'*  As  I  have  taken  my  final  and  firm  reaolution  to  resign  the  coib*
mand,  and  have  written  very  strongly  on  that  head,  to  the  board,  1
must  entreat  your  lordship  to  iacilitato  it,  and  I  am,

"  Yoar'a,  &c."

When  the  warrant  was  signed,  it  was  intended  thai  the  execntkm  of  tbe
admiral  sliould  take  place  without  delay ;  but  Mr. Keppel,  one  of  tbe
members  of  the  court  martial,  rose  in  his  place  in  the  Houae  of  Comiaooii
and  prayed,  in  behalf  of  himself  and  some  other  members  of  the  comt,
that  they  might  be  rqleased  from  their  oath  of  secrecy,  in  order  to  disdoie
the  reasons  which  had  induced  them  to  pass  sentence  of  death  upon  Ad-
miral Byng ;  as,  probably,  by  this  disclosure,  some  circumsCaooes  might
come  out  that  would  prove  the  sentence  to  be  illegal ;  and  OQ  the  26lh  of
February,  Mr. Pitt  brought  a  message  from  his  majesty,  stalii^  thai  he
had  thought  fit  to  respite  the  execution  of  the  sentence,  that  there  roigbt
be  an  opportunity  of  examining  the  members  of  die  oooit  martial  upoo
oath,  as  to  what  ground  there  was  for  the  suggestion  tliat  tlie  sentence  was
improper. In  consequence  of  this  message,  a  motion  was  made  for  bring-
ing in  a  bill,  to  release  the  members  of  the  court  martial  from  this  otdiof
secrecy,     it  was  accordingly  prepared,  presented,  read,  amended,  and  or-
dered to  be  engrossed,  all  in  one  day ;  and  on  the  breaking  up  of  tbe
house,  an  order  was  sent  down  to  Portsmouth,  to  respite  the  execution  of
the  admiral  to  the  14th  of  March. When  the  bill  was  broi^ht  iolo  (be
House  of  Lords,  a  message  was  sent  to  the  Commons,  desiring  them  to
give  leave  for  such  members  of  that  house  as  had  been  memben  of  the
court  martial,  to  attend,  and  be  examined  upon  the  second  reading  of  the
bill. They  attended,  and  the  principal  questions  put  to  them  were  ibeM:
lat. 