X. — Borough of East Looe. — From Jonathan Couch, F.L.S., &c. 



THE internal history of the several Cornish Boroughs, at the time 

 when they revelled in their political privileges, cannot be writ- 

 ten in full, and many of the particulars are rapidly vanishing from 

 memory; but there occasionally come to hand materials which 

 should not be suffered to perish : the more especially as they serve 

 to illustrate the characters of people who, in their day, occupied a 

 conspicuous place in society ; and also tend to show that the people 

 in general of these political institutions were not always the most 

 prosperous and contented of the King's subjects. The writer of the 

 following letter was of an ancient family in the Borough of East 

 Looe. It is obvious that he had drunk deeply of the then fashion- 

 able doctrine of passive obedience ; but we can scarcely believe that 

 the people of Looe, on the appearance of a foe, would have shewn 

 themselves such cowards as they are here represented to be; and 

 one hundred years later than the date of this letter there was at 

 East Looe a Thomas Bond, whom I suppose to have been the grand- 

 son of the writer, and who, in critical times, commanded a gallant 

 corps of Volunteer Artillery ; as at the present time does Captain 

 Kobert Thomas. The last named Thomas Bond, Esquire, was the 

 author of an interesting History of his native town. 



Letter of the Mayor of East Looe to the Right Reverend Bishop 



' Trelawny. 



Looe, 29th September, 1703. 

 My Lord, 



The Inhabitants of this Burrough have againe chossen mee 

 for theyr Mayor. My Lord, I shall carefully observe two things 

 whilst I am in this Station : first, to s^eare no Man of this Burrough, 

 Magistrate or otherwise, without a possetive command from your 

 Lordship. Secondly, — not to presume to draw up any petition to 

 the Honnorable Burgesses of this Burrough, or any others, on any 

 account whatever, without your Lordship's Direction, Instruction, 

 and approbation ; let the necessityes of our T. & Burrough be what 

 they will. My Lord, — I hope your Lordship will not be offended, 



