The Virginia Gazette

LONDON, July 31.

Great Tumults happen'd on Wednesday and the preceding Day or two, in and about Shoreditch, the Occasions of which are variouly reported : The Principal of them is, however, said to be, that the Undertaker of the Building of Shoreditch Church having been press'd by a very close Contract, and willing to get what he could by it, employed only Irish Labourers, who work for under Wages; This greatly incens'd the English, and their Resentments were further heightned by other Incidents, or rather Reports, which, true or false, on such Occasions, serve to irritate an unruly Mob.

Particularly on Saturday last, a Report was spread about Spital-Fields, Bishopsgate-Street, White-Chapel, &c. that a Person who keeps a Cook's Shop in Holy-Well-Street, Shoreditch, and his Son-in-Law, who keeps a Cook Shop in Quaker's-Street, Spital-Fields, offered each Five Guineas to a Gang of Irish People, to beat the English ; and, that a Contribution was making by the Irish Men.
In those Parts, in order to encourage their Countrymen to exert themselves on this Occasion against the English Workmen: This so much alarm'd the People thereabout, that great Numbers assembled in order to seek for the Irish Men.

This Affair was farther aggravated, on Occasion of a Fray that happened the same Day, between certain Persons of the Two Nations, at Holloway Mount, where the Irish, not contented with Boxing, pull'd out Knives, and wounded several Persons; and particularly one Williams, who happened to pass that Way, received a Wound in his Shoulder, and is now under a Surgeon's Hands; but in the Conclusion, the Irish Men there were defeated.

The Matter rested not here; for on Monday Morning last several Irish Men met together in divers Alehouses; Cook's Shops, &c. to agree upon Measures to avenge themselves; and finally, resolved to send for the Hay-makers, and other unemployed People of their Nation to their Assistance; and 'twas generally reported among the Populace, that on this Occasion, they came to a Resolution, and took an execrable Oath to confirm it. To wash their Hands in the Blood of any English Man who should oppose them.

Proper Measures were taken that Day by the Justices of the Peace and the principal Inhabitants thereabout, but to little Purpose; because the English Men being prepossessed with this bloody Resolution of the Irish Men, were so much incensed, that nothing could appease them; especially being irritated at the Irish Men for under-working them, and being employed in Preference to them, to the Ruin of Themselves and Families, and this in their own Country, where they look'd upon the Irish Men as Intruders. With this Spirit and Animosity they proceeded to the Houses of several Irish Men, broke their Windows, and perpetrated other Mischiefs; and several of the Two Nations meeting that Night, they had a Battle in the Fields near Hackney, in which divers were wounded on both Sides by Stones, Knives, &c.

On Tuesday Morning, the Populace resorted in such Numbers about White-Chapel, Spital-Fields and Shoreditch. that some of the Justices of the Peace sent several Constables, Beadles, &c. to try by fair Means to pacify the Disturbance: and such their Intention was proclaimed at Three several Places, but without Effect; the Populace, breaking themselves into several Bodies, did great Mischief. broke the Windows and Doors of the aforesaid Cook, and his Son-in-Law, and the Houses of other Irish Men.

At Night the Number of People so increased, that the Inhabitants were under a great Consternation. A Party of the Populace, about Half an Hour after Nine o'Clock, went to the Two Brewers Ale-house, near White Chapel: the Master whereof was said to be an Irish Man, and lodg'd Two other Irish Men in his House, who they were resolved to have alive or dead; and accordingly they attempted to force the Door, and broke the Windows, while others attempted to get in the Back-way: Hereupon the Master and Lodgers, who had provided themselves with Pistols, Blunderbusses and Daggers, fired on the Populace Seven Times, and wounded several of them, and particularly Two Boys, who are said to be mortally wounded; likewise one James Brown, a labouring Man, received several Wounds on his Head, Arms, and Breast, So that he was given over; a Woman was also wounded on her Left Side with a Dagger, but there were Hopes of her Recovery. At last the Populace forced in, broke almost every Thing in the House, seized the Three reputed Irish Men, tapped the Beer that was in the House, and, in short, would have killed their Antagonists, had it not been for the Guards of the Tower, who by this Time arrived to appease the Tumult, together with the Train'd Bands of the Tower-Hamlets; these, with great Difficulty, dispers'd the Populace for a While, tho' not without being obliged to use some Force with their Bayonets, by which several were wounded, especially in Holywell-Street and Brick-Lane. Mr. Borrow, the Master of this Ale-house above-mentioned, was taken up, and examined before several Justices.

Several Circumstances serv'd still to irritate the Populace: On Wednesday an English Man, and an Irish, were carried under a strong Guard to Prison, but Mr. Borrow was discharged, it appearing he did not fire: Upon this the Train'd Bands were insulted as they came back from guarding the Prisoner. That Night, a Company came from the Tower-Hamlets, and took 8 Rioters. The Train'd Bands kept that Night several Corps of Guard, and detach'd several Others to patroll thro' the Streets; and about Twelve, Two Troops of Horse-Grenadiers, went thro' Shoreditch to Hackney, where they dispers'd several Gatherings, and at Break of Day retired, and that Morning Four. Companies of the Foot-Guards, march'd from the Park to the Tower, to be ready at all Events.

Thursday Noon, one Earl, an Irish Man, attack'd a Company of the Train'd-Bands, and desperately wounded one of them, but after some Resistance, was taken and carried off Prisoner under a strong Guard; it was said there were several others well arm'd, to support him, but seeing another Body of Train'd-Bands coming, they made off into the Fields; a Party was detach'd after them, but too late. The Train'd-Bands upon Duty were reliev'd on Thursday Night, and a Party of Foot-Guards from the Tower, patrolled towards the Fields 'till Friday Morning, and Yesterday every Thing was quiet about these Parts, but some little Commotions we hear have been in the Country, we hope not very material. Orders are sent to the Colonels of several of the Regiments in Kent, and other Counties, to keep a watchful Eye on any unquiet Spirits that should happen to shew themselves in those Parts.

An Express has been sent to Hanover, and 'tis assured, that his Majesty will come Home sooner than it was expected.

August 7. Notwithstanding the Tranquility this City appeared to be in, on Friday Evening, last Week, late that Night assembled many Hundred Disturbers of the Peace, proclaiming thro' the Streets, a Law of their own making, viz. That every English Man should put out Lights in their Windows; and then the Cry run, Down with the Irish. The Inhabitants were exceedingly terrified at this Noise, apprehending great Mischiefs to ensue, and that they should be involved in the Calamity that threatened the poor miserable People of that Nation; wherefore, the House-keepers, for their own Safety, thought it necessary to abandon their Lodgers and Guests, turning out Men, Women, and Children, to the Mercy of the Populace which, however, did not prove so fatal to them as was fear'd.

When the Lights were put out according to Order, the few Houses that remain'd obscure, were presumed to be those of Irish, or Abettors of such as were found Guilty of being born in that Country, or what was as bad, had not Vertue enough to stay and starve in it, but wilfully and maliciously went Abroad to seek for Bread, which they wickedly attempted to earn by Hard Labour. Accordingly the Houses were attack'd, the Windows broke, and the Doors forced open, and much Mischief done to the Household Goods, &c. At length, a Party of Grenadiers was detach'd from the Tower-Guard, and these with the Train'd-Bands, at length dispersed them, after a few Wounds, and Nine Prisoners taken.

The Detachments of the Guards were relieved, Morning and Evening, from the Tower, which patrolling the Street kept Things pretty quiet; but on Saturday Night the People gathered again, and appear'd much incens'd against the Irish. This was not all; some Seditious Spirits took Occasion to disperse printed Bills, reflecting on the Government and Legislature, with Menaces, &c. on the Royal Exchange, Tower-Hill and Southwark, and other Days in Spital-Fields, Rag-Fair, and Shoreditch, which seemed to have Relation to what was done in Westminster-Hall the last Day of the Term.

At 12 o'clock on Saturday Night, a Party of the Horse-Grenadiers was sent from Whitehall to patroll thro' the Streets and Fields about Shoreditch, which hinder'd, it's likely, any Mischief at that Time.

The next Day the Train'd-Bands of the Tower-Hamlets were posted there, and at Night several Detachments of Foot-Guards from the Tower, and a Party of Horse-Guards from Whitehall patroll'd about Night and Day.

Besides the printed Papers. above-mentioned, dispersed by disaffected Persons, there have been a great Number of
Copies of a Paper of a different Nature and Tendency stuck up and distributed among the Inhabitants of the same Places, which we hope we may publish without Offence.

It is intituled,

A Kind Caution to Rioters, and to all the Inhabitants of this Neighbourhood.

By an Act of Parliament made in the First Year of the Reign of King George the First, which is still in Force,

It is Enacted,

That if any Persons unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously assembled together, to the Disturbance of the Public Peace, shall unlawfully and with Force demolish or pull down, any Dwelling-house, &c. then every such demolishing or pulling down, or beginning to demolish or pull down, shall be adjudged Felony, without the Benefit of Clergy, and the Offenders therein shall be adjudged Felons, and shall suffer Death as in the Case of Felony, without Benefit of Clergy.

And it is further Enacted, That if any such Dwelling-house, &c. shall be demolished or pull'd down wholly or in part, by any Persons unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously assembled, then the Inhabitants of the Hundred, in which such Damage shall be done, shall be liable to yield Damages to the Person or Persons injured and damnified by such demolishing or pulling down wholly, or in part; and such Damages shall be recovered by Action, to be brought in any of his Majesty's Courts of Record at Westminster, by the Person or Persons damnified thereby: against any Two or more of the Inhabitants of such Hundred; and that Judgment being given for the Plaintiff or Plaintiffs in such Action, the Damages so to be recovered, shall at the Request of such Plaintiff or Plaintiffs, be raised and levied on the Inhabitants of such Hundred, and paid to such Plaintiff or Plaintiffs, in such Manner and Form, and by such Ways and Means as are provided by the Statute made in the 27th Year of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth for reimbursing the Person or Persons on whom any Money recovered against any Hundred by any Party robb'd shall be levied.

There was very little Rioting after this. The Train'd-Bands, indeed, continued under Arms all the Week, and one Guard relieved another, as Soldiers are wont to do. The Justices of the Peace, and other Magistrates, did all their Duty in their several Capacities, by whose Vigilance and Prudence, without doubt, Matters were the sooner brought into good Order. So, after the making about 30 or 40 Prisoners, we hope the Tumults are all entirely at an End, and the War between the Two National Labourers, happily ceas'd. Among the Number of Prisoners is a Printer, and a Set of Ballad-Singers, for daring to set the Affair of Westminster Hall to some Tune.