be lent to the public at an intereft of two per cent.

Such are the terms of this agreement, and fuch the opulence of a company of merchants, as, befides the immenfe fums they pay to government in duties, to be able to afford a yearly douceur to the public, which would be no inconfiderable revenue to a fovereign prince; and which will amount, at the end. of the term, if the conditions are fulfilled, including the produce of the prior agreement for two years, to what at other times, and in other countries, would be thought the incredible fum of two millions and eight hundred thousand pounds. It might almost be imagined, that a nation poffeffed of fuch amazing refources, and with only a common fhare of prudence and virtue, would ftand fuperior even to the power of fortune, and that nothing lefs than fome univerfal calamity could endanger its fecurity, had not the melancholy experience of paft ages fhewn us, that power and riches carry along with them thofe fatal feeds that grow up in time to their own deftruction.

and that he relied on their known zeal and affection, to make a provifion to enable him to discharge that incumbrance.

For the better understanding of this fubject, it may be neceffary to obferve, that feveral funds had long fince been appropriated for the civil lift; an establishment, which includes all the civil offices and expences of government, and those, whether public or private, which are fuppofed neceflary for the fupport and dignity of the court; except on extraordinary occafions, as the marriage of a princefs, or the establishment of houfholds for the younger branches of the family; when, in either cafe, the parliament ufually allots a fuitable portion for the one, and a fufficient revenue for the fupport of the other. These appropriated funds were intended to raise the annual fum of 800,000l. which was found, and fuppofed fully fufficient to answer the purpofes intended; if the produce of the funds exceeded the propofed fum, the minifter might have been accountable for the ex-. cefs, as he would for any other part of the revenue. This, however, from the nature of the fubject, was an enquiry never entered into ; but if, on the other hand, there appeared to be a deficiency of the allotted fum, it was always, upon application, made good by parlia

certain

certain annual fum of 800,000l. to be paid out of the aggregate fund, in lieu of the uncertain produce of thofe funds which were before appropriated to the fupport of the civil lift. This demand, when brought into the Houfe of Commons, was likely to produce an hot conteft in the prefent temper and ftrength of oppofition. Immediately motions, infinitely diverfified by all the manœuvres of parliamentary dexterity, were made for papers which might lead to a difcovery of mifmanagement or profufion, in the conduct of the revenue, and of the royal expences. A review was taken of the ftate of the civil lift, and private revenues of the crown; comparisons were made with the income and the expences of former reigns. Government, they faid, had, befides the certain 800,000l. very confiderable revenues, arifing from the principality of Wales, and the dutchy of Cornwall, the produce of which, it being no part of the national fupply, was never enquired into ; and fome new duties had, within a few years, been laid on, by virtue of the royal prerogative, in fome of the new Weft-India islands, which alfo produced fome revenue, and which was not brought to account. In these circumftances, the civil lift establishment was fuppofed to be upon a better footing than ever it had been before, and that what may be confidered as the private finances, or treafury of the court, was alfo in good condition: Thefe dircumftances they urged, rendered an enquiry neceffary, to difcover by what means a deficiency hould have arifen, efpecially as it had not been observed, that any

extraordinary expences had of late been entered into.

It was faid, that a noble provifion had already been made, for the fupport of the civil establishment, and of the honour and dignity of government; that it was found fully fufficient to answer thefe purposes, during a long courfe of years, with magnificence, even when that establishment was clogged with many incumbrances, which do not at prefent affect it, and when, from the general appearance, the expences, in all other refpects, were to the full as great. That it was neceffary, as well as equitable, to give the public the fatisfaction of knowing, in what manner their money had been expended, before new burdens were laid upon them. That if debts were contracted at will, and money obtained at demand, without any examination for their payment, did not avail, what the oftenfible forms of the demand or the grant might be, or in what terms they were conceived; the effects would at length be, that the forms may perhaps be continued, but that an arbitrary and unlimited revenue would be established at the will of the prince. That upon this fyftem, the revenues of the. crown would be fuch an inex hauftible refource to an evil mi nifter, as would enable him to compafs the most deftructive, mea fures; and that though the people were always ready to give their money with the greateft pleasure, to fupport the dignity, or even the magnificence of the crown, that it behoved them to know in what manner it was laid out, left by getting into fuch hands, it might

fome

fome time or other be employed to the deftruction of their liberties, and the fubverfion of the conftitution.

On the other fide it was faid, that though it was generally right to obferve the conduct of minifters with the clofest circumfpection, that in this reign, and upon the prefent occafion, it was lefs neceffary. That it would be unge, nerous, by any act, to fhew the fmalleft fufpicion of a prince, whofe first care, upon his acceffion to the throne, was to ftrengthen the freedom of the fubject, by establishing the independency of the judges: that no innovation injurious to the conftitution, could be reasonably apprehended under fuch a prince. That his majefty, who had in his private fhare of the captures taken during the late war, given up to the nation a fum exceeding 700,000l. was entitled to particular confideration in his immediate exigencies; and that the gratitude, not to say the juftice of the kingdom, was called upon in the loudest manner, to comply readily and gracefully with his re quest.

At the fame time the minifters expreffed the greateft readiness to lay the accounts and papers that were required before the Houfe; but that the length of time which was requifite to prepare them, and the latenefs of the feflion, made it neceffary to be deferred to the next meeting, when they should be ready. It was then refolved, that the fum of 513,5111. fhould be granted to pay the arrears and debts due on the civil lift, to the 5th of January, $769.

We have already feen, that the

hearing of Mr. Wilkes's petition had been deferred to the 27th of January; and while the miniftry feemed undetermined how to act, a proceeding of his afforded a new opportunity or pretence to renew the profecution, against him. On one hand, many in adminiftration and office were exceedingly averfe to taking any step relative to this gentleman; as many inconveniencies had been formerly experienced from fuch a conduct; and more were apprehended from a revival of it. Neither did the oppofition feem willing to prefs the minifters in that bufinefs. The very motion in which Mr. Wilkes's petition had been introduced into that house, having prayed no more than that it should lie on the table; a method, according to the cuftom of that affembly, of civilly paffing into oblivion, fuch matters as they do not choose to attend to, or formally to reject. It seems, however, that the party moft animated towards the profecution had prevailed at length; and Mr. Wilkes was not backward in furnishing them with new matter of complaint. We have before taken notice of a letter that had been written by a fecretary of ftate, to the chairman of the quarter feffions at Lambeth, previous to the unhappy affair in St. George's-Fields, in which it was recommended to the magiftrates, not to delay a moment, if there was occafion, to call in the aid of the military, and to make ufe of them effectually, if the civil power was trifled with or infulted; as a military force could never be employed to a more conftitutional purpofe, than in the fupport of the authority and dignity

of

of magiftracy. Though it was generally fuppofed, that the magiftrates had at that time received some instructions fimilar to these, yet the particular mode of them, and by whom given, was not known. Mr. Wilkes having by fome means procured a copy of this letter, had it published at full length in a news-paper, with a fhort prefatory introduction of his own writing, in which the affair of St. George's Fields was termed a horrid maffacre, and the confequence of a hellish project, deliberately planned and determined upon.

The fecretary of state having acknowledged himself the writer of the letter, made a complaint in the House of Lords, as a peer, of a breach of privilege: and the publishers of the news-paper having acknowledged that they received the copy from Mr. Wilkes, a complaint was made to the commons, of the conduct of their member, and a conference held upon the fubject by the two houfes; and the matter being agitated, during the enquiry into the merits of Mr. Wilkes's petition, he, with great boldnefs, before the House, confeffed himself the author of the prefatory remarks, as well as of having fent the whole to the news printer.

The matter of the petition having undergone a long examination, during which Mr. Wilkes, in the cuftody of the King's-Bench, attended the Houfe, it was finally refolved, That the two orders made by Lord Mansfield, Lord Chief-Juftice of the King's-Bench, for the amendment of the informations, exhibited in the faid court againft Mr. Wilkes, were according to law and justice, and the pracVOL. XII.

tice of the faid court; and that the complaint of Mr. Wilkes, in, refpect thereof, is frivolous; and, that the afperfions upon the faid chief justice, for making the faid two orders, thereby conveyed, are utterly groundless, and tend to prejudice the minds of the people against the adminiftration of public juftice." It was at the fame time refolved, that the charge against Philip Carteret Webb, Efq. was not made good.

The fecretary of state's Feb. 2d. letter, and the prefatory remarks, were next day taken under confideration, when it was refolved, "That the introduction of a letter addreffed to Daniel Ponton, Efq. chairman of the quarter-feffions at Lambeth, of which John Wilkes, Efq. a member of the House, had confeffed himfelf the author and publisher, was an infolent, fcandalous, and feditious libel, tending to inflame and ftir up the minds of his majesty's fubjects to fedition, and to a total fubverfion of all good order and legal government." These refolutions were immediately, after long and violent debates, followed by expulfion; in the vote for which, his former crimes, for which he was now fuffering punishment, were complicated with the prefent charge; and a new writ was accordingly iffued for the election of a member in his