Scottish Affairs. Edinburgh poor-house. App. 1775. burgh banifhed Andrew Walker for the fame crime; which has got the name of feancing.-Sorning, to which sconcing has an affinity, is the masterful taking meat, drink, and lodging. In October, was fhown, at Edinburgh, Maria Terefa, a CORSICAN FAIRY, born on the mountain of Stata Ota, in 1743; only thirty-four inches in height, and only twenty-fix pounds in weight; has a good deal of vivacity, and fpeaks I. talian and French: One of the human fpecies in miniature. On Tuesday, Aug. 1. Grey Cooper, Efq; now Sir Grey Cooper, Bt, one of the fecretaries to the board of treafury, was ferved before the sheriff of Edinburgh neareft and lawful heir-male to the latt deceased Sir John Cooper of Gogar, Bt, the brother of his great-grandfather. The Earl of Dalhousie was chancellor of the jury, which besides was compofed of the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, one Baron of Exchequer, eight Knights-Baronct, and four gentlemen of diftinction. The inhabitants of Edinburgh are highly delighted with a walk made round the Calton hill laft fummer, whence there is a charming and extenfive prospect. The following letter, afferted to be authentic, is dated Oct. 3. "DEAR SIR, I was very forry that I had not the honour of feeing you before I left London, that I might have inform. ed you the reafon of my coming. I was difappointed in going to the Faft ludies, being too late in my application for this year; and it was propofed afterwards, that I fhould wait until next winter, that parliament might be applied to, to affent to the plan for the difcovery of the northweft paffage, which they had in part concluded on the laft feffions. But Mr Richard Whitworth having warmly taken up the matter, informed me, he would folicit it; which rendered my stay in London ufelefs. My poverty, together with the defire I had to fee my wife and children, from whom I had been abfent for fix years, prompted me to pay my family a vifit. I have been some weeks arrived in this diftracted country. Although I have nothing to do either for or against them, yet, when it was known that I did not intend to fight for them, they made me a prifoner of war, and obJiged me to fign a parole, that I would not fight against them, or write any news to G. Britain concerning their proceedings. I am, &c. ROBERT ROGERS." [553.] VOL.XXXVII. 1 733 Ways and Means fully to support the POOR- the effects of my own imagination, In Amfterdam there are fixty privi leged pawn-brokers, who are allowed to take 15 per cent. on pledges, but are ob liged to account to the magiftrates for all their tranfactions in that way; who, after allowing the brokers a moderate reward for their trouble, apply the remainder, which amounts to about 20,000l. ayear, to the fupport of the poor. Now, nothing can be more eafy, than for the managers of our poor-boufe, countenan ced by the magiftrates of this city, to obtain from parliament an act, enacting them into a Lombard, as the Dutch call it, for lending money upon pledges, at the fame intereft and on the fame terms as the Amfterdam or London pawn-brokers, the money lent to be borrowed from our banks, until they had accumulated a flock for that purpose. Though this fcheme may, at first fight, appear ridiculous; yet it is a certain fact, that it is practifed with great fuccefs in one of the belt-governed cities on earth. There are many other methods used in Amfterdam for the fupport of the poor but, not to be too tedious, I fhall only mention one more; which is, that all public fhows, where the price of admiffion 5 A is is above one penny, pay two thirds of the money they receive for the ufe of the poor. The money is collected at the doors where fuch fhows are exhibited, by men who are appointed by the magis ftrates; and who, every night, when the fhow is over, take a receipt from the mafter of the show for one third of the mo. ney received for admiffion, and the other two thirds go to the managers of the poorhouse. The play-houfe of Amfterdam, though not bigger than the play-houfe of Edinburgh, and though the highest price is only twenty pence, yet furnilhes a revenue to the poor of that city of a medium of 4000 per ann, It is reckoned, upon a moderate calculation, that Meff. Breflaw, Aftley, and Stevens, have all together carried 18001. out of this city fince laft year. Now, to be more moderate with these gentry than the Dutchmen would have been, and, in place of two thirds, fuppofe we had got only one half for our poor-houfe, would not gool. have been of great fervice to that charity? Now, Sir, I think I may venture to affert, that were regulations like thofe I have mentioned above, to be establifhed in this city, a revenue might be raised fufficient to fupport our poor-houfe, without laying any other burden upon the citi zens; and I am fo much affured of the truth of this affertion, from obfervation and experience, that were I worth 4000l. Sterling a-year, I could fafely venture to make it over to the poor-houfe as long as I lived, on condition of having, during that time, the direction and profits of thofe regulations, properly established by law, I am, &c. A Friend to the Poor. CALEDONIAN MERCURY. SIR, Jan. 26. 1776, AL LL unneceffary alterations in names of places are idle and inconvenient. One name is just as good as another; and, as Shakespeare fays, a rofe would fmell as fweet with any name as its own, When names of places are changed, a confufion and perplexity is introduced; and, in future times, the scenes of remarkable events become unknown. Of late, I have obferved, in feveral advertisements, a foolish affectation of calling the Parliament CLOSE the Parliament SQUARE. Now, Sir, that space, called, The Parliament Clofe, is well known, and has been fo for ages. The great fire in the Parliament Clofe, as a terrible incident, and the poem, intitled, A Walk at Midnight in the Parksment CLOSE *, as a beautiful compoftion, will preferve that name for ever. But if this nonfenfical innovation shall be encouraged, we shall by and by not know where to find the Parliament-Clafe. Nay, Sir, I would have you look well to your own intereft; for we fhall not know where to find the Caledonian Mercers, which is printed in the Parliament-CLOSE. The truth is, that this priggish attempt proceeds from our fmattering of English. We are told, or perhaps have feen, that there are fquares in London; and our little lanes in this city are called des. But we have not learnt English enough to know, that a close is, in reality, a more proper name for fuch a place as the Parliament-Clofe, than a fquare. The celebrated Mr Harris, of the Close at Salifbury, would laugh very heartily, if any body fhould propofe to call it a fquare; and as he is the author of so masterly a treatife upon language as Hermes, we may rely upon his authority. The ParliamentClofe is the open space, or court-yard, before the Parliament-houfe; and it is esclofed with lofty buildings. A fquare and a clofe in a city may be both of a fquare form; but the proper distinction between them is, that the former is, comparative, ly fpeaking, open, by having feveral fpa cious entries to it; whereas the latter has properly but one entry. Now, the Par liament-Clofe has only one public entry, by the ftreet, from the Crofs; for the entries by the two ftairs, and the narrow passage from the Council-chamber, do not deserve that name. Some traders in London who live in the ftreet called the Poultry, took it into their heads, not long ago, that because the Manfion-houfe is Gitnated in that ftreet, they would give it what they thought a genteeler or more magnificent name, and call it Manfion-Houfe Strett, But their attempt was altogether ineficc. tual, and the good old Poultry remains as it did. I have fhewn that the Parliament Clafe is the proper defignation, even if the måtter were now elective; but as it has remain. ed for ages, I will also maintain its inde feasible right. Let us then, I pray you, Mr Printer, hear no more of the Parlia ment SQUARE. VETUSTUS, • Written by Mr Mickle, the tranflator of the LUSIAD, and to be found in Donald, fon's Collection. [xix. 639-] The The LONDON General Bill of Christenings and Burials, from December 13. 1774, to De- Decreased in the bu No. Age. No. Between 7496 20 and 30 1535 Age. No. 70 and 80 1025 418 so and 60 1589 nant, fearlet, fpot- Mortification O 2831 Cafualties. 4 Bite of a mad dog z 169 Bruited Palfy Ague 5 Fiftula Apoplexy and Sud. 215 Flux Asthma and Tiflick286 French Pox 9 Pleurify 65 Burnt 9 Drowned 104 Bedridden 6 Gout Gravel, Stone, and 69 Rheumatifm 6 Found Dead Killed by Falls, and Bloody Flux 3 Strangury Burften and Rupture 8 Grief Cancer Headach 54 Headmouldsh. Hor- ing of the Guts 70 jaundice Cold Confumption 18 Impofthume Convulfions 5177 Itch Cough, and Hoop- Leprofy ing-Cough 206 Lethargy 36 Scald-head 3 Scurvy 2 Small Pox Sore Throat Sores and Ulcers 114 Swelling 1 Teeth 2669 Killed themselves 29 9 Murdered 4 Overlaid 3 Diabetes 2 Livergrown Dropfy 865 Lunatic 52 Worms The burials in the Canongate and Calton burial-places are not included. INDEX A Berdeen, plan regarding Acts paffed 159. 220. 227 631. 682 Acts, abstracts of: New Eng 162 Allen, Ethan, his letter to Mi- lief of, by the Bill of Rights addrefs to Gov. Campbell - — Britain, addrefs of the inha - Brown, Mr, tarred and - Cambridge: refolutions at - at 171 Bermuda, 100 barrels of - from felling a pamphlet 106 Carolina, North: addrefs Carleton, Gov. his procla- Colonies, propofition for - Concord, Gazette account - Differ- Enier a provincial congrefs 667 cher a public enemy for re- bitants of Canada 421. Re- 435. Crown Point taken by the - - Fort Johnson abandoned by the provincials 437. - - Franklin, Dr, made gene- Gage, Gen. his letter to - Georgia: All the powder in - provincials 309 of Logan a Shawanefe chief Removes the pow Hampton attacked by fhips Hancock, Mr, his weakness - - Howe, Gen. his proclama- der in Williamsburgh 356. - Indian affairs, management Indians, Creek, treaty con- -- - Lands purchased by the between the town and his 106. provincials ib. See Virginia 436. - - Marshfield affociation 4- Maryland inhabitants of Maffachufet's-bay, friends - - Murray, Col. his fon fhot -- -- Newfoundland, grant of 548. -- New York: Profefforship |