end, which cannot be answered otherwise. Subdivifions in government, are only admiffible in favour of the dignity of inferior princes, and high nobility; or for the * Cafe of Richard Lee, Efq. appellant, against George Venables Lord Vernon, refpondent, in the year 1776.

VOL. II.

Dd

fupport

.

fupport of an ariftocratic confederacy under fome head; or for the confervation of the franchises of the people in fome privileged province. For the two former of thefe ends, fuch are the fubdivifions in favour of the electoral, and other princes in the empire; for the latter of these purpofes, are the jurifdictions of the imperial cities, and the Hanfe towns. For the latter of these ends are alfo the countries of the States [Pais d'Etats] and certain cities, and orders in France. These are all regulations with an object, and fome of them with a very good object. But how are the principles of any of these fubdivifions applicable in the cafe before us?

Do they answer any purpose to the king? The principality of Wales was given by patent to Edward the Black Prince, on the ground on which it has fince ftood.-Lord Coke fagacioufly obferves upon it, "That in the charter of "creating the Black Prince Edward prince of Wales, there

is a great mystery for less than an eftate of inheritance, "fo great a prince could not have, and an abfolute eftate of "inheritance in fo great a principality as Wales (this prin"cipality being fo dear to him) he should not have; and "therefore it was made, fibi et heredibus fuis regibus Angliæ, "that by his decease, or attaining to the crown, it might be "extinguished in the crown."

For the fake of this foolish mystery, of what a great prince could not have lefs, and should not have fo much, of a principality which was too dear to be given, and too great to be kept and for no other cause that ever I could find this form and fhadow of a principality, without any fubftance, has been maintained. That you may judge in this inftance (and it ferves for the reft) of the difference between a great and a little œconomy, you will please to recollect, Sir, that Wales may be about the tenth part of England in fize and population;

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