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You are served with this process to the intent that you may by your attorney appear in his Majesty's court of record, to be held within and for the town and parish aforesaid, on Tuesday the twenty-third day of September, 1823, in order to your defence in this action.

12th September, 1823.

CONCLUSION.

My worthy and respected fellow townsmen,

I have now redeemed my pledge-I have placed before you the Cursory Observations I had drawn up for your use and benefit. I am most fully aware of the many deficiencies, discoverable in the execution, and the great want of professional learning observable in the detail; but you have my reasons in the preface why I deem it unnecessary to claim your indulgence, as regards my inability to do all I could have wished. To say that my task has been free from pain and inquietude, would be asserting that which was not fact. I have often, very often, been obliged to sacrifice my private feelings to my public duties, and to speak with severity as connected with the official conduct of some of those whose private virtues I admire, and a portion of whose sentiments I shall ever endeavour to maintain. This I hope will entitle me to your approbation, and obtain for the feeble advocate of your rights, at least, the high sanction of having conducted the investigation he has taken in hand with candour and impartiality.

But I have not been without my reward. The burden which I imposed upon myself has been comparatively lightened, by the confirmation which my positions have experienced generally. I have not had to defend myself in a single instance.* I have not even heard that one argument has been urged by any of those from whom I might naturally look for hostility of sentiment. Nay, I have to acknowledge the manly conduct of some of these, in having kindly expressed themselves favorable to the tone and character of my

• It may be necessary to remind the reader, the Cursory Observations were published in Four Parts, at different periods.

work. This does honor to them, as demonstrative of their ingenuousness; it is a source of comfort to me; and it will, I trust, be received by you as the harbinger of better times, and the welcome precursor of a more approved execution of their public conduct.

It would be unbecoming in me to pass over unnoticed, the liberal and unequivocal offers of pecuniary aid, which many of you have made to forward the object in which I am engaged. Towards these excellent friends to the best interests of Tiverton, I feel more than I can express. Such proofs of their sincerity are worth ten thousand speeches delivered by the venal tory, or the disappointed whig. I trust, how. ever, our corporate officers will not drive us to the adoption of measures, which they must be aware would terminate in the discomfiture of many of themselves, * if not in the loss of our present privileges confirmed to us by the charters of James and George. Most sincerely do I beseech them to weigh without prejudice the arguments I humbly beg leave to submit to their cousideration. If what I have suggested be the truth, and nothing but the truth, I feel confident there are many among them whose elevated notions of

I beg respectfully to remind our mayor, capital burgesses, and assistants, of the obser vations of Mr. Justice Best, in the case of the King v. the Mayor &c. of Fowey; and of the result of Mr. Merewether's application to the court of K. B. in the Portsmouth Case. Both these reached me too late to offer further remark.

"I have no doubt (observed this learned Judge) that this rule ought to be made absolute With respect to the refusal of the aldermen to admit the person (the vicar of the parish) appointed by the recorder to be his deputy, I would say, if this gentleman had employed the time necessary in learning and discharging the duties of a clergyman, I would, prima facie, take him as a person not competent to discharge the duties of a recorder."

PORTSMOUTH CASE. "The King v. the Corporation of Portsmouth. Mr. Merewether on a former day moved for a Mandamus to the corporation of Portsmouth, requiring them to assemble and deliberate on the expediency of enforcing residence on certain aldermen of that borough. The court then refused the rule, because no authority was cited in support of the application. The learned Counsel now renewed his motion on the case of "The King v. Truro,' decided in 1821, which was in the crown office, and not reported.---The court upon this authority granted a rule to shew cause why a Mandamus should not issue."

I shall only observe, there must be some error in the report of Mr. Merewether's second application, as in my opinion, it is impossible that four learned Judges, who are in fact the visitors of corporations, should not have recollected the case of the King v. Truro, decided in 1821.

propriety will lead them at once to step forward, to correct all that is objectionable, and to remove all that is irregular. These will I am sure pardon my reminding them, that they are not the mere opinions of the Friend to Local Jurisdictions to which their attention has been called, but the sentiments of archbishops, bishops, statesmen, judges, eminent lawyers, of such indeed as have ever been esteemed and accounted the great and excellent of the earth.

I now take my leave, with impressions the most cheering, and under a full assurance that the investigation which I have in some measure brought to a close, will soon, very soon, produce such results as we shall all hail; and with every wish and desire to live peaceable with those who are more peculiarly our neighbours, and with feelings of respect for constituted authorities, let us offer up our prayers to the Sovereign Disposer of the affairs of men, who has been exceedingly gracious to our land, and who by his miraculous Providence has delivered us out of many miserable confusions by restoring to us our rights, to strengthen and defend his servant George our gracious King; to bless and keep all the Royal Family; to illuminate our bishops, priests, deacons, and all such as are engaged in the holy ministry; to endue our nobility and those in authority with wisdom and understanding; to assist our magistrates by giving them grace to execute justice; and to give to us and to every nation unity, peace and concord. To these I will only now add one other request, for our mayor, capital burgesses, and assistants, for my fellow townsmen, and for myself, that all such as have erred or been deceived may be brought into the way of truth!-With every assurance of my regard, believe me

Your faithful friend and humble servant,

A FRIEND TO LOCAL JURISDICTIONS,

FINIS,

Parkhouse, Printer, Bampton-Street, Tiverton.

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