638 



BRITAIN. 



Britain. 



'1770. 



1771. 



Proceed- 

 ings re- 

 specting 

 the report 

 crs of de- 

 bates. 



ving only two small sloops at Port Egmont. In a 

 short time, a large Spanish armament appeared be- 

 fore the British settlement, and summoned it to sur- 

 render ; a summons which Captain Farmer, the 

 commandant, readily obeyed, as resistance would 

 have been unavailing. By the terms of capitulation, 

 he was allowed to return to England ; but by an un- 

 paralleled insult to the British flag, he was detained 

 by the Spaniard for twenty days. The news of this 

 transaction excited a violent indignation in England ; 

 and had the warlike spirit of Lord Chatham still 

 guided the national councils, the discussion of the 

 right to these islands would have been preceded by 

 actual retaliation on the part of Britain ; but the 

 conciliatory temper which we refused to our colonies, 

 was on this occasion extended to enemies. A ne- 

 gotiation took place. The Spaniards restored the 

 islands ; but it was privately stipulated, that they 

 should be afterwards evacuated by Great Britain ; 

 and since that time, no settlement has been made up- 

 on them. Upon the whole, setting aside the affront 

 offered to our flag, the grounds of the quarrel do 

 not seem to have justified a war. And though the 

 pretensions of Spain to the whole empire of South 

 America may seem ridiculous, let us ask if the pride 

 of Britain would not have been alarmed, had Spain 

 attempted to form a settlement, or to establish a gar- 

 rison, in any part of the dismal wilds of Labrador, 

 or the frozen regions of Hudson's Bay. 



The year 1771 was distinguished by an extension 

 of the liberty of the press, in a point of vital interest 

 to public freedom. Before this period, the publish- 

 ers of the debates in parliament encroaching, they 

 knew not precisely on what grounds, had given the 

 speeches either under fictitious names, or merely with 

 the initials of those of the speakers. By degrees, 

 however, the papers began to assume more liberty ; 

 and some of them, by that incorrectness of reporters 

 which can never be avoided, grossly misrepresented 

 many of the speeches. A member of the House of 

 Commons complained, that he had been thus injuri- 

 ously treated, and the house took up his cause with 

 great warmth. They ordered the printers to attend 

 the house. The printers conceiving that they were 

 not bound by law to obey, refused obedience ; and 

 the Serjeant at arms, who was sent to arrest them, 

 was treated with contempt. On this, the house 

 addressed his majesty to issue a proclamation. By 

 virtue of which they were apprehended, but immedi- 

 ately dismissed by the magistrates ; one of them by 

 Mr Wilkes (at that time alderman of London), a se- 

 cond by Alderman Oliver, and a third by Mr Cros- 

 by, the lord mayor. The magistrates were applau- 

 ded by the populace, and publicly thanked by the 

 citizens in common-council. The commons in in- 

 dignation committed Mr Wilkes and the lord mayor, 

 both members of their own house, to the Tower. 

 They were brought up, indeed, by habeas corpus, 

 and their case was brought before the Court of Com- 

 mon Pleas ; but after long and learned pleadings, 

 these magistrates were remanded by the court, and 

 their liberation was celebrated with universal rejoi- 

 cings. The house, or, more properly speaking, its 

 leaders, the ministers, were peculiarly perplexed with 

 Mr Wilkes. He had been ordered to attend at the 



bar of the house ; but, in return, he pleaded his pri- 

 vilege as a member, refusing to obey the summons 

 in any other character. It was now that the com- 

 mons discovered themselves in a dilemma, from which 

 they chose to make a ridiculous retreat in preference 

 to persevering. They ordered Mr Wilkes to appear 

 on the 8th of April, but adjourned to the 9th. In 

 consequence of this implied victory on the part of 

 reporters, they have since exercised a privilege im- 

 portant'to the political knowledge of the communi- 

 ty, although they are still amenable to parliament 

 for wilful misrepreseutation. During the recess of 

 parliament, in the summer of the same year, some of- 

 ficial changes took place in the administration, in 

 consequence of the death of the Earl of Halifax, a 

 nobleman, generous and accomplished ; but as a mi- 

 nister, unpopular and unfortunate. He professed 

 the principles of the Whigs, but acquiesced, for the 

 sake of ambition, in the Tory measures, which predo- 

 minated in the present period ; yet he had filled the 

 lieutenancy of Ireland with ability and applause. 

 The Earl of Suffolk succeeded him as secretary of 

 state for the northern department, and the Duke of 

 Grafton accepted the vacant post of lord privy seal. 



For some succeeding years, the administration of 

 Lord North was marked by few events of signal con- 

 sequence. An application was made by a consider- 

 able body of the established clergy, and by a num- 

 ber of the laity in those professions, which required 

 subscription to the thirty-nine articles, for relief 

 from that severe test of faith. The bill for granting 

 this relief was carried through the commons, but was 

 rejected by the lords. The same fate attended a mo- 

 tion in favour of the dissenters, for a farther enlarge- 

 ment of the toleration act, which was successfully 

 made in the lower house by Sir George Saville. In 

 consequence of the marriage of the Dukes of Cum- 

 berland and Gloucester to women of inferior rank, 

 the royal marriage act was about the same time 

 passed. By this law, the descendants of George II. 

 were, with a few exceptions, prohibited from marry- 

 ing without the royal consent. The bill was not 

 passed without encountering a spirited opposition. 

 The descendants of George II., it was observed, 

 might in time comprehend a vast multitude of indi- 

 viduals ; and the right of government itself, to pre- 

 vent an indefinite number of human beings from en- 

 joying the common privilege of nature in contracting 

 marriage, was reasonably called in question. 



The affairs of the East India Company occupied 

 much of the attention of parliament at this period ; 

 and a new regulating bill was past for reforming the 

 government of India, by great parliamentary majo- 

 rities, and with the general concurrence of the na- 

 tion. For the particulars of these changes, we must 

 refer our readers to a future article. We shall 

 only notice at present, that while the vigour of 

 these regulations was apparent, experience could 

 only prove their deficiency in wisdom. This may 

 be considered as the most brilliant era of Lord 

 North's administration ; but, while the nation was 

 enjoying and looking forward to tranquillity, a tem- 

 pest was gathering abroad. 



The affairs of India had scarcely been discussed, 

 when it was necessary to turn a serious attention to 



Britai 



GEORGE 

 1771 



Partial 

 change.' 



aciminn 

 ttatiu 



177 



Bill in 

 vour i 

 dissen 

 passec 

 the co 

 mons, 

 lost ill 

 Uppe 

 House 



Royal 

 marria 

 act pa 



East Ii 

 affairs. 



