CHAP. IX. Commencement of lord North's administration.-The remonfrance of the city of London-and reply of his majefty-are difcuffed in parliament.-Bill to prevent officers of the revenue from voting at elections-negatived.-Mr. Grenville's law for regulating contested elections.-Lord North's bill for repealing all duties on America, except on tea.-Tumult at Bofton-captain Preston and the foldiers interferetried and acquitted.-The minifter wishing conciliation, overlooks the riot.-Seffion rifes.-War between Ruffia and Turkey.-Catharine is favoured by England-fends a fleet to the Mediterranean-her armies over-run Moldavia and Wallachia-alarm Prussia and Auftria.-France-disputes be tween the king and parliaments.—Dispute between Britain and Spain about Falkland's island.—Spain, the aggressor, refufes to make adequate fatisfaction-trufts to the co-operation of France-difappointed-offers conceffions that fatisfy the British court.-America becomes more tranquil.-Difcontents fill continue in England.-London addresses the king-dignified answer of his majefty—noted reply of Beckford, the lord mayor.—Meeting of parliament.—Lord Mansfield's doctrines on the law of libel—are controverted by lord Camden_ Camden challenges the chief juftice to a legal difquifition on the fubject lord Mansfield declines the conteft.-Profecution of printers. Mifunderstanding between the two houses.-Singular confederacy for bribery in the borough of Shoreham.Oppofition cenfure the terms of fatisfaction admitted from Spain.-Supplies.-Seffion rifes. L° IX. 1770. Commence ORD North, chancellor of the exchequer, fuc- CHAP. ceeded the duke of Grafton in his office of firft lord of the treasury; and from this time commenced an administration which forms a momentous æra in the hiftory of Great Britain. E 3 The ment of lord North's adminiftration. СНА Р. IX. 1770. Remon ftrance of city of London, The Middlefex election came before both houses in a variety of forms, and produced brilliant and forcible eloquence, but neceffarily a repetition of arguments which had been already employed. In difcuffing this fubject, lord Chatham reviewed the measures of government, which he declared, in its principles and details, to be weak, unconstitutional, and ruinous; and unfolded his own reafons for opposing a miniftry which owed its existence to himself. Finding (he faid) the line of conduct which he had chalked out not obferved, and his opinion totally over-ruled, he had withdrawn from public business, and at length entirely refigned.His feveral motions, however, were negatived by the influence of ministry. The reception of the London petition underwent very fevere animadverfions. The king not having paid to that production the favourable attention which its authors had the prefumption to expect, they chose to deliver another paper to the king, entitled, the humble address, remonstrance, and petition of the lord mayor, aldermen, and livery of the city of London. In this humble application to their fovereign, thefe citizens undertook to declare what was the law of the land, and wherein it had been violated; and to prophecy that its violation would produce more ruinous confequences, than the ship-money of Charles I. and the dispensing power of James II. The citizens next declared the parliament a non-entity, an illegal meeting, whose acts were not binding, and therefore could require no obedience. They drew a parallel between the administrations of George III. and James II.; differing indeed in means, but concurring (they af firmed) IX. 1770. firmed) in principles and fyftem. The conftitution, CHA P. now endangered by the wickedness of his majesty's minifter's, had been established by the virtue of their ancestors, and by the virtue of prefent patriots it should be preserved. The concluding paragraph of this effay I fhall quote, as a fpecimen of the terms in which this corporation dictated to their monarch, and of the licentioufness of that period of history. "Since, therefore, the mifdeeds of your majesty's minifters, in violating the freedom of election, and depraving the noble conftitution of parliaments, are notorious, as well as fubverfive of the fundamental laws and liberties of this realm; and fince your majesty, both in honour and justice, is obliged inviolably to preserve them, according to the oath made to God and your fubjects at your coronation; we, your majesty's remonftrants, affure ourselves, that your majefty will reftore the con. stitutional government and quiet of your people, by diffolving this parliament, and removing those evil ministers for ever from your councils, The anfwer was a striking example of temperate, but dignified and forcible reproof; it was couched in the following terms: "I fhall always be ready to receive the requests, and to liften to the complaints of my fubjects; but it gives me great concern to find, that any of them fhould have been fo far mifled, as to offer me an address and remonftrance, the contents of which I cannot but confider as disrespectful to me, injurious to my parliament, and irreconcilable to the principles of the constitution. I have made the law of the land the rule of my conduct, esteeming it my chief glory to reign over a free people. With this view, I have always been careful, E 4 and reply of his ma jetty, IX. 1779. CHAP. careful, as well to execute faithfully the trust reposed in me, as to avoid even the appearance of invading any of those powers which the conftitution has placed in other hands. It is only by persevering in such a conduct, that I can either discharge my own duty, or fecure to my fubjects the free enjoyment of those rights which my family were called to defend and while I act upon these principles, I fhall have a right to expect, and I am confident I fhall continue to receive, the fteady and affectionate fupport of my people." On the 15th of March, the remonstrance was difcuffed by the house. The city members, fupported by the rest of the oppofition, defended it: its framers gloried in the production. Others, less violent, eluded the merits of the paper in question, and reasoned on the general right of petitioning his majefty, and the propriety of addreffing him at the prefent time. The fupporters of minifters. confined them felves to this fpecific remonftrance, which they contended, and proved, to be infulting, injurious, and dangerous; particularly dwelling on that part of it which prefumed to deny the legality of the prefent parliament, as tending to deprive the people of their reprefentatives, and to annul every act which had paffed fince the general election. Both houses addreffed his majefty, thanking him for his answer to the remonftrance. Several motions were made for an addrefs to his majefty to diffolve the parliament, but these were negatived. Lord Chatham was extremely active in anti-ministerial propofitions; and the admirer of the highest wisdom and patriotifm of thofe times must regret, that the heat of party-contention fhould fo far have tranf IX. 1770. Bill for difqualify. ing officers of the re venue from elections, transported this illuftrious fenator, as to have in- CHA P. duced him to countenance and fupport the very irreverent remonftrance of the city of London. An attempt was made to diminish the influence of the crown, by propofing a bill to difqualify certain officers of the revenue from voting for members of parliament; and a motion to this effect was voting at made on the 11th of February. The fupporters of the propofition obferved, that the chief officers of the revenue were disqualified from fitting in parliament, and that there were the fame reasons for incapacitating inferior officers from being electors. Both claffes of fervants must be under the direction of the crown; and the departments of the revenue were become fo numerous, as to render that influence inconfiftent with the purposes of a free representation. Ministers replied, that the motion prefumed in its objects a dependence and corruption which was not proved; on this prefumption, it propofed to place holders of thofe employments in a worse fituation than their fellow-countrymen ; and thus to deprive many individuals of the rights of British subjects: the motion was rejected. On is negatived. the 28th, a propofition was made for infpecting the accounts of the civil lift during the year 1769. The nation (it was urged) had a right to examine how its late grants had been employed if the money had been properly used, no inconvenience could accrue to minifters from the inspection; if improperly applied, it was the duty of the houfe to make the discovery. It was answered, that the civil lift being entirely the revenue of the crown, the crown had a right to expend it at will; if an application had been made for an additional grant, the |