Whitehall, Sept. 27th, 1751.

Mr. Attorney General,

Sir,--It having been represented to the King, that the Relations of
Mary Blandy, who is confined in the Castle at Oxford, upon suspicion
of having poisoned her Father, the late Mr. Blandy, of Henley upon
Thames, do not intend to prosecute her for that crime, and
application having been made, that His Majesty would be pleased to
give Orders for the Prosecution of the said Mary Blandy; I am
commanded to signify to you the King's Pleasure, That you should
immediately enquire into this Affair; and that, in case you should
find that the relations of the said Mary Blandy do not propose to
prosecute her for the Murder of her Father, you should forthwith
take the necessary steps for that Purpose; That so wicked and
henious a Crime may not go unpunished.

I am, etc.,

HOLLES NEWCASTLE.

IV. PETITION OF THE NOBLEMEN AND GENTLEMEN IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF
HENLEY-UPON-THAMES TO DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, WITH THE OPINION OF THE
ATTORNEY-GENERAL THEREON.

(State Papers, Dom. (George II.), Bundle 117, No. 45.)

Henley upon Thames, 4th Oct., 1751.

My Lord,--We the Noblemen and Gentlemen in the Neighbourhood of
Henley upon Thames, and the Mayor and Principal Magistrates of that
Town, having met there together this day to make farther enquiries
in relation to the inhuman Murder of the late Mr. Blandy, have
unanimously agreed to return our sincere thanks to Your Grace for
your great readiness in promoting all proper measures for bringing
to Justice the persons concerned in that Horrid and Shocking
Transaction. And we take this Opportunity of expressing the just
Sense we have of his Majesty's Paternal Goodness to his people, in
directing that the person, who is now in Custody, and with the
greatest reason supposed to be chiefly instrumental in that Uncommon
scene of Iniquity, should be prosecuted at His Majesty's Expence:
And we beg leave to assure Your Grace, that no endeavours shall be
wanting on our part, to render that prosecution successful, and to
bring to condign punishment not only the Unnatural Daughter of that
Unhappy Gentleman, but also the Wicked Contriver and Instigator of
this Cruel Design. But at the same time we take the Liberty of
representing to Your Grace, as our humble Opinion, that there will
be little Room to hope that the Original Author & Promoter of this
Villainous Scheme can be b