As the reign of George II. drew to a close, in the autumn of 1760, a change came over the City of London, which, to many, indicated a new era; namely, the destruction of those City gates in the preservation of which timid Whigs saw safety from the assaults of Jacobites. _Read_ announced the fate of those imaginary defences, in the ‘Journal’ of August 2nd:――‘On Wednesday, the materials of the three following City Gates were sold before the Committee of Lands, to Mr. Blagden, a carpenter, in Coleman Street; namely, Aldgate, for 157_l._ 10_s._; Cripplegate, for 91_l._; and Ludgate, for 148_l._ The purchaser is to begin to pull down the two first, on the first day of September; and Ludgate on the 4th of August, and is to clear away all the rubbish, &c., in two months from these days.’ In two months, a new reign had begun, and the old gates had disappeared. But before proceeding to the new reign, there remains to be chronicled how the ordinary London Jacobites obtained news of _their_ King, James, and _their_ Prince of Wales, Charles Edward. [Illustration: Decorative banner] CHAPTER XIII. (1751 to 1761.) [Sidenote: _THE OLD CHEVALIER AND THE CARDINAL._] [Illustration: Drop-D]uring this decade, there was great anxiety, on the part of the Jacobites in London, to have news of their Prince. Of their ‘King’s’ whereabout they knew as much as the papers could tell them. These anxious Jacobites who eagerly opened the London journals for news from Rome, of ‘the King’ or ‘Prince of Wales,’ were not often rewarded for their pains. The ‘London Gazette,’ which chronicled the veriest small beer, had not a word to say as to the Chevalier or his sons. The other papers recorded, for the comfort or diversion of readers, such paragraphs as these; namely, that Cardinal York, on his brother’s birthday, had given a grand entertainment to a brilliant company of Cardinals and Ladies; and that Rome was more crowded with English nobility than Hanover, even when King George was in his electoral dominions. Some sympathy was excited in Jacobite company, at the intelligence that the Cardinal was recovering from ‘an attack of Small Pocks,’ which had carried off thousands of victims. As for _Prince Edward_, as the Cardinal’s brother is often called in the papers, ‘his place of residence is not known, there being no other proof of his being alive but the rejoicings of his father on his son’s birthday.’ Next, ‘Read’ announced, no doubt for the pleasure of some of its readers, ‘We hear from Rome, by authentick hand, that Henderson has been formally excommunicated for his “History of the Rebellion.”’ ‘No one can tell in what place Prince Edward resides,’ says another ‘authentick hand,’ ‘it is currently reported that he is actually in Italy;’ and again, ‘Some are ready to believe he is still _incog._ in France.’ Then came ‘authentick’ news to London, of ignoble