to their habitations: but being spirited again by some who were evil-minded, several parties of the misguided weavers, on the 18th of May, committed violences against the houses of the supposed enemies of their trade, by breaking their windows, &c.

A court of aldermen had however met to consult on proper methods for guarding against any ill consequences from these commotions. A party of guards from the Tower were ordered on duty in Moorfields, where the mob had broke the windows of several masters, who were reported to have been in possession of great quantities of French silks. The guards were continued in Moorfields for some days, and a proclamation was issued for suppressing riots, tumults, and all unlawful assemblies. By these means, together with the prudence of the magistrates, and the assurance of the master weavers, the discontent subsided, and tranquillity was happily restored.

This was a destructive year with respect to fires. The first accident of the kind was on the first of June, which broke out in a mast-yard near Rotherhithe church, and in a few hours destroyed two hundred and six houses, together with a brig and several lighters in the river: the wind carried the flames to a considerable distance, but luckily they were driven from the Thames, otherwise the consequence to the shipping must have been very fatal. The losses occasioned by this fire was computed at 10,000l. but the unhappy sufferers, many of whom had not insured their property, were relieved by the munificence of the public, who raised such contributions as greatly exceeded the estimates of the claimants.

humbly begging your assistance in this our most lamentable condition, That your petitioners are of opinion, with humble submission to your much better judgment, that this excessive badness of trade, proceeds chiefly and principally from the increase of the use and wear of all sorts of foreign wrought silks, which are continually imported and smuggled into this metropolis, and other parts of Great Britain. The assistance your humble petitioners pray for, is, that you would, this session of par liament, grant a general prohibition of all foreign wrought silks :-and your petitioners, &c.

The iniquitous practice of false measures had arisen to the highest pitch of enormity; and the spirit of monopoly and oppression was at this time so widely spread, that the very retailers of milk, in and about the metropolis, attempted to raise the price: so that what had till now been bought at one penny per quart, Winchester measure, was raised to two pence halfpenny per wine quart: to prevent as much as possible such shameful proceedings, the magistracy exerted themselves in an effectual manner; and the law having declared by the 11th and 12th of William III. c. 15. sect. 5. "That every mayor or chief officer of every city, town corporate, borough, or market town, shall on request to him. made, cause all ale quarts and ale pints made of wood, earth, glass, horn, leather, pewter, or other good and wholesome metal, which shall be brought to him to be measured and sized with the standard in his custody, and shall then cause the same and every of them to be plainly and apparently signed, stamped, and marked W. R. and a crown, for which they shall not receive above one farthing for each measure, on pain of five pounds, to be recovered as aforesaid; and he shall also pay to the party grieved treble damages, with costs, by action at law." The lord mayor, in pursuance of this law, summoned the publicans, &c. under his jurisdic tion, for selling in pots not sealed with the city mark, ac. cording to law. On which occasion, they were obliged to pay the penalty of ten shillings each.

On the 2d of July, was tried at Guildhall, before the right honourable Lord Mansfield, a cause wherein Messrs. Carr, Ibbetson and Co. eminent silk mercers on Ludgate Hill, were plaintiffs, against several custom-house officers defendants, for entering and searching the house of the plaintiffs, under pretence of their having a large quantity of prohibited goods in their possession. When it appeared that the officers had not the least foundation for such search; the jury which consisted of merchants, found a verdict against the customhouse officers, for 1007. damages, with costs of suit.

The second accident by fire this year, occurred on the 7th of November, about three o'clock in the morning, at the house

house of Mr. Rutland, a peruke-maker, in Bishopsgate Street, adjoining the corner house in Leadenhall Street. The wind being high, the flames spread to the corner house, and thence to the opposite side; for want of water and proper assistance, the flames soon communicated to the opposite corners, so that the four corner houses were all on fire at the same time. The house which formed the corner of Gracechurch Street and Cornhill was only damaged, but the other three were all destroyed; as were also all the houses from the corner of Cornhill next Bishopsgate Street, to the church of Saint Martin Outwich, at the corner of Threadneedle Street. The church and parsonage house were greatly damaged. The back parts of several houses in Threadneedle Street, were much injured. All the houses in White Lion Court, were entirely destroyed, among which was the White Lion tavern, that had been bought but the evening before for between two and three thousand pounds. The back part of Merchant Taylors Hall was great damaged. Five houses on the Exchange side of Cornhill were entirely consumed, as were several others in Leadenhall Street. It was supposed that by this accident, near one hundred houses were destroyed or injured, and the loss was computed at 100,000l. Several lives were lost, not only by the fire, but by the falling of chimnies and walls. A gentleman who ventured among the ruins next day, thinking that some persons might be still alive under the rubbish, waved his hat to engage the atten.. tion of the spectators, and declared that he was sure many were actually under the spot on which he stood. Upon this the fire-men went immediately to work with their pick-axes, and on removing the rubbish, they drew out alive two men, three women, a child about six years old, two cats, and a dog. The following day, as some of the workmen were clearing away the rubbish from the cellar of one of the houses, a stack of chimnies fell suddenly down, by which accident eight persons were killed, and several others had their limbs crushed in a shocking manner.

Many of the sufferers by this fire not being insured, a subscription was opened for their relief, which soon proVOL. I. No. 23.

3 Z

duced

duced 3,000l. one thousand of which was subscribed by his majesty. The Grocers and Ironmongers company each subscribed 100%. and the lord mayor 50l. a part of which was distributed among the unfortunate widows and children of the men who were killed by the falling of the stack of chimnies.

An association of painters, sculptors, architects, and engravers, (emulated by the assiduous attention paid by the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce,. to schemes of utility,) obtained a charter of incorporation this year, by the name of "The Society of Artists of Great Britain;" to consist of a president, vicepresident, directors, and fellows, with a common seal, and other powers, within the city of London, and ten miles thereof.

The royal family at this period sustained the melancholy loss of his royal highness William Duke of Cumberland, his majesty's uncle, and his youngest brother Prince Frederick William, aged sixteen years, who both departed this life within the space of two months.

Among the last transactions recorded in the year 1765, is that concerning the mode of new paving, and other regulations respecting the further improvement of the metropolis; and having been referred to the commissioners of sewers and pavements to consider of the most effectual way to correct the complaints of bad pavements, and other nuisances within the limits of the city jurisdiction, they made a representation of what they had considered, in the manner and form following:

"To the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Commons of the City of London, in Common Council assembled.

"The humble representation of the commissioners of the sewers and pavements within the said city and liberties,

"Sheweth,

"That they the commissioners of sewers having received frequent complaints of bad pavements and other nuisances

within the limits of our jurisdiction, and having found our repeated endeavours to correct the same ineffectual, we think it incumbent on us to represent to this honourable court,

"1. That the pavements are in general rough and irregular, and in many of the principal streets very defective and bad, chiefly owing, as we conceive, to their being partially, and at different times, and with different materials, repaired by the several inhabitants themselves, to the frequent breaches made therein by the different water companies, and to their slight and insufficient manner of patching up the same.

"2. That the prevailing method of placing the channels in the middle of the streets, which are generally made very deep, and in many cases (sometimes necessarily) attended with cross channels, renders the coach-way very disagree able and unsafe to passengers, as well as highly detrimental to horses and carriages.

"3. That the too common practice of the lower sort of inhabitants and servants, throwing ashes, rubbish, broken glass, and earthen ware, offals, and other offensive things, into the streets, stops the current of the channel, makes the highway very inconvenient, and sometimes dangerous to each horse and foot passenger, and even to the health of the neighbouring inhabitants.

“4. That the passage of some of the greatest thoroughfares is often obstructed by the loading and unloading of stage coaches, stage waggons, and country carts, and by the washing of butts, casks, and barrels, in the highway.

"5. That the footways by not being raised above the level of the streets, are much annoyed with mud, and frequently overflowed with water, which renders them disagreeable and slippery, are moist and very dangerous in frosty weather; a nuisance every day accumulated by the neglect of the householders to cause their servants to scrape and sweep away the mud from before their houses.

6. That posts intended for the security of passengers, do but in part answer that intention, considerably lessen the passage on both sides, in streets already too narrow, and by