a 
pei again in the period of the 
udors and Stuarts ; at the revolu- 
‘tion it is fuppoted to have been again 
‘Tecoyered. Let us fee whether it 
has not been impaired fince. The 
“lords have been the moft ftationary 
‘part; yet, by 2 great increafe of 
their numbers of late, the upper 
houfe has obtained a great many 
Batrimonial and private boroughs ; 
hereby obtaining an influence over 
hhoufe of commons, which does 
t conftitutionally belong to them. 
But the great alteration has hap- 
pened on the part of the crown. 
On this point he quoted the autho- 
‘rity of Mr. juftice Blackftone and 
Mr. Hume ; and, laftly, the memo- 
‘able revolution of the houfe of 
ommons.—* that the influence of 
“the crown had increafed, was 
*increafins, and ought to be di- 
“ minifhed.” Does any man, he 
faid, doubt this authority? Were 
ot they who voted it witneffes of 
he fact, as well as judges of the 
ropofition? But it does not reft 
on their anthority ; an act of the 
fhole legiflature has fince con- 
fmed their words—they have been 
fade ftatvte by the act of reform 
hat pafied afterwards. But what 
as happened fince? An Eaft India 
Ml has paffed, and a declaratory 
Taw. And what is the confequence ? 
No man who has any modefty, or 
Who ever expects to be credited, 
will deny, that by thofe laws more 
Mfluence has been conveyed to the 
frown, or the minifter, than was 
tracted by that act of reform. 
if.er anfwering the objections that 
ght be made to his motion as ill- 
= 
n, and tending to excite difcon- 
fents among the people, Mr. 
bod concluded to the following 
By Mlontefquiew has faid, that a free 
wal / 
fe I SMORY OF HURO PE. 
led, innovating on the conftitu-’ 
{79 
people will pay more taxes with 
greater alacrity, than a people that 
are not free; and he adds the rea- 
fon, becaufe they have a compenfa- 
tion in the rights they enjoy. The 
people of England pay fitteen mil- 
lions and a half annuajly, to the 
revenue. ‘This purchafe they pay 
for the conftitution. Shall they not 
have the benefit of it? Every indi- 
vidual pays fifty fhillings a year— 
How many enjoyments muft every 
inferior individual relinguifh, and 
how much labour muf he undergo, 
to enable him to make this contri- 
bution? No people ever deferved 
better of government than the peo- 
ple of this country, at this moment ; 
they have not only fubmitted with 
alacrity to this enormous mafs of , 
taxation, but when the health or 
the rights of their fovereign were 
at flake, they gathered around the 
throne with unexampled zeal: Can 
fuch a people be denied their privi- 
leges? Can their privileges be a 
fubject of indifference or remifinefs 
to this honfe? I cannot believe it ; 
and therefore I move for leave to 
bring in a bill to amend the repre- 
fentation of the peagle in parlia- 
ment. 
The motion was feconded by 
Mr. Grigby, and oppofed by Mr, | 
Wyndham, who obferved, that, in 
his opinion, before the houfe could 
receive the motion, the right ho- 
nourable gentleman ought firft to 
make out fome fpecific grievance, 
arifing out of the prefent mode of 
reprefentation, and then propofe his 
remedy; and when the houte were 
put in poffeffion of both, it would 
be for them to judge how far the 
firft.was afcertained and the fecond 
proportionate, and to decide whe- 
ther the remedy ought to be adopt- 
edornot. Mr. Flood had faid, that 
the reprefentation was inadequate, 
‘without 
