112 The Palatine Emigration. 



establishment anywhere Upon the whole it was an ill- 

 conducted, though it might be a well meant affair." 



Of the actual history of their coming to England in this 

 extraordinary manner, we derive more information from 

 a report made to the house of commons in 1711 than 

 from any one source. This committee was appointed to 

 " enquire upon what invitation or encouragement the 

 Palatines came over and what moneys were expended in 

 bringing them into Great Britain, and for maintaining 

 them here, and by whom paid." We blend the information 

 derived, from the report, with the statements of historians 

 and other documents into as complete a narrative as possi- 

 ble. 



The committee appointed to make this report consisted 

 of sixty-nine members of the house. The ministry and 

 the house were alike Tory, and the object of stirring up 

 the matter more than a year after the departure of most of 

 the Palatines, was in view of the fact that the coming of 

 the Palatines having so much displeased the people, they 

 hoped to exaggerate existing prejudices against the late 

 whig ministry. A petition had been presented from the 

 parish of St. Olave's in Southwark, Surrey, London, and 

 from other parishes, complaining of the return of many 

 Palatines to that parish who were paupers, and increasing 

 the poor rates and from the existence of contagious diseases 

 among them they were liable to spread a pestilence. This 

 petition both Tindal and Smollett allege was got up as a 

 pretext, by the Tories, that it might be a basis for an 

 attack on the Whigs. 



The queen's government was in consequence requested 

 by the house to have sent to that body all orders and 

 papers relating to the bringing over and subsisting the 

 said Palatines. Accordingly on five different days in 

 January, 1711, the officers of the departments having in 

 charge such papers, appeared at the bar of the house, and 



