fore lord Mansfield, and a fpecial jury, in which Philip Zachary Fonnereau was plaintiff, on the ftatute of bribery at elections, the defendant having lent a voter of Sudbury 201. on a promiffory note: when the jury over-ruled that plea, and gave a verdict in favour of the plaintiff, with 5ool. damages. The plan of a lottery in Denmark, on the model of thofe in England, was made public. It confifts of 50,000 tickets, at ten rix dollars, or 21. 5s. each. The highest prize is 50,000 rix dollars. 8th. Several merchants and others met at the king's arms tavern in Cornhill, in order to fign an addrefs to his majefty, which lay ready prepared for that purpose; on which a warm debate enfued upon the propriety of that meafure; and in the end, from words they came to blows. Charles Dingley, efq. a zealous advocate for the addrefs, ftruck Mr. Reynolds, attorney to Mr. Wilkes, and as warm an advocate against it; and Mr. Reynolds,in return, knocked Mr. Dingly down: the fray beginning to fpread, the addrefs was withdrawn, and the chief promoters of it followed it. The gentlemen in the oppofition being now mafters of the room, Mr. Vaughan was placed in the chair, and a regular debate enfued, in which one of the speakers obferved, that he came there by invitation, as an inhabitant of London; but did not think that qualification, merely as fuch, entitled him to a share in the conftitutional privileges of this kingdom, unless the opinion of an eminent counfellor at law in a particular cafe fhould be generally extended to all cafes. "If a poftillion, faid this worthy counfelfor, fhould drive a gentleman into Prefton over-night, and fleep there in a hay-loft, he would have a vote next morning as an inhabitant of Prefton." If so, continued he, the next fhip that arrives with a cargo of Palatines may add a number to the inhabitants of London, who all may be admitted to fign an addrefs. In the mean time, he thought, the bu finefs moft proper for fuch an affembly, was, 1. To give directions to the fca vengers to clean the treets; 2. To order the beadles to clear them of vagrants; For as thefe things equally concern the inhabitant, from whatever country he might come, or for whatever purpofe, whether as a stockjobber to make his fortune by our diftreffes, or as a fmuggler, to ruin our manufactures, he may be equally permitted to interfere in their regu lations; but as, by the fame laws by which these foreign gentry are permitted to live and grow in this country, they are excluded from any fhare in the conftitutional direction of it, they furely cannot have the prefumption to prefcribe to free-born Englishmen the measure of duty by which they are to addrefs their fovereign. He concluded, therefore, that fuch an addrefs, prepared for them by fuch a body, was an infult to the common fenfe of free British merchants, and ought to be treated accordingly. A committee was then appointed to confider what measures were proper to be purfued, and the meeting was adjourned to Friday. In the mean time the addrefs was carried to the merchant feamen's office, over the Royal Exchange, and next morning the merchants, &c, were invited to fign it. His majesty has been pleafed to extend his royal mercy to Edward M'Quirk, now under fentence of death in Newgate, Lawrence Balffe has likewife ob- 10th. 1. That the means used to obtain an address, were fallacious and arbitrary. 2. That the producing an addrefs to the merchants of London, already prepared, was, evidently inconfiftent with their dignity and character. 3. That the merchants of London have always acted, and do now act, with fo much loyalty to his majefty, affection to his illuftrious family, and zeal for the prefent most happy conftitution, as to render any renewed declarations of fuch their at tachment abfolutely unneceffary: 4. That they have always, and do now look upon the happy fettles ment in his majesty's auguft houfe, as the only fecurity, under God, for the continuance of their liberties and religion. Signed, y to where the prifon now is, in order to make a grand fireet from Black friars bridge to the great north road, to which their lord hips gave confent; and a bill is fpeedily to be brought into parliament for that purposes Earfdy Hall, the feat of his grace the duke of Ancafter, was fet on fire, and entirely confumed.... A riotous affembly of fellows, who call themselves throwfters, in Spitalfields, have, during the prefent week, extorted money from the masters, and committed other outrages; but, by the vigilance of Sir John Fielding's officers, they have been difperfed without much blood fhéd. The farmers in the neighbourhood of Gloucefter having declared their intention of felling wheat at the London price; and the mayor of that city having established a correfpondence with the London meal weighers, to be truly informed; the crier proclaimed, for the firft time, the true price before the market began.. As the Wellingborough waggon was paffing Wellingborough bridge, the main arch gave way, and the waggon and horfes fell into the river. The waggon was broken, and the goods much damaged, but the horfes were taken out alive. At a numerous and refpectable meeting of the support- 14th. ers of the bill of rights, they fet apart, purfuant to the report of their committee, 1500l to discharge the moft neceffitous of Mr. Wilkes's creditors. After dimer, 500l.'was fubfcribed towards fupporting the caufe JOHN MILLS, chairman. At a court of common-council, the city members informed the court, that they had waited on the lords of the treafury, and the bishop of Ely, A few days ago, as fome gentle concerning moving the Fleet-prifon men were hunting near Lake Tea„ to Ely houfe, and the Fleet markets in the county of Wicklow, in irge VOLI XII. [C] landa land, a large eagle haftily defcended, and feized their terrier; which being obferved by fome of the company, they encouraged the dog, who, turning on the eagle, as he continued to foar within af ew paces of the ground, brought him down, by feizing a wing, and held him faft till he was fecured by the gentlemen. He measures feven feet from tip to tip, and is defigned as a present to the marquis of Rockingham. 15th. George Tremble, for a highway robbery, was executed at Tyburn. The other two convicts received his majesty's pardon. An address, in the name of the county of Kent, was prefented to his majefty, by fir Charles Farnaby, lately elected knight of the shire for that county. 16th. Came on at Brentford, the fecond re-election of a knight of the fhire for Middlesex, when Charles Dingley, efq; made an offer to oppofe the popular candidate; but, being very roughly handled by the populace, he was advised to retire; upon which Mr. Wilkes was chofen a third time, without op pofition. Just as the fheriffs had declared Mr. Wilkes duly elected, they received a kind of proteft against the legality of the election, in a letter from Mr. Dingley; but, as no perfon had been found hardy enough to propofe that gentleman, his letter was disregarded. The election held at Brent17th. ford, was declared null and void, and a new writ was ordered to be iffued. Lord Knapton, of the kingdom of Ireland, obtained a decree in his favour against a decree of the court of exchequer in Ireland, in a caufe wherein lord Donegal was refpondent. The estate in question was 4000l. a year. 18th. Three feveral addresses were this day presented to his majefty from Briftol; the first, from the mayor, burgeffes, and commonalty; the fecond, from the merchant - adventurers; and the third, from the gentlemen and clergy; all expreffive of the utmost deteftation and adhorrence of those feditious attempts that have been lately made to spread riot, licen tioufnefs, and difaffection throughout the kingdom. Her grace the dutchefs of Kingfton was prefented to their majefties at St. James's, who honoured her grace by wearing her favours, as did all the great officers of state. The poft-boy, with the north mail, was robbed of the Boroughbridge bag, between Stamford and Colftermouth. A reward of 2001. has fince been advertised for apprehending the robber. The rev. Dr. Wetherall, vicechancellor of Oxford, waited upon his majefty with a very loyal addrefs; as did the rev. Dr. Hinchcliffe,vice-chancellor of Cambridge, with the addrefs of the univerfity. At a very numerous meet20th ing of the freeholders of Middlefex, at the Mile-end affembly-room, it was unanimously refolved to confirm their right of elec tion, by the repeated choice of Mr. Wilkes for their representative in parliament. At this meeting, the clear right of the freeholders to chufe, and the duty of the sheriffs to receive their votes, and to return the candidate of their choice, was faid to be established beyond a doubt. Before Before the last election, it had been faid in the papers that Mr. Wilkes being, by a refolution of the houfe, "rendered incapable of fitting there during the prefent parliament,' could not be returned by the fheriffs" but in contempt of the jurif diction and privileges of the houfe;" and that, as the freeholders who fhould prefume to fue the fheriffs "for refufing their votes" for Mr. Wilkes, would be liable to be fent to Newgate by the houfe of commons, fo the fheriffs would be liable to the fame punishment "if they "if they prefumed to poll them;" but this doctrine, though forcibly urged, was not thought fufficient to fuperfede the exprefs words of an act of parliament, 2 Geo. II. c. 24. The Swallow floop of war, who accompanied the Dolphin man of war to the Straits of Magellan, and was there thought to be loft, arrived at Spithead. In her voyage, the has lost the mafter and 24 of her hands. About five o'clock in the morn ing a fire broke out at a distiller's in Great Ruffel-ftreet, Covent-garden, which entirely confumed all the houses up to the piazzas, and burnt all down to the BedfordArms, where it happily ceased, owing to their being a strong partywall behind that house. part of the Bedford-arms tavern ; all under the piazzas. The whole front of the feid piazzas fell down, about eight o'clock, with the most terrible concuffion. This day the following bills received the royal af fent, by virtue of a commiffion from his majesty, viz. The bill for raifing 180,000l. by loans or exchequer-bills, for the fervice of the year 1769. The bill for appointing commiffioners for putting into execution an act of this feffions of parliament, for granting an aid to his majesty by a land-tax to be raised in Great Britain, for the fervice of the year 1769. The bill for repealing an act of the 7th and 8th of king William III. to encourage the bringing the plate to the mint to be coined; and for remedying the ill ftate of the coin of this kingdom, as far as reftrains any perfon keeping an inn or tavern, ale-houfe or victuallinghoufe, or felling wine, ale, beer, or any other liquors, by retail, from publicly ufing wrought or manufactured plate, or any atenfil or veffel, except fpoons; and for putting an end to profecutions commenced for fuch offences. The bill to indemnify perfons who have omitted to take the oaths to qualify themselves for offices and employments within the time limited by law; and for allowing farther time for that purpose, &c. The following is an exact lift of the houfes confumed at the above fire, viz. Mr. Bradley's large fhop and diftill-houfe, where it began; the apartments of Mr. Vincent, musician, over it; Mr. Bradley's dwelling-houfe, in Ruffelkreet; Mr. Hall's, cheesemonger, in the fame ftreet; Mr. Lovejoy's To the bill for paving, cleansing, bagnio; Mr. Rigg's hummum: lighting, and watching the ftreets Mr. Carrol's, peruke-maker: ano- in the parish and borough of Newther of the fame business; and great Windfor, in the county of Berks. To the bill for the general quiet of the fubject against all pretences of concealment whatsoever. [G 2] То To the bill for paving, cleanfing, &c. the ftreets in the liberty of St. Martin's-le-Grand, in the county of Middlesex. To the bills for naturalizing Lewis-Dierick Hashuyfed and Peter Rauert. And to fuch other bills as were ready. The right hon. Sir Fletcher 22d. Norton was, by his majefty's command, fworn of his majesty's privy-council. His ferene highnefs prince George Auguftus of Mecklenburgh, was, on his Danish majefty's requeft, fignified by his ambaffador, invefted with the Danish order of the elephant. The ceremony was performed in the king's closet. A cavalcade of merchants and tradefmen of the city of London, in coaches, in their way to St. James's, with a loyal addrefs, were interrupted by a desperate mob, on paffing through the city, who infulted, pelted, and mal-treated the principal conductors; fo that feveral coaches were obliged to withdraw, fome to return back, others to proceed by bye-ways, and those who arrived at St. James's were fo bedaubed with dirt, and shattered, that both masters and drivers were in the utmost peril of their lives. The rioters carried their outrages within the palace-gates. Lord Talbot, on this occafion, behaved with unparalleled intrepidity; and, tho' he had his ftaff of office broken in his hand, he secured two of the moft active among the rioters, when de ferted by his own fervants. His example animated the military, who, without employing either guns or bayonets to deftroy the deluded populace, fecured fifteen of them, to be dealt with according to law. Mr. Boehm, to whom the addrefs was entrusted, was fo feverely handled, that he was obliged to quit his coach, and take shelter in Nando's coffee-houfe. His coach was rifled, but, the addrefs efcaped; it was, however, with fome difficulty, recovered by the addreffers; which occafioned a disagreeable delay at St. James's, where thofe who had arrived in fafety remained in the greatest anxiety. In this interval feveral refolutions were taken; a fair copy was made, and fome who were prefent, had begun to fign it. At length the original arrived; the fury of the populace abated; and the affair went on without farther interruption. In the Strand, a hearfe, with two white and two black horses, took the lead of the cavalcade. On one fide of the hearfe were, strikingly reprefented, the foldiers firing at young Allen, and on the other, the murder at Brentford. An attempt was made to drive it into the courtyard at St. James's; but, the riotat being read, it drew off to Carleton-house, afterwards to Cumberland-house, and last of all to lord Weymouth's; at all which places, the driver made a particular kind of compliment, and then retired. The fame evening an Extraordinary Gazette was published, with a proclamation for fuppreffing riots, tumults, and unlawful affemblies; peace wes reftored, and only five of the rioters detained, the rest being fet at liberty. A letter from the dean and chapter of St. Paul's to the royal fociety, requesting the direction of that learned body for fecuring the cathedral from the fudden effects of lightning, |