lic rooms at Bath, on the evening of the general confufion in April laft; when a verdict was given for the plaintiff of 50l. damages, and full cofts of fuit. A verdict of 51. damages and full cofts was alfo given in two feparate actions, brought by — Wroughton, efq. against two other gentlemen. At the affizes at Exeter, an attorney was tried for perjury, fined zol. and to be imprifoned twelve months. A late candidate for a borough in Suffex recovered 500l. at the lait af fizes, on the statute of bribery and corruption. A letter from Bodmin, in Cornwall, fays, "No less than feven caufes have been tried these affizes for bribery at the laft election for the borough of ——. To havė heard the evidence relative to the bribery, and the infamous practices ufed at the election, would make you fhudder. The plaintiffs in all the caufes obtained verdicts, fome in 1000l. others in 1500l. and fo on to 3000l. penalties, on the bribery act." A woman was lately arrefted at Vienna, charged with having killed above 100 children. Her employment was to nurse, at her own houfe, the children of women who were themselves nurfes in great families, and alfo the infants of fuch as did not chufe to own them. It was her custom to get fome months board paid her in advance, and in a fhort time after fhe came to tell the mother of the death of her child. It is certain that, during 17 months, near go children have been carried from her house to the grave. Such a number of fucceffive deaths muft naturally render her, if not altogether culpable, at least very much fafpected. It is faid that he hath already confeffed her crime, and difcovered feveral accomplices. The French ambaffador hath lately prefented a memorial to the States General,in which he acquaints them that the island of Corfica is united to the dominions of France; and hopes that in cafe any ships for the future fhall appear under Corfcan colours, their H. M. will look upon them as pirates, and treat them accordingly. Married, at St. Luke's,,Old-ftreet, James Gray, a dealer in hardware, aged 78, to Penelope Brooks, aged 69, whofe mother, aged 102, was at the wedding. At Tamworth, in Oxfordshire, John Workhouse, efq. aged 30, to Mifs Bonfter, aged 70. Died, aged 97, Joshua Bainbridge, efq. In the Park,Southwark, aged near 107, Mr. John Daniel, formerly a confiderable ironmonger: he had been blind upwards of 17 years, and bed-ridden near 22 years. Monday fe'nnight, at Ufkin Monmouthshire, Richard Jones, efq.generally known by the name of Happy Dick, under which title he was the fubject of a much admired old fong. In Berwick-street, Soho, aged 95, John Vickers, efq.who diftinguished himfelf at the battle of the Boyne, in Ireland. out, not without receiving great hurt, and fome broken limbs; a woman attempting to make her escape out at a window, was unfortunaly jammed therein, and could not be cleared; fhe was fed for fome time, but no fufficient relief being poffible to be given, fhe unhappily perished. On Tuesday laft, as two gentlemen were riding over Hounflowheath, they obferved a number of people affembled under two trees, which grow by themselves, and curiofity leading them to fee what could be the matter, found that they were a gang of gypfies, about twelve in number, who were boiling and roafting in the modern tafte, Al Frefco, on account of a converfion, as they called it: this converfion, confifted of rubbing or dying a fine young girl, about feventeen, with walnut-fhell, it being the first day of her entering into the fociety. Came on at Bedford, the 4th. election of mayor of that corporation for the year enfuing, at which his grace the duke of Bedford attended; as recorder of that borough. A question was first propofed to the corporation, Whether any new freemen fhould be admitted? which was carried in the affirmative by feventeen to eleven, against the duke of Bedford. After this refolution, the court proceeded to the choice of the mayor, when it was agreed that thofe in oppofition to his grace fhould pole first, and accordingly they polled to the number of 456, when the duke's friends gave up the conteft, after polling 25 only. The Academy Royal are iffuing out honorary premiums, we hear, for the emulating of youth to apply ahemfelves to drawing. The above are to be given on fomething the fame plan with that of the Society of Arts, only it is to be confined to the youth who are admitted by the council to draw after the life, and ftatues in the academy. The rewards for the excelling are to be filver medals. There is another premium offered to adults and adepts, which is to be a gold medal; and to be given to the perfon who fhall paint the beft allegorical picture in oil, the fubject to be given by the prefident and council. The medals for the above premiums are now executing from a defign, and under the direction, of Mr. Yeo. The intrinfic value of the gold medal will amount to near zol. 6th. Befides the filver medals to be given to youths who excel their competitors in drawing; he that is allowed to have the greatest merit will be fent to Italy, with an allowance from a great perfonage, in order to make a collection of drawings for the ufe of the academy. The ballot came on at the East-India houfe, on the following question, viz. "That this court doth approve the alterations propofed by the attorney-general, the hon. Mr. Yorke, and Mr. Sayer, in the fuperintending commiffion, and that a new commiffion be made out accordingly," when the numbers were as follows: for the queftion, 236; againft it, 144; majority, 92. Mr. Allen, father to the young man who was fhot fome time ago in a cow-houfe in St. George'sfields, delivered a petition to his majefty at St. James's. The jubilee at Stratford-uponAvon, in honour of Shakespeare, began this day. Mr. Mr. Foote, in his Devil upon two the family of a clergyman's daughSticks, gives the following fatirical account of this festival; e lee, as it hath lately appeared, is a public invitation,circulatedand argApetition was delivered to his ma ed by puffing, to go poft without horfes, to an obfcure borough with- jefty, by Dennys de Berdt, efq.agent out reprefentatives, governed by a for the houfe of reprefentatives of mayor and aldermen, who are no the province of Maflachufett's bayl; magiftrates, to celebrate a great containing feveral allegationsagainst poet whofe own works have made the conduct of the governor (the him immortal, by an ode with- fubftance of which has been menout poetry, mufic without melody, tioned at different times in the refodinners without victuals, and lodg- Iutions of the said houfe, &c.); and ings without beds; a masquerade, concludes with intreating his majefty wherehalf the people appeared bare-that his excellency the governor faced, a horfe-race up to the knees in water, fire-works extinguifhed as foon as they were lighted, a gingerbread amphitheatre, which, like a houfe of cards, tumbled to pieces as foon as it was finished." 7th., ter deceafed int may be for ever removed from the government of the faid province, and that his majefty would be graciously pleafed to place one in his ftead, worthy to ferve the greatest and best monarch on earth.” A very refpectable meeting 11th. of the freeholders of: Buckinghamshire affembled at Aylefbary, when the hon. Mr. Hambden was called to the chair. A petition, confined to the right of election, was read by Mr. Aubrey, member for Wallingford, in which the The court met at the Indiahoufe again, and, after a variety of interesting debates upon the powers to be granted to the officer of the crown, it was at length agreed to ballot for the following quer tion:"That this court will give the officers of the crown, commanding fhips of the line, a fhare in the dewhole affembly concurred with loud liberations and refolutions of the acclamations, and proceeded to company, merely with regard to the fign it immediately. two objects of malting peace and declaring war, when his majefty's forces are employed. A letter from lord Weymouth to the merchants was received, importing, that the Ruffians have difpatched a fleet of zo fhips of the line to Conftantinople. At the anniverfary meeting of the fons of the clergy, held at Newcaftle, the collection amounted to 3111. ios. which wa diftributed among one clergyman incapacitated, 20 clergymen's widows, 12 clergymen's fons, 34 clergymen's daughters, and VOL. XII. William Taunton, late of the Ram-inn, Colnbrook, was carried in a hackney-coach, attended by two fheriff's officers with the executioner behind, and executed at Tyburn, for the wilful murder of Margaret Phipps, with whom he cohabited. His body was afterwards taken to Surgeous-hall for diffection. Another coalheaver was convicted at Hicks's-hall, for firing at Mr. Green, mafter of the Round-about tavern in Wapping, and fentenced to fuffer feven years imprifonment in Newgate. [K] The The feffions ended at the 13th-Old Bailey, when 17 convicts received fentence of death. At this feffions 134 prifoners were tried for various crimes, among whom was Mary Anfon, widow, on the coroner's inqueft for flaying her husband, by biting his little finger. The jury brought in their Sverdict fpecial. The ballot come on at the Eaft-India-house on the following queftion: viz. " That this court will give the officer of the crown commanding "fhips of the line, a fhare in the deliberations and refolutions of the company, merely with regard to the two objects of making peace and declaring war when his majefty's forces are employed:" when the numbers were as follow; against the question, 177; for it, 95's majority, 82. A letter from Buxton, in Derbyfhire, fays, that on this day they had one of the most terrible storms of thunder and lightning ever remembered; the lightning pierced through the roof into the freeschool, where there are thirty boys on the foundation; two were inftantly ftruck dead, and the mafter and feyeral scholars were much hurt; one in particular, brother to one of the lads who was killed, is not expected to recover. Two terrible fires broke out 14th. this morning; one at Mr. -Hill's, ironmonger, the corner of Chriftopher court, St. Martin's-leGrand; which confumed that and three more, and damaged two others; the other happened at Meffrs. Buxton and Enderby's oil warehoufe, Paul's Wharf, which foon confumed the fame, with the Fortune of War public houfe, and another dwellinghoufe in front. The flames then fpread with amazing rapidity to a large timber-yard adjoining, where they deftroyed a prodigious quantity of timber, together with two larg lightermen on the river, and feveral houfes backward; the large fugar-baker's houfe, the corner of the oppofite wharf, was with the greateft difficulty preferved. During the conflagration, the Thames feemed on fire, bythe oil that poured into it from the repofitory. The oilconfumedisvaluedat 20,000l. It is remarkable, that the great quantity of oil, which upon this occafion flowed on the furface of the water, caufed a mortality among the fwans, which deftroyed a prodigious number of them. A gentleman of Glafgow, fauntering aloneinNorth-wood,attempted to get fome hazle-nuts from the mouth of an old coal-pit; but, by over-reaching himself, tumbled ten fathom deep. Recovering himself atthe bottom,he felt fome pains from his breaft and thigh; but his greatest trouble was from his deplorable fituation. His friends, who miffed him, made all public fearch, but it was the seventh day before he was found: all which time he had fubfifted on a few nuts he had gathered and put in his pocket before the accident happened. He was very much emaciated when taken out, his legs were blanched and quite benumbed; but his fpirits were good, and his defire for food was not great. 16th. A petition was lately prefented to a magiftrate in Ireland against one Ann Lawler, of Rathcool, for bewitching the petitioner, John Keating, and rendering him impotent; but, before any proofs could be commenced, the witch made her escape. This day the high sheriff, and feveral noblemen and gentlemen of the county county of Gloucefter, met at the Town-hall, when a petition full of duty and loyalty, complaining only of the measures taken in the Middlesex election, and praying general relief, was produced and read, and being copied, was ordered to be circulated and figned. A very large luminous circle was obferved round the moon, making an appearance resembling a glory, termed by astronomers a lunar rain bow. A fmall French frigate arrived in the Downs without lowering her pendant to the King's fhips. An officer was fent on board the Frenchman, to demand that refpect: but without effect, till the Hawke floop drew up along fide of her, and fired two fhot. He then lowered his pendant. This morning about feven o'clock a fire broke out at Mr. Francifco Rocca's Italian warehoufe, in the Hay-market, which confumed that houfe, and damaged two others; an old houfe, the corner of Suffolkftreet, next to thofe on fire, fell in, and buried five people in the ruins; three have been fince taken out, and there are fome hopes of their recovery; but the other two are fuppofed to be dead. This morning early the 17th. conftable of the night for Caftle-Baynard ward, hearing a noife within the fence of the west end of St. Paul's cathedral, and calling feveral watchmen to his affiftance, apprehended a Lafcar, who, upon being feized,immediately drewa knife, and endeavoured to ftab one of the men. It appeared, that the Lascar had broke and defaced the statue of queen Anne, and the four other figures reprefenting the four quarters of the world. Both the arms, with the globe and fceptre, were broke off from the queen's ftatue, and every other figure had fome damage done to them. The Lafcar had the globe in his hand when he was coming over the iron rails. He is faid to be a lunatic. A few evenings ago a fhocking! murder was committed at Lincolncaftle, on James Lufby, a prifoner there, who at the laft aflize received fentence of death for fheep-ftealing; but, fome favourable circumftances appearing on his trial, was reprieved, and left to be transported for fourteen years: the mercy thus extended towards this unhappy man, induced him to make fome useful difcoveries of a most notorious gang of thieves, who have for three years paft been a terror to the interior part of Lincolnshire. The 22d of Auguft, John Lary, one of the gang, was committed for ftealing corn; no fooner was he brought to the Caftle, than he entered into a wicked confpiracy with William Matthews (who ftands charged by the grand jury with poisoning Mr. Cook, of Normanby, and three others of his family) to deftroy poor Lufby. This they effected in the evening, by knocking him down in the pit, and immediately jumped on his body, by which they broke his ribs and burft his heart. The villains confeffed their guilt, and faid they should die with pleasure. And we are fince informed, that Matthews has made a full confeffion of his poisoning Mr. Cook's family, by arfenick mixed with butter. The comet was observed at the Royal Mathematical 19th. school in Chrift's hofpital, for the laft time, on Wednesday morning, September 13, between four and [K2] five, |