Thanks were next moved by Mr. Powlett, to the High Sheriff, and carried unanimously.

Thanks were also moved and carried to Mr. Cobbett, Mr. Powlett, and the rest of the sixtynine who signed the requisition.

THE CORPORATION OF WINCHESTER.

George Earle, Esq. Acting Mayor, had a meeting at their Guildhall, about the same time, and published, among others, the following Resolu

tions :

That the thanks of this meeting be presented to Gwyllim Lloyd Wardle, Esq. for having brought forward in the Honourable the House of Commons an inquiry into the conduct of His Royal Highness the late Commander-in-chief, and for his firm and manly perseverance in supporting the charges, and his strenuous endeavours to check the further progress of improper influence and corruption.

That the conduct of Sir Henry Carew Saint John Mildmay, Bart. our Representative in Parliament, in supporting Mr. Wardle on that occasion, entitles him to our warmest approbation and thanks.

That we deem it proper at the present juncture particularly to declare our unalterable loyalty and unshaken attachment to our king and constitution.

L

READING BOROUGH MEETING,

APRIL 13.

Thomas Gleed, Esq. Major, in pursuance of a requisition, convened a meeting of the inhabitants of this Borough, to consider of the corrupt practices lately proved in the House of Commons; when the following Resolutions were moved by J. B. Monck, Esq. seconded by H. Marsh, Esq. and carried unanimously:

That corrupt practices have been found to exist in the grant of commissions and appointments in the army, no less disgraceful to the character of the late Commander-in-chief, as a soldier, than ruinous to the public service.

That Gwyllim Lloyd Wardle, Esq. is entitled to the thanks of his country, for the zeal, integrity, and intrepidity, with which he maintained the charges of corruption against his Royal Highness the Duke of York, in spite of the luke-warmness of the leading members of opposition, and the open hostility and direct menaces of ministers.

Resolved (with only one dissentient), That Charles Shaw Lefevre, one of the representatives for this Borough, has deserved well of his constituents, and conferred honour on their choice, by

plain, intelligible, independent, consistent,

decisive manner in which he acted and voted during the whole course of the late inquiry.

Unanimously, That our thanks are due to Sir Francis Burdett, Bart. who seconded Mr. Wardle; Lord Viscount Folkstone; Sir Samuel Romilly, Knt.; Samuel Whitbread, Esq.; Admiral Markham; the gallant General Ferguson, and the remainder of the 125 members who supported Mr. Wardle's motion.

(With only three dissentients), That the vote of the House of Commons upon the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer for the acquittal of his Royal Highness the Duke of York, from all knowledge of the corrupt practices proved, hath done violence both to the understanding and feelings of Englishmen, and affords a prominent and striking example of the very imperfect representation of the people.

That the only effectual barrier against the inroads of corruption is to be found in the constitutional resort to obtain a fair and faithful representation of the people in their House of Commons.

That the number of placemen and pensioners having seats in the House of Commons is a growing evil, contrary to an antient resolution of that House, destructive of the independence of parliament, and that the number ought to be restricted to certain officers of state, whose presence may be expedient in the House of Commons.

That the state of the decayed boroughs in the united kingdom, returning members to parliament, and which have become by lapse of time the private property of individuals, is one great cause of the present wide extending deplorable corruption, and demands the serious attention of parliament, as a mockery of representation.

That the restoration of triennial parliaments, agreeable to the statute 6th William and Mary, would greatly check corruption, and, in the words of the preamble to that memorable act, would "tend very much to the happy union and good agreement of the king and people."

That the only way to have independent men in parliament, is to send them independent there, and that the example set by Westminster in the manner of electing Sir Francis Burdett, cannot be too highly commended, and is worthy to be imitated by all the free boroughs throughout the kingdom.

That, during the present reign, every successive administration has yielded either to the force or to the temptation of the present system of corruption, and the result of every change has been to hold the people in delusion, and not to remove, but perpetuate, abuses.

That we have no hopes that His Majesty's present ministers will ever seriously and earnestly take in hand the work of reformation, as the late

proceedings in parliament have fully proved them to be the ministers of the crown only, and not the people the stiflers of inquiry, and the abettors of corruption.

A resolution was then proposed by the Rev. Dr. Valpy, and seconded by Thomas. Ring, Esq. "That in order to set the example of purity of representation, it is unfit for any elector of this borough to accept a public dinner or any other gratuity, directly or indirectly, from his representatives," which was carried without opposition.

Mr. Monck, in proposing the foregoing resolutions, made a most eloquent and animated speech, observing, very pointedly, that the whole House of Commons, and ministers themselves, had admitted that corrupt practices had been proved to exist. He conceived likewise, that, out of the House of Commons, there was hardly a single person who did not believe that these corrupt practices had been brought home, not only to the office, but also to the person of His Royal Highness the late Commander-in-chief. As there was but one opinion of his guilt, so he conceived there could be but one opinion as to the propriety of thanking that person who had brought such guilt to light. He then detailed the various difficulties under which Mr. Wardle laboured, and which he was enabled to overcome by a rare and singular instance of real patriotism and intrepidity.—He