US LON 
the river, and unrigged them, and at length affembled in 
a confiderahle body, determined to proceed to the Admi¬ 
ralty, and afterwards to St. James’s, to feek redrefs. On their 
approach, all the entrances into the Park were fluit and 
guarded ; but about feven hundred of them fcaled the 
-walls on the Weftminfter fide. As foon as they were dif- 
covered in the Bird-cage walk, a detachment of the guards 
was ordered to meet them. On their approach near each 
other, a.converfation took place between fome of the Tai¬ 
lors, Mr. Juftice Addington, and the officer of the guard; 
when the Tailors informed them, that they fought only for 
fome means of future employment, and this they meant 
to do peaceably: on which the magiftrate informed them, 
that the meeting of fuch large bodies was dangerous and 
illegal; but that, if they would draw up a clear account 
of their wants and grievances, he would endeavour to get 
them redreffed; with which they appeared to be perfectly 
Tatisfied, and retired with regularity and order. 
At a court of aldermen held on the zzd of July, the re¬ 
corder and common-l'erjeant made a report on the long- 
pending caufe referred to their confideration refpeiling the 
Jews, whether they can legally claim the freedom of this 
city, and exercife the rights and francliifes of freemen. 
Their opinion was, that Jews publicly baptized, and con¬ 
forming to the laws of the country, may, after the re¬ 
nunciation of their errors, be entitled to the privileges of 
citizens of London. 
On the 29th of Auguft, a letter was fent by the fecre- 
tary of date to the lord-mayor, informing him that the 
definitive treaties of peace were to be figned on the 3d of 
September; and, on the arrival of the news that this event 
had actually taken place, a fecond letter was fent, in order 
that public notice thereof might be given in the city ; and, 
on the 6th of October, peace was proclaimed with the 
ul'ual folemnities, amidftan innumerable concourfe of peo¬ 
ple, who teftified their joy by loud and reiterated accla¬ 
mations. 
The mode of executing criminals at Tyburn bad long 
been complained of as tending rather to introduce depra¬ 
vity, by a want of folemnity, than to operate as a preven¬ 
tive of crimes, by exhibiting an awful example of pu- 
nifhment to the diffblute. To remedy this ferious evil 
in the police of the metropolis, both the place and man¬ 
ner of execution were changed. A temporary fcaffold was 
conftruded, to be placed as occafion required in the open 
fpace before the debtors’ door of Newgate, having a move- 
able platform for the criminals to lland on, which, by 
means of a lever and rollers, falls from under them. The 
whole of this building is hung with black; and the regu¬ 
lations obferved on thefe mournful occafions are calcu¬ 
lated to produce that impreflion on the minds of the fpec- 
tators which is the true end of all puniffiment. The firft 
execution here took place on the 9th of December. 
The end of this year was remarkable alfo for the entrance 
of Mr. Pitt into the important offices of firft lord of the trea- 
fury and chancellor of the exchequer. From this period un¬ 
til the month of March, 1784,was exhibited the lingular fpec- 
tacle of a minifter in a conilant minority, yet retaining his 
fituation through the fupport of the king and the nation, 
in defpite of reiterated petitions and reprefentations from 
the houfe of commons to the throne to procure his difrnif- 
fal. In Turh a conjuncture, the city of London could not 
be expefted to be inactive ; and accordingly, an add refs 
of thanks, from the lord-mayor, aldermen and common- 
council, to his majelfy for difmiffing his late counfellors, 
was prefented, on the 16th of January; containing the 
ftrongelt affurances of their determination to fupport him 
in the constitutional exercife of his prerogatives. This ad- 
drefs was very gracioufly received. Similar add relies were 
prefented from the merchants and traders of London, the 
city of Weftminfter, the borough of Southwark, the county 
of Middlefex, and many other places. The freedom of 
the city was alfo prefented to Mr. Pitt ; and, on the 28th 
ef February, an elegant entertainment was provided for 
D O N. 
him at Grocers’ Hail, of which company he had accepted 
the freedom; to which he went in procelfion, attended by 
the committee appointed to prefent him with the freedom 
of the city, the Sheriffs, and the town-clerk. At Tem¬ 
ple-bar, they were met by the city colours, and thole of 
the Grocers’ Company. In the evening there was an il¬ 
lumination : many windows were broken by the mob, 
on his return from the city; and, in St. James’s-ftreet, an 
affray happened between them and fome chairmen at 
Brookes’s, in which the latter proved victorious, and Mr. 
Pitt was obliged to quit his carriage, and retire to White’s 
for protection. His coach was much injured ; and, in 
revenge, the mob that dragged it went and broke Mr. 
Fox’s windows, in St. James’s Place. 
The great and memorable conteft, between adminiftra- 
tion and the houfe of commons, having been fo far deter¬ 
mined in favour of the former, that a long mutiny-bill 
was palled, without which a diffolution of parliament 
could not have taken place; it was thought moll advife- 
able to have recourfe to that meal'ure, in order to get at 
the true fenfe of the nation. Accordingly, the parliament 
was dilfolved on the 25th of March. In tlie general elec¬ 
tion which followed, the miniffry gained a moll com¬ 
plete majority; and Mr. Pitt fet forward in his political 
career with the brilliant affurance that court and the peo¬ 
ple were equally his friends. 
The grandelt mufical performance ever attempted in any 
country, w’as exhibited in Weftminller-abbey, in May and 
June of this year, in commemoration of Handel. It ori¬ 
ginated in a converfation between fome amateurs, in which 
it was lamented, that no public occafion exilled for col¬ 
lecting all the vocal and inftrumental performers of emi¬ 
nence into one band, which would produce a performance 
on fo grand and magnificent a fcale as no other part of the 
world could equal. The birth and death of Handel, the 
former of which was a complete century, and the latter 
exaftly a quarter of a century, before this period, were 
immediately recolleCted as offering a defirable opportu¬ 
nity for making the attempt. The plan was l'peedily 
communicated to the different mufical focieties in the 
metropolis; and, coming at length to the knowledge of 
the king, was honoured with his fanCtion and patronage. 
Weftminfter-abbey, where the remains of the great mufi- 
cian were depofited, was thought the propereil place for 
the performance; and it was determined to appropriate all 
the profits ariling from it to charitable purpofes. No 
fooner was the projeCt known, than the greater part of the 
praClical muficians in the kingdom nianifefted their zeal 
for the enterprife; and many of the moll eminent profef- 
fors, waving all claim to precedence, offered to perform 
in any fubordinate ftation. The firft performance took 
place on the 26th of May; the number of performers 
amounted to five hundred and twenty-two, and that of 
the audience to nearly five thoufand ; of which at leaft: 
two thirds were ladies. Feathers and all extraneous or¬ 
naments being forbidden, the neatnefs and fimplicity 
of their dreffes added to their natural charms, and pro¬ 
duced fuch an aflemblage of beauty as no other country 
in the univerfe could boaft of. There were five perform¬ 
ances in the whole, the fecond of which was at the Pan* 
theon ; and the total amount of the receipts for tickets, 
including two rehearfals, was eleven thoufand eight hun¬ 
dred and forty-two guineas: after payment of the expenfes, 
which amounted to about five thoufand pounds, the re¬ 
mainder was given to charities, as follows; to the Mufical 
Fund, fix thoufand pounds; to the Weftminfter Hofpital, 
one thoufand pounds. 
The attention of the metropolis was excited in a high 
degree, on the 15th of September, by the firft aerial voy¬ 
age ever undertaken in this kingdom. Mr. Lunardi af- 
cended from the Artillery-ground, with a balloon thirty- 
three feet in diameter, amidlt the admiration and dread of 
an immenfe concourfe of fpeHators, about two o’clock in 
the afternoon > and, after a voyage of three hours, de- 
fcended 
