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254|, ANNUAL REGIS TER,*° 1797... - 
not be permitted te vote for more 
than one member of parliament. In 
order to prevent expence, the poll 
‘aught tobe taken through the whole 
kingdom at one time : this was the 
outline of his plan ; to state that it 
could be obtained at first with ex- 
actness, or was not liable to diffi- 
culties, would be presumptuous 
and absurd. But he flattered him- 
self there would be found no insu- 
perable or fundamental objections 
toit. The land-owner would find 
his property suitably represented ; 
the merchant support in the house- 
holders ; and men of respectability 
- and talents in the different profes- 
sions would find a fair door open 
for admission into parliament. ‘he 
only persons whom he wished to ex- 
clude from that house, were men 
who were neither possessed of land- 
ed property, nor engaged in com- 
mercial enterprize, nor professors 
of any particular science, and who, 
without property, without industry, 
and without talents, obtained seats 
in the house of commons, by the in- 
fluence of great men,.for the pur- 
pose, not of ‘consulting the good of 
the people, but of promotiug their 
own interests. 
Mr. Grey’s motion was seconded 
by Mr. Erskine, who, after an exor- 
dium relating to his own situation, 
principles, and feelings, topics to 
which he also returned, accordiig 
to his manner, in different parts of 
his speech, observed, that outof the 
motion which had been made, there 
arose, forthe consideration of the 
house, three questions; first, whe- 
ther the housé of commons, in its 
present frame and constitution, ful- 
tils the ends of its athee, in the Bri- 
tish government, so as té render any 
changein itexpedient? Bythe house 
of commons, said Mr. Erskine, Ide- 
J] . 
sire not to besupposed to speak of this, 
or of the last, or of those long past, 
or that may yet be elected, but of any 
possible house of commons, inits pre- 
sent frame and constitution. Second- 
ly, whether, supposing a reform in 
parliament to benecessary, the speci- 
fic propositionsulmitted to the house 
appears tq be salutary, practicable, 
and adapted to cure the evils com- 
plained of, so as to entitle it, to the 
ulterior consideraticn of the house in 
the form of a bill, to be brought be- 
fore us? Thirdly, whether, suppo- 
sing a reform in parliament to be ex- 
pedient, and the proposition made 
by the motion to be worthy of con- 
sideration, the present moment is 
seasonable forentertaining it? This 
Jast point is, indeed, a matter of the 
highest importance. The present is 
no common period, and pregnant 
with no common events. 
Mr. Erskine proceeded to shew, 
that from the gradual and still grow- 
ing influence of the crown, the house 
of commons had beeo peryerted, in 
fact, from its original office : which 
was, to balance the other branches of 
government; to watch with jealousy 
over the executive government, om 
the one hand, and to protect the po- 
pular privileges against theencroach- 
ments of aristocratic influence onth 
other. With regard to the secon 
point, the conclusion that he drew 
from a variety of just and ingenious” 
observations, was, that honest but 
visionary meu, confounding the une 
alienable rights of every man to ine 
terfere in the administration of ac- 
taal goverument, with the right to 
be well governed, imposed an actual 
tyranny upon the world jn their 
zeal for universal freédom: but 
that the system of his excelleat and 
enlightened friend, avoided that dan- 
gerous stumbling-block, and created 
a prac- 
