Page images
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

the Vainqueur, and ten men were found wounded on board. The Mackau made no refiftance.

Died the Rev. Mr. Wil9th. liam Law, author of many religious tracts, aged 75. A fire broke out at a bif12th. cuit baker's near Brown's wharf, Faft-Smithfield, which burnt down 28 houfes, and greatly damaged 12 others. The king's brewhoufe was preferved. 13th.

Capt. Money of the Norfolk militia, and aid de camp to general Townfhend, ftanding on a horfe's back, without a faddle, in full speed leapt over a five barred gate, and performed feveral other amazing feats of horfemanship in Hyde-Park, before their royal highneffes the duke of York, prince William Henry, and other perfons of diftinction.

A very ingenious piece of mechanifm has been lately exhibited in the Thames at Richmond in Surry, by way of experiment; the offices of which (which are very eafily conceived) compared with its fimple conftruction, are really wonderful. The defign of this machine, we learn, is for the eafy capture of fea-fith, in the moft tempeftuous weather, with out hazaiding lives at fea, which certainly is a very great thing; and we are told, and clearly perceive it to be fo, that this machine is capable of fending into the fea, at proper places, fome thousands of hooks, baited; and of working the fame back, by the the fole ufe thereof with the, affiftance of two perfons only on fhore to work the machine, bait the hooks, and take off the fith when brought to the fhore there

by. Thus far a machine in miniature has performed here; it has wrought out line near 100 yards from the land, and back again, with a proportionable quantity of hooks, baited and notwithstanding the fcarceness of fresh water fifh that bite at bait at thi feafon of the year, particularly at this place, it has moft furprizingly catched a number of fifh, and that with no more frength to work the fame, than that of an infant, indeed even but pleafing amufement for fuch ftrength. This, now little, though great meaning affair, is moft certainly highly worthy of the countenance of the great, and the obfervation of the judicious and curious. It is therefore to be hoped, that a matter of fo promifing utility, by preferving the lives of fo many, caufing a plenty of fith, and giving employment to many of his majesty's fubjects, &c. &c. will be put in real execution.

The young prince ftadtholder was feized with a fudden and violent fever laft Thurfday fevennight in the evening, and lay delirious all the next day, infomuch that his life was feared to be in great danger. The malady proceeding from an indigeftion, speedy and proper remedies were applied, which had fo good an effect, that his ferene highnefs foon began to mend, and when the laft letters left Holland he was judged entirely out of danger.

His moft chriflian majefty having been obliged to fufpend for three years the falaries of the parliament, and other courts of jusftice, fuperior and inferior, has infifted upon the payment of the

capitations,

capitations, or poll-tax, during thofe years notwithstanding, without any regard to the remonftrances of the parliament. By an arret of his council, he has ordered thofe three years capitations to be ftopped out of one year's falary now to be paid; the parliament have cancelled that arret, and thus there is a rupture between the court and that refpectable body.

A perfon of diftinction having carried off an actress of the comic opera at Paris, her family are profecuting the ravifher with great animofity. They have already been offered above 10001. fterling to make up the affair; but it is not money, but a public example to deter others, that they want. St. James's. His majefty 14th. in council was pleased to appoint the following new governors, and other officers in feveral of his majesty's plantations in America, viz.

New York, Robert Moncton, efq; governor.

Cadwallader Colden, efq; lieutenant governor.

Benjamin Pratt, efq; chief juf

tice.

South Carolina, Thomas Boone, efq; governor.

Cha. Shinner, efq; chief juftice. Nova Scotia, Henry Ellis, efq; governor.

John Belcher, efq; lieut. gov.
Georgia, Ja. Wright, efq; gov.
New Jerfey, Jofiah Hardy, efq;

governor.

Nevis, Ja. Johnson, efq; lt. gov. Leew. lands, T. Cottle, eiq; folicitor general.

North Carolina, Tho. Falkner, efq; fecr. and clerk of the crown. Rob. Jones, jun. efq; attorney general.

Died Archibald Camp- 15th. bell, duke of Argyll, marquis of Lorn, &c. lord lieutenant of Argyllshire, admiral of the Weftern illes, keeper of the great feal, juftice general of Scotland, hereditary mafter of the king's houfhold in Scotland, chancellor of Aberdeen, and one of his majefty's privy council, aged 79; he is fucceeded by lieutenant-general John Campbell.

The focie y for the encouragement of arts, &c. adjudged the premium of 100 guineas to the chevalier Cafali, for his hiftorical picture of Edward the martyr's being ftabbed by the directions of his motherin-law Elfrida.

This morning two horses started at Colchester, in order to make the beft of their way to Whitechapel church for 501. a fide; they ran the first forty miles in two hours and ten minutes, and the laft ten miles in 52. The winning horfe carried it by 200 yards.

A fervant maid at Charlton in Kent was committed to prifon on her own confeffion, for alarming the family by feveral ftories of the houfe and herself having been attacked by robbers, and leaving an incendiary letter in their way, all of her own forging.

Dublin, April 7. In the late fcarcity of fuel, fome of the inhabitants of Clontarf went to the North Bull to dig in the fands for old wrecks, and in the hold of a fhip, which fome of them recollected to have been left 18 years ago, they found a filver dish and ftand, and fix bottles of very good wine.

Died the right rev. Dr. Benjamin Hoadley, bihop of Wincheler, aged, $5. [H] 2

17th.

A very

A very extraordinary wager was lately laid by two gentlemen at a coffee-house near Temple-bar; one of whom is to jump into feven feet of water with his clothes on, and to entirely undrefs himself in the water; which if he fails accomplifhing, he is to lofe.

Two men are faid to be arrived at Cologn, who say they came from Damafcus. The jefuits of that town have been with them, and talked to them in latin, greek, hebrew, and chaldaic. They anThey anfwered them in all languages. They fay they are come by the order of heaven, to turn men to repentance. They give out that they are 700 years old. The jefuits have obtained leave to carry them to Rome. Being put in irons, they were glad of that opportunity of proving the truth of their miffion, by breaking them. They fay

- 1766

The war will be general in - 1765
Conftantinople deftroyed
The true God acknowledged
by all nations

A valiant man gives his tef-
timony to it

England overflowed

An earthquake all over the world

The fall of the fun, moon,

and ftars

1767

1768

1769

1770

1771

The globe of the earth burnt 1772 The univerfal judgment 1773 The French envoy at Cologn has received orders to examine them ftrictly.

They write from Paris, that the duke of Burgundy is in general regretted. Some days before his death, M. de la Vauguyon, thinking him afleep, was talking in his chamber to a lord, of an

[ocr errors]

officer of merit in great diftrefs, who had long folicited in vain for a penfion fufficient to furnish him with neceffaries. The prince being awake, heard all that was faid. About an hour after, the dauphinefs coming to fee him, he asked her for three louidores, which the gave him. He made the fame demand fucceffively from the dauphin, the king, the queen, and his four aunts. By which means he got twenty-four louidores. Then fending for M. de la Vauguyon, "Take (faid he) this money, and give it to that brave foldier who

is under misfortunes. Tell him

that I fhall folicit for his penfion, and that I fhall urge the thing, for I fhall be glad when I am dying, to have the fatisfaction of having ferved a deferving man." This thews his benevolence. What follows will ferve to fhew his firm

nefs.

One day, when he was fomething better than he had been for fome time, his mother told him that fine weather was approaching, and that the would take him out to give him an airing, "Yes, faid he with a fmile, but it will be to St. Denis" [the burial place of the royal family.]

From Ratibon we hear, that a memorial, on the part of the court of Petersburg, has lately appeared there in print. This memorial, which bears date the 17th of February, new ftyle, contains an anfwer to the Teutonic order, relative to the pretentions made by them to Courland and Semigallia. It imports, that the brethren of the fraternity of the fword, efiablithed by pope Innocent III. being incorporated in 1239 with the Teutonic

order,

order, became thereby joint proprietors of Livonia, Courland, and Semigallia; but that in the fequel, Walter, of Plettenberg, at the head of the faid fraternity, being again detached from the Teutonic order, conformably to a mutual convention on both fides, he remained by this convention poffeffed of the above provinces, and to the title of grand mafter of his own order, added alfo that of prince of the empire, which he obtained from Charles V. That afterwards his fucceffor, Gothard Keller, being greatly weakened by the many wars he was engaged in, and receiving no affiftance from the empire, concluded a treaty with Poland, by which he ceded Livonia to the above crown. That at the peace of Oliva, Livonia was again given to Sweden, and even guarantied by the emperor; and laftly, that the faid province, together with Courland and Semigallia, was made over to Ruffia, by the peace of Neuftadt. This is the fubftance of this famous memorial, which has made a great noife, and will probably be productive of many bickerings between certain powers.

The court went out of 19th. mourning, for his late majefty king George the fecond, of bleffed memory.

22d.

At the anniversary fermon and feat of the governors, &c. of the fmall pox hofpitals, 7401. 178. 9d. was collected for that ufeful charity.

One of the coal-meters places of this city, was fold for 44301. Moorgate was fold for 1661. and Alderigate for 91.

It is confidently faid that the whole

number of Englifh prifoners, now remaining in old France, does not exceed 1000 men; and that the number of French prifoners in England exceed 25,000.

The following is an exact account of the articles confumed at dinner only, by the voters of a small borough on the day of electing their members, independent of veal, mutton, poultry, paftry, &c. and a preparatory breakfast, which laft alone amounted to 7501.

Confumption at dinner.

980 ftone of beef.
315 dozen of wine.
72 pipes of ale, and
365 gallons of fpirits converted
into punch.

Naples, March 24. The court, has fent a commiffion to vifit the ports of Augufta and Syracufa in Sicily, and to make proper difpofitions against their being furprized, in cafe the armament that is still carried on at Conftantinople fhould appear in thofe feas. As there is no doubt concerning the reality of that armament, though its deftination is not known, they are also preparing for the worst at Malta. The bailiff Marulli has juft made a call of all the knights profeffed and non-profeffed, and ordered them to keep in readiness on the first notice. Eight from each of the two priories in this kingdom have already been chosen by ballot, and they are to go over forthwith to Malta, with each two attendants fit for military fervice. Two veffels lately arrived at that ifland one from Conftantinople, and the other from Salonica; by which there is advice, that the Grand Signior goes every day to the arfenal, and having perceived that two officers, [H] 3

who

who had the charge of expediting the preparations were not fo diligent as they might have been, he ordered them to be beheaded. The grand mafter of the order of St. John of Jerufalem has fent away to Sicily and Calabria, divers Greeks and other useless mouths, and takes all proper methods for putting the island in the beft pofture of defence, in cafe the Turks really intend to attack it and yet there is no reason to be much afraid, confidering the natural ftrength of the ifland, the great quantity of artillery mounted in the places moft expofed, and the barrennefs of the fpot. Meffengers frequently arrive here from the viceroy of Sicily, to inform the court of the inftances made by the Maltefe for fupplies of corn and other provifions.

:

Vienna, April 3. Yesterday the count de Lofymthal prepared a grand entertainment, at which the emperor and emprefs were prefent. Juft as they were fitting down to dinner, the princefs of Anerfperg going to take her chair by the emperor, funk down in his arms, and notwithstanding all poflible affifiance was inftantly given, the never breathed more. Their imperial majefties immediately returned to the caftle, and the reft of the guests to their feveral houfes, without tafting the dinner. This lady, who was in her fifty-third yea, is greatly regretted. The emperor took fo much pleafure in her converfation, that he would always have her fit by him at public entertainments.

Two bodies of equal cube 23d. exhibited this day to public view at Briftol, tranfmitted thro' each other five times in a minute; alfo a large cube through a fmaller

[ocr errors]

twelve times in a minute, to the great furprize of all prefent, as it fufficiently proves, both in practical and fpeculative mathematicks, the falfehood of the old hypothefis, viz. That ipace and magnitude cannot pafs through a body of equal fpace and magnitude.Thefe dice, or cubes, pafs exactly at an angle of eleven degrees from the horizontal plane: they are made of folid brafs, about an inch and five eights cube, and admit of no expanfion or contraction (as many have imagined) but are diffected in fuch a manner as to give the folid die a free paffage, without deftroying or breaking the die fo diffected.-This curious experiment was performed by Mr. James Bridges, architect, and builder of Briftol bridge.

24th.

A fire broke out in fome ftables behind Swallow-ftreet, about ten at night, and raged with great fury till about two in the morning, in which time 14 houfes were burnt down, two of which were handfome new built dwellings of great value. The family of one of these houfes was at Ranelagh, and knew nothing of the accident till their house was in afhes. The gentlemen, however, in the neighbourhood, together with their fervants, formed a ring, kept off the mob, and handed the goods and moveables from one to another till they fecured them in a place of fafety, fo that a pennyworth was neither loft or damaged; a noble inftance of neighbourly refpect and kindnefs. Eight or nine horfes perifhed, and fome lives were loft.

A box of writings that was in an iron cheft belonging to Mrs.

Buckade.

« PreviousContinue »