The Virginia Gazette

October 1. This Day a Common Hall was held at Guildhall, for the Election of a Lord Mayor for the City of London for the Year ensuing, and at the Close of the last Day's Poll the Numbers appeared to be for Alderman Halifax, one Thousand three Hundred and fifty six; Alderman Townshend, one Thousand one Hundred and seventy four; Alderman Wilkes, one Thousand one Hundred and seventy one; Alderman Shakespear, one Thousand two Hundred and thirty eight.

A Writer in one of the Morning Papers, who speaks of the political Association of the Aldermen Wilkes and Townshend for the City Chair, asks what is their Opinion of each other. At the last Election for Lord Mayor, Mr. Townshend called Mr. Wilkes "a most unprincipled Impostor;" and Mr. Wilkes thanked the Livery in Print for rejecting Mr. Townsend, whom he called "a brutal Tyrant." The Writer, therefore, says, that if the Livery of London take the Words of their own Oracles, on this Occasion they should reject both, as the Junction of one with "a brutal Tyrant," or of the other with an unprincipled Impostor, necessarily proves that both are unworthy the Confidence of the Citizens.

The same Writer, speaking to the Livery, says: "You have now waged a four Years War with Government, yet what has Government cared for your Opposition? The only Fruits of this Opposition have been Disappointment and Disgrace. You have fought, but you have been vanquished. You may fight on, but your Contest will only accumulate the Triumph of your Enemies, and necessarily increase the Catalogue of your Misfortunes. The Kingdom at large pities your Weakness, though it laughs at your Folly; and were you actually proceeding upon Principle, instead of Petulance, would be materially injured by your Success: For, even supposing that your Opposition to Government originally was not wanton, but necessary, and even supposing the three Branches of the Legislature as wrong as it is possible to imagine them, is there any honest Man who would wish the City of London invested with a Power superior to the King, Lords, and Commons? The Remedy here would be worse than the Disease; for though Justice might operate in a single Instance, the Constitution would be destroyed, and the three Estates in Parliament rendered eternally dependent on the Citizens of London."
Mr. Wilkes being yesterday asked how he could expect that any Man of Sense could vote for him on the present Election, very candidly replied, "Let my Opponents keep the sensible Part of the Livery to themselves, my Business is only to be done by the Fools."

Mr. Wilkes, in his Letter to the Livery about his Conduct during the Shrievalty, is universally disapproved, even by his own Friends; and the whole World laughs at his saying that the City Magistrates have not been disgraced by Imprisonments in the Course of the last Year, when he and his Colleague were repeatedly arrested for notorious Misconduct in their Office by their Fellow Citizens.