HISTORY OF EUROPE, 
gistrate guilty of such irregularities, 
he was liable to be indicted before 
the court of session, and punished 
accordingly. 
Mr. Fox represented these asser- 
tions of the Lord Advocate as weak 
and futile eyasions of the enquiry 
demanded. When facts were stated 
‘ontradictory to each other, Par- 
Tiament was in duty bound to an 
enquiry, in order to prove their 
‘truth, or to detect their falsehood ; 
as mere denial of them was inad- 
missible on the part of those who 
Wight disapprove the redress of 
abuses of which they approved the 
ontinuance. The danger appre- 
fended to the peace of Scotland 
from such an investigation, was so 
ll founded, that it was, on the 
contrary, from the discontent of 
the generality of the Scotch at the 
present system of proceedings in 
these boroughs, that any breach in 
the peace in that country was to be 
apprehended. 
As to the allegation that Engiand 
itself affurded precedents of the 
like proceedings in some of its bo- 
Foughs, it was an absurd exhorta- 
tion to people who thought them- 
selves aggrieved, to imitate the pi- 
tiful example of others. 
The enemies to the petitioning 
boroughs still continued to main- 
tain the falsity of their representa- 
tions, alleging that no real griev- 
ance had ever passed unvedressed ; 
and challenging them to produce 
am instance to the contrary. A 
gentleman of that party solemnly 
declared that he would always op- 
pose every motion for any reform, 
of whatever nature it might be. 
On the division for referring the 
salle a committee, the ques- 
was negatived by a majority of 
sixty-nine. 
- 
[163 
While the parliamentary oppo- 
sition was thus continually defeated 
in all its attacks upon ministry, an 
oppositign of a more alarming na- 
ture was forming out of doors. In 
the spring of this year an association 
took place among several persons 
of consequence in and out of Par- 
liament; the purpose of whose 
uniting was to obtain a reform in 
the representation of the people. 
The appellation by which they 
chose to design themselves was, the 
Friends of the People. It soon 
counted among its members some 
of the most conspicuous characters, 
among the merchants and literary 
men, throughout the kingdom. 
They published their sentiments 
and resolutions with great spirit and 
freedom ; and determined in the 
ensuing session to make a formal 
motion fora reform in the parlia- 
mentary representation. 
Conformably to the plan pro- 
posed, Mr. Grey gave notice, on 
the 30th of April, that he intended 
in the following session to carry in- 
to execution the design proposed 
by the society. He founded its 
propriety on the opinion of the 
leading men in the House. Mr. 
Fox and Mr. Pitt had both declared 
themselves unequivocally on this 
matter, and the majority of the 
nation was of the same opinion. 
The eritical state of the times had 
induced those wliosaw the necessity 
of obviating the probable con- 
sequences of the general dis- 
contents throughout the great body 
of the people, to frame suclv a sys- 
tem of representing them as might, 
by its equitableness, put an end to 
their incessant complaints of being 
what they justly styled misrepre- 
sented, and made the instruments 
of ministerial projects, in which 
[M] 2 their 
