Junius

jun'yus, Letters of, a famous series of political letters signed Junius. They were forty-four in number, and appeared in the Public Advertiser, of London. The first was published November 21, 1768. The last bore the date of January 21, 1772. The title of the first, The State of the Nation, indicates their general character. The author attacked several leading members of the ministry, denouncing them for inefficiency. He showed that he was intimately acquainted with their private lives and with the proceedings of Parliament. He had the gossip of court at his fingers' ends and lashed his enemies into a perfect fury of resentment. "Who wrote the letters of Junius?" was for decades a much argued question. The question has never been settled on circumstantial evidence. Macaulay handles the topic exhaustively, claiming that Sir Philip Francis, in point of handwriting, familiarity with government and social circles, and ability as a writer, answers the known conditions perfectly. As Francis received a lucrative appointment to a post in India at the time the correspondence ceased, it is probable that the government took this means of silencing a troublesome adversary.