Temple-bar to the Manfion-houfe. After the entertainment there was a grand ball.

The bumble ADDRESS of the Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Tem poral, and Commons, in Parliament affembled, prefented to his Majesty on Friday the twenty-third day of March, 1770.

Die Jovis 22. Martii, 1770

Moft Gracious Sovereign,

"WE your Majefty's most dutiful and faithful fubjects, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons of Great-Britain, in Parliament affembled, having taken into confideration the Addrefs lately prefented to your Majesty, under the title of, "the Humble Addrefs, Remonftrance, and Petition, of the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Livery of the City of London, in Common Hall affembled," together with the Anfwer which your Majefty was pleased to make to the fame; think ourselves indifpenfibly obliged, upon this occafion, to exprefs to your Majefty the extreme concern and indignation which we feel, at finding that an application has been made to your Majefty, in terms fo little correfponding with that grateful and affectionate refpect which your Majefty is fo juftly intitled to from all your fubjects; at the fame time aspersing and calumniating one of the branches of the legislature, and exprefly denying the legality of the prefent Parliament, and the validity of its proceedings.

"To prefent Petitions to the throne, has at all times been the undoubted right of the fubjects of this realm. The free enjoyment of that right was one of the many bleflings reftored by the revolution, and continued to us, in its fullest extent under the Princes of your Majesty's illuftrious Houfe: and as we are duly fenfible of its value and importance, it is with the deepest concern that we now fee the exercife of it fo grofly perverted, by being applied to the purpose, not of preferving, but overturning the conftitution; and of propaga ting doctrines, which, if generally adopted, must be fatal to the peace of the kingdom, and which tend to the fubverfion of all lawful thority.

au

"Your Majefty, we acknowledge with gratitude, has ever fhewn the most tender regard to the rights of your people, not only in the exercise of your own power, but in your care to preferve from every degree of infringement or violation, the powers intrufted to others. And we beg leave to return your Majefty our unfeigned thanks for the fresh proofs you have now given us of your determination to perfevere in your adherence to the principles of the conftitution.

"Permit us alfo to affure your Majefty, that it is with the highest fatisfaction we fee your Majefty expreffing fo just a confidence in your people. In whatever unjustifiable exceffes fome few misguided perfons may in this inftance have been feduced to join, your Majesty's fubjects in general are too fenfible of what they owe to your Majefty and to your illuftrious Family, ever to be capable of approaching your Majefty with any other fentiments than thofe of the most entire refpect and affection; and they understand too well their own true interefts, to wish to loofen the bands of obedience to the laws, and of due fubordination to lawful authority. We are therefore fully perfuaded that your Majefty's people, as well as your Parliament, will reject with difdain every infiduous fuggeftion of thofe ill-defigning men, who are, in reality, undermining the publick liberty, under the fpecious pretences of zeal for its prefervation: and that your Majesty's attention to maintain the liberties of your fubjects inviolated, which you efteem your chief glory, will upon every occafion prove the fure means of ftrength to your Mejesty, and fecure to you that zealous and effectual fupport, which none but a free people can bestow.

His Majefty's most gracious Answer.

My Lords and Gentlemen,

I return you my thanks for this very loyal and dutiful addrefs. It is with great fatisfaction that I receive from my parliament fo grateful an acknowVOL. VI,

Ee

ledgment

ledgment of my tender regard for the rights of my fubjects. Be affured, that I hall continue to adhere to the true principles of our excellent conftitution; from which I cannot deviate without juftly forfeiting ths affections of a free people.

Notwithstanding the addrefs of a majority of the Lords and Commons, (confifting, melancholy truth! principally of courtiers, penfioners, and placemen;) lately prefented to our young King (and which, it ought to be remembered, is perhaps, of all others of the kind, the dulleft and. worst performance that ever tickled the ears of Majefty, to fay nothing of the royal answer to it) complaining and cenfuring the fpirited and conftitutional remonftrance and petition, of the loyal, refpectable, and numerous Livery of London; we may be affured, that most, if not all the counties and places which have already petitioned for a redrefs of grievances, fo far from being intimidated by any refolutions hithertó paffed, are determined, like Englishmen, to exercise fully the right given them by the glorious Bill of Rights, and confirmed by a solemn refolution of the Houfe of Commons, which is, that of fafely, freely, and boldly remonftrating and petitioning the throne; not doubting from the acknowledged virtues, juftice and goodness of heart of their Sovereign, a relief proportioned to the magnitude of their feveral grievances and complaints.

Wednesday, 28th of March.

This day, pursuant to an advertisement for that purpofe, the Electors of Westminster affembled in Westminster-Hall, to confider of an Address, Remonftrance, and Petition to his Majefty for the Redrefs of Grievances. At twelve o'clock Sir Robert Bernard, Bart. attended by feveral other gentlemen, entered the Hall, and was immediately called to the chair; which was placed upon the top of the fteps, leading into the Court of Common Pleas. Mr. Martyn, holding an engroffed copy of the Remonftrance in his hand, said, This is an Addrefs, Remonftrance, and Petition to his Majefty for the Redrefs of Grievances, which has been agreed to by a Committes of the Electors of this City and Liberty; which, if you pleafe, I will deliver to your Chairman, to be read for your confideration. Sir Robert Bernard then put the question----If it was their defire to hear it read? which was unanimously affented to. Mr. Martyn was defired to read it, which he did in a very dif tinct and audible manner. And fo warmly did the Electors approve of it, that the reading was interrupted by fhouts of Applaufe: And when the read ing was finished, they again teftified their approbation of it by new burfts of applaufe, which ended in an univerfal clapping of hands. The question was then put by the Chairman, Whether they agreed to this Remonftrance? When they all fignified the affirmative, by holding up their hands. trary was then put; when not one hand was held up fo that it was agreed to unanimoufty.

:

The con

The following queftion, being moved and feconded, was next put by the Chairman Is it your pleafure that this Addrefs, Remonftrance, and Petition, -be figned in the name, and on the behalf of you all, by your Chairman and Committee, and immediately delivered to his Majefty? which was likewife unanimoufly agreed to. James Connell, Efq; in a short speech, obferved, That as the Remonftrance would be immediately delivered to his Majesty, and as many of the Electors would probably attend the Gentlemen who were prepared to go up with it, he hoped they would preferve peace and good order, and begged the Electors would not go further than the Palace Gate. Mr. Churchill then moved, That the thanks of the Electors might be given to Sir Robert Bernard, Bart. which was alfo agreed to unanimoufly.

The proceedings in the Hall being thus finished, with the ftricteft order and decorum, the Chairman and Committee went to the King's Aims Tavern in Bridge-freet, where the Remonftrance was figned; and Sir Robert Bernard, Bart. James Connell, Efq; and Mr. Martyn, were defired to attend his Ma jefty with it, The Gentlemen accordingly took their carriages, and drove directly to St. James's. As they went off pretty quick, the Electors, on foot, could not keep up with them; and the Speaker of the Houfe of Commons

happening

happening to come by at the fame time, a great body of them hiffed him exceedingly, and then made a noife after him like the roaring of a Bull, ( alluding to his nick-name) A few got up, and kept with the Gentlemens' carriages all the way to St. James's. A great number went through the Park, and prefently the whole difperfed different ways, without the leaft tumult or

diforder.

Various opinions have been afferted as to the number of perfons' in the Hall, (which is confiderably larger than Guildhall in the City) but from the best and most attentive obfervation, it may be fafely affirmed, there were at A minifterial fycophant, who has been long hunting leaft FIVE THOUSAND. for a place, was heard to say to another courtier, that there were not one hundred and fifty persons in the Hall, and not one gentleman. This falfehood was framed, to be told at the Queen's palace.

When the Gentlemen appointed to carry up the Remonftrance, came to the Palace Gate, an extra guard of foldiers was immediately turned out; and though there was not the least disturbance, nor the appearance of any thing diforderly, yet the foldiers behaved in a moft infolent manner, and ftruck many perfons, without the leaft provocation, with their bayonets. The Gentlemen having alighted from their carriages, amidst the acclamations of the people, who offered no other infult to the foldiers, and never attempted to go within twenty yards of the Palace Gate) walked through the lane of foldiers, and went up ftairs to the levee room door, where they were met by one of the Grooms of the Bed-chamber; who afked Sir Robert Bernard if To which Sir Robert replied, he had any thing to prefent to his Majefty? "Yes, the Addrefs, Remonftrance, and Petition of the City of Westminster." Upon which the Groom of the Bed-chamber faid, he would go and acquaint the Lord in waiting. He accordingly went, but not returning foon, Sir Robert Bernard proposed to go into the levee room, which he did accordingly. On opening the door, the fame Groom of the Bed-chamber faid he could not find the Lord in waiting, but fhould foon: However, the gentlemen went on, and, after fome time, the Lord in waiting came to them; and said, if they had any thing to deliver to his Majefty, he would receive it in the next room, whither they accordingly went; and, after fome time, his Majefty coming into the room, Sir Robert prefented the Remonftrance open. His Majefty did not look at it, but turned his back upon the Gentlemen, and delivered it to the Lord in waiting, who delivered it to another, who handed it to a Groom of the Bed-chamber, and he carried it off.

The following is an authentic Copy of it.

The Humble ADDRESS, REMONSTRANCE, and PETITION, of the ELECTORS of the CITY and LIBERTY of WESTMINSTER, affembled in Westminster-Hall, the 28th Day of March, 1770.

"WE, your Majefty's moft dutiful and loyal Subjects, the Electors of the City and Liberty of Westminster, having already prefented our humble, but ineffectual application to the Throne, find ourselves by the misconduct of your Majesty's Minifters, in confederacy with many of our Representatives, reduced to the neceffity of again breaking in by our Complaints upon your Majefty's Repose, or of acquiefcing under Grievances fo new and fo exorbitant, that none but those who patiently fubmit to them, can deserve to fuffer them.

"By the fame fecret and unhappy influence to which all our Grievances have been originally owing, the Redress of those Grievances has been now prevented, and the Grievances themselves have been repeatedly confirmed; with this additional circumstance of aggravation, that while the Invaders of our Rights remain the Directors of your Majefty's Councils, the Defenders of thofe Rights have been difmiffed from your Majefty's fervice----your Majefty having been advised by your Minifters to remove from his employment, for his vote in parliament, the highest Officer of the law; because his principles fuited ill with

theirs,

theirs, and his pure diftribution of Juftice with their Corrupt Administration of it in the Houfe of Commons.

"We beg leave, therefore, again to reprefent to your Majefty, that the House of Commons have ftruck at the most valuable Liberties and Franchises of all the Electors of Great-Britain; and by affuming to themselves a right of chufing, instead of receiving a Member when chofen, by transferring to the Reprefentative what belonged to the Conftituent, they have taken off from the dignity, and, we fear, impaired the authority of Parliament itself.

"We prefume again therefore humbly to implore from your Majefty, the only remedies which are in any way proportioned to the nature of the evil : that you would be graciously pleased to difmifs for ever from your Councils, thofe Minifters who are ill fuited by their difpofitions to preferve the principles of a Free, or by their capacities to direct, the Councils of a Great and Mighty Kingdom----And that by fpeedily diffolving the prefent parliament, your Majefty will fhew by your own example, and by their diffolution, that the Rights of your People are to be inviolable, and that you will never neceffitate so many injured, and by fuch treatment, exafperated Subjects, to continue to commit the care of their Interefts, to those from whom they muft withdraw their confidence; to repofe their invaluable Privileges in the hands of those who have facrificed them; and their Truft, in those who have betrayed it.

"Your fubjects look up with satisfaction to the powers which the Conftitution has vested in your Majefty----For it is upon them they have placed their laft dependence. And they trust that the right of diffolving Parliaments, which has, under former Princes, fo often anfwered the purposes of power, may under your Majefty prove an happy inftrument of Liberty.

"We find ourselves compelled to urge with the greater importunity, this our humble but earneft application to the Throne, as every day feems to produce the confirmation of fome old, or to threaten the introduction of fome new injury.We have the strongest reafons to apprehend, that the ufurpation begun by the Houfe of Commons upon the Right of Electing, may be extended to the Right of Petitioning; and that under the pretence of reftraining the abuse of this Right, it is meant to bring into disrepute, and to intimidate us from the exercife of the Right itself.

"But whatever may be the purposes of others, your Majesty hath in your Answer to the City of London, moft graciously declared, That you are always ready to receive the requests, and to listen to the complaints of your Subjects.--Your Majefty condefcends likewife to esteem it A duty to fecure to them the free enjoyment of thofe Rights which your family were called to defend. We rely therefore upon the Royal Word, thus given, that our Grievances will meet with full Redrefs, and our complaints with the most favourable Interpretation----That your Majefty will never confider the arraignment of your Minifters as a difrefpect to your Perfon----A charge confined, by the very terms of it, to this Houfe of Commons, as injurious to Parliament at large (the Constitution of which we admire, and the abuse of which is the very thing we lament) ----or a request for the diffolution of Parliament, which your Subjects have a Right to make, and your Majesty to grant, as irreconcileable to the Principles of the Conftitution."

The Gentlemen having delivered the Remonftrance, returned to the King's Arms tavern, in Bridge-ftreet, and dined with the rest of the Committee; where many loyal and conftitutional healths were drank.

One and twenty cannon were fired on the Surry fide of the Thames, when Sir Robert Bernard took the chair in Westminster-hall; and again about the time that the Remonftrance was delivered to his Majesty at St. James's.

*

When the Electors came oppofite Earl Temple's in Pall-mall, they faluted his Lordship with loud huzzas,

PRO

PROGRESS of CIVIL LIBERTY in the AMERICAN Plantati ons continued from Vol. V. page 138.

I

From the Bofton Gazette, January 29.

N our laft we published a particular account of the proceedings of a meeting held at Faneuil-Hall, until its adjournment on Friday the 9th inftant to the Tuesday following. The evident defign of this adjourn ment, though not expreffed, appeared to be to give the delinquents, as they are now called, an opportunity coolly to confider the reasonableness of the requifition made to them, to fulfil their own voluntary contract; and in fo doing to quiet the minds of their fellow citizens, who viewed it as a matter of the greatest confequence, before an end should be put to the meeting.

On Tuesday laf at ten o'clock in the forenoon, the people again met according to appointment; a greater number than had at any time before appeared. And the first thing done was to read a letter from a gentleman of character in Philadelphia to another in this town; which was fo highly approved of, that the whole affembly by a unanimous vote expreffed their defire, that extracts from it might be published in the feveral news-papers.

While this letter was in reading, the fheriff of the county came into the hall, and acquainted the moderator that he had a letter to deliver to him from his honor the lieutenant governor, and delivered the fame accordingly. And when the reading of the first mentioned letter was finished, the moderator communicated to the affembly the contents of his honor's letter to him, which are as follows.

SIR,

As you

Bofton, 23 Jan. 1770.

act in the capacity of moderator of an affembly of people at Faneuil-Hall, I fend you a paper herewith, and I expect from you that you forthwith caufe it to be read to them.

To WILLIAM PHILLIPS, Efq;

T. HUTCHINSON.

As it appeared by this letter, that the moderator was directed by his honor to read a certain paper therein inclofed, to the people then met at FaneuilHall; and they, looking upon themselves as a lawful affembly, convened to tranfact bufinefs of confequence to themselves in a lawful manner, and therefore as having a right to continue without interruption, appointed a committee of three gentlemen, to perufe the paper, and report upon the propriety or expedience of its being laid before them. Which committee reported that it ought to be read, and then it was read accordingly; and the following is a copy.

I

By the lieutenant-governor.

To the People affembled at Faneuil-Hall.

Should be culpable if I fhould any longer omit to fignify to you my fentiments upon your proceedings. Your affembling together for the purposes for which you profefs to be affembled, cannot be juftified by any authority or colour of law. Your going from houfe to houfe, and makVol. VI.

Ff

ing