LON 
changes. The citizens, on their part, took every oppor¬ 
tunity of lliowing their dillike to the miniller’s conduft; 
and, difeovering that fir George Champion, the fenior al¬ 
derman next the chair, and member for Aylefoury, had 
voted in favour of the convention, they rejected him 
from the office of lord-mayor, and ever after held him in 
the greatelt contempt. 
On the ioth of September, about feven o’clock in the 
evening, there fell a mod violent dorm of thunder and 
lightning, accompanied with very heavy rain, which con¬ 
tinued till near twelve at night. Though the thunder 
was not very violent, yet the fialhes of lightning were as 
quick, and at the fame time as itrong, as perhaps were 
ever known in this part of the world. This tempeftuous 
night was remarkable for the deftruftion of a large aviary 
of fparrows, which had for many years roolted in a grove 
of high trees adjoining to Mile-end turnpike. Such 
numbers of them were killed by the lightning, that, the 
next morning, the ground, within the circumference of 
the trees, was covered with their dead bodies. The Rev. 
Mr. Entick, in his Hiftory of London, aflerts, that he 
was an eye-witnefs of this circnmftance. 
The winter of the year 1739 was a feafon of the greateft 
diftrefs to the poor, in confequence of a moft fevere froft, 
which began on Chriltmas-day, and continued till the end 
of February. Its intenfenefs and bad effefts exceeded all 
others ever remembered. The river Thames was fo fo- 
lidly frozen, that great numbers of people dwelt upon it 
in tents, and a variety of booths were erefted lor the en¬ 
tertainment of the populace. A few days after it began, 
a very high wind arofe, which did capful era ble damage 
to the {hipping : feveral veficls laden with corn, others 
with coals, &c. were funk by the ice ; many had holes 
beat in their fides by falling on their anchors : feveral 
lighters and boats were confined under the ice: in fliort, 
a more difmal feene prefented itfelf on the river Thames 
than had ever been beheld by the oldeltman living. The 
damage done between the Medway and London-bridge 
was computed at one hundred thoufand pounds, belides 
many perfons who loft their lives from the feverity of the 
weather. The watermen and fiffiermen were entirely dis¬ 
abled from earning their livelihood, as were the lower 
daffies of labourers, whofe employment is in the open air ; 
and the calamity was rendered more fevere by coals and 
other ueceffaries being advanced in their price in propor¬ 
tion to the intenfenefs and continuance of the froft. Hap¬ 
pily for the poor, the hand of liberality was never more 
extended ; great benefaftions were given by thole of opu¬ 
lent fortunes, and confiderable colleftions were made in 
molt of the parilhes in London ; by the affiftance of which, 
many families were prelerved, that mult otherwife have 
inevitably periffied. 
At the eleftion for lord-mayor in the year 1740, the 
court of aldermen fil'd chofe the junior alderman re¬ 
turned to them by the livery, who requefted permiffion 
to decline; which being granted, the livery returned the 
fenior alderman again, with one who had paffied the chair. 
The aldermen again rejected the fenior alderman ; and 
Humphrey Parfons, efq. the object of their choice, having 
confented to ferve a fecond time, a motion was made in 
the court of common-council to return him their thanks; 
and, an amendment being propofed, a long and very warm 
debate enlued upon the right of the aldermen to vote fe- 
parately, and put a negative upon any queftion ; and the 
claim being perfifted in by its lupporters, fome of the al¬ 
dermen and a confiderable number of the common-coun¬ 
cil left the court, proteftirig againft the exercife of the 
right. At length, on the nth of November, this quef¬ 
tion was finally determined, againft the right, in both the 
courts of aldermen and common-council, by a confidera¬ 
ble majority. Mr. Parfons did not live above four 
months; and on his death, which took place on the 21ft 
of March, 1740, alderman Lambert was chofen to fuc- 
ceed him in the mayoralty for the remainder of the year; 
who, being accepted by the lord-chancellor on the even- 
V®L. XIII. No. 891. 
DON. 97 
ing of his eleftion, went next clay in great ftate to the 
Tower, attended by the twelve companies, &c. and was 
fworn into his office by lord Cornwallis, the conftable, in 
n booth ere fled for that purpofe without the weft gate, 
agreeable to ancient cuftom, when the barons cf the Ex¬ 
chequer are out of town. 
The eledtion of an alderman for Broad-ftreet ward was 
foon after attended with great trouble and expenfe. The 
candidates were Charles Ewer, efq. and Mr. Eggleton. 
On the clofe of the poll, a ferutiny was demanded ; and, 
the numbers appearing to be exaftly equal, the lord- 
mayor held a wardmote at Drapers’ Hall for a new elec¬ 
tion ; at which Charles Ewer, efq. meeting with no op- 
pofition, was declared duly elefted. In confequence of 
this, Mr. Eggleton petitioned the court of aldermen, fet- 
ting forth his right to the eleftion. On the day follow¬ 
ing, a rule was made in the court of King’s Bench, to 
ffiow caufe why a mandamus fhould not be granted to 
1 'vvear in Mr. Eggleton, alderman of Broad-ftreet ward ; 
and, on the twenty-eighth, the court of aldermen, by 
con lent of both parties, returned that neither party was 
duly elefted. So that, the determination of the election 
being left to the court of King’s Bench, it was tried in 
the Michaelmas-term following, and decided in favour of 
Charles Ewer, efq. who was accordingly fworn in. 
* An accurate account of the number of houfes in every 
precinft of the twenty-five wards within the bars, or li¬ 
mits of the lord-mayor’s jurifdiftion, Bridge-ward with¬ 
out not being included, was publilhed, in 1741, by Mr. 
John Smart, of the Town-Clerk’s Office; by which ac¬ 
count it appears that the number of houfes amounted, at 
that time, to twenty-one thoufand fix hundred and forty- 
nine. 
From the great increafeof the metropolis fince the date 
of the charter of Charles I. by which the lord-mayor, 
recorder, and fuch of the aldermen as had ferved the of¬ 
fice of mayor, and alfo the three fenior aldermen who had 
not paffied the chair, were conftituted juftices of peace 
for the city and its liberties, it was found neceffary to ex¬ 
tend this privilege to the whole body of aldermen ; and 
a charter, dated Auguft 15, 1741, was obtained to that 
eft eft. 
In Michselmas-term, 1742, a caufe was tried before 
lord-chief-jultice Wiiles, in which the Company of 
Weavers were plaintiffs, and Mr. Thomas Handyfide de¬ 
fendant. Mr. Handyfide was free of the weavers’ com¬ 
pany ; but, not being free of the city, had refilled to 
take up the livery when he was called upon for that pur- 
pole. It appearing, however, to the court, that every 
member of a company is eligible to the livery, though 
not free of the city, a verdict was’given in favour of the 
plaintiff's. 
The fame day another caufe was tried on an action 
brought by Anthony Wright againft William Ayres, the 
leffee of the toll of London-bridge, who had received, 
and infilled upon a preferiptive right to receive, two pence 
for the paffage of each cart laden with one ton weight, 
or upwards, palling over London-bridge. It appearing, 
however, by the evidence, that the ufage had been to take 
one penny only for a cart with two liorles, although la¬ 
den with a ton or upwards, a verdict was given in favour 
of the plaintiff. 
On the 25th of Februa^, 1744, a proclamation was if- 
fued, commanding all papifts to depart the cities of Lon¬ 
don anti Weftminlier, and within ten miles of the fame; 
for confining papifts and reputed papifts to their habita¬ 
tions ; for feizing the arms and horfies from fuch as refufe 
to take the oaths, &cc. and for putting the laws in execu¬ 
tion againft the inftigators of tumultuous proceedings. 
The kingdom of France having countenanced the pre¬ 
tender’s Ion in an intention to invade Great Britain, gave 
rife to this neceffary aft of intolerance ; and, in this, as 
in feveral cafes, the innocent, we mult corifefs, were in¬ 
volved with the guilty, and fuftered the fame feverity of 
the law. The fear of their joining a prince of their own 
C c xeligious 
