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year. He was then feized with a difficulty in breathing, with other fymptoms, which induced the profeffor Gaubius to think he had a dropfy in the ftomach, or breaft; but the gentleman dying fuddenly, the profeffor caufed his body to be opened, when it appeared two-thirds of his lungs were vitiated, and full of little tubercles, of the fize of fmall peas, filled with a glutinous fubftance, which was in fome converted into a kind of lime, or chalk; which plainly fhewed that the gout being repelled, had feated itfelf

there.

Mr. Richard Dixon, and 15th. Mr. John Spencer, agreed with the committee for building the bridge from Black-Friars, to perform the carpenter's work for 21,6121. 5s. 7d.

About one this morning a fire broke out at Mr. Baker's, bookfeller, at Tunbridge-Wells, which confumed the houfe, furniture, and circulating library.

In a letter from Scotland, we have the agreeable news, that there is the greatest herring fishing that ever was feen in the highlands fince the memory of man, in a loch called Loch-Slapan, near Kilmorie, in Strath, in the ifle of Sky; but that there were not veffels, falt, or cafks, to cure them, which would be a general lofs to the country.

16th. The right hon. Robert Henley, baron of Grange, lord keeper of the great feal of Great Britain, having this day delivered to his Majefty, in council, the great feal of Great Britain, his majefty was gracioully pleafed to reftore the faid feal to him again, with the title of lord high chancellor of Great Britain; whereupon

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his lordship took the oaths appointed to be taken, inftead of the oaths of allegiance and fupremacy, as alfo the oath of lord high chancellor of Great Britain.

His majefty has been pleafed by an order in council to declare and fignify his pleafure, that his fervants fhall have and enjoy all ancient liberties, rights, and privileges; and that none of his fervants in ordinary, with fee, fhall be obliged to bear any public office, ferve on juries or inquefts, or be fubjected to any mulct or fine for not fubmitting thereunto; agreeable to the practice of his majefty's royal predeceffors.

'Tis faid, that by the death of a Scots nobleman, who died lately a Roman Catholic prieft, the title defcends to a man cook, that lived with a general officer in England, who, in regard to his cook's prefent dignity, could not think of employing him any longer in that ftation, but very generously raised a fubfcription for his fupport; and that on the affair being reprefented to his majefty, he had ordered him a penfion of 2001. per annum.

Laft Wednesday the following threatning letter was fent to the mafter of the Red Cow, in Cow lane, Weft-Smithfield, viz.

Mr. Bray,

London, Jan. 16, 1761. You are hereby defired to dif patch yourself; I have heard a very good character of you, and there. fore leave it to yourself, whether you will die by degger, fword, or poifon; if you cutiive this order above one hour, I have given directions to put you to death by tor ture. From your friend,

J. LANGDON.'

Newcastle,

Newcastle, January 10.- Tuefday a boy, about fix years old, fell off a key in the clofe into the river, and was got out without : any hopes of recovery, but on lay ing him upon a barrel, and rolling it, a great quantity of water ran from him, and fome figns of life appeared; on which farther alliftance was got, and he happily recovered.

Admiralty-Office,

Lieut. 17th. John Symons, of his majefty's fhip the Unicorn, of 28 guns and 200 men, gives an account in a letter dated at Plymouth the 11th inftant, that on the 8th, Captain Hunt, his predeceffor in the command of that fhip, being cruizing off the Penmarks, difcovered at eight in the morning a fail to the northward; to which he gave chace, and found to be a French frigate. At half past ten, the Unicorn came up with, and be gan to engage her and continued in clofe action with her, till near half past twelve; at which time the enemy truck, and proved to be the Veftal, a frigate of the French king's, commanded by M. Boifbertelot, mounting 26 twelve and nine pounders upon her lower deck, and 4 fix pounders on the quarter deck and forecastle, with -220 men. She efcaped (as the prifoners declared) from the river Villaine on the 2d inftant, under cover of a very thick fog, in company with two fhips of -6, le Grand of 34, and Calypfo of 16 guns, and were bound to Breft.

Capt. Hunt received a gun fhot wound the third broadfide, in his right thigh, of which he died an hour after the action was over.

The Veftal had many killed and -wounded and among the latter M.

Boifbertelot, who loft his leg, and died of the wound next day.

The Unicorn had five nien killed and ten wounded, fix of whom dangeroufly.

Lieut. Symons adds, that the day after the action, he faw a fail to windward, which had greatly the appearance of a French fhip, and bore down upon him for about half an hour, then hauled her wind, and ftood in for the land. That on the 10th in the morning, he faw two fhips engaging, which proved to be his majefty's fhip Sea-horfe and the le Grand frigate above-mentioned, the latter of which made all the fail fhe could from the other, upon the Unicorn's coming within two gunfhot of them, and efcaped, notwithstanding he chased her till evening, having greatly the advantage in failing, the Unicorn having got a mizen top-maft up for a fore-topmafi, to ease the fore-mast; and a main-top-gallant-maft for a mizen top-maft, and her fails and rigging much damaged in the action with the Veftal.

Capt. James Smith, of his majefty's fhip Sea horie, of 20 guns, and 160 men, by letter dated at Plymouth the 11th inftant, gives the following account of the abovementioned action with the le Grand frigate, which happened 34 leagues S. W. from the Start, viz. That he faw her in the morning, about eight o'clock, in the S. W. quarter,crowding down upon him; that he continued his courfe and prepared to engage. Ataquarter before eleven the enemy came within pifiol fhot, and an action began, which lafted an hour and quarter, with great warmth, during which the fhips were board and board three different times, which occafioned great flaughter.

faughter on both fides. The enemy then left the Sca-horfe (as beforementioned in Mr. Symon's letter) notwithstanding his utmoft endeavours to bring her to action a fecond time.

The Sea-horfe had 11 men killed, and 38 wounded, many of the latter, Capt. Smith fears, cannot re

cover.

Lieut. Symon is preferred to the command of the Mortar floop.

And another captain is appointed to the Sea-horfe (which is to proceed, the moment the is refitted, on her outward-bound voyage) that Capt. Smith may be at home, in the way to be preferred the first opportunity.

Both thefe gentlemen give the officers and feainen of their refpective fhips the greatest encomiums for their bravery during the above engagements. 18th.

The arch-duke Charles, fecond fon of their imperial majesties, died at Vienna, aged fixteen years.

Ended the feffions at the 19th. Old Bailey, when two perfons convicted of forgery, and one of a highway robbery, received fentence of death: twenty-one were fentenced to feven years tranfportation, one for fourteen years, two were burnt in the hand, and three ordered to be whipped.

20th.

His majesty went to the houfe of peers, and gave the

royal affent to

An aut for granting to his majefty an additional duty upon fhong beer and ale, and for railing 12 millions by way of annuities, and a lottery to be charged on the faid duty; and for further encouraging the exportation of strong beer and ale.

An act for regulating his majesty's marine forces while on fhore. By the above beer act, which VOL. IV.

takes place the 24th inftant, an additional duty of 3 s. per barrel is laid on all beer or ale, above 6s. the barrel brewed for fale in England. A proportionable duty is to be paid for every barrel of two-penny ale brewed for fale in Scotland. Beer brewed before the faid 24th inftant, if any time thereafter mixed withi any fresh guile or brewing, is to pay the additional duty. A drawback of 8 s. a barrel is to be allowed by the commiffioners of excife, on all beer and ale brewed after the faid 24th inflant, and exported to foreign parts; dedu&ting 3 d. a ton for charges of the officers. Even a bounty of 1 s. a barrel is to be paid by the commiffioners of excife, on all ftrong beer and ale exported, for which duties have been paid, brewed after the faid 24th inftant, from malted corn, when barley is at 24s. a quarter or under.

The profits arifing from this act, fuppofing the confumption to be (which is a very moderate computation, if the number of people in England and Wales is confidered) 2,000,000 quarts per diem, will be as follows:

1. s. d. To the government 760416 13 4 From which muft.

be deducted for the payment of the new loan

There will remain annually

488250 00

} 272166 13 4

To the brewer
on advancing 506924
2s. the butt
To the publican

253472

per ann.

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Admiralty-office. His majefty's hip the Venus, of 26 guns, and 210 men, commanded by captain Harrifon, arrived the 16th inftant at Plymouth, and brought in thither the Brune, a French figate, of 32 guns and 316 men, and a French privateer, of St. Maloes, of fix carriage and fix fwivel guns and 39 men. The Venus was in company with the Juno, of 32 guns and 20 men, commanded by captain Philips, when they fell in with the Brune, on the 10th inftant, 50 leagues to the weftward of Scilly. After a chace for fome hours, the Venus came up with her, and engaged her upwards of two hours, when the Juno coming up, and firing a few gans, the Brune ftruck. The Venus had 4 men killed and 18 wounded; among the latter were captain Harrifon, his firft lieu tenant, and mafter; and the Juno had 2 men wounded. The Brune had 19 killed and 39 wounded.

An elderly gentlewoman, at Newington Green, being left a lone, fell into the fire, and was fo terribly burnt that fhe foon expired.

This day the kingdom 25th. went into fecond mourning

for his late majefty of bleffed memory; his prefent majefty, out of his tender regard to the working and trading part of his fubjects, haying been graciously pleafed to . abridge the ufual duration of that

cercmony.

The following melancholy accident happened lately in Grace-church Street: an officer who had come to the Crofs Keys, in a ftage coach, and-had brought with him a gun loaded with flugs, for his fecurity on the road, having ordered a couch to carry him from

thence home, bid one of the porters of the inn put his gun into the hackney coach, in doing which the gun went off, and fhattered the leg of a Camberwell finge coachman, who was on the oppofite fide of the fireet, waiting to turn into the inn. Another flug is lodged in the poor man's thigh, and two in the buttock of one of the horfes. The man was carried to St. Thomas's hofpital.

The late carl Marfiral of Scotland, took the oaths at the court of King's Bench.

26th.

Died at Vertailles, the marshalde Belleille, minifier and fecretary of flate to the French king for the war department, aged 78. He was knight of the orders of the Holy Choft, and Golden Fleece, prince of the empire, and governor of the bishopricks of Metz, Toul, and Verdun. It is faid he has left to the French king his whole fortune, about 600,000 livres a year, except 40,000 livres to his domef ticks; a large fun to the royal military fchool; and to his fucceffors in the war department, his magniscent houfe in the Reu de Bourbon, near Pont Royal, which for the future is to be named the hotel of the minifter at war: the king hath given leave to bury his body at St Dennis, where the royal family are interred.

The feans

Fowey, Jan. 20. are all taken out of the water, and it is generally thought, that the pilchards taken out of them is about 8000 hogfheads; the numbet of hogsheads taken out of the Fowey alone exceeds 2000, and it is thought would have turned out much greater, had they not loft a good deal of fifh out of her during the ftrong eafterly winds, which blow directly upon

Our

our coafts, and are very prejudicial to the feas in general.

An ordonance was iffued at Copenhagen, on the laft day of December, prohibiting the importation of foreign tobacco or fnuff of any fort; and the ufe of tobacco in fmoking is forbid throughout the whole kingdom.

The following letter hath been received from Weyloe, in the diocefe of Copenhagen.

arm.

"On the 20th of December laft, about ten at night, there arose a great form. I did not go to bed, and about four minutes paft two in the morning, I obferved a fudden light acrofs my windows, which I took for lightning: the ftorm at this time increased not a little. I kept my eye fixed at my window; and at four o'clock I perceived a ray of light which feemed to come in a horizontal direction from the moon, to appearance about a toile and half (nine feet) in length, and about the thickness of a man's Rays darted from it on each fide. Running into my garden, I faw a ball of fire, about the fize of a common ball, running gently from fouth to north. At first the ball was of a pale colour, like the fun covered with clouds, and threw out many rays. It grew more and more red, and fmaller, and in two minutes difappeared without noife or fmoke. My aftonishment was the greater, as the tempeft ceafed foon after, though it had been accompanied with fuch violent blafts of wind, that many imagine they felt the fhock of an earthquake. I have spoken to a dozen of people who alfo faw it. Of all the phænomena I have feen in Norway, I remember none equal to this, nor attended with like circumftances."

Drefden, 3d. The Jews having clandeftinely fent away a large quantity of effects, which were ftolen during the late bombardment of this place, one of their rabbis has been fent for, who is to fwear all the Jews in this city, in prefence of the magiftrates, to make reftitution of thote effects, on pain of being excommunicated.

Madrid, Dec. 16th. The king has thought proper to adopt in his troops the evolutions brought from Germany, by a Spanish officer who hath ferved under M. Daun.

The duke d'Alva hath refigned the place of fteward of the household, as too fatiguing.- -The

Jefuits have obtained leave to fend a fupply of fixty miffionaries to Paraguay, which fhews that the Catholick king thinks differently of them from his moft faithful majety.

Hague, Dec. 10. M. Berkenrode, our ambassador at Paris, has informed the States-general, that he had a long conference with the duke de Choifeul, who declared to him, in the king his mafter's name, in relation to the 10,000. fterling, found on board the English packet boat lately taken, which money their high mightineffes had ftopt, "That if they did not immediately refiore the money to the captors, his majefty would make reprifals, by flopping the intereft of the money placed by the Dutch in the French funds." This menace hath had the defired effect. The affair is terminated to the fatisfaction of the moft Chriftian king; and we are fince told from Dunkirk, that the gold and other valuable effects taken on board the faid packet boat, have

(F) 2

been

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