white silk, cocked hat, bag wig, cane, &c.-he conversed with him upon the subject of the author of the History of the first and second ten years, of the reign of George the third; of which, and of the presenting the author with his freedom of the city of Loudon, he will speak in chronological order. This year (1770) was one of considerable interest in the political world-the most numerous assemblage of members, ever witnessed, took place in the House of Commons 451 were present, nearly 200 of whom held situations under Government and in the public offices, they were said to be double to those of 1740. Mr. Wilkes, who had made so much noise, was admirably pourtrayed by Hogarth, sitting with the standard, and cap of liberty in his hand. It was etched in a very spirited style, and though some considered it a caricature, the author can vouch for its being a capital likeness. About this period Hogarth drew a humourous sketch of a politician, which was ably etched by Sherwin. We have endeavoured to preserve the spirit of both sketches, which appear in this Work. In this year, the Letters of Junius created an extraordinary sensation; Woodfall, the publisher of the Public Advertiser, was found guilty of printing and publishing Junius's letter to the King. Miller and Baldwin, were also tried for selling this letter, but were acquitted. These letters continued to cause great excitement; as Mr. Boyle truly remarks, they are as conspicuous for the force and elegance of their style, as for the satirical and vindictive attacks levelled at individuals; the most remarkable of the papers was, the before mentioned letter addressed to the King, in the Public Advertiser, of December 19, wherein his ministers were treated with the most profound contempt and virulence. The Attorney general therefore filed a bill against Woodfall, the printer, for uttering a libel, and the trial came on in the Conrt of Kings Bench, before Lord Mansfield. The Jury, after being out nine hours, found a verdict "guilty of printing and publishing only," which at that period, amounted to an acquittal. A subsequent portion of the author's life is interestingly connected with the preceding events, and in fulfilment of the assertion already made in his title page, he hopes to create a lively interest with regard to those letters, even at the present day he has only to entreat his readers patience, to follow him throughout his history, and the chain of corroborative evidence respecting them; and he feels convinced that the particulars he has to relate, will be productive of a gratification similar to that which he has himself experienced. In this year died W. Guthrie, author of the history of the world, a dull and heavy book, worth little more than waste paper; but the Geography under his name has been eminently successful, particularly after it was edited by Ferguson: a bookseller's trick was practised in Ireland, by issuing a Gazetteer under his name, which Guthric never wrote or compiled. About the period of Guthrie's death, the executors of Mr. Millar, (a celebrated bookseller,) obtained an injunction against Mr. Taylor, a bookseller, at Berwick upon Tweed, for the sale of a pirated edition of Thompson's Seasons, and Mr. Millar having been the sole proprietor of that inimitable production, his executors obtained a perpetual injunction. It is rather remarkable, that another, and more celebrated historian, Tobias Smollet, author of the History of England, and Continuator of Hume, died in the same year with Guthric; but perhaps he was as inferior to Hume, as Guthrie was to Smollet. Dr. Mark Akenside, author of the Pleasures of Imagination, &c. died this year; as did poor Chatterton, the youthful and ill-fated poet of Bristol. George Whitfield, a Calvinistic Methodist, also died in 1770, at Newberry Port in America, he was the original founder of the great chapel in Tottenham Court road, which has recently been sold by auction for £8000. In 1771, Mr. Wilkes and Mr. Horne had a literary war, which is humorously alluded to in the chorus, of an heroic ballad, entitled "the renowned history and rare atchievements of John Wilkes, which runs thus, JOHN WILKFS, he was for Middlesex, In another place, it is thus alluded to— In this year, according to a modern chronologist, "An important question was canvassed in parliament, concerning the privileges of the house of commons." The newspaper printers had been in the practice of printing the member's speeches under their respective names; many of them were spurious productions, and in opposition to the orders of the house. A complaint having been made by a member against two of those publishers, an order was issued for their appearance, with which they refused to comply; when another order was sent with no better success. One of the publishers was then taken into custody by the speaker's warrant, and carried before Alderman Wilkes and the Lord Mayor Crosby, by whom he was discharged. The anger of the house was then directed against the city magistrates, and many measures resorted to: but the contest terminated in favour of the publishers, who have ever since continued to report the proceedings of parliament and the speeches of the members without opposition. In a more advanced portion of this work, many pleasant anecdotes will be related on this subject. Among the reporters, Mr. Woodfall was considered as the first and most celebrated. The last letter he ever wrote, was to the author, a fac simile of which will appear in its proper place. Gray the celebrated poet, died in 1771, as did also the naturalist Linnæus. *Mr. Horne at this time, a not taken the name of Tooke. The au thor has to avert to that change hereafter. "The articles comprised in this clerical Wardrobe, for the satisfac tion of the curious reader is subjoinel: One suit of scarlet and gold One suit of white and silver One suit of blue and silver One suit of flowered silk One suit of black silk One black surtout cloth ditto. camblet These many coloured canonicals, are said to have been entrusted to the custody of Mr. W. in May 1767, and Mr. H, charged him with having pledged them iu Paris, for necessaries, in the September following. In 1772, an interesting decision was given in favour of Somerset a negro slave, whose cause, the literary, talented and philanthropic Granville Sharpe, took up and carried through the superior courts, from having seen him chastised by his master, in the public street; up to that period, to the digrace of many, negro servants were treated as slaves; but from the settled point obtained by Mr. Sharpe, judgment was given, that any person, of whatever complexion, should in future be considered as free from the moment they set foot upon English ground. The author felt peculiar pleasure about thirty years since, at being introduced to Mr. Sharpe. In this year, 1772, Henry Cromwell, great-grandson to Oliver Cromwell, died. In 1773 the great traveller, Mr. Bruce, returned in safety to Egypt, from his journey through Abyssinia, to the source of the Nile. The author (who digresses,) saw this athletic traveller, at a subsequent period in England, previously to the publication of his travels, which were originally in five ponderous volumes. His work gave rise to "Gulliver revived, or the travels of Baron Munchausen," written by Mr. St. John, of Oxford, in a vein of irony upon BRUCE, who, after exploring the most dangerous and distant climes, met with an accidental death at home. Stephen Jones, a literary friend of the author, gives the following account of him-" James Bruce of Kinnaird, near Falkirk, in Scotland, a celebrated traveller of Abyssinia; who, after having encountered innumerable perils in distant regions, in search of the source of the river Nile, met an untimely death by a fall down a stair case, at his seat at Kinnaird, April 1794. The accounts of his travels, which occupied near the space of six years, from 1768 to 1773, abound with events so extraordinary, present instances of perseverance and intrepidity so wonderful, that were it the production of a man whose character was less disputable, it would appear to be the fabrication of a romantic. brain. From the discoveries of Mr. Bruce, however, Geography has received material improvements; and, that natural history has acquired new and valuable information, is attested by the celebrated French naturalist, Count de Buffon, in an advertisement prefixed to the third Volume of his history of Birds." Since Mr. Jones's account of thirty years ago, the name of Bruce, has continued to gain additional fame from his travels, and many circumstances which he related that were deemed almost fabulous, have been proved to be facts. In 1773, Foster Powell, the celebrated pedestrian, walked from London to York in six days. (The author saw him enter London after a similar walk in 128 hours, about twenty-five years after the above period.) In this year (1773,) the use of coffee was prohibited by the Landgrave of Hesse-Castle,* and a Schoolmaster having transgressed this law, was found guilty, banished and condemned to hard labour. During this year Lord Chesterfield, author of the celebrated letters to his son, (Philip Stanhope, Esquire,) died, as did also Dr. Hawkesworth, the author of several miscellaneous works, and editor of Captain Cook's voyages round the world. ln 1774, Mr. Wilkes was elected Lord Mayor of London, The transitions and vicissitudes he experienced were so numerous, that we barely present an outline of him, as drawn (we suspect) by the literary and talented Alexander Chalmers, Esq., which states that this gentleman was introduced to public notice, under the patronage of Richard, late Earl Temple, and was for some time Colonel of the Buckingham militia. Ruined with respect to fortune, he commenced as political writer against the Earl of Bute, and instituted the periodical paper of the North Briton, before alluded to. For the celebrated No. 45, of that paper, in which a speech of the King, at the close of a session in parliament, was freely discussed. Mr. Wilkes was prosecuted by the administration of Mr. Geo. Grenville; and the Essay on Woman, a licentious and obscene composition, of which a few copies had been privately printed, but which was never intended for the public eye, being discovered, he was expelled from the house of commons, obliged to fly the kingdom, and declared an outlaw. The friends to whom Mr. Wilkes had been introduced by Earl Temple were, among others the Duke of Grafton, the |