by the fuccessful attempts of the count d'Eftaign. This lively adventurer, with the command of no more than two ordinary frigates, had, in October 1759, taken and destroyed the English fettlement of Bender Abaffi, on the Perfian gulph; he then ftruck over the ifland of Sumatra, where we carry on our most confiderable commerce in pepper; and before the end of the following April, reduced Bencoolen, the principal fettlement, and all the reft of our forts and factories on that island, which made a defence altogether as unworthy of the reft of our conduct in India, as that of the count d'Eftaign was fuperior to the efforts of his countrymen in that quarter. This bold adventurer, however, could not derive fo much. honour from the vigour of his enterprize, as difgrace from having made them against the most facred laws of arms; if what is faid is true, that he was at the very time a prifoner upon parole. In America, the island of Dominica, one of thofe islands called Neutral, but which the French had fortified and fettled, was reduced by a fmall armament under lord Rolla and Sir James Douglas. North America was perfectly quieted by a peace with the Cherokees. Colonel Grant reduced them to this neceffity, by penetrating with great courage and perfeverance into their country, and destroying fifteen of their towns, and almost their whole harvest, THE [59] THE CHRONICLE. JANUARY. London bill of 103 Dutch, 16 of which were men of war; 100 English, 11 of which were fhips of war, and 3 English Ift.Tmortality for laft year, prizes. by the fociety of parith-clerks, comes pretty near the calculation of thirteen males to twelve females, the numbers being 7778 males, and 7173 females; an obfervation long fince made by Dr. Davenant, Sir William Petty, and other political arithmeticians. Christenings in Stockholm laft year, 2120. Burials, 3378. Weddings, 804. Births in the city of Caffel laft year, 567. Burials, 806. Chriftenings at Franckfort laft year, 816. Burials, 1781. Weddings, 240. Births at Koningbergh laft year, 1649. Burials, 2014. Marriages, 726. Ships arrived there, 478. Ships failed from thence, 515. It has been computed by the French, that the number of their ships taken by us last year, amounted to 944; and the number of our fhips taken by them, to 2539. During laft year the following fhips arrived at Cadiz, viz. 157 Spanish, 26 of which were men of war; 11 Neapolitan; 9 French: 19 Portugucze; 29 Swedes, 13 of which were fhips of war; 6 Genoefe; 8 Imperial; 2 Venetian; 6 Ragufan; 6 Maltefe; 42 Danes; During laft year 370 fail of fhips of feveral nations arrived at Gottenburg, and 355 failed from thence carrying away 8866 fhip-pound of iron, 1118 fhip-pound of steel, 1436 barrels of tar, 320 barrels of pitch, 102,525 barrels of herrings; and goods, the product of the Eaft Indies, to the value of 2,554,961 dollars. According to an account taken in Holland, the number of veffels which were loft by ftorms from Michaelmas laft, to the first of Jan. amounted to upwards of 300. There are now in and near Lon don, a breed of bulls and cows, brought from fome of the countries bordering on the gulph of Perfia, whofe ftature, although at their full growth, is inferior to a Lincolnshire fheop. They have a large camel-like protuberance of fat on the top of their shoulders.. 5th. The learned and ingenious Stephen Hales, D. D. F. R. S. clerk to the clofet to the princefs dowager of Wales, departed this life. See a fhort charaßer of this excellent man in our article under that title for this year, p. 46. Letters from the Eat Indies, by the way of Holland, advifa that that Goa, the capital of the Portuguese fettlements in that quarter of the world, had been attacked and taken by the blacks, who inhabit the circumjacent countries. ---It was this affair which gave rife to the story about the Jefuits making themselves mafters of it, which was currently reported fome time. ago. A contagious diftemper having broke out at the town of Sarlata, in the island of Cephalonia, and the quarantine upon fhips coming from the islands of the Levant, fubject to Venice, having thereupon been increafed to forty days it was ordered in council, that the quarantine at prefent fubfifting upon all fhips and veffels coming from thofe parts, and from or through the Mediterranean, be duly and punctually complied with. 6th. His majefty went to the chapel royal, and offered gold, myrrh, and frankincenfe, as ufual. On account of the mourning, there was no playing at hazard at night, nor any ball. The wind having fhifted to the eaft, upwards of 450 fail of fhips, outward-bound, which had been detained by the wefterly winds many weeks, failed from the Downs. thatch'd buildings. A poor man at Holbeck in this parifh, finding his houfe ready to fall, immediately stept out of bed, and fetting his fhoulder to the beam that folely fupported his roof, held up the houfe till his wife and children crept out between his legs (having no other way) and he had but just time to get off himfelf before the whole fabrick fell to the ground. This day died the right 10th. hon. Edward Bofcawen, a lord of the admiralty, admiral of the blue, general of marines, &c. A man being lately detected in cutting people's cloaths in the gallery of Covent-garden playhouse, was taken before a magiftrate, and obliged to pay feventeen guineas for the damage he had done feveral women, who appeared against him. The following inftance of a feries of repeated acts of compaffion and benevolence reflects great honour on every perfon concerned in it-The wife of an honeft tar, whofe hufband was on board the late intended expedition, being obliged to take her leave of him at. Portfmouth, on the fuppofition of their immediate failing (no woman being allowed to go with them) came up to London, in order to proceed from thence to Northamptonshire, where her friends refided. Being reduced very low, and not in a condition to walk it, fhe applied to the mafter of the Northampton ftage, which fets out from the Bull in Bifhopfgate. ftreet, intreating him to give her credit for an outfide paffage, till fhe could get down to her friends, and be enabled to repay him. Perceiving her to be very big with child, he made her an offer of an infide place in the coach, gratis, gratis, which was to fet out the next day.That very night, however, the poor woman, who lay at the inn, was delivered of a fine child. Thus difappointed of her paffage, and in this critical circumftance, her diftrefs was much greater than before; and the affair coming to the cars of fome gentlemen who happened then to be in the inn, they formed a collection among them to the amount of between 13 and 141.. Not fatisfied with this, they fent for the churchwardens of the parifh, who contributed 40s. towards conveying the mother and child home.-Added to this; two worthy failors, who happened to come into the inn, hearing that the wife of a brother tar was in diftrefs, threw in their mite of all they had about them, which amounted to about 3s. Ed, This money having been depofited in the landlord's hands, every necessary both for the woman and infant were with difcretion and œconomy purchased out of it; her lodging for the whole time was beftowed on her by the houfe; the mafter of the coach fcorned to withdraw his former promise; and with a fum of money in her pocket, fhe and her child fet out on Monday morning lait at free coft for her own country. The regulations that have been lately made in that miferable manfion of mifery, Newgate in Eriftol, muft fenfibly affect every breaft with pleasure that has the leaft fpark of humanity unextinguifhed in it. Filth, ftench, and wickedness, that have fo long infefted thefe doleful regions, have, by the unprecedented diligence of the prefent keeper, been entirely eradicated; even the very pit, where the felons are con fined at night, may vie with the decency and cleanlinefs that is preferved in a gentleman's houfe; no fighting or brawling, no lewdness or drunkenness is now permitted to add to the crimes of the unfortunate inhabitants; nay idlenefs itself, the ufual concomitant of thefe vices, is likewife banished, nor is the want of tools or materials made any excufe to indulge it; as they are provided partly by the keeper at a very moderate profit; partly by the alms occafionally given, and which are divided with the utmoft prudence and impartiality; the greateft care is alfo taken in their religious concerns, nor are they ever permitted to infringe the duties of the fabbath. In an addrefs lately prefented to the king of Sweden, by the fpeaker of the houfe of Peafants, aflembled in diet, we find the following paifage: "A fincere and fubftantial proof of your majefty's love to your fubjects, and of your majefty's zcal to promote their happinefs, for which we cannot fufficiently express our gratitude, is to fee the northern countries, which have lain hitherto wild, uncultivated, and uninhabited, known by the name of the Lappmarcken, wear at prefent a quite different face. They are now covered with dwellings, the lands are cultivated, and, for the firft time fince the creation of the world, this new people appear in the diet with us, by their reprefentatives. How agreeable would it be to us, how would it rejoice our hearts, to fee our dear country extend its bounds more and more, by the draining of moraffes and other lands covered with water, and the peopling of deferts." The Imagine you fee the unfortunate fufferers all plunging in a deep and rapid river, calling out for help, and struggling for life. It was all horror and confufion; and during this fituation the firft account was difpatched, which allured us, that out of eighty fouls, only five or fix were faved. By a fecond account we are told, that there were only thirty on board, but that out of thofe above twenty had been drowned. This was for fome time believed to be the trueft account;. but I have the pleasure to hear by a third account, that many of those who were fuppofed to be loft, have been taken up alive; fome of them at a great distance from the ferry, and that no more than fix are miffing, though numbers were brought to life with difficulty. It was happy for them that fo many horfes were on board, as all who had time to lay hold of a stirrup, or a horfe's tail, were brought fafe to fhore. A poor man who had a large bafket of fowls on his arm, was providentially buoyed up till affiftance could be had, and he, after many fruitless attempts, was at laft taken up alive, though fenfelefs, at the diftance of four hundred yards from 'the ferry. A poor woman who had bought a pig, and had tied one end of a ftring round its foot, and the other round her wrift, was dragged to land in this providential man |