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104 ] ANNUAL REGISTER For the YEAR 1772. [105
JUNE.
The refractory city companies having removed several information of disfranchisement, from the mayor's court to the court of King's-bench and the city solicitor having obtained rules for them to shew cause why the several writs of certiorari for removing the same should not be quashed, the same was argued in that court on Saturday; and this day Lord Mansfield gave the opinion of the court thereon, which was, That the writs had been improvidently granted; that causes of that nature had no business in Westminster-hall; that every corporation interse, was the sole judge of its own rights and franchises; and that the corporation of London had the right and power of determining the present cause solely in their own hands.
This day the court of King's bench gave judgment in favour of the freemen against the corporation of Shrewsbury. The corporation of Shrewsbury, in 1733, made a bye-law, by which they assumed the power of admitting or rejecting burgesses, according to their own arbitrary will and pleasure. Before this bye-law was made, every person born in the town, or who had served an apprenticeship of seven years in it, was entitled to his burgessship [burgesship], upon payment of an accustomed fine. This new power gave, therefore, the greatest alarm to the freemen; and writs of Mandamus were applied for, which went down for the trial at the assizes: but the judge put off the cause from day to day, and at last left the town without trying it. A second attempt to try the cause was made the following year, but the sheriff who returned the jury being one of the corporation, the corporation objected to the whole jury, which, in law language, is called challenging the array; and the trial was thus a second time delayed. The great expence [expense] incurred by these two unsuccessful attempts, prevented a third being made till the sittings after last Michaelmas term, when it again came on before a special jury at Westminster-hall, After a long and full discussion, both the jury and the judge were fully convinced of the justice of the claim of the freemen, and a verdict was returned accordingly. When the news of this verdict was known in the country, it occasioned the greatest rejoicings ever known, not only in the town of Shrewsbury, but in the neighbouring counties to a great distance round.

Extract of a Letter from Trieste,
April 28.
"We have just committed to prison here a hermit of the neighbouring country, who has announced in public the total destruction of this city on the 4th of May next. The impression which this impostor made on the minds of the people was so deep, that most of them have forsaken their habitations and their business to fly from the approaching destruction. The people cannot be undeceived, nor be prevailed upon to return to their houses till the ominous day arrives, when, it is already decreed, the prophet will be hanged for his predictions."
The long-contested Valentia cause was this day decided by the House of Peers in Ireland, in favor of the sitting lord; 19
were|
|were for him and only 6 against him.—Several lords did not vote upon the question, which seemed to them doubtful. It is somewhat remarkable, that this noble lord is illegitimate in England, and the true son of his father in Ireland, and that he has been so declared by two tribunals, each supreme in its decision upon the question of the different peerages.
War-office, May 26, 1772,
The king has been pleased to direct that, for the future, the captain-lieutenants of the cavalry and marching regiments shall have rank, as well in the army as in their respective regiments, as captains; that the present captain- lieutenants shall take the said rank from this day; and all future captain-lieutenants from the date of their respective commissions.
3d.
BARRINGTON.
This day the following bills received the royal assent by a commission from his majesty,
viz.
The bill for remedying the evils occasioned by the laws now in being against badgers, engrossers, forestallers, and regrators.
The bill for further encouraging the herring-fishery on the coasts of the Isle of Man.
The bill for more effectually preventing frauds in the revenue of excise, with respect to tea, soap, low wines, and spirits.
The bill to explain and amend an act, relating to the establishment of Lazarets.
The bill to prevent frauds and abuses, relating to the trade carrying on between Great-Britain and Ireland.
The bill for more effectually preventing frauds in the stamp-duties, upon vellum, parchment, paper, and cards.
The bill to continue and amend an act, to prevent frauds committed by bankrupts.
The bill for allowing a drawback on the exportation of tea to Ireland and his majesty's colonies in America.
And also to several other public and private bills.
The foreign ministers had a meeting to consult upon the preservation of their privileges, which they suppose attacked by the petition of the cabinet-makers to parliament.
To the great honour of Prince Mafferano, we are assured, his excellency declared at the above meeting, that he would not keep company with any ambassador, who degraded himself from the dignity of a regal representative, to the mean state of a smuggler. "We come here (said the generous Castilian) to preserve the rights of nations, not to invade them; and those states should never fend a minister to any court, if their country is not able to furnish a gentleman."
The commons took into consideration the amendments made by the lords to the corn and game bills; which were both rejected. The motives assigned by the house for rejecting both bills were, that the House of Lords had no right to alter any bill by which money was to be levied on the subject.—In the debate on the latter, it was urged, that money levied by way of penalty could not be properly looked on in that light; to which Mr. Solicitor-general replied, it was not the sum to be levied, nor the manner of levying it, but the precedent 
7 which

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