no 
LONDON. 
and fheriffs in their carriages; on alighting, he was re¬ 
ceived by the committee appointed to manage the enter¬ 
tainment, in their'inazarine-gowns; and, being conducted 
into the great parlour, received the compliments of the 
city, to which his majefty returned a very polite anfwer. 
Thedinner, which was exceedingly magnificent, was ferved 
in the Egyptian-hall ; the galleries of which were filled 
with the ladies of the common-council, elegantly attired ; 
and an excellent band of mulic was llationed in an or- 
cheftra ereOed for the occafion. His majefty took leave 
of the corporation about eight o’clock, having' exprefied 
his higheft fatisfaiSlion at the elegance of the entertain¬ 
ment. The procefiion was very grand, the entertainment 
fumptuons; and at a court of common-council held on 
the toth of Oiftober, the freedom of the city was unani- 
mouOy voted to his majefty, to be prefented in a golden 
box of two hundred guineas value : he was admitted 
into the Grocers’ company; and his freedom, being after¬ 
wards given to his ambaflador here, was by him tranf- 
initted to Copenhagen. 
On the 3d of January, 1769, the election for alderman 
of the ward of Farringdon without came on at St. Bride's 
church ; the candidates were Mr. Wilkes and Mr. Brom¬ 
wich ; but, on the clofe of the firlt day’s poll, the difpa- 
rity of numbers was lo great, that the latter gentleman 
declined the conteft, and the lord-mayor declared Mr. 
Wilkes duly elected. Some doubts, however, were ftarted 
refpefting the legality of clofing the books before the time 
appointed for that purpofe; and a fecond wardmote was 
held for a new eleftion on the 27th, when, no opponent 
appearing, Mr. Wilkes was again declared duly eleCled. 
That diftinguilhed patriot was at this time in confinement 
for the cauies detailed at length in our article England, 
vol. vi. p. 736, 741, 744, 768. This reward, therefore, 
and that of the ciiamberlainfhip fubfequentiy bellowed, 
were intended to evince the high fenfe which the city had 
of his exertions in protecting them from the oppreftion of 
general warrants, and his other efforts in the caufe of free¬ 
dom. And accordingly, upon his liberation, which took 
place on the 24th of April, 1770, he was fworn in aider- 
man of the ward of Farringdon without, and took prece¬ 
dence from the time of his election. 
Soon after this, Mr. Beckford, who was lord-mayor for 
the fecond time, attended by the (lieriffs and feveral of the 
aldermen, went in ftate to the Old Bailey, and laid the 
firlt ftone of the prifon called Newgate. This was the laft 
tranfaCtion of this worthy magiftrate’s life. The citizens 
of London, honouring him for his firmnefs and intrepidity 
in defending their rights againll the undermining work¬ 
ings of the miniftry, pafl'ed a refolution, in the firlt com¬ 
mon-council after his death, for ereCting a ftatue to his 
■temory in Guildhall. See vol. ii. p. 842, 3. 
The oppofition to the imprefs-fervice was carried to 
fuch a height, in the city of London, at this period, that, 
on the 15th of January, 1771, a motion was made in the 
court of common-council, to cenfure Mr. Alderman Harley 
for having backed the warrants; and, on the22d, the fol¬ 
lowing refolution was carried: “That if any perfon Avail be 
imprefled within this city or liberty into his majefty’s fer- 
vice, by virtue of any warrant granted or backed by any 
of his majelty’s juftices of the peace for this city, this court 
.will immediately direct their folicitor, at the city’s ex- 
penfe, to profecute, in the name of the perfon fo imprefled 
(if he defiles it), not only the juftice of the peace who 
granted or backed the faid warrant, but the conftable or 
peace-cfficer who executed the fame.” This queftion, 
however, was put to reft by a letter from the fecretary of 
Itate to the lord-mayor, informing him that the difpute 
between the two governments was amicably adjufted. 
During this feflion of parliament was palled the famous 
puving-atl. The Itat. 10 Geo. II. c. 22. had eltabliflied 
a fyftem of paving, lighting, cleanfing, and watching, the 
city of London ; and other regulations had been made 
from time to time, particularly an ait of parliament in 
5762, which occafiontd the removal of the large.fign-jjames 
which went all acrofs the ftreets; but the ftatute which) 
totally and finally removed fignsand fign-pofts, balconies, 
fpouts, gutters, and thole other encroachments and an¬ 
noyances which were felt as grievances by the inhabitants, 
did not pafs till this year. The flat. 11 Geo. III. c. 29. 
contains a complete and mafterly fyftem of that branch of 
the police which is connected with municipal regula¬ 
tions; and may be conlidered as a model for every large 
city in the empire. This ftatute extends to every ob- 
ftrudlion by carts and carriages, and provides a remedy 
for all nuifances which can prove, in any refpeft, cffen- 
five to the inhabitants ; and fpecial commiftioners, called 
commiftioners of fewers, are appointed to enfure a regular 
execution. This ftatute was afterwards improved by fiat. 
33 Geo. III. c. 75. by which the power of the commif- 
fioners is increafed, and fome nuifances, arifing from but¬ 
chers, duftmen, &c. further provided againll. 
The cuitonv of hanging figns over the door, or at any 
other part of the houle, is of ancient date; for the Ro¬ 
mans ul'ed them, as appears from Quintilian, who fays, 
Tabernee crant circa forum, et Jcutum itlud figni gratia pofi~ 
turn-, “ There were fhops around the market-place, and this 
fhield hung there as a iign.” A bufh of ivy or a bunch 
of grapes vvas often ufed for the fame purpofe; and hence 
the proverb. Good wine needs no bufh. 
In England, figns originated by law in the time of 
Charles I. but they had partially fubfided long before ; 
for the very charter of that king, whereby the citizens 
were directed to “hang out figns for the better finding of 
their refpeftive dwellings,” is a proof that in many in- 
llances fuch indications were already pendant over fhops 
in the city and elfe where. The rage for thefe gaudy, and 
too-often tawdry, penfile works of the brufh, had at length 
rifen to fuch a pitch, that the ftreets of London and Weft- 
minfter (aped by the country-towns) exhibited as many 
and various paintings as any famous fale at Chriftie or 
Phillips’s rooms. Expenfe was not fpared on the occafion ; 
and the envie de metier among tradefmen was fuch, that one 
generally wifhed to outfhine another. Indeed, we are 
told, that a young man, opening his (hop for the firlt time, 
was often at a lols to find money for the fign-poft, upon 
the bcautifulncfs of which his future welfare and fuccefs 
confiderably depended.—The choice of a witty device, or 
fplendid enluminure, was therefore of great confequence ; 
and indeed, if we may relax from the indifpenfably-ferious 
tenor of our annals, by relating a few anecdotes upon this 
fubjedf, we fhall evince that thefe Jilent adxiertifers were of 
great import to their proprietors. 
Although the following anecdote originated in a fo¬ 
reign country, we do not think it foreign to our purpofe 5 
and have no doubt, we are even fure, that it has its coun¬ 
terpart in many places of our ifland.—An inn-keeper at 
Call'd, having confiderably profited by his numerous cuf- 
tomers under the fign of “ the Grey Afsfuppofing him- 
felf well eltablilhed in his trade and houfe, began to be 
tired of the vulgar fign which hung over his door. The 
arrival of the landgrave-_of Hefie furnifhed him with an 
opportunity of making, as he thought, a very advan¬ 
tageous change.—In an evil hour, the Grey Afs was pulled 
down and thrown afide, and a well-painted and faithful 
likenefs of the prince fubltituted for it, as a moll: loyal 
fign. A fmall and unfrequented houfe in the fame town 
immediately took up the difcarded device, and fpecula- 
tively hoilted “ the Grey Afs.” What was the confe¬ 
quence?—Old codgers, married men with fcolding wives 
at home, ftraggling young fellows, (potus el exlex,) all the 
fraternity of free topers, reforted to the houfe, filled the 
tap-room, crammed the parlour, aflailed the bar ; the Grey 
Afs had the run and the vogue, whilft the venerable Princs 
of HeJ/e l'wang mournfully and deferted at the other place, 
and enticed no vilitors, foreign or domeftic ; for it is to 
be obferved, that the Grey Als had fuch reputation all 
over Germany, that every foreign nobleman or gentleman 
who came to Cafl'el was fure to order his coach or chaife 
to be driven to the inn of that name j pnd this order of 
sourfe 
