On Tuesday the Robinhood Debates commenced for the Winter Season, when both the Upper and Lower Societies were extremely full. The Summer transmitted, as usual, some Propositions to the latter; which, being read by the Chairman, were afterwards largely and lamely expatiated upon by Mr. Greville, from whom little could be heard, or understood, except a Motion for the Thanks of the Society for the above Propositions. He was seconded very audibly, in the sermonizing way, by Mr. Ap Rice. Considerable Objections, however, to these Thanks, were raised on the other Side of the Room, particularly by the great Performer Mr. Barre, who poured forth his Eloquence for above an Hour, by the Glass; in the but, happily, a Calm soon succeeded. In the Course of this Oration much Freedom was taken with a certain Insinuation, that the late hostile Proceedings was the Act of the Governor of Buenos Ayres. He desired to be informed if it was certain that this Governor had acted from his own Motion, and not from the Instruction of his Court; in which Case he must have taken upon him to warn the English from Falkland's Island, afterwards to threaten them with a Force that should oblige them to leave the Place, and lastly, actually to send that Force, and all this without receiving Orders to do so from the King his Master. He added, with great Pleasure, who is at that Time an Officer in a superior Command, and had great Infantry, that he had formerly been well acquainted with this Governor. "But little, says he, did my good Friend Don Francisco ever dream of arriving at this Pitch of Honour, and being considered by the King of Great Britain as his Enemy." But the Resentment of the King of Great Britain, it seems, was levelled, for two Years together, against a wretched Libeller, and now against the poor Governor of Buenos Ayres; against John Wilkes, Esquire, just come out of the King's Bench Prison, and my old Acquaintance Don Francisco. In the Course of this Oration, the mutinous Mr. Barrington, having been a little freely dealt with, for sending some unintelligible Orders in the last War, Mr. Barrington declared that since he had been in Office he had written Letters upon Letters, Hundreds of Letters, and Thousands of Letters, nay he believed he might even say a Hundred Thousand Letters, about Some Doings in St. George's Fields, without the least Fault having been found with any of them, except indeed and Sedition had formerly misrepresented in that self-same Robinhood Society. The Gentleman at whom this last Stroke was aimed (Mynheer Burkenhoof) started from his Seat, returned the Blow with great Fury indeed, and swore by all the Gods that he then pledged himself to bring St. George's Fields into that Assembly Room, by Ways and Means he had Lately procured, and which, he seemed to threaten, should confound his Antagonist, and astonish that Society. Much more was added in the menacing as well as the flowery Way.
It is remarkable that no Amendment to the Proposition was moved; So the Thanks of the Society, as usual, passed by a very great Majority.
