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of the most refpectable freeholders, who, notwithstanding it proved a very wet day, attended at their own expence early in the morning to fupport the re-election, left any candidate in the oppofite intereft fhould have been, by a party, attempted to be furprized upon the county at the huftings. Every thing was conducted with the molt ftrict and fingular good order. He was put up by James Townfend, efq. member for Weftlooe; and when the re-election was declared, they all around teftified their joy by the most loud and unanimous fhouts of applause. It may be truly faid that this re-election has not coft Mr. Wilkes a fingle fhilling, fo unanimous and fo hearty are the people in his favour.. -Depreffus refurgam.

Mr. Wilkes was this day

17th. declared incapable of being

a member.

20th.

At a very large and refpectable meeting of gentlemen at the London tavern, (friends of Mr. Wilkes and the conftitution) and at which meeting many members of the houfe of commons attended, a fubfcription was fet on foot to fupport the caufe, when the fum of 3340l. was immediately fubfcribed, and a committee appointed to carry on the fame throughout the kingdom. The preamble to the fabicription paper runs in the following manner: "Whereas John Wilkes, efq. has fuffered very greatly in his private fortune, from the fevere and repeated profecutions he has undergone in behalf of the public; and as it feems reasonable to us, that the man who fuffers for the public good, fhould be fupported by the public: We, &c. &c."

At the feffion of the peace at Guildhall, one of the windowbreakers on Mr. Wilke's birth-day was tried, and fentenced to pay a fine of 51. to afk pardon in the public papers, and to give fecurity for his good behaviour for two years.

Was erected in the nave of York cathedral, an entire new painted window, not inferior in point of colour and execution to the most admired works of the fame kind in ancient ftructures.

22d.

This day five of the capital convicts were executed, purfuant to their fentence, at Tyburn. Cooper, Wilks, Perkins, were re fpited, and Balfe and M'Quirk poftponed till further enquiry.

At a numerous meeting of the freeholders of Middlesex, at the asfembly-room at Mile-end, James Townfend, efq. in the chair, it was again unanimoufly refolved to fupport the election of John Wilkes, efq.-At this meeting Sir F. Dela val pledged his honour that he never would oppofe Mr. Wilkes, either in the county of Middlefex, or elfewhere.

A packet with dispatches was received at Lord Hillsborough's office from his excellency gov. Wright, of Georgia, which brought an account of the diffolution of the affembly of that province, on the 24th of Dec. on account of their having anfwered in a refpectful manner the letter from the affembly at Bof

ton.

The feffions ended at the Old Bailey, when three per25th. fons were capitally convicted, twenty-two were ordered to be tranfported, five to be burnt in the hand, ten to be privately whipped, and

twenty

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twenty to be discharged by proclamation. 27th.

The great caufe depending before the house of peers, by way of appeal from the fentence of the lords of feffions in Scotland, between the families of Hamilton and Douglas, was finally decreed in favour of the latter. The joy expreffed on the news of this much wished for event in Scotland, is not to be expreffed. The lord prefident, who gave the cafting vote on the decifion of that affair at Edinburgh, has been infulted ; and it has been with great difficulty that the populace there have been reftrained from committing violence on feveral of the members of that court.

The estate in conteft is faid to amount to 17,000l. a year. A private letter from Scotland concludes thus: "This judgment has endeared. to us the happiness of having a houfe of peers, and has rendered contemptible the court of feffions and its commiffioners."

Lady Jane Douglas, mother of Archibald Douglas, efq. who is now the determined heir of the Douglas eftate, was daughter of James, marquis of Douglas, by lady Mary Kerr, daughter of Robert, marquis of Lothian. Lady Jane's brother fucceeded his father as marquis of Douglas, and was in 1703 created Duke of Douglas. His grace died In 1761 without iffue. In 1746 lady Jane married Mr. Stewart, afterwards fir John Stewart, of Grandtully, Bart. and in 1748was delivered of a fon, the above-mentioned Archibald.

The title of the duke of Douglas became extinct upon the death of the late duke; but the titles of marquis of Douglas and earl of Angus

defcended to the duke of Hamilton. The eftate, which was the point in contest, is said to be about 14000l. per annum, old rents.

The master, wardens, and examiners of the furgeons company (ten in number) met at their hall in the Old Bailey, in purfuance of a letter from the earl of Rockford, one of his majefty's principal fecretaries of ftate, defiring their opinion in relation to a doubt that had arisen whether the blow which Mr. Clarke received at the election at Brentford, was the cause of his death; and the above gentlemen, after examining the furgeons, apothecary, and feveral other perfons, returned an anfwer the fame evening to his lordfhip, giving it as their unanimous opinion, that the blow was not the caufe of Mr. Clarke's death.

Mr. Foot's depofition at the trial was as follows:

Counfel. Did you examine the wound?

Foot. I did. The hair on his head was full of fand. I found upon the crown of the head was a contufed wound; I raifed the fcalp round the wound, and examined it with my probe; and found the fcalp about four inches round the pericranium, the immediate covering of the fkull, was much inflamed. After removing the pericranium, I examined the fkull itself; I found no fiffure, nor fracture. I then raised the fcalp oppofite to the wound the contrary fide, in order to discover, if I could, what we call a contrafracture or fiffure, I found neither. I then raised the fcalp round the whole of the head, and found none at all. I then opened the head the ufual way. I found under the dura mater, which is the first covering

that

that lies under the fkull, a quantity of extravafated blood, and the dura mater itself was much inflamed. I then examined the first covering of the brain. The interior covering I found to be in a great fate of inflammation, and the veffels quite fwelled with blood: and that one part of it was ruptured, but the reft of the brain was in a healthy ftate. Counfel. Do you, from any or all of the appearances, apprehend what occafioned his death?

Foot. To the best of my opinion, the wound he received on his head was the cause of his death.

The election of a knight of 28th. the fhire for Middlefex, in the room of Mr. Wilkes, who has been incapacitated, which was fixed for this day, is poltponed to the 16th of March.

Hague, Feb. 16. We received a few days ago an account of the city of Aix-la-Chapelle being befieged and taken by the Palatine troops: the following are the circumftances which gave rife to this extraordinary event. The elector palatine has the appointment of an officer called the grand majeur of Aix, and has a place in the city called Malfwyer, where there is a houfe fitted up with proper conveniencies for carrying on the bufinefs of dying, which the grand majeur lets to whom he pleases for the profit of the elector. He happened to let it to a Proteftant, who dyed in all colours. The magistrates of Aix maintained that he has no right to dye any other colours but fcarlet, and that to dye other colours he must be admitted of the dyers company, which no Proteftant could be at Aix. dyer complained to the Palatine court of the obftructions he met

The

with, upon which the elector took cognizance of the affair, and finding that the magiftrates perfifted in refufing what he thought he had a right to demand, he fent a body of 2000 men, who invefted the town, and finding the gates fhut, opened them by force. Thefe troops are not burthenfome to the burghers, being all quartered upon the burgomafters and other members of the magiftracy; fome of whom have forty or fifty foldiers lodged in their houfes.

The Efquimaux women, lately brought over from the Lebrador coaft, was prefented to her R. H. the princefs dowager of Wales, who was much gratified at the fight, of a perfon fo different in manners and appearance, from the inhabitants of this part of the world. Her royal highnefs gave her a gold medal of her majefty, and ordered a rich habit to be made for her, after the manner of her country.

Married lately, at Chaddefley Corbett, in Worcestershire, Mr. 'Thomas Lamb, aged 18, to Mrs. Jane Bibb, aged above 65.

Mr.

At Clerkenwell-church, Boys, of Lincolnshire, aged upwards of 30, to Mrs. Air, a widow lady, aged 70, fhe being his third wife, and he her third hufband.

At Chew, Magna in the county of Somerfet, John Thatcher, aged So, to Mrs. Waller, of the fame place.

In Ireland, Robert Judge, efq. of Cookiborough, near Kilbeggan, who ferved in King William's wars, and received a ball in his nole, aged 95, to Mifs Ann Nugent, of Mountafton, aged 15.

Died lately of a tedious illness, at his houfe in Pilgrim-fireet, Newcaftle, in the eighty-firft year of

his

his age, Mr. John White, printer: he was one of the oldeft printers in England; he fettled at Newcastle in the year 1708, and was the first publisher of a news-paper north of Trent, which he continued under the title of the Newcastle Courant to this time. In 1688 his father printed at York the prince of Orange's manifesto, it having been refused by all the printers in England, and for which he was fent a prifoner to Hull caftle, where he was confined till the place furrendered. He was afterwards rewarded by king William's appointing him his majefty's fole printer for the city of York and the five northern counties, as appears by his majefty's grant, dated at Hamptoncourt, May 26, 1689.

At Middleburgh, in Holland, the noted Jack Grimes, known by the name of Lawyer Grimes, who formerly kept the nag's-head tavern in Prince's-ftreet, Drury-lane, and was tranfported feveral years ago for 14 years, for receiving fifh at Kendalhoufe, knowing them to be ftolen. He died poffeffed of a large fum of

money.

In Strutton grounds, Weftminfter, aged near 100, Mr. Peter Mafton, the oldeft officer in his majefty's palace court at Westminster, faid to be worth 30,000l.

At Dulwich, aged 100, John Sage, efq. formerly a dyer in Southwark, worth fifty thousand pounds.

At Stanmore, Middlefex, aged 82, Andrew Drummond, efq. banker, at Charing-crofs. At Hampton, aged 104, James Caflett,gent. formerly bottle-groom to George I.

In St. Andrew-ftreet, Seven-dials,

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Being the anniversary of St.

David's day, the stewards of1ft. the fociety of ancient Britons waited. upon his royal highnefs the prince of Wales, with their annual address, and received a benefaction of 100 guineas, towards the fupport of the poor children under their protection.

Was held at the town-hall in the Borough, a numerous meeting of the electors, in order to draw up a form of inftructions to be prefented to their reprefentatives in parliament. Both members attended the meeting, and Edwards Stevens, efq. took the chair. Sir Jofeph Mawbey defended the propriety of inftructions, and Henry Thrale.efq. acquiefced. The inftructions were to this effect:

1. That you endeavour to confirm to us our old conftitutional right of trial by juries. 2. That you carefullyguard that great bulwarkof our liberties, the habeas corpus act. 3. That you preferve inviolate the right of electors, and the privileges of the elected. 4. That you encourage applications for redrefs of grievances; and difcourage partial enquiries: by which the tenor of petitions may be turned against the petitioners. 5. That you promote the fecurity of all thofe liberties derived to us from the principles of our excellent conftitution. 6. That you

ufe

ufe your utmost endeavours to reconcile the unhappy differences fubfifting between the mother country and her colonies. 7. That you enquire into the abufe of the military power; and endeavour to put the magiftracy upon a more refpectable footing. 8. That you endeavour to promote a ftanding committee for examining the public accounts. 9. That you enquire into the causes of the grear increase of the civil lift debt; and if any mifapplication appears, to oppofe granting money for unneceffary purposes. 10. That you promote a bill for limiting the number of placemen in parliament, and for preventing peers from interfering in elections. 11. That you endeavour to procure a bill for quieting the minds of the people, with refpect to obfolete claims of the crown. And, 12. That you promote a bill for fhortening the duration of parliaments.

Provifion was made for the 2d. payment of the arrears of the civil lift, than which no measure was ever more neceffary, as many gentlemen of integrity and honour are reduced to the meaneft shifts in confequence of those arrears.

A bufto in white marble, of the right honourable the earl of Chefter field, was this day ordered to be fet up by the Dublin fociety in their affembly-room in Grafton-ftreet, his lordship being the great patron of that fociety."

The feamen outward-bound, in the East-India company's fervice, quitted their fhips, and went in a body to the Eaft-India houfe, and demanded an increafe of wages; which, however, was not complied

with.

A new military order was infti

tuted in the principality of Caffel, under the title of the order of MILITARY VIRTUE: the enfigns of which are, a double crofs enameled in gold fupported by a sky-blue ribband, having in the middle the cypher of the landgrave, round which is the word vIRTVTI.

4th.

At a great meeting at Edinburgh, the fociety of writers to the fignet, taking into confideration the attacks made uponthe houses of feveral judges, and the infult offered to the lord prefident, unanimoufly refolved to take every method in their power to preferve the public tranquillity, and to bring the disturbers of it to justice.

A trial came on at the affizes at Reading, for bribery at the election for Abingdon, in which captain Sexton was plaintiff, and a carrier of that place defendant, when a verdiet was given in favour of the plaintiff.

Sir William Beauchamp Proctor appeared at court for the first time fince his offering himself a candidate for Middlefex, at Brentford.

Lord Viscount Molyneaux,

having renounced the errors of 5th.

the church of Rome, received the facrament publickly at St. Martin's church.

At a meeting of the fociety of the fupporters of the bill of 7th. rights at the London tavern, it was refolved, among other things, to enquire into the ftate of Mr. Wilkes's affairs, and to report the fame at the next meeting; and that the fum of 300l. fhould be fent to Mr. Wilkes for his immediate ufe: which was accordingly fent by the hands of fir Cecil Wray, and James Townfend, efq.

A trial came on at Guildhall, before

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