Right Honourable Earl of Morton, Prefident of the Royal

Society.

Reverend Mr. Mafkelyne, Aftronomer Royal.

Reverend Mr. Hornsby, Savilian Profeffor of Aftronomy at Oxford.

Reverend Mr. Betts, Savilian Profeffor of Geometry at Oxford. Reverend Mr. Shepherd, Plumian Profeffor of Aftronomy and Experimental Philofophy at Cambridge.

Sir Thomas Salufbury, Judge of the High Court of Admiralty. Philip Stephens, Efq; Secretary of the Admiralty.

George Cokburne, Efq; Comptroller of the Navy.

Reverend Dr. Long, Lowndes's Profeffor of Aftronomy at Cambridge.

Mr. Harrison, who was attending, was then called in, (together with his fon) and being informed that the board was now ready to fix upon a time for his making the above-mentioned discovery, agreeable to the refolutions of the two last boards, which had been communicated to him, and to which he had before given his affent; he denied ever having given fuch affent, and abfolutely refused to do it agreeable to thofe resolutions; and, at the fame time, referred the board to a letter, which he faid he had delivered at their laft meeting, containing his objections thereto. The board, not recollecting any thing of that letter, were naturally led into an enquiry concerning it; and thereupon found, that fuch a one had been difcovered, lying upon the table, by fome of the Commiffioners who remained after the laft board broke up, and had been given by them to the Secretary; but it did not appear to whom the faid letter had been delivered, or how it came upon the table. It was then called for, and read in the words following, viz.

My Lords and Gentlemen,

"ON Tuesday I received, by the hand of my fon, your "refolutions on that day; the first of which is what I thought you would demand, therefore my fon was commiffioned to "comply with it.

"The first part of the fecond resolution, viz. "That I ""fhall give a farther explanation by word of mouth," may "alfo be complied with; but it must be mentioned who I am "to give this farther explanation to, for I will never attempt "to explain it to the fatisfaction of the Commiffioners, and "who they may appoint; nor will I ever come under the "directions of men of theory. As to the other part of this your fecond refolution, viz. Experimental exhibitions, where judged neceffary, relative to the faid watch, pro""ducing the fame, taking it in pieces, and anfwering upon oath to every queftion propofed by the board, and "" fuch

F 4

""fuch perfons as may be appointed by them for the exa""mination thereof;" these are terms which I cannot comply << with.

"As to your third refolution, that I certainly will comply with, when I have got my juft reward.

"I cannot help thinking but I am extremely ill used by gentlemen who I might have expected a different treatment "from; for if the Act of the 12th of Queen Anne be deficient, ઘઉં why have I fo long been encouraged under it, in order to bring my invention to perfection? and, after the completion, 66 why was my fon fent twice to the Weft-Indies? Had it been faid to my fon, when he received the last instructions, "there will, in cafe you fucceed, be a new Act at your return, in order to lay you under new reftrictions, which were not thought of in the Act of the 12th of Queen Anne; I fay, had this been the cafe, I might have expected fome fuch treat"ment as I now meet with.

"It must be owned that my cafe is very hard, but I hope I "am the first, and, for my country's fake, fhall be the last that "fuffers by pinning my faith on an English Act of Parliament.

Had I received my juft reward, for certainly it may be fo "called after 40 years clofe application in the improvement of that talent which it had pleafed God to give me, then my "invention would have taken the courfe which all improvements in this world do, that is, I must have inftructed workmen in its principles and execution, which I fhould have been "glad to have had an opportunity of doing: but how widely this is different to what is now proposed, viz. for me to instruct people that I know nothing of, and fuch as may know nothing of mechanicks; and if I do not make them under-' "fland to their fatisfaction, I may then have nothing! hard fate indeed to me, but still harder to the world, which may be deprived of this my invention, which must be the cafe, "except by my open and free manner of defcribing all the prin"ciples of it to gentlemen and workmen, who almoft, at all times, have had free recourse to fee my inftruments; and if any of thefe workmen fhall have been fo ingenious as to have got my invention, how far you will pleafe to reward them "for their piracy, must be left for you to determine; and I must fit myself down in old age, and thank God I can be more cafy in that I have made the conqueft, and though I have no reward, than if I had come fhort of the matter, and by fome delufion had the reward. I am, Lords and Gentlemen, your humble Servant,

"May 30, 1765. "JOHN HARRISON." Mr. Harrison was then told, by a majority of the Commiffioners prefent, that with regard to experimental exhibitions,

to

to which he seemed to make fo much objection, all that the board meant thereby, was, that in cafe there fhould be any particular operations relating to the conftruction of his timekeeper, which could not be fufficiently explained by words, fo as to convey a full and clear idea of the method of executing the fame, in fuch cafe the board would expect to fee the operation performed, or the experiment made. The method of tempering his fprings was inftanced as one of thofe operations or experiments; and it was fupposed there might be others of the like nature. Upon which he left the board abruptly, declaring, "That he never would confent to it, fo long as he had a "drop of English blood in his body."

The form of an oath (grounded upon the above-mentioned resolutions of the 28th and 30th of last month) was then drawn up, and Mr. Harrison's fon (his father being gone) was called in; and the faid form having been fhewn to him, he was afked, if he thought his father would take it previous to the discovery; he answered in the negative, and told the board, that his father had declared, before he went," that he would have nothing fur"ther to do with it."-He was then defired to withdraw.

1

Refolved, nem. con.

That it is the opinion of this board, that the terms which have been propofed to Mr. Harrifon, for a difcovery of the principles and conftruction of his watch, or time-keeper, are reasonable and proper; and that, as he has fo peremptorily refufed to comply therewith, they do not think themselves authorized to give him any certificate, or that it is to any purpose to treat with him any further upon the matter, till he alters his present fentiments.

On a very attentive and impartial perufal of the above minutes, we cannot help being of opinion with the Commiffioners, that the terms proposed to Mr. Harrison, are by no means unreasonable or improper; and cannot conceive why he should object to them; unless he hath fome private reafon for diftrusting his own difcovery or their honour; against the latter of which we think he hath thrown out fome groundless infinuations.

MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For JULY, 1765.

Art. 12. The Contraft: With Corrections and Reflorations. And an Introductory Differtation on the Origin of the Feuds and Anianofities in the State. Small 8vo. 3s. 6d. Kearney.

THE

HE Contrafter was originally a political Effayift in the Daily Ga

T zetteer, in which paper he first made his appearance, on the 29th

of June, 1763, and was continued, on Wednesdays only, till the 14th of December following; when the Author took leave of the public, in The Farewell Contraft,' N°. 24. His effays having excited fome degree of attention, he has here collected them into a decent volume, with corrections (which they much needed) and a restoration of fuch paffages as, in their firft form, the printer's caution induced him to omit.

The Contrafter is a bold, spirited, but irregular huffar kind of Writer; hafty to affert; keen at invective; mean and fcurrilous in his language; incorrect and inelegant in his ftyle: partial to the people whofe caufe he efpoufes, and prejudiced, in the highest degree, against those whom he attacks. Of the firft, Mr. Pitt ftands foremost; and he is an hero, a patriot, a character immaculate: equalled only by the patriotic common council of the city of London.' Among the latter, the most diftinguished are, the diffenters, the Earl of Bute, and the Scotch; and they are horrible monsters! hated by Gods and men!

In his introductory difcourfe on the origin of the late feuds and animo. fities in the ftate, he thus fpeaks of the FAVOURITE. Among the Scots appointed to office about the Heir apparent, was a man whofe determined refolution of oppofing government, whether right or wrong, had juftly excluded him from being one of the fixteen peers, during the adminiftration of Sir Robert Walpole: and who, after his exclufion, in difguft, had retired for fome years to the Ile of Bute, where, by converfing only with his vaffals and dependents, he increased his natural referved and tyrannical difpofition, which had before rendered him illfuited to the English. His good fortune, and his Scotch friends, procured him a very high office at Saville-houfe: the Scotch talent is to acquire favour; he applied himself to every ingratiating art, he fucceeded to the utmost of his wifhes, becoming the favourite and exclufive ruler of that court.'-Thus far, p. 6 and 7. At p. 27 his lordship again appears on the ftage; and now, indeed, he is reprefented as appearing on the ftage, in a literal sense.- The Scot now + affumed the whole power of the nation, and this he did, like the valiant Drawcanfir, " because he dared," having no pretence for fo doing, but that it was his humour, his country's intereft, and that the power of promoting himfelf was in his own hands. If Difinterestedness herfelf was to draw the negative qualities of the first officer of state in this kingdom, it would be much

6

In the dedication of his book, to this truly loyal and honourable' body, he ftyles them, the conftant friends and patrons of the VIRTUous: the never failing opponents to the wicked and oppreffive; the zealous fupporters of the JUST PREROGATIVES of the CROWN; the watchful guardians of the liberties of their fellow SUBJECTS;-who have with zeal and affection faithfully ferved the ILLUSTRIOUS HOUSE of HANOVER; who deteft and abhor the very name of STUART; and who glory in their fleady attachment to REVOLUTION PRINCIPLES.'-Nothing can exceed this; no, not even the late address of the magistrates of Konigsberg-To the most ILLUSTRIOUS, NOBLE, LEARNED, and VENERABLE, the Lord Mayor and Senators of the renowned City of London.' After Mr. Pit's refignation. Odd fort of pretences these! Who the deuce is fee?

Such

Juch a character as had now affumed the reigns of government. He was a man that at no part of life had opportunity or inclination of applying to business. When young, he was difpofed to gaiety; and though, as I before mentioned, having been, at the close of a feffion, elected one of the fixteen peers, yet by his oppofing, right or wrong, all measures of government, was at the next election excluded, and then in difguft retired to an ifle in the kingdom of Scotland, where he spent many years in close monasterial retirement. This being the prime of his life, in which mott men, after the school of books, enlarge their ideas in the onlytufeful fchool, the converfation of men, he formed his from theory; became referved, full of ftrong prejudices, and unfit for any thing but the tyrannic domain of an highland clan.

When he returned, as if fate was ftill making him her sport, one time exalting him, the more compleatly to deprefs him another, he was taken notice of on an occafion, that no one could have conceived introductory to the prime-ministership. The Dutchefs of Queensberry having entertained her friends with the play of the FAIR PENITENT, the part of Lothario fell to the lot of his lordship, in which he fucceeded fo much better than in his late performances in the character of a statesman, that he was greatly admired, and particularly by his late Royal Highness Frederic Prince of Wales, who took great notice of this occafional Rofcius, and invited him to Leicester-house, which laid the foundation of a connection, that I fear England will ever repent 1.

After the death of this excellent prince, at the fettling of the houfhold at Saville houfe, his lordship became a great favourite; his talents, however unfit for public imploy, very defervedly made him amiable to his young master, in a private capacity; his morals were unexception. able, and he was well difpofed to arts and artists, though he has ever been directed by national attachments, caprice, or private friendships, and not by a difinterested zeal for real merit. If any doubt these affertions, I appeal to thofe miferable pictures that difgrace Guildhall. If they boaft his judgment in fculpture, I appeal to the new-invented figure at the Royal Exchange. If they fay that he knows more of poetry than an Hottentot does of cookery, I appeal to thofe unfortunate people who yawned at the excellent Scotch performance, called Agis, King of Sparta. But if it fhould be faid that his private regard for Ramfay, Wilton, and Home, make him promote them at the expence of his own reputation for tafte, I then applaud his good nature, but cannot acquiefce in his public pretenfions of being a Mecenas. He was in every respect adapted to the fmall circle of a coal-fire; here his virtues were known, and his fincere attachmen:s made him amiable; but when viewed in the enlarged light of a minifter, or Mæcenas, were truly ridiculous or contemptible, and the means of bringing thofe works of genius into difgrace, that he had made a parade of promoting.

This was the man that became fo great a dupe to his pride, vanity and ambition, and the felishness of his dependents; that, after the expulfion of the ablest and most approved miniftry this nation ever had, during which there was the greatest union and harmony ever known be+ All other fchols, then, are of no use!

Query, how many?

Was England then guilty of forming this connection? Review, Vol, XVIII. p. 275,

# See

tween