applaud, and recommend their own illegal and bloody actions.

They have fcreened more than one murderer from punishment, and in its place have unnaturally fubftituted reward.

They have established numberlefs unconstitutional regulations and taxations in our colonies. They have caused a revenue to be raifed in fome of them by prerogative. They have appointed civil law judges to try revenue caufes, and to be paid from out of the condemnation mo

nev.

After having infulted and defeated the law on different occafions, and by different contrivances, both at home and abroad, they have at length completed their defign, by violently wrefting from the people the laft facred right we had left, the right of election: by the unprecedented feating of a candidate noto riously fet up and chofen only by themfelves. They have thereby taken from your fubjects all hopes of parliamentary redrefs, and have left us no refource, under God, but in your majefty.

All this they have been able to effect by corruption. By a fcandalos mifapplication and embezzlement of public treafure, and a fhameful proftitution of public honours and employments; procuring deficiencies of the civil lift to be made good without examination; and instead of punishing, conferring honours on a paymafter, the public defaulter of unaccounted millions

From an unfeigned fenfe of the duty we owe to your majefty and to our country, we have ventured thus humbly to lay before the throne thofe great and important truths, which it has been the business of

your minifters to conceal. We most earneftly befeech your majefty to grant us redrefs. It is for the purpofe of red refs alone, and for fuch occafions as the prefent, that those great and extenfive powers are intrufted to the crown by the wifdom of that conftitution which your majefty's illuftrious family was chofen to defend, and which we truft in God it will for ever continue to fupport.

To the king's most excellent

majefty.

The humble petition of the electors of the city and liberty of Weftminfter, within the county of Middlefex,

Sheweth,

THAT your petitioners, having,

in common with the rest of your majefty's loyal fubjects, felt the weight of a variety of grievances and oppreffions, cannot longer be filent on the fubject of a late violent and moft alarming invafion of their liberties, which threatens the certain and speedy annihilation of our excellent conflitution itself..!

Your petitioners do, therefore, moft humbly beg leave to lay before your majefty, that the freeholders of the county of Middlesex did, in obedience to your majefty's writ of election, on the 13th day of April, laft, freely and indifferently elect John Wilkes, efq. a perfon duly qualified according to the ftatutes on that behalf made and provided; that fuch election was afcertained by a poll regularly taken by the fheriff, by which poll it appeared that 1143 freeholders voted for the faid John Wilkes, efq. and only 296 for Henry Lawes Luttrell, efq. that the fheriff, according to the directions of the ftatute, and the oath taken by

all

all. returning officers, declared the election to have fallen upon the faid John Wilkes. efq. and returned him to parliament one of the reprefentatives of the faid county; that a majority of the houfe of commons (who, your petitioners have great reafon to apprehend, are under the immediate influence of your majefty's minifters) have declared the faid election and return to be null and void; and the faid Henry Lawes Luttrell they have admitted and fworn in reprefentative of thecounty. That your petitioners affirm, thefe proceedings to be unjuft, injurious to the freedom of election, a violation of the rights of the people, and fubverfive of the first principles of the British conflitution. That your petitioners have no hope of redrefs but from the throne; and that they do most humbly and earneftly implore your majesty, as the great guardian of the liberties of this free nation, to interpofe your royal authority, by diffolving this parliament, and calling another as fpeedily as may be.

And your petitioners, as in duty bound, fhall ever pray.

THE Tited on his majefty at St. following gentlemen waited on his majefty at St. James's, with the petition from the freeholders of the county of Surry; the hon. Peter King; fir Francis Vincent, bart. fir Jofeph Mawbey, bart. Jofeph Martin, efq. Anthony Chapman, efq. Jofeph Clarke, efq.

To the king's most excellent

majesty. The humble petition of the freeholders of the county of Surry. Moft gracious fovereign, TE your majefty's most dutiful and loyal fubjects, the free

WE

holders of the county of Surry, from a grateful fenfe of the ineftimable bleffings which this nation has enjoyed under the mild and equal government of your majefty, and your illuftrious predeceffors of the houfe of Brunswick; and from a fteady attachment, zeal, and affection to your royal perfon and family; think it our duty to join with our injured fellow-fubjects, in humbly offering to your majesty our complaints of the meafures adopted by pernicious counsellors, who, we apprehend, have countenanced and advised a violation of the first principle of the conftitution.

The right of election in the people, which is the fecurity of all their rights, is alfo the foundation of your majefty's; we cannot, therefore, forbear being alarmed, when we fee that first principle violated, in the late inftance of the Middlesex election.

We have seen, royal fire! with great concern, an application of the freeholders of the county of Middlefex, made by their humble petition to the houfe of commons, complaining of that meafure, defeated: and it is with the utmoft reluctance we now find ourfelves constrained. to appeal to your facred perfon, from whofe juftice and goodness we alone hope for redrefs.

We therefore most humbly implore your majefty, that you would be gracioufly pleafed to give us fuch relief as to your royal wifdom fhall feem meet, by an exertion of that prerogative which the conftitution has fo properly placed in your majefty's hands.

And your majesty's petitioners fhall ever pray.

THE

HE following remonftrance

of Buckingham, was prefented to the king at the levee, by the hon. Thomas Hampden, chairman at the general meeting, the hon. Lenry Grenville, John Aubrey, John Calcraft, and Edmund Burke, efqrs. all members of the houfe of commons: lord Verney was unable to attend; and the hon. fir William Stanhope, who had engaged to make the motion at the general meeting, was prevented by illness from giving his attendance either at Aylesbury or at the court; he has figned the petition, which is figned alfo by above 1800 freehold ers. Lord Temple was at the levee. To the king's most excellent

majefty.

facred laws, and other fundamental principles of the conftitution, all the undoubted right to elect, by a majority of legal votes, any person for their reprefentative, who is not rendered incapable of that high trust by the law of the land. We are thoroughly fenfible, that the house of commons may also judiciously determine upon the election of members of their own body; but the law of the land is fuperior to, and cannot be fuperfeded by, any resolution of either houfe of parliament; no new incapacity can be enacted, except by the authority of the whole legislature. The claim of either houfe of parliament to make ordinances which fhould have the force of laws, hath once already proved fatal to the crown and to the confti

and loyal fubjects, the freeholders of the county of Buckingham, beg leave to approach your majefty with unfeigned affurances of our zeal and attachment to your facred perfon, and to the principles of that glorious Revolution in confequence of which the crown was, by our great deliverer, by the houfe of peers, and by the reprefentatives of the people, freely and legally chofen, fettled on your majefty's family, as the most effectual fecurity for the full enjoyment of all our rights and franchifes.

We prefume, at the fame time, moft humbly to remonftrate, that it is declared by Magna Charta, "That no freeman fhall be diffeized of his freehlod or liberties, but by lawful judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land" and it is declared by the Bill of Rights, that "Election of members of parliament ought to be free." By virtue of thefe two

exercife of it be tolerated, prove again deftructive to both.

Notwithstanding which, in defiance and contempt of these our juft and ancient rights, coeval with the very being of the houfe of commons, two days before the laft election of the county of Middlesex, your majefty's fervants thought proper, either by their own authority, or by their advice to your majesty, to confer a nominal office on a gentleman to vacate his feat in parliament, with the avowed purpofe of bringing him into the houfe of commons as knight of the fhire for the faid county, by a fmall number of votes against a great majority of legal electors; which purpose of theirs hath fince been fatally carried into full execution.

Juftly alarmed at an attempt of this formidable nature, thus planned and avowed by divers evil counsellors and minifters; duty to our fo

vereign,

vereign, and to our injured country, calls upon us to reprefent, in this manner, with all poffible refpect, the fatal confequences with which this violation of the rights of free election must be attended; and we earneftly implore the intervention of your majesty's wifdom and good nefs, to afford, by legal and conftitutional methods, the means for effectually removing this unexampled grievance; together with every other juft caufe of uneafinefs and complaint; thereby fecuring to us the continuance of our fundamental rights, and establishing your throne in the grateful hearts of an united people.

TH

HE following petition was figned by above 10,000 freeholders.

Genuine copy of the Yorkshire, petition. To the king's moft excellent majesty.

May it please your majesty, WE your majesty's most loyal and

faithful fubjects, the freehold ers of the county of York, equally folicitous for the honour of your majefty's government, and for the prefervation of our most happy and excellent conftitution, beg leave to approach your royal throne, and humbly to lay before your majefty the anxiety of our minds, on a matter of the greatest national con

cern.

As the county of York has been eminently distinguished by its zeal for your majefty's illuftrious family, fo has it ever been ftrongly attached to that fyftem of laws which your majesty's ancestors were called to protect. By thefe laws we are taught, that it is the undoubted right of the fubject to petition the

king: and the exercife of that right becomes the duty of the fubject, whenever any ill-advised measure threatens to impair that equal ftate of legal liberty, for which this nation has long been refpected abroad, and by which it has been made happy at home.

We find ourfelves called to the exercife of that right, and the difcharge of that duty,byapprehenfions of the tendency of that meafure, which has nominated a reprefentátive to the county of Middlefex, in cppofition to the votes of a great majority of the freeholders, and in prejudice of that freedom of election which your faithful commons are entitled to by the laws and conftitution of this country.

We refpect, as we ought, the athority of the houfe of commons ; and their juft privileges will ever be dear to the people: but the house of commons derives its existence from the people, who never have. entrusted that houfe with an autho

rity to fuperfede the choice of the electors, or to create by a vote an incapacity unknown to the law. If this were the privilege of the house of commons, it would foon render that houfe a body chofen by its own members, and not the reprefentatives of the people. It is therefore with unfpeakable concern, that we are obliged to reprefent to your majefty, that this event hath produced a fituation new and extraordinary in this government, the reprefentatives of the people in oppofition to the people.

This fituation would be miferable indeed, had not the wifdom of our ancestors provided, even for this grievance, a regular and conftitu tional remedy. The power of affembling and diffolving parliaments,

is,

is undoubtedly one of, the rights vefted in your majefty for the welfare of the people, and by their confent. The voice of a loyal people now calls for the exercife of this power; and our moft effential rights are to be preserved by it."

Permit us, then, royal fir, to implore your majefty to restore the confidence of your people in the juftice of parliament, by fending them to a new choice of reprefentatives, which will give your loyal fubjects an opportunity of demonftrating their zeal for the conftitution, by a choice of men who will guard the honour of the crown, and fupport the rights of the people.

Petitions were likewife delivered, or prepared within the year, from Cornwall, Devon, Somerfetfhire, cities of Briftol and Exeter, city of Wells, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Worcesterfhire, Herefordshire, borough of Southwark, Coventry, Derbyshire, Northum berland, Nev.caftle upon Tyne, county of Durham, city of Durham, town of Berwick upon Tweed, and fome others.

An account of the matters now pursuing in France, for improving their prefent fofiem of Husbandry.

B

Y an edict of the king of France, wafte lands of every kind brought into tilth, are exempted for twenty years from all taxes; and ftrangers are invited to fettle on fuch uncultiated lands, with the privilege of enjoying all the benefits of natural-born fubjects; and, as the improvement of wafte lands is at tended with confiderable expence, application has been made to the clergy, that fuch lands fhould be free of tithe for a time; alleging, with much truth," that as the first crops

do not equal the expence, fo it is unjuft to carry off a tenth of the whole produce, before the farmer is reimburfed. This tax, fay the laity, becomes a real prohibition of fuch improvements; especially farmers, who, beginning with fmall capitals, cannot lie long out of their money. And if the government, add they, gives up the taxes raised for the fervice of the public, how much more fhould the clergy, in this cafe, give up the tithes, fince it is their duty to fet examples of difinterefted good-will to the public; especially as, in this inftance, they cannot be lofers, the land being fuch as never paid tithe before? They fhould alfo reflect, that this indulgence will encourage farmers to exert themfelves in improving wafte lands; whereby the title may in time become confiderable." This reafoning appeared fo juft to the clergy of Britanny, that they have voluntarily granted an exemption from tithe for twenty years on land thus improving.

General propofitions circulated through
France, for improving the breed of
Sheep.
THE fheep which deferve the

higheft eftimation, are the Flemish, or rather the East-India fheep, the English and the Spanish.

In order to procure a better breed of fheep, it is propofed to establish a school of fhepherds in Flanders, fimilar to thofe in Sweden. The fcholars, when inftru&ted in the management of the Flemifh fheep, to be fent to the different parts of the kingdom beft fuited to thefe fheep, with each a ram and fix ewes. A fchool for the management of the English sheep is propofed to be established on the coaft

of