The day that the Common Council re-assembled (22 Feb.) it received a deputation from the restored House asking for a loan. With little hesitation the court voted a sum of £60,000 on the security of the monthly assessments. It was left to the aldermen, deputies and common councilmen of the wards to raise the money by subscription, and they were further instructed to take the best course they could for raising a sum of £100,000 upon the same account.(1157) It was subsequently (1 March) arranged that the sum of £27,000 should be advanced upon security of the six months’ assessment, and in case the same should not be fully collected out of the assessment, the deficit, as well as the cost of repairing and setting up the gates, portcullises, etc., should be secured by Act of Parliament.(1158) (M596) The House acceded to the City’s request that its militia might be placed in the hands of commissioners of its own choice. Monk himself was nominated by the Common Council (3 March) Sergeant-Major-General of the city’s forces, a post which he signified his willingness to accept.(1159) The sooner the militia was settled the sooner would the city be rid of Monk’s soldiers, of whose excesses the Common Council had had recent cause to complain.(1160) Armed once more with parliamentary powers, the commissioners for the militia of the city prepared to raise six regiments of auxiliaries and some cavalry, as well as a month’s tax at the rate of £35,000 a month over England for their maintenance or "trophies."(1161) (M597) Having settled the militia of the kingdom as well as that of London, parliament—the Long Parliament, which during its actual or nominal existence for nearly twenty years had experienced every vicissitude of fortune—was at length dissolved (16 March) by its own act, and writs were issued for a fresh parliament to meet on the 25th April.(1162) The new parliament was known as the Convention Parliament on account of its members having been elected without the king’s writs. (M598) Ten days after the dissolution of the Long Parliament there came to the Common Council of the city a deputation from the Council of State, in whose hands the sole government of the kingdom then lay, with a proposal to borrow the sum of half a million of money (£500,000) upon the security of a moiety of the excise. The court, after deliberation, agreed (2 April) to lend a sum of money (amount not specified) to the Council of State upon security of the moiety of the excise "and the honour of the said Council of State," and ordered that subscriptions should at once be set on foot in the several wards.(1163) (M599)