LONDON. 



difert tlieir coontry ; twelve tlioufand, in the mod forlorn 

 condition, fought refuge in London : the queen, for fome 

 time, fupported them out of her privy purfc ; flie v.tas after- 

 wards ainiled by the benevolence of her fubjetts, and 22,038/, 

 v'Qj paid into the chamber of the city for the relief of thefe 

 diilrefied fugitives, who were finally difpofcd of as colonills 

 to Ireland and North America. 



The increafe in the population of the metropolis having 

 occafioned a great infufficiency in places for divine worfliip, 

 an aft of parliament was palled in 1 7 1 1 for creeling fifty 

 new churches in and about London : the expence of which 

 was defrayed by a fnali duty on coals brought into the port 

 of London for about eight years. The year 1720 will 

 ever be famous in the annals of London, from the dellruc- 

 tive fyllem of fpeculation and fraud which hiftory has de- 

 r.ominated the South Sea bubble ; and which fo completely 

 infatuated the people, that they became the dupes of the 

 mofl barefaced impofitions. (See Bubble, in Commerce.) The 

 direftors of the South Sea Company, encouraged by the pre- 

 valent fpirit of av.-iricious enterprife, propofed to the govern, 

 inent to take into their fund all the debts of the nation, under 

 the plaufible pretext of a fpeedier redemption. The amount 

 of the debts was ^ 1,664,^51/. ; for the liberty of adding the 

 whole ot which to their capital ftock, they offered to pay to 

 the public the immenfe fum. of 7,723,809/. This bait was 

 too tempting to be refufed ; the plan received the fanction of 

 parliament, and the directors were empowered to raife the rea- 

 dy money necelTary for fo great an undertaking, " by open- 

 ing books of fubfcription, and granting annuities to fuch 

 public creditors RS were willing to exchange the iecurity of 

 the crown for that of the South Sea Company, with the ad- 

 vantage of (baring in the emoluments that might arife from 

 their commerce." So much was the public mind imprefTed 

 with the idea of rapid gain, that before the aft received the 

 royal anent,the company's llock rofeto T,n.)l. per cent. : it ad- 

 vanced fo amazingly for three months, that books were then 

 opened for a freth fubfcription of four millions at 10:0 per 

 tint. ; and fuch was the popular frenzy, that within a fort- 

 night the new fubfcription was at 200 per cent, premium. 

 Some alarm now prevailed : it had been v.hifpered, that the 

 direftors and their friends had dilpofed of their own (lock 

 while the price was at the hightft ; and all confidence in the 

 ftabiliiy of their credit was dellroyed. The confufion be- 

 came general ; every one was willing to fell, but no pur- 

 chafers could be found, except at a vaft reduftion. Dif- 

 traftion and difmay fpread through the city ; the ilnck fell 

 rapidly, and, before the end of the year, was reduced to 86 

 per cent, which was about its real value. The dellruftion 

 to public and private credit, thus produced, was excefiive : 

 alf trade was at a Hand ; and many of the moll refpeftable 

 merchants, goldfmiths, and bankers of London, wlio h:id 

 t-nwifcly lent large fums to the company, were obliged 

 to abfcond. A parliamentary inveftigation enfued ; and 

 the knavery of the direftors was io apparent, that the 

 greater part of their eftates was confifcated for the benefit 

 of thofe who;n their villainy had ruined. The fum thus 

 obtained amounted to 2,014,000/. 



During llie coiitmuance of the infatuation which the South 

 Sea delufion infpircd into all claffes of people, many other 

 viuon.iry projefts were fet on foot by fpoculators and gam- 

 blers ; even chartered companies of eftablilhed credit lent 

 their couatenance to ichemcs of impofiible accompliihment : 

 nearly two hundred fubfcription projefts were afloat at one 

 time. When the public confidence in the South Sea fcheme 

 was on the decline, the ftiperior ftability of the bank of 

 England, Eaft India, and African companies, was at once 

 feen : Bank llock rofe from jco to 2C0 ; Eall India tlock 



Vol. XXI. 



from 100 to 405 ; and African ftock from too to ios. 

 The fliarcs in the London and Royal Exchange AfFurance 

 Companies alfo experienced a prodigious rife. See Ix- 



SUKANCE. 



The clofe of the year 1729 was attended by a great 

 mortality in London ; the deaths within the bills of mor- 

 tality in the courfe of the year amounting to almoll 30,000. 

 The pernicious habit of dram-drinking had become fo gene- 

 ral, and fo many diforders had been occafioned, and crimes 

 commited in confequencc of it, that in the year 1736 the 

 legiflature found it necelTary to prohibit the {tiling of Ge- 

 neva, except under certain rcllriclions. Previous to this, 

 the magillratcs had afcertained that the number of gin-fhops 

 in London and Weftminilcr was 7044, befides garrets and ccl- 

 j. rs where the baneful liquor was fold privately. So deter- 

 mined were the retailers to carry on their trade, that the 

 utmoll exertions of the police were required to enforce the 

 aft; and within two years, i 2,000 perfo.is were con vic;ted 

 and fined under its provifions. 



The winter of 1739 — 40 was memorable from the oc- 

 currence of one of the moll intenfe froils ever known iu 

 this country, and which is recorded in our annals by the 

 appellation of the Great Froft ; it commenced on Chriltmas- 

 day, and lafted till the 17th of February : above bridge the 

 Thames was completely frozen over, and numerous booths 

 were erettcd on it for felling liquors, &c. to the multitudes 

 who daily flocked thither. Great improvements were now 

 made in different parts of the metropolis ; and convenience, 

 health, and fafety, were more generally attended to than 

 they had previoufly been. Wellminfter bridge was finilhed 

 and opened for public ufe in the year 1750; the houfes 

 upon London bridge were pulled down in 1756 ; and In the 

 two fucceeding yeai\< the bridge was put into a courfe of 

 repair. In 1760 Black-friars' bridge was commenced;- 

 moll of the city gates were taken down ; and an aft of par- 

 liament was obtained for making alterations in the aveiiuei 

 of the city and its liberties ; fome of vuhich have been car- 

 ried into efFeft at difl'ercnt periods, yet many others remain 

 to be executed. In the year 1763, the recent peace with 

 France, the refignation of Mr. Pitt, afterwards earl of 

 Chatham, as premier, and other political occurrences, fet 

 the metropolis into a complete ferment. The conduft, of 

 adminiftration was fuch, as to augment rather than obviate 

 the prevailing difcontents. Hence the miniftry were aflailed 

 with political pubhcations; in particular by a periodical pa- 

 per called " The North Briton ;" the writers of which, the 

 principal of whom was John Wilkes, were determined to 

 expofe the meafurcs of the then adminillration to the con- 

 tempt they deferved. The forty-fifth number of this paper 

 contained fuch fevere rcfleftioiis on the king's fpsech to 

 parliament, that the minillry thought they had an oppor- 

 tunity to cruih their avowed enemy. Mr. Vvilkes w:.s 

 apprehended and committed to the Tower under an illegal 

 warrant, figiied by the principal fecretary of llate ; but the 

 c;s''e being argued in the court of Common Plea?, before 

 lord chief judice Pratt, the court dircfted him to be dif- 

 charged. Mr. Wilkes brought aftions againll the carl of 

 Halifax, fecretary of (late, for iffuing the warrant, ard 

 agaiiid Mr. Wood, under-fecretary, and obtained verdids 

 with damages ; 4000/. fiomtlie former, and icoo/. from the 

 latter. Shortly after his relealf, Mr. Wilkes cUabhflicd a 

 printing. prcfs in his own houfe, and republifiied all the nun:- 

 bers of the obnoxious paper. This provoked the mimilrv lo 

 highly, that an information was filed againll him. Th<r 

 " North Briton, No. 45," was voted by the houfe of com- 

 mons to be a fcditious libel, and ordered to be burnt bv thi 

 common hangman. Mr. ^Vllkcs was expelled the houfe ; 

 R r and 



