116 



The Palatine Emigration. 



The common religious and personal jealousies were 

 heightened from the fact that bread was being sold at 

 double the ordinary price. Their stay would have to be 

 prolonged, as the time of the sailing of the fleet for the 

 plantations was at a great distance. Then as at least a 

 thousand of the new comers were Catholics, the fears of 

 the people were operated upon by political partisans, lest 

 their stay should strengthen the party of Romanism. 



The Tories continued to make a handle of the passage 

 of the naturalization law, and the unwise encouragement 

 given to these Palatines to come over, long after they had 

 all been disposed of. Dean Swift in the Examiner had the 

 assurance to write of the affair in this wise : " Some 

 persons whom the voice of the nation authorizes me to 

 call her enemies, taking advantage of the general natural- 

 ization act, had invited over a great number of foreigners 

 of all religions, under the name of Palatines, who under- 

 stood no trade or handicraft, yet rather chose to beg than 

 labor ; who besides infesting our streets, bred contagious 

 diseases by which we lost in natives thrice the number of 

 population gained in foreigners 1 while the Tories angrily 

 reviled and wrote against the new naturalization law; 

 others, like Bishop Hare, undertook to defend it. All 

 who were ill affected to the ministry endeavored to 

 heighten the resentment of the people. 2 



In 1711 (May 29), there was a change of ministry, and 

 the Tories under Harley came into power. On their acces- 

 sion, the design was immediately formed to load the late 

 whig administration with all the opprobrium possible, and 

 one subject chosen was the Palatine emigration. Knowing 

 how unpopular it had been with the people, the Tories 

 endeavored to throw the blame of bringing them to Eng- 

 land upon the Whigs. The new ministry influenced 



1 Examiner, 41, 45. 



2 Burnet's Own Time. 



