he crown, at the peril of his office, or any other confe quence. 14. This morning at eight, Mr. Wilkes was again brought up to the court of King's-bench. The court fat about nine Mr. ferjeant Glynn, the recorder of London, Mr. Mansfield, and Mr. Davenport, argued very largely on the two points, the filing of the information by the folicitor, not the attorney-general, and the alteration of the records at lord Mansfield's houfe the evening before the trials, without the knowledge of Mr. Wilkes. The one was in arreft of judgment, the other was for a new trial. The attorney-general, fir Fletcher Norton, and Mr. Thurlow, made long fpeeches in reply, which were answered by Mr. ferjeant Glynn. Then the court proceeded to deliver their opinions, and overruled both the objections. Mr. ferjeant Glynn, next took notice, that as a writ of error was intended to be brought before a higher court of juftice, before the house of lords, he defired that the cafe of the alteration of the records under fuch peculiar circumftances might be ftated on the back of the record, to be tranfmitted to the lords, otherwise that important point could not come before the house. was abfolutely refused by the court. This Lord Mansfield then made his report of the two trials. The attorney-general, fir Fletcher Norton, and Mr. Thurlow, fpoke in aggravation of both offences, and Mr. ferjeant Glynn anfwered their arguments. After this, Mr. Wilkes defired that judgment might be paffed upon him. The court declared, that they could not then pafs judgment, but would confider it among themselves; and upon Mr. Wilkes's again preffing for a very early day, promised that there should be no delay. Mr. Wilkes again offered bail, which was refused by the court. They continued fitting till near fix. The following regiments are quartered in the environs of this city, and within thirty miles thereof. The Scots Greys, lord Albemarle's, the Innifkillin, and Burgoyne's, dragoons. Q. Does not this circumftance make our country appear more like the military government of a Pruffian monarchy, than the commercial, free, and independant kingdom of England, whofe fovereign has a throne in the hearts of his fubjects, and ftands in need of no foldiers to make him refpected? 18. This morning about eight Mr. Wilkes was brought up to the court of King's-bench. Lord Mansfield, and the other three judges took their feats before nine. Mr. juftice Yates harangued on the two offences; but took no noVOL. III. F tice 1 tice of Mr. Kearfley's affidavit, fetting forth, that the letters produced on the trial of the Effay on Woman, by which Mr. Wilkes was convicted, were taken from Mr. Kearfly by force under the authority of an illegal General Warrant. Nor did Mr. juftice Yates dwell on the Publication of the poem; but only on the nature and tendency of it. He then paffed the following fentence: That Mr. Wilkes be imprifoned twenty-two calender Months from this day that he pay a fine of one thousand pounds; and give fecurity for his future good behaviour for seven years; himself in a bond for one thousand pounds, and two fureties in bonds of five hundred pounds each. Mr. Wilkes himself then moved for a writ of error to the house of lords; and faid, that from the wisdom and juftice of that court he hoped that the alteration of the records by lord chief juftice Mansfield at his own houfe might be put in fuch a form as to come by way of appeal before the house of lords. Lord Mansfield replied, that they could not alter the Law. Mr. Wilkes repeated his requeft, that fo important a point might be brought before a fuperior court, and received the fame anfwer from lord Mansfield, that they could not alter the L-A-W. A "BELIAL; CHARACTER. "A fairer perfon loft not heav'n; he feem'd "But all was FALSE and HOLLOW; tho' his tongue Milton, Book 2, Line 108, &c. Mr. Wilkes is determined to bring the affair of the Alteration of the records before the grand Committee for Grievances in the houfe of commons. The following is Mr. Wilkes's Addrefs to his Conflituents on To the gentlemen, clergy, and freeholders of the county of Middlefex. A FTER every kind of oppofition from the tools of minifterial power, and every hour of delay, which could be gained by the chicane of law, I find myself at laft happy, even under this day's fevere fentence, that by the unanimous determination of all the judges of the court of King's Bench I am I am reftored to my birth-right, to the noble liberties and privileges of an Englishman. The out-lawry, which is now reverfed, has appeared clearly to be an act of equal injuftice and cruelty, from the very beginning erroneous and illegal. In the whole progrefs of minifterial vengeance against me for feveral years I have fhewn to the conviction of all mankind, that my enemies have trampled on the laws, and been actu ated by the fpirit of tyranny and arbitrary power. The general warrant, under which I was firft apprehended, has been adjudged illegal. The feizure of my papers was condemned judicially. The out-lawry, fo long the topic of virulent abuse, is at laft declared to have been contrary to law; and on the ground first taken by my learned counsel, Mr. Serjeant Glynn, is formally reverfed. It ftill remains in this public caufe, that the juftice of the nation fhould have place against the first and great criminal, the late fecretary of ftate, Lord Halifax, not so much for the punishment he has merited, as for the example of terror to any present or future minifter, who might otherwife be tempted to invade the facred liberties of our country. I pledge myfelf to you, that my ftrongest efforts fhall be exerted to carry this through with a spirit and firmness becoming an affair of national confequence, yet without the smallest degree of private rancour or malice, which neither my long and hard imprisonment, nor the paft provocations, fhall make me harbour against any man. At the end of this tedious and harsh confinement, I hope, gentlemen, to pass the rest of my life a freeman among you, my freeborn countrymen ; and give me leave to declare, that on every emergency, whenever the rights of the people are attacked, I fhall be ready to ftand forward, and to risk all for what is nearest to my heart, the freedom of England. In this glorious caufe we are equally engaged. We have only one common intereft, that of our country, its laws and liberties, and in confequence the preservation of our fovereign and the Brunswic line. Thefe objects we will steadily purfue, and freedom fhall not perish among us, neither by the treachery and corruption of minifters, nor by the fate of arms, while we remain men and Englishmen. I obferve, gentlemen, in the fpeech of the lords commiffioners at the opening of this parliament, that no matters of general bufinefs are to come on this feffion. Before the winter I beg to be honoured with your commands for the next feffion on any points of importance, which you may judge proper to be fubmitted to the great council of the nation, either refpecting the kingdom in general, or our county in particular F 2 particular. In all our common concerns I entreat for myfelf your candour and indulgence, of which I feel that I stand in great need. My views however will be approved by you, for they fhall be public fpirited, and in no inftance selfish or partial. I would not for a moment lie under the fufpicion of a mean, private, interested plan of conduct, or perfonal ambition. I am determined to remain entirely independent, uncorrupted, even unbiaffed in an improper manner, and never to accept from the crown either place, penfion, gratuity, or emolument of any kind. I will live and die in your fervice, a private gentleman, perfectly free, under no controul but the laws, under no influence but yours, and I hope, by your favour and kindness, one of the reprefentatives in parliament for the county of Middlesex. On thefe terms only I expect through life the continuance of your fupport, as well as the favourable opinion of you, and all other good men, the friends of liberty and of my country. I am, with gratitude and efteem, King's-Bench Prifon, GENTLEMEN, Your faithful and obedient Saturday, June 18, 1768. Humble fervant, JOHN WILKES. 20. The court of Common-pleas was moved, that as Mr. Wilkes's outlawry was now reverfed, he might be at liberty to withdraw his demurrer to lord Halifax's plea and reply; but the court were of opinion, that it was proper to give a Term's notice of this motion, and Mr. Wilkes's attorney has given notice according. This fame day, foon after Mr. ferjeant Glynn went out of court, Mr. ferjeant Nares moved for an attachment against the printer of a daily paper, for publishing Mr. Wilkes's addrefs to the gentlemen, clergy, and freeholders of the county of Middlefex, as he apprehended the fame tended to inflame the jury of the county before whom the caufe was to be tried. The court afked him; whether he made that motion on behalf of the Attorney-General? which he averring, the addrefs was read, and the court declared, that they did not fee any thing justly deferving cenfure, and refused the attachment. On the 3d of June, a motion was made by the attorneygeneral, for a writ of attachment againft Mr. Bingley, for a contempt of the court, in publishing a paper called the North North-Briton, No. 50, and at the fame time, two writs of the like nature were moved for, against Mrs. Brett, and Mrs. Langford, who had fold fome of the faid paper. On the 4th, another paper entitled the North-Briton extraordinary, No. 4, was charged by the attorney-general, with being a contempt of the court of King's-bench; and a writ of attachment was moved for, againft the publisher, Mr. Staples Steare; and two writs of the like nature, were also moved for, againft Mr. John Williams, and Mr. John Pridden, for having fold f me of the faid paper. On the 7th, Mr. Bingley, appeared before the court of King's-bench, in order to fhew cause why the writ of attachment fhould not iffue against him, and offered to read a paper, which was refused. He then published this paper in a North-Briton, called No. 51; for which on the 9th, another writ of attachment was moved for, by the attorney-general. On the 10th, the writ of attachment against him, for publishing No. 50, was ordered to iffue, as was next day that for publishing No. 51. In the evening (of the 12th) he was taken from his fhop in the Strand, by the officers, to Mr. Phillips's lock-up-house, the Pyed-bull, in Gray's-inn-lane, where he was kept that night, and next day (Sunday) he was offered to be admitted to bail, which he refufed to accept, and was thereupon committed to Newgate, where he now is. The motion against Mrs. Langford was difcharged. Mrs. Brett, gave bail till next term. The publisher and fellers of the extraordinary North-Briton likewise gave bail till next term. - On the 11th, lord viscount Clare, was appointed joint vice treasurer of Ireland, in the room of Mr. Rigby; and the earl of Hillsborough, was appointed first lord commiffioner of trade, with the powers of fecretary of state. Among the many cruel and oppreffive measures of this adminiftration against Mr. Wilkes, the following ought to be noticed. When Mr. Wilkes dined with his friends, on the 10th of April laft, at the King's-arms tavern, in Cornhill, he was ferved, in the midst of them, by an agent of the fecretary of the treasury, with an exchequer writ and bill of discovery, upon information, confifting of many fheets of paper, in order to discover and seize all his effects under the outlawry, as being forfeited to the crown, although the writs of error in the cafe of the outlawry had been actually allowed. The outlawry has fince been declared illegalfrom the beginning. Quere, if the Treasury had fucceeded in their attempt of feizing the effects of Mr. Wilkes, under that illegal outlarury, would it not have been a downright robbery ? The |