and Lord Say; the King willingly complied with their request, and in teftimony thereof gave them his royal hand to kifs. We are told that our addrefs is injurious to Parliament; if Parliament is corrupt, it is not injurious to fay they are corrupt, and under undue influence; it is juftice, and not an injury. It is likewife faid our proceedings are irreconcileable to the laws and Conftitution. We have prefented an humble petition to the King for redress of grievances; the chief of which is the violated right of free election, the foundation and bafis of our liberty. We have a right to petition; that is the birthright of Englishmen; and even in the time when prerogative ran high, and the privileges of the people were invaded, the fubjects always infifted upon that right. In the arhitrary reign of King Charles II, there were two proclamations iffued against petitioning; and in thofe days there were fer vile lawyers, who declared that proclamations ought to have the force of law; and yet those proclamations did not damp, but increased the zeal for petitioning. The citizens of London did then petition for the diffolution of Parliament, and redress of grievances, which was followed by many neighbouring counties; in particular the petition of the county of Wilts was prefented by Thomas Thynne, Efq; Sir Walter St. John, and Sir Edward Hungerford. The citizens of London lately prefented an humble petition for the redrefs of grievances; evil-difpofed Minifters advised his Majesty to take no notice of it. I fay, the giving no answer to a petition feems to me negative of the right - [It is fuppofed that the Lord-mayor, havi. g obferved certain gefticulations made ufe of by fome Court emiffaries, planted in the hall, took occafion to repeat] I fay, that the giving no answer to a petition, but flinging it away as wafte paper, feems to me a negative of the right. This brought on your addrefs, remonftrance, and petition; and the manner in which the fame was received, and his Majefty's anfwer thereto, I have already informed you. As to the refolutions of the Houfe of Commons, and their addrefs, I have delivered my opinion thereon in another place. Let it be fufficient when I tell you, that I have been menaced and threatened with impeachment, fequeftration of my eftates, and banishment: But I was fupported by my worthy colleague, one of your Reprefentatives, and your two worthy Sheriffs; and I verily believe, that, without fuch fupport, fomething very hoftile and difagreeable to me, your Lord Mayor, would have been the confequence. i now come to the orders and refolutions of three of your companies, the Goldfmiths," Weavers, and Grocers. The Goldsmiths fay, that your address is moft indecent. The Weavers have done no more than eccho cer tain words of the King's anfwer. But the Grocers fay, that your humble Addrefs, Remanftrance, and Petition, is the infidious fuggeftion of ill-defigning men. Infidious! a word of the most opprobrious fignification, and conveys the most deteftable idea of any in the English language; it fignifics fly,, circumventive, malicious, dark, and wicked. Do your actions deferve these epithets? Do you, Gentlemen of the Livery, and Gentlemen of the Common-council, merit these ap pellations? They fay that the People were against the Remonftrance. Who are the People? Are not the Livery the People, who with the majority of the Common-council, approved thereof, and attended me with the fame to the King? You have chofen me your Chief Magiftrate against my will; it is your duty to fupport his legal authority; it is your concern. I am here only for a day, but I hope this city of London will preferve its liberties till time fhall be no more. Your affair is agitated; look to it, Gentlemen. Is a junto, a cabal of a few interested men, to be looked upon as the People? I fufpect them to have been actuated by fordid interest. They pretend not to a fubordinate, but a controlling jurifdiction. If every Mafter of a company can controul your Lord Mayor, and refufe to obey his precepts whenever they fhall be iffued, anarchy and confufion mut be the confequence. Inftead of one Lord Mayor you will have fixty-four. What will become of you? A city divided against itfelf can never ftand. Why fhould we complain of the abuse of minifterial, hireling writers, when we are fo grofsly abused and mifreprefented by a few of our own fellow-citizens ? You have been called a mob, banditti, and the fcum of the earth; and fince, your humble address, remonftrance, and petition, have been represented as fprung from hospitals and poor houses. I anfwer that the ancestors of many of the prefent Nobility and Gentry have fprung from citizens. Why do men value themselves on pompous and high-founding titles? True Nobility confifts in public vir tue and a love of our country. But why do I talk of Nobility, when the glorious and moft magnanimous Queen that ever fwayed the feepter of this realm, was the grand daughter of a citizen, Sir Thomas Bullen, a Lord Mayor of London. You have been conftantly invited to refiftance fiftance by thefe hireling writers. They fay you are a cowardly daftardly crew, who can bully and break windows, but fhrink from danger. In a taunting manner they tell us. Why don't you ftand forth? What! ftand forth to have your throats cut by the third regiment of guards! I will stand forth, I will fight them, but it fhall be with the law and conftitution on my fide, and a roll of old parchment in my hand. These weapons I will oppofe to fword and musket: The weapon of the law is flow, but fure. Gentlemen, your enemies feek to drive you to riot, diforder, and confufion. It becomes you well to fruftrate their defigns, by preferv. ing the public peace, decency, and good order. I have no doubt but that every man of you will co-operate with me in fo laudable a defign, and therefore I must exhort every one of you to keep the peace in your own perfons in the enfuing holidays; and, to that end, you will oblige all your dependants and perfuade all your acquaintance to do the fame; then I have no doubt but that peace, decency, and good order, will be preferved; for fhuld any be found guilty of breaking the peace, and be brought before me, were he my own brother, fo far as lies in my power, he shall be punished according to the utmost rigour of the law. Upon the whole, I doubt not but by your peaceable and orderly behaviour, and by the grace of God, we fhall accomplish and obtain redrefs of all our grievances, and free enjoy. ment of all the liberties of Englishmen.' DEBATES on the CITY REMONSTRANCE. the nullity of this voluntary, was prefented, a certain political club entering on the matter, fome perfons defired that the difcuffion of it might be delayed until the Lord Mayor fhould be prefent, which he certainly would be at four o'clock: They obferved how unfair and ungentleman-like it would be to push on a debate of that kind, without notice having been given to the party principally concerned, and in his abfence: But the Miniftry were eager. A breach of good manners was no argument with thofe who violate law, : At four o'clock the Lord Mayor, Mr. Alderman Trecothick, the Sheriff's Townfend and Sawbridge came in The Lord Mayor took the first opportunity to inform the company, that it was the right and duty of a Lord Mayor, if any improper proceed ings were going forward, or any improper motion made in the Court of Aldermen, Common-council, or Common-hall, to put a ftop to fuch proceedings, and to refufe to put fuch question; and that a Lord Mayor is highly blameable, if he does not. Having premised this, which he told them he thought neceffary for their information, he added, that he had called a Common-hall expressly for the purpose of remonftrating to the King, that at the Common-hall he prefided, approved the Remonftrance, and, by putting the question, made it his own act and deed; that, if there was any thing criminal in it, he condered he might be reputed as the chief criminal; that he was ready to maintain the truth of that Remonftrance, and to ftand or fall by its contents. He then repeated all the offenfive parts of it, expatiated very largely, and without any equivocation, on felf-elected fociety. Mr. Alderman Trecothick then spoke to the fame effect; declared it his act and deed; that he would abide by it with his life, that the Remonftrance breathed his fentiments, which had ever been full of the most dutiful respect for his Majefty, and the strongest attachment to the principles of the Conftitution. He was followed by Mr Sheriff Townfend, who denied the competency of that fociety to judge in the prefent cafe; he difclaim d both the power which they had exercifed of electing their own Members, and the power they how claimed of judging petitions of the people to the Throne. He told them, that what he now faid was not new to them; he had declared it in his place before, when he protested against the payment of any taxes, which were levied or continued by any fociety, which was not a full and true reprefentation of the people, which he infifted they were not. Mr. Sawbridge spoke to the fame effect; he told them that the Remonftrance was carried in the Common-hall, with only one diffentient person, and he affured them that he was not that perfon. Mr. Harley endeavoured to inftruct the fociety in the nature of the conftitution of the city; but he had not his leflon perfect, and therefore made a romance of his own. He affured them the Common-hall had no right or p wers whatever, but of election: That they never pretended to, nor exercised any other; that the laft Common-hall confifted only of fifteen hundred of the lowest of the Livery; that the Lord Mayor was a very arbitrary Magiftrate, and did not, as hinfelf had done, properly discharge the duties of his office. He gave a long hiftory of his own memorable mayoralty; of his own great prudence, activity, and prowess. He declared that Mr. Turner had protefted to him, that he would not fuffer the first petition to take place, and afterwards excufed hunself to Mr. Harley, alledging, that he confented to it only through fear of his life. He faid he had been reprefented as a Courtier, only be caufe his Majefty had been pleased to confer on him that mark of his approbation, by admitting him of the Privy-Council. He reprefented the whole livery, according to cuftom, as the fcum of the earth, who had better attend to their shops, and handle their own irons, than meddle with matters fo much above their comprehenfion.The Lord Mayor replied; and, by giving a true xccount of the constitution of the city, contradicted flatly every word Mr. Harley had spo ken. He denied that Mr. Harley either knew, or had performed the duty of Lord Mayor: That he had even mistaken the powers of a petty Constable, which office he had exercifed rather than that of chief Magiftrate. He entered pretty fully into Mr. Harley's whole conduct, to the infinite mor tification of Mr. Harley, and merriment of the whole Society. He obferved on Mr. Harley's words, where he faid that he had been called a Courtier, only because he was a Privy-Counsellor. He faid, that Gentleman had other marks of royal approbation, befiles the feather in his cap; he had the folid advantages of very lucrative contracts, with a late addition of remittances. Lord North then opened, and the whole pack joined in full cry. This drew from the gallant Captain Phipps and Mr. Wedderburn a full and clear hiftory of petition-" ing, in which the ancestors of the North made a black and very conspicuous figure. FOREIGN ADVICE S. Warfaw, March 7. ON the 3d inftant the Count de Wacht meifter, Leiutenant Colonel in the fervice of Ruffia, beat for the 5th time the body of Confederates commanded by the Sieur Saba, most of whom were cut to pieces by the Ruffians; and the Sieur Saba, finding his people make but a poor refistance, retired with about 200 horfe. A courier is just arrived with advice of another confiderable advantage which the Ruffiars had gained over the Turks, the fubftance of which is as follows: The new Grand Vizir having received orders from the Grand Signor to ufe his utmost endeavours to oblige the Ruffians to retire from the provinces of Moldavia and Wallachia, or at least to prevent their paffing the Danube; and knowing moreover that Lieutenant General de Stoffeln was upon the march towards Brailow; detached 20,000 men, who crossed that river at Siliftria, in order to advance to Bucharest, the capital of Wallachia. The Ruffian General, receiving intelligence of these motions, immediately quit ted Brailow, and went to Dziurgowa to wait for the enemy. The latter, arriving foon after, attacked the Ruffians with great fpirit, but without fuccefs. In the heat of the action, Major General Potemkin took the enemy in flank with fo much fuccefs, that they were intirely defeated. Their lofs in killed and wounded is about 5000 men, and near 1500 were taken prifoners; most of their cannon and baggage likewife fell into the hands of the conquerors. The latter, being willing to improve this victory, are taking proper measures to drive the Turks from both fides of the Danube. Another account fays, that the above action happened on the 8th of February, that 3000 Turks were left dead on the spot, and 2000 taken prisoners. Conftantinople, March 3. The Grand Signor has depofed Devlet Ghirai, Chan of the Tartars, and appointed Chaplan Ghirai, fon of Selim Ghirai, his fucceffor. Muffam Oglu is appointed Pafhaw of Mo rea. Naples March 20. Our conjectures of an eruption of Mount Vefuvius being at hand have proved true; for on Wednesday laft the mountain burft within an hundred yards of the crater, on the fide of Pompeif, from whence iffued a lava of about two miles in length, and 2700 paces in breadth; at the fame time the vollies of stones, fome not lefs than a ton weight, were thrown out of the cra ter to a very confiderable height, a thousand feet or more, as we could judge by the time they took in falling. The lava has not yet reached the cultivated parts of the mountain. This eruption will probably be moderate, as we had fo very violent a one two years ago. ᎻᎥᏝ . Hiftorical Chronicle, for April, 1770. April 2. Majefty's Minifters, (fupported and carried came at Chelmsford af in youthole who ought fizes, before Mr. Baron Smythe, two Cautes against 5 Custom-house-officers, for forcing themselves into the houfe of a Lady in the parish of Eaft-Ham, ranfacking the fame, affaulting the Lady in her own dwelling, as well as her vifitors, and other enormities, becaufe there was no prohibited booty for them; when two verdicts were found against them with confiderable damages, and cofts of fuit in both actions.This is a fpecies of General Warrants hitherto unnoticed. : April 3. On Friday the plough for making trenches for drains, brought out of Suffolk, and invented by one Makings, a poor farmer, was tried at Upton, near Stratford, on the grounds belonging to Mr. Pearce, before a Committee of the Society of Arts, &c. It cut, in the fpace of thirty-four minutes, a complete trench of about eighteen inches deep, two inches and an half broad at the bottom, and of the length of fix hundred and fixty feet; executed in a manner that cannot be effected try the fpade, even with any degree of labour. The force ufed for this performance was that of fix horfes, managed by two men, and without any greater train than would have per. mitted them to have done a full day's work. It is computed, that by this means, trenches for clofe drains may be cut at three farthings a rod, or confiderably lefs, where the work of men and horses are cheap. April 7. Yefterday morning the caufe on the action brought by the Rt. Hon. Mr. Onflow against the Rev. Mr. Horne, came on to be tried before Mr. Juftice Blackstone at Kington affizes in Surry. Mr. Horne's Council attempted nothing but nonfuiting Mr. Onflow; and it appearing that the word pounds (in the plural number) was written in the record, instead of the word pound (in the fingular number) Mr. Onflow was nonfuited, fo that the caufe cannot be now tried till the fummer affizes in August next, April 9. confider themselves as the Reprefentatives of the people) beg leave, moft earnestly, to reiterate thofe complains and fupplications, which we have already humbly, though inef fectually, prefented to your Majefty. Actnated, as we are by the warmest and firmeft attachment to your Majefty's perfon and illuftrious family, (an attachment fecond only to that which we feel to the Conftitution which your family was chofen to protect) we cannot fee, without equal indignation and concern, thofe fruits, which were so justly expected from your Majefty's virtues, and aufpicious Government, blafted and destroyed by a fecret and malignant influence, which has thwarted and defeated almoft every measure that has been attempted for the good of your fubjects, and has given birth to others, totally fubverfive of the liberties and Conftitution of these once flourishing and happy king. doms. It is not for any light or common grievance that we prefume thus repeatedly to interrupt your Majefty's quiet with our complaints; it is not the illegal oppreffion of an individual; it is not a partial invafion of our property; it is not the violation of any fingle law, of which we now complain; but it is a violation which at one ftroke deprives us of the only conftitutional security for our fortunes, liber ties, and lives. Your Majefty's fervants have attacked our liberties in the most vital part: They have torn away the very heart-ftrings of the Conftitution, and have made thofe men the inftruments of our deftruction, whom the laws have appointed as the immediate guardians-of our rights and liberties. The House of Commons, by their determination on the last election for this county, have affumed a power to over-rule, at pleafure, the fundamental right of election, which the Constitution has placed in other hands, thofe of their conftituents, and from whence alone they derive their whole authority; a power by which the law of the land is at one The following is a correct COPY of the overturned, and refolved into the will and Middlefex Remonftrance. To the KINC's Moft Excellent Majefty." The Humble ADDRESS, REMON. : STRANCE, and PETITION, of the FREEHOLDERS of the COUNTY of . MIDDLESEX. WE, your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal fubjects, the freeholders of the county of Middlefex, impreffed with the deepest con cern for the distracted and miserable ftate to which we find ourselves, and all our fellowfubjects, reluced by the mifconduct of your pleafure of a majority of one House of Parlia ment, and if this pretended power is exer cifed to the full extent of the principle, that House can no longer be a Representative of the people, but a feparate body, altogether independent of them, felf-exifting and fall elected. In this dreadful extremity it is to your Majefty alone we can apply for relief, as in your hands that prerogative is vefted, which alone can afford a remedy adequate to the difeafe. And we trust that from you, as lie father of your people, we shall at length obain that remedy; though the fame pernicious Councils, which gave birth to all our grievances, have hitherto prevented their redrefs; and, have ftill further aggravated our injuries, by difmiffing from your fervice the first Of ficer of the law, and the only Judge removeable at pleasure, for endeavouring to fupport the liberty and conftitution of his country. We are encouraged in our hopes by your Majefty's declaration, that you are always ready to listen to the complaints of your people. This declaration we confider as the ge nuine dictates of your own principles and inclinations; and we are therefore perfuad d that your own gracious difpofition will never lead you to confider a dutiful reprefentation of the misconduct of your Majesty's Minifters as disrespectful to you, a charge exprefly confined to the abuse of the constitution of the House of Commons as injurious to Parliament at large, or a request to you to exert a prerogative vested in you by the conftitution for the good of your people, as irreconcileable to the principles of the Conftitution. Upon these motives and principles, we think it our duty again to have recourfe to our undoubted, legal and conftitutional right of offering our complaints and petitions to the Throne; more efpecially as that right itself has been indirectly attacked, under pretence of cenfuring a fuppofed abuse of it: An attack of the most alarming nature, and which furnishes the strongest additional ground of apprehenfion and complaint: For by this means, a most dangerous attempt has been made to cut off the communication between your Majefty and your people, leaving your Majefty to be deceived by the falfe and partial #eprefentations of wicked Minifters, and your people to be reduced to defpair of any conftitational redrefs, on this, or any future occaLon. Deign then, moft gracious Sovereign, to liften to the earnest and repeated fupplications of an injured people, by diffolving the prefent, and calling another Parliament, and by removing for ever from your Majefty's prefence thofe evil Counsellors, who have been the authors of fo many intolerable grievances to all parts of your Majefty's dominions. By this means you will restore concord and harmony to this distracted kingdom; you will establish the confidence of your people in their Representatives and Governors; you will preserve and fecure to us the enjoyment of our rights and liberties, and draw down upon yourself and your pofterity, the bleffings of grateful millions. On Tuesday William Cooper, Efq; was shpise Governor of the Bank; and Robert Payne, Efq; Deputy Governor. And yester William Bowden, Efq. Benj. Branfiil, Esq. Edward Darell, Efq. Peter Du Cane, Efq. William Halhed, Efq. Richard Neave, Efq. George Peters, Efq. William Snell Efq. April 10. Laft week as Mr. Harding's men were plowing in his grounds at Tottenham, the plough ftruck rather lower than common in the earth, and turned up a large quantity of broad pieces of gold of James I. and Charles I. quite fresh, as if just coined; fome ment dug afterwards with a pitchfork, and threw up at one ftroke 18 of the above pieces, alfo a horn with fome filver at the bottom; the whole amounting to upwards of 701. value. April 11. Extract of a Letter from Guildford, April g. This day, about one o'clock, Stephen Gregory, a Ruffian, was executed at Efher, in Surry, amidst a great number of spectators, for the murder of Mrs. Herne. He was attended at the place of execution by the Ruffian Ambaffador's chaplain, to whom he confeffed the murder, and died very penitent. He had been a lodger in the house, and was fufpected by Mts. Herne of intending to rob them, which the informed her husband of, who turned him' out of his houfe. It is fuppofed he committed the murder out of revenge: He attempted to conceal himself in the house the night before, as the man and his wife were from home, but was prevented by fome neighbours who had charge of it in their abfence. The morning the fhocking affair happened, Mr. Herne left his wife in bed about a quarter after fix, to go to Lord Clive's garden to work, he left the door of his houfe unlocked, which was ob ferved by the villain, who immediately went up to her chamber, and cut her throat in a moft dreadful manner, fo as nearly to fever her head from her body, then laid her on the floor, covered her with the bed cloaths, left the young child naked in bed, rified the drawers, and made his efcape. The poor wo man not being up fo foon as ufual, her next door neighbour, between nine and ten o'clock, went to know the reason, and found Mrs. Herne as before-mentioned, and the poor infant crying in bed. The Ruffian being ab ferved to come out of the houfe that morning, feveral went immediately in purfeit of him: He was taken at Godalming, committed to Guildford gaol, and from thence conveyed to Kingston, where he was tried on Saturday, and |