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An ESSAY on the EXCHEQUER.

HE care which our wife anceftors took to prevent defigning men from raifing exorbitant fortunes at the publick expence, deferves the most grateful acknowledgements of pofterity.

The constitution of the Exche. quer, or rather of the kingdom, has contrived to put a great many lets and obstructions in the way of defigning favourites and rapacious dependents of the court, and in such a wife manner, that no grant fhall pass from the king, but upon the triceft enquiry and matureft deliberations in order to which the ftate thought it neceffary to be at the expence of appointing feveral great officers, as fo many centinels to keep off pillagers under what form foever, that to the king may not be legened by fraud or furprise. According to the laws, grants from the crown fhould proceed by petition to the king, wherein fhould be specified the true and exprefs value of the thing demanded. The king refers this petition to the treafurers of the Exchequer, (or one in commifion,) who are to be fupplied with a particular of the thing petitioned for, from the auditor, if it lies before him, or from the king's remembrancer, if it lies before him. This caution taken, that the ftate fhall not be deceived in the value of the thing, the petition is firft referred to the lords of the treafury, because the law prefumes that the whole ftate and condition of the revenue lie before them, who must confequently be enabled to know what debts and engagements the king has upon him, and whether

the expence of his wars, and the other neceffary charges of his government, fhould not, for the people's ease, reftrain his majesty's bounty, because if all petitions were granted, the Exchequer muft foon be exhaufted. Thus it was in Charles II's. time, whose profufenefs or love of eafe could refuse nothing; if the treasury be abused, it prevents the crown from difcharging it's juft debts, from defraying the natural charges of the government, or from providing for the kingdom's defence; if then by fuch large grants, the revenues be drained, the failure obliges the king to lay heavy taxes upon his people to fupply fuch deficiency. The honesty and integrity of the lords of the treafury will then induce them to reprefent the whole affair to the king's ear impartially, to prevent fuch large grants; and, as a tie upon them, a binding oath is adminiftered to each of them, in man ner following:

"Ye fhall fwear that well and truly, ye fhall ferve the king, our fovereign lord and his people, in the office of treasurer; and you fhall do right to all manner of people, poor and rich, of fuch things as toucheth your office; and the king's treafure ye fhall truly keep and difpend, and truly ye fhall counfel the king, and his counfel ye shall layn and keep; and that ye shall neither know nor suffer the king's hurt, nor his difheriting, nor that the rights of the crown be dif treffed by any means, as forth as ye may let; and if ye may not let it, ye shall make knowledge there

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of, clearly and exprefly, to the king, with your true advice and counfel; and ye fhall do, and purchafe the king's profit, in all that ye may reasonably do, as God you help and the holy Evangelitis."

It was hardly poffible to form a more binding oath, and the words, Sovereign Lord and his People, beting joined together, imply that our ancestors thought themselves to have a certain intereft in the crown revenue, now called the Exchequer. If the grant fucceeds, the king figns a warrant, directed to his attorney or follicitor - general, impowering him to prepare a bill cantaining fuch grant. After Mr. Attorney has paffed it, it next goes to the fignet, which is in cuftody of the secretary of state, who is alfo prefumed to know the merit or demerit of the grant, and to advise therein, from whence it fhould proceed to the privy-feal, who being near the perfon of the king, is also presumed to know the state of the nation, it's fenfe of the grant, &c. and therefore the law has made him another check upon the publick money, who takes this oath:

"You fhall, as far forth, as your cunning and difcreting fufficeth, truly, juftly, and evenly, execate and exercife the office of keeper of the king's privy-feal, to you by his highnefs committed, not leaving, or eschewing fo to do, for affection, love, meed, doubt, or dread of any perfon, or persons, &c."

So that if the grant appears to be detrimental to the king, or the ftate, in the judgment of the lord privy-feal, he is to ftop it in its procedure, and by his oath, to lay the matter before the king,

From the privy-feal it goes to the great feal, in the cuftody of the lord keeper, or the lord-chancellor of England, who is deemed the kingdom's officer, as well as the king's; and here the grant is completed, if he does not think fit to ftop it. His oath is much of the fame nature, and full as binding as that of the treasurers,

As the dernier refort, and last check, this higheft officer, is in eye of the laws, looked most upon, and as fuch, if the grant be exorbitant, or made to the undeferving, if made upon wrong fuggeftions, or at a time when the Exchequer is weak, or the kingdom labours under grievous taxes, &c. then this great officer is bound not to affix the great feal to the grant, but impartially to advise the king and chancellors, who have acted otherwife, and who, contrary to the oath, and the truft of their office, have ventured to pafs such outrageous gifts (douns outrageuses) as the record expreffes it, fuch chancellors have been heretofore queftioned, impeached, and attainted in parliament, which branch of high treafon formed one of the articles against lord Clarendon.

WEEKS.

I

On FIRES in a STATE.

Urit proximus Ucalegon.

VIRGIL.

F Nero fet Rome on fire, and laid it on the Chriftians, Charles II. and his brother, the duke of York, are foully belyed, if they did not fet London on fire, and laid it on the papifts: but neither the former nor latter is true, as to the perfons or party charging, viz. the Chriftians or Papifts. Nero and Charles were the real incendiaries; but the feeming good of the refpective cities was the object of their covert proceeding, that was, to burn the old, that a new city like a Phoenix might iffue from the funeral pile.

Rome was over built, and London was too close built; and, as it was observed, neither Rome or London looked fo beautiful as after they were burnt to the ground, and rebuilt.

What then shall be faid of those who fhall fet a ftate on fire? fure

thefe are the worst incendiaries. We have prepared expedients to quench private fires in London, and in large towns all over England; should we not then be provided with adequate refources in the most dangerous and fatal conflagration of a state? Urit Proximus Ucalegon, may now be applied to every perfon in this kingdom, and the contiguity of parties has fet the nation in a flame: fhould we not have our kate Sun-fire-office? our fire-buckets, and fire-men, our fire - engines, water-plugs, &c. to play against thofe dangerous flames, which may threaten the confumption of us all, our lives, as well as our properties. This is a hint worthy the confideration of every wife republic, and therefore with some abler pen than mine may improve this hint into a regular plan.

I am, &c.

ANTIPHLOGGUS.

Anecdote from Voltaire's new Hiflory of Ruffia.

THERE is hardly any body fo

littie verfed in hiftory, as to be unacquainted with the birth, elevation, and character of the emprefs Catherine, fecond wife to Czar Peter I. The following story concerning the brother of the faid emprefs, is related by Mr. Voltaire, in the fecond volume of the Ruffian history, just published.

An envoy from Auguftus, king of Poland, to Czar Peter, being on his return to Drefden, by the way of Courland, happened to fee a

poor man, who feemed in great diftrefs, infulted by fome people st the inn where he ftopped; to whom the injured ftranger faid, that they would not treat him thus, if he could but gain admiffion to the Czar, and that he had more powerful protectors at court than they might poffibly imagine. On hear ing this, the envoy had the curiofity to afk the man some questions; from the answers to which, and on confidering his features attentively, wherein he difcovered a refemblance

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to the emprefs, he conceived this unfortunate perfon might be her relation. After his return to Dref den, he wrote an account of the adventure, and his fufpicions, to a friend at Petersburg; who found means to get the letter hewn to the Czar. On this, orders were immediately dispatched to prince Repnin, governor of Riga, to make fearch after the man defcribed in the letter; which was accordingly done by an intelligent perfon, fent by prince Repnin to Mittau for that purpose. On examination, he said his name was Charles Scavronfki, and that he was the fon of a gentleman of Lithuania, who died during the wars in Poland, and left two children, a boy and girl in the cradle. That neither of them had any other education than could be had in that general state of defolation in which every thing was abandoned. Scavronski parted from his fifter in his infancy, knew nothing more of her than that she was taken prifoner at Marienbourg in 1704; and imagined that he might be ftill with prince Menzikoff, with whom he might have made her fortune. Prince Repnin, purfuant to the orders of the Czar, caused Scavronski to be brought to Riga, under a pretence of his being a criminal; a kind of information was made out against him, and he was fent under a guard to Petersbourg, with orders he fhould be well treated during the journey. On his arrival at Petersbourg, he was conducted to the houfe of an officer, called Shepleff; who, being inftructed in the part he was to act, drew from the prisoner such information as he wanted, about his former circumftances and condition;

telling him at the fame time, that the accufation laid against him at Riga, was a very ferious affair; that he would do well, therefore, to prefent a petition to his majefty, . and that he would himself take care he fhould have an opportunity of delivering it. The next day the Czar came to dine with Shepleff, when Scavronski was prefented to him.

The monarch asked him feveral queftions; and was convinced, by the ingenuoufnels of his replies, that he was really the brother of the Czarina. Both had been in Livonia during their infaney; and the answers made by Scavronski to the queftions put to him by the Czar, were entirely conformable to what his wife had tol him of her birth and misfortunes. The Czar, not doubting the truth, propofed, therefore, next day to the emprefs, to go and dine with Shepleff: where, after dinner, he ordered the fame perfon to be brought before him, who was examined the day before. He was introduced accordingly, in the fame travelling garb in which he came to Peterburgh; the Czar defiring he should appear in the condition to which his ill-fortune had accuftomed him. He interrogated him again as before; and after his examination, addreffed the Czarina and faid, "This man is your brother" then turning to the prifener, "Come, Charles, faid he, kus the hand of the emprefs, and embrace your fifter." The author of this relation adds, that the empress fainted away at the furprize; and when the recovered herfelf, the Czar faid, "What is there ftrange in all this? This gentleman is my brother-in-law; if he hath merit, we

will do fomething for him: if he hath not, we will do nothing."Thus far proceeds the manufcript from which Mr. Voltaire fays, he hath taken the relation of this adventure. He tells us, however, from other information, that this

gentleman was created a count; that he married a lady of quality, and that he had two daughters, who were afterwards married to noblemen of the first rank in Ruffia.

An Account of the Difpute between Mr. WILKES and Capt. FORBES, as 18lated by Mr. WILKES.

13 Tis neceffary to premife, that captain Forbes, by Mr. Murray's own confeffion, was concealed for fome time at his house, which was the occafion that Mr. Murray too was put under arrest, by order of the marshals of France, and was brought before marshal Noailles, the fenior marshal, at the fame time with Mr. Wilkes. Diligent fearch was made for captain Forbes, but he had abfconded.

Mr. Wilkes was obliged, before marshal Noailles, to fign a Parole d'Honour, that he would not proceed to any Voi de Falt, directe ou indirecte, with captain Forbes, and Mr. Murray engaged in the same manner for captain Forbes, in confequence of which, the guards of Mr. Wilkes and Mr. Murray were discharged.

Mr. Forbes has never fince appeared at Paris. After the first letter enclosed, which was fent Sept. 7, Mr. Wilkes went feveral times to Mr. Murray's house, fometimes with monfieur Goy, fometimes alone, but could never be admitted. Mr. Murray only once called at the Hotel de Saxe, while Mr. Wilkes was abfent on a two days tour to Fontainebleau. Mr. Wilkes left Paris the 18th of September. The day before he called at Mr. Murray's house, and, not being admitted, left word that he fhould fet off for Flanders the next morning.

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Mr. Wilkes arrived at Menin the 21ft in the morning, and went directly to the post-house. He found no letter there, either from captain Forbes or Mr. Murray. He continued at Menin all that day, and the next went again to the poft mafter, but with no better fuccefs. He then left a direction where he was gone, and fet off for Dunkirk.

I think, Sir, that you ought to do Mr. Forbes the justice to declare, that it is cer

tain, in the whole of this affair, although he was guilty of much rashness, yet be was not of any rudeness, nor even in civility of expreffion.

To the Honourable Alexander Murray, Efq;

SIR,

I HAVE waited with no small impa

tience, and I believe you will agree with me, that before this captain Forbes ought to have fent to me. You know every thing that has paffed between us, and the wild, extravagant wifh he formed of fighting me, on no pretence nor provo

cation.

I am no prize-fighter; yet I told him that I would indulge him, and as foon as I could. I mentioned to him the affair of lord Egremont, and the previous engagement I thought myself under. I defired him to bring his fecond the fame day at noon, and our two friends fhould fettle between us all the particulars of time, place, &c.

I ftated the circumftances of the infolence and inhumanity of iord Egremont, and my refolution of calling his lordship to account: a refolution not formed yesterday, but what had ftruck me the fecond day of my imprifonment in the Tower, as becoming my dignity, and which, at that very time, I had mentioned to major Rainsford, the governor.

I had likewife then fixed the hour of his lofing the feals, as the period I should call his lordship to that account; and I am fure that I would have left Paris, or any other place, immediately, on receiving news fo interefting to myself, fo welcome to the nation.

Mr. Forbes undertook, on the fame morning, Tuesday, the 16th of Auguft, to return at noon, and to bring his fecond.

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