The following letters, &c. were publifhed at London by this gentleman's friends, after he was expelled the house of Commons. A letter to a Rt Hon. Gentleman. Paris, Jan. 11. 1764. Cannot exprefs the concern I am under from the impollibility I now find of attending my duty in parliament on the 19th of this month. I have fuffered very much from the tour I made here in the holidays to fee my daughter. My wound is again become extremely painful, the parts are very much inflamed, and a fever attends it. I inclose a certificate of one of the King's phyficians, and of a furgeon of the army, gentlemen of eminence in their profeilion, who think it abfolutely neceffary for me to stay some • [Mr Wilkes is folicitous that his daughter fhould inherit his fame, as well as his virtues. When in the tower, he fent the following letter open to the Earl of Halifax, to be forwarded to Paris. "Tower, Sunday May 1. 1763. MY DEAREST POLAY, I have got half an hour's leisure to pay my compliments to you, and to relieve you from the anxiety you will, from the kind affection you bear me, be in at hearing of my commitment to this place. Be affured that I have done nothing unworthy of a man of honour, who has the happinefs of being your father. You fhall never in future life blush for me. I am only accused of writing the laft North Briton; yet my fword has been taken from me; all my papers have been stolen by ruffians, and I have been forcibly brought here. I have not yet feen my accufers, nor have I heard who they are. My friends are refufed admittance to me. Lord Temple, and my brother, could not be allowed to fee me yesterday. As an Englishman, I must lament that my liberty is thus wickedly taken away: yet I am not unhappy; for my honour is clear, my health good, and my spirit unfhaken, I believe indeed invincible. The most pleasing thoughts I have are of you; and the mont agreeable news I can hear, will be the continuance of your health. I beg you not to write a word of politics. The knives you defired are almoff finished, and are very elegant. If you with for any thing from England for yourself or your friends, let me know, and I will give orders for it. A propos, my dear girl; can you get me made membre du parlement de Paris? for ours has loft all their privileges. Your's has a few left. My best compliments to Ma time longer at Paris. I refer to the certificate itself for the particulars. The impatience I feel to justify myself to the Heufe, from the groundless and cruel attacks made upon me, and the zeal I hope ever to retain for the vindication of the facred rights of the Commons of Great Britain, and the privileges of Parliament, both of which have been grofly violated in my perfon, had determined me to fet out for England on Friday next; but I now find myself incapable of per forming the journey. I am therefore, Sir, under the nece fity of intreating you to fubmit my cale to the Houfe; and I doubt not, from their juftice, that a more diftant day will be appointed, when it may be in my power to attend the difcuffion of points fo very important in themselves, and in which I am fo very materially concerned. Houle, if I thought the delay could be at I would not, Sir, implore this of the dame. I hope to kifs her hands by the end of June, and that we fhall all make our tour together, and laugh at all the follies and rogueries of this country. Pray tell Baron ⚫ that I have finished the business he recom mended to me. Kifs for me once **, and twitt Have you been yet on any parties with them? Comment trouvez vous l'opera, l comedie, &c.? Is your old acquaintance Mi Wriothefly still with the Duchefs of Bedford! How does the parfon at the ambaffador's chaple preach? Does Mr Neville make love to you? How do you like Mr Pottinger!&t &c. &c. &c. &c. &c. Continue to love me and believe me, with the greatest warmth of affection, Your obliged father, lowing commentary on it appeared foon after This letter having been publifhed, the fol in the papers. "SIR, May 9. 1763. Be fo kind to inform the public, that Mr W-'s dearest Polly is a child of thirteen years old; because, whilft they are ignorant of her age, they lofe fome of the fineft strokes in his epiftle; fuch as, his defiring her not to write polities; for the prefent I fuppofe he means, as he could hardly be fo cruel to de bar a girl of thirteen fo natural an amufement, but on fome particular occafion. Then his defiring her opinion of the par fon's performances, and her intereft to pro cure him a feat in the parliament of Parisy with many other parts equally curious, will lofe much of their force, if we fuppofe them addreffed to any but a girl just entered in her teens. Yours, &c. Z. D.] tended nded with any poffible inconvenience to e public; and I beg to obferve, that I ed the firft moment which the refoluSon of parliament gave me, to enter my yearance to the informations which ave been filed againft me in the king'sench. I am, with due refpect and eeem, Sir, your moft obedient humble JOHN WILKES. ervant, SIR, Paris, Feb. 5. 1764. Took the liberty of tranfmitting to you, on the 1th of last month, the oiginal of a certificate, which was entirethe hand-writing of Monf. Ninnin, of the King's phyficians, and figned that gentleman, as well as by Monf. feuart, a furgeon of the army. It was ot imagined here, that any thing more neceflary among gentlemen. If the He, or any fingle member, had defired notorial act of the authenticity of the ertificate, I should fooner have troubled you with the inclofed; which is attefted by our ambaffador at this court. It now becomes my honour to request that it may be laid before the House. of the abbey of St Germain in the fields, in the parish of St Simphorien; who, in confirming the certificate under private fign-manual, which they declare to have given the 11th of January last, and which was fent to London, have, by these prefents, again certified and attested. to all whom it may concern, That on the faid 11th of January, and during the remainder of the fame month, Mr John Wilkes was in a condition that did not permit him, as well on account of his wound, which was not quite cicatrized, as by reafon of an intervening fever, to venture to fet out from Paris for London; that it was to be feared, either from the inflammation, and the then confiderable welling of his wound, that a hernia might enfue, which could not poffibly be remedied, but by preventing the accident he was threatened with, and which the violent motion of a poft-chaife, and the agitation of the fea, would infallibly have brought upon him; and, therefore, it was abfolutely neceflary that he fhould stay fome time longer in Paris: which the faid gentlemen prefent have affirmed and attefted, by having visited and dreffed the faid Mr Wilkes during his illness; and have required an act thereof from the under-written notaries, to ferve and anfwer all reafonable purposes. I do not mean, Sir, to mifpend my fime in making any remarks on the late proceedings; they are fo obvious that they will immediately occur to every , who is not loft to the principles of virtue, and dead to the feelings of hoHour and humanity. I am not able, at prefent, to lay much; but this I will add, that I amfare my countrymen of the prefent age, and the faithful hiftorian's page, there appeared before me Monf. De la will do juftice to the uprightness of my in- Rue, and made oath, That he was a notarytentions, to my ardent love of the confti- public; that he had figned the above* pahappy ifland, and to the ho- per; that Monf. Robineau was also a noneft efforts I have made in the caufe of litary-public, and had figned the fame. In berty. I rejoice that I have been the in- witnefs whereof, I have hereunto affixed rument, in the hand of Providence, to my hand and feal. HERTFORD. L. S. very important legal decifions in favour of my fellow fubjects. I am, with Done, figned, and fealed, in Paris, the 3d day of February 1764. Ninnin. Defouart. De La Rue. Robineau. tution of our obtain Me [Mr Wilkes, when he tranfmitted to the becoming regard, Sir, your very humble Speaker of the house of Commons, on the ferrant, To the Ri Hon. &c. JOHN WILKES. 11th of January, a certificate of a physician and furgeon of Paris, (fetting forth his inability, on account of his wound, to return to An exact tranflation of the certificate. England to attend the houfe of Commons). Before the under-written King's counomitted to get that certificate attefted by a fellors, notaries at the Chatelet of notary-public; which omiffion was taken noParis, appeared M. Henry Ninnin, contice of here. To free himfelf therefore from ting phyfician to the King, and late has got the phyfician and furgeon to write the fufpicion of forging that certificate, he fit phyfician of his armies in Germany a freih one, attefted by two notary-publics, and Spain, and the Sieur Paul Defouart, and certified by one of them upon oath be confulting-furgeon of the King's armies, fore Lord Hertford, our ambalador, which and furgeon-major of the French guards; is the paper mentioned in the ambassador's both of them well known to us the un- certificate, and which Mr Wilkes thinks "it der-written notaries, living in the clofe becomes his honour to request, that it may be Mr Wilkes entered his appearance to three informations filed against him in the court of king's-bench, viz. for the first publication of the North Briton, N° 45. the republication of that number, and for printing and publishing the Effay on Woman. The indictment for the first publication was afterwards withdrawn; and on Tuesday, Feb. 21 came on before the Lord Chief Justice Mansfield, in the court of king's-bench, the trial of this gentleman, for reprinting, at his house in Great-George ftreet, and publishing, No 45. of the North Briton. The trial lafted about eight hours; and the jury, after withdrawing for about an hour and three quarters, brought in their verdict, Guilty. While this jury was out, another was worn in, and the court proceeded to the trial of Mr Wilkes, for printing and publishing the Eflay on Woman. Of which alfo the jury, after withdrawing about half an hour, found him Guilty. Sentence on both verdicts will be given next term. The counfel for the crown were, Mr Attorney-General, Mr Moreton, Mr Clayton, and Mr Wallis; and for the defendant, Mr Serjeant Glynne, Mr Eyre, recorder of London, Mr Stowe, Mr Dunning, and Mr Gardiner. On the 13th of February the Commons proceeded to the hearing of the matter of a complaint made to the house, Jan. 20. of a breach of the privilege of the houfe, by Robert Wood and Philip Carteret Webb, Efqs, members of the house, and Robert Blackmore, James Watson, and John Money, by the imprisonment of the perfon of John Wilkes, Elq; then a member of the house, and the feizing of his papers, in an illegal manner. Several perfons were examined both in support of and in answer to the complaint. Then a motion was made, and the question put, to adjourn the further hearing till next day; but it paffed in the negative, 379 against 31. After which further evidence was produced in anfwer to the complaint, and then the further hearing was adjourned. Next day further evidence was produced in anfwer to the complaint, and laid before the houfe." But Mr Wilkes was guilty of a much greater omiflion, in not fending a proper certificate of the indifpenfable neceflity he was under to make a journey to France, without the advice of his phyficians, and at a time when they judged him most unfit to take fuch a journey, and alfo of the almost moral certainty of his being able to return against the day he was under orders to attend the Houfe. Lond. Chron. a motion was made, and the qu put, that the houfe fhould adjourn it pafled in the negative. After w on two feparate motions, the comp against Mefl. Wood and Carteret were difcharged; and then the comp against John Money, Robert Black and James Watson, were likewife dif ged. This affair kept the house fittin half an hour after fe ven on Wedn morning, the 15th. The Speaker was t ty hours in the chair, which is the lor fitting by three hours that is rememb to have happened. No ftrangers fuffered to remain in the house. On the 14th, in the midst of the h ing of the matter of the aforement:0 complaint, a motion was inade, and question propofed, That a general w rant for apprehending and feizing the thors, printers, and publishers, of a fe tious libel, together with their papers not warranted by law? and a debate a fing thereupon, it was adjourned till 1 17th. It was immediately after adjou ing this debate, that the aforemention motion was made for adjourning houfe; which however paffed in the ne tive, as before observed. On Friday 1 17th the house resumed the adjourned bate. Several amendments being m to the question, it was thus propól That a general warrant for apprehendi and feizing the authors, printers, andja blithers, of a feditious and treasonable bel, together with their papers, is 1 warranted by law, although fuch warr hath been iffued according to the ufage office, and hath been frequently produc to, and, fo far as appears to this hou the validity thereof hath never been d bated in the court of king's-bench; b the parties thereupon have been frequen ly bailed by the faid court? and a deba arifing thereupon, the house, on a divifio 232 against 218, refolved, That the bate fhould be adjourned till that d four months. This affair kept the hou fitting till half an hour after five o'cloc on Saturday morning, the 18th. At a court of commen council, at Guil hall, London, Feb. 21. it was "refolved, 1. That the thanks of this court prefented to Sir Robert Ladbroke, Kt, Richard Glyn, Bt, William Beckford, E and the Hon. Thomas Harley, Elg; the reprefentatives of this city, for their zea lous and fpirited endeavours to affert the rights and liberties of the fubject, by the laudable attempt to obtain a feafonable an parliamentar 2. That this refolution be fairly tran be, figned by the town-clerk, and n be delivered to the four reprefenres of the city. That, as the independency and rightness of judges is effential to the im. tadininiitration of justice, and one the beft fecurities to the rights and lires of the fubject," this court, in matation of the just fenfe we entertain the inflexible firmness and integrity of Rt Hon. Sir Charles Pratt, Lord Chief ffice of his Majesty's court of Common ta, doth direct, that the freedom of city be prefented to his Lordflip, and that he be defined to fit for his picture, to e placed in Guildhall, in gratitude for shoneit and deliberate decifion, upon the validity of a warrant, which had been frequently produced to, but, fo far as ap pears to this court, never debated in the crurt of king's-bench; by which he has enently cilinguifhed his duty to the King, juftice to the fubject, and his know. ledge of the law. 4 That the above refolution be fairly tranfribed, and delivered by the town erk to bis Lordship. 5. That the faid freedom be prefented to his Lordship by the chamberlain, in a gold boz." A formidable fociety (according to the London papers of Jan. 7.) of perfons of difIndion and influence, was then forming, and a large houfe of a deceafed nobleman ired for their aflemblies; which fociety was be called, The Cotery of Revolutionifls, of Antiminifterialists, from the French ed coteria, vulgarly called a club in EngUpwards of an hundred dined at new tavern, Mr Wildman's, in Albebarie ftreet, on the 1ft of February; and at the end of that month appeared a of upwards of 240 members of parlia nt, whofe healths were faid to be drank, moft locieties in London, as friends to erty: among whom are, Daniel and fe Campbells, George Dempster, Sir Mexander Gilmore, James Grant, and es Murray, Scots members. IRELAND. On the 16th of January, being quarter-day of the Guild of Merchants of Dub lin, when upwards of 250 members were prefent, the freedom of that corporation was voted, nem. con. to be presented, in a gold box, to Sir Charles Pratt, Lord Chief Juftice of his Majefty's court of Common Pleas in England, as a testimony of their fenfe of his fidelity to his Majefty, at feeing the principles of liberty vindicated and maintained, and the rights of the fu ́ject protected, by the just determinations and fpirited conduct of this great officer on feveral [xxv. 243. 687.] occafions; on the fame day the barbers and furgeons of that city, unanimously ordered, that the freedom of their corporation fhould be prefented to the fame gentleman, "for the great learning, matchlefs zeal, and invincible fortitude, with which he afferted the rights and liberties of our fellow-fubjects, on fome late remarkable occafions;" and on the 20th the Commons of Dublin ordered their thanks to be given him. The following, taken from the Gentleman's Magazine, is faid to be an impartial narrative of the proceedings of the Commonalty of Dublin on this occafion. "A petition was prefented to the Com◄ mons in behalf of fome of the commons, for prefenting the freedom of the city in a gold box to Lord Chief Juftice Pratt. His Lord!hip had, a few days before, been prefented with his freedom of the Guild of Merchants in a gold box; as also of the corporations of Barbers and Surgeors. But the certificate of the Guild, on which the freedom fhould be founded, was with-held, or not lodged in the townclerk's office, as fhould be: the corrupt inftruments of power had prevented it. When the Commons had gone through fome ordinary bufinefs, a member moved, That all ordinary bufinefs thould be postponed, till the determination of the Aldermen, with respect to the petition for the freedom of the upright Judge, fhould be known: whereupon it was moved, That a meffage fhould be fent to the Lord Mayor and the Board. Some time after this the Board fent an answer, to this effect: That they had confidered the petition for prefenting the Lord Chief Juftice Pratt with the freedom of the city; but did not judge it proper, at this time, to agree with it. The meffage being entered in the journal, the fame member moved, That the anfwer anfwer of the Lord Mayor and Board fhould be alfo entered. This done, 'he expressed his surprise at the oppofition given to his petition, and informed the houfe whence it came. He affured them, That fince the freedom of the Guild was given to this great man, all the creatures and dependents of power, not excepting fome men in the moft facred ftations, were indefatigable in preventing its taking place in the city: That fuch men fpared no application to any part of the Common Council that could be influenced: That he hoped the Commons would acquit themselves of the imputation of all forts and degrees of finifter influence, by fhewing their zeal for the honour of the crown, in giving due applause to so eminent, fo faithful a minifter as the Lord Chief Juftice Pratt; and that unless the petition appeared wrong, or ill founded, the Commons must be wanting in affection and duty to the beft of Kings, in with-holding due applaufe from the most diftinguished of his minifters on the benches, in our days. He then pointed out fome of the moft dangerous ftrides of minifterial power, by the warrants of fecretaries of state; and gave inftances of many of the most deftructive abufes of this power, that had, till now, escaped with impunity. He thewed how the curbing and chaftifing this illicit power redounded to the honour of the King on the throne, as well as to that of his great and upright Judge; then moved for the reading of the petition, of which he produced a true copy. The petition then received two readings; and no man being able to contradict any allegation in it, and the prayer being a natural inference from the allegations, the petition was received unanimously, and ordered to be entered in the journals. The petition is as follows. To the Rt Hon. the Lord Mayor, Sheriffs, Com- Sheweth, That it is a duty incumbent upon all loyal fubjects, to give countenance and approbation to all that eminently diftinguish themfelves, by deeds of virtue and loyalty; those efpecially who discharge a public trust for the common honour and intereft of their King and Country. That, on the other hand, it is the indif penfable duty of all good and loyal subjects, to difcountenance, difapprove, expofe a oppofe all dishonest and disloyal deeds, ar the conduct of all men that may tend to pr judice the national constitution, to dishone the crown, or deprive the fubjects of the rights and liberties. That for thefe, among other wife and go union of many loyal fubjects, in fmaller b purposes, corporations were inftituted; as t dies-politie, was the likelieft means of pres ving the general fyftem of government, fu porting the crown, and maintaining the co ftitution. That (to the immortal honour of our c be it fpoken) from the earliest ages to t prefent time, she has ever distinguished he felf, not only by the practice, but by the couragement of all virtuous and loyal deed of which our archives fhew the most amp the most honourable proofs, in the ma grateful acknowledgments, conceffions, a grants, lucrative as well as honorary, ma to the corporation of the city, from time time, by the crown, in confideration of the and loyalty, defending and fupporting uniformly and conftantly promoting virt and vanquishing its enemies, as well Engl government and its friends, and oppof and Scotch as Irith, at an immenfe expen of the blood and treasure of the citizens' That this city, thus eminently diftinguis ed and honoured, would appear defective her duty, could the fail in diftinguishing wi marks of her approbation and favour, fo of his Majefty's minifters and fervants have given the fulleft proofs of the most p fect fidelity and loyalty, in the discharge the most important trufts, to the mutual h nour and fatisfaction of the fovereign and fubjects, at a time when we are bleffed wi a monarch on the throne, who has given glory on the freedom and happiness of his unerring royal word, that he founds people. That no man appears to us to have acqu ted himself in his high station, with fuch coming zeal for the honour and dignity of t crown, and the fulfilling his Majesty's m gracious intentions for preferving the freed and happiness of his fubjects, fuch invinci fortitude, in adminiftering juftice and law, the Rt Hon. Sir Charles Pratt, Kt, the p fent Lord Chief Juftice of his Majefty's cou of Common Pleas in England, has fhewn fome late judicial determinations, which mi be remembered to his Lordship's honou while and where-ever British liberties are he facred. That befides this conduct, which must re der the name of Lord Chief Juftice Pratt de to his Majefty, and to all his loyal fubjed • A phrafe in maft of the charters granted this city. univerfall |
