"for a prosecution by the attorney-general; and "the fourth, an address to his majesty, for the re"imbursement of the foreign ministers, to the "amount of the damages they had sustained by "the rioters. Another resolution was moved by "the minister, for proceeding immediately, when "the present tumults were subsided, to take into "due consideration the petitions from many of his "majesty's protestant subjects. Intelligence be

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ing received of the conflagrations, which were "commenced in the city, it threw every thing into "new confusion; and a hasty adjournment took "place.

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"Some of the lords likewise met, but the impropriety of their proceeding upon any public business, in the present tumult, and surrounded by a military force, being taken into consideration, " and an account arriving, at the same time, that "the first lord of the admiralty, in his way to the "house, had been set upon, wounded, and his life only critically saved, by the military, they ad"journed to the 19th.

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"Never did the metropolis, in any known age, "exhibit such a dreadful spectacle of calamity "and horror; or experience such real danger, terror, and distress, as on the following day and

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night. It is said, that, it was beheld blazing, in thirty-six different parts, from one spot. Some "of these conflagrations were of such a magnitude, as to be truly tremendous. Of these, the gaol of Newgate, the King's Bench prison, the new Bride"well in St. George's-fields, the Fleet prison, and

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"the houses and great distilleries of Mr. Langdale "in Holborn, where the vast quantity of spirituous liquors increased the violence of the flames to a degree, of which no adequate conception can be formed, presented spectacles of the most dreadful "nature. The houses of most of the roman-catho"lics were marked; and many destroyed or burned; "as well as those of the few magistrates, who "showed any activity in repressing those tumults. "The outrages grew more violent, and general, "after the breaking open of the prisons.

"The attacks, made that day, upon the Bank, "roused the whole activity of the government. "Great bodies of forces had, for some time, been "collecting from all parts. They were at length "employed, and brought on the catastrophe of that "melancholy night which followed. Strong de"tachments of troops being sent into the city, and "the attempts on the Bank, and other places, re"newed, a carnage then inevitably ensued, in which

great number of lives were lost. Nothing could "be more dismal than that night. Those whọ were on the spot, or in the vicinity, say, that the

present darkness, the gleam of the distant fires, "the dreadful shouts in different quarters, the groans of the dying, and the heavy, regular,

platoon firing of the soldiers, formed altogether a "scene so terrific and tremendous, as no descrip❝tion, or even imagination, could possibly reach.

"The metropolis presented on the following "day, in many places, the image of a city recently "stormed and sacked; all business at an end,

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"houses and shops shut up; the Royal Exchange, public buildings, and streets possessed and occu'pied by the troops; smoking and burning ruins'; "with a dreadful void and silence, in scenes of the greatest hurry, noise, and business.

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"The house of commons met on the following day; but, although the rioters were entirely quelled, it was immediately noticed, that the city "of Westminster was under martial law; and they "accordingly adjourned to the 19th. On the "afternoon of the same day, lord George Gordon was taken into custody, at his house in Welbeck

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street, and conveyed to the Horse-guards; and, "after a long examination before several lords of "the privy council, he was, between nine and ten "in the evening, conducted, (under the strongest

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guard that ever was known to attend any state "prisoner), to the Tower, where he was committed "to close confinement."

It is needless to pursue the consequences of this afflicting event:-It should, however, be mentioned, that lord George Gordon was tried for his life and acquitted; that several others were tried and condemned, but that the most guilty only were executed. Under the provisions of the act of George the first, several roman-catholics recovered the amount of their losses from the county.

Those who wish to see all that philosophy and eloquence can say on this singular and melancholy event, or on the general subject of the penal laws against the roman-catholics, or on the repeal of those laws, will find it in the "speech of Mr.

Burke, at the Guildhall, in Bristol, to the electors "of that city, upon certain points relative to his parliamentary conduct,-published by him in "1782." A more able or more sincere advocate, the roman-catholics never had. No orator could ever pronounce on himself a more eloquent or a more dignified, and, at the same time, a more merited panegyric than that, with which Mr. Burke closes this address; perhaps, the most beautiful specimen, that is extant, of modern eloquence.

"And now, gentlemen, on this serious day, "when I come, as it were, to make up my account "with you, let me take to myself some degree of "honest pride, on the nature of the charges that

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are against me. I do not here stand before you, "accused of venality, or of neglect of duty. It is "not said, that in the long period of my service, "I have, in a single instance, sacrificed the slightest "of your interests to my ambition, or to my for"tune. It is not alleged, that, to gratify any anger "or revenge of my own, or of my party, I have “had a share in wronging or oppressing any de"scription of men, or any one man in any descrip"tion. No! the charges against me are all of one "kind, that I pushed the principles of general "justice and benevolence too far ;-farther, than "a cautious policy would warrant; and farther, "than the opinions of many would go along with me. In every accident which accident which may happen through life; in pain, in sorrow, in depression, " and distress, I will call to mind this accusation, "and be comforted."

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While the riots were at the highest, some persons recommended to his late majesty a repeal of the act which had passed for the relief of the catholics in 1778; it is said that the queen supported this recommendation by her entreaties; but his majesty rejected it, and desired it not to be repealed. A petition for the repeal had been circulated, but obtained very few signatures: the late Dr. Priestley, in a sensible and animated publication*, showed its unreasonableness and inexpediency.

CHAP. LXXVIII.

THE SOCINIANS,-UNITARIANS,-DEISTS,

FRENCH PHILOSOPHERS.

WE have given some account of the successive reformations of the established creed by the latitudinarians, by the low-church men, and by Hoadley and his disciples: the subject now leads us to notice, I. The Socinians : II. The Unitarians: III. The Deists: IV. And the French Philosophers. V. We shall then mark the reception of the French emigrants in this country.

* "A free Address to those who have petitioned for the "Repeal of the late Act of Parliament in favour of the Roman"catholics."