1770 A Letter to Lord Mansfield A North Briton Extraordinary

Description

First Edition, Very Scarce

The first and only edition of this issue.

Being issue 197 of the periodical, or 51 of the continuation. This particular issue was published by William Bingley who was gaoled in Newgate and then in King's Bench Prison due to the contents of this issue and issue 50. He was released after two years.

'The North Briton' was written anonymously, though is closely associated with John Wilkes. Its 45th issue was famous due to the similar number of court cases spawned by the contents of that issue. 

This particular issue of 'The North Briton' is a letter addressed to William Murray, 1st Earl Mansfield and is an attack on his character and his decisions as a figure in parliament. There is mention of the 'Junius' the pseudonym used for tracts written in the 'Public Advertiser' attacking the government. There is discussion of Murray's own view of the Common Law of England and his involvement in commercial law. The author mocks Mansfield for the trials by jury regarding the printing of material attacking the government. The jury found several individuals innocent of libel and this work states 'Ah! my Lord, you start! the idea of a jury! that disconcerts your Lordship, haunts you wherever you go and proves the plague of your life'. The author of this work defends the concept of a jury and criticises Mansfield for being against this. 

A very scarce political pamphlet.