on the measures neceffary to be pur-* fued under the prefent circumstances of public affairs. His lordship received them very politely, and requested a short time to confider of an answer.

The hounds of Samuel Lewin, efq.at thewater-houfe,near Chelmsford, started a bitch fox at Highwoods, near Writtle; they ran her very hard for upwards of an hour, when, on croffing the yard of a farmer, he perceived fomething in her mouth, and fet a large maftiff at her, which fo intimidated her, that the dropt a young cub, which had been carried in that manner during the whole chace. The fox afterwards evaded her purfuers.

The fociety of arts voted a gold medal to Richard Lovel Edgeworth, Efq. of Hare-Hatch, for the many ingenious mechanical contrivances which he at different times has communicated to the fociety.

A portable furnace of a very curious conftruction, which will enable the operator to perform all the ufual experiments in chemistry with great facility, has lately been invented by Dr. Lewis, and prefented to the fociety of arts for public ufe.

A block of folid filver, (weight 311lb.) and another of pure gold, (weight 181b.) were fhipped at Newcastle about the middle of laft month, both of which are faid to be produced from materials found in the county, and manufactured at a refinery, in the neighbourhood of that town.

The religious fociety, who fucceeded the Jefuits in the College of Caen in Normandy, having neglect ed to have their kitchen utenfils tinned, twenty-five of these monks have been poifoned by the verdigreafe, and about fifty others are dangerously ill,

28th.

fuit.

The Duncannon packet, Capt. Edwards, from the Weft-Indies and Carolina, is arrived at Falmouth, who, in his paffage, took up John Fofter-Williams, late mafter of the John, a brig, who failed from Bofton on the 20th of January laft, bound for Surinam. Captain FofterWilliams, in his account, fays, that on the 29th of the fame month at noon, being in lat. 34° 40′ N. long. 60° oo" W. from London, a large fea running at twelve at night, the brig fprung a-leak, and the water came in fo faft, that they could not keep her before the wind; and after fuftaining incredible herdships till the 7th of February, they that day faw a floop, to whom they made fignals of diftrefs, and afterwards bore down upon her: but though the crew looked at them, they sheered off without giving them any af fiftance. The captain concludes his account in the following words;

Seven or eight days after, being moderate weather, and the lumber out from between decks, we got two barrels of train oil, the beef being falt we could not eat any,the oil we drank

very

very haftily off; that night it blowed very hard, and a large fea running, two of my people were wafhed overboard, and one died with hunger and cold, another out of his fenfes, fo that we grew fo weak and low, that we loft both the day of the month and the week; and we had, nothing to live, on but falt water and oar weed, my people dying one after another; the laft that died was the mate, on the last of February ; and on the first of March I was taken out by the above packet, long. 56 00."

The following has been tranfmitted to the knights of the fhire for the county of York, by the high fheriff and grand jury.

To Sir George Savile, bart. and Edwin Lafcellees, efq. The prefent prevailing mode of addreffing the throne, and of inftructing reprefentatives for their conduct in parliament, points out to us (the fheriff and grand jury at the prefent affizes for the county of York) a more moderate middle way to inform you, how much we think not only this country, but the whole kingdom, fortunate in having reprefentatives of fuch exemplary integrity as you have ever proved yourlelves to be.

Your great merit, Sir George Savile, in planning and moving for, and your fteadiness, Mr. Lafcelles, in fupporting the act of parliament lately paffed, "To amend and render more effectual an act for the general quiet of the fubjects against all pretences of concealment whatfocyer," do the greatest honour to our choice, and to your own refpective conduct on that occafion, and demand our thanks and applaufe.

Your approved abilities to diftin-, guilh, and your well-known attachment to the true principles of the .3

When we first prefumed to make a tender of our services to the county of York, we ventured to affure our conftituents of the purity of our intentions, and that, as far as our judgments would keep pace with our good-will, we would hope not to give them caufe, in any effential matter, to be diffatisfied with our conduct. The public and repeated. teftimonies we have received of their approbation, and that now in a point of the first confequence, at the fame time that they call for our warmeft acknowledgments, and gratify our firft and greatest ambition, embolden us likewife to affume more, confidence, even in our opinions ; becaufewe have found them coincide with the judgment of those whom we have the honour to reprefent. Thofe opinions have not, in any effential or fundamental points, been either changed or weakened; and affure yourfelves, gentlemen, that the confidence you place in us will prove the ftrongest incitement to perfevere in the difcharge of our duty, with unabating attention; diligently, not officioufly; with zeal, but without faction; and to guard, in the true fpirit of the most dutiful, moft perfect, and moft effectual loyalty, against evil measures and evil

councils

touncils. As trustees for the péople in the house of commons, ftrenuoufly afferting and defending every right; and, as members of the legiflature, ardently promoting, as far as we are able, every additional fecurity to our conftitution, and every measure tending to maintain the good order of government, and to infure and increase the quiet, the happiness, and the freedom of the fubject. We are, gentlemen, with the most perfect fentiments of acknowledgment and refpect, your moft obliged and moft obedient humble fervants,

GEORGE SAVILE.

EDWIN LASCELLES," Tranflation of a letter from general Paoli, to B. Tregothick and S. Vaughan, efqrs. dated at Corfica, March 20, 1769.

"Most esteemed gentlemen, The goodness and zeal with which fo many generous Englishmen intereft themselves in the juftice of our caufe, and the effectual means that they have furnished for the defence of our liberty and country (at the fame time that they moft powerfully ftimulate us to perfevere in our undertaking), awake in us fentiments of the moft fincere regard and gratitude, the only manner in which we can now thank our benefactors. I, however, in the name of the whole nation, return them the moft unfeigned thanks, for the generous affiftance that they have been pleafed to procure us, and have remitted by way of Leghorn, agreeable to their letter of the 10th of February. I have applied this collection to the fupport of the families of thofe patriots, who, abhorring a foreign yoke, have abandoned their houfes and eftates in that part of the country held by the eneVOL. XII.

my, and have retired to join our army; and of all thofe other families who may in future find themfelves involved in the fame fate. I have thought this ufe quite conformable to the magnanimity of thofe who have contributed this fupply, and have reafon to think they will not difapprove of it; and at the fame time that it will be agreeable to them to be affured of the perfect efteem with which I have the honour to be, &c."

A cafk, fuppofed to be the largest in the world, has lately been exhibited in this metropolis. It is faid to contain 500 butts, or 1500 barrels of beer, which is nearly double the fize of the tribute cask at Heidelberg, fo celebrated in all the books of travels through Germany.

The fituation of the French EaftIndia Company has been this month variously reported: on one fide it has been faid, that the diffolution of the company is inevitable: on the other, that they have refources fufficient to answer all their preffing demands.

The fociety for encouragement of arts have adjudged a gold medal, the premium for the beft account of rearing and fattening of hogs, to Arthur Young, efq; of Hertfordshire, author of The Farmer's Letters, A Six Weeks Tour, and other ingenious pieces in hufbandry, &c. &c.

The largest copper utenfil ever feen in this kingdom, or perhaps in Europe, is now fabricating at a copper-fmith's in Tooley-ftreet. It is fifty-fix feet long, fix feet four inches wide, and fix feet ten inches deep, and will contain near 400 barrels. It is made in confequence of a new invention of hardening and toughening wood in certain cheap and [H]

whole

wholefome liquors, which make it extremely durable. By this art, it feems, wood can be tempered, in fome refpects, like metals, as it can be rendered foft and hard alternately. Common copper hoops have been thus made to bend and twist refembling cordage. The timber of a fecond-rate hip at Woolwich has actually been furprizingly hardened, and the plank rendered flexible as well as durable; elm water pipes have been converted into a

kind of petrified ftate, the durability of which it is fuppofed may extend to 100 years. Wheels of coaches, carts, fhafts, &c. have been altered to a hard, tough, and elaftic nature, which feveral brewers of this city have experienced; while brewers butts and pipe-ftaves receive fuch firmnefs, as to laft feveral years longer than ufual, befides being perfectly sweet and oak timber, the growth of our colonies, which is naturally too foft and porous, acquires by this process fuch a compact, tough ftate, as nearly to be the rival of English oak in fhip-building, which at prefent is become a national concern on account of its fearcity.

:

They write from Vienna, that during the last paffion weak, the emprefs, according to custom, performed the ceremony of washing the feet of twelve women, when it was remarkable that their ages, when together, amounted to 1052 years; one of them was 104, and another 106 years of age.

The wife of one Mr. Smith, mafon, in Oxford-road, was delivered of four fons, who are all likely to do well; the hufband is 53 years of age, and the woman forty-feven.

The wife of one Simpson of South Kingston, of three boys and a girl. Died lately, at Putney, aged 93,

Robert Pafton, Efq: formerly a fcarlet dyer in Southwark; he died worth 50,000l.

As alfo, after a lingering illnefs, in the 89th year of his age, Jacob Hervey, Efq; of Cookham, in the county of Berks (the oldest juftice of the peace for the county of Middlefex).

MAY.

Forty-feven public and pri

vate bills received the royal af- Ift. fent by commiffion, among which are the following, viz.

For granting a certain fum out of the finking fund to his majesty, for the fervice of the prefent year.

For applying certain monies for the fervice of 1769.

For applying the money granted for the militia.

For reducing into one at the laws relating to the militia.

For farther encouraging the growth of filk in America. For granting 780,000l. by way of lottery.

For making a new road from Blackfriars-bridge.

For better fecuring the duties of customs.

For permitting the free importation of raw hides from Ireland and America.

For difcontinuing, upon the exportation of iron imported in foreign fhips, the drawbacks of fuch parts of the duties payable thereon as exceed the duties payable upon iron imported in British ships, &c.

For preventing abufes in making bricks and tiles.

For punishing perfons destroying mills.

For improving the navigation of the Clyde.

For

For permitting from Jerfey and Guernsey, the export of goods to Newfoundland.

For carrying rice from South and North Carolina and Georgia, to any part of America.

For the prefervation of harbour moorings, and punishing perfons tealing his majesty's naval ftores. And an act for the relief of infolvent debtors.

A brace of young woodcocks was fhot in Chellenden-wood, by Thomas Swith, game-keeper to Horatio Mann, efq; another brace were shot next day near the fame fpot; there were found feven young ones, and the old bird was feen feeding them. An event of the like kind is related by Borlafe, in his Antiquities of Cornwall.

zd.

Near five hundred of the livery of this city met at the Halfmoon Tavern, Cheapfide, when Edw. Bond, efq; was chofen chairman. A request for a commonhall was agreed to and immediate ly figned. Soon after, the whole company waited on the lord mayor at the Manfion-house; his lordship received them with great politenefs, and informed them, that he ap prehended this method of request ing a common-hall to be rather unprecedented, though the prefent times may require a new method; that he fhould do every thing in his power to oblige fo refpectable a body as the livery of London; that he would call a court of commoncouncil as foon as he conveniently could, and lay their request before that court, and abide by their determination.

Naples, March 18. This metropolis has been thrown into great confufion, from the apprehenfions of the common people, who have

given great credit to a prediction, that this cit to be entirely ruined by an earthquake, which, it is faid, will happen on the 20th inftant. This has ftruck fuch a manic, that feveral thoufands have left the place, and a great number of families have moved their effects into the country. As this report is fuppofed to have beenpropagated bya gang of thieves, in order to profit by the abfence of the credulous, we have doubled our guards; and all the troops who com. pofe the garrifon have orders to hold themfelves in readiness to march, whenever their affiftance may be neceffary, at a moment's warning.

A court of common-council

was held at Guildhall, in con- 5th. fequence of the application of the livery to the lord mayor, for calling a common-hall, when a motion was moved," That the right honourable the lord mayor be defired to iffue a precept to affemble the livery in common-hall purfuant to their application to him," which, after long debate, was carried in the negative; fix aldermen and eighty-fix.commoners, against three aldermen and fixty-nine commoners.

The lord mayor, on opening the court, defired the act 13 Car. II. to be read, whereby it is enacted, “that no perfon fhall folicit or procure hands, or other confent of perions above the number of twenty, to any petition, remonftrance, or other addrefs to the king, unless the matter thereof has been first confented to by the lord mayor, aldermen, and common-council affembled; and that no perfon or perfons whatever fhall repair to his majefty, or both or either houses of parliament, upon pretence of presenting any petition, complaint, or other addrefs, with exceffive numbers of people, not at [H] 2

any