will have some drink.' 'You shall have what you please if you will not injure me.' I was then seized by the collar on both sides, and hauled a prisoner to a neighbouring public house, where in half an hour I found an ale score against me of 329 gallons. My son, wishing to secure our premises, purchased the favour of Rice, one of the leaders, who promised to preserve his person and property, and assured him that his men would implicitly obey him. Hearing that Mr. Taylor's house was in danger, they marched to Bordesley, one mile, to save it, but found another mob had begun to rob and burn it. Rice and my son, being too late to render any essential service to Mr. Taylor's premises, returned to save our own. But meeting in Digbeth some of our furniture, Rice declared it was too late; that he could have kept off the mob, but could not bring them off. Rice then joined the depredators in destroying my house and its contents; and the next morning was one of the leaders in burning my house at Bennett's Hill.

T

"About five this evening, Friday, I had retreated to my house at Bennett's Hill, where about three hours before I had left my afflicted wife and daughter. I found that my people had applied to a neighbour to secure some of our furniture, who refused to a second, who consented; but another shrewdly remarking that he would run a hazard of having his own house burnt, a denial was the consequence. third request was made, but cut short with a no. The fourth man consented, and we emptied the house into his house and barn. Before night, however, he caught the terror of the neighbourhood, and ordered the principal part of the furniture back, and we were forced to obey.

A

"At midnight I could see from my house the flames of Bordesley Hall rise with dreadful aspect. I learned that after I quitted Birmingham the mob had attacked my house there three times. My son bought them off repeatedly; but in the fourth, which began about nine at night, they laboured till eight the next

morning, when they had so completely ravaged my dwelling, that I write this narrative in a house without furniture, without roof, door, chimney-piece, window, or window-frame. During this interval of eleven hours, a lighted candle was brought four times, with intent to fire the house, but, by some humane foot, it was kicked out. At my return I found a large heap of shavings, chips, and faggots, covered with about three hundred weight of coal, in an under kitchen, ready for lighting. The different pieces of furniture were hoisted to the upper windows to complete their destruction; and those pieces which survived the fall were dashed to atoms by three bludgeoners stationed below for that service.

66 Saturday the 16th was ushered in with fresh calamities to myself. The triumphant mob, at four in the morning, attacked my premises at Bennett's Hill, and threw out the furniture I had tried to save. It was consumed in three fires, the marks of which remain, and the house expired in one vast blaze. The

women were as alert as the men. One female, who had stolen some of the property, carried it home while the house was in flames; but returning, saw the coach-house and stables unhurt, and exclaimed with the decisive tone of an Amazon, D- the coach-house! is not that down yet? We will not do our work by halves!' She instantly brought a lighted faggot from the building, set fire to the coachhouse, and reduced the whole to ashes."

The damage sustained by Mr. Hutton during these diabolical proceedings, amounted to 8,2437., exclusive of the loss inflicted on him by the interruption of his business. He received by way of compensation 5,3907. Not the least painful part of these outrages is the fact that Rice, the admitted leader, escaped punishment. The plea of alibi was raised for him on his trial, and successfully.

Hutton thus remarks on this distressing incident in his life:

"How thin the barriers between affluence and poverty! By the smiles of the inhabitants

In

of Birmingham I acquired a fortune by an astonishing defect in our police I lost it. the morning of the 15th I was a rich man in the evening I was ruined. At ten at night on the 17th I might have been found leaning on a mile-stone in Sutton Coldfield road, without food, without a home, without money, and, what is the last resort of the wretched, without hope. What had I done to merit this severe calamity?.... The fatal 14th of July was a memorable day of my life. life. I entered Birmingham, July 14th, 1741, as a runaway 'prentice, a forlorn traveller, without money, friend, or home. And that day fifty years began those outrages which, when a wealthy inhabitant, drove me from it, and left me in a more deplorable state of mind than at the former period."

The gloom of 1791 was not of long continuance. Two short years afterwards we find this significant entry in the Journal of this successful man:

"September 5th, my son married; at Christ