and terrified feveral of Mr. Fox's voters, occafioned no very great riot or disturbance, either the firft or fecond days of the Election. On the third, they appeared in greater numbers and force; all armed with bludgeons, and having furrounded the door of the Shakespeare where Mr. Fox's Committee were, and infulted feveral gentlemen coming in and going out of the houfe, three or four of them were in the courfe of the morning taken into cuftody, but were foon difcharged, at the request of fome fea officers; not however before the men had confeffed that they received five fhillings a day, each man, for his attendance, befides having a good dinner, and as much porter as they could drink. Mr. Fox's Committee upon this wrote to their opponents, defiring that they would difmifs the failors, and thereby prevent the confequences that were justly to be dreaded from a continuance of them; reprefenting at the fame time how Mr. Fox's friends had been infulted; and that the freedom of Election had been grofsly violated. To this letter no answer was given. At the conclufion of the Poll that day, feveral affrays happened. In the evening, all the lamps under the Piazza were put out, and the Shakespeare was befieged; but by a fpirited fally of the gentlemen from within, the failors were difperfed for that night, without doing any further mifchief though they threatened to pull down the Shakespeare, and Free Mafons Tavern. On the Monday (the fourth day) the failors appeared in greater force than before, continuing their former behaviour till towards the clofe of the poll, when they rufhed forth to the front of the Huftings, and there ftruck feveral perfons who called out for Mr. Fox. The honeft mob then aflembled, no longer able to endure the infults of these defperadoes and affaffins, fell upon them and foon routed them; feveral had their skulls fractured, others were afterwards picked up with arms, legs, and ribs, broken. It was thought this retaliation would have prevented thefe pretended failors (for true failors could not be hired for fuch abandoned purposes) from assembling again. or at least would have induced Lord Hood and Sir Cecil Wray's Committee to forego their fervices, and difperfe them, to prevent any further difturbance, or more bloodfhed. But it did not; for they rallied again, and proceeded to St. James's-ftreet, with a view to fall upon the Chairmen, (who they apprehended formed the principal party against them) and destroy their chairs. The Chairmen, however, defended themselves and their property, and the Sailors were again worfted; and feveral more had their skulls, arms, and legs fractured. A party of the Guards at laft quelled this riot. Tuesday (the fifth day) the Sailors appeared as before, with greater bludgeons than ever, their opponents confifting of Chairmen, Butchers, Brewers, and others of the common people, who had been abused by them, appeared alfo in force towards the conclufion of the Poll. The Sailors dreading another conflict with their victorious opponents, way-laid Mr. Fox in the afternoon, in going from the Shakespeare to canvafs fome votes in Weftminster. Mr. Fox, and the few friends with him, had a very narrow escape of their lives. They had just time to get into a house at Charing crofs, before the Sailors came up with them; and it was with difficulty they were perfuaded that Mr. Fox was gone on for Westminster. They proceeded, however, towards Weftminster; and, on their return, in the Strand, they fell in with their opponents, who again routed them. The fame evening another riot happened in Bond-ftreet, and another in Covent Garden, in all of which the Sailors were worsted, and several of them were carried to the hofpitals, without hopes of recovery. On the Wednesday, in the afternoon, the Sailors fell upon three Chairmen, and wounded them in a fhocking manner; and foon afterwards, at the dufk of the evening the Sailors being affembled in King-street, the other party came round the Garden in pursuit of them, when a terrible engagement enfued. No lefs than twenty or thirty of the Sailors. fell in this conflict, and about nine or ten of them that were carried from the field of action to the neighbouring furgeons, were reported to be irrecoverable. Thursday very few failors appeared, and no riot happened about the Garden. The Electors were per mitted to poll without moleftation or infult, and as a great number remains yet unpolled, it is hoped that there will be no more riots during the Election. If there fhould be any more, as the riots have all along proceeded from the Sailors, the Electors and inhabitants of Westminster, and the public at large will know to whom they are to be attributed. WESTMINSTER ELECTION. The unflattering afpect of Mr. Fox's cause results from the conduct of two claffes of men. First, of thofe who, affuming the name of Moderation, behold in filence and inaction every difafter that befals the Conftitution and the Country: And, Secondly, of men who perfuade themselves that the majority against him is too great to be furmounted, and under an idea that their vote individually cannot out-number the majority against him, confider their aid as wholely useless. To the firft of thefe it would be idle, because it would be ineffectual, to fay any thing. Chiefly to them is to be attributed the lofs of liberty in every other nation of Europe--Men who look no farther than prefent convenience, and who would facrifice the best of political bleffings rather than risk the flighteft fatigue. They are a fort of excrefcence in a free Conftitution, which will maintain a listless infipid existence in defpight of shame, of Ridicule, and reafon. But upon the other description of persons, I am not without hope of producing fome effect. It is not true that Mr. Fox is out-numbered in real votes. He has, even at this moment, a majority of legal fuffrages over Sir Cecil Wray. You therefore who imagine that your fingle voice can be of no fervice are betraying yourselves, and ruining the real object of your choice by this grofs mistake. There are at this moment 3000 unpolled votes. But if the number were three times as many, whilft each man with-holds his vote under a falfe idea that he cannot turn the fate of the Election, it will be utterly impoffible to fucceed. Every man's vote is valuable, for the greatest majorities are conftituted by the junction of individuals. If, at the clofe of the poll, Mr. Fox fhould have a fuperiority, his enemies (confcious of their own guilt) will not dare to attempt a fcrutiny. If, on the other hand, the Court Candidate, by continuing to poll the kind of beings that voted for him during the last three days (not one in five of whom are legally qualified) fhould retain a majority, it is of infinite importance that Mr. Fox fhould have the largest poffible number of votes, as a fcrutiny will moft indifputably secure his return, and rescue the City of Westminster from the infamy that would fol low his failure. Whatever difference prevails upon general politics, this fentiment at least uniformly pervades the body of the public---that Mr. Fox's mifcarriage in this inftance would be the eternal difgrace of Westminster. Not only the fituation in which he stands (the object of all the perfecution of Government)---not only the caufe he is defending against a very formidable confederacy---but even the defpicablenefs of his adverfaries fhould give him fome advantage. Lives there one man free in his mind and judgment who thinks that such a creature as Wray should be elected in preference to Fox? Of Wray there is but one opinion; his unmatched baseness is a topic of universal ab horrence. But there is in his guilt fomething complicate and uncommon. It is not fimply his ingratitude to Mr. Fox (who brought him in for Westminster against the real wishes of that Court whofe creature he now profeffes himself---and in declared declared oppofition to that very Lord with whom he is at this time fo closely linked)---but it is his treachery to the principle upon which he was elected that I reprobate. This man, who was chofen for Weftminster upon the ground of an acknowledged independence of the Court and of the Houfes of Northumberland and Newcastle, is now the very inftrument of replunging this City into that fame fervitude to the Court and to thofe haughty interefts, which ruled it with an iron hand for fuch a series of years, and from which it was fo lately redeemed by the fpririt and abilities of Mr. Fox. Open your eyes and fee the gulph into which your are finking. Behold the danger like men, and like men refift it. It is not the caufe of Fox but your own caufe, I call on you to fupport. His unconquerable mind will furnifh him with refources in the wort difficulties, but if you are once vanquifhed in this conflict, you will become the helpless objects of the contempt of your enemies, and the fcorn of the public. That each man's feparate fhare of difgrace will be light in the mafs of common fhame is a miferable confolation. Let the reflection rather be---who fhall do most in his individual capacity to fave the general body of citizens from difhonour. The number of unpolled votes is more than fufficient to defeat the combination formed to ruin you. Whilft yet the evil is within the reach of remedy, I implore you to exert yourfelves. All is now in your power---to-morrow the opportunity may be gone for ever. Lofe not then a moment in lending your hand to fave your City from the mischief that threatens it. And whatever may be the iffue of the prefent diftractions, it will be fome fatisfaction to you hereafter to fhow, that, fo far as depended on you, the cause of the public was not facrificed, but that you difcharged the duty of an honeft citizen with fpirit and independence. AN ELECTOR. To the Free and Independent Electors of the City and Liberty of Weftminfter. Friends and Fellow Citizens, You are now earnestly called upon to exert yourselves in the cause of liberty and your country. The hour is arrived in which it is abfolutely neceffary for you to ftand forth as Britons, and claim, after the manner of your glorious ancestors, your privileges and birth-right, in fpite of minifterial menaces, or the fmiles of royalty. It is but lately you delivered yourfelves from a ftate of flavery, in which you had long been held; and fold the Court you were determined to be free, in fpite of a corrupted Minifter. You nobly then food forth, and chote the Right Honourable Charles James Fox for your Reprefentative: a gentleman who merited, and had your confidence, and I truft, you are collectively of opinion, he never abufed it. He has conftantly stood forth at all times, both in and out of office, your faithful watchman over minifterial encroachment, and indefatigably has endeavoured to keep up the confequence of the people in the scale of government, by giving them that weight in the Senate, which our glorious Conftitutution has provided in the written palladium of our liberties, the great charter of the land. Good God then, Gentlemen, what are ye about to do! You cannot mean to defert fuch a tried friend as this! Befides, is it not neceffary for our falvation at this critical mo ment, that you should be reprefented by a man of the first-rate abilities? Then look round, and fee if you can find an equal to Mr. Fox! I know with what refpect he is fpoke of throughout Europe, and to you who know him fo well, it would be idle in me to at tempt |