habeas corpus, moved for by the crown, was committed to the mafter's fide of Newgate. On the 28th of January, 1788, his lord fhip was brought before the court of King's Bench to receive judgment; and the court having heard Mr. Wood and Mr. Dallas, on behalf of his lordthip, and the attorney-general in reply, Mr. Juftice Afhurft delivered the fentence of the court, as follows:-"George Gordon, commonly called Lord George Gordon, you have been tried and found guilty, on very clear evidence, of publishing two very fcandalous and very feditious libels; the one intitled The petition of the Prisoners, the other published as a paragraph in the Public Advertifer. The firft of thefe libels is addreffed to yourself, is merely fictitious, of your own fabrication, and is manifeftly calculated to excite infurrection, discontent. and fedition, among theprifoners confined under fentence of death or tranfportation, and to propagate in the minds of his majefty's fubjects a hatred, contempt, and abhorrence of the criminal laws of this country, of all others the most famed for lenity, and to traduce thofe who are entrusted with the adminiftration of them. In the other, you at tempt to afperfe the character of her Moft Chriftian majesty the queen of France, and Moni. Barthelemy, as being the inftrument of a faction. It would be doing you too much honour toread in public thefe libels, and particularly the fcurrilous language and low abufe in the prifoners petition. It were to be wifhed you would make a better ufe of your reading in the Bible, and not ufe the fcripture ftyle and phrafe for the wicked purpofe of promoting mutiny and fedition, and to undermine the were laws of your country. If you wer to read the facred fcriptures to any good purpofe, you would find, that one great end of religion is to promote peace and harmony, to teach men fubmiffion to government, and obedience to the law. And it will be of great advantage to the public, as well as to yourself, to learn to govern your own practice agreeably to its precepts. One is forry that you, defcended of an illuftrious line of ancestry, fhould have fo much difhonoured your family, by deviating from thofe rules, the observation of which induced their fovereigns at firft to confer titles of dif tinction on your ancestors; and that you should prefer the mean ambition of being popular among thieves. and pickpockets, and to ftand as the champion of mifchief, anarchy, and confufion. As to that part which reflects on the judges, they them felves would pafs it over with that contempt which it deferves; but it highly concerns the good of the community, that the dignity of the law, and of the adminiftration of justice, fhould be maintained against these. attempts of ill-minded people who endeavour to bring them into contempt. By endeavouring to afperfe thofe who are entrufied with the adminiftration of the laws, they at last are apt to bring the law itself into contempt, and to fap and undermine the foundation of all government. With regard to the fecond of these libels, it appears to be written with the fame fpirit of malevolence and wicked intention. Every good man is happy to fee peace and tranquilli ty again rettored to this kingdom, after having been engaged for a long time in a fcene of wars with France and other powers. It has been the bufinefs of perfons in [2]4 this this country to cement a friendly intercourfe with the two nations by making a treaty of commerce, and by that means to obliterate the traces of former enmity. This you could not behold with fatisfaction, and therefore, as far as in you lay, you have endeavoured to rekindle animofities between the two nations, by perfonal abufe on the fovereign of one of them. You have fuppofed the queen to be the head of a party, who had conducted themselves oppreffively and tyrannically towards Count Caglioftro, who was fuppofed to be guilty of crimes which made himself obnoxious to the laws of his country. This was a high degree of infult on her Moft Chriftian majetty, and it was highly neceffary to reprefs an offence of fo dangerous a nature. Other nations who do not know how liberty, and particularly the liberty of the prefs, may be perverted in the hands of defigning men, could not believe that fuch wicked publications could go forth without the connivance of the ftate where they were publifhed; and well might they think fo, were not the author dragged forth into public punishment. It is not in the power of the law to induce a man to the performance of virtuous and praife-worthy-actions, to promote the happiness of his country and the good of his fellow-creatures; but it is in the power of the laws to reftrain him for a time of that liberty which he has grofsly abufed. And we fhould ill difcharge that trust which is committed to us, if we were not to fecure the peace of the public, by imprifoning you for a certain time; and whatever our own feelings may be for your fituation, we fhould be criminal if we were to give way too much to thofe feel ings. Your crime confifting of two parts, the forms of law require a feparate and diftin&t judgment; and you being brought into this court in the cuftody of the keeper of Newgate, in virtue of a rule of this court; and being convicted of compofing and publishing a scandalous paper, called "The Prifoners Petition," and other fcandals; this court does order and adjudge, that for your offence aforefaid you be imprifoned in his majesty's gaol of Newgate for three years, and be immediately remanded back to Newgate, in execution of the judgment aforefaid. And being convicted of trefpafies, contempts, and mifdemeanors against the royal confort of his Moft Chriftian majefty, and Monf. Barthelemy, this court does order and adjudge you to be fined in 5col and to be further imprifoned in Newgate for the space of two years, froin and after the termination of the aforefaid judgment; and that you give fecurity for fourteen years good behaviour, yourfelf in 10,00cl. and each of your fureties in 2,500l." The following is a Copy of the Letter of the celebrated Mr. Howard, addreffed to the Subfcribers for erecting a Statue to that Gentleman's Memory, and towards the formation of a Fund, to be called The Howardian Fund, and to be applied for the Relief of Prifaners. "My Lords and Gentlemen, "gratitude I can exprefs for the teftimony of approbation you have intended me, and I am truly fentible of the honour done me; but at the fame time you muit per OU are entitled to all the mit me to inform you, that I cannot, without violating all my feelings, confent to it, and that the execution of your design would be a cruel punishment to me. It is therefore my earnest request, that thofe friends who with my happiness and future comfort in life, would withdraw their names from the fubfcription, and that the execution of your defign may be laid afide for ever. "I fhall always think the reforms now going on in feveral of the gaols of this kingdom, and which I hope will become general, the greatest honour and the most ample reward I can poffibly re deed a perfonal tax on fhopkeepers. What they advanced to the chancellor of the exchequer as theory is now confirmed in practice; from fuch premifes they hold themselves warranted in afferting, that the retail trader has not in any inftance whatever, been able to make an advance on his commodity to reimburte him the fhop-tax. zd, That, from their inveftigation, the relief held out by the new fhop-tax act has not had any beneficial effect on the inhabitants of the metropolis; for as that bill never held out any affiftance to the perfons more especially aggrieved by the tax, who were the high-rented housekeepers, whilft it was an admiffion of the principle of perfonal, taxation, it has a tendency to render the fhop-tax more burthenfome to them, and to appear like a fine and ftigma on the city of London and its environs. 3d, That cafes have been laid before the committee, of shopkeepers fo reduced and diftreffed by the load of perfonal taxation, as to be obliged to quit their fituation in public freets, and retire, ruined and diftreffed, into obfcure parts of this metropolis amidit penury and want, while their houfes and thops have been occupied by fictitious traders, under the appellation of wholesale dealers, factors, or warehousemen, or fallen to the fhare of gamblers under the denomination of lotteryoffice-keepers, to the injury of the real trader, to the dishonour of the dignity of the metropolis, and to the prejudice of the revenue of the into confideration the benefit the ftate is likely to receive therefrom, and find that it must be unproductive to a confiderable degree; but the committee are not able to ftate the precife fum deficient, from difficulties and obftructions thrown in their way, of obtaining information. 5th, That the committee are informed, in order to make up the alarming deficiency in the grofs amount of the fhop-tax, the furveyors, and infpectors have furcharged the fhop-tax on many defcriptions of perfons not originally charged to it, publicans and manufacturers of different articles; which conduct of the officers undergovernment, whilft it gives no relief to the high-rented houfekeeper already affeffed to the fhop-tax, will caufe it to be held up to the public as a larger object of revenue. 6th, This committee further report, "That they have received many propofitions for new taxes, which have been ftated to them as much more productive, and much lefs objectionable, than the hoptax, and that fuch taxes might be impofed is apparent; but thi committee have held it their duty, as conftituted for a special purpose, that of obtaining a repeal of the Thop-tax alone, not to intrude new plans upon his majefty's minifters, nor to prefume to give their opinion on fubjects it might be urged they were incompetent to." 7th, The committee report it as their opinion, "That the conftant uniform oppofition of the shopkeepers to the thop-tax is not founded on party, or a defire to refift the laws of the land; but ftands on a superior bafis, and is a claim on the juftice of the legiflature." W. Seymour, Jof. Stafford, Jn. Ratray, Thos Denham, J. Philips, Thos. Skinner, Guildhall, 7th Feb. 1787. AT a very numerous and refpectable meeting of the retail fhopkeepers of the cities of London and Weftminster, the borough of Southwark, and parts adjacent, for the purpofe of conferring with the reprefentatives of the various districts of the metropolis, upon the most effectual meatures to obtain a repeal of the fhop-tax, Mr. Jennings, of Fenchurchftreet, in the chair; The following resolutions were carried unanimously: Refolved, ift, That it is the opinion of this meeting, founded on the report of their committee, and from near two years experience of the operation of the fhop-tax, that it is a grievance of a very heavy and alarming nature, and fuch as demands every legal and fpirited exertion on the part of the fhopkeepers to obtain redress. 2d. That the partiality of the fhop-tax, though feverely felt by large towns and cities, is more evidently burthenfome upon the inhabitants of the metropolis, where the fhopkeeper is compelled to ftand at an enormous rent, as the primary ftep to obtain fubfittence. 3d, That the evidence delivered at the bar of the houfe of commons, proving the tax to be a perfonal import, impoft, ftands uncontroverted upon the records of that honourable house; and the further experience of a year renders that teftimony incontrovertable. 4th, That the continued and increafing unpopularity of this tax arifes not from any party clamours of perfonal attachments, but proceeds from higher motives, the partiality and evil tendency of its principles. 5th, That, the tax being proved perfonal upon the trader, the right honourable chancellor of the exchequer is called upon, by the united voice of the thopkeepers, for fubftantial juftice, by the repeal of a tax, from which he himself declared, could it be proved perfonal, the fhopkeepers were entitled to relief. 6th, That this meeting, apprehending the principal obftacle to their having hitherto obtained relief, has been the difference of fituation between the members of the legiflature impofing this tax, and the fhopkeepers who were the objets of it, are defirous that their reprefentatives in parliament thould be put into poffeffion of every information it is in the power of this meeting to communicate, respecting the oppreflion of this tax. 7th, That the number of petitions which were prefented to the houfe of commons laft feffion of parliament, render it unneceffary to adopt the mode of proceeding by petition at this period, the principle of the tax being in no respect altered; more efpecially as the honourable members of the houfe of commons now prefent are confidered as pledged to fupport the caufe of the hopkeepers, and are in poffeffion of the fentiments of this meeting to enforce their cafe. Sth, That John Sawbridge, Efq. and Sir Watkin Lewes, Knt. the fenior aldermen, reprefentatives of the city of London, having agitated the repeal of the fhop-tax in the laft fethion of parliament, this meeting, out of refpect to the fenior reprefentative for the city of Weftminfter, judge it their duty to requeft the Right Hon. C. J. Fox to move in his place the repeal of the acts of the 25th and 26th of Geo. III. laying a duty on retail fhops, unlefs the right honourable the chancellor of the exchequer, at length convinced of the hardthips the fhopkeepers already labour under, hall himself come forward with a propofition for their relief. 9th, That the Right Hon. C. J. Fox, whom this meeting requests to move the repeal of the act, as well as all the members attending this meeting, be requested to communicate to the committee fuch information as they receive in the house of commons, touching the beft mode of obtaining the repeal; and the committee are directed to continue to affift the reprefentatives in parliament with fuch facts from the thopkeepers, as they thall think may ftrengthen their caufe. roth, That this meeting are duly fenfible of the exertions of the lord mayor, aldermen, and commons of this city, to obtain the repeal of a tax fo detrimental to the city of London; and defire this committee to attend the next court, with the thanks of this meeting, as well as to affure the court, they thall be ready at all times to co-operate with the committee of the corporation, in meatures neceffary to be adopted' in purfuit of this object. 11th, That the thanks of this mecting be given to the ten reprefentatives |