ift. AUGUST. Yesterday morning, about four o'clock, a fire broke out at Mr. Smith's, cheesemonger, in Blackmoor ftreet, Clare - maket, which entirely confumed his house, greatly damaged two others in front, and burnt backwards as far as Craven-buildings in Drury-lane. An elderly woman, who lodged at Mr. Smith's, unfortunately perifhed in the flames; and a man and a child being miffling, it is feared they have shared the fame fate. The fire was fo rapid, that Mr. Smith faved only his day-books. Alfo a fire broke out early yefterday morning in Joiners-ftreet, near Tooley-ftreet, which confumed two houses. A Popish bishop has at laft been fent from England, where he had refided for some months, to Canada, agreeable to a fecret article in the late treaty of peace, in confideration of the French court's engaging not to abet or affift, in any hape, the fon of the pretender. The bishop has given fecurity for his good behaviour. He bears a rema kable character for a mild, modeft, and difcreet perfon, and is about 50 years of age. Between ten and eleven at night, there was a violent ftorm of lightning and thunder at St. Edmund's Bury, Suffolk, by which a large crack was made in the wall of St. Mary's church, several large ftones were driven through the wall into the church, and fo great was the explosion, that many of the neighbours imagined the whole church was coming down, and expected nothing less than being buried in the ruins. At the fame time a pair of horfes, belonging to Mr. Coldham, an attorney in Guildhall-ftreet, were ftruck dead by the lightning. 2. Arrived in London the Indian chiefs, with their ladies, and an Indian attendant. According to their own account, they are chiefs of two of the five tribes of Iroquois Indians, inhabiting the country between New York and Lake Ontario, and are come with letters of recommendation from Gen. Sir William Johnfon, in order to fettle the limits of their huntinggrounds, which they complain are encroached upon by the fettlers from New York. The Sachems are remarkably tall and ftrong, of a brown fhining complexion, are dreffed after the Indian manner, and are remarkably warlike in their appearance. Their women are of the fame complexion with the men, appearing modeft and decent in their behaviour, and highly delighted with the little prefents that are made them, though of the fmalleft value, Died, at her lodgings near the Broadway in Deptford, aged 96 years, Mrs. Mary Luhorne, relia of Capt. Luhorne, formerly in the Eaft-India fervice, who, for upwards of forty years, has lived in Greenwich and Deptford in the moft penurious manner the even denied herself every neceffary of life, wearing cloaths that would fcarcely hide her nakedness, and thofe covered with vermin; has not been known to have had any fire, or even lighted candle in her apartment, for fourteen years paft; nor either to wear a fhift or lie in a fheet. She frequently went a begging on the high road, when fhe went on bufinefs to London; and and was alfo very light-fingered, having been detected in pilfering the moft trifling things divers times. On Tuesday laft, it is fuppofed, fhe was taken ill, by her not being feen on Wednesday, nor Thursday till the afternoon, when the gentleman, at whofe house the lodged (as he could neither make her hear, nor get into her apartment); with the advice of fome friends, got a perfon to get into her window, and open her room-door, where the was found in bed fpeechlefs, and in a miferable condition; but, by immediate application of fome nourishing medicine, her life was prolonged till Saturday morning. Notwithstanding her wretched way of life, on opening her drawers, chefts, &c. by her relations, there were found, as is ftrongly reported, fecurities in the Bank, South-fea, Eaft-India, and other ftocks, to the amount of 40,000l. and upwards, befides jewels and other precious ftones, plate, china, cloaths of every kind, of the richest fort, great quantities of the finest filks, linen, velvets, &c. unmade up, to a very great value, befides a large fum of money. Her common wearing apparel were buried the fame evening in a dunghill, and her bedding, &c. thrown into the street yefter day, being fo destroyed by vermin, as to be unfit for any perfon's ufe. The Hon. Sir Francis Blake Delaval, knight of the Bath, tried the experiment of his new-invented Phaeton, the other fide of Weftminfter-bridge; when he put his horfes in a full gallop, and in a moment, by pulling a ftring, the horfes galloped off, and left him in the carriage, which stood still. Kingston in Jamaica, June 14. Wednesday, about midnight, was felt in this town a moft tremendous fhock of an earthquake, which lafted better than a minute and a half, and threw the inhabitants into the greatest confternation, houses fhaking in fo terrible a manner, that their deftruction was each moment expected, but (thanks to the Almighty) no particular damage has enfued. We hear from PortRoyal, that the fhock was fo very violent there, that the inhabitants were up the whole night, and under the utmoft dread of a like cataftrophe to that which befel their unhappy town, on the 7th of June 1692, when two thirds of it were fwallowed up, and a great number of lives loft. We have much the fame accounts from Spanish-Town and Liguanea.- -The late earthquake at Jamaica was so violent, that fhips a half league at fea were affected with an uncommon motion, and rolled gunnel-to in the water. St. James's. On Saturday the 26th of July, Mr. Ruf- 5th. fel, one of his Majefty's meffengers, arrived at the Right Hon. Mr. Secretary Conway's office, with the treaty of commerce, concluded between his Majesty and the emprefs of Ruffia, which was figned at Petersburg, on the 20th of June laft, old style. Last week a wheat-field, of se» venteen acres, belonging to farmer King of Kingfton, was found, on examination, to have no grain in the ear, and was cut down for ftraw. At half after fix in the morning, two fhocks of an earthquake were felt at Vienna, but without any confiderable damage. They were more feverely felt on the confines of Hungary. "My Lord, "The merchants of London trading to the West Indies and to North America, beg leave, at this juncture, when (your Lordship being no longer in a public ftation) they are exempt from even the fufpicion of flattery, to exprefs their fenfe of the effential benefits received during your Lordship's administration: A period fhort in. deed, but truly memorable for the nobleft exertions of a patriot miniftry, in favour of the civil and commercial interefts of thefe kingdoms, happily difpelling the threatening clouds which hung over us, and opening a fyftem of commerce liberal and useful, beyond all for mer example. "We shall ever retain, my Lord, the moft grateful fenfe of your unwearied endeavours, to establish these falutary regulations, withing your Lordship every other felicity, in addition to that which muft ever arife from the consciousness of having, at a moft critical conjuncture, effectually ferved your country." This day, according to the calculations of fome eminent aftronomers, the planet Mars approached nearer, by two millions of miles, to the earth, than it has for ages past. According to this calculation, its approach was nearer to the earth, than in the year 1529, by 338,000 miles; and it was three times and two thirds nearer than its nearest approximation to the fun. On Sunday, the 31ft inftant, he will be in his perihelion, when his apparent magnitude and brightnefs will be greateft. At prefent he makes a moft fplendid appearance in the heavens, from about eight in the evening till three in the morning. Laft week a labouring man in the isle of Wight hanged himself: a short time ago his wife died, and though he was worth 60 or 70 1. he refufed her a little wine. The thought of denying her, what he fince thought reasonable, urged him to this rafh action; before which, he spent all his money within 5 1. We hear from Newbury, that on Thursday laft a great 9th. number of poor people affembled in the market-place during the time of the market, on account of the rife of wheat, when they ripped open the facks, and scattered alt the corn about, took butter, meat, cheese, and bacon, out of the fhops, and threw it into the streets; and fo intimidated the bakers, that they immediately fell their bread 2 d. in the peck loaf, and promised next week to lower it ftill more. From Newbury they proceeded to Shaw-mill, where they threw the flour into the river, broke the windows of the house, and did other confiderable damage there, as well as at several other mills, to the amount of near 1000l. Letters from Devonshire inform, that befides the riots which happened at Exeter, on account of the prefent exorbitant price of provifions, there have been like disturbances in different parts of the fame county; particularly at Uffeolm and Lemnion, where the corn-mills have been entirely deftroyed by the rioters, who afterwards took upon them to feize what wheat they could could meet with in the granaries of the farmers, which they carried immediately to market, and fold openly from four to five fhillings per bufhel, and afterwards returned to the feveral owners, and carried them the money which they had thus raised from the fale of their grain, together with the facks. Edinburgh, Auguft 4. This day came on before the high court of jufticiary, the trial of Alexander Ogilvy, brother to the late lieutenant Patrick Ogilvy, charged with bigamy. The pannel having petitioned the court for banishment, to which their Lordships confenting, fentence of banishment was passed on him for seven years, but liberty for two months was granted him for fettling his affairs in Scotland. A letter from Aranjuez, dated June 30, fays, "Don Francis de Sallefar y Corvetto, a native of Murcia, where his father was regidor, was on Friday publicly degraded at Madrid from the rank of nobility, had his tongue and his right hand cut off, and afterwards was hanged. His crime was affaffinating fome perfons, and having formed the horrid defign of laying his facrilegious hands upon the king and the royal family. Very agreeable advices have this week been received from the Right Hon. Lord Charles Greville Montagu, governor of South Carolina, in regard to the progrefs of cultivation in the back fettlements, their unanimity in councils, and the profpect of a lafting cordiality with the Indian nations. The chambermaid of a lady of distinction at Valenciennes murdered her mistrefs in a moft fhocking manner, Her lady looking into the cellar, the maid pushed her down ftairs, and immediately followed her, ftopt her mouth, and beat her over the head with a brick till the killed her; the maid then went up ftairs, dreffed herfelf, went to vefpers, and gave out, that her miftrefs was gone by herself to Onnain, a village about a league off; that he was to go along the Scheld, and that the next day he was to go to her to carry her watch and jewels. In the evening the returned home, cut the bɔdy to pieces, and next morning carried part of it in a bag, and threw it into the Scheld; and towards evening fhe did the fame with the remainder. The fame day fhe carried the watch, &c. to the clergyman's at Onnain, expreffed much concern at her miftrefs's not being there, and leaving the watch and jewels, went to look for her, as fhe pretended. On the fifth fhe returned, took away the watch and jewels, and carried them to her mistress's fifter; and that day, fome pieces of the body being found in the Scheld, the unhappy wretch was the first who faid that they must belong to her miftrefs, who, without doubt, had been murdered in going to Onnain. However, fhe was taken up and examined, and people fent to the houfe, who difcovered feveral traces of murder; upon which the was again examined, and, after much prevarication in her anfwers, the at last acknowledged the whole affair. This day's Gazette contains the addreffes of thanks to his Majesty, on the repeal of the American ftamp act, of the governor and council of Penfylvania, and counties of Newcastle, Kent, and Su Tex, Suffex, on Delawarr; of the reprefentatives of the freemen of Pennfylvania; of his Majefty's council of theprovince of Maffachufets Bay; of the reprefentatives of the colony of New Jerfey; and of the members of the council of that province; which were prefented to the king by the Earl of Shelburne, and very gracioufly received by his Majesty. The Sieur Valfamaki, the Venetian conful at Patraffo in the Morea, is fent home by order of the Grand Seignor. This man having obtained leave of the fenate of Venice to go to Conftantinople under a pretence of fome domeftic affairs, as foon as he arrived there, prefented to the Grand Seignor, as he was going to mofque, a memorial, wherein he offered to deliver up to him the ifland of Corfou, (which has been the property of the republic ever fince the end of the 14th century,) and alfo to turn Mahometan, if his Highnefs would make him governor of the Morea; but the Grand Seignor equally detefting the traitor and the treafon, ordered him immediately to be arrested and delivered to the Venetian ambaffador, in order to be sent home, and punished as he deferves.The process is already begun againft this traitor, and he has confeffed the chief articles of his treafon. On Wednesday evening, one Mr. Pernel, who had been married to a young lady, in the morning of the fame day, having fome words with his bride, hanged himfelf at his lodgings in Holborn, and was quite dead before he was difcovered by any of the family. A great number of drainploughs were tried on Epping foreft, under the inspection of a committee of the Society of Arts. The two that were allowed beft deferving the premium, were the Buckinghamshire plough, and the Northumberland plough they both made extraordinary neat work with fix horfes only. The latter it was allowed went with moft eafe to the horses, and made a drain of the greatest dimenfions, viz. twenty inches wide at top, ten inches wide at bottom, and one foot perpendicular deep. These inventions will prove a great advantage to the public, by draining wet lands effectually, and with incredible expedition, at a fmall expence. Prefents of British herrings, juft arrived from Shetland, were fent to their Majefties, by the fo ciety of the free British fishery. The Marquis of Rockingham, attended by near zo 17. gentlemen, entered the city of York, and next day an addrefs was prefented to his Lordship, by the magiftrates and merchants of Leeds, conceived in nearly the fame terms with that of the American merchants of London; to which his Lordship made a very obliging anfwer. His Lordship was likewife prefented with addreffes from the principal inhabitants of Halifax, of York, of Kingston, of Hull, and of Wakefield, expreffing their gratitude for his Lordship's attention to the intereft of these kingdoms during his fhort adminiftration. Whitehall. The king has been pleafed to grant unto the mayor, aldermen, and commonalty |