their power.(1768)

(M894)

In October the Court of Aldermen invited her majesty to dinner on lord
mayor's day--the day on which Sir William Ashurst entered into office. On
this occasion it was agreed that the mayor and sheriffs should bear the
whole expense of the entertainment, without the aid of the aldermen.(1769)
Ashurst appears to have been unpopular with his brother aldermen. On the
feast of SS. Simon and Jude (28 Oct.), when the usual court was held for
swearing in the new lord mayor, no less than ten aldermen absented
themselves. Whether this was intended for a studied insult or was the
result of mere negligence does not appear. But, however that may be, the
court marked its sense of their conduct by fining six of the delinquents
100 marks a-piece, whilst it took time to consider the case of the other
four, they being members of parliament.(1770)

(M895)

The 29th October falling on Sunday, the lord mayor's banquet took place on
the following Monday at the hall of the Grocers' Company,(1771) but the
queen was unable to attend as she had gone to meet the king, who had
landed at Harwich on Sunday afternoon.(1772) On the 2nd November the mayor
and aldermen attended at Whitehall to offer their congratulations upon his
safe return. His success, said the city's Recorder, addressing his
majesty, had not answered the expectations and hopes of his subjects,
nevertheless they were assured that God, who had protected him in so many
dangers, would in His own good time work a deliverance. The king received
them very graciously, gave each his hand to kiss, and conferred the honour
of knighthood upon Thomas Abney, one of the sheriffs.(1773)

CHAPTER XXXIII.

(M896)

Soon after parliament resumed its sittings (7 Nov., 1693) the attention of
the Commons was drawn to a high-handed act done by the wealthy and
autocratic company known as the East India Company. For nearly a century
that body of merchants had enjoyed a monopoly of trade with the East
Indies and had frustrated all attempts of "interlopers" to share their
privileges. It had received its first charter at the hands of Queen
Elizabeth on the 31st December, 1600, but it was not until after the
Restoration, when its privileges were confirmed by another charter, that
it began to enter upon a career of such unexampled prosperity as to become
at once an object of envy and fear. The management of the company's
affairs rested in the hands of a small numb