brated Mrs. Hartley, the actress, was at Vauxhall with a party of friends, enjoying the pleasures of that delightful spot. In the course of the evening this lady and her friends were most unseasonably broken in upon and disturbed by the man to whom we have alluded, and whose name was George Robert Fitzgerald. On that occasion Mr. Dudley afforded his protection to Mrs. Hartley, against the rude attacks of Mr. Fitzgerald; the consequence was that he was challenged by, and met him afterwards at a coffee-house in the Strand, where Mr. Fitzgerald received that chastisement which his insolence demanded. This rencontre happened while he was editor of the Morning Post; and some observations in that paper respecting Madame D'Eon, who at that time figured away in this kingdom, drew upon him the resentment of a man named De Morande, a confidential friend of Madame le Chevalier's. Mr. Dudley condescended to meet him, and the result of that meeting was highly honourable to the personal courage and gentlemanly conduct of Mr. Dudley.

It was a short time before these transactions, that Mr. Dudley's active mind led him to engage with some gentlemen in the Morning Post, a paper of some reputation, and in the management of which he reserved to himself the principal share. This copartnership, however, was not of long duration, owing to a circumstance which happened during the administration of the Duke of Richmond at the Ordnance Board. A letter, containing some severe strictures upon the conduct of the Noble Duke, hav

into the paper,

ing found its way a criminal prosecution was commenced against Mr. Dudley principal proprietor, in which case judgment was given against him. The consequence was, that Mr. Dudley took umbrage and quitted the concern, establishing immediately afterwards the Morning Herald, which to the present day holds its rank among the daily papers. This paper was commenced on the 1st of November 1780, and has continued under the principal control of Mr. Dudley ever since.

From the acquaintance which subsists between Mr. Dudley and Mr. Fox, it may naturally be supposed that gentleman is attached to the principles of so enlightened a statesman; we must however do him the justice to acknowledge, that no considerations of private friendship, however great they might be, have ever induced him to depart from the strict line of duty as a public journalist. He has upon all occasions supported or decried the measures of the reigning administration of the day, as they appeared to him to deserve applause, or to call loudly for censure, strictly avoiding a blind partiality for opposition, and exercising that true British spirit of feeling-an independant and unbiassed mind!

There never was a period in the history of literature in which public generosity was so much exerted as at the present moment, and strange as it may appear, there never was a period in which that generosity was so ill requited, The number of diurnal journals now published is greater than any former precedent can shew. The public seek with avidity for intelligence, they purchase these journals, and confidently

confidently expect to be repaid with the coin of early, impartial, and true intelligence of the passing events of the day-'tis a coin which they have a right to expect, but 'tis a coin which they cannot obtain! The result is obvious; they honestly and unsuspectingly are imposed upon. Day after day the same imposition is practised, and so eager is their thirst for information, that unwittingly they continue in error, in hopes that the succeeding day may bring them nearer the fountain of truth. The fact is, that the expectation of finding truth in the newspapers, is almost as hopeless as the expectation of finding the philosopher's stone. The several gentlemen to whom the editorships are entrusted, are undoubtedly possessed of much learning and ability; but it happens most unfortunately for their patrons, the public, that the sources from whence they gain intelligence are stagnate; consequently clear and wholesome draughts cannot be drawn. In the conduct of a newspaper, with respect to the literary department, it must be known to the public, that many persons are employed. Many of these persons are possessed of learning, and are indefatigable in their several avocations; but their labours, fatal experience has shewn the uselessness of! Instead of directing their attentions to procure early and important information upon points of political knowledge, we find daily long, laboured, inconclusive, and incomprehensible articles, which in the language of the shop are called leading paragraphs,"

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and

and which consist wholly of a string of words huddled together in the form of sentences, which they obtrude upon the attention of the public, and which in fact are nothing more than their own opinions!These are literary impositions. The public care as much for the opinions of newspaper editors, as they do for the opinions of the sages of the antipodes. Instead of thrusting them forward, the public would be obliged by a plain statement of facts, unaccompanied by these opinions; to which plain statement of facts, if they would also condescend to add a little more intelligence of what is passing at home, the obligation would be doubled.

These observations, however, do not apply to the paper of which Mr. Dudley is proprietor: that paper has been particularly noticed for the conciseness of its political remarks; the gentleman to whom the conduct has been entrusted, very judiciously chusing to leave the public to make their own comments, rather than by an affected display of political knowledge, to endeavour at entrapping the judgments of his readers. Such conduct must deserve well of the public, and the impartiality which is apparent throughout the paper justifies the assertion.

Mr. Dudley has the perpetual advowson of the rectory of Bradwell Juxta Mare, Essex. This living he became the patron of in the year 1780; it was bought in trust, for him, subject to the life of the then incumbent (Mr. Pawson). Upon the death of that gentleman, in the year 1797, Mr. Dudley applied to the Bishop of London to be instituted to the

living, proposing to vacate that of North Frambridge; but here, most unexpectedly, he was not only refused the induction, by the reverend Prelate, but another person appointed in his room! A very long controvery ensued upon the subject between the Bishop and the Patron; the former contending that the transaction, as between Mr. Pawson and the trustees, was illegal. The consequence of this controversy was as we have stated, although Mr. Dudley waved his own right of presentation in favour of his brother-in-law (Mr.Birch), and consented to a judgment of non pros. being entered on the quare impedit cause, which was set down for trial.

The case was peculiarly hard in respect to Mr. Dudley, (who at the expence of nearly thirty thousand pounds expended in the parish of Bradwell), conceived he had an undoubted right to the induction. When Mr. Dudley first took possession of Bradwell, he found the church, chancel, parson age, buildings, and premises, gone to general decay; the church-yard fenceless from the sea; the glebe-land, which consisted of nearly three hundred acres, inundated; and indeed the whole appearance of the place such as to give an idea of Arabia Deserta; no rector or vicar residing within many miles, or any decent assistant to be procured for the discharge of the parochial duties. He accordingly commenced his residence as curate, and by a regular performance of the church service, increased the congregation, rebuilt the freeschool, built a new house on the rectory, drained the glebe-lands, and embanked an additional portion