mittee was appointed to assist them in their defence, with power to draw for money on the chamber of London. The populace displayed their zeal in favour of persons whom they regarded as sufferers for the public liberty, by accompanying them in crowds with loud acclamations as they went to and returned from the house of commons; and on one of these occasions they grossly insulted several obnoxious members, and lord North narrowly escaped with his life.

In their contest with the lord mayor and alderman Oliver, the house of commons had the advantage of employing its authority over its own members; but in the case of Wilkes the honourable house lay under an embarrassment which for some time prevented any proceedings against him. To an order for his attendance at their bar, he had sent a letter to the speaker, in which he remarked that no notice had been taken of his being a member, and he had not been desired to attend in his place, both which circumstances were essential; and that he now, in the name of his constituents, demanded his seat in parliament, where he would enter into a full detail of his conduct in this transaction. The letter being offered to the house by the speaker, a long debate ensued, which ended in the refusal of its reception; and fresh orders were issued for his attendance, of which he took no notice. At length, a few days previous to the recess, the house finding they were got into a difficulty, and doubtful of the extent of their privileges, made an order for Wilkes's attendance on a certain day, and then adjourned to the day after,—a mode of escape which certainly had no tendency to raise their character in the eyes of the nation. The other two magistrates, who had been brought up by writ of habeas corpus before the court of common pleas, after long pleadings were remanded to the Tower, where they remained in

custody till the end of the session, when their liberation was celebrated with great rejoicings. A committee of the house of commons, which had long sat on the question of privilege, on bringing in its report, satisfied themselves with recommending to the house, that Miller, the printer of the London Evening Post, should be taken into custody: and thus ended a contest, in which passion seems to have greatly predominated over wisdom. But, from that period, the proceedings of parliament, and the speeches of the members, have continued to be reported in the newspapers without any interference from the parliament. And indeed no words can convey an opinion on this subject so properly as those used by lord Chatham on the occasion: "To be afraid of having their deliberations published," said his lordship, "is monstrous, and speaks for itself. No mortal can construe such a proceeding to their advantage. The practice of locking the doors is sufficient to open the eyes of the blind. They must see that all is not well within."

1772.] When a new session was opened, some ministerial changes had taken place. The earl of Halifax was once more secretary of state for the home department, and the earl of Rochford acted in a similar capacity for foreign affairs. Lord Weymouth was at the head of the admiralty. Mr. Bathurst held the great seal; while Thurlow and Wedderburne, men of considerable abilities, were the attorney and solicitor-general. On the death of lord Halifax, his office was transferred to the earl of Suffolk, and the privy-seal was delivered to the duke of Grafton.

It was now found that the opposition had declined in strength; yet some spirited debates occurred, particularly on ecclesiastical affairs. A petition was presented from a number of the clergy of the established church, praying to be relieved from the obligation of subscribing to the thirty-nine articles.

The friends and supporters of the measure argued, that the vigorous enforcement of confessions of faith, of articles which all could not believe, not only obstructed that freedom of inquiry which led to the full discovery of truth, but were also powerful temptations to prevarication and evasion, injurious both to religion and morality. They further argued, that the thirty-nine articles were framed in an age less enlightened than the present, when the errors of popery had not entirely lost their influence upon the minds of the clergy; and that genuine Christianity could not be impaired by a removal of the necessity of giving an outward assent to such points of belief, but, on the contrary, would receive additional spirit and lustre from a relaxation of unreasonable rigour. The opposers of the petition, however, among whom the minister himself ranked, contended, that a compliance with such a request would tend to the ruin of the church, by encouraging sectaries to propagate heterodox tenets under the wings of the establishment. They insinuated, that persons who were so affectedly conscientious as to scruple to subscribe the articles of our reformed church, had an easy remedy by resigning its emoluments and advan tages; and they maintained, that the doctrines in question formed a fundamental law, which the parliament, even if it had the power, ought not to annul. The application was lost by a majority of one hundred and forty-six.

The dissenters at this time also made an application to parliament, for a security against the penalties to which they were liable for not complying with all the enactments of the toleration act, particularly the subscribing to certain articles. On the 3d of April a motion was made in the house of commons, for leave to bring in a bill to that effect, which was granted, and the bill readily passed with the concurrence of the ministry. It was accordingly sent

up to the lords, and read a first time; but, on the second reading, the motion for committing it was rejected by one hundred and two to twenty-nine. The influence of the episcopal bench was particularly observable on this occasion.

During this session of parliament, a bill passed, though not without considerable opposition in both houses, by which the descendants of George the Second are prevented from marrying without the consent of the reigning monarch. This measure was considered to be necessary, in consequence of the duke of Cumberland having married the widow of earl Waldegrave, and daughter of lord Irnham, on which account his majesty forbade the parties to appear at court.

Soon after the meeting of parliament, the princessdowager of Wales departed this life, in her fifty-fourth year. The private character of this princess is allowed to have been amiable; but her influence over the king, her son, was united to that of lord Bute, and is generally supposed to have been exerted in favour of the prerogatives of the crown, rather than for the interests of the people3.

Annals of Great Britain,

3 Dodsley's Annual Register. 3 vols. 8vo. Anecdotes of the Life of Lord Chatham. Dr. Aikin's Annals of the Reign of George III. Short Review of the present Reign.

CHAP. IV.

Review of the Affairs of India....Bills introduced for regulating the Affairs of the Company....Defence of Lord Clive....The Case of the Caribbs of St. Vincent's laid before Parliament.... Efforts of the Opposition to obtain a Parliamentary Reform. ...State of the public Mind in America.... Violent Discontents at Boston....Intercepted Correspondence....Proceedings of the first Session of Parliament in 1774....Bill introduced for the Punishment of the Town of Boston....Another Bill for the Government of the Province of Massachusets Bay....A third Bill brought in by the Minister to regulate the Affairs of Massachusets Bay....Appearance of Fox and Burke in Parliament....Bill introduced for the Government of the Province of Quebec....Proceedings in the State of Massachusets.... Meeting of a General Congress of the Colonies....Their Resolutions and Memorials....Dissolution of Parliament.... Meeting after the Recess....Lord Chatham's Motion for Measures of Conciliation....Resolution of Parliament declaring the Colonies in a state of actual Rebellion....Debates on American Affairs....Votes of Supply of Soldiers and Seamen....Lord North's Motion for a Reconciliation with the Colonies.... Conciliatory Propositions proposed by Mr. Burke....The City of London again petition the Throne against a War with America....His Majesty's Answer.

1773.

THE attention of parliament was occupied in a very considerable degree, during the session which began in the latter end of the year 1772, and continued in 1773, by the concerns of the East India company. The enormous increase of the power of this commercial body, chiefly resulting from the success of lord Clive, during the preceding reign, had been followed by gross mismanagement and the most flagrant abuses. The servants of the company, whether in a civil or a military capacity, were more intent on the acquisition of wealth than on the discharge of their respective duties; and as the