fion; who had fhewn their inclination to let him be oppreffed by a formidable combination of three powers, the leaft of which was greater than his own. Upon the whole, it is moft manifeftly fo phiftical and fallacious to affert from the prelimina ries, that our court delivered him from the French army, and so enabled him to make a peace to his own fatisfaction.

Aug. 25, 1763.

I am, &c.

PRO FIDE & VERITATE.

On the minifters addrefs on the peace from fome of the merchants of the City of London.

Happened accidentally to meet the proceffion of the merchants, going to St. James's with their addrefs, and I was glad to fee among those who filled the coaches, fome young gentlemen, clerks and apprentices, whose faces I knew. How many more there might be, I know not; as my acquaintance among them is not very extenfive, and it was only by the accident of their reaching out their heads at the windows of their coaches, (I fuppofe to fhew that they had the honour to be there) that I could distinguish thofe I did obferve. It gave me pleasure to find, that the young generation is trained up in the principles of loyalty; and that their education is fo perfect, that they are far advanced in the knowlege of politicks, as well as commerce, before they are out of, and with fome of them before they are half through their time. But I cannot fay I was altogether fond of the notion of beardlefs boys being fet up to decide upon the merits of a peace, about which the wifeft and graveft men in the kingdom have been divided. And I hope if the names of those who have signed the merchants

address

addrefs are publifhed, as a proof of the sense of the commercial part of the nation, thofe of all fuch-very incompetent judges will be fubftracted, or diftinguished, that it may be known what stress is to be laid upon the characters of those who approve what many are diffatisfied with, and I fuppofe not a few of the real merchants. This I guess from their addrefs coming fo late, and fo great intereft having been made, as I have been witness to for a week past, to get perfons of all forts, related to the trading part of the city, to fign it; and from many having figned it, though they difapproved of it, as they themselves declare, not to difoblige, by a refufal, others they depended upon.

I might perhaps call myself a merchant with as good reafon as many who affume that name upon occafion of addreffes, but I am for the prefent content with the humbler name of

A TRADER,

The miniftry having procured an addrefs from eight aldermen of the city of London, occafioned the two following letters. June 1763.

A

T length the ministry have tried their strength. As addreffes have been procured from a number of Tory boroughs, Tory counties, grand juries, parfons who go to feffions and affizes for preferment, eight aldermen (who by the bye were not a court, as they were pleased to call themselves) the subscribers to the loan (whose names are recorded in the North Briton, No. 42) aided and affifted by the Jews, apprentices, clerks, and all the drofs of merchandize. I fay, as addreffes have been pro-, cured from all thefe, it should feem, that the miniftry hoped to crown all by procuring an address from the court of common council. But, unfortunately for thofe who would have fnuffed the inVOL. I.

X

cenfe

cenfe very gracioufly, this knock down compliment to the miniftry was, at the previous meeting on Monpay night, carried FOUR to ONE against them. This was the ne plus ultra of the ministry.

IAM glad to find fuch confiftency in the conduct of the real reprefentative body of the city of London, as will ever diftinguifh them to their very great honour. No. minifterial management could prevail on the common council to either falfify their understandings, or wound the dignity and credit of the city, by voting an addrefs on the peace, after all the dependent boroughs and little bodies in the kingdom. The common council were too zealous in their respect for the character of the metropolis, (the preservation of which it is truly laudable in them to maintain) too juft to these fentiments of their conftituents, and too regardful of their own honour, to appear in the very dregs of this extorted

incense.

As they have ftood out fo long, and, with a fpirit and confiftency as will ever merit the approbation and juft praise of the public, have defeated every minifterial artifice to bring them over, we may naturally expect the hired fcribblers in the cause of the miniftry will now begin to abuse them in the moft fcurrilous and rancorous manner, as they have ufually done whenever the miniftry were not gratified. But I would advife my fellow citizens not to take the leaft notice of what fich wretches may fay; for we may be affured, that none but the tools of the ministry (I mean the hired ones, for I believe they have no other) will be fo loft to all fense of honour, truth, and decency, as to call their conduct into question. The really, wife and virtuous will term it, not only the glorious triumph of true wifdom and patriotifm over corruption, and the big

found

ounding bombaft of having influence enough to manage the business of the miniftry, but a strong proof of the real fentiments of the city of London: of which the common council are the reprefentatives, elected by the conftituents nearly in the fame manner as the reprefentatives of the whole nation; and do therefore, in the noft legal and conftitutional manner, convey, on all occafions, the voice of the city of London. The court of aldermen (which may be compared to the house of peers) does not, nor cannot, reprefent, in fo direct and proper a manner, the fentiments of the citizens of London, any more than the house of lords can of the whole nation, but is rather, fingly and feparately, the voice of itself only. Thus the conftitution of the city of London may be compared to the conftitution of parliament; and indeed the proceedings of both are almoft fimilar.

I cannot, however, help remarking, with respect to the court of aldermen, that when they intend prefenting congratulatory addreffes to his majefty, on his marriage, the birth of a prince, princefs, &c. the ufual method is, for it to be drawn up by the recorder or any other person, and for it to be carried without any other refolution, than to prefent it. But whenever there is any policy, any bufiness of the nation, fuch as addreffes on the peace, and other important and public tranfactions, a court of aldermen is regularly called; which court must con fift of TWELVE aldermen, exclufive of the officers, otherwise it is not a court; and the addrefs intended is not only previously known, but is referred to a committee, as in parliament, who afterwards report it to the court, which may alter it, and amend it, as fhall be found neceffary. From hence it pretty clearly follows, that the late addrefs, of only EIGHT aldermen, was not the addrefs of the court of aldermen, as was falfely printed in the Gazette. Nor

X 2

was

was it, in many other inftances, agreable to the ufual method of proceeding in these cafes; for it was, furprised on the lord mayor; and not referred to a committee.

On the fame fubject; with remarks on the conduct and principles of the favourite.

NOTWITHSTANDING every artifice of thofe venal tools of ministerial influence, who have been lately feen employed in the ridiculous attempt to impofe on the common fenfe of mankind, by reprefenting their patrons as deferving praife from the public, I am heartily glad for the honour of the city of London, to obferve, in its common council, a conduct on the present occafion which will certainly be applauded by every true friend to the conftitution, and will convey to pofterity an idea of their integrity, abundantly to compenfate for the abufe that may be vented against them by those creatures of the administration, who would fell their birthright for a penfion; and whose cenfures, therefore, are the highest honour.

The city of London hath ever been distinguished by being the first community to exprefs its gratitude to government, for every inftance of true utility or of honour, pronounced to the state. When the occafion hath been fairly afforded, let any one fhew when they have been backward to exprefs their thanks to the administration that hath deserved them. But it is their (I had almost faid peculiar) honour to refuse the fervile drudgery of paying compliments at the expence of their veracity. A recent inftance of this their difinterestedness, the public hath obferved in their declining to promote an addrefs, that might ferve to confirm a favourable opinion of those who do not deferve it, in that breast,

where