unwilling to believe, that your Majefty can flight the defires of your people, or be regardless of their affection, and deaf to their complaints. Yet their complaints remain unanswered, their injuries are confirmed; and the only judge removeable at the pleafure of the crown, has been difmiffed from his high office for defending in parliament the laws and the conftitution. "We therefore venture once more to addrefs ourselves to your Majefty as to the father of your people; as to him who must be both able and willing to redrefs our grievances; and we repeat our application with the greater propriety, because we see the inftruments of our wrongs, who have carried into execution the measures of which we complain, more particularly diftinguished by your Majefty's royal bounty and favour. Under the fame fecret and malign influence, which through each fucceffive adminiftration has defeated every good, and fuggefted every bad intention, the majority of the House of Commons have deprived your people of their deareft rights. They have done a deed more ruinous in its confequences than the levying of fhip-money by Charles the First, or the difpenfing power affumed by James the Second. A deed, which muft vitiate all the future proceedings of this parliament; for the acts of the Legiflature itself can no more be valid without a legal House of Commons, than without a legal prince upon the throne, "Reprefentatives of the people are effential to the making of laws; and there is a time, when The it is morally demonftrable that "We owe to your Majesty an obedience, under the reftriction of the Laws, for the calling and duration of parliaments. And your Majefty owes to us, that our reprefentation, free from the force of arms or corruption, should be preferved to us in Parliament. It was for this we fuccefsfully ftruggled under James the Second; for this we feated, and have faithfully fupported your Majesty's family on the throne. The people have been invariably uniform in their object, though the different mode of attack has called for a different defence. "Under James the Second they complained, that the fitting of Parliament was interrupted, becaufe it was not corruptly fubfervient to his defigns: We complain now, that the fitting of this Parliament is not interrupted, becaufe it is corruptly fubfervient to the defigns of your Majesty's minifters. Had the Parliament under James the Second been as fubmiffive to his commands, as the Parliament is at this day to the dictates of a minifter, inftead of clamours for its meeting, the nation would have rung, as now, with outcries for its diffolution, "The forms of the conftitution, like thofe of religion, were not established for the form's fake; but for the fubftance. And we call God and Men to witness, that as we do not owe our Liberty to thofe nice and fubtle diftinctions which Places, Penfions, and lucrative employments have invented; fo neither will we be deprived of it by them': : them but as it was gained by the ftern virtue of our ancestors, by the virtue of their defcendants it hall be preferved. "Since therefore the mifdeeds of your Majesty's minifters in violating the freedom of election, and depraving the noble conftitution of Parliaments, are notorious, as well as fubverfive of the fundamental laws and liberties of this realm; and fince your Majefty, both in honour and justice, is obliged inviolably to preserve them, according to the oath made to God and your fubjects at your coronation : we your Majefty's remonftrants affure ourselves, that your Majesty conftitutional will restore the government and quiet of your people, by diffolving this Parliament, and removing thofe evil minifters for ever from your councils. Signed by order, James Hodges, Town Clerk." To which Addrefs, Remonftrance, and Petition, his Majefty was the truft repofed in me, as to avoid even the appearance of invading any of thofe powers which the conftitution has placed in other hands. It is only by perfevering in fuch a conduct, that I can either discharge my own duty, or fecure to my fubjects the free enjoyment of thofe rights which my family were called to defend; and while I act upon thefe principles, I fhall have a right to expect, and I am confident I fhall continue to receive, the steady and affectionate support of my people. To the King's moft Excellent The humble Addrefs, Remonftrance, and Petition of the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Common-Council of the City of London. (Prefented on Wednesday May 23d.) May it please your Majefty, pleased to return the following W faithful fubjects, the most anf-wer. "I fhall always be ready to receive the requests, and to listen to the complaints of my fubjects; but it gives me great concern to find that any of them should have been fo far mifled, as to offer me an Addrefs and Remonftrance, the contents of which I cannot but confider as difrefpectful to me, injurious to my Parliament, and irreconcileable to the principles of the conftitution. "I have ever made the law of the land the rule of my conduct, efteeming it my chief glory to reign over a free people. With this view I have always been careful, as well to execute faithfully zens of London, whofe loyalty and affection has been so often and fo effectually proved and experienced by the illuftrious houfe of Brunfwick, are labouring under the weight of that displeasure which your Majefty has been advifed to lay upon them, in the anfwer given from the throne to their late humble application, we feel ourselves constrained with all humility to approach the Royal Father of his people. Confcious, Sire, of the pureft fentiments of veneration which they entertain for your Majefty's perfon, we are deeply concerned that what the law allows, and the conftitution teaches, hath been mifcon mifconftrued by Minifters, inftruments of that influence which fhakes the realm into difrefpect to your Majefty. Perplexed and aftonished as we are, by the awful fentence of cenfure lately paft upon this city in your Majefty's anfwer from the throne; we cannot, without furrendering all that is dear to Englishmen, forbear most humbly to fupplicate, that your Majefty will deign to grant a more favourable interpretation to this dutiful, though perfevering claim of our invaded birthrights; nothing doubting that the benignity of your Majefty's nature will, to our unfpeakable comfort, at length break through all the fecret and vifible machinations to which the city of London owes its late fevere repulfe; and that your kingly juftice, and fatherly tendernefs, will difclaim the malignant and pernicious advice which fuggefted the answer we deplore: an advice of the most dangerous tendency; inasmuch as thereby the exercife of the cleareft rights of the fubject, namely, to petition the King for redrefs of grievances, to complain of the violation of the freedom of election, and to pray for a diffolution of Parliament, to point out mal-practices in adminiftration, and to urge the removal of evil minifters, hath, under the generality of one compendious word, been indifcriminately checked with reprimand; and your Majefty's afflicted citizens of London have heard, from the throne itself, that the contents of their humble Addrefs, Remonftrance, and Petition, laying their complaints and injuries at the feet of their Sovereign, as father of his people, able and willing to redress their grie vances, cannot but be confidered by your Majefty, as difrefpectful to yourself, injurious to your Parliament, and irreconcileable to the principles of the conftitution.' Your Majefty cannot difapprove, that we bere affert the clearest principles of the conftitution, against the infidious attempts of evil counsellors to perplex, confound, and shake them. We are determined to abide by thofe rights and liberties, which our forefathers bravely vindicated, at the ever-memorable Revolution, and which their fons will ever refolutely defend. We therefore now renew, at the foot of the throne, our claim to the indifpenfible right of the subject, —a full, free, and unmutilated Parliament, legally chofen in all its members;a right which THIS houfe of Parliament have manifeftly violated, depriving at their will and pleasure, the county of Middlefex of one of its legal reprefentatives, and arbitrarily nominating, as a Knight of the fhire, a perfon not elected by a majority of the freeholders. As the only conflitutional means of reparation now left for the injured electors of Great Britain, we implore, with moft urgent fupplications, the diffolution of this prefent parliament, the removal of evil Ministers, and the total extinction of that fatal influence, which has caufed fuch national difcontent. In the mean time, Sire, we offer our conftant prayers to Heaven, that your Majefly may reign, as Kings only can reign, in and by the hearts of a loyal, dutiful, and free people. . HIS MAJESTY'S ANSWER. I Should have been wanting to the public as well as to myfelf. if I had not expreffed my diffatisfaction at the late addrefs. My fentiments on that fubject • continue the fame; and I fhould ill deferve to be confidered as the father of my people, if I could fuffer myself to be prevailed upon to make fuch an use of my prerogative, as I cannot but think inconfiftent with the intereft, and dangerous to the conftitution of the kingdom.' After his Majefty had been pleafed to make the foregoing anfwer, the Lord Mayor requested leave to reply, which being granted, his Lordship addreffed him in the following words : Moft gracious Sovereign, ILL your Majefty be pleaf "We do therefore, with the greatest humility and fubmiffion, moft earneftly fupplicate your Majefty, that you will not difmifs us from your prefence without expreffing a more favourable opinion of your faithful citizens, and without fome comfort, without fome profpect, at least, of redress. "Permit me, Sire, further to obferve, that whoever has already dared, or fhall hereafter endeavour by false infinuations and fuggeftions, to alienate your Majefty's affections from your loyal fubjects in general, and from the city of London in particular, and to withdraw your confidence to and regard for your people, is an enemy to your Majesty's perfon and family, a violator of the public peace, and a betrayer of our happy conftitution as it was established at the glorious and neceffary revolution." The Lord Mayor waited near a minute for a reply, but none was Wed fo far to condefcend, as given. To the Right Honourable the Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty. to permit the Mayor of your loyal city of London to declare in your Royal prefence, on behalf of his fellow-citizens, how much the bare apprehenfion of your Majesty's difpleasure would, at all times, affect their minds; the declaration of that displeasure has alreadyAM under the neceffity of refilled them with inexpreffible anxiéty, and with the deepeft afflic tion. "Permit me Sire, to affure your Majefty, that your Majefty has not in all your dominions any fubjects more faithful, more dutiful, or more affectionate to your Majefty's perfon and family, or more ready to facrifice their lives and fortunes in the maintenance of the true honour and dignity of your crown. My Lords, London, Oct. 26. prefenting to your Lordships, that a meafure, very injurious to the inhabitants of this city, as well as derogatory of the authority of its laws, and of its Magiflracy, hath lately been taken, under the fanction of your Lordships authority-I mean, that of granting to citizens, carrying on the feveral branches of bufinefs, protections from the Admiralty, for the men employed by them, provided they are not feamen; to obtain which protections, 4 1 protections, the citizens are at the trouble of reforting to the Admiralty-Office, at much lofs of time, and are befides obliged to pay a guinea for each protection. I am fure that no fuch idea can be entertained by your Lordships, as that any protection, befides that of the laws, is neceffary to fecure perfons employed in the manufactures and commerce of this city. I beg leave, therefore, to fubmit to your Lordships, that this mode of protection be defifted from; and whether it may not tend to the more quiet and effectual carrying on the public fervice, if the naval officers, employed to imprefs men, be enjoined by your Lordships to pay due regard to certificates, attefted by the Magiftrates of the city, in favour of perfons (not feamen) employed by the inhabitants in their refpective bufinefs, and defcribed in the manner required by your Lordships protections. I have the honour to be, with great refpect, My Lords, Your Lordships moft obedient To the Right Honourable the Lord- WE E have received your Lordfhips letter of this day's date, reprefenting, that a meafure, very injurious to the inhabitants of this city, as well as derogatory of the authority of its laws, and of its Magiftracy, hath lately been taken under the fanction of our authority, viz. That of granting to citizens, carrying on the feveral branches of bufinefs, protections from this office, for the perfons employed by them, and fubmitting, whether this mode of protection may not be defifted from, and whether it may not tend to the more quiet and effectual carrying on the public fervice, if the naval officers employed therein, be enjoined by us to pay due regard to certificates attefted by the Magiftrates of the city, in favour of perfons (not feamen) employed by the inhabitants, and defcribed in the manner required by our protections. We are to acquaint your Lordfhip, that application being made to us for protections for perfons under the defcription above-mentioned, they were at firft refused, and those who folicited them told, they were unneceffary, the officers employed on the fervice of raifing men being reftrained from imprefing land-men; but feveral perfons in great branches of bufinefs repeating their folicitations, and afferting that their men, from the apprehenfions of being impreffed, could not be prevailed upon to follow their work, we did therefore, in order to remove fuch apprehenfions, which, however groundlefs, might prove prejudicial to them in their bufinefs, at length comply with their request: but in regard to your Lordship's reprefentation, we fhall for the future defift from granting any fuch protections. We are further to obferve to your Lordship, that the warrants iffued by us to the officers employed in procuring men for his Majefty's fleet, do not authorize them to imprefs any but feamen, feafaring-men, and perfons whofe oc cupations |