A LETTER FROM The Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Councell of the City of LONDON; In answer to a Letter from the L. Generall, and the Armies seizing and carrying away great summes of money from Weavers Hall, and Goldsmiths Hall; and an accompt what that money was for.
AND A fight at Sea, certain ships lying before Portsmouth, and the last remarkable News from the Earle of Warwick.
ALSO A Warrant from the Lord Generall, to the Aldermen and Deputies of the respective Wards within the City of London; and the Proceedings thereupon.
London: Printed for A. R. 1648.
A Letter from his Excellency the Lord Generall to the Lord Mayor of London.
I Have given Order to Col. Dean and some others, to seize the Treasuries in Goldsmiths-Hall and Weavers-Hall, that by the said Moneys I may be inabled to pay quarters whilest we lie hereabouts; having also Ordered Receipts and Assurance to be given to the Treasurers of the said moneys, that they should be fully reimburst for the said sums out of the Assessements of the City due to the Army, and out of other Assessements thereunto belonging; and indeed, although I am unwilling to take these strict courses, yet having sent so often to you for the said Arreares, and desired sums of money to be advanced by you, far short of the sums due from you, yet I have been delayed and denyed, to the hazard of the Army, and the prejudice of others in the Suburbs upon whom they are quartered; whereof I thought fit to send some Forces into the City to quarter there, untill I may be satisfied the Arreares due unto the Army: and if this seem strange onto you, 'tis no lesse then that our Forces have been Ordered to do by the Parliament, in the severall Counties of the Kingdome where Assessement have not been paid, and there to continue untill they have been paid: And here give me leave to tell you, the Counties of the Kingdome have born Free-quarter, and that in a great measure, for want of your paying your Arreares equally with them; wherefore these waies, if they dislike you, yet they are meerly long of your selves, and are of as great regret to me and to the Army, as to your selves, we wishing not onely the good and prosperity of your [Page] City, but that things may be so carried towards you, as may give you no cause of jealousie: I thought fit to let you know, That if you shall take a speedy course to supply us with 40000. l. forthwith, according to my former desire, and provide speedily what also is in Arrear, I shall not onely cause the moneys in the Treasuries to be not made use of, but leave them to be disposed of as of right they might, and also cause my Forces to be withdrawn from being in any sort troublesome or chargeable to the City; And let the world (judge whether this be not just and equall dealing with you. I rest, My Lord,
His Excellencies Order for seizing the publike Treasuries in Goldsmiths, VVeavers and Haberdashers Hall.
VVHereas the Arreares of the City to the Army being near an Hundred thousand pounds, and upon the security of them, there being but Forty thousand demanded by us, to be advanced by the Lord Major, Aldermen and Common-Councell for the present supply of the Army, yet the same hath been now for a week delayed, and at last refused: And whereas to avoid the grievance of Free-quarter, and inconveniency of quartering Souldiers at private mens houses, the Forces in these Suburbs having for the week past [...]n kept in void houses, Inns, and the like, without trouble to private Families, or Free-quartering to any; and that the extreme necessity of the Forces before Pontefract may be supplied, you or any one or more of you are hereby required, with the assistance of such Forces as shall be needfull, to march into the City of London, and there to seize [Page] upon all such sums of Money as you shall find in the publique Treasury at Goldsmiths-Hall, Haberdashers-Hall, and Weavers-Hall, or in any of them, giving to the Keepers of the said Treasuries respectively, receipts under your or one of your hands for the Sums, or number and proportion of Bags so seized; All which Sums you or any one of you are to cause forthwith to be conveyed into Blackfryers, there to be disposed of for the end aforesaid, as shall be further directed by his Excellency the Lord Generall; and you are to acquaint the Treasurers or keepers of th [...] said Treasuries, that they repairing to morrow or on Munday next to the Head-quarters, shall have assurance of their payment of the respective sums so seized, out of the Arreares of the City, or the Assessements of the Army.
The Lord Generalls Warrant sent to the City to provide Beds and Bedding.
WHereas (for the avoiding the inconveniencies of quartering Souldiers upon private mens houses) it is intended and desired, that the Army shall be lodged in great and void houses, while it shall continue in and about the City of London; to the end therefore the Soldiery may be accommodated to lodge in such houses, which at this season of the yeer, without convenient bedding, they cannot bear; These are therefore to will and require you, that upon receipt hereof you do forthwith cause the proportion of [...] hundred and [...] feather beds, or flock beds, with one bolster, one pair of coarse sheets, and two blankets, or one blank t and one coverlet for each bed, sufficient for the lodging of two men in a bed, to be equally apportioned upon the severall [Page] Divisions within your Ward, and upon the sev [...] Housholders that are of ability to furnish the same within the said severall Divisions; and the said beds, with the appurtenances aforesaid, to be brought to [...] by Saturday next at noone, being the ninth of this instant December, and there to be delivered unto the hands and custody of [...] for the supply of the Regiment under the Command of Colonell [...] and the said [...] [...] is to give receipt or receipts under his hand for what bedding he shall receive, thereupon expressing from what Ward or Divisions the same do come in, and upon the removall of the Army, or the said Regiment, from about the City, such bedding shall be restored to the respective Inhabitants, Divisions or Wards from which it was had; and there shall be care taken to prevent, as much as may be, any spoile or imbezilment thereof; and in such case, after such delivery, any part thereof shall be lost or spoiled, so as to be made uselesse, reasonable satisfaction shall be given or assigned for the same out of the Treasury of the Army. And you are on the same day by eight of the clock in the morning, to return to my self, or my Secretary, in writing under your hand, an account of your proceeding upon this Warrant, with a list of the proportions charged upon the severall divisions of your Ward, and upon the severall housholders in each Division, that if any failer be, it may be known where it rests. Hereof you are not to faile, as you will answer the contrary at your perill: and this shall be your Warrant.
Given under my Hand and Seal at my Quarter in Westminster, the seventh day of December, 1648.To the Alderman of the Ward of [...]
Saturday the 9. of this instant December, Colonell Deanes Regiment of foot, and some Troopes of horse marched within the Walls of the City of London, brought 4. Drakes within Ludgate, and placed them in Blackfryers, put some Companies in Martins Ludgate Church, and others in Pauls Church; a party of Colonell Hewsons Regiment, and others went to Weavers-Hall (in Bassingshaw street, where upon search they found about thirty thousand pounds, which (according to Orders) the souldiers carryed in 5. Carts to White-hall; It was at the time of the seizure alleadged by some which stood by, that all, or at least part thereof was Orphans money, to which it was replyed, that if it appeared to be so, it should be returned without losse: But what should Orphans money doe in Coffers out of Guild-Hall, is the Chamber of London not large enough to hold it? this was money which was raised above 6. Moneths since for supplying such as formerly lent out of zeale to the cause, and confidence of the publique faith such Sums as they could then spare, hoping to have it againe in a short space, and for that they might appeare on record not to be Malignants of that time; and what through want of that they then parted with, the losse of trade, and paying of taxations with other men, they became necessitous, and unable to maintain their own Families; which miseries of theirs being made known after long & tedious attendance, some course at last was taken to pay those off whose debt was not above ten pounds, of which this money was part, and as yet undestributed to those which dearly wanted the same, but knew not where to find it, so that by this discovery the parties to whom this money was due, (and could not receive it) will not only in a very short time enjoy that which is their due, but the other designe [Page] for which that was kept, so much weakned, if not wholly prevented.
A Common Councell was called and this 9. day of Decemb. held in Guild-Hall, at which there was a large debate about his Excellencies Letter to the Lord Mayor before recited, and the Warrants for furnishing the souldiers with bedding: a Letter was last agreed upon to be sent back again to the Lord Generall, acquainting his Excellencie, that they have made choise of a Committee to satisfie his Lordship and such Officers as he shall appoint concerning the money was taken out of Weavers-Hall, and to declare their willingnesse to obey the Warrant for accommodating the souldiers with necessaries and bedding.
Yesterday after a private fast kept in the House, the Commons adjoyned till Tuesday next, but there came Letters from the Navy thus.
The Lord Admirall (according to the late Orders of Parliament) sent a squadron of Ships toward the Isle of Wight, some whereof do now ride about Portsmouth, we hear the King is removed to Hurst Castle, which was so suddenly done, a Glasier had not time to mend the windowes before his coming thither; neither (as we heare) is he to stay long there, but will shortly be removed to Windsore: most of the revolted Ships are come in to us, we attend the rest at Helver sluce: there was a great fight last week between some Irish Pirats and 3. Ships which came from the Canaries, the Irish took one, and sunk another; I remain your friend