A LETTER FROM The Lord Mayor, aldermans, and Common Council of the City of LONDON; In answer to a Letter from the L. General, and the Armies seizing and carrying away great sums of money from Weavers Hall, and Goldsmith's Hall; and an account what that money was for.  
AND A fight at Sea, certain ships lying before Portsmouth, and the last remarkable News from the Earl of Warwick.  
ALSO A Warrant from the Lord General, to the Aldermen and Deputies of the respective Wards within the City of London; and the Proceed thereupon.  
London: Printed for A. R. 1648.   

A Letter from his Excellency the Lord General to the Lord Mayor of London.  
My Lord,  
I Have given Order to Col. Dean and some others, to seize the Treasuries in Goldsmiths-Hall and Weavers-Hall, that by the said Moneys I may be enabled to pay quarters whilst we lie hereabouts; having also Ordered Receipts and Assurance to be given to the Treasurers of the said moneys, that they should be fully reimbursed for the said sums out of the Assessments of the City due to the Army, and out of other Assessments thereunto belonging; and indeed, although I am unwilling to take these strict courses, yet having sent so often to you for the said Arrears, and desired sums of money to be advanced by you, far short of the sums due from you, yet I have been delayed and denied, to the hazard of the Army, and the prejudice of others in the Suburbs upon whom they are quartered; whereof I thought fit to send some Forces into the City to quarter there, until I may be satisfied the Arrears due unto the Army: and if this seem strange onto you, 'tis no less than that our Forces have been Ordered to do by the Parliament, in the several Counties of the Kingdom where Assessment have not been paid, and there to continue until they have been paid: And here give me leave to tell you, the Counties of the Kingdom have born Freequarter, and that in a great measure, for want of your paying your Arrears equally with them; wherefore these ways, if they dislike you, yet they are merely long of yourselves, and are of as great regret to me and to the Army, as to yourselves, we wishing not only the good and prosperity of your City, but that things may be so carried towards you, as may give you no cause of jealousy: I thought fit to let you know, That if you shall take a speedy course to supply us with 40000. l. forthwith, according to my former desire, and provide speedily what also is in Arrear, I shall not only cause the moneys in the Treasuries to be not made use of, but leave them to be disposed of as of right they might, and also cause my Forces to be withdrawn from being in any sort troublesome or chargeable to the City; And let the world (judge whether this be not just and equal dealing with you. I rest, My Lord,  
Westminster, 8 Dec. 1648. Your affectionate Servant, T. FAIRFAX.   

His Excellency's Order for seizing the public Treasuries in Goldsmiths, Weavers and Haberdashers Hall.  
Whereas the Arrears of the City to the Army being near an Hundred thousand pounds, and upon the security of them, there being but Forty thousand demanded by us, to be advanced by the Lord Major, Aldermen and Common-council for the present supply of the Army, yet the same hath been now for a week delayed, and at last refused: And whereas to avoid the grievance of Freequarter, and inconveniency of quartering Soldiers at private men's houses, the Forces in these Suburbs having for the week past ●n kept in void houses, Inns, and the like, without trouble to private Families, or Free-quartering to any; and that the extreme necessity of the Forces before Pontefract may be supplied, you or any one or more of you are hereby required, with the assistance of such Forces as shall be needful, to march into the City of London, and there to seize upon all such sums of Money as you shall find in the public Treasury at Goldsmiths-Hall, Haberdashers-Hall, and Weavers-Hall, or in any of them, giving to the Keepers of the said Treasuries respectively, receipts under your or one of your hands for the Sums, or number and proportion of Bags so seized; All which Sums you or any one of you are to cause forthwith to be conveyed into Blackfriar's, there to be disposed of for the end aforesaid, as shall be further directed by his Excellency the Lord General; and you are to acquaint the Treasurers or keepers of th● said Treasuries, that they repairing to morrow or on Monday next to the Headquarters, shall have assurance of their payment of the respective sums so seized, out of the Arrears of the City, or the Assessments of the Army.   

The Lord Generals Warrant sent to the City to provide Beds and Bedding.  
WHereas (for the avoiding the inconveniencies of quartering Soldiers upon private men's houses) it is intended and desired, that the Army shall be lodged in great and void houses, while it shall continue in and about the City of London; to the end therefore the Soldiery may be accommodated to lodge in such houses, which at this season of the year, without convenient bedding, they cannot bear; These are therefore to will and require you, that upon receipt hereof you do forthwith cause the proportion of _____ hundred and _____ feather beds, or flock beds, with one bolster, one pair of corpse sheets, and two blankets, or one blank t and one coverlet for each bed, sufficient for the lodging of two men in a bed, to be equally apportioned upon the several Divisions within your Ward, and upon the sev _____ Householders that are of ability to furnish the same within the said several Divisions; and the said beds, with the appurtenances aforesaid, to be brought to _____ by Saturday next at noon, being the ninth of this instant December, and there to be delivered unto the hands and custody of _____ for the supply of the Regiment under the Command of Colonel _____ and the said _____ _____  to give receipt or receipts under his hand for what bedding he shall receive, thereupon expressing from what Ward or Divisions the same do come in, and upon the removal of the Army, or the said Regiment, from about the City, such bedding shall be restored to the respective Inhabitants, Divisions or Wards from which it was had; and there shall be care taken to prevent, as much as may be, any spoil or imbezilment thereof; and in such case, after such delivery, any part thereof shall be lost or spoiled, so as to be made useless, reasonable satisfaction shall be given or assigned for the same out of the Treasury of the Army. And you are on the same day by eight of the clock in the morning, to return to myself, or my Secretary, in writing under your hand, an account of your proceeding upon this Warrant, with a list of the proportions charged upon the several divisions of your Ward, and upon the several householders in each Division, that if any failer be, it may be known where it rests. Hereof you are not to fail, as you will answer the contrary at your peril: and this shall be your Warrant.  
Given under my Hand and Seal at my Quarter in Westminster, the seventh day of December, 1648. To the Alderman of the Ward of _____  
Saturday the 9 of this instant December, Colonel Deans Regiment of foot, and some Troops of horse marched within the Walls of the City of London, brought 4. Drakes within Ludgate, and placed them in Blackfriar's, put some Companies in Martin's Ludgate Church, and others in Paul's Church; a party of Colonel Hewsons' Regiment, and others went to Weavers-Hall (in Bassingshaw street, where upon search they found about thirty thousand pounds, which (according to Orders) the soldiers carried in 5. Carts to Whitehall; It was at the time of the seizure alleged by some which stood by, that all, or at least part thereof was Orphan's money, to which it was replied, that if it appeared to be so, it should be returned without loss: But what should Orphans money do in Coffers out of Guild-Hall, is the Chamber of London not large enough to hold it? this was money which was raised above 6. Months since for supplying such as formerly lent out of zeal to the cause, and confidence of the public faith such Sums as they could then spare, hoping to have it again in a short space, and for that they might appear on record not to be Malignants of that time; and what through want of that they then parted with, the loss of trade, and paying of taxations with other men, they became necessitous, and unable to maintain their own Families; which miseries of theirs being made known after long & tedious attendance, some course at last was taken to pay those off whose debt was not above ten pounds, of which this money was part, and as yet undestributed to those which dearly wanted the same, but knew not where to find it, so that by this discovery the parties to whom this money was due, (and could not receive it) will not only in a very short time enjoy that which is their due, but the other design for which that was kept, so much weakened, if not wholly prevented.  
A Common Council was called and this 9 day of Decemb. held in Guild-Hall, at which there was a large debate about his Excellency's Letter to the Lord Mayor before recited, and the Warrants for furnishing the soldiers with bedding: a Letter was last agreed upon to be sent back again to the Lord General, acquainting his Excellency, that they have made choice of a Committee to satisfy his Lordship and such Officers as he shall appoint concerning the money was taken out of Weavers-Hall, and to declare their willingness to obey the Warrant for accommodating the soldiers with necessaries and bedding.  
Yesterday after a private fast kept in the House, the Commons adjoined till Tuesday next, but there came Letters from the Navy thus.  
Sir,  
The Lord Admiral (according to the late Orders of Parliament) sent a squadron of Ships toward the Isle of Wight, some whereof do now ride about Portsmouth, we hear the King is removed to Hurst Castle, which was so suddenly done, a Glazier had not time to mend the windows before his coming thither; neither (as we hear) is he to stay long there, but will shortly be removed to Windsor: most of the revolted Ships are come in to us, we attend the rest at Helver sluice: there was a great fight last week between some Irish Pirates and 3. Ships which came from the Canaries, the Irish took one, and sunk another; I remain your friend  
From aboard Decemb. 6. 1648. T. M.  
FINIS.