As to this bill, if an abufe has been made of it; if the Roman-Catholics do not confine themselves to educating their own children at home, instead of fending them abroad, which was more detrimen tal, but will undertake to educate Proteftant children, fome ftep may be taken to alter the bill, and prevent it. The wifdom of parliament will provide for that: The Romish fchools may be registered, and the number of their children and feturns be made to the bishop of every diocefe; it may alfo be made criminal in them to undertake the education of Proteftant children. But this is a matter of confideration for another day.

His Lordship then ftated, that in cafes of rebellion, or of fuch infurrections of the people, wherein felony or treafon is actually committing or committed, every man has a right to interfere to fupprefs or prevent it. His Lordship then defcribed various acts of felony and treafon committed by the late mobs, such as pulling down and fetting fire to houses, breaking open prifons, attacking the bank, &c. all of which amounted to levying war against the king's perfon and government; and he particularly dwelt upon infurrections to oblige the legillature to repeal laws enacted, or to enact any laws by compulfion, as acts of high

treafon.

The conclufion he drew was, that in all thefe cafes any fubject, whether civil or military, has a right to apprehend and fecure the offenders; and if he can not, he may proceed to the extremeft violence; he may put them to death; and this is the law of the land: the military therefore did not act by the prero gative of the crown, but by the law of the land.

The addrefs was then voted nem. con. The Duke of Richmond then moved to addrefs the King, that he would be pleafed to order copies of the two letters from Lord Amherft to Col. Twifleton dated June 12. and 13. and alfo a copy of the Lord Mayor's plan of defence of the city, to be laid before the House.

Lord Amherst faid, there was a third letter, explanatory of the others, which he defired might be added, with the Duke's permiffion, to the motion. The Duke replied, that he had no objection; he never meant to do things by halves; that letter had not come to his know ledge, or he fhould have noticed it. The motion was then carried.

Earl Bathurst, after mentioning the many bad confequences that might happen to sheriffs, jailors, &c. from the releafing of prifoners by the mob from the feveral prifons, and alfo fome ¡uconveniencies to the prisoners themfelves, moved, That the judges be ordered to prepare a bill, to indemnify the theriffs, &c. for the confequences of the late re leafe of the prifoners by the riotous mob! which was unanimously agreed to, and ordered accordingly.:

As foon as the Commons returned to their own House from that of the Lords, the Speaker read the fpeech which the King had delivered from the throne.

Lord Beauchamp then rofe, and in a short speech described the horrors of the late tumults; afferted the neceffity of employing the military to quell them; and concluded with a motion for an humble addrefs of thanks to his Majesty for the parental care he had taken to quell the late internal commotions,, and restore the public tranquillity.

Mr Macdonald feconded the motion, and expreffed his warmest approbation of the meafures that had been adopted to fupprefs the riots.

Mr Fox agreed in part with the Hon. Gentlemen who moved and seconded the addrefs. He admitted, that it was neceffa ry to employ the military when a riot was fuffered to grow too great for the civil power; but as much credit as he gave minifters for the fuppreffion of the tu mults, as much blame did he lay at their door for not checking it in its birth Upon the whole, he hoped, that if any future occafion thould call for vigorous measures, minifters would be a little less indolent, and fhew themselves in earnest from the beginning. He trusted also, that the calling forth the military upon the late alarming occafion, would not be established as a precedent for preferring the foldiery to the civil power. As to the prefent addrefs, it met his warmeft support, because he thought the wickednefs of the rioters had exceeded the wickedness of ad-n; and in fuch times of civil and lawlefs tumult, it certainly behoved moderate men to ftand by each other in defence of their country.

Mr Burke declaimed with unufual vehe mence against the authors and abettors of the late riots, whom he termed a fet of deluded fanaties; and fpoke in fup port of the bill they riotoully petitioned

againtt

against, as an act that was founded in the true wifdom of parliament, and therefore ought not to repealed at the dictatorial requifition of a lawless rabble. Lord North, after paying a juft encomium to the merit of the foldiery in their endeavours to fupprefs the riots, informed the House, that he intended to move for a bill of indemnity, for having called in the aid of the foldiery; because it might otherwife appear a measure that militated against the spirit of the conftitution. He fhould likewife move for national reftitution being made to the feveral fufferers in confequence of the riots; for had government been able at that time to have given them the neceffary protection, they would not have fuffered in their property. As to the act

which had occafioned the tumults, it would, fince tranquillity was reftored, undergo an immediate enquiry; but he thought it behoved that Houfe to weigh well the confequences that might attend its repeal under all its prefent circum

ftances.

Sir P. Jennings Clerke accufed the miniftry of having been extremely negligent in fuppreffing the tumults. Many of the buildings that now lay in ruins, might, he faid, have been faved, if his information had been attended to. He himself had waited twice on the commander in chief and others, and inform ed them of the danger with which the king's-bench prifon was threatened; but his information was difregarded, and the prifon was reduced to ashes.

The Secretary at War acquitted the miniftry of negligence; and attributed what was called indolence in them to the want of troops; for when the riot firft began, and the apprehenfions of individuals became violent, fo many applications had been made for troops, that, previous to the arrival of the militia, it was impoffible to fatisfy half the calls that had been made.

The addrefs was agreed to unanimously.

Lord North delivered the following meffage. "I am commanded by his Majefty to acquaint this Houfe, that his Majefty has caufed the Rt Hon. LORD GEORGE GORDON, a member of this Houfe, to be apprehended and committed for HIGH TREASON." [403.]

A motion was then made, that an humble addrefs be prefented to his Ma

jefty, to return to his Majefty the thanks of this Houfe, for communicating the reafon for which the Rt Hon. Lord George Gordon, a member of this House, was apprehended and committed. - The motion was agreed to; and the addrefs ordered to be prefented to his Majesty by fuch of the members as were Privy Counfellors.

The

Both Lords and Commons, in their addreffes in anfwer to the King's speech, express their utmost abhorrence and devarious parts of the metropolis, by bands teftation of the outrages committed, in of defperate and abandoned men; and both approve of the measures that Lords fay, "We beg leave to teftify our were taken to fupprefs them. — warmeft gratitude to your Majesty, for your parental care and concern for the in the measures your wifdom directed in protection of your fubjects, fo manifeft this urgent neceffity, to fupprefs, in eand to provide for the general safety, by very part, these rebellious infurrections, the Commons fay, "We think it our inthe restoration of public peace." — and difpenfable duty, to acknowledge, with the warmest emotions of gratitude, duty, and affection, your Majefty's paternal care, and concern for the protection of your fubjects, in the measures which your Majefty, as the father of your ty, took in the hour of extreme and impeople, and the guardian of public fafeminent neceffity, for the immediate and effectual fuppreffion of thofe rebellious

infurrections."

The King, in his anfwer to the Lords addrefs, fays, "Your abhorrence of the rebellious infurrections, and your unanimous approbation of the measures taken to fupprefs them, must have the most falutary effects;"— and in his answer to the Commons address, after returning them his cordial and particular thanks,

for this loyal, affectionate, and unanimous addrefs," he adds, "Union, at this time, muft have the best and most impowerfully affift me in preferving the portant confequences: nothing can more public fafety, and fecuring reverence for the laws, and obedience to legal government. Be affured that it is my conftant and ardent defire to promote the happinefs of all my fubjects, and to deferve the confidence and fupport of a free people."

Executions

he had broke three or four panes, which was all the damage he had done, and a vowed he was not hired or spoke to by any perfon to join the mob. Waters acknowledged that he was in the house with the mob, and had a hatchet in his hand, but did not carry it in with him; and faid he was not aware of the danger which he now too dearly experienced. Burn faid, he did no damage whatever, but was in the houfe; and hoped forgiveness for all his fins. Stacey was a watch maker, and Staples a muffin-maker, the latter has left a wife and two children.

Two were executed on Saturday, July 22. viz. Charles Kent and John Gray, in Bloomsbury fquare. They were both cripples, and young, and behaved penitently.

Six were executed on Wednesday Aug. 9. near the Kings-bench, in St George's fields, viz. Robert Lovell, Edward Dorman and Mary Cook, Oliver Johnfon and Elifabeth Collins, and John Bridport; and all behaved decently.

One was executed on Tuesday, Aug. 22. in St George's fields, viz. Henry Penny. He was a captain among the rioters. He had been refpited a fortnight on a plea of infanity; which not appearing to be founded, orders were sent Aug. for his execution.

19.

Of the rioters there were tried, at the Old Bailey and St Margaret's-hill, in all, 135; of thefe, 76 were acquited, and 59 were capitally convicted; and of the convicts, 33 were refpited, and 26 executed.

Eight of the Bath rioters [406.] were tried at Wells, on Friday, Aug. 25. by the Judges Nares and Heath; of whom feven were acquitted; and one, John Butler, late fervant to Mr Baldwin of Bath, was found guilty, and received fentence of death. His indictment bore, that he, and twenty others, on the 9th of June, began to demolish the houfe of John Brewer, (the Popish prieft, whofe house had a communication with the chapel at Bath), and an outhoufe belonging to him. This condemned criminal was carried privately in a poft-chaise from Wells to Bath on Sunday, and was executed next day, Monday, Aug. 28. at the end of Pear-tree lane, near the Romish chapel.

[We hope our having given a full account of thefe riots, (which Judge Nares, in his charge to the jury at Wells, pronounced to be unparallelled in the annals of this or any other country), will be

approved of. It has, however, been justly obferved, that the proper measures of prevention were neglected to be taken. Our readers will remember, that, in 1771, upon an apprehenfion only, that the livery of London meant to attend the Lord Mayor, at delivering a petition to the King, notice was fent to his Lordship, that no perfons beyond the number allowed by law [33.705.] would be admitted; and accordingly only that number, ten, attended his Lordship, &c. [33. 388.].-What mischief (says a correfpondent) might have been prevented, by giving fuch notice to Ld George Gordon on this occafion, and by authoritatively informing the people af fembled in St George's Fields of the illegality of their proceedings and intentions! If all our fenators had forgot, as probably Lord George did forget, the act 1661; yet furely fuch members as were of the common council of London in 1771 cannot be supposed to have forgot the requifition then made to com. ply with that law, (as juft now mentioned), and the obedience paid to that re quifition, by perfons who were not in a hu mour of fubmitting to the leaft encroachment on their rights and privileges. Our correfpondent adds, that it may with juftice be pleaded for Lord George, as an alleviation at leaft, that though he gave the moft public notice of his intentions, both in the public papers, and in parlia ment, yet not the leaft intimation was made to him that they were illegal. Lord Loughborough, in his charge to the jury [338.], reminded them of the act 1661, above quoted, when the punifhment of delinquents was the object in view: how happy might it probably have been, had that law been humanely intimated to Lord George Gordon, and the multitudes he had convened, by way of prevention, before any mischief was committed !]