concerning Libels, 
86 Account of the late Mr. Almon. 
Both tracts were in confiderable requeft for 
feveral years. About this time he wrote a 
Parliamentary Hiftory from the death of 
Queen Anne to the clofe of the laft reign; 
as alfoa Hiftory of the War from 1749 to 
3763 ; and on the refignation of lord Bute in 
the laft-mentioned war, a Review of his 
Lordfhip’s Adminifiration, which was favour- 
ably received. Inthe famous affair of the 
arrett of Mr. Wilkes under a general war- 
rant, in 1763, as author of No. 45 of the 
North Briton, Mr. Almon, who happened 
to call upon his friend while the king’s mef- 
fengers were in the houfe, made himfelf cf 
confiderable perfonal fervice to him, by com- 
municating his fituation immediately to lord 
Temple, and aififting in the execution of the 
meafures which that nobleman took in his 
behalf. When alfo Mr. Wilkes was, by the 
fame unfair means, held out to public notice 
as the author of his infamous peem entitled 
an Effay on Woman; and a Mr. Kidgell, 
chaplain to the prefent Duke of Queenfbury, 
very improperly publifhed what he called a 
*¢ Narrative of the Poem,” in which he 
moft malicioufly and unjuftifiably tranflated 
the Greek infcription of Zwrug Kwzeou (ftand 
ing, in the poem itfelf, under the figure of 
an ancient phallus) as “¢ faviour of the 
world ;* Mr. Almon wrote a Reply to this 
perfon, in which he expofed the /earned gen- 
tleman’s ignorance and difingenuoufnefs. This 
was all he coulddo, forthe Effay in queftion 
it was impoffible to defend. Such laborious 
and ufeful fervices procured Mr. Almon the 
acquaintance of moft of the noblemen and 
gentlemen who in parliament oppofed the 
meafures of the court, forming the ‘l!uftrious 
party which was then particularly diftin- 
guifhed by the appellation of ‘* the mino- 
rity ;’ and with this connection and pat on- 
age, he began to turn his thoughts upon the 
advantage of becoming his own publifher. 
Accordingly, during the year 765 he re- 
figned his fituation as writer fur the Gaz: tteer; 
and commencing hbookfeller in Piccadilly, 
oppofite Burlington-houfe; his fhop ina very 
fhort time became a refort of the whole op- 
pofition. Soon after he fettled here he pub- 
Hifhea, but not from his own pen, § a Letter 
Warrants, &c” which 
attacked Lord Mansfield’s doétrine cf ! bel 
with fo much ability, freedom, and feverity, 
that at hiis lordfhip’s requeft a profecution was 
inftituted againft it. The arguments of coun- 
fel in this a€&tion continued three terms and 
it was in the courfe of them that Mr. Dun- 
ning, on the part of Mr. Almon, firft dif- 
played thofe fhining abilities whieh fixed his 
reputation through life. At length, an error 
being gifcovered in the proceedings, the affair 
was dropped. On achange of adminiftration 
in 1765, the Marquis of Rockingham and 
his friencs accepted the offices of the court 
after they had been reje&ted by Mr. Pitrand 
Lord Temple, which diffolved the famous 
minority as a party, fome adhering to Lord 
[ Feb. 1, 
Rockingham and fome'to Lord Temple. It 
was on this occafion that Mr. Almon wrote 
‘© a Hiftory of the Minority during the years 
1762-3-4 and 5;” which hada very exten- 
five circulation, above ten thoufand of it 
_being fold in little more than half a year. 
The American flamp-a& being repealed in 
1766, Mr. Almon wrote and publifhed a 
great deal in fupport of this meafure ; a con- 
duct which acquired him great popularity in 
the colonies, and occafioned the political 
writers there to fend him conftantly their 
tracts and papers. The Rockingham admi- 
niftration were removed in July 17663; ane 
Mr, Pitt and earl Temple were again applied 
to, the king even foliciting his lordfhip per- 
fonally. This nobleman, however, was in- 
flexible on the terms propofed : but Mr, Pitt 
accepted them and was created earl of Cha- 
tham; and the right honourable Charles 
Townthend was appointed chancellor of the 
exchequer. When the new arrangements 
were fettled, this gentleman very handfome- 
ly offered Mr. Almon a re{pe€table fituation, 
and defired him to afk lord Temple’s per- 
miffion to accept it: but this he civilly de- 
clined doing ; obferving that his lordhhip in 
cenfenting, muft look coldly upon him ever 
afterwards 3 and in vefufing, muft think 
himfelf under an obligation to do fomething 
better whenever he fhould come into office. 
In the two fellowing years he brought out 
his Royal Calendar, and the Companion to 
it; as well as his Political Regifter, a monthiy 
publicatron. In one of the numbers of this 
laft he inferted a plan for augmenting the 
army in Ireland, which had been drawn up 
by a grea t pe-fonage ; ; who, when it was pub- 
ene fent to know how Mr. Almon came 
by it. This information, of courfe, he y- 
fpectfully refufed to give; but at the fame 
time thought proper not to continue the 
work any further, from an apprehenfion that 
it might draw on him the perfonal refentment 
of the high quarter here alluded to. He 
had already, however, proceeded too far: 
his apprebenfion was foon juttified by his be- 
ing profecuted for merely /elling (for he was 
not the publifher of it) a magazine into 
which Junius’s famous ietter to the king was 
copied ; and though feveral other bookfellers 
and printers were proceeded againft on ac- 
count of the fame paper, he was the only 
one found guilty. This, however, fuftici- 
ently anfwered the views of the court rea 
fpecting him ; for befides a fine, and the 
heavy attendant expences, he was obliged to 
give fecurity for his good behaviour (as it is 
called) for three years. The principal works 
publifhed by him during that period were, 
the New Foundling~hofpital for Wit (fugi- 
tive pieces, in profe anc verfe, not in any 
other collection ; and comprifing many of his 
pwn, with his name to fome of them) ; an- 
other collection of the fame fort,‘ called the 
Afylum 5 and a compilation, made by him- 
felf, of all the treaties of peace, alliance, 
and 
