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principles of the Revolution, had a tendency to endanger the fucceffion of the House of Hanover, and threatened deftruction to the civil and religious liberty of this country. His Lordship read an extract from a Popish catechifm, just published by a Popish printer in Grofvenor Square, and difperfed among the ignorant and unthinking part of the community; likewife an indulgence granted by the Pope, this prefent year, to this holy Catholic fubjects and faints in this Heretic country: and from these publications, his Lordship bid the people form an idea of the rapid and alarming progrefs that Popery was making in this kingdom; and the only way to stop it was, by going in a firm, manly, and refolute manner to the House, and there fhew their reprefentatives, that they were determined to preserve their religious free-. dom with their lives. That, for his part, he would run all hazards with the people; and if the people were too lukewarm to run all hazards with him, when their confcience and their country call them forth, they might get another Prefident; for he would tell them candidly, that he was not a lukewarm man himself, and that if they meant to spend their time in mock debate and idle oppofition, they might get another leader.

This fpeech was received with the loudeft acclamations of applaufe; and his Lordship then moved the following refolutions:

"That

"That the whole body of the Proteftant Affo❝ciation do attend in St. George's Fields, on Fri

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day next, at Ten o'Clock in the Morning, to 66 accompany his Lordship to the Houfe of Com "mons, on the delivery of the Proteftant Peti"tion." Which was carried unanimously, with repeated bursts of applaufe. His Lordship then informed them, that if less than twenty thousand of his fellow citizens attended him on that day, he would not present their Petition; and for the better obfervance of order, he moved, That they fhould arrange themselves in four divifions, and in order that they might know their friends from their enemies, he added, that every real Protestant, and friend of the Petition, fhould come with blue cockades in their hats. This alfo paffed unanimoufly.

FRIDAY, JUNE 2d, 1780.

PURSUANT to these refolutions, a number of perfons met in St. George's Fields, where Lord George Gordon joined them about eleven o'clock. Between eleven and twelve, they fet out (fix abreaft) over London Bridge, through Cornhill and the City, to the amount of about fifty thousand men, to the Houfe of Commons, with the Proteftant Petition against the Bill paffed last seffion B 2

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in favour of the Roman Catholics, which was carried on a man's head, where Lord Gordon prefented

it.

Thofe who had put blue cockades in their hats, no fooner reached the avenues to the two Houses of Parliament, than they began to exercise the moft arbitrary and dictatorial power over both Lords and Commons. Some of the members they obliged to take oaths, that they would vote for the repeal of the Act paffed last year, for granting liberty of conscience to the Roman Catholics; and almost every one they obliged to put blue cockades in their hats, and cry out, "No Popery"--"No Popery." It happened, we believe, rather by accident than defign, that the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, received moft interruption from them. They ftopped the Archbishop of York, and groffly infulted him. They next feized on the Lord Prefident of the Council, whom they pushed about in the rudeft manner, and kicked violently on the legs. Lord Mansfield was alfo daringly abufed, and traduced to his face. They ftopped Lord Stormont's carriage, and great numbers of them got upon the wheels, box, &c. taking the most impudent liberties with his Lordship, who was, as it were, in their poffeffion for near half an hour; and would not, perhaps, have fo foon got away, had not a gentleman jumped

into.

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into his Lordship's carriage, and, by haranguing the mob, perfuaded them to defift. The Duke of Northumberland was much ill treated, and had his pocket picked of his watch. Litchfield had his gown torn. Lincoln's wheels of his carriage were taken off, and his Lordship almost by miracle escaped any perfonal damage. The Earl of Hillsborough and Lord Townsend, came down together in the carriage of the former, who was known by the mob, and moft groffly infulted. His Lordship would have felt their fury more, had not Lord Townsend, whom fome of them recollected, and profeffed a friendship for, been with him: as it was, they were both greatly pufhed about, and sent into the House without their bags, and with their hair hanging loofe on their fhoulders. Lords Willoughby de Brooke, Lord Bofton, and Lord Ashburnham, were extremely roughly handled; the two latter were in the hands of the mob, and were buffeted about, not only with an indecent and unwarrantable freedom, but with a mercilefs and unmanly feverity, for a confiderable time. Lord St. John, Lord Dudley, and many other Lords, were infulted and perfonally ill-treated. Welbore Ellis, Efq. was pursued by the mob, to the Guildhall, Westminster, the windows of which building they broke all to pieces, and when they found

Mr.

Mr. Ellis, handled him very roughly. They broke the front glafs of Lord Trentham's vis-a-vis, and were extremely infulting to his Lordship, whom they detained in his carriage a confiderable time. The avenues of the Houfe of Commons were fo filled with them, from the outer door up to the very door of the Houfe, (which latter they twice attempted to force open) that it was with the utmost difficulty, the Members got in or out of the Houfe. They attempted, in like manner, to force their way into the House of Peers; but by the good management of Sir Francis Molyneux, and the proper exertion of the door-keepers, under his direction, all the paffages from the ftreet door, and round the Houfe, were kept clear.

The Sardinian chapel in Duke-Street, Lincoln'sInn-Fields, was this night forcibly entered by a riotous fet of people, who called themselves Proteftants, and entirely gutted it, the contents of which they fet on fire in the ftreet aforefaid.

A party of the guards foon after arrived, and apprehended thirteen of the Rioters, who were conducted to the Savoy for examination the next morning. The populace alfo forced their way into the houfe and chapel belonging to Count Haflang, the Bavarian Minifter, which they alfo plundered and deftroyed. Very confiderable de

predations

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