1780.

RELIEF OF PROTESTANT DISSENTERS.

17

In a former chapter it has been already shown how the Protestant Associations, spreading from Scotland to England, and selecting Lord George Gordon as their common chief, continued through the year 1779, to gather strength and numbers.* The conduct of Lord George showed that he was well entitled to his post of pre-eminence in folly. During the session of 1780, he made many speeches in the House of Commons, always marked by ignorant fanaticism, and often by low buffoonery. Thus, on one occasion, we find him call Lord Nugent "the old rat of the Constitution."** Here his meaning seems not quite clear, nor is it of the least importance to discover; but it may serve for a sample of his style. Early in the year, he had obtained an audience of the King, and read out to His Majesty page after page of an Irish pamphlet, so long as the daylight lasted.*** He suspected, or at least he was wont to insinuate, that George the Third was a Roman Catholic at heart. His next object was to obtain popular petitions, complaining of the recent relaxation in the Penal Laws.

It had been hoped, in the course of the last year, that some indulgence to the Protestant Dissenters might be the best means to lessen or divert their rancour against the Roman Catholics, and to convince them that no exclusive favour was intended to these last. With such views nearly the same measure of Relief from Subscription, which the Lords had rejected by a large majority in 1772, and again in 1773, passed their House in 1779, when transmitted from the Commons, and, it is said, without debate. The indulgence was accepted, but the rancour was not removed. This plainly appeared from the great popular support with which even the wildest projects of Lord George Gordon were received. The petition which he wished to obtain from London was at this time the object of his especial care. It was invited and

* See vol. vi. pp. 251 and 272.

**Parl. Hist. vol. xxi.

p. 407.

*** H. Walpole to Lady Ossory, January 29. 1780.

+ Parl. Hist. vol. xx. p. 322. See also in the Appendix to my fifth volume, a letter from Dr. Price to Lord Chatham, dated March 11. 1773. Mahon, History. VII.

2

urged on in every manner by public advertisements and by personal entreaties. It was for several weeks in circulation, and received many thousand signatures. To give it greater force and effect Lord George, towards the close of May, convened a meeting of the Protestant Association in Coachmakers' Hall. There, after a long speech, and in a most crowded room, he gave notice that he would present the petition to the House of Commons, on the 2nd of June. Resolutions were passed that the whole body of the Association and their friends would, on that day, assemble in St. George's Fields, with blue cockades in their hats, to distinguish all true Protestants from their foes. Still further to incite them Lord George added, that if the assemblage did not amount to 20,000, he would not deliver the petition.

*

Accordingly on Friday, the 2nd of June, and at ten o'clock in the morning, St. George's Fields were thronged with blue cockades. They were computed at 50,000 or 60,000, and by some persons even at 100,000 men. The love of frolic and of staring had certainly brought many new accessions to their ranks. Appearing in the midst and welcomed by their enthusiastic cheers, Lord George Gordon, in the first place indulged them with another of his silly speeches. Next, they were marshalled in separate bands, the main body marching over London Bridge and through Temple Bar to the Houses of Parliament. In this procession they walked six abreast, and in their van was carried their great petition, containing, it was said, no less than 120,000 signatures or marks.

London, at that period, was far from yet possessing the sturdy and disciplined police which now, on any chance of riot, or even of mere crowd and pressure, lines our streets and squares. There were only the parish beadles, and the so-called watchmen of the night, for the most part feeble

*London Courant, June 3. 1780. This newspaper thinks fit to add, "It was a glorious and most-affecting spectacle to see such numbers of our "fellow-citizens advancing in the cause of Protestantism, which our Pro"testant Bishops have so meanly and infamously deserted." But by the next publication (Monday, June 5.) the Editor's tone had wholly changed. "What melancholy forebodings must not the outrage and insult," &c. &c.

1780.

TUMULT IN PALACE YARD.

19

old men, frequently knocked down by the revellers, and scoffed at by the play-wrights, of the age. In the face of that mighty array so long previously announced, which Lord George Gordon was leading to Whitehall, not one measure of precaution had been taken by the Government. They had neither sworn in any special constables nor stationed any soldiers. It must be owned, however, that the reproaches on that score came with no good grace from the lips of the Opposition chiefs, which had so lately poured forth their loudest clamours when, in the apprehension of some tumult at the Westminster meeting, a body of troops had been kept ready.

Finding no obstruction to their progress, the blue cockades advanced to Palace Yard, and took possession of the open space some time before the two Houses met, as they did later in the afternoon. Then, with only a few doorkeepers and messengers between them and some of the principal objects of their fury, they were not long in learning the dangerous secret of their strength. The Lords had been summoned for that day, to hear a motion from the Duke of Richmond, in favour of annual Parliaments and unrestricted suffrage. Lord Chancellor Thurlow was ill and at Tunbridge, and the Earl of Mansfield had undertaken to preside in his place. But as it chanced Lord Mansfield was then most unpopular with the Protestant Associators, having not long since charged a jury to acquit a Roman Catholic priest, who was brought before him charged with the crime of celebrating Mass. Thus, no sooner did his carriage appear than it was assailed and its windows broken, while the venerable judge, the object of the fiercest execrations as "a notorious Papist," made his way into the House with great difficulty, and on entering, could not conceal his torn robe and his disshevelled wig. He took his seat upon the woolsack pale and quivering.*

* 66 Quivering on the woolsack like an aspen" was the description by the Duke of Gloucester that same night, to Horace Walpole (Letter to Lady Ossory, June 3. 1780). On the other hand, Lord Campbell is perhaps a little too eager to praise his brother Chief Justice for "calm dignity," (Lives, &c., vol. ii. p. 518), and to add, three pages further, "I observe,

The Archbishop of York's lawn sleeves were torn off and flung in his face. The Bishop of Lincoln, disliked as a brother of Lord Thurlow, fared still worse; his carriage was demolished, while the prelate, half fainting, sought refuge in an adjacent house, from which, on recovering himself, he made his escape in another dress (some said in a woman's) along the leads. Lord Hillsborough and Lord Townshend, who came together, and the other Secretary of State, Lord Stormont, were roughly handled, and could scarcely make their way through the people. From Lord President Bathurst they pulled his wig, telling him, in contumelious terms, that he was "the Pope," and also " an old woman;" thus, says Horace Walpole, splitting into two their notion of Pope Joan! The Duke of Northumberland, having with him in his coach a gentleman in black, a cry arose among the multitude that the person thus attired must be a Jesuit and the Duke's confessor; a conclusion, it may fairly be owned, not at all more unreasonable than many others they had formed. On the strength of this, their discriminating judgment, His Grace was forced from his carriage, and robbed of his watch and purse.

Still, however, as the Peers by degrees came in, the business of the House in regular course proceeded. Prayers were read, some formal Bills were advanced a stage, and the Duke of Richmond then began to state his reasons for thinking that, under present circumstances, political powers might safely be entrusted to the lowest orders of the people. His Grace was still speaking, when Lord Montfort burst into the House, and broke through his harangue. Lord Montfort said that he felt bound to acquaint their Lordships of the perilous situation in which, at that very moment, stood one of their own members; he meant Lord Boston, whom the mob had dragged out of his coach, and were cruelly maltreating. "At this instant," says an eye-witness, "it is hardly possible "to conceive a more grotesque appearance than the House

"with great pride, that on this occasion the Law Lord showed much more 'courage than any other member of the House, spiritual or temporal."

1780.

TUMULT IN THE COMMONS' LOBBY.

21

"exhibited. Some of their Lordships with their hair about "their shoulders; others smutted with dirt; most of them as “pale as the ghost in Hamlet; and all of them standing up "in their several places, and speaking at the same instant. "One Lord proposing to send for the Guards, another for "the Justices or Civil Magistrates, many crying out, Adjourn! "Adjourn! while the skies resounded with the huzzas, "shoutings, or hootings and hissings in Palace Yard. This 66 scene of unprecedented alarm continued for about half an "hour."*

It was proposed by Lord Townshend, that the Peers should go forth as a body, and attempt the rescue of Lord Boston. This proposal was still debating, rather too slowly for its object, when Lord Boston himself came in, with his hair disshevelled and his clothes covered with hair-powder. He had been exposed to especial danger, through a wholly unfounded suggestion from some persons in the crowd, that he was a Roman Catholic; upon which the multitude, with loud imprecations, had threatened to cut the sign of the Cross upon his forehead. But he had the skill to engage some of the ring-leaders in a controversy on the question whether the Pope be Antichrist; and while they were eagerly discussing that favourite point, he contrived to slip through them. After such alarms, however, the Peers did not resume the original debate. They summoned to the Bar two of the Middlesex Magistrates, who declared that they had received no orders from the Government, and that, with all their exertions since the beginning of the tumult, they had only been able to collect six constables. Finally, at eight o'clock, the House adjourned till the morrow; and the Peers, favoured by the dusk, returned home on foot, or in hackney carriages, with no further insult or obstruction.

The members of the Commons, as less conspicuous in their equipages than the Peers, were not so much molested

* Reprinted in the Parl. Hist. vol. xxi. p. 669. In the Lords' Journals of that day appears the unusual entry: "Notice was taken of a tumultuous "assembly," &c.