CHRONICLE. 



243 



of your authority — I have even the 

 authority of the proprietors and 

 managers of the theatre — and, 

 what is still more, I have the au- 

 thority of the public voice from the 

 Orkneys to the Land's End — to 

 justify rae in believing that infamy 

 does not attach on my conduct in 

 these transactions. Gentlemen, I 

 havethesaraeauthority of the pub- 

 lic voice for asserting, that infamy 

 does not attach on you. Butinfamy 

 must attach somewhere. Let it 

 attach, then, where it will best fit: 

 and let it shine not as a brilliant 

 and luminous planet, but as a dim 

 and pale halo, around the hoary 

 headof him who dared to utter such 

 a calumny. Gentlemen, I first had 

 the honour of meeting you in this 

 room at a periodof disturbance and 

 of great dissension between the 

 public and the proprietors of the 

 theatre. That such a dispute was 

 not sooner terminated 1, in common 

 with every other person, sincerely 

 deplored. For myself, I certainly 

 was in some measure brought for- 

 ward unwillingly, and was induced 

 reluctantly to take the lead ; but 

 being placed in that situation, I did 

 nothing that could tend to widen 

 thebreachjortoexcitedisturbance; 

 so far from having appeared in such 

 a character, I, on the contrary, 

 Imve the pleasure of believing, that 

 my humbleeffortshave contributed 

 to restore peace and harmony be- 

 tween the public and the proprie- 

 tors of the theatre at Covent-Gar- 

 den. Gentlemen, I thank you 

 sincerely, from the bottom of my 

 heart, for the attention with which 



ifou have honoured me, and beg 

 cave to have the honour of drink- 

 ing a\\ your healths." 



5. The Persian ambassador visit- 

 •d the Bank. 



6. ThetveatyofpeacecotJcluded 

 between France and Sweden. 



9. Dispatches were received, 

 relating to the mutinous conduct 

 of the Madras army. 



A common-hall was held for 

 the purpose of receiving the report 

 of the lord mayor and sheriffs, on 

 the address voted by the livery to 

 his majesty. 



The clerk proceeded to read the 

 report of the sheriffs, which stated, 

 that the remembrancer had called 

 at the secretary of state's office 

 with the address, and an intimation 

 that it was intended to present it on 

 the levee day. Next day he was 

 told that it must be left at the se- 

 cretary of state's office, to be pre- 

 sented (as was usual with all ad- 

 dresses, except those from the two 

 universities, and the corporation of 

 London) by him to his majesty. 

 On the levee day the lord mayor 

 told the secretary of state, that he 

 then had the address in his pocket, 

 and wished to present it. The se- 

 cretary said it was best to give it 

 to him, and he would save the lord 

 mayor all further trouble ; to which 

 his lordship replied, that he would- 

 not consent to present it to any one 

 except to the king in person ; and 

 that it was both the wish of himself 

 and sheriffs to do it in any way 

 which would save his majesty most 

 trouble. The secretary said, the 

 king's pleasure had been already 

 taken and expressed as tothe mode 

 ofpresentingit. Mr. Sheriff Wood 

 then demanded an audience of his. 

 majesty, which the secretary re- 

 plied could not be granted, except' 

 upon some especial and expressed 

 reason, and that no audience could 

 be granted on a subject upon 

 which his majesty had already ex- 

 pressed his pleasure. Such was the 



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