LON 
interfered, London, in wh'ofe very lap thefe vipers had been 
unknowingly nurtured, might have fallen a victim to their 
evil intentions. 
The minds of the lower clafs of people (till continued 
to be poifoned by inflammatory harangues and refolu- 
tions at different meetings of the Correfponding So¬ 
ciety, one of which was held on the 26th of October, 
1795, in the fields near Copenhage'n-houfe, Iflington, to 
vote an addrefs to the nation, on its critical and calamitous 
(late; a remonjlrance to his majejly, for the negleft and con¬ 
tempt fliown to a former addrefs 5 and a firing of refolu- 
tions, applicable to the alarming crifis, all of which were 
adopted by the acclamation of the multitude. The events 
which followed, (bowed the (late of irritation thefe pro¬ 
ceedings had created. 
On the 29th, the king went in (fate to open the parlia¬ 
ment, on which occafion a crowd affembled, ten times as 
numerous as that ufually produced ; for they amounted to 
at leaft two hundred thouland. From the time that his rna- 
jefty left the palace, he was hilled and hooted at by a gang 
of ruffians, but no violence was offered until he arrived 
oppofite the Ordnance-office, when a bullet from an air- 
gun perforated the glafs pannel of the coach, but moll 
happily failed to accomplifh the diabolical purpofe it was 
evidently intended to effect. In Palace-yard, a l'tone was 
thrown which (battered one of the fide-windows; and on 
his majefty’s return, followed by the fame gang, another 
(tone was thrown oppofite to Spring-garden terrace, which 
ftruck the wood-work of the coach, but without doing 
any injury. After his majeffy had alighted at St. James’s, 
the mob attacked the ffate coach with Rones and bludgeons, 
by which every particle of glafs belonging to it was de- 
molilhed, and confiderable injury done to the carved- 
work and pannels. In a (hort time, the king went in his 
private coach from St. James’s to Buckingham-houfe; and, 
in the park, was attacked by fixteen or feventeen ruffians, 
who broke out from the mafs of the crowd ; but, fort 11- 
satelv, the horfe-guards arrived to his refeue, juft as one 
of them was attempting to force open the door. 
This daring outrage excited the horror and deteftation 
of all ranks of people, and was followed by loyal and af- 
feftionate add redes of congratulation from every part of 
the kingdom : that from the city of London was prefented 
on the 6th of November, and moll gracioufly received. 
The trial of Kyd Wake, a printer, one of the gang who 
followed his majefty’s coach, hiding and otherwife infult- 
ing him, came on in the court of King’s Bench, on the 20th 
of February, 1766 ; when, the fatts charged in the indict¬ 
ment being fully proved, the jury, without hefitation, re¬ 
turned a verdict of guilty. The judgment of the court, 
which was pronounced by lord Kenyon, was very fevere; 
viz. <! to be imprifoned and kept to hard labour in GI011- 
ceffer gaol for five years ; and to (land on the pillory, in 
one of the public ffreets of Gloucefter, on a market-day, 
within the dr (I three months of his imprifonment ; at the 
expiration of which, he was to find fecurity, in one thou- 
iand pounds, for his good behaviour for ten years.” T his 
unfortunate man, after his liberation, opened a fhop in 
the Old Bailey, where he fold books and braces, pam¬ 
phlets and garters, political effaysand nightcaps; and met 
his death on the 13th of March, 1807, in Paul’s Chain, 
being crufhed by a cart againlt one of the polls of that 
much-too-narrow ftreet. 
On the meeting of the new parliament, the king having- 
informed them, that the Reps he had purified had opened 
the way to an immediate and direCt negotiation for peace, 
the comnion-councii of London thought ihemftlves called 
upon to addrefs his majeffy, to thank him for his com¬ 
munication, and to allure him that, in the event of his be¬ 
ing unable to obtain a juft, honourable, and l'olid, peace, 
it was the united determination of the citizens of London 
to fupport and afiift him with increafed vigour and acti¬ 
vity. In his anfwer, his majeffy thanked them for thefe 
frdh affurances of attachment, and promiled an unremit- 
D O N. 127 
ting attention to the welfare and happinefs of the city of 
London. 
The negociations for peace came to nothing ; and the city 
of London evinced its loyalty in fubferibing eagerly to a 
voluntary loan of eighteen millions; but a difference of 
opinion arofe between the livery and the common-coun¬ 
cil on account of money having been advanced to the 
emperor of Germany by minifters during the recefs, and 
therefore without the fanCtion of parliament. The refo- 
lutions of the common-hall tended exprefsly to cenf’ure 
the adminiftration ; whereas the common-council agreed 
to a motion approving the opportune and pecuniary aid 
granted to one of our allies, in order to open a fairer pro- 
fpeef of obtaining an honourable peace for Great Britain 
and her allies. 
The ftoppage of the cafh-payments at the bank is the 
firlt feature of the year 1797. It excited at iirft furprife 
and anxiety; but, having loon received the fanClion of 
the bankers and moll opulent merchants of London, the 
fteady credit of the nation fupporting that of paper-money, 
bank-notes were received with confidence inffead of caffi; 
and lubfequent events have confirmed the prudence and 
utility of the meafure. See the article Bank, vol. ii. d. 676. 
Another t ran faff ion which engrolfcd a great deal of the 
public attention was the right which the livery of Lon¬ 
don claimed to have their petitions and addrefies prefented 
to the king on the throne, a privilege which could not ma¬ 
terially affeft the pofiible ifi'ue of their demands,but w hich, 
had they obtained it, w ould have confounded the rights of 
civil dignity; this prerogative belonging only to the city 
in its corporate, capacity. A common-hall was held on 
the 23d of March, in which a petition to his majeffy, 
praying him to difmifs his minifters, as the firlt Hep to¬ 
wards obtaining a fpeedy, honourable, and permanent, 
peace, was voted; and the (heriffs, with the- city-repre- 
fentatives, were requefted to prefent it to his majeffy 
on the throne. On the iff of April, the lord-mayor 
laid before the livery a letter he had received from the 
(heriffs, acquainting him that his majeffy would receive 
the petition on the next or any other levee-day; bur, as 
it did not come from the city in its corporate capacity, 
he would not receive it on the throne. On this, the li¬ 
very directed the ftieriffs, attended by the remembrancer, 
to demand a perfonal audience of his majeffy, to know 
when he would be pleafed to receive their addrefs- and 
petition on the throne. They accordingly obtained 
an audience, and delivered the mefiage directed by the 
livery; to which they received an anfwer from his 111a- 
jefty, refilling to receive it upon the throne, for the rea- 
lons already given, and repeating his readinefs to receive 
it at the levee, provided the number of perlons prefenting 
it did not exceed the ufual number of ten. This report 
being read at another common-hall, held on the 12th, two 
refolutions were parted, declaratory of the rights of the li¬ 
very; and another was offered, which, not being fpecified 
in the fummons, the lord-mayor declared he could not 
put,, confidently with his duty to the livery, who might 
thus be furprifed into meafures, for which they were 
not previously prepared. After much altercation, the 
lord-mayor ordered the iniignia of office to be taken up ; 
and the hall was, ofcourfe, ciiRoived. A fourth common- 
hail was held on this fubjecl, bn the nth of May, when 
feveral llrong refolutions were entered into, relative to the 
rights of the livery, and the niilconduft of his majeffy’s roi- 
niffers, for the difmiffal of whom their reprefentatives were 
directed to move an addrefs in parliament; after which, a 
vote of cenfure was palled againlt the lord-mayor, for dif- 
folving the laft common hall, and convening- this foj pur- 
pofes (hort of thole fpecified in the requifition. A coun¬ 
ter-declaration was, however, ligned, by two thouland and 
ninety-fix liverymen, expieflive of their diflent and difap- 
probation of the violent proceedings at thefe common- 
halls; and of their averfion and abhorrence of all proceed¬ 
ings tending to excite dil'cord, or to fanftion meafures 
5 of 
