Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

GEORGIA GAZETTE. Number 21. L O N D 0 N, April -3. vi HIS day’s Gazette contains addrefles from e! the county of Warwick, the county of Dorfet, and from the city of Oxford, on ■ Whitehall, April 23. The King has been pleased to appoint Granville Leve fon Earl Gower, to be Chamberlain of his Majelty’s Household. London , April 27. Tueiday’s Gazette contains addresses ‘to his Majeftyon the peace from the boroughs of Harwich and Stamford, the corporation of Cledirow, and the town ot Newcastle upon Tyne. May 4. Saturday’s Gazette contains addresses on the con clusion of the peace, from the city of Bristol, the focietv of merchants adventurers of Bristol, the town of Winchelfea, the borough of Chriit-Church, Hants, Trinity-College, Dublin, the provincial synod of Dumfries, the burgh of Inverness, and the burgh of Fortrofe. It is reported, that when Mr. Wilkes was examined be fore the Earl of Egremont, his Lordlhip asked him if he was author of the North Briton April 25 ? He deftred to know if he was to answer that quellion to his Lordlhip as Earl of Egremont or as Secretary of State? His Lordlhip replied as Secretary of State. Mr. Wilkes then pulling out a lift of above 30 noblemen and gentlemen, told him, That from tbrfe he received all the materials for the North Britcn, and that Le only counseled them t and prepared them for the press. May 5. YefFcrday the Directors of the EaU-India com pany went in proceflion to St. James’s, and presented to his majeftv a congratulatory add refs on the peace. They were received very gracioully, and had the honour of killing his Majesty’s hand. Many of the Proprietors of the India company joined the Directors yesterday in their proceflion to add ref; the King; among them the Earl of Shelburne, the Earl of Sandwich, Lord Howe, Sec. Four of the Directors did not go, neither did they sign the address. We hear from Paris, that the celebrated M. de la Conda mine intends loon to set out for London to make his observa tions on Mr. Harrison’s process of the difeovery of the lon gitude. May 9. On Friday last John Wilkes, F.fq; was brought from the Tower of London up to the bar of the court of common pleas. The court being seated, Mr. Wilkes ad drefied the bench, and then Lord Chief J ll llice Pratt hood up and delivered the opinion of the court tothe following purport, arranging the matter in queltion under thde three leparnte heads; Fir ft, The legality of Mr. Wilkes’s commitment. Secondly, The neccftitv for a fpecification of thole parti cular paft'ages in the 45th number of the North Briton, which have been deemed a libel. Thirdly, Mr. Wilkes’s privilege as a member of parlia ment. In regard to the firft, his Lordlhip remarked that he would conlider a secretary of Hate’s warrant through the whole affair as nothing superior to the warrant of a common jultice of the peace, and that no magistrate had in reality a right ex of'.cic to apprehend any person, without dating the particular crime of which he was accufcd, but at the lame time he observed there were many precedents where a nice combination of circnntftances gave lo strong a fulpicion of lasts, that though the in a giiiratc could not be juftified rv oficio % he w r as neverthele's supported in the c f mmitment, even without receiving any part’cnlar information for toe foundation of his charge. Ihe word cnarge lor. Lordlhip took notice was in general much mifutuierllood, and did not sitean the accusation brought against any p- rlbn taken up, THURSDAY, August 25, 1763, but his commitment by the magistrate before whom he might be brought. Upon the whole of this point, accord ing to the customary rule, which had been for a series (f years observed by the luges of the law, even in the reign of mil* CCOn< ?’ w^en matter was so frequently con telted, his Lordlhip was of opinion that Mr. Wilkes’s com mitment was not illegal. In relation to the next article, which required a fpecifica tion of the particular passages in the 45th North Briton, which were deemed a libel, his Lordship took notice that the insertion of thele paflhges, so far as they related to the point in queltion, was not at all necessary, for even fuppof lngthe whole of the 45th number of the North Briton had beui infer ted in the body of the warrant, yet it by no means came under his Lordlhip’s cognizance at that time ; for the matter in confidcration then was, not the nature of the of fence, but xhe legality of the commitment—-the nature of thy 0 Ire nee not rclting in the bofotn of a judge, without the alii fiance of a jury, and not being a proper fubjeft of inquiry, till regularly brought on to be tried in the cullomary way (ft* proceeding. With refpecVto the third and last point. How far Mr. W ilkes had a right to plead his privilege as a member of parliament, my Lord Chief Jultice remarked, that there were but three calcs which could poflibly affect the privilege of a member of parliament, and these were Treason, Felo. nv, and the Peace. The peace, as it is written in the in ilitutes of the law, his Lordlhip explained to fignify a hrcaclj oft W—peace; he remarked, that when the seven bilhopi wertAnt to the Tower, the pica which was uled when th<* spiritual Lords contended for their privilege, was, that thejr had endeavoured to Hillurb the peace. This, at that arbi trary time, was judged lufHcient to forfeit their privilege; hut remarked his Lordlhip, out of the four judges then up on the bench, there was but one honest man; that was Bowel, and he declined giving any opinion. This great and good man then answered, that the privilege of parlia menflhould be held sacred and inviolable, and as there w re but three particular cases, in which that privilege ‘was for feited, it only remained to examine how far Mr. Wilkes’s w'as endangered. Mr. Wilkes flood accused of writing a libel; a libel in the sense of the law was a high misdemea nor, but did not come within the deferiprion of treason, fe lon vp or breach of the peace; at moll it had but a tendency to diilurb the peace, and consequently could not be fulfici ent to dcm troy the privilege of a member of parliament. Whereupon Mr. Wilkes, in conlequence of his being a member of parliament, was difeharged from confinement. Friday lull, at tour o’clock in the morning, a terrible lire broke out at the house of the Right Hon. Lady Yifcountefs Dowager Molciwo r tli, in Little Brook-street, Grofveno.- square, which burnt furioufly for fome time, and at length inti rely conlumed the lame. Lady Molefworth, and two of her daughter.., who lav in the room with her, were unhap pily burnt to death, and another of her daughters jumped out of a window', and broke her thigh, which we are in formed was obliged to be cut off yesterday.. The Govcmefs to the young ladies was likewise burnt, and one of the inaid lervants jumped out of a tu*o pair of flairs window, but pitching on the spikes of the iron rails, was immediately killed. A footman also threw himfelfout of the window, a:ui fell into the area, and was carried to the hospital, where he lb< n after died. Other of the &rvant> are laid to I<J miffing.—lt is reported the lire broke out in Capr. M^elworth’s apartment, occalioned by bur&ing a candle all nigh; in the room. The Captain was saved by getting over a wall bv lielp of a ladder. It was near half an hour befon* any engines came, as the watchmen were gone off their lL.nds, mid llic ltcond liver and garret* were in flames b^-