There were no less than fix Ducheffes of D------e on the town yesterday, canvasfing for Mr. Fox. Her Grace, four of her Grace's women, and Nicky Noodle's wife, the needy Squire of Northamptonshire (who, though he has got glass eyes--fcurvy politician cannot fee the end of his wife's canvafs) all equipped and titled as her Grace. A tallowchandler, who had been careffed by thefe mock Ducheffes, humorously burft from his fhop, and exclaimed with King Richard--

"Sure there be fix Ducheffes in the streets,

"Five have I kissed to-day, instead of her!"

A correfpondent obferves, that Mr. Fox muft unavoidably get the Election, as thereare many hundreds of the inhabitants of Spitalfields in that Gentleman's intereft, who have not yet polled.

A certain Duke is quite charmed with the public and political conduct of his amiable Duchefs, and regularly calls for the Morning Post at breakfast, to read the history of her Grace's canvas.

The current prices of Westminster voters for the last four days, as fettled by a certain Committee, are as follow:

From Spitalfields, and parts adjacent, feven fhillings and fix-pence.

From Old Gravel-lane, Whitechapel, Field-lane, and Black-boy-alley, a quart of gin and bitters, hot with nutmeg.

From Kent-street to Rag-fair, two drams of Ufquebaugh.

If, however, any voter was found to faulter in his oath, or otherwife mifconduct himself at the Huftings, the agreement to be void, or else to remain in full force and virtue.

Brookes's and Weltjie's now exhibit a moft ufeful, though agre able fcene, of the weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, of those political devils, who were expelled lately out of Paradife! each accurfing the impetuous temper of the other! all lamenting! few confoling! and none amending!

It is highly gratifying to find what good fenfe and decent firmness has appeared among the Westminster Electors on the late extraordinary exertions of undue influence by our female canvaffers. Several fhopkeepers plainly told them, that they fuffered no creature breathing to controul their opinions and affections; and one very fenfible tradefman in Bondftreet, very fhrewdly fuggefted to the Duchefs, his admiration of all the mild and unaffuming perfections of the Queen; and above all, in reference to politics, the unmedling fpirit that had never ceafed to adorn her throne. Foreigners are horridly chagrined at the Elections going fo univerfally in favour of Adminiftration. There is now nolonger any hope for them of a public bankruptcy, or the conftitution being changed to a republican aristocracy.

The little wantons, who with happy effrontery paraded it about the town, reprefentthe Duchefs of and Countefs of , are to be portioned by a fubfcription purse from the firft money they may have at Brookes's, and to be married to thofe waiters who fhall most distinguish themselves in the fabrication of votes !

No less than three hand-bills were circulated on Saturday, relative to Lord Mountmorres's intention to impofe a bad vote for Weftminfter upon the High Bailiff. The truth is, that upon the objection being made by Mr. Fox's agents, the leafe was examined, and it appeared, that it was fpecifically mentioned, that he was rated, and paid

the customary taxes, and he was allowed to poll for Hood and Wray, the High Bailiff declaring that if he had not a good vote, he could not tell what a good vote was. Such are the little fubterfuges of party---fuch the mean arts of the partizans of the late man of the people, and fuch their groundless infinuations and vain attempts to depreciate a worthy and valuable man.

Horace's fine fentiment of Integer Vitæ, &c. may be applied to Sir Cecil Wray's confcious integrity, and his unexampled mercy towards the character of his opponents. Though they are naked and fore all over, and of course must have crouched before any attack, Sir Cecil has not offered the fmalleft annoyance whatever.

Another correfpondent, not fo favourable to Sir Cecil, imputes this filence of his to other motives, and cautions the Baronet not to infult Mr. Fox with fuch marks of killing contempt.

The influence of the fair and frail, joined to the authority and confequence of the houfes of Bedford, Portland, and Devon, and the gaming houfes, have deterred many very worthy but dependant voters of Weftminster from coming forth and fupporting the cause of the Conftitution. It is true, confiftency is a noble virtue, but every honeft man has not courage and refolution enough to bid defiance to the threats of haughty opulence and difappointed ambition.

Lord George Gordon, who is well known to love fun, certainly made his appearance on Saturday morning at the Huftings with a view to indulge bis humour. His Lordfhip is not fond of calm retreats-- he loves buftle; a little earthquake, and whirlwind, and hurricane, agree adinirably well with the conflitution of his brain; and there is no doubt but his Lordship took his rout to Covent Garden with a ferious expectation of contributing to that electioneering fpirit for which Mr. Fox's friends have been diftinguished.

A perfon who fells oranges within a mile of Mount-ftreet, Grofvenor-square, was honoured a few days ago with a vifit from the lovely Duchefs. The Duchefs examined his fruit; fhe pronounced them fine; they were truly excellent; they were incomparable! then ordering the fervant to take a certain quantity into the carriage, the coolly placed five pieces in the palm of the orange merchant's hand, fignificantly obferving at the fame time he did it, that the oranges were fine, and fhe had paid for them. Ånd now, fays her Grace, I am fure you will oblige me, in giving Mr. Fox a plumper. The man paufed-ftared-examined the cafh- and then putting it quietly into his pocket, protefted he was infinitely forry he could not oblige her Grace, as he had polled for Lord Hood and Sir Cecil Wray about half an hour before.

Carlo's Khan's troops confift of Irish White Boys and English Black-guards, from whofe adulation his friends collect what is called the fenfe of the people.

If, in the prefent conteft, her Grace of Devonshire expofes her perfon, fhe must give pleasure to every man, confequently the indecent animadverfions of a correfpondent are

below notice.

It cannot be denied that Mr. Fox has prostituted his parts; as the women of the town are deeply interested in his favour.

One of the men wounded by the Chairman in their late riot in Covent Garden, is pronounced irrecoverable by the medical people who attend him. If the event fhould be a fatal one, it will be alfo fatal to the Gentlemen who inftigated these ruffians to

the riot.

The

The termination of the bribery bufinefs at Taunton will again give us an opportunity of vindicating our rights, fhould bribery, falfe votes, and undue influence at last be able to overbear the integrity and fenfe of the Electors of Westminster.

Hint on the canvaffing Ducheffes and Counteffes.- When thefe Ladies may again give, as it can be proved they have given, five guineas for a bundle of brocoli, eight guineas for a leg of mutton, &c. &c. the tradefman may certainly take the money with a fafe confcience, if he votes on the other fide; and this already has been done in three inftances in Weftminster.

Now that the poll is check'd by the rate books of each parish, the event of the Election is about feven to four iu favour of Sir Cecil Wray.

On the two days in which Charles Fox's poll advanced the most rapidly, the majority of legal votes in favour of Sir Cecil was 17 the first day, and 29 the fecond day.

By an accurate investigation, it already is determined that there have been 389 bad votes polled for Mr. Fox. Should a fcrutiny ever take place, there can be no queftion but that the abovemention d number would be doubled. The number of bad votes for Sie Cecil Wray and Lord Hood, is 93.

Suppofing Mr. Fox as much in advance as he is behind hand on the Poll, the manner in which his Election has been carried on by the most outrageous exertions of undue influence, the aristocracy Peereffes, if not Peers,-nay the unblufhing influence of —, himfelf!-When this is all taken into the account, Mr. Fox will not, as the Duke of Devon fo well foretold, prove any thing by this Election but the downfall of his acceptance with the people, and the yet more violent reprobation of his caufe.

the

The extreme uncertainty of young Lord Holland's life; the yet greater uncertainty of the event of the Taunton bufinefs; either of which would make neceffary another Election for Westminster; the exceffive diminution of Charles Fox's Poll by the detection of bad votes; all thefe caufes to a certainty producing a new Election, to a certainty alfo operate againit any but compulfive voters going to the books for Mr. Fox.

The Committee have come to the refolution of profecuting, with the extremeft rigour, any attempt to impofe on them unqualified votes; and in the firft inftance, the name of the impoftor, and his abode, if he has any, will be pofted about the town. The Poll at Covent Garden, by agreement between the Candidates, is to close tomorrow, the 21st of April, at three o'clock.

The expences of a fcrutiny for Weftminfter are computed at about goool. each. candidate. Mr. Fox and his party have conceived that an idea of the expence would. deter Sir Cecil Wray from profecuting a fcrutiny. It is not the first time that a great genius has been mistaken.

It is a very fingular fact, that the French Ambaffador, at the commencement of the Westminster Election, laid particular injunctions on his different tradefmen to vote for Mr. Fox.

Yesterday an eminent weaver gave information that near fixty diftreffed manufacturers in the neighbourhood of Spitalfields, had been feduced to poll for Mr. Fox; and defired at the fame time that proper fteps might be taken to prevent fuch fhameful fcenes of perjury and corruption. The intelligence was received with thanks, and attended to with care; the return of the poll beft befpeaks its confequences, a dead majority appearing in favour of Sir Cecil Wray.

It certainly was an overfight in thofe friends to the conftitution who framed the different laws against bribery at elections, that a penalty was not laid on handfome women, I i. 2

who

who went about kiffing men out of their votes, which ought to be confidered as undue influence, efpecially where the women are married ladies, and the favours they grant are not for the inmediate fervice of their husbands.

The Duchefs has been diftinguifhed as a first-rate---the falutes fhe has received have been general from every thing that paffed her.

We are to happy to find, that Mr. M'Nally has turned all the lead of the hypercritics into fterling gold; for bold Robin Hood has gained fo much into the good graces of the public, that they have given him a beneficent Retaliation, and the ingenious author, to ufe his own words,

"May fing merrily, merrily.".

To-day Mr. Fox and his Company will perform "The Recruiting Officer." The part of Captain Brazen by Mr. Fox, that of Serjeant Kite by Sam Houte, and the other characters as ufual.

Her Grace of Devonshire has now directed the efforts of her canvass to the purlieus of Peter-ftreet, Petty France, and Tothill-fields Bridewell. Sam Houfe and her Grace form a very agreeable tete-a-tete, and appear to canvafs with equal fuccefs.

Nothing can be more ridiculous, nor more unlikely, than that Lord George Gordon has given his interest in Westminster to Mr. Fox; it furely would be the height of inconfiftency in that nobleman to fupport one who has already polled 300 Catholics, and whofe warmeft advocates are among the friends to popery.

It is a poor and pitiful excufe that the Electors of Westminster make use of to avoid taking a part on the prefent occafion, and to emancipate themselves from the tyranny of a capricious and tyrannizing ariftocracy-" I have cuftomers on both fides, whom I do not wish to difoblige." Be it known to those who adopt this reafoning, that they are relinquifhing their franchifes to a mob, the birth-rights of a freeborn Englishman, to please their haughty defpots, and by fo abfurd a conduct, instead of making friends on one fide, are more to be defpifed by both; and not fatisfied with this, they are extending a wide and pernicious example to the freeborn inhabitants of Britain. Had the rest of the counties and boroughs reafoned in this way, would they have fet the glorious example of overturing an odious and execrable combination, tyrannizing and lording it at once over the King and over the people?

During the whole of our electioneering Duchefs's canvaffing excurfion, fhe was never obferved to wince at the general difapprobation fhe met with till yesterday morning in Cannon-row, Westminster; on hearing an antiquated fervant of Lord Sr exclaim, "Ah! fure your Grace's father never was an enemy to the people." Shame and confufion were fo vifible as to induce her two gallants to order her carriage to drive on, fnatching the blushing fair" from the enraged mobility.

Such are the attractions of the Queen of Golconda, that it feems we overlooked the electioneering-mad Duchefs on Tuesday, and that fhe fpared near an hour from her more important avocations in order to be prefent at part of the above Opera. She was fo highly pleased with the performance, that fhe alinoft forgot her appointment with feveral of the party to confult ways and means.

The friends of Mr. Fox endeavour to represent Mr. Churchill's going out of town as a fymptom of defpair, but it certainly was his health only that obliged him to leave London at a moment, when his prefence was fo effential to the intereft of the cause he has efpoufed.

It is credibly reported, that if Mr. Fox fhould be difappointed of his Election for, Weftminster, he will be returned for a diftrict of Scotch burghs, which he will reprefent until he fhall be elected for fome populous city or county of England.

A Scotch gentleman, who had received an office from Mr. Fox of about an hundred a year, on the fall of that Minifter, defired leave to refign it into the hands of Mr. Pitt. The young Minifter told the gentleman, that he knew he had a large and encreafing family, and defired him to keep his office, affuring him that he had no defire to deprive him of it. The gentleman, however, with more knight-errantry than either good fenfe or public virtue, perfifted in his refolution of refigning his place, and has. actually gone to Scotland, to oppofe a very refpectable adherent of Mr. Pitt, on the western coaft of that kingdom, in the General Elections.

Mr. F-x applied to Mr. C-y of Westminster for his vote; on which Mr. C. told him, that he did not mean to give his vote to any man. Mr. F. having expreffed some aftonishment at the reply, Mr. C. told him, "Knaves fhall never have my protec❝tion, and honeft men do not stand in need of it."

A gentlemen looking at Mr. Fox as he was haranguing the mob one day laft week, wondered that he fhould be out in fo cold a day without gloves. A friend who flood by confeffed, that it was indeed odd; but added, at the fame time, that it was an oddity which would foon ceafe to exift; for he was perfuaded, that the moment he got into office, he would make gloves of all the breeches pockets in his Majefty's dominions.

A correfpondent thinks, that Mr. Fox, fupported as he now is, by the late Man of the People, Lord George Gordon, and his very old and faithful friends, Mr. W. Adam and Colonel North, cannot, from any concurrence of circumstances, fail of carrying his Election. So great is Lord George's zeal faid to have been, to have his friends from the regions of Boreas, to give their pious voices for the great fupporter of Church and State on an early day, that he would not wait till the breeches which the Duchefs of -e had ordered were got ready, but repaired to Monmouth-street, where he left not a stitch fufficient to keep out either wind or rain.

"Liberty Hall" was formerly one of Lord Derby's favourite fongs, which he generally humdrummed at the Shakespeare meetings; but as he lately wanted to pull down that venerable fabric, by uniting with the Man of the People, in fupport of the India Bill of infamous memory, he has wifely changed his tune, and now joins Lord Surry in his much-esteemed fong of " Pufb about the forum.

Mr. Fox is acknowledged to be a great orator, and a moft acute logician. The first is not contefted; and to thofe, who might be inclined to difpute the fecond, we beg to fubmit the following fyllogifms of his fabrication.

1. The King's Prerogative is that power which he has independently of Parliament. But the King is not to exert this prerogative, in oppofition to the fenfe of Parliament.--Therefore the King has no prerogative.

2. The King can govern only by influence or prerogative. He muft not govern by influence, because it is corrupt; nor by prerogative, because it is violent---therefore he must not govern at all.

On Monday a publican, who had interested himself greatly in the caufe of Mr. Fox, cut his throat through defpair of that Gentleman's fuccefs in his Election. We heard, though in fo delicate a matter, we fhould not chufe pofitively to affert it, unless on better authority, that the mifguided man was Mr. Samuel Houfe of Wardour-ftreet.

Mr. Fox and his colleagues took care whilft in office, to fecure to the Minister that should fucceed him fuch a weight of unfunded debt to provide for, that he is not with

out