348 THE RIOTS IN 1780. 



with reason, to Judge Jefferies. In every case, execution speedily 

 followed condemnation, and generally took place before the ruins of 

 those buildings the offenders had destroyed. Of this I saw one in- 

 stance which tends to prove, that if proper resistance had been 

 made, much of the evil that did take place would have been pre- 

 vented. 



In the beginning of these troubles, a party of his lower neighbours 

 attacked the house of Mahon, a Roman Catholic apothecary, who lived 

 at the eastern corner of Great Russell-street and Bow-street, Covent- 

 garden ; it is now a book or printsellers. A large crowd assembled 

 round his house. He caused his shop to be shut as securely as 

 possible, barricaded his doors, and placed himself outside the windows 

 of his first floor, standing upon the top of his shop window at the 

 corner, whence he could have a full view of every thing that passed. 

 A large crowd assembled round the house, yelling " No popery ! 

 Down with him !" and many similar ejaculations. He stood a quiet 

 spectator. Those behind pushed those who were before them for- 

 wards, exciting them to begin. The operatives on one side pre- 

 pared to batter the doors and shutters. Seeing this, Mahon called 

 to the most active individuals, describing them by their dresses 

 or other peculiarities, telling them of the illegality of their proceed- 

 ings, and advising them, in well-measured terms, of what might be 

 the consequences. This caused the operatives to pause ; while their 

 companions at some distance, perhaps not hearing what he said, 



vociferated, " D n his eyes, don't mind his jaw ; knock 



him down !" and other equally delicate expressions. 



When Mahon had brought his opponents to a stand still on one 

 side of his house, their companions became more troublesome on the 

 other; he fled to that and received them in the same manner, thus 

 moving himself continually to address that part of the mob who 

 seemed most disposed to do mischief, he kept the whole at bay for 

 more than two hours, till a strong body of foot-guard came to the 

 spot, surrounded the house, which suffered no injury. 



This intrepid man, it seems, employed his time in carefully mark- 

 ing his assailants, for, after the riots were ended, he discovered seve- 

 ral of the guilty prosecuted them to conviction and two were exe- 

 cuted before his house. I was present during the riot, and saw these 

 persons were among the most active of those who were engaged in it. 

 One was a boy, not more than fourteen years old, and the other cer- 

 tainly not twenty. The crowd assembled to see them suffer, was as 

 numerous as those who had witnessed their guilt. Mahon did what, 

 perhaps, it had been prudent to avoid. He stood, during their exe- 

 cution, motionless, upon the same part of his house, on which he 

 stood while he exerted himself, successfully, to prevent them from 

 doing the injury they meditated. 



One most remarkable circumstance of these scenes was, that all the 

 persons, who attended Lord George Gordon, in his procession, were 

 decent looking men, clean and well-dressed, according to their appa- 

 rent rank in society, but these seem to have disappeared with the 

 day-light, on the first day ; for most of those I found surrounding the 



