‘ 
THE CHRONTE LE. 
quer, a fhock has been given to the 
éredit of the Bank of England, 
which can never be fully retrieved : 
That the pretended neceflity of re- 
ferving for the public fervice the 
{pecie depofited by individuals in 
the Bank, is a condemnation of 
your Majefty’s minifters, by whofe 
meafures alone fuch neceflity could 
have been created, and which may 
be pleaded at any time, and applied, 
with equal eat to dny private 
property whatfoever, which an ar- 
bitrary government may be able to 
feize and appropriate to their own 
purpofes, under colour of the pub- 
lic fervice: That the memory of 
this deteftable tranfaction will live 
in the minds of men, and create 
fuch a perpetual diftruft of the good 
faith of the Bank of England, and 
of all bankers, as cannot be remov- 
ed, even by the Bank’s being per- 
mitted by your Majefty’s miniftry 
to revert to its principles, and to 
make its payments with honefty 
hereafter; fince no man can be af- 
fured that, when a precedent of 
this atrocious nature has once been 
eftablifhed with impunity, it will 
not be followed by the fame or 
other minifters; or that even the 
apparent’ good faith with which the 
Bank may again begin to pay its 
<reditors in {pecie, may not be in- 
‘tended for a {nare to draw gold and 
filver into the Bank, where it may 
again be detained by an order of 
the Privy Council, on another re- 
prefentation from the Chancellor 
of the Exchequer. We moft hum- 
bly reprefent to your Majefty, that 
all thefe evils are owing to the grofs 
‘mifconduét and utter incapacity of 
your Majefty’s minifters, who have 
fhewn themfelves unable to make 
‘war with energy, or to negotiate 
‘for peace with dignity or candour. 
87 
That they have defignedly thrown 
away every favourable opportunity 
of treating with advantage, and 
have made no ufe of fuccefs but to 
inflame and delude the nation, at 
any ae Dhib and hazard, into a 
fenfelefs and defperate profecution 
of the war: fo that, in their hands, 
even fortunate events are convert- 
ed into fources of additional dif- 
trefs and protraéted calamity to 
your Majefty’s faithful fubjeéts. 
We therefore moft humbly folicit 
your Majefty to difmifs your Ma- 
jefty’s prefent criminal’and incapa- 
ble minifters from your Majefty’s 
councils, by which alone it is poffi- 
ble that public credit may be gra- 
dually reftored, and that peace may 
be obtained on fafe and honourable 
terms. 
And your Majefty’s petitioners 
fhall ever pray, &c. 
To the King’s Moft Excellent Mayefty. 
The humble Petition of the Inhabitants 
(Ioufcholders) of the city and liberty of 
Weftminfier. 
E, your Majefty’s moft du- 
tiful fubjects, the inhabit- 
ants (houfeholders) of the city and 
liberty of Weftminfter, humbly beg 
leave to approach your Majefty ina 
crifis of the greateft danger to our 
country that it has experienced 
fince the Revolution. Your Majef- 
ty’s minifters have involved us in a 
war, in the profecution of which 
they have already fquandered up- 
wards of 130 millions of money. 
They have already laid taxes upon 
the people to the amount of fix 
millions and a half annually: and 
the lives which they have facrific- 
ed, and the fum which they have 
added to human mifery, exceedé all 
F 4 calculation 
