lous friend of his country. The reason of this perfidy was plain. He was then beginning to pay homage to the Scottish Idol, and I was the most acceptable facrifice he cou'd offer at the fhrine of BUTE. Hiftory fcarcely gives fo remarkable a change. He was a few years ago the mad, feditious Tribune of the People, infulting his Sovereign even in his capital city, now he is the abject, crouching deputy of the proud Scot, who he declar'd in Parliament wanted wisdom, and held principles incompatible with freedom; a most ridiculous character furely for a statesman, and the subject of a free kingdom, but the very proper compofition for a favourite. Was it poffible for me after this to write a fuppliant letter to Lord Chatham? I am the first to pronounce myself moft unworthy of a pardon, if I cou'd have obtain'd it on those terms.

Although I declare, my Lord, that the conscious pride of virtue makes me look down with contempt on a man, who cou'd be guilty of this baseness, who cou'd in the lobby declare that I must be support

ed, and in the House on the fame day defert and revile me, yet I will on every occafion do justice to the Minifter. He has ferv'd the public in all those points, where the good of the nation coincided with his own private views; and in no other. I venerate the memory of the Secretary, and I think it an honour to myself that I steadily fupported in Parliament an adminiftration, the moft fuccessful we ever had, and which carried the glory of the nation to the highest pitch in every part of the world. He found his country almost in defpair. He rais'd the noble spirit of England, and strain'd every nerve against our enemies. His plans, when in power, were always great, tho' in direct opposition to the declarations of his whole life, when out of power. The invincible bravery of the British troops gave fuccefs even to the most rash, the most extravagant, the most defperate of his projects. He faw early the hoftile intentions of Spain, and if the written advice had been follow'd, a very few weeks had then probably clos'd the

Jaft general war; although the merit of that advice was more the merit of his noble

brother, than his own.

potence of Lord Bute in

After the omni

1761 had forc’d

Mr. Pitt to retire from his Majesty's Councils, and the caufe was declar'd by himself to be our conduct relative to Spain, I had the happiness of setting that affair in so clear and advantageous a light, that he exprefs'd the most entire fatisfaction, and particular obligations to my friendship. I do not however make this a claim of merit to Mr. Pitt. It was my duty, from the peculiar advantages of information I then had.

He

The conftitution of our country has no obligations to him. He has left it with all its beauties, and all its blemishes. never once appear'd in earnest about any queftion of liberty. He was the cause that in 1764 no point was gain'd for the public in the two great queftions of GENERAL WARRANTS, and the SEIZURE OF PAPERS. The curfed remains of the court of Star Chamber, the enormous power of the

Attorney General, the fole great judicial officer of the crown, who is durante bene placito, and not upon oath, who tramples on Grand Juries, and breaks down the first, the foremost barriers of liberty, continued during his administration the fame as before. Every grievance, which was not rooted out by the glorious Revolution, and the latter ftruggles of our patriots, ftill fubfifts in full force, notwithstanding the abfolute power he exercis'd for several years over every department of the state. But I have done with Lord Chatham. leave him to the poor confolation of a place, a penfion, and a peerage, for which he has fold the confidence of a great nation. Pity fhall find, and weep over him.

I

I am now, my Lord, once more driven from the Romans to the gay, the polite Athenians, but I fhall endeavour to convince your grace that I am not totally loft to my country nor to myself, in this fcene of elegant diffipation, and that I do not. waste the time in unavailing complaints of my hard fate, and the ingratitude of those

I have ferv'd with fuccefs, for I shall very foon beg to call the public attention to fome points of national importance, and in the mean time I fhall embrace this opportunity of doing myself justice against the calumnies, which a reftlefs faction does not cease to propagate.

The affair of the GENERAL WARRANT, and the HABEAS CORPUS, is told very unfaithfully, and almost every particular, relative to my being made a prifoner, and fent to the Tower on the 30th of April 1763, has been injuriously misrepresented in several late publications. I fhall therefore state the tranfactions of that memorable day, and I may appeal to the minutes taken at the time for the accuracy of this relation.

On my return from the city early in the morning, I met at the end of Great George Street one of the King's Meffengers. He told me that he had a warrant to apprehend me, which he must execute immediately, and that I muft attend him to Lord Halifax's. I defir'd to fee the war