The

SIR,

It your car T is not in the leaft furprising, that lebrated predeceffor, to veft the office of chief civil magiftrate for the city and liberties of Westminster, and indeed of the county of Middlefex, in the family of the F- -gs as an hereditary eftate, fhould have met with the defired fuccefs. The great abilities of the first juftice Fg procured him the esteem and confidence of his fuperiors, and attracted the veneration of the populace: he knew how to avail himself of the public prepoffeffion in his favour; and by dint of a general correfpondence and connection with the printers of news-papers, pawnbrokers, keepers of brothels, and a fet of infamous wretches called thieftakers, he acquired the reputation of a moft active magiftrate, and almoft wholly engroffed the very profitable bufinefs of the Middlesex justices of the peace. At length, when infirmities bore him down, and he could no longer attend the fatiguing duties of his important ftation, having firft laid an extenfive foundation for his fucceffor, he kindly transformed the Regifter-office keeper into a justice of the peace; and configning over to you all the implements of office, which were neceffary for carrying on the scheme of fupremacy, and for fupporting the credit of the jufticiary feat in Bow ftreet, he refigned, and retired with a confiderable reputation.

But it is matter of just astonishment, that without any of thofe extraordinary talents, which recommended your predeceffor to the notice of the Great, you have been able to carry the point of maintaining a fuperiority over your brethren in the commiffion of the peace to a much greater length than he ever aimed at; and that you have prefumed to infult the whole nation, and every other department intrufted with the prefervation of the peace and good order of this great metropolis, by giving to your little office in Bowftreet, the very refpectable and comprehenfive title of THE POLICE. As not only foreigners, but many of his Majefty's liege fubjects, may be deceived by your pompous difplay of this felferected title, to which you have fometimes added, that you had the fanction and fupport of the miniftry; and that falfe conclufions may be drawn, fuch as the imagining that there is an eftablifhed, well-regulated Police in this great city, of which you are the head; and that the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of London, the Court of Aldermen, and many private juftices of the peace, are mere cyphers. It fhall be the bufinefs of the effays under the title of THE POLICE to demonftrate, that we have very few regulations for the internal polity of our capital cities which deferve that fignificant denomination; and that fuch is our deficiency in this refpect, compaA 2 ritively.

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