The said act then enacts, "That all party-walls to be erected or built within the said city or liberty of Westminster, and the parishes, precincts, and limits aforesaid, shall be two bricks and an half thick at the least in the cellar, and two bricks thick upwards to the garret floor, and from thence one brick and an half thick at least, eighteen inches above the roofs or gutters which adjoin to such party walls; and that the same shall be built of stone, or of good sound burnt bricks, and none other.

“And that no timbers, except the timbers of the girders, binding joists, and the templets under the same, shall be laid into the party-walls erected or built, or to be erected or built, within the said city or liberty of Westminster, and the parishes, precincts, and limits aforesaid; and that no timbers of the roof be laid into such party-walls, (except the purloins or kerb thereof,) and that the ends of girders, and binding joists, lying within such party-walls, shall not exceed nine inches; and that none of the ends of the girders, or binding joists, in adjoining houses, shall meet, or be laid opposite to each other; and that the sides thereof shall be, at least, fourteen inches distant from each other; and that there shall be nine inches, at least, of solid brick-work left at or between the ends of all lentils, wall-plates, and bondtimbers, which may or shall be laid in or upon the walls of the fore and back fronts of all houses which shall adjoin to cach other, on the penalty of fifty pounds on the head builder.

"That no timber or timbers whatsoever shall be laid or placed under the hearth or hearths of any room or rooms, or within nine inches of any funnel or flew of any chimney or chimnies, of any house or houses within the limits aforesaid; and that no timber buildings whatsoever shall be built adjoining to any house or houses, so as the timbers thereof shall be let into any wall of any such house or houses already built, or hereafter to be built, within the limits aforesaid, under the penalty of fifty pounds.

"That after any party-wall or party-walls shall be erected or built pursuant to the directions of this act, no person or

persons

persons whatsoever, who shall build against such party-wall or party-walls, shall, on any pretence whatsoever, cut into or wound the same, for the convenience of making a chimney or chimnies, or for any other purpose whatsoever; nor shall lay into the same any other timbers than are allowed by this act to be laid into new party-walls, under the penalty of fifty pounds.

That every master-builder, who shall erect or build any house within the limits above mentioned, shall, within fourteen days after the same shall be covered in, cause the same to be surveyed by one or more surveyor or surveyors; and such surveyor or surveyors shall make oath, before one of his majesty's justices of the peace for the said county of Middlesex, or city of Westminster that the same hath been (to the best of his or their judgment and belief) built and erected agreeable to the several directions in this act contained; which affidavit shall be filed with the clerk of the peace for the said county of Middlesex, within ten days after the making thereof; and if any master-builder shall make default in the premisses, by neglecting to cause such survey to be made, or such affidavit to be made and filed as afore said, such master-builder shall, for every such neglect or default, forfeit the sum of fifty pounds.

"Provided always, that in all cases where any party-wall within the said city or liberty of Westminster, and the parishes, precincts, and limits aforesaid, shall by virtue of the act of the 11 George I. and of this present act, be pulled down and rebuilt, agreeable to the directions of this present act, by the owner or occupier of one of the adjoining houses, the expence of such party-wall shall be estimated and computed at and after the rate of 67. 10s. per rod.

"Provided also, that in all cases where any party-wall shall be erected or built, agreeable to the directions of this present act, in execution of any contract or contracts entered into with the builder or workman before the 1st day July, 1764, the expence of such party-wall shall be esti imated and computed at and after the rate of 6l. 10s. per rod; any thing in such contract or contracts to the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding.

And be it further enacted, "That for the further and better preventing the spreading of fires, all houses or other buildings, which shall be erected or built within the said city or liberty of Westminster, and the parishes, precincts, and limits aforesaid, shall be built of stone, or of good sound, hard, well-burnt bricks, and none other, both in the forefront, and back-front thereof, from the breast-summer upwards, (and likewise the party-walls thereof) and that such breast-summer, in all such houses or other buildings, shall not be higher than the floor of the one pair of stairs.

This act concludes with a clause directing, "That in all cases where any of the rewards shall be claimed by virtue of the statute of the 6th of queen Anne, for engines brought to help to extinguish fires, such reward shall be payable and paid in the same manner to the keeper of any other engine, though not a parish engine, who shall bring in such engine in good order and complete, to help and extinguish such in the same manner as if such engine was a parish engine."

fire,

On the fourth of May, a cause was tried before chief justice Pratt, at Guildhall, between Arthur Beardmore, esq; an eminent solicitor, and one of the common council of Walbrook ward, plaintiff, and Messrs. Carrington and three other of his majesty's messengers, defendants; for forcibly entering the plaintiff's house, rumaging and taking away many of his papers, and for falsely imprisoning his person six days and an half, in the house of Mr. Blackmore, one of the said messengers. It appeared in the course of the trial, that Mr. Beardmore had been taken into custody on the eleventh of November preceding, for a supposed connexion with the writers and publishers of a political paper called The Monitor, and was in confinement till the seventeenth, two days of which he was not suffered the use of either pen, ink, or paper, nor permitted to converse with any of his friends, but in the presence of the messenger; nay, it was mentioned, that when application was made by the then lord mayor of London to bail him, the proper officer who was to examine him, neglected it, on this consistent and reasonable account, that The Monitors were much too voluminous to be inspected.

Mr.

Mr. Jonathan Scott, the former publisher of The Monitor, in order to prove the justice of Mr. Beardmore's commitment, presented a paper to the court, setting forth, that this gentleman, together with the Rev. Mr. Entick, Dr. Shebbear, and others, were the authors; that the two latter had a salary of 100l. a year for their writings; and that he himself (Mr. Scott) was allowed the profits of the sale for his trouble, after the necessary expences attending the publication were discarged.

Such being the ground-work of the charge and defence, the examination of witnesses, and the pleadings on both sides, continued till about a quarter after four in the afternoon, when it appearing incontestibly evident, that Mr. Beardmore had suffered very considerably, in being confined for so long a space at the beginning of term, when he had a number of important causes to conduct; and his principal clerk, who transacted the business in his absence, being also taken by the same warrant with himself, and in the custody of another messenger; the lord chief justice proceeded with his usual candour, to give the charge, in which he observed, "that the seizure of Mr. Beardmore's person and papers was illegal; and that the secretaries of state should always be particularly careful to hear with their ears open, and to see with their own eyes: he recommended moderation, however, in the damages, as the messengers were only servants, and, consequently, could not be considered as intentionally culpable."

The jury then withdrew, and returned in about fifty minutes, with a verdict of 1,000l. in favour of Mr. Beardmore, highly to the satisfaction of the court, and the wishes of the auditors, who testified their approbation by the loudest bursts of applause. It is proper to add, that the counsel for the plaintiff were the Recorder of London, Mr. serjeant Glynn, Mr. Dunning, Mr. Stow, and Mr. Gardner: for the defendants, the attorney and solicitor-general, serjeant Nares, serjeant Davy, and Mr. Wallis.

The consequence of this decision was, that on the 21st of June, a writ of inquiry of damages was executed at Guildhall, wherein Messrs. Wilson and Till, eminent booksellers

in Paternoster Row, were plaintiffs, and three of his majesty's messengers, defendants, in an action of trespass, for entering the plaintiffs house, and seizing their papers, &c. After many learned arguments by the counsel on both sides, the jury, to compose which, one person was summoned out of each ward of the city, withdrew, and in about twenty minutes returned, and brought in the damages at 600l. Mr. Dunning was counsel, and Mr. Beardmore attorney for the plaintiffs; Mr. Wallace counsel, and Mr Barnes attorney, for the defendants. On the 25th, fourteen journey. men printers, who some time before had obtained a verdict against the king's messengers, for false imprisonment, received the amount of their damages in the following proportions thus thirteen who had 2001. costs and damages, received 1207. each; and one, who had 300l. decreed him, received 170l. money was also awarded them to pay their

attornies.

The improvements of the city rapidly increased; and that convenience as well as elegant embellishment should be adopted, the nobility and gentry at the west end of the town, came to a resolution of affixing the names of several lanes and streets, in conspicuous places, and by putting their titles or names upon their gates or doors: those of New Burlington Street set the example, and affixed their titles or names upon the doors, engraved on a small brass plate. Most of the streets about Hanover Square followed the example, and the mode was afterwards generally adopted, and continues of great utility in this great and extensive metropolis. By these methods, the stranger and foreigner readily finds out the street: and every person of business, the house at which he wants to call.

A violent storm of thunder, lightning and rain happened on the 18th of June, by the violence of which the spire of St. Bride's steeple was so injured, as to require it to be totally rebuilt. This accident induced philosophical enquiry and the use of conductors, as recommended by Dr. Franklin, in order to avoid any future destructive effects of lightning.

VOL. I. No. 23.

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