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carrying on before the tribunal of your majefty's paternal attention

called the Ober Ampt, in Breflau.

To the king's most excellent majesty.

The humble address of the lordmayor, aldermen, and commons of the city of London, in common council assembled.

B

E pleafed, moft gracious fovereign, to accept the cordial and refpectful congratulations of your majesty's ever dutiful and loy. al fubjects, the lord-mayor, aldermen, and commons of the city of London, in common council affem. bled, on the folemnization of your majetty's moft aufpicious nuptials.

Warmly interelted from every motive of gratitude, as well as duty, in whatever can affect your royal mind, we enjoy the higheft fatis faction, in the completion of our withes, by your majefty's happy union with a prince's of the moft exalted merit; a princefs, who, by

her defcent from an illustrious lineage (refpectable for their firm and confiant zeal for the protefiant religion, and dear to us for their particular attachment to your majefty's royal houfe) and above all, by her own moft eminent virtues, and amiable endowinents, was moft worthy to engage your majesty's esteem and

to improve the happinefs and fecurity of your people, and to render the fame fiable and permanent to pofterity.

May the fame Providence long preserve your majefty, and your royal confort, to enjoy the fruits of this blessed marriage, in an uninterrupted courfe of conjugal felicity, and in a numerous offspring, refembling their illuftrious parents, in every public, as well as private virtue. And may the imperial crown of thefe realms, be worn with undiminished luftre by their defcendants, till time fhall be no more.

His majefty's most gracious anfwer.

I

Thank you most heartily for your This fresh mark of your attachment dutiful and affectionate address. to my person, and particularly the warm sentiments of joy and satishappy choice I have made of a faction which you express on the pleasing to me. The city of Lonqueen for my consort,, are most don may always depend on my unceasing care for their welfare and prosperity.

The humble address of the lordmayor, aldermen, &'c. to her majesty.

Most gracious queen,

TE,

allation, and to fhure the honours W, his mac's ever dutiful

of the British crown.

We adore the divine goodnefs, that, as in all your majefty's other conduct, fo more particularly in a choice of the higheit importance to your majefty and your kingdoms, hath fo vifibly guided and infpired your royal breaft. A choice, which we thankfully acknowledge the firo gest and most acceptable proof

mayor, aldermen, and commons of the city of London, in common council aflembled, humbly beg leave to exprefs, in your royal prefence, the exceeding great joy we feel at your majefty's fafe arrival, fo ardently withed for, and fo impatiently expected; and at the fame time to congratulate your majefty's molt

moft happy nuptials with a monarch, whofe early wifdom, fortitude, and piety, add luftre to the diadem he wears, and render him the darling, as well as father, of is people.

We do, with that honeft warmth and fincerity which characterizes the British nation, humbly affure your Dajefty, that as the many virtue and amiable endowments, which your majeliy poffelles in fo eminent a degree, cannot fail to blefs our beloved fovereign with every domeftic happinets; fo will they ever endear your majelty to a people, not more diftinguifhed for their love of liberty, and their country, than for their inviolable loyalty and gratitude to thofe princes from whom they derive protection and profperity.

Long may your majefty live to fhare the felicity you are formed to infpire. And may your majefty prove the happy mother of a race of princes to tranfmit the glories of this diftinguifhed reign to the lateft of our pofterity.

Her majefty's molt gracious anfwer.

Thank you for your kind congratulations, so full of duty to the king and affection to me.. My warmest wishes will ever attend this great city.

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fion, and our fervent wifhes· that the royal nuptials may be blefied with felicity, as permanent and unmixed as the joy they produce is univerfal.

From the evident marks we have feen of thy attention to the happinefs of thy people, guided by an uniform fieadlines and prudence, we are perfuaded, that in thy illuftrious confort are united those amiable qualities, which will alike contribute to the domeftic happinefs of our fovereign, and endcar her to his fubje As.

Imprefied with fich fentiments, we already regard the queen with duty and affection, and we truft it will be our conflant endeavour to cultivate the like fentiments in thofe among whom we converfe; promoting, by example, that dutiful fubmiffion to authority which renders government eafy to the prince, and grateful to the people.

May it pleafe the Moft High, by whole willem kings reign, and princes decree juice, to confrm every virtuous purpose of thy heart, and to replenith it with flability and fortude tuperior to every exigency: long may he vouchlafe to continue thee a blefling to these nations, and thy defcendants, the guardians of liberty, civil and religious, to many generations.

Signed on the behalf of the faid people in London, the 26th of the tenth month, 1761.

His majelly's moft gracious anfwer. THIS address, so full of duty and affection, is very ogrecat le to me You may depend on ny protection. A letter

A letter from a right hon. person, to confidence from any man, who

DEAR SIR,

FIND

-in the city.

INDING to my great furprize, that the caufe and manner of my refigning the feals, is grofsly mifreprefented in the city, as well as that the moft gracious and spontaneous marks of his majefty's approbation of my fervices, which marks followed my refignation, have been infamously traduced as a bargain for my forfaking the public, I am under a neceffity of declaring the truth of both thefe facts, in a manner which I am fure no gentleman will contradict. A difference of opinion, with regard to meafures to be taken against Spain, of the higheft importance to the honour of the crown, and to the moft effential national interefts, (and this founded on what that court may further intend to do) was the cause of my refigning the feals. Lord Temple and I fubmitting in writing, and figned by us, our moft humble fentiments to his majefty; which being over-ruled by the united opinion of all the rest of the king's fervants, I refigned the feals on Monday the 5th of this month*, in order not to remain refponsible for measures, which I was no longer allowed to guide. Moft gracious public marks of his majefty's approbation of my fervices followed my refignation: they are unmerited and unfolicited, and I fhall ever be proud to have received them from the beft of fovereigns.

I will now only add, my dear Sir, that I have explained thefe matters only for the honour of truth; not in any view to court return of

with a credulity as weak as it is injurious, has thought fit haftily to withdraw his good opinion, from one who has ferved his country with fidelity and fuccefs; and who juftly reveres the upright and candid judgment of it; little folicitous about the cenfures of the capricious and the ungenerous. Accept my fincereft acknowledgments for all your kind friendship, and believe

My dear Sir,

Your faithful friend, &c.

The answer of the hon. gentleman, to whom the above letter was addressed, is as follows:

DEAR SIR,

HE city of London, as long

TH

as they have any memory, cannot forget that you accepted the feals when this nation was in the most deplorable circumftances to which any country can be reduced: that our armies were beaten, our navy inactive, our trade expofed to the enemy, our credit, as if we expected to become bankrupts, funk to the loweft pitch; that there was nothing to be found but defpondency at home, and contempt. abroad. The city must alfo for ever remember, that when you refigned the feals, our armies and navies were victorious, our trade fecure, and flourishing more than in a peace, our public credit reftored, and people readier to lend than minifters to borrow: that there was nothing but exultation at home, confufion and defpair among our enemies, amazement and veneration

• October 1761.

among

among all neutral nations: that the French were reduced fo low as to fue for a peace, which we, from humanity, were willing to grant; though their haughtiness was too great, and our fucceffes too many, for any terms to be agreed on. Remembering this, the city cannot but lament that you have quitted the helm. But if hnaves have taught fools to call your refignation (when you can no longer procure the fame fuccefs, being prevented from purfuing the fame measures) a defertion of the public, and to look upon you, for accepting a reward, which can fcarce bear that name, in the light of a penfioner; the city of London hope they fhall not be ranked by you among the one or the other. They are truly fenfible, that tho' you ceafe to guide the helm, you have not deferted the veffel; and that, penfioner as you are, your inclinations to promote the public good, are ftill only to be equalled by your ability: that you fincerely with fuccefs to the new pilot, and will be ready, not only to warn him and the crew, of rocks and quickfands, but to affift in bringing the fhip through the storm into a fafe harbour.

Thefe, Sir, I am perfuaded, are the real fentiments of the city of London; I am fure you believe them to be fuch of,

Dear Sir, Your's, &c.

The above letters are moft certainly genuine and original.

At a court of common council, held the twenty-fecond of October, a motion was made for that court

to reprefent to their members, who ferve for this city in parliament (by way of inftruction) their fense on the prefent critical conjuncture. Alfo another motion, that the thanks of the court be given to the right hon. Mr. Pitt, for the many and important fervices rendered to his king and country; and, a third, that the committee, in their thanks to Mr. Pitt, do lament his refignation, &c. Thefe motions were agreed to unanimoufly, except the laft, which, upon a divifion, paffed in the affirmative; nine aldermen and one hundred commoners, to two aldermen and thirteen commoners.

The representation of the lord-mayor, aldermen, and commons of the city of London, in common coun→ cil assembled, to Sir Robert Ladbroke, Knt. Sir Richard Glyn, Knt. and Bart. William Beckford, Esq; and the Hon. Thomas Harley, Esq; this city's representatives in parliament.

WE

E, the lord-mayor, aldermen, and commons of the city of London in common council affembled, think it at this time our duty, as it is our natural and undoubted right, to lay before you, this city's reprefentatives in the great council of the nation, foon to be affembled in parliament, what we defire and expect from you, in difcharge of the truft and confidence we and our fellow fervants have repofed in you.

That you entertain just sentiments of the importance of the conquefts made this war by the British arms, at the expence of fo much blood and treafure; and that you will, to the

utmost

utinoft of your power and abilities, oppofe all attempts for giving up fuch places as may tend to leffen our prefent fecurity, or by reitoring the naval power of France, render us fubject to fresh hoftilities from that natural enemy; particularly that the fole and exclufive right of our acquifitions, in North America and the fisheries, be preferved to

us.

As the prefent happy extinction of parties, the harmony and unanimity of all his majefty's fubjects, their real and affection to their native king, and the great increase of commerce, are moft convincing' proofs to us of this nation's ability ftill to carry on, and vigorously profecute the pro fent jufi and necellary war; it is our defire that you concur in giving his majefty fuch fupplies, as fhall enable him to purfue all thofe measures, which may pronote the true intereft of his kingdoms, and place him above the menace of any power that may pretend to give laws, or preferibe limits, to the policy and interefts of this nation: but as it is apparent, that our enemies flatter themselves with the hopes of exhaufting our firength, by the immenfe expence in which we are at prefent engaged, we therefore require you, in the further profecution of this war, to support fuch meafures as may fruftrate thofe expectations, yet to act with the utmoft vigour in the reduftion of their remaining colonies, fo as to obtain a fafe and honourable place.

The thanks were as follows:

Copy of the thanks to the right honourable William Pitt, from the

court of common council, October 22, 1761.

"Refolved, That the thanks of this court be given to the right hon, William Pitt, for the many great and eminent fervices rendered this nation, during the time he fo nobly filled the high and important office of one of his majefty's principal fecretaries of flate, and to perpetuate their grateful fenfe of his merits; who by the vigour of his mind, had not only roufed the antient spirit of this nation, from the pufillanimous ftate to which it had been reduced; but, by his integrity and fteadiness uniting us at home, and carried its reputation in arms and commerce to a height unknown before, by our trade accompanying our conqucfis in every part of the globe.

Therefore the city of London, ever fledfaft in their loyalty to their king, and attentive to the honour and profperity of their country, cannot but lament the national lofs of fo able, fo faithful a minifter, at this critical conjuncture."

At a court of common council held the 29th of October, the townclerk reported his having waited on the right hon. William Pitt, with their refolutions of thanks; to which he had been pleafed to return the following answer :

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