authority of the law. You who nobly ventured to incur the indignation of both houfes of parliament, upon a matter of the last importance to the people of England, in favour of whom you gave a free, unbiassed, and conftitutional opinion, concerning the Middlesex election. You whole integrity will not fuffer you to deviate from judgment and truth, even in compliance with the defires of your Prince, In a word my Lord, it requires the pen of a M'Pharfon, a Home, or a Douglafs, to do justice to your Lordfhip's merit and virtues, as a judge, a fenator, and a moft powerful advocate for public liberty. I must therefore fubfcribe myself, an equal admirer, and defender of

the

the laws and conftitution of England with your Lordship,

and the Publick's

much obliged, and

moft obedient fervant,

WILLIAM MOORE.

December 18,

1770.

ix )

A

PREFACE,

By Mr. MOORE,

To the eight Letters which paffed between the Duke of Grafton, Lord North, and Himself.

B

EING ever defirous of rendering to

my country all the fervices in my power; I had in December laft after fome trouble and expence, formed a scheme for bringing into the government near 400,000l. annually by a tax, which Iwas and am perfuaded is much wanted in order to preserve the lives, and properties of many thousand perfons

VOL. I.

a

perfons in this kingdom. I therefore drew up the plan of it, and immediately wrote the letter which follows this introduction, to his Grace of Grafton, then first Lord of the Treasury, and in confequence of his anfwer I sent him the fcheme. In about

eight days after I received a very polite, but evafive kind of answer, with a reference to Lord North, before whom this matter (his Grace faid) would come officially as Chancellor of the Exchequer. I wrote directly to his Lordship, but received no anfwer, I wrote a fecond letter and found myself no better off, I waited upon Lord North, he was bufy; I therefore immediately dropped the further prosecution of this bufiaefs, not chufing to be the lacquey of that defpicable flave, who is no more than the wretched tool of the infamous Funto at Carlton House, with the King's mother at the head. Whatever distance, either chance, birth, or riches may have placed

between

between me and Lord North; there is ftill more between him and his country; no fubject can be fo fuperior to me in rank, as this nation is above him in dignity; zeal then for the intereft of England, and the preservation of mankind, as well as common politeness should have obliged, Lord North, to have returned me fome answer ; but what is to be faid for a man, loft to all fense of honour and honefty, overwhelmed in corruption; fupporting his place in the adminiftration upon the ruins of Public Li berty, and facrificing the honour and intereft of Great Britain, to the defigns of its most perfidious enemies; in a word, a man whose character cannot receive additional infamy or difgrace, whofe name will be read with horror and deteftation in the annals of England, and ftigmatized to the latest times.