TEMPERANCE SOCIETIES. 



551 



affirming that spirits would certainly be obtained 

 from abroad, if the manufacture were prohibited at 

 home, proceeds to state that the consumption of 

 French brandy was very large during the reign of 

 Charles II., and excited some discontent, it being 

 thought that the nation lost by not distilling at- 

 home. Charles granted to a company ihe privilege 

 of distilling brandy from wine and malt. After the 

 revolution of 1688, when French commerce was 

 prohibited, any one was left free to set up a distil- 

 lery, provided ten days' notice was given to the 

 excise. This measure much increased the con- 

 sumption of home-made spirits; and the farmers in 

 particular were sensibly benefited by it. The act, 

 which was at first made for five years, was con- 

 tinued for one year longer, and then expired. In 

 an act passed the very next year, 8th and 9th of 

 William III., a clause was inserted, by which any per- 

 son might, on giving ten days' notice to the commis- 

 sioners of excise, carry on the business of a distiller. 



The trade being thus free, many persons of 

 London and Westminster entered upon it with 

 zeal ; and it was prosecuted with success, although 

 strong efforts were made by the vintner's company 

 to retain it in their own hands. In the mutiny 

 act, passed the first year of George I., the houses 

 of distillers, who did not allow of tippling in their 

 houses, were expressly excepted from being bur- 

 dened with the quartering of soldiers. At a still 

 later period, the legislature continued to indicate 

 their desire of encouraging the British distillery. 

 In the 12th of George I. it was enacted that, if any 

 merchant-importer should refuse to pay the duties 

 for wines, as being damaged, corrupt, or unmer- 

 chantable, which, by a former act, were in that 

 case to be staved and destroyed, the commissioners 

 of the customs might cause such wines to be put 

 into warehouses, and publicly sold in order to be 

 distilled into brandy, or made into vinegar. 



Under these repeated favours and encouragements 

 the British distillery flourished, and increased to a 

 great degree; so that the home manufacture not 

 only greatly lessened the importation of foreign 

 spirits, but great quantities were exported yearly 

 to Africa and other places. In the mean time an 

 evil imperceptibly arose from what in all other 

 trades is an advantage: our distillers became so 

 expert in their business, and sold their manufactures 

 so cheap, that our poor began to drink it extrava- 

 gantly, and to commit frequent debauches in it, to 

 the destruction of their health, their morals, and 

 their industry. This evil became at last so great 

 that it gave a violent turn to the temper of the 

 legislature ; and nothing could satisfy it but a total 

 prohibition of all compound spirits, which were the 

 most palatable, and, consequently, most used, as 

 well as abused, by our poor. This occasioned the 

 law of the 2nd of George II., by which a duty of 

 5s. per gallon, over and above all other duties, was 

 laid on all compound spirits ; and every retailer of 

 such spirits was obliged to have a licence, and to 

 pay 20 yearly for the same. This was really a 

 total prohibition of any man's retailing such spirits 

 in an open and fair manner; but many continued 

 to do it privately, and the law was evaded by 

 making and retailing a simple sort of spirit, in 

 derision called " Parliament Brandy," so that the 

 debauching in spirituous liquors continued as general 

 among the poor as ever. The law was therefore 

 ineffectual : the farmers complained, and the legis- 

 lature again took another violent turn. In the sixth 

 year of George II.'s reign the preceding act was 



repealed, " without making any regulation for 

 preventing the excessive use of such liquors." 

 This, says lord Cholmondeley, of course produced 

 a very bad effect the poor being restored to their 

 liberty of getting drunk as usual, like men set free 

 from a gaol, they made a most extravagant use of 

 that liberty ; and this revived in the legislature a 

 temper more violent than ever against the use of 

 any sort of spirituous liquors. An act was passed 

 in the ninth year of George II., by which the re- 

 tailing of spirituous liquors of any kind was in effect 

 absolutely prohibited. " The impossibility of exe- 

 cuting this law," said lord Cholmondeley, " was 

 foretold, both within doors and without ; but so 

 furious was our zeal, that no heed was given to 

 such prophecies. What was the consequence? 

 No man could no man would observe the law; 

 and it gave such a turn to the spirit of the people, 

 that no man could with safety venture to become 

 an informer. Even the very commencement of the 

 law exposed us to the danger of a rebellion ; an 

 insurrection of the populace was threatened nay, 

 the government had information of its being actually 

 designed, and very wisely ordered the troops to be 

 ordered out and paraded in the several places where 

 the mob was likely to assemble, which, perhaps, 

 prevented a great deal of bloodshed ; and the law 

 began to be executed without any forcible opposi- 

 tion. As there were multitudes of offenders, there 

 was presently a multitude of informations ; but as 

 eoon as any man was known to be an informer, he 

 was assaulted and pelted by the mob wherever they 

 could meet with him. A noble peer was obliged 

 to open his gates to one of these unfortunate 

 creatures, in order to protect him from the mob, who 

 were in full cry, and would probably have torn him in 

 pieces if they could have laid hold of him, for they 

 had before actually murdered one of these informers." 



It appeared also that even magistrates endangered 

 their safety by the exhibition of zeal in the execu- 

 tion of this law ; and between intimidation and the 

 expenses of prosecuting, it became a dead letter: 

 the people, according to the statements of the noble 

 speaker, became more than ever addicted to the 

 excessive use of ardent spirits. 



In the evidence of Mr Place, it is shown that 

 within the period embraced in the preceding state- 

 ment, that is, in the year 1736, a report was made 

 at Hicks's Hall by eight justices, who were ap- 

 pointed to make inquiry into the subject, that 

 within Westminster, Holborn, the Tower, and 

 Finsbury divisions, exclusive of London and South- 

 wark, there were 7044 houses and shops in which 

 spirituous liquors were sold. They believed this 

 short of the true number, and computed that there 

 were not less than 20,000 such houses within the 

 bills of mortality. It was considered, at the same 

 time, as a low estimate, that there were 20,000 

 other such shops in England alone. At a period 

 about ten years subsequent, a report, probably 

 more authentic, made by the magistrates to a com- 

 mittee of parliament, states positively that there 

 were 12,000 gin-sellers in the metropolis, exclusive 

 of the city and Southwark; and the bishop of 

 Salisbury, in his speech, says that there were 7044 

 licensed for spirits, and 3007 alehouses ; and that 

 boards were put up inscribed with " You may here 

 get drunk for one penny ; dead drunk for twopence ; 

 and have clean straw for nothing." The report 

 last adduced confirms the preceding statement, that 

 there were 20,000 houses and shops for drinking 

 within the bills of mortality. On authority, at 



