4thly, Though we have an entire Confidence in her Majefty's great Zeal and Piety to the Church, we dare not in Duty to her Majefty's Perfon, and to the Service of her Government, condemn all fuch as may have Fears in Relation to the Prefervation of the Church and Safety of the Crown. Lafily, Being fincerely convinced, that thefe Reafons, among fome others mentioned in the Debate, are fufficient to justify our Fears, we humbly conceive, that it is not a proper Way to prevent Dangers, by voting these Geo. Bath and Wells, I diffent for the firft, fecond and fourth Reasons. Haverfbam. Die Luna 3° Februarii, 1706. Contents 33 The Bill for fecuring the Church of England, as by Law eftablished, having been this Day read a fecond Time, and committed to a Committee, of the whole House, After Debate, the Question was put, that it be an Inftruction to the faid Committee, to infert in the faid Bill, as a fundamental Condition of the intended Union, particular and exprefs Words, declaring perpetual and unalterable an Act of Parliament made in the Five and Twentieth Year of King Charles II. entitled, An Act for preventing Dangers which may happen from Pefill Recufants? Diffentient' It was refolved in the Negative. We conceive, that this Act deferves to be particularly mentioned, and not left to doubtful Constructions, becaufe as it was at first made to fecure our Church, then in Danger by the Concurrence of Papifts and Diffenters to to destroy it, fo we have found by Experience, both in the Reign of King Charles II. and King James II. that it was the most effectual Means of our Prefervation, by removing from their Employments the greatest Enemies of our Church; and particularly in the Reign of the late King James, the affuming of a difpenfing Power, and the illegal Practices, by closetting and corrupting the Members of Parliament, were chiefly levell'd against this Teft Act. 1706. Die Jovis 27o Februarii, Report was made from the Committee of the whole Houle, to whom was referred the Confideration of the Articles of Union with Scotland; and the said Articles being read, the fame, upon the Queftions, were severally agreed to and refolved on by the Houfe. Diffentient' To the Ninth Refolution: Because, we humbly conceive, that the Sum of Forty eight thousand Pounds to be charged on the Kingdom of Scotland, as the Quota of Scotland, for a Land-Tax, is not proportionable to the Four Shillings Aid granted by the Parliament of England: But if, by Reafon of the prefent Circumstances of that Kingdom, it might have been thought it was not able to bear a greater Propor tion, at this Time, yet we cannot but think it unequal to this Kingdom, that it fhould be agreed, that when the Four Shillings Aid fhall be enacted by the Parliament of Great-Britain to be raised on Land in England, that the Forty eight thousand Pounds now raised in Scotland fhall never be increased in no Time to come, though the Trade of that Kingdom fhould be extremely improved, and confequently H 2 the 1 ly the Value of their Land proportionably raised, which in all Probability it muft do, when this Union fhall have taken Effect. Howard, To the Fifteenth Resolution : Guilford, Because we humbly conceive, nothing could have been more equal on this Head of the Treaty, than that neither of the Kingdoms fhould have been burthened with the Debts of the other, contracted before the Union; and if that Propofal, which we find once made in the Minutes of the Treaty, had taken Place, there would have been no Occafion to have employ'd the Revenues of the Kingdom of Scotland towards the Payment of the Debts of England, those Revenues might have been ftrictly appropriated to the Debts of that Kingdom, and to any other Ufes within themselves,as fhould have been judged requifite, and there would have been then no Need of an Equivalent of very near Four hundred thoufand Pounds to be railed on England, within this Year, for the Purchase of thofe Revenues in Scotland; which however it may prove to be but a reasonable Bargain upon a ftrict Calculation, there does not feem to have been a Neceffity juft now to have raised fo great a Sum, when this Kingdom is already burthened with fo vaft ones, for the neceffary Charges of the War. Rochefter, North and Grey, Leigh, Guilford, Diffentient' To the Two and twentieth Resolution: Because, we humbly conceive, in the firft Place, that the Number of Sixteen Peers of Scotland is too great a Proportion to be added to the Peers of England, who very rarely confift of more than One hundred attending Lords in any one Seffion of Parliament; and for that Reason, we humbly apprehend, fuch a Number as Sixteen may have a very great Sway in the Refolutions of this Houfe, of which the Confequences cannot now be forefeen: In the fecond Place, we conceive, the Lords of Scotland, who by Virtue of this Treaty, are to fit in this Houte, being not qualified as the Peers of England are, must suffer a Diminution of their Dignity to fit here here on fo different Foundations, their Right of fitting here depending intirely on an Election, and that from Time to Time, during the Continuance of one Parliament only; and at the fame Time we are humbly of Opinion, that the Peers of England, who fit here by Cre ation from the Crown, and have a Right of fo doing in themselves, or their Heirs, by that Creation for ever, may find it an Alteration in their Conftitution, to have Lords added to their Number, to fit and vote in all Matters brought before a Parliament, who have not the fame Tenure of their Seats in Parliament as the Peers of England have. North and Grey, Leigh, Rochefter. We diffent to the Refolution of paffing the laft Article. Because, there being no Enumeration of what Laws are to be repealed, it is conceived too great a Latitude of Conftruction thereupon is left to the Judges. North and Grey, Rechefter, Guilford, Die Martis 4° Martii, 1706. Hodie za vice leta eft Billa, entitled, An Act for an Union of the two Kingdoms of England and Scotland, The Question was put, whether this Bill shall pass It was refolved in the Affirmative. Diffentient' Because the Conftitution of this Kingdom has been found fo very excellent, and therefore justly applauded by all our Neighbours, for fo many Ages, that we cannot conceive it prudent now to change it, and to venture at all thofe Alterations made by this Bill, fome of them especially being of fuch a Nature, that as the Inconvenience and Danger of them (in our humble Opinion) is already but too obvious, fo we think it more proper and decent to avoid entering farther into the particular Apprehenfions we have from the paffing of this Law. Beaufort, Stanwell, Guilford, Buckingham, Granville, Leigh. Die Sabbati Februarii, 1707. Hodie za vice lecta eft Billa, entitled, An Act for ren H 3 dering dering the Union of the two Kingdoms more entire and complete. The Queftion was put, whether this Bill fhall pass ? It was refolved in the Affirmative. Diffentient' if, Because the Claufe of this Bill, which relates to the Privy-Council, determines the Privy Council of Scotland, fo foon as the first Day of May next, by which Time the Provision made in the fame Bill, inftead of the Privy-Council, for the Security of the Peace by appointing Juftices of the Peace, to be conftituted under the great Seal of Great-Britain, in the feveral Counties of Scotland, cannot be expected to take Effect; and therefore we conceive, that if that Clause had been framed so as not to take Place till the first of October next, as was propofed, the Privy-Council of Scotland had been abolished, as certainly as by the prefent Bill, and with more Security to the Peace and Tranquility of that Part of the United Kingdom. 2dly, Because the Claufe in the Bill which appoints the Commiffions and Powers to the Juftices of the Peace, authorizes thofe Jufiices to proceed against Offenders during the first fifteen Days after the Crime committed; and that in the Liberties of Heritable Offices and Of ficers for Life, which, at the Time of the Union of the two Kingdoms, the Juftices of the Peace (and all ordinary Officers and Minifters of Justice) were by Law excluded from doing; and therefore we apprehend, that the last mentioned Claufe in the Bill might be confiructed to be an Incroachment upon the 20th Article of the Union, and by that Means be the Occafion of raifing great Jealoufies and Difcontents throughout that Part of the United Kingdoms, Cowper, C. Marlborough, J. Bridgewater, Mar, Seafield, Berkeley, Cholmondeley, Crawford, Lothian, Greenwich, Rivers, Ilay, Pembroke, Radnor, Somerset, Wemyss, Cardigan, Leven. Rofeberie, |