"Admiral Byng arrives, printed in the Gazette, where "the most material paffages in vindication of his conduct "are cut out; to preferve the former impreffions of his "having behaved like a coward, at the fame time con

demning the refolutions of the whole council of war "unheard, a moft flagrant affront on men of fuperior

birth, by one who has undefervedly started into nobility. "It was now neceffary to continue inventing more "tales against Mr. Byng; one day it was given out, "that he had fold out of the stocks forty-four thousand "pounds before he failed, which was to infinuate, that "he left England with a defign never to return: the "falfhood of this report may be seen in the stock books, "Then it was reported, that this was the man who "cruifed before Genoa laft war, and took money to let "veffels with provifions and men pafs to the relief of "the town; a known falfhood, and were not the afhes "of the dead facred, I would tell you his name: was sc not this to hint the idea of venality?

"Then it seems it was discovered, that a fhip with provisions had gotten into Mahon the very day before "the action, which fhip arrived at the port a month "before the invefting the citadel; was not this to in"finuate that he might have landed his foldiers alfo?

"Ballads were made to keep up your refentment, " and the admiral hanged and burnt in effigy at the "national expence, by the clerks and officers of public "offices, amongst whom one Mr. Glover, belonging

to the Victualling-Office, burning him in Whitechapel "road, was rewarded with a broken leg by the Barking "stage-coach,

"

"It was now thought neceffary to affert, that Mr. Byng was attempting to efcape in women's clothes, to impart the idea of confcious guiltinefs, which is "likewife an invention of falfhood; and yet this idea "was to be continued by fixing iron bars to the win"dows, to prevent a man from efcaping, whom they "wish to be well rid of, and who would not leave the place if they would permit him.

"At one time he is reprefented as mad, and then "as killing himself with drinking: then, that it is to "be feared he may attempt fuicide. Believe me, he "has not loft his fenfes, as his accufers will find, nor "will he deftroy himself with his own hands; and it is "the duty of the people to preferve his life, for the "fake of more perfectly knowing what influenced his "purfuers to contrive and conduct the expedition in fo "prepofterous a manner.

"And lastly, thefe contemptible artifices are followed "by a letter to Admiral Byng, published at the expence "of his enemies, and hawked through the ftreets for "the fake of univerfal publication*. But the whole is

an entire declamation, intended to inflame, founded "on no one argument, and concludes with a confeffion, "which his adverfaries would do extremely well to learn

This was probably the performance mentioned by Dr. Johnson in the life of David Mallet. "In the beginning of the laft war, "when the nation was exafperated by ill fuccefs, he was employed "to turn the public vengeance upon Byng, and wrote a letter of "accufation under the character of a Plain Man. The paper was "with great induftry circulated and difperfed; and he for his "feasonable intervention had a confiderable penfion beftowed upon "him, which he retained to his death." E.

by heart, against that day when public justice will "demand them to their trials."

Such is the plea of the perfecuted Byng, on which, though we do not fuppofe that the public will pay much regard to our determination, we fhall give our opinion with the freedom of men uninfluenced by dependence or expectation.

It appears to us that Byng has fuffered without fuffi

cient cause.

That he was fent to the relief of Minorca, when relief was known to be no longer poffible.

That he was fent without land forces, the only forces that could raise the fiege.

That his fleet was inferior, and long before the battle was known at home to be inferior to that of the French.

That he fought them, and retreated only when he could fight no longer.

That a fecond engagement would only have increased the lofs fuffered in the first.

That a victory at fea would not have faved Minorca. That there was no provifion for the chances of a battle.

That the nation has been induftriously deceived by falfe and treacherous reprefentations.

That Minorca, if not betrayed, has been neglected. That Byng's letter has been mutilated injuriously, fraudulently mutilated.

That every act of defamation has been practifed against him.

That unless other evidence can be produced, Byng will be found innocent.

The Conduct of the MINISTRY impartially examined, in a LETTER to the Merchants of LONDON.

OF this pamphlet the eight first pages contain only

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the general declarations of every writer of every party, with a little flattery, not grofs or indecent, of the merchants, an exhortation to impartiality, and an encomium on the purity of his own intention. When a man appeals to himself for what only himself can know, he may be very confident of a favourable fentence. This author may perhaps think as he writes, for there are men who think as they are bidden. He then takes into confideration a pamphlet which he does not name, because, I fuppofe, he would not help to advertife it. This is artful, but it is not dishoneft. The pamphlet is, I think, one of the Letters to the People of England, from which he gives the following quotation, with his answer.

"In the year one thousand seven hundred and forty"nine, or fifty, fome American traders, fubje&s of the Iking of Great-Britain, travelled to the borders of the "Obio to traffick with the natives of thofe parts; this

being known to the Canadian French, meffengers were "difpatched to acquaint them, that, unless they with"drew from their master's territories, their effects would "be confifcated, and themfelves carried to prifon at Quebec.

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Quebec. This meffage the traders thought fit to obey, "and withdrew in confequence of it.

"The fucceeding feafon, another company of British fubjects came to trade on the Ohio: and not with

drawing on a like meffage with the former, their goods were confifcated, and themfelves carried prifoners to Quebec, from whence they were brought to "Rochelle in France, and ftill detained in prifon. Not "confcious of having violated the laws of nations, or "traded on any ground to which the king of Great"Britain had not an undoubted right, they remon"ftrated to the British miniftry, infifted upon being "claimed as British fubjects, and honourably discharged "from prifon, as perfons unoffending the laws of na"tions; nay, they entertained the honourable hopes of

Englishmen, that the miniftry of England would not "ceafe to demand an indemnification for the lofs of "that merchandize, which had been unjustly taken from "them; and reparation for the infult and long imprisonment of their perfons: expectations becoming men, who value their liberties, properties, and nation's "honour. In this they were deceived, the true fpirit "of an English minifter no longer dwelt amongst us. "The ambaffador at Paris, inftead of demanding these

subjects of his mafter, as men unjustly held in prison, "and reparation for the wrongs they had received, was "ordered by the miniftry to folicit, as a favour from "the court of France, the difcharge of them only, ac'knowledging their offence."

Thus he relates and circumftantiates the fact: and here I beg leave to remark, that when the circumstances,

on