Letters of Junius
Junius, Letters of, a series of letters attacking British political figures. The letters appeared in the Public Advertiser, an antigovernment newspaper, between January, 1769, and January, 1772. Although signed “Junius,” they are of unknown authorship. A collected edition was published in 1772. The letters consisted mainly of personal abuse of George III and his ministers, especially the Duke of Grafton, who was prime minister from 1768 to 1770. The publisher and printers of the newspaper were prosecuted for libel but were found not guilty. The letters provoked rioting in London against the government and contributed to the downfall of Grafton's ministry.
The Junius letters are admired by literary critics for their vigor of expression and elegance of style. In 1812, evidence was found that led to the belief that Sir Philip Francis, a government official, was the author. In 1949, other evidence caused researchers to think the author was Laughlin Macleane, secretary to the Earl of Shelburne. Further evidence produced in the 1960's again pointed to Francis, but the authorship of the letters has not been established.