easily could perceive the most minute thing upon the street. This meteor was likewise seen in several parts of the neighbourhood, and in appearance was much the same as above described.

This meteor was also seen at Dublin, Newcastle, Plymouth, and by three gentlemen in Chelsea fields, near London.

Mr. Speaker, in pursuance of the resolution of the 6th inst. addressed himself to admiral Boscawen, and gave him the thanks of the house, as he stood in his place, in the following terms:

Admiral Boscawen,

The house have unanimously resolved, that their thanks should be given to you for the services you have done to your King and country in North America; and it is my duty to convey their thanks to you.

I wish I could do it in a manner suitable to the occasion, and as they ought to be given to you, now standing in your place, as a member of this house.

But were I able to enumerate and set forth, in the best manner, the great and extensive advantages aceruing to this nation from the conquest of Louisbourg, with the islands of Cape Breton and St. John, I could only exhibit a repetition of what has already been, and is, the genuine and uniform sense and language of every part of the kingdom.

Their joy too has been equal to their sentiments upon the interesting event and in their sentiments and joy they have carried their gra titude also to you, Sir, as a principal instrument in these most important acquisitions,

You are now therefore receiving the acknowledgements of the people,

only in a more solemn way-by the voice, the general voice, of their representatives in parliament-the most honourable fame that any man can arrive at, in this, or any other country. It is, on these occasions, a national honour, from a free people; ever cautiously to be conferred, in order to be the more esteemed

-to be the greater reward; and which ought to be reserved for the most signal services to the state, and the most approved merit in them; such as this house has usual ly, and very lately, made their ob. jects of public thanks.

The use, I am persuaded, you will make of this just testimony, and high reward of your services and merit, will be the preserving in your own mind a lasting impression of what the Commons of Great Bri tain are now tendering to you, and in a constant continuance of the zeal and ardour for the glory of your King and country, which have made you to deserve it.

In obedience to the commands of the house I do, with great pleasure to myself, give you the thanks of the house, for the services you have done to your King and country in North America.

To which admiral Boscawen an. swered:

admiral Osborn their thanks, and had received the following answer: - Sir, I want words to express my sense of the honour the house of Commons has been pleased to confer upon me, and only hope that you, Sir, will be as gracious to me in representing my gratitude to that august assembly, as you have been in acquainting me with their favourable acceptance of my services. I have done no more than my duty. I have only been the humble, though happy instrument of executing the wise measures direct ed by His Majesty.

I have no title, Sir, to any glo. ry, but what is common to me as a seaman, and as an Englishman zea: lous for the service of my country, which is pleased to reward me with this instance of their approbation. From the situation of my health, Sir, I can flatter myself with hav ing but few opportunities of employing the remainder of my life in grateful exertion of my abilities for the honour and intesest of my country. But as the house of Commons is so gloriously watchful to encourage the greatest merit, by rewarding the least, England can ne ver want good officers; and however honoured I am by this distinction, may my services be the most inconsiderable that shall be thus acknowledged. I am, with the. greatest respect, Sir,

Your most obedient, and Dec. 8, most humble servant, 1758% HENRY OSBORN. The English prisoners taken at S Cas, arrived at Dover from France. At night, about twelve zgth. o'clock, a stove of gun-pow. der at the powder-mills on Hounslow-heath, belonging to Samuel Underhill, Esq. took fire, and blew

up; as the quantity of powder that then lay drying therein was great, consisting of 17 ct. weight, the explosion was extremely violent and alarming, insomuch that his dwell. ing-house was considerably damaged thereby, and though at near 300 yards distance from the works, several of the windows thereof were shattered to pieces, some furniture thrown down, particularly a repeating clock, part of the glass of a sash: window was forced upon a bed, in which a gentleman then lay asleep, but happily no person received any hurt. What might be the cause of this accident, is unknown to any one. In many parts the shock was felt, and supposed to be that of an earthquake.

Translation of a paragraph of a dispatch wrote by M. da Cunha, secretary of state in Portugal for foreign affairs and at war, dated. Belem, Sept. 12.

Last Sunday the King had a fall in his palace, by which he was considerably hurt in his right arm. He was let blood on Mon. day, and is at present better. His Majesty being prevented by this -accident from attending to pub lic affairs for some days, has empowered the Queen to sign dis 'patches and other instruments, during his illness.'

From Lisbon advice has been received of a most wicked and daring attempt on the life of the King of Portugal. No clear and authen. tic account has yet been received, either of the particulars of the action itself, or the motives to it. Several persons of the most distin. guished rank in that kingdom, have been already secured for this conspiracy; yet every thing concerning it is still involved in an impene. trable darkness, which all reason

ings and conjectures have hitherto conspired to make only more obscare. During the course of the ensuing year, we hope to receive

some farther light, so as to enabler us to give our readers a satisfactory account of this very extraordinary affair.

From the Daily Advertiser.

A Young lady, just come out of Derbyshire, strayed from her guardian; she is remarkably genteel and handsome; she has been brought up by a farmer, near Derby, and knows no other but they are her parents; but it is not so, for she is a lady by birth, though of but little learning; she has no clothes with her, but a riding habit she used to go to market in; she will have a fine estate, as she is an heiress, but knows not her birth, as her parents died when she was a child, and I had the care of her, so she knows not but I am her mother; she has a brown silk gown that she borrowed of her maid, that is dyed silk, and her riding dress a light drab, lined with blue tammy, and it has blue loops at the button holes; she has out-grown it; and I am sure that she is in great distress both for money clothes; but whoever has relieved her, I will be answerable, if they will give me a letter where she may be found; she knows not her own sirname I understand she has been in Northampton for some time; she has a cut in her forehead. Whoever will give me an account where she is to be found, shall re. ceive twenty guineas reward. Di. rect for M. W. at the George inn, Derby.

Ladies! A young gentleman, aged 25, easy in fortune, happy in

temper, of tolerable parts, not su

perficially polite, but genteel address, some knowledge of the world, and little acquaintance with the fair, presumes to offer his service to one, not exceeding ten years older than himself, of good nature, and af fable disposition, absolutely mistress of at least 1000l. will find the utmost sincerity from one, who would make it the ultimate endof his ambition to render the mar riage state truly happy. Any lady who has spirit enough to break through the idle customs of the age, and not give trouble out of mere curiosity; inclined to answer this, may leave a line for X. O. atGregg's coffee-house in York-street, Covent-garden, shall receive im mediate answer, and be waited on ́ in person, at any time and place she shall appoint. The most inviolable secrecy and honour will be punc.tually observed.

A single gentleman, in a very good way of business, and can make zoo per cent. advantage of it, and free from debts, about 26years of age, and is what the flat. terer calls genteel, and rather hand. some, of a chearful disposition, and a very affable temper, not at all given to drinking, gaming, or any other vice that a lady can take umbrage at; one that would rather endeavour to get a fortune than spend one; has been in most parts of England, and is very well ac

14

quainted

quainted with London, and no stranger to the fair sex, but entirely so to any one he would prefer for a wife, as he has not been so happy as to meet with a lady that suits his disposition as yet; a chearful disposition, and free from the modern vices; one that is of the church of England, and has no objection to going there on the sabbath, and to take some care for a future happiness; one that would think herself rather happier in her husband's company than at public places; one that would more con, sult the interest of her family than the glass in a morning; to be neat in person and apparel; and as to the lady's person, it will be more agree. able to have it what the world calls agreeable than a beauty; with any fortune not less than 500l. at her own disposal, except she has good interest, then less will be agreeable. Any lady this may suit, will be waited on by directing a line to G, C. at Peel's coffee-house in Fleet-street.

t

Inviolable secrecy may be depended on, as the gentleman does not chuse a seven years siege,

A person of character, candour, and honour, who has an entire knowledge of the world, and has great intimacy with both sexes among the nobility, gentry, and persons of credit and reputation; and as it often happens, that many deserving persons of both sexes are deprived of the opportunity of entering into the state of matrimony, by being unacquainted with the merits of each other, therefore upon directing a line for a A. Z. of any one's intention of entering into the above state, to the advantage of each, to be left at Mr. Perry's, Miller's-court, Aldermanbury, secrecy and honour will be observed

in bringing to a conclusion such their intention. Any person who shall send a letter, is desired to order the bearer to put it into the letter-box, for fear it may be mislaid: and it is desired, that none but those who are sincere would make any application on the above subject.

In the Edinburgh Courant of the 28th ult. is the following extraordinary advertisement.

Glasgow, Oct. 23. We Robert M'Nair, and Jean Holmes, having taken into consideration the way and manner our daughter Jean acted in her marriage, that she took none of our advice, nor advised us before she married, for which reason we discharged her from our family, for more than twelve months; and being afraid that some or other of our family may also presume to marry without duly advising us thereof; we, taking the affair into our serious consideration, hereby discharge all and every one of our children from offering to marry without our special advice and consent first had and obtained; and if any of our children should propose or presume to offer marriage to any, without, as aforesaid, our advice and consent, they in that case shall be banished from our family twelve months; and if they should go so far as to marry without our advice and consent, in that case they are to be banished from the family seven years; but whoever advises us of their intention to marry, and obtains our consent, shall not only remain children of the family, but also shall have a due proportion of our goods, gear, and estate, as we shall think con. venient, and as the bargain re,.

quires i

our children shall marry clandes.

tinely, they, by so doing, shall lose all claim, or title, to our effects, goods, gear, or estate; and we intimate this to all concerned, that none may pretend ignorance.

A General BILL of all the Christenings and Burials in London, from Dec. 13, 1757, to

Between 2 and 5

1795

5 and

10 and 20

556

20 and

30

1362

1758.

80 and 90

.370

Christened

Buried

go

and 100

68

102

Females 6862

Females 8644

103

104

An account of some threatening letters sent to the Duke of Marlborough, and a prosecution which his grace carried on against William Barnard, supposing him to have written them.

ON

N the 29th of November his grace the Duke of Marlborough received the following letter from an unknown hand: To his grace the Duke of Marlborough with care and speed. "MY LORD, XXVIII. Nov. As ceremony is an idle thing upon most occasions, more especially to persons in my state of mind, I shall proceed immediately to acquaint you with the motive and end of addressing this epistle to you, which is equally interesting to us. both. You are to know, then, that my present situation in life is such,

that I should prefer annihilation to a continuance in it. Desperate diseases require desperate remedies; and you are the man I have pitched upon, either to make me, or to unmake yourself. As I never had the honour to live among the great, the tenour of my proposals will not. be very courtly; but let that be an argument to enforce a belief of what I am now going to write. It has employed my invention for some time to find out a method to destroy another, without exposing my own life that I have accomplished, and defy the law. Now for the application of it. I am desperate, and must be provided for. You have it in your power, it is my business to make it your inclination to serve me; which you must de. termine to comply with, by procuring me a genteel support for

my