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Dec. 18. Charles and James Jameion, and Eupham Graham their reputed mother, were tried before the Court of Jufticiary at Edinburgh, for abftracting the North mail from the back yard of the deputy Postmaster of Kinrofs. The two former were found guilty, and received fentence to be hanged on the 24th of January. Eupham Graham was affoilzied, and difmiffed from the bar. Gordonsburgh,, in Lochaber, Dec. 8. About a month ago, a large body of herrings came into the lake here. Seven fhips on the bounty followed them, whose boats, attended with 40 more, fitted out by the Duke of Gordon's people of this place, are conftantly employed in catching them, often at the rate of 100 barrels a-day, fo that there is every profpect of this becoming one of the best stations for the herring fifhery in Scotland: Feuers, fishers, artificers, and every other industrious fettler, meet with liberal encouragement here from the Duke."

21. At a meeting of the Directors of the Chamber of Commerce, feveral plans were laid before them for the enlargement of the harbour of Leith, and, amongst the rest, a very elegant one, for the improvement of both town and harbour, defigned by Captain Charles Henry Ker of that place, which was ordered to be engraved for the infpection of the public.

The Committee appointed at London to inquire into the cause of the high price of provifions have been at great pains in writing to the different mayors and provofts in England and Scotland for information. The following is the answer of Sir JAMES HUNTERBLAIR, late Lord Provoft of Edinburgh, as published in the report of the London Committee.

SIR,

Edinburgh, Sept. 8. 1786.

I HAVE had the honour to receive a letter written by you on the part of the Committee of London, appointed to confider the caufes of the prefent high price of provifions.

I now proceed to obey your commands. I did not reply fooner, becaufe I wished to be mafter of the facts, as well as of the opinions of judicious perfons on the fubject.

Beef and mutton fell in our markets at pretty much the fame price. Veal and pork hold the proportion to the prices of beef that is ufual in your markets,

From 1768 to 1780, the wholefale contract of price of beef here was about 18s. per cwt. of 112 lib. avoirdupoife, from ift Auguft to 1ft February, and about 20 s. 6d. from the ift February till ft August.

From 1780 till 1785, it was 22 s. 6 d. per cwt. from 1ft Auguft till 1ft February, and 25 s. from ift February to ift Auguft.

From ift Auguft 1785, till 1ft Febru-. ary 1786, 23 s. and from 1ft February till 1ft August 1786, 26 s. 8d.

Our retail prices are by the Amfter. lib. of 17 1-half ozs. avoirdupoife; and in 1768, the fe prices were twopence halfpenny, from Auguft till February; threepence halfpenny, a 4d. from February till Auguft.

Until 1780, there was little variation; fince then the prices from Auguft till February are generally 3d.; and from February to Auguft threepence halfpenny a fourpençe halfpenny.

We have no wholefale market for fish. There is not a very fteady fupply of turbot, cod, or falmon, and the prices run from 4d. to 12 d. per lib. avoirdupoife, according to the quantity at market.

We have herrings for fix months of the year at 1 d. and 2d. per lib. 'Thefe two last years remarkably plenty; and we have generally a plentiful supply of haddocks and fkate, from Id. halfpenny a 3 d. per lib. Our middling ranks, and even our common people, ufe a confiderable quantity of these laftmentioned fifh.

We have abundance of fine oysters at 10d. a 12d. per hundred, and lobsters pretty plenty.

We do not know any expedients that could tend to diminish the prices of fish at the markets of this city, and the common kinds have rifen but very little thefe twenty years.

We cannot hear of any improper combinations formed to augment the prices of provifions; and we are rather inclined to think that the advances in price are occafioned by the increased confumption of the manufacturers, tradespeople, and farmers; many claffes of whom confume much more butchermeat than they did ten years ago, to a great degree in this part of the country.

As there is a free importation of cattle, and of all kinds of provifions from Ireland, we know of no mode of increafing the quantity at market, except by a fimilar importation from the

continent

Marriages, Births, and Deaths, in December.

continent of Europe; but we cannot,
without the proper inquiries, prefume to
fay, whether that meafure, on the whole,
would be either effectual or eligible.
I have the honour to be, with respect,
SIR,

Your most obedient humble fervant. J. HUNTER-BLAIR, Provost. MARRIAGE S.-Dec. 1. At Liverpool, the Right Hon. Lord Henry Murray, brother to the Duke of Athole, to Mifs Kent.

7. Capt. John Hamilton Brown of Glafwell, to Mifs C. Bower of Kincaldrum. 11. At Glasgow, Mr James Forrester, merchant, to Mifs Darling M'Kechnie, daughter of Mr J. M, merchant.

II. Lieut. Lockhart of the 30th Regt. to Mifs Catharine Gibson, daughter of the late Rev. Mr John Gibson minifter of St Cuthberts.

12. Dr D. Rutherford Profeffor of Botany in the University of Edinburgh, to Mifs Henrietta Mitchelfon, daughter to John Mitchelfon of Middleton, Efq.

14. David Kinloch of Gourdie, Efq; to Mifs Ifabella Milne, eldest daughter of Thomas Milne of Milnfield, Efq.

15. At Ayr, Dav. Ferguffon, Efq; Provoft of Ayr, to Mifs Ballantine, daughter of the deceafed Will. Hamilton mercht.

22. Capt. William Balfour of the 57th Regiment, to Mifs. J. Ogilvy, daughter of the late W. Ogilvy, Efq; of Hartwoodmyres.

BIRTHS.— Dec. 8. Lady Dick of Preftonfield was delivered of a fon.

18. The Right Hon. Lady Balgonie of a fon, at his Lordship's house in Spring Gardens, London.

29. The Hon. Lady Forbes of Craigievar of a daughter.

DEATHS. Dec. Lately at Bath,
Gilbert Elliot, Efq; of Langlands.
At Corke, Mr Digges comedian.
Oct. In Jamaica, Dr David Stewart.
Nov. 35. At Barcelona, Capt. Robert
Robb, late of the Edinburgh Regt.

Dec. 2. Mrs Jean Douglas Balderston, wife of the Rev. Mr Simpson, one of the minifters of Edinburgh.

4. Mr James Hotchkis brewer in Edin. 5. At Strafburgh, Enfign Alexander Stewart, only fon to Col. Stewart of the 3d Regt. of foot, M. P.

6. At Portpatrick, Mrs Campbell of Aires.

7. Mr Leonard Urquhart writer to fign. 8. The Right Hon. the Earl of Home. He is fucceeded in his eftate and titles by his eldest fon Lord Dunglass.

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9. At Monkredden, Ayrshire, George Cunningham, Efq; of Monk redden. 11. The Right Hon. Thomas Villiers, Earl of Clarendon.

12. At Renfrew, Mifs Simpfon, daughter of the Rev. Mr Simpfon.

14. At his lodgings in St James's Street, London, Robert Carr, Efq; commander of the Barnwall Eaft Indiaman. 15. At Inverary, Mr Duncan Ochiltree merchant.

At Libberton Kirk, Dr Peter Campbell, late of Jamaica.

16. At Rankeilor in Fife, the Hon. Fred. Maitland, Capt. in the Royal Navy. At Rafay, in the 69th year of his age, John M'Leod, Efq; of Rafay.

17. At Edinburgh, the Right Hon. Charles Lord Gray.

At Inverness, Mr Hector Frazer, Rector of the grammar fchool.

19. At Glasgow, Mr Andrew Millar merchant.

23. At Paifley, Mifs Mary Paterfon, daughter of the late Robert Paterfon, Efq; of Craigton.

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At Phyfgill houfe, Mrs Stewart, relict of John Hathorn, Efq.

24. Mrs Eliz. Hamilton, spouse of Mr Charles Thomfon merchant in Edinburgh.

25. At Warrifton, in the 75th year of her age, Mrs Janet Mackintosh, widow of the deceafed Mr James Mansfield, banker in Edinburgh.

29. At Arden, Dumbartonshire, George Buchannan, Esq.

35. John Haliburton, Efq.

Dr William Grant late physician in
London.

The City of Glasgow's general bill of
mortality, for 1786.
Under 2 years 650 Betw. 50 and 60 83
Betw. 2 and 5 166

40 and 50 921

5 and 10 10 and 20 20 and 30

59

60 and 70 97 70 and 80 72

67

80 and 90 33

96

90 and 100 3

30 and 40

68

1486

49

3

103

89

Town's Hospital, ditto.

Men and Women
2 Boys and Girl
Interred in Gorbals burying-ground,
Males
Females
Still-born

Total, 1736 Increafed this year 87 in the High Church, Black Friars, and North-west Church-yards, and Town's Hospital.

TABLE

TABLE of RAIN which fell at GLASGow during the year 1786, as measured by a Rain Gage that gives the thousandth part of an inch, and is placed 53 feet high; and the Average Height of the Thermometer at LONDON and EDINBURgh.

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N. B. From April to September inclufive, the heighth of the Thermo. meter, both at EDINBURGH and LONDON, was taken at mid-may: During the other fix months, it was taken about fun-rife.

With refpect to the Rain which fell near Edinburgh, (at Duddingftone) a neceffary correction of the former registers has been made, but ftill the fmallnefs of the quantity is furprifing. The Rain-gage, however, has been carefully examined, and no fault could be difcovered.

We would be much obliged to any gentleman who has kept a register of the Rain near Edinburgh, for his obfervations on this fubject.

INDE X.

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INDE X.

Page

AMERICA, defcription of the in- 13 Commercial treaty with France,
and policy of

Afphäftum and fulphureous lakes

37

obfervations on the,

Page

Convention between Gr. Britain and

Commercial treaty with France,

Dowling's curious journal of the de-
molishing of church ornaments,
Dunollie Caftle, account of,

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Spain,

465, 472

abstract of,

473

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Cinder business, new,

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Amber, obfervations on,

380

America, trading voyage to the
Weft coaft of,

Deifts in Bohemia, declaration of
their faith,

157

464

Drufes, memoir concerning the,

246

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American Plenipotentiary, his re-
quifition and anfwer,
Amelia, the Princefs, death of, 476
Beards, the opinion that the North
American Indians have noue, pro-
ved to be erroneous,
Bagpipe, concerning the antiquity
of the,

Bergman, eloge on Sir Torbern, 140
Burns, poems by Robert, 284, 364, 371
Beards, anecdotes of,

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Baddeley, Mrs, her death,

453

of,

Egypt, on the different inhabitants

223

Balloon, a gentleman at Newcastle

killed by one,

466

Engraving, use and excellency of
the art of,

237

Births, 453, 461, 468, 475, 482,
Chinefe, inquiry concerning the cha
racter of the,

487

Elliot, memoirs of General,

269

61

Electricity of vegetables, on the,
by Bertholon,

345

Culpepper, Lord, letter from, to
Lord Clarendon,

Edinburgh, obfervatious respecting

71

the castle of,

436

Cooke, life and character of the ce-
lebrated Captain,

new Magiftrates of, 476

79

Cardonnel's Numifmata Scotia,
Cowardice, anecdote of, in a brave
officer,

109

Euftatius, books and papers rela-
ting to it,

455

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Gafpian Sea, new defcription of the,

137

Corregio, anecdotes of,

273

Emperor's brother, the A. Duke of
Auftria, vifits England,

465

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Emprefs eftablishes a new bank,
Emperor's letter to the inhabitants
of Buda,

469

478

276

Colour of the inhabitants of differ-
ent climates,

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297

Country pains and pleafures of the,
Creole the West Indies, charac-

314

Flaherty, biographical traits of the
real, In the West Indian,

99

Fashion, on the influence of,

101

ter of the,

319

Cartouche, a famous robber, anec-

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dotes of,

380

Fable, by R. Cumberland,

-

180

Claudius, famous emiffary of the

Forster's obfervation on Northern

Emperor,

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INDEX to VOL. IV.

32

Furnace,

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