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9 (1861)
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WILLIAM THE THIRD.

151

than a Papist recusant. Such complaints as these were chap.not likely to call forth the sympathy of the AVbig male- HFasTcontents. But there were three war cries in which all theenemies of the government, from Trenchard to Seymour,could join: No standing army; No grants of Crown pro-perty; and No Dutchmen. Multitudes of honest free-holders and freemen were weak enough to believe that,unless the land force, which had already been reducedbelow what the public safety required, were altogether dis-banded, the nation would be enslaved, and that, if theestates which the King had given away were resumed, alldirect taxes might bo abolished. The animosity to theDutch mingled itself both with the animosity to standingarmies and Avith the animosity to Crown grants. For abrigade of Dutch troops was part of the military establish-ment which was still kept up; and it was to Dutch fa-vourites that William had been most liberal of the royaldomains.

The elections, however, began auspiciously for the tiic dec-government. The first great contest was in Westminster.

It must be remembered that Westminster was then by farthe greatest city in the island, except only the neighbouringcity of London, and contained more than three times aslarge a population as Bristol or Norwich, which came nextin size. The right of voting at Westminster was in thehouseholders paying scot and lot; and the householderspaying scot and lot were many thousands. It is also to beobserved that their political education was much further