A. D. 1737. Anno decimo Georgii II. C. 35-37. 289 « breaking open the Door of the Talbooth of the faid City did unlawfully and audacioufly refcue and fet at « large feveral Criminals therein confined : And whereas Captain John Porteous, then a Prifoncr there ' under Sentence of Death, but graciouily reprieved by the Queen's moft Excellent Majcfly, as Guar- « dian of the Realm, was by the faid Rioters in a cruel Manner dragged from the laid Prifon, and
- moft barbaroufly hanged by the Neck and murdered, in manifeft Violation of the publick Peace, in,
« Defiance and Subverfion of legal Government, in high Contempt of our Sovereign Lord the King and
- his Laws, and to the moft prefumptuous and unparallelled Obftruction of the Royal Mercy : And
' whereas for fome Time before the committing of the faid Murther and Riot it was commonly re- ' ported in the faid City of Edinburgh, that fome fuch atrocious Fact would be attempted, which by ' proper Care in the Magiftrates, Citizens and Inhabitants of the faid City might have been prevented ; ' notwithftanding which, Alexander Wilfon Efquire, then and now Provoft of the faid City, and then ' actually refident in the faid City, and fully apprized of the faid wicked Defign, did not take any Pre- < cautions to prevent the faid Murther and Riot, nor ufe the proper or necefiary Means to lupprefs tlje
- fame, or to preferve the Peace of the faid City, or after the Perpetration of the faid Fact, to dilcover,
- apprehend or fecure the Authors, A&ors or Abettors thereof, in manifeft Violation of the Truft and
- Duty of his Office of chief Magiftrate of the faid City : Nor were any Means or Endeavours ufed by
' the Citizens and Inhabitants of the faid City to prevent or fupprefs the faid notorious Riot, or to
- hinder the faid inhuman and barbarous Murther, or to difcover the Perfons concerned therein, in order
' to bring them to Juftice :' Now in order to exprefs the higheft Deteftation and Abhorrence of the laid Murther and Riot, and to the End that the faid enormous Misbehaviours and Neglects of Duty herein before mentioned may not go unpunifhed, and that other Perfons may not prefume through Hopes of Impunity to be guilty of the like for the future ; Be it enacted, caY. " The Provoft difabled from holding any Office of Magiftracy. A new Provoft to-be chofen. Fine on " the Corporation." CAP. XXXV. An Act for the more effectual bringing to Juftice any Perfons concerned in the barbarous Murther of Captain John Porteous, and punifhing fuch as fhall knowingly conceal any of the faid Offenders. EXP. ' I 7" HE RE AS upon Tuefday the feventh Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thoufand 4 W feven hundred and thirty-fix, great Numbers of wicked, defperate and blood-thirfty Perfons of ' moft deteftable Principles unlawfully affembled within the City of Edinburgh, in that Part of Great Bri~ 1 tain called Scotland, with open Force and Violence feized the Arms of the City Guard, pofieffed them-
- felves of the City Gates, broke open the Door of the Talbooth of the faid City, and laid violent Hands
- upon Captain John Porteous then a Prifoner there under Sentence of Death, but graciaufly reprieved by
- the Queen's moft Excellent Majefty as Guardian of the Realm, and having in a cruel Manner dragged
' him from the faid Prifon, hanged him by the Neck, and barbaroufly murthered him, in manifeft Viola-
- tion of the Publick Peace, in Defiance and Subverfion of legal Government, in high Contempt of our
' Sovereign Lord the King and his Laws, and to the moft prefumptuous and unparellelled Obftruction of ' the Royal Mercy : And whereas many of the wicked rand defperate Perfons acting, aiding and aflifting ' in committing the faid Outrages, Riot and barbarous Murther, have abfeonded and fled to avoid their ' being brought to Juftice : And whereas upon Difcoveries already made, criminal Letters under the Seal ' of the Court of Judiciary in that Part of Great .Britain called .Scotland, have been raifed and executed ' againft feveral of the faid Perfons ; and, upon further Difcovery, the like Procefs may be iflued out of
- the faid Court againft others who have Iikewife withdrawn themfelves j* Be it therefore enacted, csV.
" Fugitives not furrendering themfelves, to fuffer Death. Upon their Surrender to be committed. Per- " fons concealing them to fuffer Death. This Act to be read every firft Sunday in the Month for one " Year." C .A P. XXXVI. An Act for enlarging the Term and Powers .granted by an Act pafted in the .eighth Year of the Reign of his late Majefty King GEoRCEthe Firft, For repairing -the Highways from the Stones End at Whitechapel ' Church, in the County ^/"Middlefex, to Shenfield, audio the further moft Part of the Parijh ^Woodford, leading to the Town of Epping, in the Coumy of EfTex ; and for repairing the Road leading from the Caufeway in the Parilh of Low Lay ton (through Wanftead) .to the End of the Parilh of Woodford next to the Parilh of Chigwell, in the faid County of E/Jex. PR. The Tolls are farther continued for 2 1 Years. CAP. XXXVII. An Act to prevent the Act made in the twenty-firft Year of the Reign of King James the Firft, intituled, An AEt for Limitation of Aclions, and for avoiding Suits in Law, being pleaded, infilled on or taken Advantage of, by any Perfons claiming under the lart Will of Richard Norton Efquire, of SoKthwick* deceafed, againft any Claim, Title or Demand which Thomas Norton Efquire, hath to or upon the Manor of Old Alresford, and Lands in the County of Southampton, fettled by Indenture of the fifth of March one thoufand fix hundred and fifty-feven, or ithe.Rents and Profits thereof. PR. Vol. VI. Pp Anno
