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Foreign News
August 16, 1770
The Virginia Gazette
Richmond, Williamsburg, Richmond County, Virginia
What is this article about?
On June 1, 1770, a committee from the City of London, led by Sir William Stephenson, presented thanks to Lord Chatham at his Pall Mall home for his public services, war leadership, and advocacy for constitutional reforms like shorter parliaments and equal representation. Chatham responded, affirming his commitment to electoral freedoms and suggesting county representation increases.
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June 2. Yesterday Sir William Stephenson, Alderman Trecothick, Alderman Crosby, attended by the Sheriffs, and the Commoners appointed a committee to wait upon Lord Chatham, attended his Lordship at his house in Pall Mall; when Sir William Stephenson, in the name of the committee, addressed his Lordship to this effect:
My Lord,
We have the pleasing satisfaction to deliver to your Lordship the grateful thanks of the citizens of London, for your Lordship's most eminent publick services; and we sincerely congratulate your Lordship on being equally distinguished in the direction of a glorious war and in your endeavours to restore the principles of our most excellent constitution.
And then he presented the thanks of the Common Council, which are as follow.
BECKFORD, MAYOR.
A Common Council, holden in the chamber of the Guildhall of the city of London, on Monday the 14th of May, 1770.
MOTION was made, and question put, "that the grateful thanks of this court be presented to the Right Hon. William Earl of Chatham, for the zeal he has shewn in support of those most valuable and sacred privileges, the right of election, and the right of petition; and for his wishes, and declaration, that his endeavours shall hereafter be used that Parliaments may be restored to their original purity, by shortening their duration, and introducing a more full and equal representation, an act which will render his name more honoured by posterity than the memorable successes of the glorious war he conducted." The same was resolved in the affirmative, and ordered accordingly.
To which his Lordship was pleased immediately to reply
Gentlemen,
It is not easy for me to give expression to all I feel on the extraordinary honour done to my publick conduct by the City of London, a body so highly respectable on every account; but, above all, for their constant assertion of the birthrights of Englishmen, in every great crisis of the constitution.
In our present unhappy situation, my duty shall be, on all proper occasions, to add the zealous endeavours of an individual to those legal exertions of constitutional rights which, to their everlasting honour, the city of London has made in defence of freedom of election and freedom of petition, and for obtaining effectual reparation to the electors of Great Britain.
As to one point among the declarations which I am understood to have made, of my wishes for the publick, permit me to say there has been some misapprehension; for, with all my deference to the sentiments of the city, I am bound to declare that I cannot recommend triennial Parliaments as a remedy against that canker in the constitution, venality in elections, ready to submit my opinion to better judgment, if the wish for that measure shall become prevalent in the kingdom.
Purity of Parliament is the corner stone in the commonwealth; and as one obvious means towards this necessary end is to strengthen and extend the natural relation between the constituents and the elected, I have, in this view, publickly expressed my earnest wishes for a more full and equal representation by the addition of one Knight of the Shire in a county, as a farther balance to the mercenary boroughs. I have thrown out this idea with the just diffidence of a private man, when he presumes to suggest any thing new on a high matter. Animated by your approbation, I shall with better hope continue humbly to submit it to the publick wisdom, as an object to be most deliberately weighed, accurately observed, and maturely digested.
Having many times, when in the service of the Crown, and, when retired from it, experienced, with gratitude, the favour of my fellow citizens, I am now particularly fortunate that, with their good liking, I can offer any thing towards upholding this wisely combined frame of mixed government against the decays of time, and the deviations incident to all human institutions; and I shall esteem my life honoured indeed if the city of London can vouchsafe to think that my endeavours have not been wanting to maintain the national honour, to defend the colonies, and extend the commercial greatness of my country, as well as to preserve from violation the law of the land and the essential rights of the constitution."
My Lord,
We have the pleasing satisfaction to deliver to your Lordship the grateful thanks of the citizens of London, for your Lordship's most eminent publick services; and we sincerely congratulate your Lordship on being equally distinguished in the direction of a glorious war and in your endeavours to restore the principles of our most excellent constitution.
And then he presented the thanks of the Common Council, which are as follow.
BECKFORD, MAYOR.
A Common Council, holden in the chamber of the Guildhall of the city of London, on Monday the 14th of May, 1770.
MOTION was made, and question put, "that the grateful thanks of this court be presented to the Right Hon. William Earl of Chatham, for the zeal he has shewn in support of those most valuable and sacred privileges, the right of election, and the right of petition; and for his wishes, and declaration, that his endeavours shall hereafter be used that Parliaments may be restored to their original purity, by shortening their duration, and introducing a more full and equal representation, an act which will render his name more honoured by posterity than the memorable successes of the glorious war he conducted." The same was resolved in the affirmative, and ordered accordingly.
To which his Lordship was pleased immediately to reply
Gentlemen,
It is not easy for me to give expression to all I feel on the extraordinary honour done to my publick conduct by the City of London, a body so highly respectable on every account; but, above all, for their constant assertion of the birthrights of Englishmen, in every great crisis of the constitution.
In our present unhappy situation, my duty shall be, on all proper occasions, to add the zealous endeavours of an individual to those legal exertions of constitutional rights which, to their everlasting honour, the city of London has made in defence of freedom of election and freedom of petition, and for obtaining effectual reparation to the electors of Great Britain.
As to one point among the declarations which I am understood to have made, of my wishes for the publick, permit me to say there has been some misapprehension; for, with all my deference to the sentiments of the city, I am bound to declare that I cannot recommend triennial Parliaments as a remedy against that canker in the constitution, venality in elections, ready to submit my opinion to better judgment, if the wish for that measure shall become prevalent in the kingdom.
Purity of Parliament is the corner stone in the commonwealth; and as one obvious means towards this necessary end is to strengthen and extend the natural relation between the constituents and the elected, I have, in this view, publickly expressed my earnest wishes for a more full and equal representation by the addition of one Knight of the Shire in a county, as a farther balance to the mercenary boroughs. I have thrown out this idea with the just diffidence of a private man, when he presumes to suggest any thing new on a high matter. Animated by your approbation, I shall with better hope continue humbly to submit it to the publick wisdom, as an object to be most deliberately weighed, accurately observed, and maturely digested.
Having many times, when in the service of the Crown, and, when retired from it, experienced, with gratitude, the favour of my fellow citizens, I am now particularly fortunate that, with their good liking, I can offer any thing towards upholding this wisely combined frame of mixed government against the decays of time, and the deviations incident to all human institutions; and I shall esteem my life honoured indeed if the city of London can vouchsafe to think that my endeavours have not been wanting to maintain the national honour, to defend the colonies, and extend the commercial greatness of my country, as well as to preserve from violation the law of the land and the essential rights of the constitution."
What sub-type of article is it?
Political
What keywords are associated?
London Common Council
Lord Chatham
Parliamentary Reform
Electoral Rights
Constitutional Privileges
What entities or persons were involved?
Sir William Stephenson
Alderman Trecothick
Alderman Crosby
Lord Chatham
Beckford
Where did it happen?
London
Foreign News Details
Primary Location
London
Event Date
June 2, 1770
Key Persons
Sir William Stephenson
Alderman Trecothick
Alderman Crosby
Lord Chatham
Beckford
Outcome
presentation of thanks from the city of london to lord chatham; his reply affirming support for constitutional rights and suggesting reforms for parliamentary representation.
Event Details
A committee from the City of London, including Sir William Stephenson, Alderman Trecothick, and Alderman Crosby, visited Lord Chatham at his Pall Mall residence to deliver the Common Council's thanks for his services in war and constitutional advocacy, based on a May 14, 1770 resolution. Lord Chatham responded, expressing gratitude, clarifying his views on parliamentary duration, and proposing increased county representation to combat electoral corruption.