60 Memoirs of Tom Wefton the Comedian. was as part of his household, which was On Tom's return from Holland, he began to confider himself more of a man (having feen the world ;) his bufinefs now became reftraint, and he often neglected it; frequent complaints were made to his father, who gently chid him for his remiffness, which he conftrued into feverity: fome words arofe between them, and the fon, instead of minding his father's advice, gave his paffions their head, and intirely, by his mifconduct, incurred his difpleafure; and indeed his behaviour was too notorious to pass His days were moftly spent in bed, to repair the reft which he loft by fitting up all night, frequently getting into quarrels and difputes, which fometimes ended in being fent to the watch houfe, from whence his father was more than once obliged to bail him, and enter into recognizances for his future good behaviour. over. His father now procured a recommendation for his fon to the late Sir John Bentley, who juf at that time was appointed to the command of the Warpite, a fine 74 gun fhip, juft Jaunched at Deptford, and then rigging and fitting out for fea; and he was accordingly accepted as a midfhipman. Tom's uniforms were Feb. but none feemed likely to fucceed; to Day after day Tom revolved in his mind how to get on fhore, for the fhip now feemed like a prifon to him ; he had been three weeks on board, eat up all the ftock that he had brought, and drank up all his liquors, with the affiftance of his mefimates, never niggardly) and (for he was therefore he had nothing now amufe him; the quarter-deck was but a fhort walk, and he had counted a thousand times how many steps it was from the gangway to the cabindoor. He thought his genius cramped, and forgot, in fo short a space of time, all the promises he had made to his father. A project at length struck him, that feemed to wear an appearance of fuccefs: he had a friend who was a clerk at the war-office; to him he wrote an account of his fituation, and his earnest defire of quitting it upon the thip the firft opportunity, as would foon fail for Portfmouth, and there it would not be fo eafily effectThe plan he laid down to his ed. friend, was to write a letter as from the war-office, to feal it with the office feal, and direct it to him on board his majefty's fhip Warfpite, in LongReach, acquainting him that a commiffion in the army was preparing for him, which he was defired to come up to London in order to receive. This letter was fhewn by him to Sir John Bentley, who, not doubting the truth of it, gave him leave to go on shore; but at the fame time reminded him that if he did not obtain it, he muft not fail to come on board again imvery gravely mediately, which he promifed Sir John he would; and after taking leave of his mesmates, without cheft or baggage, he jumped into a Gravefend boat, and took a final farewel of Sir John, the hip, navy, his cheft and bedding, thinking his liberty of more worth than all. As foon as our hero reached London, he bethought himself of his cheft, which, by an artful letter that he fent on board, he received fafe; his wants he knew would very foon demand the could neceflary fupplies which its contents 1776. Tom's first Entrance on the Stage. could furnish. Home he was certain was no place for him; his father's difpleasure he was fure was unconquerable, therefore he did not attempt it. He now gave a full range to his paffions, and thinking himself his own mafter, indulged his every inclination: but in a fhort time he found his wardrobe decrease apace, his cash was foon gone, and he had begun to borrow on his clothes for prefent fubfiftance; he dined upon a waistcoat, went to the play and supped upon a shirt, and breakfasted upon a stock and pair of ftockings; he was therefore afraid in a fortnight's time he should eat up the cheft and all its contents: fomething was of course to be done; he looked round him for fome eligible means of fubfiftance, and after a few moments thinking, concluded on the stage. He accordingly applied at his ufual houfe of call, the Black. Lyon, in Ruffel-street, and there found a vacancy in the celebrated Oliver Carr's company, which at that time was at Endfield. Carr's company was well known to all the playwrights for many years; it had made lines of circumvallation round London, and occafionally pitched its tent at every town, village and hamlet within twenty miles about this metropolis. Tom faw the managerefs, for though Oliver was dead, and his wife kept the company, it ftill went in Oliver's name; the faw Tom, and received him a member immediately. Things worth nothing are very foon to be had; the fharing was fo fmall that no one could live on it but the manager. Tom now was no economift, fo it will be easily gueffed what he did when he joined the company. To three different towns did Tom go with mother Carr, in which time his benefits and sharing, put together, did not amount to five fhillings per week. 'Tis not to be fuppofed he could fubfift on fo fmall a fum; in truth he did not, but left a number of chalks at each place, befides a fmall part of his wardrobe. Tom afterwards had an offer to join a company about fifty miles from London, and the manager gave him half a guinea for his journey, the ufual allowance being at the rate of a guinea for an hundred miles, and 61 alfo the payment of the carriage of the performer's things; but as to the laft, Tom did not put the company to expence; he went an outfide paffenger in the ftage, and had all things in a hat box, which went carriage free. He joined the company in good fpirits, faw a tolerable theatre, and fome fort of regularity, and again was for fhining in tragedy; the manager did all he could to perfuade him to the contrary, but in vain; at length he infifted on the contrary, and the rest of the performers thinking their intereft might be hurt with regard to the receipts of the houses, joined in what the manager faid, and he was fain to comply, and therefore played Scrub with great approbation : he however performed (as players in the country are fervants of all work) feveral parts in tragedy during the feafon, but met with no kind of fuccefs in his attempts, which he attributed to the want of judgment in the audience, being well affured he knew his own fort better than any one else. The bufinefs with this company was worse than Mrs. Carr's; Tom therefore made away with almost every thing he had, and he quitted this company the very day after his benefit by which he cleared five and twenty fhillings, and fet off for London, with all his wardrobe on him. Tom's arrival was lucky; Yates and Shuter had taken a booth in Bartholomew Fair, and he got engaged with them for the time it lafted. Here he paraded (thewed himself between every performance to the mob in his ftage drefs, in a gallery erected before the booth) and played nine times a day for a guinea. The money he got fet him a little upon his legs, and by means of a friend he was engaged at Foote's, in the Hay-Market, but in a very low caft of playing; for even at the coming out of the Minor, in the year 1760, he only played Dick: he now met with an agreeable young lady, a milliner in the Haymarket, whom he courted and married, but by whom he never had any children; the appeared at Foote's theatre in Lucy, in the Minor, and promised, with care, to make a tolerable actress; her forte was in finging and fentimental comedy. PAR The Remainder of Mr. Wefton's Life, his Chara&er as a Comedian, and his genuine Will, in our next. See jome Lines to his Memory in our Poetical Effays. 62 Feb. PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY. An Abfirat Hiftory of the Proceedings of the fecond Seffion of the fourteenth Parliament of Great Britain, which met and was holden at Westminster, on Thursday the 26th of October 1775. Continued from our Magazine for the Month of January laft, p. 16. TH fiderations, which induced your Ma. jefty to fend a part of your electoral troops to the garrifons of Gibraltar and Port Mahon, in order that a larger number of the established forces of this kingdom might be applied to the maintenance of its authority." HOUSE of COMMONS. HE addrefs carried in the House of Lords being reported the fame night, was ordered to be prefented in the ufual form: that agreed to by the Commons according to the ufages of that House, was to be reported, and on the report lay open to further difcuffion. The next day, being the 27th of October, Mr. Ackland reported the addrefs, which produced another debate, no lefs warm, acrimonious and obftinate, than the former. Before we proceed to state the arguments, fo ably and ftrenuously maintained on both fides, it will be neceffary to take notice of a circumftance which happened the preceding evening, but which did not fo immediately, or properly, come within the tranfactions of that memorable night. Several independent gentlemen, who The paffage in the addrefs was in gracious con Sir Matthew Ridley, Sir William Lemon, Sir Robert Smith, Mr. Viner, and Mr. Powys, diftinguifhed themfelves on this occafion. Some of them declared, they went away without voting, fooner than give their fanction to a measure which appeared to them no lefs illegal and unconstitutional, than dangerous in point of precedent, and wanton and unneceffary in respect of policy. Others expreffing the fame fentiments, owned, that they had voted for the addrefs, but it was on the implied condition, that they were to get fatisfaction on that head; for they could never confent to recognize in the crown, an inherent right of introducing foreigners into this kingdom, without a neceffity stated, as the only ground for fuch a meafure. This converfation was kept afloat for full two hours, in the courfe of which, the minifter was alternately called upon by fome of his steadiest friends and warmest opponents, to give an affurance, that if the addrefs were permitted to pafs in its prefent form, he would on fome future day, to be appointed, bring the legality of the measure under the confideration of the Houfe. To this propofition, he feemed extremely unwilling to give a direct reply; and on being further preffed, anfwered in general terms, that the navy and army estimates would come before the Houfe in a few days, either of which he fuppofed would be a proper time for the fuller difquifition of the prefent question. Mr. Powys having perceived, that no direct affurance was to be drawn from the minifter, moved, "that the addrefs PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY. 1776. The fame topics and the fame arguments, which were fubjects of the former debate, again recurred. The right of impofing taxes, for the purpoles of raifing a revenue on America, the expediency of enforcing, and the practicability of carrying fuch a claim into effectual execution, was contended for or denied. The conduct of administration was attacked and defended. In fhort literally speaking, almost every thing urged in the debate on the speech, was repeatedly infifted on. As to the fubject of the foreign troops, it seemed in a great measure to be totally overlooked, till at length the minifter being frequently told, that the measure molt probably was not bis own, but had been dictated to him, he rofe and affured the Houfe, that he was one of the king's fervants, who had advised it; that he thought it perfectly justifiable; and was fully fatisfied, that it could be defended both on principles of law, and of the conftitution. As the debate had been now drawn out to a very confiderable length, and as feveral of the gentlemen who had voted for the address, seemed defirous to confine the prefent confideration merely to the point of the foreign troops, Mr. Powys was prevailed on to withdraw his motion of recommitment, to make room for another fpecifically directed against the evil, which was properly the fubject of debate. On this idea Sir George Yonge again called on the minifter to explain himfelf, before he should make his intended motion; but a promife of any kind of future fecurity being refufed to be given, Sir George propofed the following amendment to the addrefs, by inferting in it, instead of the paffage before quoted, "We will immediately take into confideration the meafure of introducing foreign troops into any part of the dominions of the crown of Great Britain, without the previous confent of parliament." This motion again united the country gentlemen (who difapproved of the introduction of the foreign troops only) with thofe who were averfe to the American me fures at large; and the adroitnefs of the minifter was pretty 63 remarkable on this occafion, as will appear in the fequel. The firit law officer of the crown, as well as feveral other members of adminiftration, now contended, that the addrefs was no more than a matter of courfe; that it would be indecent though the House were perfectly convinced that the measure was illegal and unconfitutional, to foift it into. the addrefs; that the words "gracious confiderations" were of a loose and indefinite fignification; that they contained nothing fpecific, and if they really did, an addrefs taken in the mere light of compliment, by no means precluded the Houfe to refume the fubject; that this was according to the known and established ufage of parliament, even when the Houfe had conceived a decided difapprobation of the communications from the throne; that even in the reign of Charles I. before matters were brought to extremities, this rule had never been departed from in a fingle inftance; that departing from it in the prefent, would be justly deemed a direct infult of the perfon of his majefty, not a cenfure of his minifters; that the measure was founded in law, and fupported by the principles of the conftitution, but that was not now the proper fubject of confideration; that thofe who imagined it was not, might bring it before the House in a more regular and parliamentary manner, if they thought proper,on fome future day; and that, if on a full examination the measure was found to be unconftitutional or illegal, the neceffity might be fhewn, and its advifers be protected, as minifters in fuch cales always were, by a bill of indemnity.-The minifter immediately took the hint, or more probably followed it. He lowered his tone confiderably. He faid, for his own part, he faw no neceffity for the bill now mentioned, he ftill thought the measure right, but as feveral gentlemen, for whofe fentiments and opinions he had always retained great deference, differed from him, he had no objection to fuch a bill. He was always pleafed to learn the fenfe of the Houfe, and acquiefce in its opinion whenever it could be fairly and impar tially collected. If therefore the prefent question should be taken up as a diftinct object, either by the way of a refolu 64 PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY. tion or a bill, he would chearfully abide by whatever determination the Houfe might come to; for in either event, it was plain, he could have no intereft or wish to prevent it. This declaration feemed to foften and fatisfy fome of thofe who expreffed themselves most warmly against the measure; and the queftion being put at one o'clock in the morning, the report was agreed to by a majority of 176 against 72. HOUSE of COMMONS. October the 30th the minifter, in purfuance of that part of the king's fpeech, which recommended a well planned and well regulated national militia, as the means of giving farther extent and activity to our military operations, presented "a bill for enabling his majesty to call out and asfemble the militia in cafes of rebellion, in any part of the dominions of the crown of Great Britain." The bill was read a first time, and ordered to be read a fecond time on November the 2d. A fhort converfation enfued, relative to the impropriety propofed by the title of the bill of trusting the additional powers out of the hands of parliament, and vefting them in the crown, upon conditions, which by the artifices of the minifter might be created at pleasure. HOUSE of LORDS. Nov. the ft. The duke of Manchefter made the following motion in the House of Lords, "That bringing into any part of the dominions of the crown of Great Britain, the electoral troops of his majefty, or any other foreign troops, without the previous confent of parliament, is dangerous and unconftitutional." This motion was ably supported on the part of oppofition; the ground on which it was maintained was fimple and perfpicuous: itwas faid, by the ancient or common law of the land no troops could be raised without the confent of parliament; that this law was recognized and confirmed at the Revolution, which is the great foundation of the prefent establishment; that if it required any other legal fanction, the mutiny bill which recites "that keeping a ftanding army within the kingdom is againft law, but is neceffary for the fafety of the kingdom, the defence of the poffeffions of the crown, and the prefervation of the ba Feb. lance of Europe, that a number of The arguments oppofed to the fore- HOUSE of COMMONS. The fame day colonel Barre called on the fecretary of war for the last returns of the army, the places where they were ftationed, and an account of the effectives and non-effectives of each corps. This was ftrongly refifted by all the call leading members of adminiftration, to |