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Councils. As truftees for the people in the house of commons, ftrenuously afferting and defending every right; and, as members of the legiflature, ardently promoting, as far as we are able, every additional fecurity to our conftitution, and every measure tending to maintain the good order of government, and to infure and increase the quiet, the happiness, and the freedom of the fubject. We are, gentlemen, with the most perfect fentiments of acknowledgment and refpect, your most obliged and most obedient humble fervants,

GEORGE SAVILE.

EDWIN LASCELLES." Tranflation of a letter from general Paoli, to B. Trecothick and S. Vaughan, efqrs. dated at Corfica, March 20, 1769.

"Moft efteemed gentlemen, The goodness and zeal with which fo many generous Englishmen intereft themselves in the juftice of - our caufe, and the effectual means that they have furnished for the defence of our liberty and country (at the fame time that they moft powerfully ftimulate us to perfevere in our undertaking), awake in us fentiments of the most fincere regard and gratitude, the only manner in which we can now thank our benefactors. I, however, in the name of the whole nation, return them the most unfeigned thanks, for the generous affistance that they have been pleafed to procure us, and have remitted by way of Leghorn, agreeable to their letter of the 10th of February. I have applied this collection to the fupport of the families of those patriots, who, abhorring a foreign yoke, have abandoned their houfes and eftates in that part of the country held by the eneVOL. XII.

my, and have retired to join our army; and of all thofe other families who may in future find themfelves involved in the fame fate. I have thought this ufe quite conformable to the magnanimity of thofe who have contributed this fupply. and have reafon to think they will not disapprove of it; and at the fame time that it will be agreeable to them to be affured of the perfect esteem with which I have the honour to be, &c."

A cafk, fuppofed to be the largest in the world, has lately been exhibited in this metropolis. It is faid to contain 500 butts, or 1500 barrels of beer, which is nearly double the fize of the tribute cafk at Heidelberg, fo celebrated in all the books of travels through Germany.

The fituation of the French EaftIndia Company has been this month variously reported on one fide it has been faid, that the diffolution of the company is inevitable'; on the other, that they have refources fufficient to answer all their preffing demands.

The fociety for encouragement of arts have adjudged a gold medal, the premium for the best account of rearing and fattening of hogs, to Arthur Young, eiq; of Hertfordshire, author of The Famer's Letters, A Six Weeks Tour, and other ingenious pieces in hufbandry, &c. &c.

The largest copper utenfil ever feen in this kingdom, or perhaps in Europe, is now fabricating at a copper-fmith's in Tooley-freet. It is fifty-fix feet long, fix feet four inches. wide, and fix feet ten inches deep, and will contain near 400 barrels. It is made in confequence of a new invention of hardening and toughening wood in certain cheap and [H]

whole

wholefome liquors, which make it extremely durable. By this art, it feems, wood can be tempered, in fome relpects, like metals, as it can be rendered foft and hard alternately. Common copper hoops have been thus made to bend and twift refembling cordage. The timber of a fecond-rate fhip at Woolwich has actually been furprizingly hardened, and the plank rendered flexible as well as durable; elm water pipes have been converted into a kind of petrified ftate, the durability of which it is fuppofed may extend to 100 years. Wheels of coaches, carts, fhafts, &c. have been altered to a hard, tough, and elastic nature, which feveral brewers of this city have experienced; while brewers butts and pipe-ftaves receive fuch firmnefs, as to laft feveral years longer than ufual, befides being perfectly fweet and oak timber, the growth of our colonies, which is naturally too foft and porous, acquires by this procefs fuch a compact, tough ftate, as nearly to be the rival of English oak in fhip-building, which at present is become a national concern on account of its scarcity.

They write from Vienna, that during the last paffion weak, the emprefs, according to cuftom, performed the ceremony of washing the feet of twelve women, when it was remarkable that their ages, when together, amounted to 1052 years; one of them was 104, and another 106 years of age.

The wife of one Mr. Smith, mafon, in Oxford-road, was delivered of four fons, who are all likely to do well; the husband is 53 years of age, and the woman forty-feven.

The wife of one Simpfon of South Kingston, of three boys and a girl.

Died lately, at Putney, aged 93

Robert Pafton, Efq: formerly a fcarlet dyer in Southwark; he died worth 50,000l.

As alfo, after a lingering illnefs, in the 89th year of his age, Jacob Hervey, Efq; of Cookham, in the county of Berks (the oldest juftice of the peace for the county of Middlefex).

MAY.

ift.

Forty-feven public and private bills received the royal affent by commiffion, among which are the following, viz.

For granting a certain fum out of the finking fund to his majesty, for the fervice of the prefent year.

For applying certain monies for the fervice of 1769.

For applying the money granted for the militia.

For reducing into one act the laws relating to the militia.

For farther encouraging the growth of filk in America. For granting 780,000l. by way of lottery.

For making a new road from Blackfriars-bridge.

For better fecuring the duties of customs.

For permitting the free importation of raw hides from Ireland and America.

For difcontinuing, upon the exportation of iron imported in fo reign fhips, the drawbacks of fuch parts of the duties payable thereon as exceed the duties payable upon iron imported in Britifh fhips, &c.

For preventing abuses in making bricks and tiles.

For punishing perfons destroying mills.

For improving the navigation of the Clyde.

For

For permitting from Jerfey and Guernfey, the export of goods to Newfoundland.

For carrying rice from South and North Carolina and Georgia, to any part of America.

For the prefervation of harbourmoorings, and punishing perfons Stealing his majesty's naval ftores. And an act for the relief of infolvent debtors.

A brace of young woodcocks was fhot in Chellenden-wood, by Thomas Suith, game-keeper to Horatio Mann, efq; another brace were shot next day near the fame fpot; there were found feven young ones, and the old bird was feen feeding them. -An event of the like kind is re lated by Borlafe, in his Antiquities of Cornwall.

zd.

Near five hundred of the livery of this city met at the Halfmoon Tavern, Cheapfide, when Edw. Bond, efq; was chofen chairman. A request for a commonhall was agreed to and immediate ly figned. Soon after, the whole company waited on the lord mayor at the Manfion-houfe; his lordship received them with great politeness, and informed them, that he apprehended this method of requesting a common-hall to be rather unprecedented, though the prefent times may require a new method; that he fhould do every thing in his power to oblige fo refpectable a body as the livery of London; that he would call a court of commoncouncil as foon as he conveniently could, and lay their requeft before that court, and abide by their determination.

Naples, March 18. This metropolis has been thrown into great confufion, from the apprehenfions of the common people, who have

given great credit to a prediction, that this city is to be entirely ruined by an earthquake, which, it is kid, will happen on the zoth inftant. This has Aruck fuch a panic, that feveral thousands have left the place, and a great number of families have moved their effects into the country. As this report is fuppofed to have beenpropagated by gang of thieves, in order to profit by the abfence of the credulous, we have doubled our guards; and all the troops who compofe the garrifon have orders to hold themselves in readiness to march, whenever their affiftance may be neceffary, at a moment's warning.

5th

A court of common-council was held at Guildhall, in cons fequence of the application of the livery to the lord mayor, for calling a common-hall, when a motion was moved, "That the right honourable the lord mayor be defired to iffue a precept to affemble the livery in common-hall pursuant to their application to him," which, after long debate, was carried in the negative; fix aldermen and eighty-fix commoners, against three aldermen and fixty-nine commoners.

The lord mayor, on opening the court, defired the act 13 Car. II. to be read, whereby it is enacted, "that no perfon fhall folicit or procure hands, or other confent of perfons above the number of twenty, to any petition, remonftrance, or other addrefs to the king, unlefs the matter thereof has been first confented to by the lord mayor, aldermen, and common-council affembled; and that no perfon or perfons whatever fhall repair to his majefty, or both or either houses of parliament, upon pretence of prefenting any petition, complaint, or other addrefs, with exceffive numbers of people, not at [H] =

any

any one time with above the number of ten perfons, upon pain of incurring a penalty not exceeding 10ol. in money, and three months imprisonment."

Naples, April. The emperor, accompanied by the English envoy the hon. William Hamilton, went to view Mount Vefuvius, and the ruins of Pompeia, which was deftroyed by the eruption of that volcano, in the time of Pliny the Naturalift. The British envoy afterwards dined with his imperial majefty, and in the evening accompanied him to the theatre.

Their majefties, accompa 6th. nied by the princes of Mecklenbourgh Strelitz, dined at Richmond, and afterwards went to Epfom, and were prefent at the races there. A fellow, who stood near his majesty, had the audacity to hollow Wilkes and liberty for ever!' On which fome of the light-horfe drew their fwords, but the fellow made his escape.

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The court of King's-bench gave judgment in the caufe of the riot at the last general election at Prefton; when Mr. Juftice Yates, after a most nervous and pathetic speech on the turpitude of riots at elections, pronounced sentence: an officer was fined 1000l. four other defendants 100l. each, and three months imprifonment; and three other rioters, on account of their low circumftances, fix months imprisonment.

On Wednesday was tried a cause in the court of common-pleas, Guildhall, before lord chief justice Wilmot, wherein the mafter of a north country veffel was plaintiff, and feveral custom-house officers defendants, for entering his boat, and illegally fearching the fame, and himself likewife; when a ver

diet was given for the plaintiff, with 500l. damages.

The grand question on the 8th. petition of the Middlefex electors was decided in the house of commons, in favour of colonel Luttrell, who was then declared the fitting member, on a majority of legal voices. The first precedent of the kind in the journals of the house.

George Williams, for robbing Jofiah Hodgkings on the 9th. highway; and Richard Bruce, for forging an indorsement to a note for the payment of 91. 16s. 6d. with an intent to defraud Meffrs. Owen and Foot, linen-drapers in Holborn, were executed at Tyburn purfuant to their fentence at the Old Bailey.

This day his majesty went to the houfe of peers, and gave the royal affent to fuch private bills as were ready.

After which his majesty was pleafed to make a moft gracious speech; and the lord chancellor, by his majefty's command, prorogued the parliament to the 14th of June next.

A baronet was convicted, by a bench of juftices at Barnet, in the penalty of 310ol. for making his own candles; but the penalty was mitigated to 110l. before the juftices left the court.

A most curious watch has been delivered to his majesty, which has a hand that is a year in making its revolution, and points to the month and the day of the month throughout the year; a second hand acts in the fame manner of a regulator, by means of a pendulum, and is adapted to move, or not, at pleasure, without preventing the other parts of the work from going. It has also a plate, on which, by means of

a bril

a brilliant, is reprefented the fun, which regularly performs its diurnal revolution, and on which is placed a moveable horizon, to fhew the variation of the days, according to the feasons of the year and though it has fo many motions, the watch is only of a common fize.

A letter from Briftoi gives an account of a very deftructive fire at Crediton in Devon; the letter is dated May 2, eleven at night. All the best part of the town (generally called Well Town) is reduced to ashes; from the top of Bowden-hill to the corn-market, and all BackLane, for about three-eighths of a mile; by which it is fuppofed up wards of two hundred houfes are deftroyed. The person who wrote this account fays, "we have scarce faved any thing, and what little we have is broken in pieces. We have lain in an orchard two days and one night."

This day captain Allan was difcharged from Newgate; the feffion of parliament being ended.

11th. Was held the anniversary meeting of the fons of the clergy. The collection at the church and hall amounted as follows:

1. s. d. At the rehearsal, 157 16 3 On Thursday at St. Paul's, 148 15 o At Merchant taylor's hall, 487 11 9 794 3 0 which is 1111. 163. 1d, fhort of laft year's collection.

At Hicks's Hall, a bill of indictment was found by the grand jury of Middlefex against Edward MQuirk for the murder of George Hopkins on the 8th of laft December at Brentford. This is the fame man who was lately tried and convicted for the murder of George

Clarke at the fame time and place and received his majefty's pardon A reward of an hundred pounds is advertiled for taking him.

13th.

The feffions ended at the Old Bailey. Ninety prifoners were tried, of whom teven received fentence of death, two to be tranfported for fourteen years, thirtyone for feven years, and two branded.

The mayor, aldermen, and burgefles of Stratford-upon-Avon, in Warwickshire, have lately elected David Garrick, efq. an honorary burgefs of that corporation; and this day the proper officers of the corporation waited on Mr. Garrick, with his freedom inclosed in a box of curious workmanship, made from a mulberry-tree planted by Shakespeare himself. On the front, Fame holding the buft of Shakespeare, and the three Graces crowning him with laurel, are prettily difplayed; on the ends emblematicalfigures representing Tragedy and Comedy; on the back part Mr. Garrick in the character of Lear in the ftorm fcene; and the top and corners were ornamented with devices of Shakespeare's works, all curiously carved and highly finished, by an eminent carver in Birmingham. This box was accompanied by the following letter: "TO DAVID GARRICK, Efq.

"Sir,

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