Sensible of the same hereditary compassion in your Majesty's breast, we most humbly hope for that share in the happiness of your reign, which our peculiar circumstances can admit. And we beg leave to assure your Majesty of our grateful and constant return of affection and loyalty; a loyalty which our conduct has proved, and our religion enforces; happy! might it entitle us to express a wish, that of all your majesty's dutiful subjects of this kingdom, we alone may not be left incapable of promoting the general welfare and prosperity of it.

May the Almighty so influence and direct your Majesty's councils, through the whole course of your reign, that they may be ever productive of real happiness to all your people! and may that reign be as memorable for its duration and felicity, as for the greatness and variety of those blessings, which we have already so much reason to expect from it.

No. LXVIII.

EXHORTATION READ IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHAPELS ON THE DAY OF PUBLIC FAST......PAGE 67.

DEAR CHRISTIANS,

WE think it our duty to remind you of the gra titude and thanks you owe to the Almighty God, who in these calamitous times, so fatal to other parts of Europe, leaves you in the happy enjoyment of peace and all the blessings that attend it; blessings that ought to fill your hearts with the deepest sense of God's mercy towards you, and thankfulness to our chief governor here, whose paternal care and pity, equally generous and extensive," knows no distinction of persons or people; these blessings we at tribute in a great measure to your peaceable and discreet behaviour hitherto: wherefore we exhort you in the bowels of Jesus Christ, to continue to demean yourselves in the same peaceable manner, and to avoid every thing in public or private, that might give the least shadow of offence; that our ministry (as St. Paul says) may not be blamed. Nor does this caution proceed from any diffidence we have of your future conduct: it is rather intended to raise in your minds a lively sense of the lenity and mildness of our present most gracious government. Length of time, your constant, ready, and cheerful submission to the ruling powers, and, above all, the merciful and humane disposition of the present royal family, have greatly worn off the rigour of prejudice against you; these happy

dispositions, encouraged by a continuance of the same behaviour in you, may perhaps improve still more to your advantage: but whether we shall be deemed worthy of future favour or not, it is our duty as ministers of Jesus Christ, strongly to enforce the obligations of a submissive, obedient, and peaceful behaviour, and yours, as christians and good subjects, to fulfil them steadily in your prac

tice.

No LXIX.

THE ADDRESS OF THE MERCHANTS AND TRADERS OF DUBLIN, IN 1761.......PAGE 82.

To the Right Hon. William Pitt, Esq. late one of his Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State.

The grateful Address of the Merchants and Traders of the city of Dublin.

WE, his Majesty's most loyal, dutiful, and affectionate subjects, the merchants, traders, and other citizens of the city of Dublin, whose names are underwritten, judge these kingdoms too deeply interested in your withdrawing from the high station you have lately so eminently and greatly filled, to the honour and satisfaction of the crown and the subject, to let so important an event pass over in silence.

Though thus far removed from the great scene of action, we sensibly felt the manifold good of your truly patriotic and singularly wise and upright administration. To this we must attribute

the rescuing Britain from the shameful infection of that pestilential ministerial practice, which called foreign mercenaries to the defence of a country, by her native force, when properly exerted, more than a match for half the powers of Europe.

To your steady virtues we stand indebted for freeing our mother country from the reproach of calling foreign troops to defend her from a threatened invasion, and for chastising the insolence of the vaunting invader; inspiring the councils and arms of Britain with that ancient true national spirit, which when duly exerted, ever has, and ever must render the British name terrible to her foes in the utmost extremities of the globe.

Under such an administration, we must always see, instead of private interest, merit, the only recommendation to places of important trust. By such measures as these, it is that we have seen

commerce accompanying conquest to the remotest parts of the earth, while faction was silenced and jarring parties reconciled and united at home.

Thus, sir, have your steady patriot virtues raised monuments to your fame more durable than marble or brass.

As the enemies of these kingdoms never had so great cause to rejoice, as they have from your withdrawing yourself from the sphere in which alone you could render these unspeakably great services to your country; so the true friends of these kingdoms never had more just cause to mourn.

We should therefore think ourselves wanting in duty to our patriot king, to our mother country, as well as our native, did we omit giving this public testimony of the loss which all sustain by the withdrawing of a minister of such matchless abilities and equal fidelity at so important and critical a conjuncture as the present.

Indulge us thus, great sir, in venting our griefs, and blending our tears with those of the rest of our mourning brethren and fellow subjects in Britain, as well as in other parts of this kingdom. Accept our most hearty and unfeigned acknowledgments for the unspeakable services and lasting honours you have already done your native country, and all the dominions of the crown of Great Britain. And give us leave to assure you, that we shall ever admire, and ever with profound respect and gratitude remember the unparalleled virtues that have so eminently distinguished your administration.

No. LX. a.

[PAGE 122.]

HIS Excellency George Viscount Townshend, Lord Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, being arrayed in royal robes, entered the House with the usual ceremonies of grandeur; the Earl of Tyrone carrying the cap of maintenance, and the Earl of Charlemont the sword of state; two noblemens' sons bearing the train of the royal robe : his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant making his congé to the throne, ascended the same, and seated himself in the chair of state under the canopy; all the Lords Spiritual and Temporal standing robed in their places, uncovered, till their Lordships took their seats.

The Lord Chancellor, kneeling, conferred with his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, and then standing on the right hand of the chair of state, commanded the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod to repair to the House of Commons, and acquaint the Commons

that it is his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant's pleasure they attend him immediately in the House of Peers.

And the Conimons, with their Speaker, being come, were conducted to the bar, with the usual ceremonies; where Mr. Speaker, after a speech to his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, in relation to the money-bills, delivered them to the Clerk of the Parliament, who brought them to the table, where the Clerk of the Crown read the titles, as follow, &c.

1. An act for granting unto his Majesty an additional duty on beer, ale, strong waters, wine, tobacco, hides, and other goods and merchandise therein mentioned, and for prohibiting the importation of all gold and silver lace, and of all cambrics and lawns, except of the manufacture of Great-Britain.

2. An act for granting to his majesty the several duties, rates, impositions, and taxes therein particularly expressed, to be applied to the payment of the interest of the sums therein provided for and towards the discharge of the said principal sums, in such manner as therein is directed.

To these bills, the Clerk of the Parliament pronounced the Royal Assent, severally in the words following, viz. "Le Roi remer"cie ses bons sujets, accepte leur benevolence, et ainsi le veult."

Then his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant was pleased to make a speech to both Houses of Parliament as follows, viz.

My Lords and Gentlemen,

The attention you have shewn to the great objects which have been particularly recommended by me to your consideration, and the provisions which have been made for the safety and security of this kingdom, call upon me, not only to express my approbation of, but to thank you, as I now do, for your conduct in these particulars.

Gentlemen of the House of Commons,

It is with great pleasure that I thank you, in his majesty's name, for the supplies which you have granted, and the provision which you made for the present establishment, the public credit, and the safety of this kingdom.

When I first met you in Parliament, as I knew and could rely upon it, that nothing could move from his majesty, but what would be expressive of his constant and ardent desire to maintain and preserve every constitutional right to his people, I little thought that any thing would happen during the course of this session, that could possibly affect the just rights of his majesty, and of the crown of Great Britain, so as to afford his majesty any just cause of dissatisfaction, and make it necessary for me, specially to assert and vindicate those rights.

Therefore it is with great concern that I have seen and observed in the Votes and Journals of the House of Commons, printed by

your order, a late proceeding by you, of such a nature and of such effect, with respect to the rights of his majesty and the crown of Great Britain, as to make it necessary for me, on this day, and in this place, to take notice of and animadvert thereupon; I mean the vote and resolution of the 21st day of November last, by which you, Gentlemen of the House of Commons, declare, that a bill, intitled, “An act for granting to his majesty the several duties, rates, impositions and taxes therein particularly expressed, to be applied to the payment of the interest of the sums therein provided for and towards the discharge of the said principal sums, in such manner as is therein directed," which had been duly certified from hence to his majesty, and by his majesty had been transmitted in due form, under the great seal of Great Britain, and which had been read a first time by you, and which was rejected by you on that day, was so rejected, because it did not take its rise in your house.

This vote and this resolution of yours, declaring that the said bill was rejected, because it did not take its rise in your house, being contrary to the acts of Parliament of this kingdom of the 10th of Henry VII. and the 3d and 4th of Philip and Mary, and the usage and practice ever since, and intrenching upon the just rights of his majesty and the crown of Great Britain, to transmit such bills to be treated of and considered in Parliament here; I am now to assert his majesty's royal authority, and the rights of the crown of Great Britain in this respect, and in such a manner as may be most public and permanent; and therefore I do here in full Parliament, make my public protest against the said vote and resolu tion of the House of Commons; by which you, Gentlemen of that House, declare, that the said bill was rejected by you, because it did not take its rise in your house, and against the entries of the said vote and resolution, which remain in the Journals of the House of Commons; and I do require the Clerks of this House now to read my said Protest, and to enter it in the Journals of this House, that it may there remain to future ages, as a vindication of the undoubted right and authority of his majesty, and of the rights of the crown of Great Britain, in this particular.

In this Protest, I think myself warranted in all respects, and if it needed, as I conceive it doth not, any other strength than that, which it derives from the statutes which I have mentioned, and from the usage and practice ever since, it would be found in that precedent which appears in the Journals of this House of the 3d day of November, 1692, under the reign of that glorious and immortal Prince King William III. the great deliverer of these kingdoms, and the constant and magnanimous asserter and preserver of the civil and religious rights of mankind.