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Justin Croft Antiquarian Books Ltd

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An Act to permit Persons professing the Jewish Religion, to be naturalized by Parliament; and for other Purposes therein mentioned.

(JEWISH NATURALISATION ACT). First edition. 'During the Jacobite rising of 1745, the Jews had shown particular loyalty to the government. Their chief financier, Sampson Gideon, had strengthened the stock market, and several of the younger members had volunteered in the corps raised to defend London. Possibly as a reward, Henry Pelham in 1753 brought in the Jew Bill of 1753, which allowed Jews to become naturalised by application to Parliament. It passed the Lords without much opposition, but on being brought down to the House of Commons, the Tories made protest against what they deemed an "abandonment of Christianity." The Whigs, however, persisted in carrying out at least one part of their general policy of religious toleration, and the bill was passed and received royal assent (26 Geo. II., cap. 26). The public reacted with an enormous outburst of antisemitism, and the Bill was repealed in the next sitting of Parliament, in 1754. (Wikipedia). pp. [2], 407-410, including general title with woodcut arms, black letter text. [and:] An Act to repeal an Act of the Twenty Sixth Year of His Majesty's Reign, intituled, An Act to permit persons professing the Jewish religion to be naturalized by Parliament; and for other Purposes therein mentioned, pp. 4, including general title with woodcut arms, black letter text. Small folio (290 × 182 mm), recent paper spines. Excellent copies.
Rules

Rules, Orders, and Regulations, for the Government of the Gaol and Bridewell or House of Correction, at Winchester, in and for the County of Southampton.

(WINCHESTER). First edition. A series of measures of prison reform at Winchester, resolved by the Justices of the Peace 'for the prevention, as far as may be found practicable, of abuses and grievances of every description' through a system of prison visiting by the Justices. The rules make provision for the appointment of a governor at an annual salary of £400 and outline a system of governance. Welfare is in the care of a chaplain and a surgeon (the latter also acting as apothecary); debtors are subject to a lighter regime than other prisoners (convicts, felons and 'other criminals'). Nine articles are devoted particularly to women prisoners who are under the authority of a matron.William Prowting (d. 1821) was a Winchester Justice of the Peace - a near neighbour and friend of Jane Austen's family at Chawton. Austen mentions the Prowtings several times in her letters and it appears that the families visited each other frequently; she apparently sent a copy of the three volumes of Emma to William's daughter, Catherine Anne in 1816 (Letters, 136). 8vo (207 × 120 mm), pp. 63, [1], with half-title. Original blue boards with with drab paper spine, letterpress title label to upper cover. Contemporary ownership inscription (W[illia]m Prowting). Rubbed, joints and spine a little frayed, but a very nice unsophisticated copy. [Jisc/LibraryHub lists the BL copy only, Worldcat adds copies at Cornell and Rutgers.]
An Act for granting to His Majesty an additional Duty upon Spirituous Liquors

An Act for granting to His Majesty an additional Duty upon Spirituous Liquors, and upon Licences for retailing the same; and for repealing the Act of the twentieth Year of His present Majesty’s Reign, intituled, An Act for granting a Duty to His Majesty to be paid by Distillers upon Licences to be taken out by them for retailing Spirituous Liquors; and for the more effectually restraining the Retailing of distilled Spirituous Liquors; and for allowing a Drawback upon the Exportation of British made Spirits; and that the Parish of Saint Mary le Bon, in the County of Middlesex, shall be under the Inspection of the Head Office of Excise. [1750

(GIN ACT). First edition. The Gin Act (or 'Tippling Act') of 1751 was designed to reduce consumption of raw spirits - regarded by contemporaries as one of the main causes of crime in London. By prohibiting gin distillers from selling to unlicensed merchants and increasing fees charged to merchants, it eliminated small gin shops, thereby restricting the distribution of gin to larger distillers and retailers. It was widely supported, not least by William Hogarth, who issued his famous Beer Street and Gin Lane prints in the same year. 'Hogarth's illustration of the evils of gin-drinking was published as a pair with 'Beer Street', as part of a campaign against the uncontrolled production and sale of cheap gin. It culminated in the Gin Act of 1751, through which the number of gin shops was greatly reduced' (Tate Gallery). Though separately published with a general title for a complete sitting of Parliament, individual Acts of Parliament were paginated to be bound together in yearly volumes hence the pagination 975-995 here. Small folio (288 × 180 mm), pp. [2], 975-995, [1], including general title with woodcut arms, black letter text. Small stain to extreme lower forecorners. Recent wrappers. An excellent copy. [ESTC N52491 (NLS, New College Oxford, UCLA Clark and Kansas only, though copies are under-recorded since they are often catalogued within volumes and sets of the Acts of Parliament.).]