ject, this alone refpecting the Middlesex Elections, by which the conftitution is overturned, was fufficient

for

by his fervant, that he was not at home, he left a copy of the order for the attendance of the said R. Thompson, with the said fervant, and desired him to givethe fame to his mafter when he came home, that he, the faid meffenger, went -again on Wednesday morning to the house of the faid R. Thompfou, and was again informed, that he was not at home.

The meffenger alfo acquainted the House, That he went on Tuesday evening laft to the houfe of the faid J. Wbeble; that he was told he was not at home, but was expected every minute; that he waited at the houfe of the faid J. Wbeble fome time, but he not returning, he, the meffenger, left a copy of the order for the attendance of the faid J. Wheble at his House, and defired it might be given him on his return; and that on calling again on Wednesday morning at the house of the faid J. Wheble, he was again informed that he was not at home.

Ordered, That R. Thompfon do attend this Houfe upon Tuesday morning next. Ordered, That the fervice of the faid Order, by leaving a copy of the fame at the ufual place of abode of the said R. Thompson, be deemed equal to personal, fervice, and be good service.

Ordered, That the fervice of the faid Order, by leaving a copy of the fame at the usual place of abode of the faid J. Wheble, be deemed equal to personal service, and be good fervice.

Journals, Feb. 26, 1771, vol. XXXIÍ. p. 208.

The feveral orders of the day, for the attendance of R. Thompson and J. Wheble,“ being read;

And the faid R. Thompson and J. Wheble not attending, according to order, the meffenger, to whom the faid orders were delivered, being called upon, to give an account of the fervice thereof, acquainted the House, that he went to the house of the faid J. Wheble, in Pater-nofter Row, on Thursday evening last; aod being informed by his fervant that he was hot at home, he thewed the faid fervant the original order for the attendance of the faid J. Wheble, and left a copy thereof with ' the faid fervant, and defired him to give the fame to his mafter when he came home; which the faid fervant promised to do.

The faid mellenger alfo acquainted the Houfe, that he went to the houfe of the faid R. Thompson in Newgate Street, on Thursday evening laft that he was told he was not at home; and that then he fhewed the original order for the attendance of the faid R. Thompsen to, and left a copy thereof with, his fervant, and defired him to give the fame to his Maiter, which he likewife promised to do. kary

Ordered, That the faid John Wheble be, for his contempt, in not obeying the order of this House, for his attendance on the House this day, taken into custody of the Serjeant at Arms, or his Deputy, attending this Houfe.

Ordered, That the faid R. Th mpfon be, for his contenipt; in not obeying the order of this House, for his attendance on the Houfe this day, taken into the cuf tody of the Serjeant at Arms, or his Deputy, attending this Houfe.

Journals,

for their full difgrace in the annals of our country. The prefent queftion has been fully debated twice in

this

Journals, March 4, 1771, vòl. XXXIII, p. 224.

The Deputy Serjeant at Arms attending this House, being called upon to give an account of the fervice of the orders of the Houte of Tuesday laft, for taking into cuftody J. Wheble and R. Thompson acquainted the House, that, though he had been several times at the refpective houfes of the faid J. Whebl. and R. Thompson, and had made diligent fearch after them, in order to take them into cuftody, he had not yet been able to meet with either of them..

Refolved, That an humble address be presented to His Majesty, That he will he graciously pleased to iffue His Royal Prociam ution, for apprehending the said J. Wher ble and R. Thompson, with a promise of a reward for the fame.

Journals, March 7, 1771, vol. XXXIII, p. 234.

Mr. Qnflow reported to the House, That their Address of Monday daft (that His. Majefty would be graciously pleafed to iffue His Royal Proclamation, for apprehending J. Wheble and R. Thompson, with a promife of reward for the fame) had been prefented to His Majesty; and that His Majefty had commanded him to acquaint this House, that he will give directions accordingly.

His Majesty's Proclamation, issued in pursuance of the faid Addrefs, is as followeth ;

By the K IN G.

A PROCLAMATION,

For apprebending John Wheble and R. Tbomfon.

GEORGE

R.

Whereas on the eighth day of February laft, complaint being made to the Houfe of Commons of the printed news-paper, entitled, The Gazetteer and New Daily Advertiser, Friday, February 8, 1771, printed for R. Thompson; and alfo of the printed news-paper, entitled, The Middlefex Journal, or Chronicle of Liberty, from Tuesday February 7, 1771, printed for J. Wheble, as mifreprefenting the Speeches, and reflecting on feveral of the members of the faid House, in contempt of the order, and in breach of the privilege, of the faid Houfe; it was ordered, that the faid J. Wheble and R. Thompson fhould attend the faid House of Commons; and they not having obeyed the faid order, it was thereupon ordered, by the faid House of Commons, that the faid J. Wb-ble and R. Thompson fhould be taken into the custody of the Serjeant at Arms attending the faid Houfe, or his Depury. And whereas the faid Deputy Serjeant having iuformed the House, that he had not been able to meet with the faid Wbeble and R. Thimpfon, or either of them, though he had been several times at their respective houses, and had made diligent fearch after them, to take them into cuftody, an cumbie address bath been prefented to us by the Knights, Cuizens, and Burgesses, and the Commiffioners for Shires and Burghs, in Parliament offembledy that we would be grcivujy pleased to issue our Royal Proclamation, for apprehending the said

this Parliament, many times in the laft House of Com mons, and I believe every precedent quoted, which

could

John Wheble and R. Thompson, with a promise of a reward for the fame: we have thought fit, by and with the advice of our Privy Council, to iffue this our Royal Proclamation, hereby requiring and commanding all our loving subjects whatscewer to difcover and apprebend, or cause the said John Wheble and R. Thompson, or either of them, to be discovered and apprehended, and to carry him or them before fome of our Juftices of the Peace, or Chief Magiftrate, of the county, town, or place, where he or they shall be apprehended, who are refpectively required to fecure the faid Jobn Whible and R. Thompson, and thereof give speedy notice to one of cur principal Secretaries of State, to the end he or they may be forthcoming, to be dealt withal and proceeded against according to law. And for the prevention of an escape of the faid John Wheble and R. Thompson, or either of them, into parts beyond the feas, we do require and command all our officers of the customs, and other our officers and fubjects of and in our refpective ports and maritime towns and places within our kingdom of Great Britain, that they, and every of them, in their respective places and stations, be careful and diligent in the examination of all persons that shall pass or endeav ur to pass beyond the feas; and if they shall discover the faid Jobs Wheble and R. Thompson, or either of them, then to caufe him or them to be apprehended and fecured, and give notice thereof as aforefaid. And we do hereby strictly charge and command all our loving fubjects, as they will answer the contrary at their perils, that they do not any ways conceal, but do discover him or them, the faid John Wbeble and R. Thompson, to the end he or they may be fecured. And for the encouragement of all perfons to be dis ligent and careful in endeavouring to discover and apprehend the faid Jbn Wheble and R. Thompson, we do hereby further declare, that whofoever shall discover and apprehend the faid John Wheble and R. Thompson, or either of them, within three weeks from the date hereof, and shall bring him or them, the said John Wheble and R. Thompson, before fome justice of the peace or chief magiftrate as aforefaid, shall have and receive, as a reward for the difcovery, apprehending, and bringing the fald John Wbeble and R. Thompson, or either of them, before fuch justice of the peace or chief magiftrate as aforefaid, the sum of Fifty Pounds for each: which our Commiffioners of our Treafury are hereby required and directed to pay accordingly.

Given at our Court at St. James's, the eighth day of March, 1771, in the eleventh year of our reign.

GOD fave the KING.

John Wheble was apprehended, and discharged by Mr. Wilkes, March 15, 1771. If administration had wished to have tried the legality of the King's Proclamations they had the fulleft evidence against Mr. Wilkes under his hand, for he wrote the fame day an account of his conduct on that occafion to Lord Halifax, one of His Ma jefty's principal Secretaries of State. This was certainly the speedy notice required to be given to a Secretary of State by the Proclamation. Mr. Wilkes took this oppor tunity of renewving bis correspondence with the Earl of Halifax.

Guildhall

could be produced, from times the most favourable, as well as the most hoftile, to liberty, from the remarkable

My Lord,

Guildhall of London, March 15, 17716

I had the honour of officiating this day as the Sitting Juftice at Guildhall. Job Wheble the Publisher of the Middlefex Journal; a freeman of London, was apprehended and brought before me by Edward Twine Carpenter, who appears to be neither a Constable, nor Peace-Officer of this City. I demanded of what crime Wheble was accufed, and if oath had been made of his having committed any felony or breach of the peace, or if he lay under a fufpicion ftrong enough to justify his apprehenfion or detention. Carpenter answered, that he did not accufe Wheble of any crime, but had apprehended him merely in confequence of His Majefty's Procla mation, for which he claimed the reward of 5òl. As I found there was no legal tause of complaint against Wheble, I thought it clearly my duty to adjudge, that he had been apprehended in the City illegally, in direct violation of the rights of an Englishman, and of the chartered privileges of a citizen of this metropolis, and to dif charge him. He then made a formal complaint of the affault upon him by Carpen→ ter. I therefore bound him over to prosecutè in a recognizance of 40l. and Carpenter to appear and answer the complaint at the next Quarter Seffions of the Peace for this City in a recognizance of 401. himself, with two fureties in recognizance of zol. each. I am, My Lord,

John Wheble, the Publisher of the Middlesex Journal, tvas this day brought before Mr. Alderman Wilkes at Guildhall, by Edward Twine Carpenter, a Printer, being apprehended by him in confequence of a Proclamation in the London Gazette of Satur day the 9th of March instant; but the faid Edward Twine Carpenter not having any other reason for apprehending the faid Mr. Wbeble than what appeared in that Proclamation, the faid Mr. Wheble was discharged; and then the faid Mr. Wheble charged Carpenter for affaulting and unlawfully imprisoning him, and on his making bath of the offence, and entering into a recognizance to profecute, Carpenter at the next Seffion in London, Carpenter was ordered to find fureties to answer for this offence, which he did, himself being bound in 40l. and his two fureties in 201. each; and was thereupon discharged.-Carpenter requested a Certificate of his having apprehended Wheble, which was given him.

Guildhall, March 15, 1771.

This is to certify, that John Wheble the Publisher of the Middlefex Journal was this day apprehended and brought before me, one of His Majefty's Juftices of the Peace for the City of London, by Edward Twine Carpenter, of Hofier-Lane, London, Printer. JOHN WILKES, Alderman.

markable cafe of Wollafton in the reign of King Wil liam, to that no lefs celebrated of Walpole, in the lat

ter

On the application of Carpenter to the Treafury for the reward of 50l. promised in the King's Proclamation, and producing the above certificate, he was difmiffed with infolence, and that, with many other royal debt:, is still unpaid. R. Thompson, the other perfon described in His Majesty's Proclamation, was afterwards apprehended, and carried before Mr. Alderman Oliver, who discharged him.

The circumstances of the whole business of Miller, and the commitment of Mr. William Whitham, one of the meffengers attending the House of Commons, are given in the "Report from the Committee appointed to examine into the feveral facts and circumftances relative to the late obftructions to the execution of the orders "of this Houfe," published by order of the Houfe of Commons. I fall however add fome other particulars not given at large in the Journals.

Copy of the Warrant for apprehending J. Miller, the Printer of the London Evening Poft. WHEREAS the House of Commons did, on Thursday the 14th of this instane March, adjudge and order, that J. Miller (for whom the news-paper intituled The London Evening Poft, from Thursday March 7, to Saturday March 9, 1771, purports to be printed, and of which paper a complaint was made in the House of Commons on the faid fourteenth day of March) be, for his contempt in not obeying the order of the faid Houfe upon Thursday the fourteenth day of this inftant March, taken into the cuftody of the Serjeant at Arms, or his Deputy, attending the faid Houfe.

These are therefore to require you forthwith to take into your custody the body of the faid J. Miller, and him fafely keep during the pleasure of the faid Hfe and all Mayors, Bailiffs, Sheriffs, Under Sheriffs, Conftables, and Headboroughs, and every other perfon are hereby required to be aiding and affifting to you or your Deputy in the execution thereof. For which this shall be your fufficient warvar. Given under my hand, the fifteenth day of March one thousand seven hundred and feventy-one. FLr. NORTON, Speaker.

To Nicholas Bonfoy, Efq; Serjeant at Arms, attending the House of Commons, or John Clementfon, Efq; his Deputy, or to William Whitham, one of the meffengers attending the Houfe of Commons.

To all and every the Conftables and other Officers of the Peace for the City of Lon don, and the Liberties thereof, whom thefe may concern, and to the Keeper of Wood-Street Compter.

London to wit,

These are in his Majesty's name, to command you, and every of you, forthwithi fafely to convey and deliver into the cuftody of the faid Keeper, the body of William Whitham, being charged before us, three of his Majesty's Justices of the Peace in and for the faid City and Liberties, by the oath of John Miller, Henry Page, John Topping, and Robert Page, for affaulting and unlawfully imprifoning him the said

John