N the beginning of Auguft, 1753, when I had taken the Duke of Portland's medicine, as it is called, near a year, the effects of which had been the carrying off the fymptoms of a lingering imperfect gout, I was perfuaded by Mr. Ranby, the King's premier ferjeant-furgeon, and the ableft advice, I believe, in all branches of the phyfical profeffion, to go immediately to Bath. I accordingly writ that very night to Mrs. Bowden, who, by the next post, informed me fhe had taken me a lodging for a month certain.

WITHIN a few days after this, whilst I was preparing for my journey, and when

when I was almost fatigued to death with feveral long examinations, relating to five different murders, all committed within the space of a week, by different gangs of street robbers, I received a meffage from his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, by Mr.Carrington, the King's meffenger, to attend his Grace in Lincoln's-inn-fields, upon fome bufinefs of importance; with which I immediately complied; when his Grace fent a gentleman to discourse with me on the best plan which could be invented for putting an immediate end to those murders and robberies which were every day committed in the streets: upon which, I promised to tranfmit my opinion, in writing, to his Grace, who, as the gentleman informed me, intended to lay it before the privy council.

THO' this vifit coft me a fevere cold, I, notwithstanding, fet myfelf down to work, and in about four days fent the Duke as regular a plan as I could form, with all the reafons and arguments I

could

could bring to fupport it, drawn out in feveral sheets of paper; and foon received a meffage from the Duke, by Mr. Carrington, acquainting me, that my plan was highly approved of, and that all the terms of it would be complied with.

THE principal and moft material of those terms was the immediately depofiting 600l. in my hands; at which fmall charge I undertook to demolish the then reigning gangs, and to put the civil policy into fuch order, that no fuch gangs fhould ever be able, for the future, to form themselves into bodies, or at least to remain any time formidable to the public.

I HAD delayed my Bath-journey for fome time, contrary to the repeated advice of my physical acquaintance, and to the ardent defire of my warmest friends, tho' my diftemper was now turned to a deep jaundice; in which cafe the Bath-waters are generally reputed to be almoft infallible. But I had the most eager defire of demolish

ing this

gang of villains and cut-throats, which I was fure of accomplishing the moment I was enabled to pay a fellow who had undertaken, for a fmall fum, to betray them into the hands of a fet of thief-takers whom I had enlisted into the fervice, all men of known and approved fidelity and intrepidity.

AFTER fome weeks the money was paid at the Treasury, and within a few days after 2001. of it had come to my hands the whole gang of cut-throats was entirely difperfed, feven of them were in actual cuftody, and the rest driven, fome out of town, and others out of the kingdom.

THO' my health was now reduced to the last extremity, I continued to act with the utmost vigour against these villains; in examining whom, and in taking the depofitions against them, I have often spent whole days, nay fometimes whole nights, especially when there was any difficulty in procuring fufficient evidence to convict them; which is a very common cafe in ftreet-robberies, even

when