Grantham, Efq; George Treby, Efq; Arthur Ingram, Efq; George Gregory, Efq; Sir Richard Steele, Sir Henry Houghton, Patrick Haldane, Efq; Sir Thomas Hales, Robert Munroe, Efq; Henry Cunningham, Efq; Denis Bond, Efq; John Birch, Efq; and Sir John Eyles, to be fold for the Ufe of the Public: But Quere how much of the Money arising by the Sales of thefe Eftates has been hitherto appropriated to any public Ufe? I do not remember that any particular Difpofition of this Money has been made by Parliament; and, till this appears, the Public has a Right, if not to enquire into it, at least to expect that it fhould be thus difpofed of. The third mentioned Statute I have no Comment upon, further than to observe, that it was not intended by the Act made by Queen Anne, that fewer than fifty new Churches fhould be built in this City: But she was truly religious, and for encouraging the Church, which is more than can be faid of all our Princes.

As to the Act for Tranfportation of Felons, it is the only good Law that has been made by the Septennial Parliament, which is put in Execution: It has freed us from a great many Robbers, Thieves, and Pick-pockets, who have been taken in the Facts; but the greatest Robbers, the Robbers of the Public, have escaped this Law; and if, instead of it, an Ordinance had been made for Tranfportation of the Parliament, before the Year one thousand seven hundred and twenty, it would have been happy for this Nation: We should then have escaped the general.

Transportation is the least a great many of our Members have deferved at our Hands; fome have deserved more; many late Offenders have ended their Lives ignominioufly at the Gallows, by far less criminal, and who have been driven to a Neceffity of extraordinary Means for the Support of Life, through the extraordinary Conduct of fome Perfons, who, deferving the like Punishment, are in the Poffeffion of Titles and Honours, Affluence and Plenty, and feed luxuriously on the Spoils of the Widow and Orphan. But the Poet has obferved,

That little Villains must fubmit to Fate,
That great Ones may enjoy the World in State.

The

The Statute for Transportation of Felons, requires particular Notice, as it is a Law for the public Benefit; wherefore I infert an Abstract of the moft material Part of it. By this Statute it is enacted, "That where any "Perfons have been convicted of any Offence within "the Benefit of the Clergy, and are liable to be whipt CC or burnt in the Hand, or have been ordered to any "Work-house before a certain Time: As alfo, where any Persons shall be hereafter convicted of grand or "petit Larceny, or any felonious Stealing of Money,

or Goods and Chattels, either from the Perfon or the "House of any other, or in any other Manner, and "who by Law fhall be intitled to the Benefit of Clergy, "and liable only to the Penalties of Burning in the "Hand or Whipping (except Perfons convicted for receiving or buying ftolen Goods, knowing them to be ftolen) it fhall be lawful for the Court before whom they were convicted, or any Court held at the same "Place, with like Authority, inftead of ordering fuch "Offenders to be burnt in the Hand, or whipt, to order "that they shall be sent to some of his Majesty's Planta"tions in America for feven Years; and that Court be"fore whom they were convicted, or any fubfequent "Court held at the fame Place, with like Authority as "the former, fhall have Power to transfer, and make

over fuch Offenders, by Order of Court, to the Ufe "of any Perfons, and their Affigns, who fhall contract "for the Performance of fuch Tranfportation for feven "Years: And where any Perfon fhall be convicted or "attainted of any Offences, for which Death, by Law, ought to be inflicted, and his Majesty shall extend his Royal Mercy to fuch Offenders, on Condition of Transportation to any Part of America, on fuch In"tention of Mercy being fignified by one of the principal Secretaries of State, it fhall be lawful for any Court, having proper Authority, to allow fuch Of "fenders the Benefit of a Pardon, under the Great "Seal, and to order the like Tranfportation to any Per"fon who will contract for the Performance, and to hi

Affigns, of any fuch Offenders, for the Term of fourteen Years, if the Condition of Tranfportation be get neral, or else for fuch other Term as fhall be made • Part

"Part of the Condition, if any particular Time is limited

by his Majefty And the Perfons contracting, or their Affigns fhall, by Virtue of fuch Order of Transfer, "have a Property in the Service of fuch Offenders for "fuch Term of Years.

"Perfons convicted of receiving or buying ftolen "Goods, knowing them to be ftolen, are liable to "Transportation for fourteen Years: And if any Offender ordered to be tranfported for any Term of feven

or fourteen Years, or other Time, shall return into "Great Britain or Ireland, before the End of his Term, "he fhall be punished as a Perfon attainted of Felony "without Benefit of Clergy, and Execution shall be "awarded accordingly. But his Majefty may, at any "time, pardon the Tranfportation, and allow of the "Return of the Offender, he paying his Owner a rea"fonable Satisfaction."

The other Statutes of Importance in this Seffion, were for regulating the Trade in the Bone-lace, and the Wearing of Buttons; by the laft of which, Taylors, &c. are prohibited to make Cloaths with Buttons made of Cloth, Serge, Drugget, Frize, Camblet, &c. under certain Penalties.

In the fourth Year of the Septennial Parliament, a great many Laws were enacted, both public and private. The first of a public Nature was for granting a Land-Tax of three Shillings in the Pound: The next for continuing the Duties on Malt, Mum, Cyder, &c. for the Service of the Year: And for applying of Monies to be raised by Way of Lottery: And these are fucceeded with an A&t for ftrengthening the Proteftant Intereft in these Kingdoms: An Act for punishing Mutiny and Defertion, and the better Payment of the Army: And an Act for quieting and establishing Corporations.

The A&t for ftrengthening the Proteftant Intereft is placed in our Statute Books under the Head of Religion, and was made for repealing Part of a Law made in the 10th Year of the Reign of Queen Anne, and of another Law made 12° Anno of the fame Reign: One was intitled, An Act for preserving the Protestant Religion, by' better fecuring the Church of England; and the other for preventing the Growth of Schifm: The former enacted,

That

That if any Perfon, who had any Office, Civil or Military, or who received any Pay or Salary, by Patent or Grant from the Crown, or who fhould receive any Fee or Wages of the Queen, her Heirs or Succeffors, or fhould have any Place of Command or Trust in England, &c. or be admitted into any Employment in the Houfhold; or if any Magiftrate of a Corporation, who by the I 13 and 25 Car. II. or either of them, were obliged

to receive the Sacrament, fhould, after their Admiffion into their Offices, or after having fuch a Patent or Grant, or Place of Truft, and during their Continuance in fuch Office, be prefent at any Conventicle for the Exercife of Religion, at which there fhould be ten Perfons or more affembled, or should be knowingly present at any Meeting where the Royal Family fhould not be prayed for in exprefs Words, though the Liturgy of the Church of England were used, they were to incur a Penalty of 40 1. and be disabled to hold any Office or Employment whatsoever. This was what was called the Act of Conformity.

The Law against Schifm ordained, that if any Perfon fhould keep any public or private School or Seminary, or teach any Youth as Tutor or Schoolmaster, before he fhould have fubfcribed the Declaration of 14 Car. II. · (viz. That he would conform to the Liturgy of the Church of England) and should have obtained a Licence from the Archbishop or Bishop of the Diocefe, he fhould be committed to the common Gaol for three Months. Perfons keeping Schools were also to receive the Sacrament of the Church of England, to take the Oaths, and fubfcribe the Declaration against Tranfubftantiation; and they were not to refort to any Conventicles or Meetings.

These were the Laws relating to the Church of England, made by the late Queen Anne, and repealed by the 5 Geo. It feems the Proteftant Intereft was to be ftrengthened by annihilating a Law made for preferving the Proteftant Religion, and better fecuring the Church; and of a Law against Schifm, which did not extend, as to Seminaries of Learning, to the Tuition and Teaching of Youth in Reading, Writing, or Mathematical Learning in the English Tongue.

I have

I have mentioned thus much of the Statutes made in the late Reign, to fhew to the Reader what it is that has been repealed, that he may the better judge of the Conduct of the Septennial Parliament in this Particular, and fee what was our Law before it was altered. But this must be said in Behalf of our Parliament, in the second Section of the A&t of Repeal, they enacted, That if any Mayor, Bailiff, or other Magiftrate of a Corporation, fhall refort to, or be prefent at, any public Meeting for religious Worship, other than the Church of England as by Law established, in the Gown or other peculiar Habit, or attended with the Mace, or other Enfigns of his Office, every fuch Mayor, &c. being thereof convicted, shall be difabled to hold fuch Office or Employment, and be adjudged incapable to bear any public Office.

The Act for quieting Corporations, was made on a Neglect of taking the Oath and fubfcribing the Declaration of the Solemn League and Covenant (difufed for many Years, though required by the Act 13 Car. II.) to confirm Members of Corporations in their Offices, notwithstanding the Omiffion to take the faid Oath, or to fubfcribe the faid Declaration; and to indemnify them from all Incapacities, Difabilities, and Forfeitures, arifing from fuch Omiffion. It also repeals fo much of the Statute as required the taking the said Oath, and fubfcribing the Declaration. The Objection to this Omiffion, was first started by a cunning Attorney in the Weft, to make his Terms with the Officers of a certain Corporation, with whom he was at Variance : And he carried his Point, having proved, that by the Omiffion of a Part of their Qualification, the Acts of all the Corporations in England were null and void.

By this Law in favour of Corporations, it is also ordained, That all Members of Corporations, and every Perfon in Poffeffion of any Office at the Time of making this Statute, required by the faid Act of 13 Car. II. to take the Sacrament according to the Church of England, within one year next before their Election, shall be confirmed in their feveral Offices, notwithstanding their Omiffion to take the faid Sacrament, and be indemnified from all Incapacities, Difabilities, . And none of

their