■ENGLAND. 
744 
againft their reprefentatives. Though nothing can appear 
moie reafonable than that the public at large fhould be 
funiifhed with all fuch means of information, refpeCting 
the conduCt of their reprefentatives in parliament, as may 
confift with the order and dignity of the houfe, it had been 
long a fubjeCt of complaint, that the fpeeches of the mem¬ 
bers were, in contempt of the refolutions of the houfe, re¬ 
gularly printed in the public papers; and feveral members 
having formally (fated that their fpeeches had been thus 
mifreprefented, a motion was made and carried, that the 
printers, Wheble and Thompfon, (liould appear to an¬ 
swer this complaint at the bar of the houfe. The prin¬ 
ters taking no notice of this general fummons, a fecond 
order was ilfued, and declared to be final. No more re¬ 
gard being paid to the fecond order than to the firft, a 
motion was made, that Wheble and Thompfon fhould be 
taken into the cuftody of the ferjeant at arms. In confe- 
quence of information from the ferjeant at arms that the 
parties had abfconded, a proclamation was iffued, offer¬ 
ing a reward of fifty pounds for apprehending the two 
■printers. Another printer. Miller, was ordered to be 
taken into cuftody for contempt of the houfe. Wheble 
being apprehended in confequence of the proclamation, 
and carried before Mr. Wilkes, recently chofen an aider- 
man of London, he was difcharged by that magiftrate, 
and bound over to profecute the perfon who apprehended 
him ; and in a letter addrefted to the earl of Halifax, fe¬ 
cretary of (fate, Mr. Wilkes declared, “ that Wheble had 
■been apprehended in violation of the rights of an Englifh- 
man, as well as of the chartered privileges of a citizen of 
London.” Thompfon alfo was apprehended, and dif¬ 
charged in the fame manner. Miller being taken into 
-cuftody by the meftenger of the houfe of commons, at his 
own dwelling, was carried before Crofby, lord-mayor, 
and the aldermen Wilkes and Oliver, at the manlion- 
houfe. The ferjeant at arms attending to demand the 
prifoner, the legality of the warrant was denied, and the 
printer not only difcharged, but the meifenger of the 
houfe, on pretext of a falfe arreft, ordered to be com¬ 
mitted to prifon in default of bail, which was at the firft 
refufed, but at length given ; and for thefe proceedings 
the thanks of the corporation of London were immedi¬ 
ately voted. 
The houfe of commons now found themfelves once 
more reduced to a mod vexatious perplexity ; and the 
oppofition, who, as members of the houfe, felt for its ho¬ 
nour, and participated in the general indignation excited 
by this unparalleled affront, reminded the minifters that 
to them muff be imputed the odium under which the 
houfe had fallen with the people, who embraced with 
eagernefs every occafion to baffle their meafures. Thefe 
fefiedtions admitted of little reply, and the lord-mayor 
and Mr. alderman Oliver, as members of the houfe, were 
ordered to attend in their places the next day. The lord- 
mayor pleaded, in his jollification, that he was bound by 
oath to preferve the franchifes of the city, that his con¬ 
duct had been ftriCtly agreeable to law, and he demanded 
to be heard by counfel. This was refufed, on the ground 
that no counfel could be heard in oppofition to the pri¬ 
vileges of the houfe ; and the lord-mayor’s book of mi¬ 
nutes being called for, the recognizance of Whittam, the 
meftenger, was expunged from the record by order of 
the houfe; and a refolution palfed, that to inftitute any 
proceeding at law in this cafe was contrary to the privi¬ 
leges of the houfe ; and alfo that it was a breach of pri¬ 
vilege to apprehend the meifenger of this houfe executing 
his warrant, under the pretence of an aftault, and that it 
was a breach of privilege to hold the meftenger to bail 
for fuch pretended aftault. Mr. Oliver was proceeded 
againft in a limilar manner; and the two magiftrates refo- 
lutely refufing to make any conceftion or apology, it was 
at length voted that they be committed prifoners to the 
Tower. 
On the laft day of the attendance of the lord-mayor, 
vaft multitudes of people aflembling in the vicinity of 
Weftminfter-hali, a violent riot took place, and feveral 
of the minifterial minifters were grofsly infulted : lord 
North himfelf being perfonally attacked, and with diffi¬ 
culty refcued from the fury of the populace. Mr. Wilkes., 
having received a fummons to attend at the bar of the 
houfe, addrefted a letter to the fpeakcr, in which he de. 
dared that he could attend only in his place as member 
for the county of Middlefex. After fome fruitlefs repe¬ 
titions of the order, the houfe, now defirous to difmifs 
the bufinefs, ordered a new fummons for the 8th of April, 
and appointed the 9th as the firft day of meeting after the 
Eafter recefs. The lord-mayor, and Mr. Oliver, foon 
after their commitment, applied fora writ of Jiabeas corpus, 
which was accordingly ilfued by the court of common 
pleas; but after very long and learned pleadings, thefe 
magiftrates were remanded by the court, and continued 
in cuftody till the end of the feftion, when their liberation 
was celebrated by great rejoicings; and from this time 
forward the proceedings of parliament, and the fpeeches 
of the members, have been publilhed without interrup¬ 
tion or moleftation. 
During the recefs of parliament died the earl of Hali¬ 
fax, a nobleman generous, liberal, and accompli (bed, but 
as a minifter unpopular and unfortunate. The earl of 
Suffolk fucceeded the earl of Halifax as fecretary of date 
for the northern department, and the duke of Grafton 
accepted the vacant port of lord privy feal. The minifter, 
lord North, notwithftanding fome falfe fteps, evidently 
gained upon the nation, by the fuavity of his manners, 
and his apparent candour and ingenuoufnefs of difpofi- 
tion. The late rupture with Spain, in the view of the 
public, who were not apprized of the fecfet article of 
reftitution, had terminated honourably for England; and 
his lordfhip feemed to (hew fome inclination to accommo¬ 
date the difputes fo long fubfifting with America. This 
was further Confirmed by the refignation of the earl of 
Hillfborough, fecretary of ftate for America, who was on 
various accounts obnoxious to the colonies; and the (ub- 
fequent appointment of the earl of Dartmouth, a noble¬ 
man of acknowledged probity, of a mild and lenient tem¬ 
per, and who had uniformly oppoled in parliament Ame¬ 
rican taxation in every form. Various other changes and 
promotions alfo took place during the recefs of parlia¬ 
ment. The earl of Harcourt fucceeded lord Townfhend 
as lord-lieutenant of Ireland, and lord Stormont was ap¬ 
pointed ambalfador at the court of Verfailles in the room 
of lord Harcourt. Mr. Charles Jenkinfon being nomi¬ 
nated vice-treafurer of Ireland, his feat at the board of 
treafury was filled by the Hon. Charles James Fox, fe¬ 
cond fon of lord Holland, a young man who had already 
arrefted the attention of the public by the extent of his 
political knowledge, and the fplendour of his parliamen¬ 
tary talents. 
On the 22d of November, 1772, the feftion was opened 
by an interefting fpeech from the throne, in which “ the 
attention of parliament was particularly called to the pre- 
fent ftate of the Eaft-India company, and the difficulties 
in which they appeared to be involved ; and his majefty 
recommended making fuch provifions for the common be¬ 
nefit and fecurity of all the various interefts concerned, as 
they (hould find beft adapted to the exigencies of the 
cafe.” Little certainly could it have been imagined, that 
in the (hort interval which had elapfed fince the acquili- 
tion of the Dewannee, of the provinces of Bengal, Bahar, 
and Oriffa, by which the company appeared to be elevated 
to the height of profperity, they (hould be reduced to a 
ftate of embarratfment and diftrefs verging upon ruin. 
No fooner had the prelidency of Calcutta obtained the 
government of thofe vaft and opulent territories, than a 
grand project was formed by the prelident, lord Clive, 
and unanimoufiy approved by the board ; agreeably to 
which, the members of the council, and other civil and 
military ferva'nts of the company, might be enabled to 
derive 
