party charged of the only means of defence which can acquit him upon his appeal. That faid bill obliges perfons accused to answer to interrogatories by bill, and criminate themfelves. The faid bill empowers juftices to grant warrants to apprehend perfons who neglect attending as witneffes, though fuch perfons may never have received any fummons, and may at the time fuch fummons is left at their house or lodging, be absent in a distant part of the country. For these reasons, and becaufe your lordship's petitioners underftand that faid bill paffed through the honourable the house of commons in great hurry, and at times when very few members were prefent, your lordship's petitioners humbly hope your lordships will take this petition into confideration, and not pafs this bill into a law. And your lordship's petitioners fhall ever pray. The Addrefs of the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, Sheriffs, and Common Council of the City of London, prefented to his Majefly on Friday, Auguft 11, 1786, on the Occafion of his happy Escape from Affi nation. Molt Gracious Sovereign, WE, your majefty's dutiful and loyal fubjects, the lord mayor, aldermen, and commons of the city of London, in common council affembled, humbly approach the throne with our most fincere congratulations on the providential deliverance manifefted in the failure of that outrageous attempt which fo lately endangered your majefty's royal perfon. Impelled at once by duty and inclination, your majelly's faithful citizens of London are happy in tendering an unfeigned affurance of their affection and zeal for your majefty's perfon and govern ment. Deeply fenfible of the value and importance of your majefty's life to the profperity of your kingdoms, and of the unspeakable affliction which your people would have fuftained by its mournful termination, the late horrid occurrence (which threatened that national calamity) could not fail to excite in their minds a proportionate alarm; but more particularly painful and fevere were their fenfations, on reflecting that your majesty's gracious attention to the petitions of your fubjects had proved the lamentable caufe of expofing your facred perfon to danger. Permit us, royal fir, to add our molt fervent prayers, that your reign may continue long and profperous over free, happy, and united fubjects; and that your defcendants may tranfmit the bleffings the nation now enjoys to the latest pofterity. Signed, by order of court, ANSWER. I receive, with the greatest pleafure, the very affectionate expreffions of your duty and attachment to me, and thank you for your tial deliverance from the attack congratulations upon the providenwhich has been lately made upon my perfon: thofe profeflions cannot but be acceptable to me from my loyal city of London, to whom I am always difpofed to fhew every mark of attention and regard. The The Address of the Bishop of London, Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, and Clergy of the Cities of London and Weftminfter. It would be unbecoming in any order of men, it would be peculiarly offenfive in ours, to approach your Majelly on this occafion with the language of adulation; but they To the KING's moft Excellent who are in the fmall-ft degree ac Majefty. Moft Gracious Sovereign, WE, your majesty's most dutiful and loyal fubjects, the bishop of London, the dean and chapter of St. Paul's, and the clergy of the cities of London and Westminster, impreffed with a deep fenfe of the many and invaluable bleffings which we enjoy under your majetty's mild and aufpicious government, the great advantage which religion has ever received from your countenance and protection, and the conftant fupport which morality has derived from your example, cannot but feel ourselves particularly interested in the fafety of your majefty's life; and we beg leave to prefent to your majefty our most fincere congratulations on its late providential prefervation We have returned our thanks to God for this inftance of his goodnefs to your majefty; and we fhall not fail continually to pray to God, that that life which he has thus fignally protected, may long be continued to your majefty in uninterrupted health and profperity. The Address of the Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese of Chefter. WE, your majefty's most dutiful and loyal fubjects, the bishop, the dean and chapter, and the clergy of the diocefe of Chefter, beg permiffion to offer to your majesty our fincerest congratulations on the late providential deliverance of your royal perfon from the hand of an affatlin. quainted with the uniformly moral and religious tenor of your majefty's private life, and who reflect as they ought, on the many invaluable bleifings this nation experiences under your majefly's mild and paternal government, will not, we are confident, charge us with tranfgreffing the ftrictest bounds of truth, when we fay, that the lofs of fuch an example, and fuch a fovereign, would have been one of the fevereft calamities with which heaven could have afflicted this land: whatever difference of fentiments there may be on other points, on this we believe there is but one opinion. It affords us fome confolation to know that the fole contriver of this frantic defign was nothing more than a wretched maniac; a circumftance, however, from which we may draw this awful leffon, that not only the felicity, but the very existence of the greatest potentates, and the most flourishing empires, may be endangered by the feeblest agents, and that in God alone is their fecurity and refuge. The recent proof he has been pleafed to give us of this great truth demands the warmest and denefs. And alarmed as all our fears vouteft expreflions of our thankfulhave just been, by feeling ourfelves on the very brink of destruction, we implore with redoubled ardour the almighty Ruler of the universe, that he would fill continue the fame watchful care over your majetty's perfon, which he has already manifefted in fo figual an instance; and that he would grant your majefty and your royal family, a long enjoyment enjoyment of that peace, profperity, and general fatisfaction, which his bleffing on your majefty's councils has vifibly diffufed through every part of your dominions. The Addrefs of the Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese of Landaff. To the KING's mft Excellent Majefty. Moft Gracious Sovereign, WE, the bishop, the archdeacon and chapter, and the clergy of the diocefe of Landaff, your majesty's loyal and dutiful fubjects, humbly intreat your majefly graciously to accept our faithful congratulations on the protection which the good providence of God has lately vouchafed to your majefty from the at tack of an infane aflaffin. The mildnets of your majefty's government, united with the exemplary probity and coudefcenfion of your private life, can have left your maje y no deliberate eremies, no apprehenfion of danger from the malice of any of your fubjects. In the late calamitous event your majefty will feel a comfort, which is fully felt by all your people, from knowing that the Land of violence was not a med again? your majetty's life by the fpirit of public faction or private difcontent. The wort of kings, in every age and country, have been encouraged by the adulatory addreffes of flagitious men to perfevere in the modes of government deftructive to the freedom and felicity of mankind; fincerity and truth have been in this way, 10 of en facrificed on the altar of private intereft, as almoft to render fufpicious the profeffions of honeft men on the fairest occations; yet, on this occafion, we fear not the being accused of flat tery or infincerity, when we avow, in the face of the world, that we believe there is not a fingle perfon in your majeily's dominions who will not join with us in thanking God for this inftance of his goodnefs towards you, and in praying happiness, and the liberty, civil that he will long continue to us the and religious, which we enjoy under your majesty's government. The Addrefs of the Bishop and Clergy WE, the bishop, dean and chapter, and clergy of the diocese of St. Alaph, atk leave, with unfeigned and loyal humility, to congratulate your majesty on your late deliverance from the knife of the affaffin. When fuch dangers are fometimes permitted to threaten the greatest of the fons of men, we are authorized by fcripture to regard them as the awful admonitions of Providence to consider the import ance of their duty, and the uncer. tainty of the time allotted to fulfil it. May your majesty's mind be always duly imprefied with a religious fenfe of thofe virtues and public fervices which the highest of all human ftations requires at your hands. May you always poffefs thofe powers of mind, and that enlarged and active benevolence, which are requifite to prefide with wifdem over a people that was once virtuous, and that is fill generous, brave, and enlightened. In offering up thefe prayers we depart not from our character as blameless ministers of the gospel, and we wish to enrich your majefty with greater bleffings than is in the power of flattery to invent; we wish you the glory, glory, the virtue, and the heavenly prerogative of making a great people happy under a mild, uncorrupt, and able government; and we include in our wishes the lafting fecurity and fplendor of your royal houfe; that warm attachment and fidelity in your subjects which only the fenfe of their own happinefs can infpire. And may that happinefs every day increate, by a gene ral imitation of thofe amiable domestic virtues of which your majefty and your royal confort have given the world fo fair an example. The Address of the Proteftant Dif fenting Minifters in and about the Cities of London and Westminster. Moft Gracious Sovereign, WE, your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal fubjects, the proteftant diffenting minifters in and about the cities of London and Westminster, beg leave to approach your royal perfon with our warmest congratulations on the late fignal interpofition of divine providence in favour of your majetty's invaluable life: an event which has afforded joy to all your majesty's faithful fubjects, and to none more than the protestant diffenters, who look up with affectionate reverence to the diftinguished virtues of their fovereign, and who feel themfelves happy in the enjoyment of their civil and religious liberties, which have received fo memorable a confirmation and enlargement fince your majefty's acceffion to the throne of thefe kingdoms. To that Great Being, whofe arm fo gracioufly fhielded your majefty's perfon in the moment of danger, we have offered our moft grateful acknowledgments; fervently praying, that the like fenfe of 6 the divine interference which your majefty devoutly feels, might be deeply impreffed on the hearts of all your fubjects. Permit us, Sir, to add, that our joy on this occafion is greatly heightened, by reflecting that the horrid ftroke your majefty fo happily efcaped was guided not by the hand of premeditated malice, but of compaffionable infanity: the repofe which this confideration justly creates in your majesty's breast and that of your royal confort, cannot fail of affording the highest fatisfaction to your people, whofe happinefs is intimately connected with that of their fovereign. this opportunity of affuring your With great pleafure we embrace majefty of our affectionate and inviolable attachment to your perfon and government; nor will we ceafe Sir, to offer our moft ardent prayer to Almighty God, that your life may be protracted, under the fimiles of Providence, to the most diftant period; and that the crown your majefty received from your illufirious ancestors, may defcend, adorned with all their and your princely virtues, to your lateit pofterity. The Aud efs of the Catholicks of Ireland. May it please your majesty, WE, your majefty's most dutiful and loyal fubjects, the catholicks of Ireland, humbly beg leave to approach the throne with our moit fincere congratulations on your majefty's happy and providential efcape from the late horrid attack on your facred perfon. It gives us the most poignant and heartfelt pain, that an attempt fo bafe and degenerate could be made against the life of the most tender father father of his people; and we are confoled only in believing that it proceeded from infanity of mind rather than depravity of heart. Truly grateful for the effential benefits we have received during your majesty's aufpicious reign, we mutt feel ourselves particularly interested in every circumstance that regards the welfare of the best of fovereigns; and permit us to affure your majesty of our utmost abhorrence and detestation of every attempt to disturb your private peace, or the public tranquillity of your dominions. We fupplicate the Supreme Being to grant to your majetty a long and happy reign; and to continue the crown of thefe realms to your illuftrious houfe unto its lateft poiterity. The Address of the Superiors of the Roman Catholick Clergy of the Province of Munfter. May it please your majesty, WE, your majesty's most faithful fubjects, the fuperiors of the Roman Catholic Clergy in the province of Munster, having offered up our fervent thanks to the Almighty God for your majefty's happy efcape from the horrid attempt made on your majesty's most facred perfon, prefume, in all humility, to prefent, at the foot of your royal throne, in the name of the Roman Catholic Clergy of this province, our most dutiful and loyal congratulations on fuch a fignal interpolition of divine providence. Whilft in this expreffion of our duty to your majefty, we join in the univerfal exultation of all ranks of our fellow-fubjects for the prefervation of a well-beloved fovereign, we, your majesty's Roman Catho. lic fubjects, feel an additional joy from the grateful remembrance we conftantly have, that whatever happy change has been made in our fituation in this kingdom is chiefly owing to your majeity's paternal at tention to us. Our joy, may it please your majefty, would have been as complete on the prefent occafion as any human event could make it, but for the allay it receives in the affliction brought upon us by the tumultuous meetings of fome of the lowest class in this province. Yet, at the fame time that we bemoan the unwarrantable exceffes of a mifguided rabble, it is no fmall comfort to us to think, that we have not been wanting in what depended on us to prevent and to remedy these evils. Our conftant endeavours to promote religion, peace, and good order have not been altogether fruitless; whatever be the guilt of the deluded people who now disturb the public tranquillity, we have the heartfelt fatisfaction of being convinced that not a fhadow of difaffection to your majefty's perfon or government is imputable to them. We hope that the prudent meafures, the firm yet merciful exertions adopted by thofe entrusted here with your majefty's authority, will be efficient to put a stop to the licentious mifdeeds of an unruly multude, and to provide efiectually again a repetition of them. We, on our parts, hall continue to employ our most zealous efforts to imprefs thofe under our influence with a fenfe of confcientious fubordination to the laws, and to exhort them ever to follow that peaceful, induftrious, upright line of conduct, which alone can become them, and which the religion they profefs, as well as their gratitude, dictate to be due to the juf |