In The Master of Ballantrae, in the section “The Master's Wanderings”, Stevenson writes:

and I dare say these plaudits had their effect on Master Teach in the cabin, as we have seen of late days how shouting in the streets may trouble even the minds of legislators.

The book was written between 1887 and 1889, but this section was supposedly narrated by the character the Chevalier de Burke, at some point well after the events in the book (so probably in the late 18th century).

What real-life event, if any, is Stevenson referring to in this sentence?