formidable
body of colliers, and other labouring people, raised an insurrection at
Bristol, began to plunder the corn vessels in the harbour, and commit
such outrages in the city, that the magistrates were obliged to have
recourse to military power. A troop of dragoons were sent to their
assistance, and the insurgents were quelled, though not without some
bloodshed. Commotions of the same kind were excited in Yorkshire,
Manchester, and several other places in the northern counties At Leeds,
a detachment of the king's troops were obliged in their own defence to
fire upon the rioters, eight or nine of whom were killed on the spot;
and, indeed, so little care had been taken to restrain the licentious
insolence of the vulgar by proper laws and regulations, duly executed
under the eye of civil magistracy, that a military power was found
absolutely necessary to maintain the peace of the kingdom.

DISTURBANCES IN FRANCE.

The tranquillity of the continent was not endangered by any new contest
or disturbance; yet the breach between the clergy and the parliament of
Paris was every day more and more widened, and the people were pretty
equally divided between superstition and a regard for civil liberty.
The parliament having caused divers ecclesiastics to be apprehended, for
having refused to administer the sacraments to persons in extremity, who
refused to subscribe to the bull Unigenitus, all of them declared they
acted according to the direction of the archbishop of Paris. Application
being made to this haughty prelate, he treated the deputies of the
parliament with the most supercilious contempt, and even seemed to brave
the power and authority of that body. They, on the other hand, proceeded
to take cognizance of the recusant clergy, until their sovereign ordered
them to desist. Then they presented remonstrances to his majesty,
reminding him of their privileges, and the duty of their station, which
obliged them to do justice on all their delinquents. In the meantime
they continued to perform their functions, and even commenced a
prosecution against the bishop of Orleans, whom they summoned to attend
their tribunal. Next day they received from Versailles a _lettre de
cachet_, accompanied by letters patent, commanding them to suspend all
prosecutions relating to the refusal of the sacraments; and ordering the
letters patent to be registered. Instead of obeying these commands, they
presented new remonstrances, for answers