That

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 house 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. your petitioners affirm, these proceedings to be unjust, injurious to the freedom of election, a violation of the rights of the people, and fubverfive of the first principles of the British conftitution. That your petitioners have no hope of redress but from the throne; and that they do moft humbly and earneftly implore your majefty, 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 following gentlemen

waited on his majesty 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,

WE your majefty's most dutiful and loyal fubjects, the free

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 Brunfwick; 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 Middlefex 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 útmoft reluctance

we now find ourselves constrained to appeal to your facred perfon, from whofe juftice and goodnefs we alone hope for redress.

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

And your majefty's petitioners fhall ever pray.

THE

THE following remonftrance THE and petition from the county of Buckingham, was prefented to the king at the levee, by the hon. Thomas Hampden, chairman at the general meeting, the hon. Henry 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

majesty.

WE your majefty's most dutiful and loyal fubjects, the free holders 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 moft effectual fecurity for the full enjoyment of all our rights and franchises.

We prefume, at the fame time, moft humbly to remonftrate, that it is declared by Magna Charta, "That no freeman shall 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

We are

facred laws, and other fundamental principles of the conftitution, all the electors of Great-Britain have an undoubted right to elect, by a majority of legal votes, any perfon for their reprefentative, who is not rendered incapable of that high truft by the law of the land. thoroughly fenfible, that the house of commons may alfo 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 refolution 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

tution, and will, we fear, if the 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 house of commons, two days before the laft elec tion 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 parlia ment, with the avowed purpofe of bringing him into the house of commons as knight of the fhire for the faid county, by a small 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 counfellors 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 earnestly implore the intervention of your majefty'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 cause 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.

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

Genuine copy of the Yorkshire

petition.

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

We find ourselves called to the exercife of that right, and the difcharge of that duty,by apprehenfions of the tendency of that measure, which has nominated a reprefentative to the county of Middlesex, in oppofition to the votes of a great majority of the freeholders, and in prejudice of that freedom of election which your faithful commORS are entitled to by the laws and conftitution of this country.

We refpect, as we ought, the an thority of the houfe of commons; and their juft privileges will ever be dear to the people; but the house

majefty.

from the people, who never have entrufted 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 houfe 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 conftitutional remedy. The power of alfembling and diffolving parliaments,

is undoubtedly one of the rights vested 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 most effential rights are to be preferved by it.

Permit us, then, royal fir, to implore your majefty to reftore 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 support the rights of the people.

Petitions were likewife delivered, or prepared within the year, from Cornwall, Devon, Somerfetfhire, cities of Bristol and Exeter, city of Wells, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Worcesterfhire, Herefordshire, borough of Southwark, Coventry, Derbyshire, Northum berland, Newcastle 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 fyftem of Husbandry.

Yan edict of the king of France, wafte lands of every kind brought into tilth, are exempted for twenty years from all taxes; and frangers 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 waste 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, so 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; efpecially 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 should the clergy, in this cafe, give up the tithes, fince it is their duty to fet examples of difinterested 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 themselves in improving waste 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 deserve the

highest eftimation, are the Flemifh, or rather the Eaft-India fheep, the English and the Spanish.

In order to procure a better breed of,fheep, it is proposed to establish a school of fhepherds in Flanders, fimilar to those in Sweden. The scholars, when inftructed 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 fheep is proposed to be established on the coaft

of

of the channel, which is in every refpect fimilar to the lands in England. "Even war, fay they, will not prevent our obtaining them. Many parts of England and Ireland, famous for their wool, are not very diftant from our coafts, and frequently fend barks laden with wool. Thefe would readily bring live fheep, if they were duly rewarded. We might alfo obtain fheep from Sweden, where, notwithstanding the inlemency of their winters, they are not inferior to thofe of England; owing to the particular care taken of them. The only difference obfervable is, that in Sweden they lose their teeth two years fooner than they do in England, occafioned probably by the two great cold; and therefore it may be prefumed, that returning to a more temperate climate, this circumftance will ceafe.

A third fchool fhould be eftablished in Berry, or Languedoc, for inftructing fhepherds in the management of the theep which yield wool of the Spanish kind."

The Royal Society of Agriculture at Rouen,after duly confidering the papers thus laid before them, oblerve that, unless thefe foreign fheep can be kept feparate, without mixing either one kind with another, or with the sheep of the country, the whole will fall into a bastard race, and degenerate, as they have done in most parts of England; and conclude, that the only effectual means of answering this defirable purpose muft depend upon government."

They purpofe, therefore, "That government fhould eftablish nurferies of thefe foreign fheep in different parts of the kingdom, best suited to the different kinds of sheep. Thefe nurferies to be placed in the royal forefts, which at pre

fent lie generally wafte; but would, in this way, foon turn to great account. The ground would be enriched by the folding fheep upon it, and thereby be enabled to yield plenty of natural and artificial graffes, as well as corn, for the maintenance of the fhepherds.

The fhepherd, who atrends each kind of fheep, fhould be of the country fromwhich the sheep arebrought. He should be well skilled in his bufinefs, and be young, that he may the more easily learn the language, and in time become the general infpector of the canton.

The chief direction of these nurferies may be intrufted to the Royal Societies of Agriculture in each province; who may appoint gentlemen of their own body, the moftfcontiguous to the nurferies, to watch over the shepherds, and make regular reports to their respective Societies of whatever they obferve.

Each of the foreign shepherds fhould be obliged to inftruct young men put under their care; fo that each nursery may become a school of fhepherds, who may be afterwards diftributed to different places with foreign fheep, in proportion as the flocks increafe, fo as to admit of colonies being fent off from the nurseries.

The infpecting fhepherd to make regular vifits to each colony, at leaft three times in the year, viz. at lambing-time, at fhearing-time, and in winter; to fee that due care is taken of the sheep at each of thefe different feafons; and regularly report his obfervations to the Societies.

The royal nurseries will become an unalterable fund, which will infure to the nation different breeds of fheep and wool,équal in goodness to thofe of Spain, England, and

Holland: