Riots molested the city during the remainder of this year. His majesty had left England but a short time before the politica! uproar of party, which had so long divided the nation, broke out into fresh animosities; and the disorderly multitude, ever ready to go upon a wrong bias, followed the example of their superiors. The Whigs had formed themselves into societies, and met at different houses in the city and suburbs, distinguished by the name of Mug-houses, from the vessels they drank out of, and at these places of resort whiggish healths were constantly toasted. The most famous of these houses was in Salisbury Court, Fleet Street, which was rendered so by the following circumstance:

The company assembled having on some occasion given extraordinary demonstration of their hatred and animosity to the leading men of the opposite party, by malicious healths and reflections, the Tory mob on being informed of it were so incensed, that on the 20th of July they came and attacked the Mug-house, kept by one Read, with an intent to demolish it; but the company sending for a reinforcement from another Mug-house in Tavistock Street, discomfited the assailants.

Many however, returned, and kept lurking about the house the two following days. On the third Vaughan, formerly a Bridewell boy, instigated the mob to go to the Mug-house, and revenge the late affront. Thus spirited, they followed with loud huzzas of "High Church and Ormond, down with the Mug-house!" Read desired them to keep off, or he would fire among them; but this menace not being regarded, he discharged his piece, and killed Vaughan on the spot, for which he was afterwards tried and acquitted.

This circumstance increased the outrage, the windows were broken, the sign torn down, and the furniture of the house destroyed; such a tumult alarmed the magistracy, and the sheriffs caused the proclamation against riots to be read; to which no obedience being paid, a party of the guards was ordered, at whose appearance the mob dispersed: but not till five of the most active were taken, who being tried

and

and convicted, were executed before the house; which exemplary punishment effectually suppressed these tumultuous proceedings.

On the 2d of December 1716, a fire broke out in the French Protestants chapel in Spring Gardens, Charing Cross, which consumed that building, the library, and three adjacent houses. And on the 4th a most alarming fire broke out near Dick's Shore, Limehouse, which burnt down near two hundred houses.

Such a boisterous and troublesome year seemed unfit for internal regulation or improvement; but on the eighteenth of December the common council passed an act, in which, after having repealed all the former acts concerning lighting of the city of London, they enacted as follows:

"That all housekeepers, whose house, door, gateway, or fronts lie next to any street, lane, or public passage or place of the said city, or liberties thereof, shall, in every dark night, that is, every night between the second night after each full moon, and the seventh night after each new moon, set or hang out one or more lights, with sufficient cotton wicks, that shall continue to burn from six o'clock at night till eleven o'clock of the same night, on penalty of one shilling. And that, under the like penalty, the occupiers of houses in any court, that faces any public place or passage, shall alternately hang or set such a light on the outside of such doors or gates as shall be next the said public place or passage: unless the party offending is not charged to the poor, and whose house shall not be of the rent of 107. per annum. Penalties to be levied by distress and sale of the offender's goods, by warrants from the mayor."

Some evil disposed persons at this period endeavoured to involve the corporation in a premunire for having neglected, on their coming into office, to subscribe the declaration against the solemn league and covenant, pursuant to act of parliament: to prevent the injury the malicious endeavours of their enemies intended, they addressed his majesty; and, after allowing the fact, alledged that such subscription had been very much disused. They alledged also, "that

they had behaved themselves in their offices with all duty to his majesty, and prayed that his majesty would graciously please to give such directions and orders therein as should effectually quiet the minds of his petitioners, &c."

The king's answer was: "I am fully persuaded of your duty and affection to me and my government, and I take this application kindly, as it is a mark of your trust and confidence in me. I shall be glad not only for your sakes but my own, if any defects, which may touch the rights of my good subjects, are discovered in my time; since that will furnish me with means of giving you and all my people an indisputable proof of my tenderness for their privileges, and how unwilling I shall be to take advantage of their mistakes."

The transactions of the year 1717 are not of sufficient consequence to merit particular mention. On the 18th of June, a fire happened in the chambers of Mr. Bonithan, in Gray's Inn. When his chambers were in flames, he first stabbed himself, and then, leaping out of the window, died soon after. By this accident four sets of chambers were destroyed, and two damaged. This gentleman's father, Mr. Serjeant Bonithan, had shot himself a few years preceding. Another fire broke out on the sixth of August, in a pitch and tar warehouse at a place called Prince's Island, Wapping, which destroyed fourteen houses and damaged several others.

The commencement of the year 1718 was marked by proceeding against clubs and combinations of artificers. These dangerous associations, in consequence of the turbulent state of party dissention, had increased in an alarming manner. To check the innovations threatened, on the fourth of February a proclamation was published at the Royal Exchange, &c. "against unlawful clubs, combinations, &c. of woolcombers and weavers, who had formed themselves into lawless clubs and societies, and had illegally presumed to act as bodies corporate, by making and un. lawfully conspiring to execute certain bye-laws or orders, whereby they pretended to determine who had a right to VOL. I. No. 14.

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the trade, what and how many apprentices and journeymen each man should keep at once together, with the prices of all their manufactures, and the manner how and materials of which they should be wrought, and refused to work till they could oblige the masters to employ them for want of other hands."

The feuds in which the country was involved, had also possessed the corporate bodies throughout the realm; among these the city of London had been so far misled, as to appropriate part of the cash in the chamberlain's hands to serve election purposes. Upon this a complaint was made to the house of lords, stating, " that the cash of the chamber of London had from time to time been issued out to prosecute law-suits upon controverted elections." The lords appointed a committee to examine into the affair, who found "that since the 13th of November 1711 the city had paid on the said account for Langbourn Ward, Tower Ward, and Cheap Ward, the sum of 28271. 10s. and that not one of the said suits, so ordered to be carried on by the common council, for which so great a sum of money had been expended, were ever determined in favour of the prosecutors."

The report being read, the house came to the following resolution: "Resolved, by the lords Spiritual and Temporal parliament assembled, that it is the opinion of this house that the common councils of London having issued great sums of money out of the chamber of London in maintaining several suits of law between citizen and citizen, relating to controverted elections, they have abused their trust, and been guilty of great partiality, and of gross mismanagement of the city treasure, and a violation of the freedom of elections in the city."

- On the 21st a bill was brought in at the petition of the inhabitants of Wapping-Stepney, now the parish of St. George in the East, St. John's, Wapping, and Aldgate, "to prevent mischiefs which may happen by keeping or having too great quantities of gunpowder in storehouses or warehouses

warehouses belonging to private persons, in and about the cities of London and Westminster, and suburbs thereof."*

The city experienced a great stagnation of trade, and the ruin of many families occurred, in consequence of the BUBBLE which took place in 1720. It appears that though the Mississippi scheme of John Law had lately ruined the people of France, the golden bait was to be swallowed in England by an equally plausible project. An exclusive trade in favour of the British South Sea Company having been concluded in consequence of a treaty with the king of Spain; the agents of that company, under cover of the importation which they were authorised to make by the ship sent annually to Porto Bello, poured in their commodities on the Spanish colonies, without limitation or reserve. Instead of a ship of five hundred tons burden, as stipulated by the treaty, they usually employed one of a thousand tons, exclusive of water and provisions: she was accompanied by three or four smaller vessels, which administered to her wants, and mooring in some neighbouring creek, furnished her clandestinely with fresh bales of goods, to replace such as had been previously disposed of.

By these advantages, the profits of the company became very considerable, and the public supposed them greater than they really were. Encouraged by such favourable circumstances, and by the general spirit of avaricious enterprize, Sir John Blunt, one of the directors, under pretence of enabling government to pay off the national debt, by lowering the interest, and reducing all the funds into one, proposed, that the South Sea company should become the sole public creditor.

A scheme so plausible, and so advantageous to the state, was readily adopted by the ministry, and soon received the sanction of parliament. The purport of the act was, that the South Sea Company should be authorised to purchase,

About this time robberies had become so intolerable within the city and the vicinity, that government to put a stop to its progress, issued a proclamation, offering a reward of 100%. for apprehending any highwayman within five miles of the metropolis.