The Virginia Gazette

July 6. Yesterday the Right Hon. Samuel Turner, Esq. Lord Mayor, Sir Robert Ladbroke, Mr. Alderman Trecothick, together with the Sheriffs, accompanied by Peter Roberts, Esq; this city's Remembrancer, waited upon his Majesty at St. James's; and being introduced to his Majesty by the Right Hon. the Earl of Orford, the Lord in Waiting, the Lord Mayor addressed his Majesty to the following effect:

Most Gracious Sovereign,

We, the Lord Mayor, the Representatives in Parliament, together with the Sheriffs of your Majesty's ancient and loyal city of London, presume to approach your Royal person, and beg leave to present, with all humility to your Majesty, the dutiful and most humble petition of your Majesty's faithful and loyal subjects the Livery of London, in Common Hall assembled, complaining of grievances; and from your Majesty's unbounded goodness, and paternal regard and affection for all your subjects, they humbly presume to hope that your Majesty will graciously condescend to listen to their just complaints, and to grant them such relief as in your Majesty's known wisdom and justice shall seem meet.

After which his Lordship had the honour of presenting the said petition to his Majesty, and it was graciously received.

Another account of the reception of those Gentlemen, with the petition, is as follows:

Yesterday the Right Hon. Samuel Turner, Esq; Lord Mayor, Sir Robert Ladbroke, Mr. Alderman Beckford, and Mr. Alderman Trecothick, together with the Sheriffs, accompanied by Peter Roberts. Esq; this city's remembrancer, proceeded in state to St. James's, with the petition of the Livery of London, where, after waiting a short time in the antichamber, his Lordship sent in a message by the Remembrancer to the Lord of the Bedchamber. He was desired by Mr. Pitt, Groom of the Bedchamber, to deliver his message. The Remembrancer answered his business could only be delivered to the Lord of the Bedchamber, and that his orders were to communicate it to none but his Lordship. Soon after Lord Huntingdon came out, and acquainted the Lord Mayor that Lord Orford was in waiting, that the levee was begun, and therefore he could not leave the King, but if they had any thing to present they might walk into the levee. Mr. Beckford answered they were there ready to obey the King's commands, and Lord Huntingdon returned. After some time Lord Orford, the said Lord in Waiting, came out and told them that if they had any thing to deliver they might walk into the levee, which they immediately did; and the King being near the door, the Lord Mayor addressed him as before mentioned.

The following is the petition of the Livery of London, presented to his Majesty yesterday by the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor, &c.

To the King's Most Excellent Majesty.

The humble PETITION of the LIVERY of the city of LONDON, in Common Hall assembled.

Most Gracious Sovereign,

Your Majesty's dutiful and loyal subjects, the Livery of the city of London, with all the humility which is due from free subjects to their lawful Sovereign, but with all the anxiety which the sense of the present oppressions, and the just dread of future mischiefs, produce in our minds, beg leave to lay before your Majesty some of those intolerable grievances which your people have suffered from the evil conduct of those who have been intrusted with the administration of your Majesty's government, and from the secret unremitting influence of the worst of counsellors.

... as the spirit of which our Majesty and the to invert most sacred laws which with their blood. Under corrupt principles, and in violation of by various enumerated means, invaded our essential rights as British subjects by impunity, issued General Warrants, and violently seized persons and private papers. They have rendered the laws ineffectual to our security, by evading the Habeas Corpus. They have caused punishments, and even perpetual imprisonment, to be inflicted, without trial, conviction, or sentence. They have brought into disrepute the civil magistracy, by the appointment of persons who are, in many respects, unqualified for that important trust, and have hereby purposely furnished a pretence for calling in the aid of a Military Power. They avow, and endeavour to establish, a maxim absolutely inconsistent with our constitution, that "an occasion for effectually employing a military force always presents itself when the civil power is trifled with or insulted;" and, by a fatal and false application of this maxim, they have wantonly and wickedly sacrificed the lives of many of your Majesty's innocent subjects, and have prostituted your Majesty's sacred name and authority to justify, applaud, and recommend, their own illegal and bloody measures. Though they have screened more scandal for and a shameful prostitution of public honours and employments, procuring deficiencies of the Civil List to be made good without examination, and instead of punishing conferring honours on a Paymaster the public defaulter of unaccounted millions. From an unfeigned sense of the duty we owe to your Majesty, and to our country, we have ventured thus humbly to lay before the Throne these great and important truths, which it has been the business of your Ministers to conceal. We most earnestly beseech your Majesty to grant us redress. It is for the purpose of redress alone, and for such occasions as the present, that those great and extensive powers are intrusted to the Crown by the wisdom of that constitution which your Majesty's illustrious family was chosen to defend, and which we trust in God it will for ever continue to support.