contain the Senfe of the INHABITANTS, nor of the CORPORATION; and for Proof of This, He alludes to an obfcure Advertisement in one of the News-papers, without any Name subscribed to it; fo that, for aught We know, it might have been drawn up and publish'd by Himself. As for the Infinuation, that this Paper was clandeftinely fign'd, it is well known that the Corporation of St. ALBAN's confifts of a Mayor and twelve Aldermen ; and I am credibly inform'd that the Seal was put to thefe Inftructions by the unanimous Confent of the faid Mayor and ten Aldermen, being all, who were then in Town; and that one of the two abfent Aldermen wrote a Letter to the new-elected Member, in much ftronger Terms than the Inftructions.- Now, by what Figure in Rhetorick a Corporation can be faid to steal their own Seal, I muft leave this profound Wag to explain. But the most effectual Way to convince the World that thefe Inftructions do not contain the Senfe of the Corporation, will be for this Gentleman, or his Friends, to procure a Petition from St. Alban's, in Favour of EXCISES, as They formerly did from fome wife-headed Victuallers, in Behalf of the POT-ACT. After This, He proceeds to fome other Points, which He dispatches with the fame Judgment and Address. Having charged me with afferting, that our Trade is decaying, and our Poor are starving, He affures us, by Way of Reply, that Work is fo plenty, and Provifions fo cheap, that in Bradford, a Cloth-working Town near the Bath, there was drank by the labouring People, from June 1731 to June 1732, above 7,000l. worth of Strong Beer. I must confefs that I have not the fame general Intelligence with Mr. Osborne, and therefore cannot contradict this important Account; but if it is true, the good People of Bradford are certainly a Parcel of rare, jolly, toping Blades, and have been very confiderable Benefactors to the Revenue. I wish Mr. Osborne could oblige us with the fame good News from 4 From my own Chambers. Ome Years ago a merry Treatife was publifh'd, intitled, a learred Differtation on OLD WOMEN, male and female, &c.— - I can never read the Works of Mr. Osborne, without thinking of that Piece, and looking upon Him as a male, old Woman. Every Paper He publishes is written perfectly in the anile Man ner, and puts me in Mind of my poor Granny. Methinks, I fee the good, old Gentlewoman fitting by the Fire-fide, in her great arm'd Chair, holding forth her Lectures of Morality to her little Grand-Children and Maid-Servants. Mr. Osborne's Writings are exactly of this Kind, and contain the ftrongest Characteristicks of feminine Dotage. He is very talkative, very pofitive, and very cenforious; eternally dwelling on the fame dull Topicks, and fo full of his own Wisdom, as not to perceive that every Body of Senfe laughs at Him and defpifes Him. His only Admirers are a few, old Quidnunes, like Himself, and his brightest Productions are what the Chymifts call Anima Saturni; the Soul, or Quinteffence of LEAD. In his Paper of Saturday laft, after his ufual Compliments to the Minifters, He refumes the old Topick of Civium Ardor, and inveighs very warmly against the Enemies of the People, in running about from Coffeeboufe to Coffee-houfe; meeting together in great Bodies; and fending Petitions from all Parts of the Kingdom, befeeching their Reprefentatives not to fuffer the Excife Moniter to invade Them. He then mumps his toothlefs Gums, and endeavours to be a little waggish, by turning thefe Petitions into Ridicule; but alas! That is not his Talent; and I would advise Him, as a Friend, not to attempt it any more, but rely on his ufual Method of folemn, abstracted Reasoning. His chief Refentment feems to be levell'd against the Inftructions from St. ALBAN's; which, He fays, neither contain the Senfe of the INHABITANTS, nor of the CORPORATION; and for Proof of This, He alludes to an obfcure Advertisement in one of the News-papers, without any Name fubfcribed to it; fo that, for aught We know, it might have been drawn up and publish'd by Himself. As for the Infinuation, that this Paper was clandeftinely fign'd, it is well known that the Corporation of St. ALBAN's consists of a Mayor and twelve Aldermen ; and I am credibly inform'd that the Seal was put to thefe Inftructions by the unanimous Confent of the faid Mayor and ten Aldermen, being all, who were then in Town; and that one of the two abfent Aldermen wrote a Letter to the new-elected Member, in much ftronger Terms than the Inftructions.- Now, by what Figure in Rhetorick a Corporation can be faid to steal their own Seal, I muft leave this profound Wag to explain. But the most effectual Way to convince the World that thefe Inftructions do not contain the Senfe of the Corpora-tion, will be for this Gentleman, or his Friends, to procure a Petition from St. Alban's, in Favour of ExCISES, as They formerly did from fome wife-headed Victuallers, in Behalf of the POT-ACT. After This, He proceeds to fome other Points, which He dispatches with the fame Judgment and Addrefs. Having charged me with afferting, that our Trade is decaying, and our Poor are starving, He affures us, by Way of Reply, that Work is fo plenty, and Provifions fo cheap, that in Bradford, a Cloth-working Town near the Bath, there was drank by the labouring People, from June 1731 to June 1732, above 7,000l. worth of Strong Beer. I must confefs that I have not the fame general Intelligence with Mr. Osborne, and therefore cannot contradict this important Account; but if it is true, the good People of Bradford are certainly a Parcel of rare, jolly, toping Blades, and have been very confiderable Benefactors to the Revenue. I wish Mr. Osborne could oblige us with the fame good News from all the manufacturing Towns in the Kingdom, which would be of great Ufe to his Argument, concerning the flourishing Condition of our Trade; for He ought to remember that, according to logical Rules, no general Conclufion can be drawn from particular Premiffes. Mr. Osborne is likewise very angry at a Rumour about Town, that as foon as the present Scheme is finish'd, We fhall have no more Parliaments, or that the prefent Parliament will perpetuate Themfelves. This Report, fays He, monstrous as it is, and wicked as it is monftrous, is carefully convey'd over the Nation, ferioufiy talk'd of, and thoroughly believed, not only by Countrymen, but Perfons, who live in the City, and tho' MAD quoad hoc, or as to Excifes, are otherwise Men of good Senfe.. -To This I reply, in the Words of an old Proverb, that Oppreffion will make a wife Man mad; and when People are out of their Senfes, We cannot wonder at any romantick Apprehenfions that may happen to come into their Heads. But as for myfelf (tho' I may, perhaps, be thought a little Excife-mad, like the reft of the World) I can affure Mr. Osborne that I have been fo far from spreading, or encouraging fuch a Report, that I have conftantly endeavour'd to fuppies it, wherever I have heard it mention'd, by fhewing the Unreasonableness and Improbability of to defperate an Expedient; for the People are fufficiently diffatisfy'd already with a feptennial Parliament, and any farther Extenfion of that Term would certainly throw Them into a Flame. They rather feem to expect that annual, or triennial Parliaments fhould be revived; and even Mr. Osborne himself hath formerly given us fomne broad Hints that He did not approve of long Parliaments ; but at prefent He feems to be flark Miniftry-mad, and raves in the fame frantick Style with his Patron; that all the Merchants in England know nothing of Trage, and don't understand their own Intereft. I fhall therefore difturb Him no farther in thefe political Ref veries, --- veries, but leave Him to enjoy them, or compofe his Brain, juft as it may happen. D. CAL. D'ANVERS. N° 347. SATURDAY, Feb. 24, 1732-3. The following Letter is of fuch Importance to the Liberty of Elections for Members of Parliament, that it deferves the ftrictest Attention of the Publick, at this Time. We are affured that the Gentleman, who fent it, is ready to justify the Particulars, by authentick Vouchers; aud therefore think ourselves obliged to take the first Opportunity of publishing it, as a practical Illuftration of our late Arguments against EXCISES and STANDING ARMIES. To CALEB D'ANVERS, Efqs SIR, T CHESTER, Feb. 10, 1732-3. HE Affairs of this City, on our late Elections of a Mayor and a Represen tative, in the Room of Sir Richard Grofvenor deceased, having been vilely mifrepresented in the Daily Courant and other Court Papers, you are defired to fet thofe Tranfactions in a true Light. As great Industry hath been used, for a confiderable Time paft, to divide the natural Intereft of this Place, and the most indirect Measures have been taken for that Purpose, I am obliged, in Juftice to the Publick and particularly to the Citizens of Chefter, to expofe the Artifices of Mr. MANLEY and his Adherents, in order to promote their own Intereft, and weaken |