"shall be musicians of his majesty, his heirs, and successors, shall from henceforth for ever, by virtue of the "said grant, be a body corporate and politic, in deed, "fact, and name," &c. The other powers granted by this charter allowed the corporation from time to time to make bye-laws, and impose fines on such as transgressed them; "which fines they shall have for their own use."In pursuance of these powers, the corporation hired a room in Durham-yard, in the Strand, within the city of Westminster. Their first meeting was in 1661 (Nicholas Lamine being marshal); from which day they proceeded to make orders-summoning, fining, and prosecuting the first professors "who dared make any benefit or advantage of music, in England or Wales, without first taking out a license from their fraternity." Amongst the instances of the exercise of their power, it was ordered "that Lock, Gibbons," and other celebrated masters in their art," do come to Durham-yard, and bring each of "them ten pounds, or show cause to the contrary." This seems to have been one of the most unmeaning and oppressive monopolies with which the Stuarts had long vexed the nation. Such a tyranny over the professors of a liberal art, there is reason to fear, would have been abused in whatever hands it had been lodged. The college of physicians, which superintends the dispensations of life and death, may have its use in preventing or detecting quackery; but that the ministers of our innocent amusements should be subject to any other controul than that which the common law of the realm is empowered to exercise over men of all ranks and degrees in the state, is a noxious delegation of power, far less likely to benefit the public, or accelerate the progress of the art, than to enable artists to torment and harass each other from motives of jealousy and avarice. The minutes of this corporation are extant among the Harleian MSS. in the British Museum; by which it ap pears pears that the meetings continued no longer than 1679; when the members finding themselves involved in lawsuits, and incapable of enforcing the power they assumed and the penalties threatened, it was deemed most advisable to leave the artists and the art to the neglect or patronage of the public *. * Anthony Wood, Evelyn, Vertue, Graham, Walpole's Anecdotes, Burney's and Hawkins's Histories of Music, Biographia Britannica, &c. BRITISH BRITISH AND FOREIGN HISTORY For the Year 1801. CHAPTER I. Diffolution of the Miniftry-Circumftances which were fuppofed to lead to that Event-General Character of the late Administration-New Miniftry-Meeting of the Imperial Parliament, Speech from the ThroneDebates on the Addrefs-in the Houfe of Lords-in the House of Com mons. HE year 1801 was introduced perhaps may be ultimately referred other events, not only interefting to this nation, but to the whole of Europe. An Administration which had lafted upwards of feventeen years, which had established itself in defiance of the house of commons, had baffled, and at length fubdued, a moft formidable oppofition, was fuddenly diffolved; and on Friday the 11th of January Mr. Pitt gave in his refignation to his majefty, which was immediately followed by that of lord Grenville, earl Spencer, the lord chancellor, Mr. Dundas, and Mr. Windham. Of the fecret hiftory of this tranfaction, little which may be deemed authentic has yet tranfpired. If we may judge of the different parts which certain members of that adminiftration have taken, it is not unreasonable to fuppofe, that a difunion of fenti It felves on certain public measures, and particularly relative to a peaco with the French republic. It has been faid that Mr. Pitt was de firous of peace, but conceived himself not calculated for its accomplishment, after the rancorous hoftility he had manifefted towards the French nation, and even towards the perfon who now exercited the fovereignty there. has been faid that he began to feel for the confequences; and that the difficulty of the financial ar rangements, and particularly of finding taxes anfwerable to the expences of a protracted war, at length appeared in a formidable point of view, and induced the refolution of relinquishing a feat which he could no longer preserve with fafety and with honour. On the other hand, it has been whif pered that a ferious difagreement A 2 had |