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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 verdict fpecial.

The ballot come on at the Eaft-India-houfe 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; majority, 82.

A letter from Buxton, in Derbyfhire, fays, that on this day they had one of the moft terrible ftorms of thunder and lightning ever remembered; the lightning pierced through the roof into the freefchool, where there are thirty boys on the foundation; two were inftantly ftruck dead, and the mafter and feveral fcholars 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 Christopher court, St. Martin's-leGrand; which confumed that and three more, and damaged two others; the other happened at Meffrs. Buxton andEnderby'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 large 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 prodigi. ous number of them.

A gentleman of Glasgow, faun tering alonein North-wood,attempted to get fome hazle-nuts from the mouth of an old coal-pit; but, by over-reaching himfelf, tumbled ten fathom deep. Recovering himself atthe bottom,he felt fome pains from his breast and thigh; but his greateft trouble was from his deplorable fituation. His friends, who miffed him, made all public fearch, but it was the feventh 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 peti tioner, 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 Middlefex election, and praying general relief, was produced and read, and being copied, was ordered to be circulated and figned.

A very large fuminous circle was obferved round the moon, making an appearance refembling a glory, termed by aftronomers a lunar rainbow.

A fmall French frigate arrived in the Downs without lowering her pendant to the King's hips.. An officer was fent on board theFrenchman, 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 á fire broke out at Mr. Francifco Rocca's Italian warehouse, in the Hay-market, which confumed that houfe, and damaged two others; an old houfe, the corner of Suffolkftreet, next to those 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 drewaknife, and endeavoured to ftab one of the men. It appeared, that the Lafcar had broke and defaced the ftatue of queen Anne, and the four other figures reprefenting the four quarers 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 Lincoln castle, on James Lufby, a prifoner there, who at the laft affize received fentence of death for fheep-ftealing; but, fome favourable circumstances 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 ufeful difcoveries of a most notorious gang of thieves, who have for three years paft been a terror to the interior part

of Lincolnshire. The zzd 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 downin 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 fhould die with pleasure. And we are fince informed, that Matthews has made a full confef fion of his poisoning Mr. Cook's family, by arfenick mixed with butter.

19th.

The comet was observed at the Royal Mathematical fchool in Chrift's hofpital, for the lafl time, on Wednesday morning, September 13, between four and [K 2]

five,

five, when its tail measured full forty-one degrees. Its diftance from the Great Dog-ftar, Syrius, was twenty-five degrees forty minutes, and from the Little Dog-ftar, Procyon, thirteen degrees and a half, lying near the tail of the Monoceros, or Unicorn. Its daily motion, which has been every day increafing, was then betwixt fix and feven degrees: a velocity fo great! that, fuppofing it to be but half the distance from the fun which our earth is, it moves at no less a rate than three thousand miles per minute, or with five hundred times the swiftness of a cannon-ball when it first leaves the mouth of the cannon.. It is now very near its perihelion; and, in respect to our earth, fo near the fun, as to be no longer vifible, but it is expected to make its appearance again in about a fortnight, when it will be seen in the South-weft, foon after fun-set, much brighter than before, and likely to continue with us a confiderable time.

The diameter of the circle round the moon, or lunar rainbow, as it is called, obferved Saturday night, and Sunday morning, the 16th and 17th of September, about one o'clock,measured forty-two degrees, which is fomething more than the length of the tail of the comet.

The grave-digger of St. Catherine-Cree, in Leadenhall-ftreet, being employed to open a grave for -the body of Mrs. Ofborne, lately deceased, before he began, laid a wager that he would dig it ten feet deep, but just as he had finished it, it fell in, and caught him up to the middle, from which feveral people endeavoured to extricate him, but in vain; for, the rottennefs of the ground not being able to bear fo

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21ft.

A general officer was arrefted in Piccadilly, for two thousand pounds. He told the bailiff, if he would go down with him to the Tilt-yard, he fhould there find a friend, and would, on his not giving bail, go with him to a fpunging-houfe. When they came to the Horfe-guards, the officer fent for a ferjeant and a file of mufqueteers to fecure the bailiff, on a pretence that he had been insulted by him, which they did, while the prifoner efcaped. Adjutant-general Harvey has ordered the ferjeant and his men close prifoners to the Savoy and as this military effort to elude juftice has made fome noise, and been taken particular notice of, the officer is faid to have furrendered himself.

General Pascal Paoli arrived at Mr. Hutchinson's, 'in Old Bondftreet.

Meffrs. Vanfittart, Scrafton, and Ford, the three Eaft-Indian fuperintendants, fet out for Portsmouth to embark for India.

At the adjournment of the feffions, held at Guildhall, the fheriff's officer and his follower, convicted last feffions, for affaulting a tradesman's wife near Wood-ftreet, and forcibly entering the house, received fentence; when the first was fined 51. and the latter 40s.

About two o'clock last Saturday morning, near fifty weavers, commonly called cutters, all masked, affembled at a perfon's houfe in Hoxton-fquare, where they infifted upon admittance; and being refufed, one of them fired off a blunderbufs, which alarmed the neighbourhood; and on enquiry into the

cause,

caufe, anfwer was made by the weavers, that in cafe they did not withdraw from their windows they would fhoot them, and at the fame time prefented their loaded guns, declaring they wanted to hurt no perfon but him they were after, who carried on their branches of bufinefs, and was not of their combination. They then broke open his door, with axes they had brought for that purpose, and entered the house with dark-lantherns, piftols, and hangers in their hands; but not finding the person they wanted, they went off towards Spitalfields, much diffatisfied, vowing vengeance when they found him, All the avenues to the fquare were guarded byfome of their party,with fire arms. 26th. On Sunday generalwas committed to goal, for employing a ferjeant and a file of mufqueteers, to rescue him from the bailiffs, after being arrefted on Thursday laft.

At the rifing of the court of aldermen, capt. Cox, adjutant of the first regiment of foot guards, with another officer, attended by order of fome fuperior in commiffion, and acquainted the high fheriffs in the council chamber, that the ferjeant and his party, who took the theriffs bailiffs prifoners at the Tilt-yard, whereby general G effected his escape from a legal arreft, were confined, in order to receive due punishment for their offence.

Laft night the will of Mrs. Pratt, a widow lady, who lately died at her houfe in George-ftreet, Hanover-fquare, was punctually ful filled, by the burning her body to afhes in her grave, in the new burying-ground adjoining to Tyburn-turnpike.

General Paoli was prefented 27th. to his majesty at St. James's, being introduced by Sir Charles Cottrell, knt. mafter of the ceremonies, and accompanied by lord Bertie.

Capt. Hughes, of the Active, from Leghorn, has brought over a favourite dog of Pafcal Paoli; ten guineas were paid for his paffage. The dog was allowed three pounds of meat, and as much bread, every day during the voyage. It is faid this dog is the largest ever feen, and has accompanied the general in all his campaigns.

Came on the election of a

lord mayor for the year enfu- 29th. ing, when Sir Henry Bankes, who was next the chair, (having incurred the displeasure of the livery, in oppofing their application to the prefent lord mayor for a common hall, to confider of a petition to the throne, was rejected upon the fhew of hands; and Willlam Beckford, efq; who ferved the office in the year 1762, and Barlow Trecothick, efq; were returned to the court of aldermen, for them to elect one. But a poll being demanded in behalf of Mr, Alderman Bankes, the fame opened at four o'clock, and went on greatly in favour of the two gentlemen returned by the hall.

Some attempts had been made by the city officers to prevent this nomination,by quoting a bye-law made in the reign of Henry VI. which enacted, that no perfon who had ferved the office of lord mayor, fhould be obliged to ferve again within feven years; but on fearching for precedents, it appeared that in the year 1740 fir John Barnard had been a fecond time elected with

in the term objected to, which to tally overthrew the bye-law. It is [K 3]

worthy

worthy of obfervation, that there fhould appear on this occafion, fuch a comb nation among the city off cers to mislead the livery; a combination which feems the more flagrant, as they refused to communicate their objections, but the night" before, to fome gentlemen, who had applied to them exprefsly for that purpose.

A box of diamonds, and other rich jewels, was delivered to his majefty by the earl of Rochford, as a prefent from the nabob of Bengal. Between one and two o'clock, a fire broke out at Mr. Caleb Atkinfon's, an eminent coach-maker in David-ftreet, near Berkley-fquare, which entirely confumed the fame, and greatlydamaged the two adjoining houfes. Mrs. Mantle, lady of Mr. juftice Mantle, who lives next door but one to the fire, and who had been lame for twenty years, and unable to help herself to or from her bed, miraculously found the ufe of her legs, and ran from Mr. Mantle's houfe into Mount-ftreet, unknown to any of the family, who had given her up for loft, before they found her. Mr. and Mrs, Atkinfon had both got fafe down ftairs at the firft al-rm of the fire; but Mrs. Atkinfon, upon miffing her youngest daughter, a child about eight years of age, went up ftairs again, and found the child in the room, and the room all in flames; fhe then threw herself out of a two-pair-offtairs window, after being much burnt, by which the broke her thigh and one of her arms, and was carried over the way to a public-houfe, where fhe expired in lefs than half an hour in great agonies; thus lofing her life for the fake of her child. The child leaped out of the window after her mother, and received very

little hurt from the fall, but is very much burnt; yet there are hopes of its recovery. A maid, and a child whom Mr. Atkinson had brought up, perifhed in the flames. Extract of a letter from on board the Merlin, at Senegal, July 6.

"On the 7th of June, capt. O'Hara, two midshipmen, myfelf, and 12 feamen, went into a tender (leaving the fhip off Cape Blanco, on the coaft of Barbary). Our expedition was, to find out the island of Arguin, which had been often attempted by feveral of our men of war, but without fuccefs. On the Sunday following, being the 11th of June, we difcovered the ifland, and brought our tender up within about a quarter of a mile from a village on the island. About five o'clock, capt. O'Hara, the two midfhipmen, and four feamen, went on fhore, armed (we having obferved feveral Moors, to the number of forty or fifty on the beach, making fignais for us to come on fhore); the captain and people had not been landed a quarter of an hour, before the Moors began to attack them, and,being foon overpoweredbynumbers, they were all cut off; and in about ten minutes we could fee them all

weltering in blood, and the Moors cutting and mangling their bodies. We endeavoured all we could to deftroy the barbarians (while perpetrating an a&t of such inhumanity) with our grape and round shot from the tender, and obferved fome of them fall. In about a quarter of an hour, concluding our people all murdered, night coming on, and the Moors launching their canoes, as we imagined, to board the tender and cut us off, and having only eight people befides myfelf, thought it beft to cut our cables and go out to fea,

rather

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