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pected resources in the charity of private individuals. Lord Waldegrave, at that time ambassador at the French court, made such remonstrances, however, that the prisoners were, in a short time, set at liberty, and a new edict was published, explaining away the meaning of the former one.*

After the most violent contests for seats, the new parliament was assembled on the fourteenth of January, 1735. In this parliament, the leaders of both parties were the same as in the last, and the measures pursued were of a similar character. The king, in his speech at the opening of the session, informed them that he had concerted with the states-general of the United Provinces, such measures as were thought most advisable for their common safety, and for restoring the peace of Europe. That he had concurred with the states-general in a resolution to employ their most earnest instances to bring matters to a speedy and happy accommodation. That their good offices had been at length accepted, and, in a short time, a plan would be offered to all parties engaged in the war, as a basis for a general negotiation of peace." As the best concerted measures, however, are liable to uncertainty, he remarked, that they ought to be prepared against the worst; and expressed a hope, that they would not withhold the necessary means of procuring peace and tranquillity, or of putting him in a condition to act that part, which the course of events might render it his duty and the nation's interest to pursue. The opposition to any increase either of the sea or land forces was violent, but the minister at last carried every thing to his own wish.

A petition was on the thirteenth of February presented to the house of lords, subscribed by the dukes of Hamilton, Queensberry, and Montrose, the earls of Dundonald, Marchmont, and Stair, stating, that undue influence had been exerted in the late election of the Scottish peers. After considerable debate, the petition was rejected; the house refusing to go into the inquiry without stronger grounds for it being laid before them. An attempt was also made this session, to improve the law of Scotland, by introducing something similar to the English habeas corpus. The measure was strongly opposed by the earl of Ilay,

History of England.

and the bill was rejected. On the fifteenth of May, the session was closed, when his majesty told them that the plan of pacification proposed by himself and the states-general had not been acquiesced in. He thanked the commons for the supplies they had so cheerfully granted, and signified his intention to visit Hanover; which he did shortly after, leaving the queen regent in his absence.

His majesty returned to England in the autumn, and parliament was again assembled on the thirteenth of January, 1736. The French king had by this time entered into negotiations with the emperor, and the supplies were voted without much debate; but his majesty was informed that a system of greater economy was expected in time coming, with regard to the maintenance of the troops.

The principal business of this session, was the famous gin shop bill, by which it was proposed to impose twenty shillings, exclusive of all former duties, upon every gallon of spirits, and that every retailer of them should pay a yearly license of fifty pounds. This uncommon severity was ostentatiously said to have in view the mending of the morals of the lower orders, who, in imitation of their superiors, and from the cheapness of gin, had become loathsomely profligate. This bill met with great opposition. The minister derived a great revenue from this profligacy on the part of the people, the West India merchants had by the same means a ready market for their rum and other spirits distilled from molasses, and they united interests to maintain their incomes. It was carried, however, with some limitations, by granting seventy thousand pounds to the minister, in lieu of the loss he might sustain from the want of consumpt in the article of spirits. A bill was also passed for the prevention of smuggling; one for explaining the act for preventing bribery and corruption in the election of members to serve in parliament; and a third repealing all the statutes, both in Scotland and England, against conjuration, witchcraft, and dealing with evil spirits. It was in this session of parliament that William Pitt, afterwards earl of Chatham, first began to be distinguished by the splendour of his eloquence, and the great superiority of his talents.

The session was closed on the twentieth of May, with a speech

from the throne, in which his majesty informed both houses, that a farther communication had been made to him by the emperor and by the most Christian king, respecting the execution of the preliminaries, and negotiations were carrying on by the several powers engaged in the late war, in order to a general pacification. He expressed deep concern at seeing such seeds of dissatisfaction sown among his people, for whom it was, and should ever be his great care to preserve the present constitution in church and state, as by law established. Harmony and affection among all protestants, he recommended as the most effectual security of that establishment, and concluded, by signifying his intention of again visiting his German dominions, which he soon after did, leaving queen Caroline, as on other occasions, regent.

Universal licentiousness seems to have been the characteristic of this period, tumults of the most wanton and disgraceful kind being every where prevalent. They were all, however, lost sight of in one that this year, 1736, took place in the Scotish metropolis, which, all its attendant circumstances considered, was perhaps the most remarkable that ever took place under an organized government. This riot, which was of the most desperate and daring character, had its origin unquestionably in that disaffection to the government which was still too common in Scotland; but it was immediately excited by a circumstance, which a prudent administration would certainly have avoided, the public execution of a man, who, in general estimation, deserved to have been rewarded rather than punished. This individual had been, along with an associate, concerned in a smuggling adventure, and had fallen into the hands of a collector of the revenue, who seized the goods. The smugglers, in return, waylaid the collector, and robbed him of money to the amount of the value of the goods and no more, which they -and the most of their countrymen thought the same thing— supposed themselves, in a moral point of view, perfectly warranted to do. They were, however, both apprehended, tried, and condemned to death, though upon their trial, except being concerned in smuggling, and that act which was the conse

History of England, &c. &c.

quence of their being so, they were satisfactorily proved to be men of general probity.

The excise had from the first been hateful to Scotishmen, and the officers thereof were regarded with no pleasant feelings, and to put an honest man to death for taking from one of them what had previously been taken from him, was regarded by the people in general, as both wicked and absurd. But there was another circumstance that made the individual in question still more the idol of the multitude. On the Sabbath previous to the day appointed for their execution, they were both, as was then the custom, carried to church to hear sermon, when, being seated between three soldiers who had them in charge, the individual of whom we speak being a man of great bodily strength, laid hold of a soldier with each hand, and seizing the other with his teeth, held them all three fast till his companion made his escape and was by the multitude conveyed beyond the reach of the law. Having accomplished the deliverance of his friend, the unhappy man made not the smallest effort to regain his own liberty, but sat down quietly between his guards, apparently resigned to his fate.

The brilliancy of this action, the ease with which it seemed to be accomplished, and above all, its generosity, rendered the unfortunate man an object of universal admiration, and the magistrates fearing that an attempt would be made by the mob to rescue him on the day appointed for his execution, had some regular troops, at that time quartered in the suburbs, admitted into the city, and placed at some distance from the place of execution, that they might be in readiness to support the city guards in case of a rescue being attempted. The city guard was placed under the command of captain John Porteous, from his known character for ability and firmness, though it was not his turn to have commanded on that day, and he received three charges of shot for each man, and by special orders from the magistrates, every man loaded his piece before going upon that day's duty.

Notwithstanding of all this, the execution took place with little or no disturbance till the body was to be cut down, when a shower of stones from the mob, which did severe execution, so enraged the guard, that they fired off their pieces, and, as is

commonly the case on such occasions, killed several persons at a distance, who had no connexion whatever with what was going on among the mob. This disconcerted the mob for a few minutes, but scarcely was the corpse cut down, and the guard begun to march off by the West Bow, when the populace rallied, and again assailed it with a volley of stones, which the guard returned by dropping a fire, by which severals were killed, and a number wounded. They, however, continued their march to the guard-house, and there reposited their arms with the usual military ceremony, the captain conducting himself all the while with the most perfect calmness and selfcommand. He immediately went up to the Spread Eagle tavern, where the magistrates were assembled, where he was charged with the murder of those that had been killed, both by giving orders to fire, and firing himself. That he had given orders to fire he flatly denied, and he presented his piece, which had never been out of his hand, as an evidence that he had not fired himself. He also stated that he had received but three charges from the magistrates, two of which were still in his cartouch box, and the third in his piece, which any person might see had not been fired. The magistrates adjourned from the tavern to the council chamber, whither they were followed by an immense and riotous mob, clamouring for justice upon the captain, whom, after a precognition, they committed close prisoner to the tolbooth till such time as his trial should come

on.

Captain Porteous had been a soldier in Flanders, and after his return, had been drill-master to the city guard, in which capacity he behaved himself so much to the satisfaction of his superiors, that he was promoted to a captainship in the same guard. He appears to have been a man of considerable talent, to have been very efficient in his station, and respected by all, except the lower class of journeymen and apprentices, whose licentiousness he kept seasonably in check, on which account, at the same time that he was feared, he was by them mortally hated, and now that this affair furnished them with a plausible handle, they pursued their revenge, at the expense both of justice and humanity. During the time between his commitment and trial, it was dangerous for any one to speak one

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