[WITHALL, Benjamin]

The Case of Great-Britain, in Relation to His Majy.'s Office of Ordnance, Represented by Benjamin Withall, Engineer [caption title]

London? 1715. Broadsheet. [1]p. plus printed docket title on verso. Disbound. Small folio. Early folds and early stab holes in left margin. Some foxing.

A rare political leaflet alleging frauds and abuses by the British Board of Ordnance in 1715, George I's first full year as king. The author, engineer Benjamin Withall, shows that the Office of Ordnance's estimate for land service for 1715, a year of peace, is more than triple that of 1714, the final year of the War of the Spanish Succession. Arguing that the budget should not be much more than one-fifth the present estimate of £170,991, Withall petitions Parliament to allow him to interrogate members of the Board regarding their "strange" and "marvellous" calculation. This is among the earliest examples of lobbying literature, which first began proliferating in the lobby of the House of Commons at the time of the accession of King George I and the British general election of 1715. ESTC lists three copies, at the Goldsmiths' Company, University of London, and Oxford.

Hanson 2176.

Item #21227

Price: $425.00