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There is the best authority for affuring the public, that the Earl of Chatham has ftrongly declared his disapprobation of any intended measure to expel Mr. Wilkes.

For the POLITICAL REGISTER.

IT is no lefs certain than remarkable, that on Thursday the 29th of September, 1768, being the anniversary of the birth-day of the Princefs-Royal, their Majesties came to St. James's, where all the foreign ministers and foreign nobility were to pay their court on the occafion :—and it is a notorious fact, that not any of his Majesty's minifters were at court on that day-nor any one of the great officers, except a moft eminent one of the Law: this may be depended on as a truth; and the public ought to know with what diffefpect and inattention the K and K-m are treated, by those who are not only called, but receive the emoluments of Minifters.

The KINGS' SPEECH at the Meeting of the PARLIAMENT, on Tuesday the 8th. Nov. 1768.

My Lords, and Gentlemen,

THE opportunity which the late general election gives me of knowing from their reprefentatives in parliament, the more immediate Lenfe of my people, has made me defirous of meeting you as early as could be confiftent with your own convenience.

The shortness of the last feffion of the late parliament prevented their profecuting the confideration of thofe great commercial interefts which had been entered upon in the preceding feffion. You will, I am perfuaded, agree with me in opinion, that your de liberations on thefe very important objects ought to be refumed without loss of time; and I trust that they will terminate in fuch meafures as may be productive of the most considerable and essential benefits to this nation.

It would have given me great fatisfaction to have been able to acquaint you, that all the other powers of Europe had been as careful as I ever have been, to avoid taking any step that might endan ger the general tranquility. I have conftantly received, and do ftill receive from them, the strongest affurances of their pacific difpofitions towards this country. No affurances however fhall divert my Conftant refolution ftedfastly to attend to the general interests of Eu

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rope; nor fhall any confideration prevail upon me to fuffer any attempt that may be made derogatory to the honour and dignity of my crown, or injurious to the rights of my people.

At the clofe of the last parliament I expreffed my fatisfaction at the appearances which then induced me to believe, that fuch of my subjects as had been mifled in fome parts of my dominions were returning to a juft fenfe of their duty; but it is with equal concern that I have fince feen that spirit of faction, which I had hoped was well nigh extinguished, breaking out afresh in fome of my colonies in North America; and, in one of them, proceeding even to acts of violence, and of refiftance to the execution of the law. The capital town of which colony appears by late advices to be in a state of difobedience to all law and government; and has proceeded to measures fubver five of the conftitution, and attended with circumstances that might manifeft a difpofition to throw off their dependance on Great Britain. On my part, I have purfued every meafure that appears to be neceffary for fupporting the conftitution, and inducing a due obedience to the authority of the legislature. You may rely upon my steady perfeverance in these purposes; and I doubt not but that, with your concurrence and fupport, I fhall be able to defeat the mifchievous defigns of thofe turbulent and feditious perfons, who, under falfe pretences, have but two fuccefsfully deluded numbers of my fubjects in America; and whofe practice, if fuffered to prevail, cannot fail to produce the most fatal confequences to my colonies immediately, and, in the end, to all the dominions of my crown.

Gentlemen of the House of Commons,

The proper estimates for the fervice of the enfuing year I have ordered to be laid before you, fully relying on your readiness to grant me the neceffary fupplies. Indeed I cannot have a doubt of finding in this houfe of commons the fame affectionate attachment to my perfon and government, as I have always hitherto experienced from my faithful

commons.

My Lords, and Gentlemen,

It is with great fatisfaction that I now find myself enabled to rejoice with you, upon the relief which the poorer fort of my people are now enjoying, from the diftrefs which they have fo long laboured under from the high price of corn. At the fame time that we are bound devoutly to acknowledge the gracious interpofition of providence, it will become us to apply the best precautions that human wifdom can fuggeft, for guarding against the return of the late calamity. In the choice, however, of proper means for that purpose, you cannot proceed with too much circumĺpection.

I have nothing further to recommend to you, than that, in all your deliberations, you keep up a spirit of harmony among yourselves. Whatever differences of opinion may prevail in other points, let it appear, that wherever the intereft of your country is immediately concerned, you are all ready to unite. Such an example from you cannot fail of having the best effects frum the temper of my people in every part of my dominions; and can alone produce that general union among ourfelves, which will render us properly refpected abroad, and happy at

home.

For

For the POLITICAL REGISTER.

An obliging correspondent has sent us the following fen fible paper. He fays there are two circumstances which make the publication of it neceffary and interesting at this time? One is the plentiful harveft, fo graciously taken notice in his majesty's fpeech; and he thinks that a parliamentary attention to the plan here laid down will be a great means of continuing that plenty; without keeping the ports open for the importation of corn, which in a little time, he fays, will certainly drain this country of its cafh; befides the great injury thereby done to agriculture. The other is, the request that will, and must neceffarily be made, for a confiderable fum to discharge the arrears of the civil lift, and perhaps provide for certain contingencies. A fum, which, if levied on the people by a tax, may have difagreeable confequences, and if extorted from any particular body of men, must be alarming to public property. He adds, that the plan bere offered to the public, affords ample provifion for this unfortunate circumftance; and concludes with an opinion, which, indeed, feems to be not ill founded, that a very great advantage to the nation in general, would be the neceflary and infallible confequence of putting this plan into execution.

A Propofal for felling Part of the Forest Lands and Chaces, with a few Reflections on the public Advantages of fucb a Meafure.

HE foreft lands when depopulated by William the Conqueror, who fhewed greater regard to the wild beafts of this country, than to his conquered fubjects; were at the time, fome of the best cultivated in the kingdom. New Foreft in Hampshire, was covered with numberless villages for thirty miles in extent, and had thirty mother churches, befides many fubordinate ones within that diftrict. Enfield chace, and Epping foreft, and feveral other forefts and chaces, which are at prefent, in a manner, useless; would become of very confiderable advantage to the kingdom, if properly cultivated.

The only public advantage that could arife from these lands lying wafte, was from the timber they produced for the oyal Navy. But the timber, and even the young trees are fo abfolutely deftroyed in moft places, that no benefit of the kind is to be expected from the greateft part of them. 40, or 50,000 acres of the best wooded parts of the different forests, and chaces properly inclofed, and preferved, would produce more timber than the whole does at prefent.

The

The feveral forefts, and chaces are computed to contain above a million of acres. But fuppofing this estimate to exceed by one half, and that they contain 500,000 acres ; there would ftill remain 250,000 acres for royal parks, chaces and timber.

The property of thefe lands has been long vefted in the crown, with a right of commonage by cuftom to the borderers. There are also grants from the crown of feveral lodges, with certain lands, and privileges annexed. It is not propofed that any perfon fhould be deprived of the right or property he is legally entitled to in them, without an equivalent. The lands appropriated to the different lodges, might be fuffered to remain as at prefent; and the value of the right of commonage, or other privilege any perfon may claim, left to the determination of a jury, and paid out of the money arifing from the fale. As for numbers of cottagers, who have erected hutts on these lands, and fupport an idle life, by letting a few half ftarved cattle range for a fcanty fubfiftence in the forefts, and by stealing wood, deer, or game; they can have no pretenfion to redrefs; but ought rather to be reprefsed, as nurseries of villainy and idleness.

If the widening of narrow paffages, and opening convenient ftreets, can be deemed fufficient motives by the legislature, for obliging perfons to quit their habitations, and difpofe of their properties at a price fixed by a jury, it may be expected, with much greater reason, that a law of this nature, which carries a public benefit of fo much higher importance along with it, fhould readily be affented to by parliament.

The confent of his majefty, as a fupreme part of the legiflature, and chief proprietor of thefe lands, is abfolutely neceffary to the paffing a law for this purpofe. And to his high honour, it cannot even be doubted, but he will most readily give his confent to any measure, that appears to be for the public good. More particularly to a law of this nature.

Enfield chace, and Epping foreft, when divided into small lots, would undoubtedly, from their vicinity to the metropolis, fell at a good price, and when inclofed and cultivated, would probably be worth 2 guineas an acre, which is given for worse lands; for thefe being quite fresh, would yield a very great increafe, with lefs expence of cultivation; and be of infinite benefit to London, by fupplying its markets with corn, hay, ftraw, poultry, and many commodities of which there is an apparent fcarcity, fince the town has been fo greatly enlarged. I fhould imagine the whole quantity proposed to be fold wouid produce 15s. per acre; and 25 years purchafe, one with another, which would produce 4,787,500l. and that 787,500l. would be fully fufficient to anfwer the va

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lue of all the rights of commonage, and other charges and expences that might attend the fale. And the refidue, it is obvious, would fo far exceed every prefent demand that it would afford a very great and capital addition to the other fupplies and ftrength of the kingdom in cafe of another war. Many other advantages would arife from the cultivation of thefe lands. Even the land tax to be paid by them, would, 35. in the pound, amount to above 37,500l. per Ann. which would be a faving in proportion, to the landed estates of the kingdom.

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If foreign proteftants were admitted to purchase these lands, with the privilege of naturalization for themselves, and families, by the purchase of 100 acres; and a further privilege of naturalization, for every family that fhould occupy a part of them, or a tenement of 10l. per ann. within a limited time and continue in the fame for three, or five years. It may reasonably be imagined, that many would grafp at fuch an opportunity; and even that opulent families would chufe to eftablifh themselves in a country, whofe fituation, and conftitution, with refpect to religion, and liberty, cannot be equalled which would be a great inducement to many useful hands to come along with them; and affift in cultivating their lands, or establishing manufactures on them; to which, their being near the metropolis, where they are always fure of the beft market, would be an extraordinary encouragement. So that not only the fums of money that foreigners might pay for fuch lands; but probably the whole fortune of fuch families, as well as numbers of useful hands might be acquir ed; which is a point that may deferve our serious attention, as the numbers of our people must have been greatly diminished by the laft war, and are likely to be more fo, by the very extenfive addition of foreign territory we have acquired.

Whoever reflects on the impolitic conduct of Lewis XIV. in forcing fuch numbers of his proteftant fubjects to feek an afylum in this kingdom, on account of their religion, may from thence date the rife and progress of several of the most useful and profitable branches of our manufacture. By their fettling in Spitalfields, then the worft inhabited part of the fuburbs, it is become in little more than half a century, as opulent and populous, as most other parts of the town. And the defcendants of these induftrious people, as heartily attached to our constitution, as any other men in the kingdom.

Although war is no more, at least not for the present, we are ftill to deal with an induftrious people, who will always be ready to vye with us in the arts of peace; and are certainly endeavouring to beat us out of foreign markets, by under

felling