own independence, and to prevent
the accumulation of new burdens on the people by the growth of a civil
list debt, they passed the Establishment Bill. By that bill thirty-six
offices tenable by members of Parliament were suppressed, and an order
of payment was framed by which the growth of any fresh debt was rendered
impracticable. The debt on the civil list from the beginning of the
present reign had amounted to one million three hundred thousand pounds
and upwards. Another act was passed for regulating the office of the
Paymaster-General and the offices subordinate to it. A million of public
money had sometimes been in the hands of the paymasters: this act
prevented the possibility of any money whatsoever being accumulated in
that office in future. The offices of the Exchequer, whose emoluments in
time of war were excessive, and grew in exact proportion to the public
burdens, were regulated,--some of them suppressed, and the rest reduced
to fixed salaries. To secure the freedom of election against the crown,
a bill was passed to disqualify all officers concerned in the collection
of the revenue in any of its branches from voting in elections: a most
important act, not only with regard to its primary object, the freedom
of election, but as materially forwarding the due collection of revenue.
For the same end, (the preserving the freedom of election,) the House
rescinded the famous judgment relative to the Middlesex election, and
expunged it from the journals. On the principle of reformation of their
own House, connected with a principle of public economy, an act passed
for rendering contractors with government incapable of a seat in
Parliament. The India Bill (unfortunately lost in the House of Lords)
pursued the same idea to its completion, and disabled all servants of
the East India Company from a seat in that House for a certain time, and
until their conduct was examined into and cleared. The remedy of
infinite corruptions and of infinite disorders and oppressions, as well
as the security of the most important objects of public economy,
perished with that bill and that Parliament. That Parliament also
instituted a committee to inquire into the collection of the revenue in
all its branches, which prosecuted its duty with great vigor, and
suggested several material improvements.

[62] If these speculations are let loose, the House of Lords may quarrel
with their share of the legislature, as being limited with regard to