ANECDOTES of the Life of LORD

Lo

GEORGE GORDON.*

ORD George Gordon is third fon to the late Duke of Gordon. He was born in London, about the year 1747 or 1748, and entered at an early age into the navy. He rofe to the rank of Lieutenant, and there, owing to fome difguft or disappointment, he gave up his commiffion. His enemies take occafion to fay that he retired because Lord Sandwich would not grant a very imprudent request which he made for a fhip, on the moment of his having procured a feat in the Houfe; they fay that he threatened the First Lord of the Admiralty, to throw himself into the arms of the Oppofition if he did not comply with his demand, and on his Lordship's refufal, that he actually did take a decided part against Ministers, and by that means quarrelled with the Duke, his brother. friends give a very different account of this bufinefs. They fay, that from his earliest years he expreffed a very zealous, if not a violent attachment to the Conftitution of this country, and though of an amorous complexion, that he paid his court to her as his darling mistress.Having while a Midshipman been in America, he had conceived a very particular affection for

I 2

His

the

In justice to the author, it is mentioned that these anecdotes are by another perfon.

the inhabitants, and when the ruinous measures were pursuing in Parliament, which terminated in the dismemberment of the empire, he took a decided part against Minifters from conviction, and not from difappointment. Having done this, and thereby had a temporary difagreement with the Duke, his brother, he had no reason to believe that Lord Sandwich would permit him to rife in the way of his profeffion; and he left a fervice in which, in the prefent day of degeneracy and corruption, men rife by intereft, and not by merit.

No man had jufter pretensions to independance, though few perhaps in the House were poorer than Lord George Gordon. He has preferved through life the most guarded and decent œconomy, and with an income of between 7 and 800l. a year has maintained his integrity firm and inviolate, notwithstanding the attacks which Minifters have from time to time made upon it. One of their practices, his Lordship, with indignant fpirit, published in the Houfe; Lord North, he faid, had been guilty of an infamous attempt to bribe him with a place of a 1000l. a year, to give up his feat in Parliament. This charge the Minifter received with a distorted face; he denied that he had been guilty of an infamous attempt, but he never intended to difprove the charge. This ftory is differently told. It is faid that the Duke, his brother, made

appli

application to the Minifter for his place, and there were feveral interviews between them on the fubject. The place was promised to his Lordship with the condition of his giving up his feat, and on this ground the treaty was broke off.

The part that his Lordship has taken in regard to the Proteftant Affociation is too recent in the minds of men to require recapitulation. He did not take an active part in oppofition to the Bill in favour of the Papifts, at the time of its paffing, because, as his Lordship fays, "he had not then become a fpeaker." We are well affured that his Lordship had no idea of producing the dreadful confequences that enfued from affembling the Affociation. He was well convinced, at the fame time, that unless the Petition of the Proteftants was ftrengthened by an Association, there was no reason to apprehend that any regard would be paid to it. The measures which he advised and adopted, were founded on his knowledge of the venality of Parliament; and his worst enemies muft acknowledge that he has acted openly and candidly. throughout the whole bufinefs. He gave the House to understand that 150,000 men had determined to have the Act repealed; nay, he even proceeded fo fairly, as to move in his place, that 100,000 ftand of arms, firelocks, bayonets, and accoutrements might be tranfmitted to Scotland, to enable them to put themfelves in array

and

and accomplish their purpose. The noble Lord has, through life, maintained the character of a facetious companion. He poffeffes a great fund of wit, and humour, and his temper is withal fo fweetened with the quality of good nature, that he has never been known to facrifice it at the fhrine of fatire. For the whole of this feason no man has been more univerfally attended to in the House than his Lordfhip; and he has said some of the fevereft, and at the fame time the wittiest things against both fides of the House, that have been uttered in St. Stephen's fince the day of the celebrated Charles Townfhend: And fhould his Lordship fall a facrifice to his zeal on the prefent occafion, no man ever received á greáter fhare of public refpect, than his Lordship will no doubt meet with.

APPEN

APPENDIX,

NOTE

(A),

鐘

R. Thurloe (the prefent Lord Chancellor) spoke

Μ' to the Bill. The purport of his speech was, that'

though he did not mean to oppofe it, he would recommend caution. He defired they would confider what principles the act of William and Mary had been formed upon, and thought the repeal of the penalties against Popish Priests exercising their function deserved confideration.

The Bishop of Peterborough (in the upper House) obferved that the Bill ought to have been introduced at an earlier part of the feffion, by which means the difpofition of the nation towards it might have been known; and that it was not only worthy their Lordships' attention to look into the real fecurity of the Conftitution, but to prevent alarms of imaginary danger with which ignorance and malice heretofore had kindled, and might again kindle flames which the authority of the law might find it difficult to extinguifh.

NOTE (B).

THOUGH this pamphlet neither does, nor was intended to contain particulars of the Scotch Riots, yet one of the incendiary letters is fo curious, on account of the art with which it is drawn up, and the specimen of economy it exhibits, that it is thought worthy to be presented to the reader. It is as follows:

"Men and Brethren,

"Whoever shall find this letter will take it as a warning, to meet at Leith Wynd, on Wednesday next in the evening,