Parliamentary characters, from the Public Ledger, 1779, and the English Chronicle, 1780, & 1781, 1779-1781.

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Parliamentary characters, from the Public Ledger, 1779, and the English Chronicle, 1780, & 1781, 1779-1781.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/702185823

Manuscript, in a single hand, of a collection of newspaper clippings of biographies of about 400 members of Parliament. The clippings are arranged in alphabetical order by name, with handwritten annotations of the constituencies represented. The clippings provide summaries of the members' voting record and political alliances, and often provide humorous commentary upon their personalities and foibles. Members of Parliament include Charles James Fox; George Keppel; Augustus Keppel; Lord Frederick North; and Charles Howard, Earl of Surrey. The volume includes two clippings on William Strahan which mock his origins and voting record. The biographies are followed by a shorter section titled Miscellaneous Papers, consisting of about 30 entries, which include newspaper obituaries of notable persons as well as both handwritten and printed humorous poems. Obituaries include those of the Princess Dowager of Wales, written by Strahan; David Garrick; the printers Alexander Kincaid and David Hall; and the bookseller Gavin Hamilton. Several clippings are Strahan's letters to editors of Edinborough newspapers concerning a bill in Parliament on behalf of booksellers. Also included are several clippings related to America and Benjamin Franklin, including critiques of William Robertson, the author of History of America; a letter to Benjamin Franklin by Grenville; an inscription upon a chamber-stove invented by Franklin; and an exchange in the Daily Advertiser between William Strahan and Franklin concerning the British treatment of the American colonies. A handwritten piece is titled Dialogue between Lord Hillsborough and Dr. Franklin, dated 1771. The humorous poems in this section include Irregular ode, by Henry Dundas; and On the death of an eminent surgeon, by an eminent hand. These pieces are followed by 12 clippings related to the death of William Strahan, His Majesty's printer, as well as 3 clippings reporting on the death of Mrs. M. P. Strahan, widow of the late William Strahan.

1 v. (96 leaves) ; 24 cm.

Yale University, Lewis Walpole Library

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SNAC Resource ID: 8026343

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Fox, Charles-James, 1749-1806

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Dundas, Henry, 1742-1811

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