Upon this developement of the motives, the views, and the consistency of the above-mentioned band of patriots, Johnson once remarked to me, that it had given more strength to government than all that had been written in its defence, meaning thereby, that it had destroyed all confidence in men of that character. Little did he then think, that the people of this country would again be deluded, by fallacious reasoning and fpecious eloquence, into a fruitless expenditure of near one hundred millions, or that ftatues would ever be erected to eternize the memory of a minister, of whom, in 1771, he faid it would be happy if the nation fhould difmifs him to nameless obfcurity.

History has been faid to be philofophy teaching by example, and well would it be for mankind, if they would convert events into precepts, and not poftpone their care to prevent evils, till their own experience fhall have brought them home to themselves. New generations of men arife in fucceffion, who, in the nonage of their faculties, are credulous, weak, and open to deceit thefe, unhackneyed in the ways of the world, truft to the profeffions of all who pretend a friendship for them; and, when they are told they are il governed, are as ready, as were the Ifraelites of old, to murmur against their rulers. And let all be faid that can of a principle in men invested with power, to abuse it and become tyrants, the hiftory of the world will inform us, that there is also a disease, which the Scriptures emphatically term, the madness of the people, from which evils greater than from defpotifm are to be feared, and that government, even where it is beft administered, fubfifts more by force than by the confent of those who derive benefit from it.

What

What an advantage, then, does this difpofition in a people give to ambitious men, endowed with that kind of eloquence, which fascinates without conviction, and, while it delights, stupifies!

His frequent reflections on the politics of this country, and the willingness of the people to be deceived, had begot in Johnfon fuch an apathy, as rendered him deaf to the calls of those who were watching over our dearest rights. When the cry was loudeft against general warrants, he took not the alarm; and, when they were declared illegal, he protefted to me, that he would, at no time of his life, have given half a crown to be for ever indemnified against their operation. The queftion of the legality of that kind of procefs is now at an end, and I will not arraign the decifion that condemned it; but it will ever remain a question, whether we have not loft more by it than we have gained; and, that the friends of liberty, particularly the citizens of London, may be enabled to difcufs it, I will furnifh them with a few facts, that I believe they have never yet been aware of.

Few are fo ignorant as not to know, that the English manufactures excel thofe of all other countries; but many there are who need to be told, that the time may come, when they fhall ceafe to maintain that character. Many of the princes of Europe have become emulous of our greatnefs, and have long been labouring to establish, in their dominions, fuch articles of trade, as fhould not only rival our's, but, in respect of cheapnefs, gain a preference at foreign markets. To this end, it has, for fome years paft, been the practice of the emiffaries of foreign courts, by their agents, and the temptation of large

premiums,

premiums, to engage artificers to leave this country, and, taking with them their wives and families, as alfo their engines, tools, and implements of their refpective trades, to fettle abroad. Clothiers, weavers, frame-work-knitters, watch-makers, and men of various other occupations, have been the people whom they have chiefly thus inveigled, and have, from time to time, in great numbers, in fhips provided and ftationed for the purpofe, tranfported out of the kingdom. To check this practice, acts of parliament have been made, which lay fuch emigrants under great difabilities, even to the depriving them of the privileges of fubjects, and others that inflict heavy penalties on thofe that feduce them; and the aid of government has been frequently implored to restrain, in their flight from their native land, fhip-loads of the most useful of all fubjects. The method has uniformly been, upon information given at his office, for a fecretary of ftate to iffue his warrant, a general one, that is to fay, without any specification of names, to ftop the failing of the veffel, which, perhaps, was lying at Wapping, Ratcliff, or Blackwall, ready with the tide to depart. Warrants of this kind feldom failed of their effect; the emigrants were feized, and the mischief prevented.

This relief it is now not in the

ment or its minifters to grant: the

application is now, and must be

power of govern

answer to fuch an

General warrants

• have been determined to be illegal: furnish us with the names of the perfons whom you would have apprehended, or we cannot help you*.'

The

• In cafes where it has been poffible to aid the manufacturers of

The licence, which this determination affords, has already begun to operate, and, perhaps, in no inftance more than in the article of watches. For many years paft, this manufacture has flourished to fuch a degree, that large fortunes have been acquired by it, and that chiefly in our commerce with Spain, in which country, a watch, fabricated in England, has been deemed a prefent for a grandee, and even for a fovereign prince. It is well known, that the late king of Spain was extremely fond of clocks and watches, and that he was used, by letters in his own hand-writing, to correfpond with Mr. Ellicot on the fubject of his art; and, that this ingenious artificer

this kingdom, the secretaries of fate are, however, ftill ready to exert the little authority which the decifion on general warrants has left them, as will appear by the following article of news, extracted from the St. James's Chronicle of the tenth of December, 1785:

Liverpool, Dec. 1. Tuesday laft, a man was committed to jail, on a charge of having in his poffeffion a great number of machines for fpinning, &c. of cotton, with intent to get fuck • machines conveyed to the dominions of the emperor of Germany. He also stands charged with another very serious offence, the enticing a number of manufacturers in the cotton branch to go and fettle in the emperor's dominions. The vigilance and activity ⚫ of ministry have traced out this most notorious offender, and • feveral others engaged with him in the fame pernicious fcheme, big with deftruction to this country. The penalty for having ⚫ manufacturing machines, implements, &c. in a person's custody, with the bare intent of exporting them to any place out of his majefty's dominions, is 2001. and forfeiture of such manufacturing machines, implements, &c. and the penalty of perfuading, or attempting to perfuade, any artificer in manu factures to refide in any place out of the king's dominions, is 500l. for the first offence, and twelve months' imprisonment,

and 1000l. and two years' imprifonment, for every future offence.

learn

learnt the Spanish language, to enable him to maintain the correspondence with his majesty. Since that time, the French, and alfo the Genevans, have become our rivals in this curious fpecies of mechanism, and we have lately experienced, that English watches no longer find their vent abroad *. The woollen, the filk, the linen, and the cotton manufactures have been obliged to the legislature for affistance against the endeavours of other European powers, to establifh them in their feveral countries, where, as labour is cheaper than it is with us, they would have a good chance to flourish, and exclude us from foreign markets.

These mischiefs have followed from the reftraint of a power, which, as it had oftener been exercised for the benefit of the trade and manufactures of this kingdom, than to the hurt of individuals, might well have been fuffered to remain where it was, especially as the minifters thereof were, at all times, responsible for any abuse of it.

The probable confequence of this innovation will be, that in a few years, we shall fee the French and neighbouring nations excel us as much in other manufactures, as they already do in thofe of cambrick and paper, in printing, and other of the manual

arts.

*Twelve thousand watches have already been brought back, in the ships arrived this fummer from India, which has created no ⚫ small stir and combuftion among the dealers in that article. They were not returned for want of a good market, but for their bad ⚫ materials, and worfe finishing; the natives being now become almost as good judges of this branch of British manufacture as ⚫ many of our European makers.' St. James's Chronicle, 19th July, 1785.