ance to the unfortunate people, and by their diligence and activity most of them were saved, after having been exposed for six hours to all the violence of the storm.

Monsieur Porquet, the Commissary of the marine at Calais, attended by a surgeon, with the greatest humanity, afforded all possible assistance to the unhappy sufferers; and by the use of proper methods, a sai lor and a negroe, who were taken up with little signs of life, were with great difficulty perfectly recovered. The physicians, surgeons, and the inhabitants of Calais, behaved likewise, on this occasion, with the utmost tenderness to these unfortunate people.

There is great reason to think, that above 2500 souls perished on ship-board during this and the late storm in October.

But perhaps one of the most remarkable events which attended them, is the stilling of the waves during the last by means of oil, as described in the following let

ter:

Leyden, Jan. 20, 1776. In consequence of a premium of thirty ducats offered by a citizen of this place, to whoever shall most effectually try the experiment of appeasing the waves which surround a ship in a storm, by pouring oil into the sea, the following letter has been received:

"We left the Texel the 3d of November, 1775, on board a merchant ship, Capt. Jurrien Jurrenson, commander, and arrived the 14th in the evening, on the coast of Jutland in Denmark. Our intention was to enter a determined port, but the Captain thinking it scarce possible to make it, on account of the great quantity of ice, we put out to sea to make another:

the night following a great tempest arose, which continued till the next morning, and drove us towards the coast, where we found a road, and were near a port. This situation seemed to flatter our hopes, but the waves ran so high and strong, that we had no command of the ship. The Captain alarmed at our situation, and seeing no other way to prevent a ship-wreck, gave orders for six barrels of oil, which he had on board, to be brought on the deck, and ordered them to be poured out slowly on each side of the ship, by which means the waves were by degrees abated, the ship began to answer her rudder, and soon afterwards entered the port in safety." See p. 70.

Their Majesties and the Royal Family came to the Queen's palace for the winter.

15th.

The House of Commons went into a committee of the whole House, to consider of a petition from the province of Nova Scotia, when they came to the following resolution, which was moved by Lord North: "That the posi tions contained in the address, petition, and memorial, of the Council and House of Assembly of the province of Nova Scotia, of granting to his Majesty, in perpetuity, a duty of poundage, ad valorem, upon all commodities imported into the said province, not being the produce of the British dominions in Europe and America (bay salt excepted), the said duty to be under the disposition of Parliament, is fit to be rc.epted; and that the amount of the said duty shall be, eight pounds per cent. upon all such commodities."

Nine old women were burnt at Kalisk in Poland, charged with having bewitched and rendered un- `

fruitful

fruitful the lands belonging to a gentleman in that Palatinate. court of common

At a

17th. council held at Guildhall;

it was resolved, at the instance of Mr. Wilkes, that the proceedings at the sessions of Oyer and Terminer and gaol delivery of New. gate, for London and Middlesex, be published by the Recorder, and authenticated with his name; and that 1301. be paid out of the chamber of London to the Lord Mayor, in lieu of the profit arising from the Sessions Paper; that the short-hand writer should be allowed 1501. per annum; that the Sessions Paper should be printed on fine paper, in two numbers only; and that a copy of the said proceedings be sent to every member of the court, and the judges, and to those officers of the city who have usually received the same.

Letters from Nantz, by a ship just arrived from St. Domingo, advise, that they have had a most terrible storm there, which had damaged all the buildings on the island, destroyed many ships, and totally washed away the sugar in the

warehouses.

In the afternoon, a fire broke out at the Blue Bell alehouse in Swaffham, Norfolk; the wind blowing very hard at North West, the flames were soon communicated to several contiguous dwellings, which burnt with such rapidity, that in a short time between twenty and thirty houses were laid in ashes, and the families reduced to the greatest distress. One man fell from the top of a house and was killed.

In order to suppress the pernicious practice of insuring tickets. during the drawing of the Lottery, orders were given that there should

be no seats built for clerks to take down the numbers at Guildhall; but it does not appear that this order has taken place; for what reasons, we are not able to determine. See page 188.

The Unity, late Neale, belong ing to Sunderland, with troops from Stade for Gibraltar, sprung a leak at sea about four days ago in the Bay of Biscay, in company with several other vessels bound from Hamburgh to Gibraltar, with Hanoverian troops on board. Captain Neale, being apprehensive she would sink, took to his boat with his mate, and all the officers of the troops, except the quarter mas ter; but they had hardly left the ship's side before the boat overset, and every soul on board her perish ed; as there remained but six sailors on board with the soldiers, and all ignorant of navigation, they ran her on shore on the Isle of Rhe, where Count Taube was soon after sent by his Majesty to take care of the poor men, who thus so provi dentially saved their lives, perhaps by being deserted by their officers; and conduct them to the place of their destination.

19th.

One Smart, charged with coining, and likely to suf fer for it, the evidence against him being remarkably strong, contrived to make his escape out of Clerkenwell Bridewell, by the following odd stratagem. His wife went into the prison clothed in two gowns, two pair of stockings, four petti coats, and in short an assortment of clothes for two women; soon after which the husband passed out, dressed in what the wife had worn as the under suit of clothes, and with his face painted. Soon after he was gone, the woman came down

stairs;

stairs; and meeting two men at the door, who asked how her husband did, she said very ill in his room, and then went off with them. The woman, however, was soon after apprehended, and lodged in New Prison. 20th.

His Majesty went to the House of Peers, and gave

the royal assent to

The bill for continuing the duties on malt, mum, cyder, and perry;

The indemnity bill;
And to three private bills.

21st.

At the first court of Lord Mayor, &c. held this day, the court returned thanks, with but one dissentient voice, viz. that of the Right Hon. Mr. Alderman Harley, to John Wilkes, Esq. late Lord Mayor of this city, for his indefatigable attention to the several duties of that important office; for the particular regard and pofiteness which he has been pleased at all times to shew the members of this court; for his wise, upright, and impartial administration of juftice; for his diligence, on all occasions, to promote the welfare and true interest of this city; and for his unblemished conduct, and exemplary behaviour, during the whole course of his mayoralty. The court likewise voted Mr. Wilkes 1001. to be sent him, for the care he took of the plate, furniture, &c. at the Mansion House.

Was determined, at Guild

25th. hall, Westminster, a trial between Amie Garnault, Esq. of Bull's-cross, Enfield, plaintiff, and Eliab Breton, Esq. of Fourtreehill, in the said parish, and lord of the manor, defendant. The cause

of action was, that Mr. Breton,

some months before, riding by the plaintiff's door, followed by some dogs, the house dog ran after them, to the great terror of the defendant's horse. Upon Mr. B's return home, his youngest son, attended by his coachman, went to the plaintiff's house; and, the gate being opened to them, fired repeatedly at the dog, without further notice, till he had dispatched him. The jury, after examining several very respectable witnessess, who concurred in giving the deceased dog a most excellent character, gave a verdist for the plaintiff, with 501. dus mages.

Two propositions having 27th been made to the Irish House of Commons; ?. That 4000 troops, out of the 12,000 voted for the defence of that kingdom, be spared for his Majesty's service abroad, the saine to be no charge to Ireland after quitting the kingdom. That 4000 foreign protestant troops be received to replace the like number sent abroad; these likewise to be no charge to Ireland. The first proposition was agreed to; but the latter rejected by a majotity of 106 against 68.

2.

Came on to be tried before Lord, Mansfield, at Guildhall, London, a cause, the decision of which materially concerns unfortunate tradesmen liable to become dupes to the designing arts of the wretches distinguished by the name of Swindlers. In the present action, a person in a public office under the Sheriffs of London was plaintiff, and a tradesman in the Strand defendant; the suit was commenced to recover the sum of 1001. upon a note of hand drawn by the defendant, and indorsed over to the plaintiff, by a notorious Jew Swind

ler,

ler, who obtained the same from the defendant in the following curious and artful manner. He went to the tradesman, and told him that he respected him much; that he had a long time observed his industry and care in business, and that he would willingly serve him to the utmost of his power. The tradesman caught the bait, and told his pretended friend that he only wanted a little cash to set all his affairs right; Oh then (said the Swindler) I'll procure you that, tho' I have not at present much about me; here's my friend (meaning a genteel well dressed young man who was with him); he is a man of known responsibility, give him your note for 1001. he shall give you his for the like sum, which any person will give you cash for; and, as for your's. no use whatever shall be made of it, but by way of acknowledgment of the debt, when your affairs will permit you to pay it. The credulous defendant accordingly gave his note for 1001. which was the subject of this action. When he came to know how he had been tricked, he brenght an action against the person who gave him the counternote, to which the latter pleaded non-age; and, as the plea was grounded upon fact, the tradesman had no remedy. The plaintiff proved giving a consideration for the defendant's note. Lord Mans field in his charge to the jury said, that, if they were satisfied the plaintiff was any way privy to the fraud by which the note had been obtained, they ought to find for the defendant; that, though it had been proved the defendant had, when the note was sent for that purpose by the plaintiff, acknowledged hav

ing received a valuable consideras tion for his note, yet, as he was then ignorant of the fraud which had been practised upon him, it ought not to operate against him; that the sending to the defendant signified a suspicion of the goodness of the note, and the manner whereby the same was obtained; that the character of the person from whom the plaintiff received it, was

so notoriously infamous, and as it was proved, so well known to him, that he could not be sup posed to have paid a consideration for it, with any other view, than to become a nominal plaintiff in the action, and thereby to give it that appearance of credit, which tad it been commenced by the swindler, it would have wanted. The jury, without going out of court, gave a verdict for the defendant, with full costs of suit.

28th.

Mr. Ambrose Power, of Clonmell, in Ireland, was most inhum tnly murdered by a gang of the wretches called white boys, after putting himself in their power in consequence of their promising and swearing not to do him any injury; but the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland having issued a proclsmation, in order to suppress such barbarous and inhuman proceedings, and offering a reward of one thousand pounds for the first person who should be discovered as an accomplice in the same, and threehundred pounds for each of the next twelve, with a pardon to the informer; except he be one of those who actually perpetrated the murder; and the gentlemen of the neigh bourhood having exerted themselves with uncommon spirit to detect and apprehend the murderers; some of them were soon after apprehend

ed,

ed, particularly one Downey, alias Capt. Slasher, and William Hayes, who being tried by a Special Commission at Clonwell, and convicted on the clearest evidence, were immediately hanged and quartered, by the light of torches, at

the Court house door. 29th.

In the court of King'sBench, before Lord Mansfield, an action was tried, brought against a noble Peer for necessaries sold and delivered to his Lady; it was in proof, that her Ladyship, having some time since got diamonds from a jeweller, kept them for several months; that the jeweller, on calling for the money, was informed that her Ladyship had sent them to a person skilled in their value, and desired he would go for them; that the jeweller complied, went as directel, got the diamonds, and a letter to her Ladyship, mentioning their value; that the jeweller returned in hopes of receiving his money, but was informed her Ladyship would not see him, or accept of the diamonds; that the jeweller, being in distressed circumstances, pawned the diamonds for money to convey him out of the kingdom; and they since came to the hands of his assignee, who brought this action for the recovery of the value of the diamonds, they not being saleable, having already been used. The jury, contrary to the opinion of Lord Mansfield, found for the assignee.

Being St. Andrew's day, 30th. several Scotch Baronets appeared at court, in the ensigns of an order which has lain dormant upwards of one hundred and fifty years: it was originally called, The Nova Scotia Order, and has but lately been revived. VOL. XVIII. 1775.

The Royal Society held their anniversary meeting at their house in Crane court, Fleet-street; when the President, Sir John Pringle, Bart. in the name of the society, presented the gold medal (called Sir Godfrey Copley's) to the Rev. Nevil Maskelyne, astronomer royal, for his curious experiments in Scotland, on the attraction of mountains, and delivered an elegant oration on the subjects contained in Mr. Maskelyne's paper. Afterwards the Society proceeded to the choice of the council and officers for the ensuing year; when on examining the ballots, it appeared that the following gentlemen were chosen officers: Sir John Pringle, Bart. President; Samuel Wegg, Esq. Treasurer; Matthew Maty, M. D. and the Rev. S. Horsley, LL. D secretaries.

Letters from Lisbon gave a melancholy account of the loss of a French Indiaman, outward bound, by fire. Of 300 souls on board only one officer and seven seamen escaped. The fire broke out so suddenly, that the people on board, had no time to hoist out the boats. The few that survived saved themselves in a small skiff, and were nine days' at sea with only a small cask of brandy to subsist on. The ship was valued at five millions of livres.

The Pope has lately given a striking example of toleration, with regard to religion. As he was going alone, according to his usual custom, to St. Peter's church to pray, he perceived a young man copying with great attention an altar piece. The Holy Father stopt, fixed his eyes on him without interrupting him, and took delight in viewing the young man's work, of which he conceived an advantageous idea in proportion as the work advanced; but his approach[37]

ing