Reply to the above remarks. I CANNOT forbear taking notice of that arrogant, but filly and impertinent letter of Mr. An Impartial Spectator, as he moft falfely calls himself, published in your paper of this day; wherein be fays nothing but abfurdities and equivocations, which detect and confute themselves. I do not wonder that he and those who pay for the fquibs of his hired impartiali ty are vexed that Mr. P. is fo INDEPENDENT that he can tell his conftituents he will not reprefent them again. How many of those who gave a venal vote of approbation of the peace he warmly appofed dare hold that language? Even the first lord of the treafury has, on occafion of changes of office made to accommodate his vacillant timidity, and reward his fervile compliance, been thrice re-elected in one year, for a borough which would not have chofen him once, if a generous brother had not (with a noble contempt of his experienced ingratitude, and ftrong feelings of the affection he had forfeited, yielded to the fupplications he was mean enough to renew; and refpect to the decency to the king's fervice, from which he himfelf stood expelled, for his fpirited oppofition to the tyranny of a favourite, who was deftroying his country that he might enflave it; as well as from the requeft of their common and great ally who was in the fame fituation, but could not be provoked to withhold his earnest folicitations, which were as unmerited as the favour they obtained) confented that he fo often should offer his fervice to the corporation where he could not make a vote, as the only way he had to avoid the difgrace of being forced, when in the highest employment in the kingdom, to beg a feat in parliament from those T 4 whom whom he had before fuffered to tread upon his pufillanimity, when he was facrificing the ties of nature, and the bonds of obligation, with the duties of patriotifm, to fupport the defpotifm of their ambition. How many are there of thofe loyal cities of which your correfpondent fpeaks, that have addreffed his majesty on the peace (that is, have, like the corporation of B. given the fictitious authentication of their feal to an address devifed or dictated by one man, perhaps fome ignorant but fortunate tool of adminiftration) which, instead of freely chufing an independent reprefentative, to maintain the * The feal of the borough of W, was put to an addrefs without the knowledge of more than three members of the corporation, the reft difavowing the felonious act when discovered. Addreffes have been prefented from counties which never met to confider of them, with fubfcriptions mendicated from houfe to houfe of fuch as could be prevailed upon to fign them. Others have been furreptitiously procured from packed affemblies, to which thofe only were fecretly invited whofe fubferviency to a job was fecured, and opposed by the others accidentally prefent. Some have been figned in the name of the whole, by one perfon, to whom it was referred to compofe the addrefs as he pleased, without fo much as fhowing it to thofe who delegated to him that extraordinary power. Such facts transpire by chance; but the true hiftory of the ways and means of modern addreffing would be a work not lefs curious than inftructive. Quere, what is the intrinfic value of fuch addresses, as being the voice of the countries from which they come? Is this informing the crown of the true fenfe of the PEOPLE, taken in a candid and conftitutional manner; or is it buoying up the power of a contemptible adminiftration, whofe credit and popularity are alike low, by impofing on the king the fuppofitious fruit of minifterial influ ence for the genuine fentiments of honeft and enlightened patri, ots? Are not the negative refolutions of the city of London, and the counties of York and Surry, made in oppofition to the moft ftrenuous efforts of power, and the moit fubtle arts of influence, upon fair trial, and full deliberation, of more importance than hundreds of approbations, begged, bought, precured, and compelled, in the manner practifed of late? Let as many as can, of thofe who voted to approve the peace, tell their conftituents they did it net according to their fears, the true interest of their country, do not fell to the highest bidder a capacity of carrying to market the honour of the crown, the rights of the people, and the glory of the nation? It is, to be fure, a great pity that Mr. Pitt fhould write in a file that is offenfive to this autocritic, who takes upon him to pronounce upon things with a very felf-confident air of importance, notwithstanding the reproof, which, with no fmall degree of infolence, he prefumes to administer to the pretenfions of infallibility that he affects to impute to one much beyond the fphere of his afpiring judgment: but certainly Mr P. muft have been unreasonably felf-denied, or have forgot the true dignity of character with which his country has deservedly ennobled him, if he had defcended fo far as to write in any other ftile than that he did ufe (if it were fairly reprefented) to even the refpectable corporation of Bath, which receives a great addition of luftre from its lodging all its active powers, and all its faculties of acute difcernment in the fole perfon of the great Mr. Allen. Mr. pretended Impartial, has learned his notions of bonour in a fchool where merit did not bear the palm, if he does not think it would expectations, or b-bes; and by comparing their number with those who do fay, and can with truth fay, as Mr. George Onflow, who is truly honourable without the poft he was too worthy to be fuffered to enjoy, has done, in the face of his conftituents and in defiance of corruption and tyranny, that he voted according to his confcience, and in fo doing brought upon himself minifterial vengeance, the public will fee upon what fide the virtuous and laudable majority was. The fruits of the peace, if they yet continue without infraction, or fhall remain fo as long as to fee the pacta conventa of the definitive treaty carried into execution, will be a more incontestable proof of the judgment and integrity of those who made and approved, or of thofe who oppofed and condemned it, than the falfe adulation of addreffes, as venal, and defpicable, as the corruption, and incapacity, of thofe who folicit and procure them, is criminal and contemptible in the eyes of the found part of the nation, which naufeates the stench of the rotten perfume. upon would be an honour to any corporation in England, to be reprefented by the man, who, by the unanimous voice of the commonwealth, was called to fteer the helm of a staggering ftate, and did, by the aftonishing energy of his fpirit, and the unparal led fuperiority of his talents for government, fave his country; the unexampled reputation of which, acquired under his conduct, will add to the juft tribute of praife already bestowed both by king and people, a monument more durable than brafs or marble, to perpetuate the fame of his glorious and uncorrupt adminiftration, in the faithful page of an almost incredible hiftory, that future ages will read, with grateful admiration, of his virtue and abilities; and with due refentment against the rotting memory of the parricides who facrificed the immortal work of his hands to an infamous luft for the power he difdained to hold longer than he could employ it effectually to humble the enemies, and fecure the intereft of the nations he had delivered from ruin and despair. Let any of the deceived and feduced, or corrupted friends or followers of those who pay chis Pfeudo Spectator who writes this to you, Mr. Printer, if they can, demonftrate, against the unbiaffed conviction, expreffed from all corners of the kingdom, and the irrefragable proofs and arguments of the writings published, pending the negociations, what the minifterial fcribblers now pretend to affert, while others, with good reafon deny it, that the late treaty of peace (which the nonfenfe of this correfpondent, who fays he is your conftant reader, calls the prefent,as if it was not yet finished, or becaufe perhaps it is already annulled by infraction) is more advantageous to Great Britain, and that which he, who, to the writer's own reproach only, is contumeliously faid to think himfelf infallible, but who proved himself to be among the leaft fallible politi cians, and the most honeft ftatefmen that have adorned adorned this or any country, would it is faid have concluded, when in power. Only let thofe who au thorize themselves to fit in judgment upon fo important a question, produce more indifputable cre→ dentials of their skill to decide, than have yet appeared on that fide, and lay before the world the evidence upon which they ground their determination, without the difguife which the weakness of the caufe has hitherto obliged fuch undertakers to ufe: and let them, above all, be honeft enough to take into the account the charge of circumstances between the two periods of time; the additional burden and expence England had incurred in her own juft and neceffary defence; and the further means of doing juftice to herself, which the reluctant continuation of the war had, at a vaft expence of blood and treasure, put into her hands, by the miraculous interpofition of providence fufpending the ordinary courfe of nature, or an intemperate climate, to correct the blunder of procraftinating councils, which muft otherwife have proved fatal to, the defign, and feconding the heroic efforts of invincible bravery, in an army fuffering the feverest hardships, and pouring out their lives to make acquifitions, which thofe who fent them to the butchery, were in the instant negotiating away upon the most inadequate conditions. This Spectator faftidiofus & fibi moleftus, in a vain exclamation, afks, bow inconfiftent bas bis (i. e. Mr. P's) conduct been of late! But the truly concerned patriot-beholders admire the confiftency and moderation of the renowned citizen, who has been venerably illustrious in a private station, ever fince he was driven from the charge, which has been worse than vacant from the time it was taken from him. Like another Roman, he has been retired at his plough; and when in the fenate, he has oppofed the enemies of their country alike as of him felf, |