perform their duty to the public there.

"The expreffions of good will and kindness to me, which are ufed in conferring this honour upon me, however little deferving I may think myself of them, do indeed affect me extremely, as an argument of the favourable opinion the city of London entertains of my fincere and dutiful endeavours to

fupport, upon all proper occafions,, the rights, privileges, and confiitutional independence of the commons of Great Britain.

"I beg my lord-mayor, aldermen, and the whole of the common council, will accept my refpectful and humbleft thanks upon this occafion, and be affured of my conftant and warmeft wishes that this great metropolis may ever flourish in all profperity and dignity-in a dignity that becomes the metropolis of a great kingdom, and of which the city of London is fo confiderable and refpectable a part." 17th.

The lord-mayor, aldermen, and common council, &c. of this city, waited on his majefty at St. James's with an addrefs on the taking of Belleille.

His grace the duke of Bridgewater, with the earl of Stamford, Francis Reynolds, Efq. and feveral other gentlemen, went to Bofton, to fee the water turned into the canal over the river Irwell, which dre. together a great number of fpectators: as foon as the water had rifen to the level of the canal, a large boat, carrying 50 tons, was towed along the new part of the canal, over the arches, across the river Irwell, which were fo firm, fecure, and compact, that not a fingle drop of water could be per

of them, although the furface of the water in the canal is 38 feet above the furface of the navigable river under it. This canal will be carried on to Manchelier with all expedition, and will be completed before Lady-day next; and, in the mean time, the fubterraneous navigation to the colliery will be perfected.

Newcastle, June 13. Sunday morning a whale about 4-4 feet long, faid to be a boue-fith, ran afhore under the cafile of Burnt-ifland; where the country people with forks and other inftruments foon killed it.

18th.

A remarkable caufe was tried in the theriff's court in Guildhall, on an action brought against a carrier for flopping a goofe which was fent to a gentleman laft Christmas, because the gentleman did not pay the porter a fhilling for his trouble of carrying it to the gentleman's house. It appearing to the jury that the porter had charged as much more as he ought to do, and that the carrier had no right to flop the goofe for the porterage, the jury brought in a verdict for the plaintiff of three fhillings damages, and cofts of fuit.

Thomas Higginson was 20th. tried before his majefty's juftices of the peace for the city and liberty of Weftminster, on an indictment for a nuifance, to wit, for keeping a place in James ftreet, near the Hay-market, for his lucre and gain, for boxing, cudgel-playing, cock-fighting, and other diforders, to the great nuifance of that neighbourhood; of which offence he being convicted, the court fet a fine on hir, and bound him to his good behaviour for five years. A brace

A brace of cr were prefented to her royal highnefs the princefs of Wales, by a gentleman of Chancerylane, which weighed 28 pounds and a half, they were catched in a pond near Godftone in Surry.

Major Rooke and capt. Barton, who brought an account of the reduction of Belleifle, have been ordered a prefent of 5001. each. Extract of a letter from Helftone in Cornwall.

"A method has been discovered of preferving the timber of fhips bottoms under water from worms and weeds, which is under the confideration of the fociety for the encouragement of useful arts and manufactures, &c. It is fome years fince that fociety fent fix planks, prepared by the inventor, to Kingfton in Jamaica, by way of experiment, and a proof was made on one of the piles of the pier at Penzance, which no worm or weed has adhered to, tho' it has lain in the water five years. An invention of the greatest utility to this nation." Sir Robert Ladbroke, with many other gentlemen of the committee for building Black-friars bridge, went on board the caiffoon, and laid the first stone of the firft pier. And a medal of his prefent majefty, let into black marble was likewife laid by defire of Sir Francis Gosling, knight and alderman: the infeription thercon is as follows:

23d.

On the 23d Day of June, 1761.
In the First Year of the Reign of

KING GEORGE III. The firft Stone of this the firft Pier. was laid by Sir ROBERT LADBROKE, Knight, Alderman, and Chairman of The Committee appointed by the Court of Common-Council to carry into Execution the Act of Parlia

ment for building a bridge crofs the River Thames at Black-friars, to the oppofite Side in the county of Surry.

ROBERT MYLNE, Architect. JOSEPH DIXON, Mafon. His majefty has been pleafed, upon a furrender of her royal highnefs the princefs Amelia, to grant unto John earl of Bute, one of his majefty's principal fecretaries of ftate, the office of ranger and keeper of his majefty's park, called the New park, near Richmont, otherwife Richmond, in the county of Surry.

A

Upwards of 300 prisoners 24th. from Ludgate, the two compters, and the fleet, were difcharged at Guildhall by the lord mayor. poor woman, who was brought there in a chair, on account of her ill ftate of health, in expectation of being cleared, expired in the chair on her return to prifon.

The price of beer was raifed to 3d. per quart, by many publicans, at the inftigation, it is faid, of their brewers, on account of the new duty upon malt; but they foon fold it at the old rate of 3d. as they found their houfes deferted by their cuftomers. And foon after many of them, at a meeting held by them, came to a refolution to let it remain there. Some tumults were occafioned thereby, in many parts of the town, where labouring and poor people chiefly live, and great difcontent and murmuring every where. Several of the Weftminfier publicans were on this occafion carried before a magiftrate, and fined 5s. each, it being contrary to an act paffed in the reign of hing William III. which fixes beer at 3d. per quart. The publick alledge that though malt and hops were, about

four

four years ago, at double the price they are now, the brewers, without advancing their price, made great fortunes, and that the additional duty of 3s. per barrel, reduces their profits but one thirteenth part of the whole, that is to fay, where a brewer heretofore cleared 1,3001. he may now, notwithstanding this new tax, clear 1,2001. and fo in proportion for other fums.

Bath, June 18. On Sunday laft the most barbarous murder that has been heard of for many years, was committed between Hilperton and Trowbridge, on the body of one Mary Allen, by feveral men, who are yet unknown. It is thought they wanted to be rude with her, and her refufing to confent provoked them to be guilty of this horrid crime. A large quantity of blood was fpilt on the place where fhe was found, and a flick of an amazing fize was taken out of her body, on its being opened by order of the coroner. Humanity obliges us to omit many of the particulars we have received concerning this fhocking affair, left the mention of them fhould make too great an impreffion on the minds of people. Several men have been taken up on fufpicion, but the fact cannot yet be proved against any of them.

Letters from the Hague advife, that a lieutenant of marines, and a merchant's wife of Amfterdam, had been taken up, and committed to the caftle that the publick had been impatient to know their crimes; which fince appeared from two fentences of the ftates general: the first degrades the officer from his rank and employment, and banishes him the four principal provinces of the republick, for feducing the lady to go off with him, and take

with her all the money and effects the could lay hold on. Their fecond fentence orders the lady, in her husband's name, to be closely confined for eight years, in a houfe which her husband hath chofen for that purpofe in Eaft Friesland.

Laft Sunday fome young gentlemen belonging to a merchant's compting-houfe, who were a little difgufted at the too frequent ufe made of the bag-wig by apprentices to the meaneft mechanicks, took the following method to burlefque that elegant piece of French furniture.

Having a porter juft come out of the country, they dreffed him in a bag-wig, laced ruffles, and frenchified him up in the new mode, telling him, that if he intended to make his fortune in town he muft drefs himself like a gentleman on Sunday, go into the mall in St. James's Park, and mix with people of the firft rank. They went with him to the scene of action, and drove him in among his betters, where he behaved, as he was directed, in a manner the most likely to render him confpicuous. All the company faw, by the turning of his toes, that the dancing mafter had not done his duty; and by the fwing of his arms, and his continually looking at his laced ruffles and filk ftockings, they had reafon to conclude it was the first time he had appeared in fuch a drefs. The company gathered round him, which he at first took for applaufe, and held up his head a little higher than ordinary; but at Jaft fome gentlemen joining in converfation with him, by his dialect detected him, and laughed him out of compony. Several, however, feemed dilatisfied at the fcoffs he received from a parcel of 'prentice boys

monkilled

monkified in the fame manner, who appeared like fo many little curs round a maftiff, and fhapped as he went along; without being fenfible, at the fame time of their own meannefs.

On the 4th of May, a moft violent whirlwind of that kind commonly known by the name of Typhons, paffed down Athley river, and fell upon the firning in Rebellion road, with incredible violence. See a full account of it in our article of Natural Hiftory for this year, p. 93.

The French minifter at the Hague, in a late conference with the flates general, informed them, "That being commanded by his court to make the ftricteft fearch to difcover and apprehend the chevalier de Maupertius, who had fled France for the murder of his own brother, he had received information of his being at Maeftritch ; that the Moft Chriftian king hoped, that their high mightineffes, from their own equity and love of juftice, would immediately fend orders to the governor of that town to apprehend that murderer, and fend him to France with a guard of foldiers: that the Moft Chriftian king would in return, without any previous requifition, deliver up M. de Schouenbourg, who fome time ago murdered his father-in-law, the baron de Brakel, at Thiel, in Gueldres, if he fhould ever fet foot on French ground." This requeft was immediately complied with by the ftates general.

The clerk of the treafury at Madrid, who, by forging the treafurer's hand-writing, obtained a monthly penfion of 5,000 heavy piafires, is condemned to perpetual imprifonment, with an allowance of five Dutch fols per day; and the tradef

men, with whom he laid out his money, are compelled to take back their goods, tho' half-ufed, and pay to the exchequer the full value of them when new.

They write from Rome, that in digging in the gardens of the convent of St. Ambrofe, the workmen difcovered part of the Flaminian Circus. One vault is in good prefervation; the paintings, which have fuftained scarce any damage, are fome of the moft valuable remains of that monument. In digging near the Latin-gate, two fubterraneous faloons have also been difcovered, in which were found four tombs with marble urns, adorned with fculpture.

Great damage was done 25th. near Kington in Surry, by a form of thunder, lightning and rain. The country about Harrow, in Middlesex, was laid under water; fix deer were ftruck dead by the lightning in Bufhy-park; and at Bourn,in Lincolnfhire,hail-ftones fell as big as pigeon eggs, and very great damage was done, as well as in many other parts of the kingdom.

The artists who lately exhibited their works in the room belonging to the truly laudable fociety for the encouragement of arts, manufactures, and commerce, in the Strand, having raifed a fum of money by the fale of the catalogues, have made the following donations, viz. 50l. to the Middlefex hofpital 501. to the Bridh lying-in hofpital, 501. to the afylum, and a small balance to two diftreffed artifts.

There is a kind of warlike veffel called a prame, fourteca of which are faid to be equipping in different French ports. Each of thefe veffels has two decks; on the lower are mounted twenty-fix guna

thirty

thirty-two pounders, and on the other three mortars; they are long and broad, but draw very little water, and are rigged after the manher of a ketch.

They have befides in Dunkirk two bomb-ketches of a new conftruction, which carry each 16 four pounders, and 3 fourteen inch mortars. Their fides are near four feet in thickness, and they are as long upon the keel as our 40 gun fhips. They carry 150 men for their complement, but have conveniencies to carry 3 or 400, if they want to fend them any where. They fight their guns below. There are two others which will be launched in a fortnight.

What the bishop Pontoppidan has written concerning the growing of the Naper turnip on hillocks raised in bogs, is confirmed by experience here in England. Dr. Hill having obtained feeds from that learned prelate, fowed fome upon the plain furface of a bog in his garden at Bayswater, and fome upon hillocks of two feet high, thrown up in the fame bog. The hillocks are now covered with large and perfectly good turnips, whereas the plants on the plain furface are fcarce alive, and form no roots. There requires no draining of the bog for this fervice; and the expence of throwing up the hillocks is very trifling. Our common turnip will fucceed in this manner, though not fo well as the Norway kind; as appears by another hillock on the fame fpot, on which fome are now growing. But the Naper feed may be had in any quantity from Norway, as cheap as the English. The fpot at Bayfwater is naturally bog, taken into the garden for the reception of bog-plants.

A violent ftorm which lately happened in the neighbourhood of Durham has levelled and ftripped most of the trees in a wood near that place; its force was the more impetuous, as it came on in the form of a current.

Liibon, May 26. A veffel arrived here with 121 jefuits, the last of thofe who were in the king's territories in the Indies. Their number was 110 when they embarked, but 16 died of the fourvy. The others are ill of the fame diftemper, and we wait for their recovery to put them on board fome foreign veffels bound to Italy. At the feffions at the Old Bailey, 20 received fentence. to be tranfported, three were branded, and one ordered to be whipped.

27th.

The feveral appeals depending upon the Englifh fhips from Monte Chrifti, taken by our men of war, and condemned at Jamaica, were determined by the lords commiffioners, when their lordships reverfed the fentence of the vice-admiralty court, and ordered reftitution of fhip, and cargoes.

The four claical prizes annually given to the univerfity of Cambridge by their reprefentatives in parliament, were adjudged to Mr. Pates of Peter-houfe, and Mr. Fofter of Jefus-college, fenior batchelors; and Mr. Norris of Calus-college, and Mr. Eyre of Peter-licufe, middle batchelors.

At a court martial at Spit- 29th. head,on board the Arrogant, capt. Amerii, for the trial of capt. Jeines Allen, concerning the lofs of the Speedwell cutter, by the Achilles, a french man of war; capt. Allen and his offers were honourably acquitted, and the court were unanimoully