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380 TEE LONDON WEST INDIA INTEREST July He said, he would carry it with him into the Country, where he was going during the Holy Days, and read it ; but whatever his own sentiments might be, the rest of the ministry were of opinion that an additional Duty upon sugar, would be born by the Consumers, and it was resolved therefore to bring a Bill for that purpose into the house, the case was then published. . . . The printed case has been sent to the respective house of every Member of Parliament in Town. The Agents, Planters and Merchants, have also agreed and divided themselves into several small parties to attend upon the several Members, and many of them have already been addressed upon the Subject and every one of them will be solicited personally, before the Bill comes into the House, All people that have any Interest with such as have Influence with Members are also Courted, and People in general seem to think as we do, in opposition to the Bill. Copies of the case have also been dispersed to the several sea ports of the Kingdom, besides publishing it in the Evening Post, and nothing shall be wanted to make the clamour popular, and if possible to get this d d Bill as much abhored as the Excise Scheme. 1 In another letter of the same date, 17 January 1743/4, the mer- chant states that ' there have been for some weeks passed frequent meetings of the Agents, Planters and Factors, interested in the Sugar Colonies '. One of the partners of this firm of merchants was a member of a ' Committee ' which went round to visit the members of parliament at their houses. A letter describes their experiences : Our George Maxwell with three more, had the City Members in their beat this morning, and really some of them are odd people, but they were all of our side, but not to be much regarded, as they are of the Minority that oppose the Court. We found a d — lish staunch Man for us, whom Mr. Knight used to call by the name of forty-one Heathcott, but that Man would have been of our side without any regard to the merit of our Cause meerly to gratify his own natural propensity to opposition. 2 The next day George Maxwell with the same three deputies had the Quarters of 30 and odd Members to beat up. . . . The Courtiers were extremely civil, and said they had read our Pamphlet, which they thought well wrote, but as they were not versed in the knowledge of Trade, they must suspend their opinion till our arguments came to be debated in Parliament, and they assured us they had great tenderness for Trade, and especially for that of the Sugar Colonies. 3 Among the members visited were two of especial interest, Dodington, of whom we learn that ' he wants as much to be a Courtier again as any one, and was they say refused, absolutely by the King to be taken in upon the last Change, because he had 1 Letter-book of Messrs. Lascelles and Maxwell, 1743-5, pp. 82-3, letter dated 17 January 1743/4 to General Applewhaite. 2 Ibid., p. 85, letter dated 17 January 1743/4 to James Bruce. 3 Ibid,