in a * printed Paper, calculated for the Purposes of certain Gentlemen," That it was the unhappy Cafe "of the South-Sea Company, that the Grant of an an"nual Ship, defign'd to make Amends for the Lofs, "which They knew muft and has attended the In"troduction of Negroes, instead of answering the End "for which it was granted, has proved a lofing Trade; "of which every Proprietor may be convinced by infpecting the Company's Books.

66

"The ill Success of this Trade hath been attributed "chiefly to two Caufes; the frequent Reprifals, or "Seizures, made by the Crown of Spain on the Com

66

pany's Effects, and the Mismanagement, not to fay "worse, of the Servants of the Company. The first "Caufe is of fuch a Nature, that it cannot be reme"died; and the Company's Trade must always remain

66

expofed to any Difference, or Mifunderstanding be

tween the two Crowns; and oftentimes the Trade it"felf occafions that Mifunderflanding, which expofes "the Company's Effects to Seizures. As to the last "Claufe, Mifmanagement of Servants, Experience "teaches us what to depend upon; and whilft Super་་ cargoes and Factors want Eftates, and Directors have "Relations to provide for, or other Views to carry "on, we may flatter ourselves in vain either with "Redrefs, or Amendment.

And yet did not the worthy Sub-Governor himself tell us, in his Speech, fome Time ago, that the Company was not one Farthing in Disburse on Account of. TRADE; though He had just before confefs'd that the Company had fuftain'd in upportable Loffes in Trade, which obliged Them to reduce their Dividend from Six to Four per Cent. in order to account for the immenfe Load of the Bond-Debt, and to annihilate a confiderable Part of their Capital, for the Payment only of half of it? — Have They not acknowledged their

* See the Poft Boy, Nov. 22, 1732.

Loffes in the Greenland Trade? -Have They not given it up? Have not fome Perfons fhewn a manifest Inclination likewife to give up Part of the American Trade; even that Part of it, which alone was pretended to be profitable?

Thus ftands, at prefent, the Cafe of thefe two great Companies; and the Proprietors have the Mortification to find the Truth of your Obfervations confirm'd by the Confeffion of their Directors themfelves. One of thefe Societies made fome Applications to Parliament laft Seffion, which will probably bring Them there again; and We have been told that the other hath Thoughts of applying there for fome Indulgence, without which They find it impoffible to continue their Trade with Advantage.

The Cafe of the Charitable Corporation is likewife fill depending before that auguft Affembly; and the Gentlemen of the York Buildings Company feem'd refolved to feek Relief, or Juftice, in the fame Place; fo that our Reprefentatives would have Bufinefs enough to employ their Thoughts this Seffion, though They had no ftanding Armies, or Excifes to encounter.

I fhall conclude with an Obfervation, which You have often made, and hath been too fully verify'd in feveral Inftances; viz. that fuch Corporations are not only deftructive of Trade, dangerous to Liberty, and prejudicial to the Publick in general; but, by Fraud and Mifmanagement, are commonly attended with great Loffes to the Proprietors Themfelves.

D. R.

I am, SIR, &c.

To CALEB D'ANVERS, Efq;

SIR,

Y

OUR late Difcourfes on standing Armies and the natural Strength of England put me in Mind of the following beautiful Paffage in Shakespeare;

which I think deferves a Place in your Paper, at this
Juncture. It is the Speech of John of Gaunt, Duke
of Lancaster; reprefenting the Grievances of the Na-
tion, under one of our most unhappy Princes. I re-
commend it to your ferious Confideration, and am,
SIR, &c.
PHILELEUTHERUS,

This royal Throne of Kings, this fcepter'd Ifle,
This Earth of Majefty, this Seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demy Paradife,

This Fortress, built by Nature for herself
Against Infection, and the Hand of War,
This happy Breed of Men, this little World,
This precious Stone, fet in the Silver Sca,
Which ferves it in the Office of a Wall,
Or, as a Moat, defenfive to a House,
Against the Envy of lefs happier Lands;

This bleffed Plot, this Earth, this Realm, this ENG-
[LAND;
This Nurfe, this teeming Womb of royal Kings,
Fear'd for their Breed and famous for their Birth,
This Land of fuch dear Souls, this dear, dear Land,
Dear for her Reputation through the World,
Is now Leafed out; — I dye pronouncing it,
Like to a Tenement, or pelting Farm.

ENGLAND, bound in with the triumphant Sea,
Whofe rocky Shore beats back the envious Surge
Of wat'ry NEPTUNE, is now bound in with Shame,
With inky Blots, and rotten Parchment BONDS;-
That ENGLAND, that was wont to conquer others,
Hath made a fhameful Conqueft of ITSELF.

N. Shakespeare's Rich. II. A II. Scene I.

1

N° 342. SATURDAY, Jan. 20, 1732-3.

H

OF

AVING taken Notice of a Pamphlet, intitled Remarks on the horrible Oppreffions, Infolencies and unjustifiable Partialities of the COMMISSIONERS EXCISE, and quoted feveral Cafes out of it, in the fecond Part of my Argument against EXCISES, publifh'd laft Monday, I fancy the Reader will not be difpleafed with fome farther Extracts from the fame Piece, which is now become very scarce. I fhall therefore prefent Him with the Dedication, and fo much of the Discourse itself, as relates to the Argument in general.

Preface to the COMMONS of England, in Parliament affembled.

Right Honourable,

A

S your Affembly is the Source and Original of legiflative Authority, fo you are altew'd to be the only jovereign Expofitors of thote Laws you make.

When the People of England find Themselves oppress'd and crush'd by the partial and corrupt Interpretations of our Laws; and, by Turns and far-fetch'd Devices of deSigning Men, robb'd and plunder'd on Pretence of legal Authority; to You They have Recourse, farther to explain and exprefly to declare the true Meaning and Defign of the Laws, by which They are fo abufed.

When, by a long-fince dormant Law, you order'd that the Brewers and Diftillers, in Cafe of a small Penalty of 5 1. and no more, as to the Excife, upon certain Mijcarriages, when committed, should be decifively heard by

Commiffioners, &c. it cannot be imagin'd your 'Honours ever defign'd to condemn the Brewers and Distillers to the Lofs of their native Privileges, as Englishmen; and that They, of all Men in England, fhould alone be fo unhappy as not to be thought worthy of their Share in the Magna Charta of England, viz. to be try'd by their Peers.

This Confideration, as it is hoped it will move your Honours to redress their intolerable Preffures, under the prefent Tyranny of the Commiffioners of Excife; fo They believe it will be yet more moving to your Ho nours, when you shall pleafe to reflect, that the faid Penalties being rifen, by fundry fubfequent Acts and additional Claufes to the Laws of Excife, from 5 l. to immenfe Sums; a Brewer, or Distiller, may now come to forfeit 2 or 300 1. per Diem; and that your Honours will agree, it is of much more Confequence that They fhould be heard, in fuch Cafes, before juft and indif ferent Judges, and be try'd, as is the undoubted Right of Englishmen, by their Peers.

The following Sheets will fhew your Honours fome fad Examples of the Subject ruin'd and injured by the Tyranny and Injustice of Commiffioners, vefted with this exorbitant Power; which will, without Question, move your Honours to put fuch Restraints upon Them, that the like deftructive Measures may not be taken for the future.

The Brewers and Distillers are a People, from whofe Industry and Stock in Trade the greatest Branch, perhaps, of any fingle Revenue in Europe, is raised; and it is humbly hoped, This fhould rather entitle Them to the Care and Tenderness of the Government, than reduce Them to a Condition, in which their Property fhould be less fafe, and their Principles more freighten'd than other Men. All which is humbly reprefented to your Honours and, together with the following Sheets, bumbly Jubmitted to your Cenfure and Determination.