to justice, the tories had again recourse to their old and favourite system of mobbing, which they now carried to a greater height than upon any former occasion. Saturday the twenty-eighth of May, being the anniversary of his majesty's birth-day, was selected by the party for commencing a series of riotous proceedings probably without example in the history of civilized kingdoms, proceedings that regarded neither life nor property, and trampled equally upon the humble individual, and upon the associated community. Some gentlemen attached to the constitution in and about Oxford, having met in honour of the day, a malicious report was circulated that it was their intention to burn in effigy, the late queen, the duke of Ormond, lord Bolingbroke, the Pope, Dr. Sacheveral, and the devil together; which, absurd and ridiculous as it was, had the effect of converting the inhabitants of that celebrated seat of science into one vast mob, by which the whigs were instantly driven into hiding-places, the presbyterian meetinghouse pulled down, a bonfire made of the windows, pulpit, and pews, and Mr. Roby, the minister, burnt in effigy; after which, they kept running about the streets like so many madmen, during the night searching for whigs, vociferating "an Ormond, an Ormond, a Bolingbroke, a Bolingbroke, down with the Roundheads, no Constitution, no Hanover, a new Restoration!" The night following being the anniversary of the restoration of Charles II., they assembled again, and, that the presbyterians might not have the honour of being the alone objects of their detestation, demolished the meeting-houses of the baptists and the quakers.

On the tenth of June, the anniversary of the birth of the chevalier, the Jacobites in London showed the most determined attachment to the cause, by observing it as a day of the highest solemnity. All their windows were illuminated, and they had a mob sufficiently numerous, and sufficiently audacious to break all the windows that were not illuminated, not even excepting those of the lord mayor. Passing through Smithfield, this infuriated rabble burnt a print of king William, roaring out at the same time, "High church and the duke of Ormond," and, as there was not a force at hand to suppress them, they rolled along, committing every species of

mischief, till they reached Cheapside, where they were met and quelled by the constables, and an assemblage of respectable citizens who had come forward to assist them. Thirty of the rioters were here secured and committed to prison. One Bournois, a professed French schoolmaster, but in reality, a popish priest, was, the same evening, apprehended in the act of publicly denying the king's right to the crown, for which he was tried, sentenced, and publicly whipped with so much severity as, in a few days, to occasion his death. This tenth of June, indeed, seems to have brought the mobbing system to perfection, and during the remainder of this and great part of the following month, dissenters from the church of England of all descriptions, papists alone excepted, were persecuted with the most unrelenting ferocity, their persons wantonly insulted, their meeting houses thrown down, and their dwelling houses rifled. In many places it became necessary to call out the militia, who were often unable to repress the mischief, which raged with unabated violence till the twentieth of July, when the parliament passed the famous riot act, which, vigorously executed, put an end to the evil, and to the lives of a number of the misguided rioters at the same time.*

*The following is a copy of this celebrated act, which, as it is still the law of the land, deserves to be known by every individual, especially in cities where the inhabitants may be very simply and very thoughtlessly brought within its terrific grasp.

"An Act for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies, and for the more speedy and effectual punishing the rioters.

"Whereas, of late, many rebellious riots and tumults have been in diverse parts of this kingdom, to the disturbance of the public peace, and endangering of his majesty's person and government; and the same are yet continued and fomented by persons disaffected to his majesty, presuming so to do, for that the punishments provided by the laws now in being, are not adequate to such heinous offences: And by such rioters his majesty and his administration have been most maliciously and falsely traduced, with an intent to raise divisions, and to alienate the affections of the people from his majesty; therefore, for the preventing and suppressing of such riots and tumults, and for the more speedy and effectual punishing the offenders therein, be it enacted by the king's most excellent majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal, and of the commons in this present parliament

In Scotland, the friends of the chevalier were equally zealous as in England, but they conducted themselves more closely, and more systematically. Arms and ammunition they were carefully providing, and by all possible means augmenting the assembled, and by the authority of the same, that if any persons, to the number of twelve or more, being unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously assembled together, to the disturbance of the public peace, at any time after the last day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifteen, and being required or commanded by any one or more Justice of Justices of the Peace, or by the Sheriff of the county, or his under Sheriff, or by the Mayor, Bailiff, or Bailiffs, or other head Officer, or Justice of the Peace of any City, or Town corporate, where such assembly shall be, by Proclamation, to be made in the King's name, in the form herein after directed, to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations, or to their lawful business, shall, to the number of twelve or more, (notwithstanding such proclamation made,) unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously remain, of continue together, by the space of one hour after such command or request made by proclamation, that then such continuing together, to the number of twelve or more, after such command or request made by proclamation, shall be adjudged felony, without benefit of clergy, and the offenders therein shall be adjudged felons, and shall suffer death, as in case of felony, without benefit of clergy.

"And be it farther enacted, by the authority aforesaid, that the order and form of the Proclamations that shall be made by the authority of this Act, shall be as hereafter followeth, (that is to say,) the Justice of the Peace, or other person authorised by this Act to make the said Proclamation, shall, among the said rioters, or as near to them as he can safely come, with a loud voice command, or cause to be commanded silence to be, while Proclamation is making. And after that, openly and with loud voice, make, or cause to be made, proclamation, in these words, or like in effect;

"Our Sovereign Lord the King, chargeth and commandeth all persons, being assembled, immediately to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations, or to their lawful business, upon the pains contained in the Act made in the first year of King George, for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies. God save the King.

"And every such Justice and Justices of the Peace, Sheriff, under Sheriff, Mayor, Bailiff, and other head officer aforesaid, within the limits of their respective jurisdictions, are hereby authorised, empowered, and required, on notice or knowledge of any such ur lawful, riotous, and tumultuous assembly, to resort to the place where such unlawful, riotous, and tumultuous assembly shall be, of persons to the number of twelve or more, and there to make, or cause to be made, proclamation in manner aforesaid.

"And be it farther enacted, by the authority aforesaid, that if such persons so unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously assembled, or twelve of more of

number of their adherents; but, with the exception of John M'Allen, an officer of excise at Crief, in Perthshire, whom, during the night, they attacked in his lodgings, and after beating him most inhumanly, cut off one of his ears, saying,

them, after proclamation made in manner aforesaid, shall continue together, and not disperse themselves within one hour, that then it shall, and may be lawful to, and for every Justice of the Peace, Sheriff, or under Sheriff of the County, where such assembly shall be, and also to and for every high or petty Constable, and other Peace Officer within such County, and also to and for every Mayor, Justice of the Peace, Sheriff, Bailiff, and other head Officer, high or petty Constable, and other Peace Officer of any City or Town corporate, where such assembly shall be, and to and for such other person and persons as shall be commanded to be assisting unto any such Justice of the peace, Sheriff, or under Sheriff, Mayor, Bailiff, or other head Officer aforesaid, (who are hereby authorised and empowered to command all his Majesty's subjects of age and ability, to be assisting to them therein,) to seize and apprehend, and they are hereby required to seize and apprehend such persons so unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously continuing together, after proclamation made as aforesaid; and forthwith to carry the persons, so apprehended, before one or more of His Majesty's Justices of the Peace of the County or place where such persons shall be so apprehended, in order to their being proceeded against for such their offences, according to law; and that if the persons so unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously assembled, or any of them, shall happen to be killed, maimed, or hurt, in the dispersing, seizing, or apprehending, or endeavouring to disperse, seize, or apprehend them, by reason of their resisting the persons so dispersing, seizing, or apprehending, or endeavouring to disperse, seize, or apprehend them, that then every such Justice of the Peace, Sheriff, under Sheriff, Mayor, Bailiff, head Officer, high or petty Constable, or other Peace Officer, and all and singular persons, being aiding and assisting to them, or any of them, shall be free, discharged, and indemnified, as well against the King's Majesty, his Heirs and Successors, as against all and every other person or persons, of, for, or concerning the killing, maiming, or hurting of any such person or persons, so unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously assembled, that shall happen to be so killed, maimed, or hurt, as aforesaid.

"And be it farther enacted, by the authority aforesaid, that if any persons unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously assembled together, to the disturbance of the public peace, shall unlawfully and with force, demolish or pull down, or begin to demolish or pull down any church or chapel, or any building for religious worship, certified and registered according to the statute made in the

* Although it is necessary that the charge for dispersing be read, and one hour expire, before the civil Magistrate can legally use force for dispersing a mob or crowd, where more than twelve persons shall have assembled, while they do not commit any outrage; yet, the moment that any outrage is committed, although the mob may not amount to twelve persons, the civil Magistrate may lawfully use immediate force, to maiming or killing, without reading the Riot Act.

they had marked him for Hanover, it does not appear that they gave way to any thing like a spirit of outrage, either against individuals or public bodies. Even his majesty's birthday, which was productive of so much tumult in England, seems

first year of the reign of the late King William and Queen Mary, entituled, an Act for exempting their Majesty's Protestant subjects dissenting from the Church of England, from the penalties of certain laws, or any dwelling-house, barn, stable, or other out-house, that then every such demolishing or pulling down, or beginning to demolish or pull down, shall be adjudged felony, without benefit of clergy, and the offenders therein shall be adjudged felons, and shall suffer death, as in case of felony, without benefit of clergy.

"Provided always, and be it farther enacted by the authority aforesaid, that if any person or persons, do or shall, with force and arms, wilfully and knowingly oppose, obstruct, or in any manner wilfully and knowingly let, hinder, or hurt any person or persons that shall begin to proclaim, or go to proclaim, according to the proclamation hereby directed to be made, whereby such proclamation shall not be made, that then every such opposing, obstructing, letting, hindering, or hurting such person or persons, so beginning, or going to make such proclamation, as aforesaid, shall be adjudged felony, without benefit of clergy, and the offenders therein shall be adjudged felons, and shall suffer death, as in case of felony, without benefit of clergy; and that also, every such person or persons, so being unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously assembled, to the number of twelve, as aforesaid, or more, to whom proclamation should, or ought to have been made, if the same had not been hindered, as aforesaid, shall likewise, in case they, or any of them, to the number of twelve or more, shall continue together, and not disperse themselves within one hour after such let or hinderance so made, having knowledge of such let or hinderance so made, shall be adjudged felons, and shall suffer death, as in case of felony, without benefit of clergy.

"And, be it farther enacted, by the authority aforesaid, that, if after the said last day of July, one thousand seven hundred and fifteen, any such church or chapel, or any such buildings for religious worship, or any such dwellinghouse, barn, stable, or other out-house, shall be demolished or pulled down wholly, or in part, by any persons so unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously assembled, that then, in case such church, chapel, building for religious worship, dwelling-house, barn, stable, or out-house, shall be out of any City or Town, that is, either a County of itself, or is not within any Hundred, that then the inhabitants of the Hundred, in which such damage shall be done, shall be liable to yield damages to the person or persons injured and damnified by such demolishing or pulling down wholly or in part; and such damages shall, and may be recovered by action to be brought in any of His Majesty's Courts of Record at Westminster, (wherein no essoign, protection, or wager of law, or any imparlance, shall be allowed,) by the person or persons damnified thereby, against any two or more of the inhabitants of such Hundred; such action for damages to any church or chapel to be brought in