upon by many as only one of those farces of Government which are at times thought neceflary to be practised by all States.] Complaint being made by a Member of the Houfe of a paper called The Crifis,' No. 3, it was refolved nem. com. that it was a moft fcandalous libel, and that it fhould be burnt by the hands of the common hangman.' [This Crifis is a weekly publication, written in numbers, after the manner of the Monitor, North-Briton, &c. but in a mofi vulgar, abufive Ayle, and therefore not improperly ranked with the Whisperer, publifhed a few years fince, which is fuppofed to have been profeffedly jet on foot, in order to throw an odium on the prefs. Papers of this fort, on whatever motive fet up, can moft assuredly be productive of no other effect, than by their groffness and fcurrility to bring all other publications into difgrace, and fo at la produce, perhaps, that gag fo eften wished for by every bad Minifry, another Imprimatur, as in the days of Charles the Second.}] After this a long debate enfued, with refpect to the American papers, which contained nothing new upon the fubject. permiffion to fifh was a matter of indulgence; that thofe, who by their dutiful obedient conduct might deserve fuch an indulgence, would certainly have it: and those who did not could not with justice complain, because they would thereby be ftripped of no property, be deprived of no privilege; for, if they were miferable or diftreffed, it was beyond question clear that it could only proceed from their own choice. Mr. Burke was uncommonly eloquent, rational, and convincing. He obferved that we were now blindly rushing on ruin and deftruction; we were wantonly and paffionately doing what we never could again undo. The fishery is now in being, fays he; we may; nay indeed, we muit, if the prefent measures be adopted, certainly annihilate it. The most abject, infignificant, and worthlefs perfon that ever breathed, may murder a man, but the greatest collective body that ever met cannot reftore him to life; juft fo it will be with your Newfoundland fishery; deftroy, or even interrupt it once, and you will never again be able to make it return into its former channels. But, even fuppofing that you should embark heartily in the caufe, however impracticable fuch a scheme in many other refpects may be, will any man, converfant in the extent of the fishery, the numerous conveniencies, &c. the New-England men have of carrying it on, pretend to fay, that the facts endeavoured to be establish March 1.] This day the Houfe expedited a great deal of private bufinefs. At three o'clock the House went into a Committee on the Bill for reftraining the commerce, and prohibiting the NewEngland Provinces from fifhing on the banks of Newfoundland. A ftrong op-ed this day at your bar, deferve a mo pofition was expected on the part of the Minority; but the field was left to Administration intirely clear, not a fyllable being offered by way of either amendment or reprobation. The victors, however, defigned to make a few alterations, or what they were pleased to call amend ments. Tuesday, March 7.] A motion being made, that the American Fishery Bill, with the amendments, be engroffed, an able and animated debate enfued, which continued till half past seven o'clock. when the question being put, the House divided, Ayes 215, Noes 61. Lord Howe was the firft who fpoke to the motion. He expatiated much on the neceffity of the measure, as the only moderate means of bringing the difobedient Provinces to a fenfe of their duty, without involving the Empire in all the horrors of a civil war. Mr. Rice was warmly for the Bill; he infifted that the Americans would not be deprived of any one right whatsoever that the fishery belonged to Britain; that ; ment's ferious confideration, when it is notorious that 500,000l. must be advanced in this trade before any return whatever can be made? He expatiated largely on the direful effects this Bill muft produce in thofe places, where both their food and all the means of procuring it depended on the fifhery; famine in fuch an event, he faid, muft be inevitable; and whether it would not be more humane ta butcher them at once, than to starve them by a defigned and pre-determined famine, could hardly admit of a question, He observed that it had been much reli ed on by the Gentlemen on the other fide, that the refpective Governors were invested with a power to prevent the evils predicted, fhould the present Bill be paffed into a law; but this he contended was by no means the cafe, particularly in Connecticut and Rhode-Ifland, where the Governors, not being appointed by the Crown, were precluded by the Bill from exercifing that difcretionary power, on which the friends of the Bill offered to defend its justice and practicability. In fhort, he concluded his fpeech with bestowing on the Bill almoft every op. probrious epithet in the English language, obferving, that it was the blackeit, moft tyrannic, and oppreffive A&t, that ever paffed a Britif Houfe of Parliament. The above Bill paffed by a great majority. Tuesday, March 16.] This day the examination of witnefles relative to the Petition from the Merchants, Traders, and others, trading to North-America, came on, when, Mr. Alderman Oliver having taken the Chair, Meffrs. Need, Parker, Stanford, Topott, and Rawfon, were heard in behalf of faid Petition, and likewife in behalf of the Planters of his Majetty's Sugar Colonies refiding in Great Britain. As foon as the evidence was clofed, Mr. Glover, Agent for the Merchants of London, recapitulated the whole, and, with a force of reasoning, an energy of expreffion, and an accurate comprehenfive knowledge of the commercial policy and trading interefts of this country, demonstrated too plainly what the prefent train of meafures refpecting America mult inevitably lead to, both in point of internal discord and confufion, and external danger and probable deftruction. Wednesday, March 22.] There was a remarkable full attendance of the Members. At half after three o'clock, Mr. Burke opened his grand Conciliatory plan between Great Britain and the Colonies. It took in a great part of that propofed by Lord Chatham, by way of Bill to the other Houfe, with feveral additions and amendments of his own. It confifted of nine different refolutions. The three firft declared the great conftitutional rights of both countries; the three next went to the repeal of the feveral Acts of Parliament, directly impofing, or tending to impofe taxes on America; and the three concluding ones, after having provided the means and manner of railing a revenue on certain occasions by the Americans themselves, ordains, that the aids, thus to be given and granted, fhall be brought into the public coffers by way of royal requifition. The first fix propofitions were allowed by the majority of even those who voted against them to be downright truifms in politics. The firft, that on which the question was put, was, That North America, containing fourteen different provinces and diftinct governments, and containing two millions of people, is not reprefented in the British Parliament' The fecond and third relate to the conftitution of a kind of States Ge May, 1775. neral, or meeting, compofed of a certain number of Delegates or Representatives, by which the united interefts and their public relation and conduct towards Great Britain fhould be regulated: The other fix are relative to the repeal of the revenue laws, and the mode of granting and applying money obtained by the King's perfonal requifition, without the interpofition of Parliament, except refpecting its expenditure. Mr. Burke was. on his legs till almost half after fix, wanting but a few minutes of three hours. It was confeffed on all hands, that it was the moft finifhed piece of oratory ever delivered in a British Senate. At eleven o'clock the previous queftion being put early, in the debate for the order of the day, by Mr. Jenkinson, and feconded by Lord Clare, the Houfe divided, Ayes 78, Noes 270. The principal fpeakers were Mr. Burke, Lord John Cavendish, Mr. Jenkinfon, Lord Clare, Mr. Powys, Mr. Cornwall, Mr. Anne Poulet, Mr. Tuffnal, Mr. Lifter, Mr. Sawbridge, Lord Geo. Germain, Mr. Fox, Lord Frederick Campbell, Mr. Hotham, and Mr. Field. Thursday, March 30.] A few minutes after the houfe met, a meffage was delivered from his Majefly, by Sir Francis Molyneaux, Knight, Gentleman Ufher of the Black-Rod, commanding their immediate attendance in the House of Peers. As foon as the Speaker returned, he acquainted the Houfe, that he had been prefent in the Houfe of Peers, when his Majefty gave the Royal Affent to the New-England reftraining, the Thames and Ifis navigation, and to eight private Bills. At three o'clock Lord North moved for the order of the day, to receive the report of the amendments made in the Committee to the Bill for reftraining the commerce of the Colonies of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and South-Carolina. The Houfe was very full, and long debates were expected; but nothing was faid but a few words by Captain Luttrel, who condemned the principle of the Bill throughout, and ventured to foretell, that it would anfwer no good purpose but one, that of bringing difgrace and ruin on its framers and abettors. From the above day, no bufinefs of an interefting nature was agitated in the Houfe, till Tuefday, April 11, when Lord North made the following motion, "That this Houfe do refolve itfelf into a Committee of the whole Houfe, on Thurfday PP fortnight, fortnight, the 27th inftant, to confider of the encouragement proper to be given to the fisheries of Great Britain and Ireland.' His Lordship prefaced his motion, with difclaiming any motives of refentment againft America by the present meafure, or of meaning it directly or indirectly to opprefs that country. He said, that fifheries well conducted and properly directed were an inexhaustible fund of riches; for, while they extended our commerce, and kept open a continual advantageous intercourfe with foreign nations, they increased our naval ftrength, and were confequently the great fource of that power which gave us the pre-eminence over all the other nations of Europe. Mr. Burke rofe, and thanked his Lordfhip for the friendly disposition he had now fhewn towards his (Mr. Burke's) native country; obferving at the fame time, that, however defirous he might be to promote any scheme for the advantage of Ireland, he would be much better pleafed that the benefits thus held out fhould never be realized, than that Ire land should profit at the expence of a country which was, if poffible, more oppreffed than herself. Mr. T. Townshend condemned, in the molt pointed terms, the narrow, weak, and ill-founded policy which had directed the English Councils in refpect of Ire land, ever fince that country had become a part of the British dominions; and recommended very warmly an inquiry into the ftate of the Irith commerce and manufactures, in order that fuch of them as did not immediately interfere with thofe of Great-Britain, might receive every poffible encouragement, confiftent with the general interefts of the whole Empire. Mr. Conolly drew a very melancholy picture of the prefent State of Ireland, and recapitulated many inflances of the eminent loyalty of that country, and of the repeated proofs the had given, for a feries of years back, of her readiness to contribute, much beyond her ability, to the common fupport. Befides the merits fhe had to plead on thefe grounds, he pointed out the abfurdity of feveral of the restraints laid upon the Irifh commerce, and endeavoured to fhew, that fome of thofe were as unkind as impolitic; and that there were fome branches of trade, particularly that to the Levant, which might be laid open, much to the advantage of both countries, and to the complete rivalfhip of the French. Mr. Burke rose asecond time, and predicted the moft happy conclufion from the dawning favourable difpofition of the Mi nifter. He therefore offered an amendment, by propofing to infert the words • Trade and Commerce.' Lord North obferved, that the amendment fuggefted by the Honourable Gentleman, would introduce a mass of matter, much too weighty and extensive for prefent confideration; that nothing of the kind was intended by the prefent motion; and that it arofe purely from the matter which came out in the course of a difcuffion on the Massachusetts-Bay Fishery-Bill, though he could affure the House, that it was by no means dictated by a spirit of refentment, but was fimply taken up on the mere independent idea which the motion expreffed, that of encouraging the Fisheries of GreatBritain and Ireland, as an independent propofition. This was all in the way of converfation, the queftion was put in course, and carried in the affirmative without oppofition. Wednesday, April 12.] At three o'clock, Lord North came down, and delivered, by his Majefty's command, the following Meffage to the House : G. Rex. His Majesty, defirous that a better and more fuitable accommodation should be made for the refidence of the Queen, in cafe the fhould furvive him, and being willing that the Palace in which his Majefty now refides, called the Queen's House, may be fettled for that purpose, recommends it to his faithful Commons to take the fame into confideration, and to make provifion for fettling the faid Palace upon her Majefty; and for appropriating Somerset-Houfe to fuch ufes as fhall be found most beneficial to the Public.' Refolved, nemine contradicente, that his Majefty's faid Meffage be taken into confideration on this day fortnight. The House then went into a Committee of fupply, and came to the following refolutions: Refolved, that it is the opinion of this Committee, that a fum not exceeding 262,5371. 75. 10. be granted to his Majefty for extraordinary expences of the army, for the fervice of the year 1774, and not provided for by Parliament. To almost every article in this estimate Sir William Mayne objected, either on account of the manner of remitting money to Bofton, which he contended might be fent by a man of war, by which a saving of one and a half per cent, would be made on the fum of 92,000l, which monftrous fum had been incurred under the head of extraordinaries at Boston alone in the course of the last year. The other Items he particularly adverted to, in the fame account, were 11,000l. charged on a contract to Anthony Bacon, Efq; for Negroes in the ceded iflands, 4000l. to the fame Gentleman in another place, 11,000l. paid for extraordinaries incurred in Scotland, 3,400l. in one article for oatmeal for the ufe of the troops there, 11,000l. to Mr. Adair, the Surge on, and others, for feveral articles furnifhed to the army, with a variety of other Items of a fimilar nature. Lord North and Mr. Cooper endeavoured to explain the propriety of the present mode of remitting money to General Gage, and the contracts relative to the Negroes, and the providing the troops in America with provifions. Lord Barrington defended those refpecting the extraordinaries incurred in Scotland for medicines, to Surgeons, Mates, &c. but it was plain that their answers were by no means fatisfactory, and that the accounts in general were very loosely drawn up, with out referring to proper vouchers, and totally deficient in point of fpecification. This converfation took up above two hours and a half, during which time Sir William Mayne manifefted the most comprehenfive knowledge and accurate difcernment of the subject under confideration; and convinced Administration, that in future it will behove them to come better prepared to explain and obviate any objections which may be made to their method of ftating the public accounts, refpecting monies not granted by efti mate, but expended at their difcretion, on fervices of which the house must remain ignorant, till accompanied by the proper fpecifications and neceffary references. The Committee likewife came to the following other refolutions : Refolved, That it is the opinion that the fum of 3000l. be granted to the Trustees of the British Museum. That 5000l. be granted to the Turkey Company. That 4346. 1os. 5d. be granted for the civil eftablishment of Minorca. That 30861. be granted for the civil eltablishment of Georgia, That 4590l. be granted for the civil eftablishment of Eal -Florida. That 5450l. be granted for the civil establishment of Weft-Florida. That 18851. 4s. be granted for expences attending general furveys in North-Ameca, for the fervice of the year 1775. And 1,250,000l. for paying off Exchequer Bills, made out pursuant to an Act of the laft feffion. The faid refolutions ordered to be reported to-morrow. The House then went into a Committee of ways and means for making good the fupply granted to his Majetty, and came to the following refolution: Refolved, That it appears to this Committee, that the fum of 895,6861. 15s. 10d. f. remaining in the Exchequer on the 5th of April, 1775, for the dif pofition of Parliament, of the produce of the overplus monies arifing out of the fund, commonly called the finking fund, be granted to make good the fupply granted to his Majetty. The committee adjourned till this day fortnight. Thursday, April 20.] At three o'clock, after four days clofe deliberation, the Select Committee appointed to try and determine the petition of Hans Wintop Mortimer, Efq; complaining of an undue election and return for the Borough of Shaftesbury, declared the petitioner duly elected; and refolved that Mr. Rumbold and Mr. Sykes, the fitting Members, were not duly elected. The foundation of this decifion must have been, that the fitting Members were proved guilty of notorious bribery, in procuring themfelves to be elected; it is therefore imagined that the whole ftate of the evidence will be reported to the House; that the writ for the election of another Member will be held back; that the Chairman will move for leave to bring in a Bill for incapacitating fuch of the electors as were convicted of bribery; and that the great offenders will not be permitted to escape, as they were in the Bill for incapacitating the electors for the Borough of Hindon. (To be continued) Copy of a Letter from the Earl of Hertford, Lord Chamberlain of his Majefty's Houfhold, to John Wilkes, Efq; Lord-Mayor of the City of London, with the Lord-Mayor's remarkably spirited Anfier. (COPY.) My Lord, HE notice that for the future his majefty will not receive on the throne any addrefs, remonstrance and petition, but from the body corporate of the city. T King has directed me to give I therefore acquaint your Lordfhip with it as chief magiftrate of this city, and have the honour to be, my Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient Grofv.-ftreet, bumble Servant, April 11, 1775. HERTFORD. The Rt. Hon. John Wilkes, Lord Mayor of the city of London. Pp2 (COPY.) IT (COPY.) Mantion-house, May 2, 1775. My Lord, T is impoffible for me to exprefs, or conceal, the extreme aftonishment and grief I felt at the notice your Lordship's letter gave me as chief magistrate of this city, "That for the future his majesty will not receive on the Throne any addrefs, remonftrance and petition, but from the body corporate of the city." I entreat your Lordship to lay me with all humility at the King's feet, and, as I have now the honour to be chief magiflrate, in my name to fupplicate his majefty's juftice and goodness in behalf of the Livery of London, that he would be gracioufly pleased to revoke an order, highly injurious to their rights and privileges, which in this inftance have been conftantly refpected, and carefully preferved by all his royal predeceffors. The Livery of London, my Lord, have approved themselves the zealous friends of liberty and the Proteftant fucceffion. They have fteadily pursued only thofe measures, which were calculated to fecure the free conflitution of this country, and this your Lordship well knows has created them the hatred of all the partizans of the exiled and profcribed family. They form the great and powerful body of the corporation, in whom moft important powers are vefted, the election of the firtt magiftrate the Sheriffs, the Chamberlain, the auditors of the receipt and expenditure of their revenues, and of the four members who reprefent in parliament the capital of this vaft empire. The full body corporate never affemble, nor could they legally act together as one great, aggregate body; for by the conftitution of the city, particular and distinct privileges are referved to the various members of the corporation, to the freemen, to the Livery-men, to the common-council, to the court of aldermen. His majefty's folicitor general, Mr. Wedderburne, was confulted by the city in the year 1771, refpecting the legality of common halls and the remonftrances of the Livery. In conjunction with Mr. Serjeant Glynn, Mr. Dunning, and Mr, Nugent, he gave an opinion, which I have the honour of tranfcribing from our records. "We apprehend that the head-officer of every corporation may convene the body, or any clafs of it, whenever he thinks proper-that the Lord mayor for the time being, may, of his own autho rity, legally call a common hall; and we see no legal objection to his calling the two laft-we conceive it to be the duty of the proper officers of the feveral companies, to whom precepts for the purpose of fummoning their refpective Liveries have been ufually directed, to execute thofe precepts; and that wilful refufal on their part is an offence punishable by disfranchisement." The city, my Lord, have been careful that all their proceedings fhould be grounded in the true principles of law and the constitution. Notwithstanding it is the clear right of the subject to petition the King for the redress of grievances, a right which fo many thousands of our fellow fubjects, my Lord, have justly thought it their duty very frequently to exercife in the last ten years, yet the city, from excefs of caution, took a great legal opinion in the cafe, and I find the following words entered in their journals by the exprefs order of the common hall. "The Livery of London legally affembled in common hall, either on midfummer, Michaelmas, or any other day, have an undoubted right to take into confideration any matter of public grievance they may think proper. It is beyond difpute that the right is inherent in them."-A jury have likewife declared this in a folemn verdict. I have been thus particular, my Lord, on this fubject from our records, because I differ in one point from the laft opinion, which I quoted; for I know there is no right or privilege of his free people, or of mankind, but what has been difputed, and even denied by pensioned pens and tongues in the fervice of the arbitrary minifters of arbitrary Kings. Your Lordship I am fure will now no longer fuffer a doubt to remain in your mind as to the legality of common halls, or of their extenlive powers, and therefore I prefume to lay claim on the behalf of the Livery of London to the ancient previlege of prefenting the King on the throne any address, petition, or remonftrance. In this manner have the addreffes of the Livery conftantly been received both by his prefent majefty and all his royal predeceffors, the Kings of England. On the molt exact research I do not find a single inftance to the contrary. This inmemorial ufage in the o pinion of the ableft lawyers gives an abfolute right, and is as little fubject to controverfy as any fair and juft prerogative of the crown; other rights and pri vileges of the city have been invaded by defpotic monarchs, by feveral of the accurfed race of the Stuarts, but this in no period of our hiftory. It has not even been |