748 
ENGLAND, 
the health of lord Chatham was in an unexpected degree 
redored. The parliament met in January, 1770, and, on 
the motion for an addrefs to the throne, lord Chatham 
arofe, and declared, “ that, at his advanced period of life, 
bowing under the weight of his infirmities, he might per¬ 
haps have (food excufedif he had continued in his retire¬ 
ment, and never,taken part again in public affairs; but 
the alarming date of the nation called upon him—forced 
him to come forward once more, and to execute that duty 
which he ovyed to God, to his fovereign, and his country. 
The fituation of foreign affairs was, he laid, critical; but 
what more immediately demanded their loralhips atten¬ 
tion, was the divifionsand didradlions which prevailed in 
every part of the empire. He lamented thofe unhappy 
meal'ures which had alienated the colonies from the mo¬ 
ther country, and which had driven them into excelfes 
he could not jollify. Such, however, was his partiality 
to America, that he was inclined to make allowance 
even tor thofe excelfes. The difcontents of three millions 
ot people deferved confideration ; the foundation of thofe 
difcontents ought to be removed. The difcontents of the 
Americans, however, at the prefent crifiswere unimport¬ 
ant, in companion of thofe which prevailed in this king¬ 
dom. It was an obligation incumbent upon that houfe 
to enquire into the caufes of the notorious diffatisfadfion 
exprelfed by the whole Englifh nation, to date thofe 
caufes to their fovereign, and then to give-him their bed 
advice in order to their being removed the motion, 
however, for this purpofe, was lod in a divifion. 
Lord Camden, having in the courfe of the debate con¬ 
demned in decifive terms the proceedings of the houfe of 
commons, and actually dividing with lord Chatham, was 
immediately compelled to relinquifh the great feal. The 
removal of that great magidrate was followed by the re- 
fignations of the dukes of Beaufort and Mancheder ; the 
earls of Coventry and Huntingdon, and lord Granby, 
commander in chief of the forces of Great Britain. The 
ear! of Bridol choodng the tranquil and irrefponfible pod 
of drd lord of the bedchamber, vacated by the earl of 
Huntingdon, the privy feal was delivered to the earl of 
Halifax. On the 22d of January, 1770, the marquis of 
Rockingham moved for dxing a day to take into confide- 
ration the date of the nation. The 2d of February was 
fixed upon by the houfe for refolving itfelf into a com¬ 
mittee on this enquiry ; but on the 28th of January, the 
duke of Grafton unexpectedly refigned his office as drd 
lord of the treafury; and lord North, who had now been 
two years chancellor, of the exchequer, was nominated 
bis fucceflor. Thus was at length formed that famous 
adminidration, which exercifed the powers of government 
for twelve fucceffive years; during which the colonies 
were difmembered from the mother country. 
On the day fucceeding the redgnation of the minider, 
the houfe of commons refolving itfelf into a committee on 
the date of the nation, Mr. Dowdefvvell moved, “ That 
the houfe, in the exercife of its jurifdidtion, ought to 
judge of eledlions by the lkw of the land, and by the 
cudom and practice of parliament, which is part of that 
law.” The motion, if adopted, was intended to be fol¬ 
lowed by other refolutions, purporting the unequivocal 
condemnation and confequent refcindment of the vote of 
the lad fedion. This leading propofition was fo Ikilfully 
worded, that it was impollible to put a diredl negative 
upon it ; and to evade it by the previous quedion would 
only lead to a revival of the fame motion in a new and 
varjed form. It was therefore with equal parliamentary 
adroitnefs at once laid at red by lord North, who moved- 
as an amendment the additional words : “ And that the 
judgment of this houfe in the cafe of John Wilkes, efq. 
was agreeable to the law of the land, and fully authorized 
by the praftice of parliament.” Though the amendment 
was oppofed with vehemence, as a mod unfair and didn- 
genuous perverfion of the true meaning of the refolution, 
it was carried upon a divifion by 224 to tSo voices; thus 
precluding all hope of redrefs by any future effort in fhafr 
houfe of parliament. 
On the 2d of February, 1770, being the day previoufly 
dxed upon by the peers for refolving themfelves into a 
fimrlar committee, lord Rockingham, after an introduc¬ 
tory fpeech of fome length, moved, “ That the houfe of 
commons, in the exercife of its judicial authority in mat¬ 
ters of election, is bound to judge according to- the law 
of the land, and the known and 'edabliffied law and 
cudom of parliament, which is part thereof.” The mo¬ 
tion was fupported with all his accudomed warmth and 
energy by the earl of Chatham, who condemned the con¬ 
duit of the houfe of commons in terms of great afpertey. 
He denominated the vote of that houfe, which had made 
colonel Luttrell reprefentative for Middlefex, “ a grofs 
invafion of the rights of election, a dangerous violation 
of the Englidi conditution, and a corrupt facrifice of their 
own honour. To gratify individual refentment (he Laid), 
the laws had been defpifed, trampled upon, dedroyed ; 
thofe laws which had been made by the dern virtue of 
their ancedors, the iron barons of old, to whofe virtue 
and to whole blood, to whofe fpirit in the hour of con- 
ted, and to whofe fortitude in the triumph of viitory, 
the dlken barons of this day owe .their honours and their 
fecurity.” The quedion being now put, it was by a great 
majority refolved, that the fpeaker diould refume the 
chair; and the original motion being thus evaded, lord 
Marchmont moved, “ That any refolution of this houfe,. 
diredily or indireitly impeaching a judgment of the houfe 
of commons, in a matter where their jurifdidtion is com* 
-petent, final, and conclufive, would be a violation of 
the conditutional right of the commons, tends to make a 
breach between the two houfes of parliament, and leads 
to a general confufion.” 
This motion being zealoudy fupported by lord Mans- 
deld, lord Chatham again rofe, and endeavoured to Ihew 
the neceflity of the interference of that houfe, in cafe o£ 
an invadon of the people’s liberties, or an nnconditutional 
determination of the houfe of commons ; and he affirmed, 
that the cafe of the county of Middlefex fell under both 
thofe denominations. Then fuddenly apodrophizing the 
houfe, he conjured the peerage of England, by the noble 
blood which had flowed for fo many ages in their veins, 
by the glorious druggies of their ancedors in behalf of 
liberty, not to behold with indifference a tranfaifion fo 
alarming. “ If, (laid he,) my lords, the conditution 
mud be wounded, let it not receive its mortal dab at this 
dark and midnight hour, (being pad twelve o’clock,) 
when almod every eye is clofed in deep, and when rob¬ 
bers and adaffins only are awake and prowling for their 
prey.” At half pad one in the morning the quedion was 
ut, and decided in the affirmative, though accompanied 
y an animated proted. 
On the id of May, 1770, lord Chatham prefented to 
the houfe, a bill “ for reverdng the. adjudications of the 
houfe of commons, whereby John Wilkes, efq. has been 
adjudged incapable of being eleited a member to ferve in 
this prefent parliament, and the freeholders of the county 
of Middlefex have been deprived of one of their legal 
reprefentatives.” In defcanting on the fubjeit of this 
bill, he declared, that a violent outrage had been com¬ 
mitted, which druckat every thing facred to the liberties 
of Englifhmen. The motion for the fecond reading being 
negatived, lord Gower moved for its rejection; and, an 
a divifion, 89 voted for the motion, 43 againd it. 
Not to be diverted from his purpofe, lord Chatham 
made, after a Ihort interval, a motion for an addrefs to 
the king to dilTolve the parliament. He dated “ the 
public difcontents in England, Ireland, and America j. 
affirmed, that the people had no confidence in the prelent 
houfe of commons; and (hewed, from the fituation of 
public affairs, the great neceflity of having a parliament 
in whom the people can place a proper confidence. In¬ 
dead (he faid) of depriving a county of its reprefentative, 
1 ©ue 
