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dockmen, who lived at Gofport, were drowned in going home to their families.

Laft week a young recruit appeared at the Rotation-office in Bowftreet, to be fworn into the fervice of the Eaft-India company, when a gentleman prefent obferved, that from voice and features he fufpected the recruit to be a woman: on a more particular obfervation, every one prefent was of the fame opinion, and two women were defired to examine the party in an adjoining room. On returning into court, and declaring her to be a woman, the recruit burst into tears, faid that her motives for this action were, her having a hufband, whom the dearly loved,at that time in India, that her life was miferable without him, and nothing fhould prevent her in her refolution of going there. Every one prefent was affected with her tears; and on her confenting to return to her parents, who live in reputation in Southwark, Sir John Fielding humanely promifed her, that if the continued in the fame mind, and her happiness depended on it, he himself would fpeak to fome of the directors, and procure her a paffage to India, in character of a lady's maid; the poor creature was melted with his kindness, which fhe acknowledged in the moft grateful terms. She is a very agreeable young woman, and feems about 18 years of age.

In digging, a fhort time ago, for repairing the turnpike-road, near Eland-hall, not far from Huddersfield, in Yorkshire, was found an earthen veffel, containing feveral hundreds of Roman coins, chiefly of the tyrants, many of which were fold to a tinker at is. 4d. per hundred. They were moftly the coins of Caraufius, Tetricus the elder

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and younger, Victorinus fenior and junior, Clodius Gothicus, and also one of the emperor Gallienus. None of the reverses were curious

or uncommon.

A poor man, a patient in the London hofpital, had his arm amputated at the fhoulder joint. It is remarkable, this operation has not been performed in Englandthefe 20 years.

His majefty's frigate Boston failed from Spithead for Jerfey, with three companies of the first regiment, to quiet the disturbances there. The riots have fince ceafed.

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On the Suffolk great road, near Norwich, a blackbird's nest was difcovered, near feven feet from the ground, with a litter of young mice, almoft full grown, in it.

A respite, during his majesty's pleasure, was, near eleven last night, fent to Newgate, for George Crowder and John Symonds, who, with Richard Brandby, were to have been executed.

This morning Richard Branby, for ftealing goods and apparel, of confiderable value, in the dwellinghoufe of Mrs. Ann Fonnereau, was executed a at Tyburn, pursuant to his fentence. The above unhappy fufferer was about 18 months fince difcharged out of Newgate, where he had been imprifoned two years, for affaulting a man with an intent to commit an unnatural crime.

They write from York, that about a fortnight ago, as fome men were digging were digging on the mount, near Micklegate-bar, for gravel to mend the adjoining turnpike-road, they found the foundation of a building and a decayed vault, in which was a lead coffin, alfo greatly decayed, containing fome bones. This is fuppofed to be the chapel of St. James, brother to St. John the evangelift, mentioned by

hiftorians,

hiftorians, where the archbishops of this province ufed to reft a while in their pontifical habits, and from thence to walk upon cloth to the cathedral for inftallation. In the reign of Henry VIII. there were feveral remarkable fufferers; and it is probable the above-mentioned coffin contained the body of one of them, at least of fome great perfon. This day William Beckford, 9th. efq. the fecond time lord mayor, accompanied by the late lord mayor and several of the aldermen, went with the ufual ceremony to Westminster-hall, and, at the exchequer bar, took the accuftomed oaths, and, having recorded the city warrants of attorney, returned in ftate to Guildhall, where a magnificent entertainment was provided. His ftate coach was drawn by a fet of beautiful horfes purchafed at a great price from abroad; the whole proceffion was grand, and a greater concourfe of people, expreffing their fatisfaction by repeated acclamations, has not been known upon any like occafion.

It is, however, not a little remarkable, that only five aldermen, befides the late lord mayor, attended either the proceffion or the entertainment; but whether from fear or diflike, can only be gueffed. The recorder neither went with them to Westminster, nor returned with them, but met them at the exchequer court, and quitted them there. Of all the great officers and minifters of ftate who were invited, the lord chancellor was the only perfon who attended; and of the judges, only the mafter of the rolls, Mr. juftice Willes, and Mr. baron Perrot; of the nobility, the right hon. ear! Temple, lord Effingham, and lord Shelburne; of perfons of quality,

and gentlemen and ladies of fortune, a numerous and fplendid company. Lady Temple made a moft brilliant appearance,the diamonds and jewels fhe wore, being estimated at no less than 50,000l. The celebrated Paoli, though invited, declined the invitation. Sir James Hodges retired to Bath; and the common ferJeant went out of the way. aldermen who appeared without dread of popular difgrace, were Stephenfon, Trecothick, Crosby, Peers, and Halifax; the fheriffs were,

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Townshend and Sawbridge. Another turn has been given in the public papers to this general defection of aldermen.

"The true fenfe of the city, fays a writer in the Public Advertiser, and their difapprobation of the regular and customary fucceffion to the lord mayor's chair, having been violated by the mean and contemptible practices of Mr. B. and his inftruments, is fufficiently manifefted by the flight put upon him at his feftival. The moft refpectable and the major part of the corporation withdrew their attendance on this mock patriot (as they would have done from hisimperious task-mafter): and havedeclared by that act, in most forcible language, that they are not the dupes of the lighteft bubble the earth has."

When the right hon. the lord mayor went to take water at the Three Cranes, a number of boats crowding with paffengers in them to fee him, three were overfet, and feveral perfons loft their lives; in particular Mr. Theophilus Huddleftone, cutler in Barbican, his wife and two fons; Mr. Thomas Brown, watch-maker in the Strand, and Mr. Adams, boat-builder at Limehoufe-hole,

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10th.

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Came on in the court of 10th. common pleas, before lord chief juftice Wilmot, the long-expected trial between lord Halifax and John Wilkes, efq. relative to the feizure of his papers, and the imprisonment of his perfon. Serjeant Glynn, counsel for the plaintiff, opened the cause, and, in a very elegant and fpirited manner, explained the unconftitutional nature of the injury. He was anfwered by ferjeant Whitaker, who endeavoured to prove, that what the defendant did was not of that unconftitutional nature as had been reprefented, but that it was merely official, and authorized by an invariable fucceffion of precedents from the earliest times.

Mr. Blackmore, one of the king's meffengers, was the first perfon examined, and honeftly confeffed, that upon Mr. Wilkes's refufing to him the keys of his bureau, he, agreeable to his orders, picked the lock, and fwept away every paper he found.

Earl Temple was about half an hour under examination, relative to his being refused admittance to Mr. Wilkes when in the Tower.

Matthew Brown, who was fervant to Mr. Wilkes at the time his house was rifled, and was to have been examined on the trial in behalf of his mafter, was by fome unaccountable means kept out of the way.

The counfel for the plaintiff were ferj. Glynn, ferj. Leigh, and Mr. Leigh. For the defendant, ferj. Whitaker, ferj. Day, ferj. Nares, and Mr. Wallis.

The jury, after a moft excellent charge given by the lord chief juftice, to give "liberal but not exceffive damages," found a verdict

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for the plaintiff with4000l. damages. The damages were laid for 20,000l. fo that the verdict was much less than the friends of the plaintiff expected, and fo little to the fatisfaction of the populace, that the jurymen were obliged to withdraw privately for fear of being infulted. It is reported that they were much divided; fome being for more, fome for lefs; but it feems to have operated in fome meafure, that by the minute-book of the treasury, his majefty's pleafure had been fignified, that all expences incurred in confequence of actions or profecutions relative to this affair fhould be defrayed by the crown; and that, as a farther fecurity to the earl of H-x, his lordship had, previous to his refignation in 1765, obtained a privy feal, that is, a warrant figned by the lord privy feal, by way of indemnification for whatever damages Mr. Wilkes fhould recover, which warrant was figned by his grace of Marlborough, who then held the office.

Several gentlemen gave two guineas to obtain admittance into the court early; at about ten the price fell to a guinea, and at three in the afternoon people got in for fiveand-three-pence.

Copy from the treasury minutebook, produced on the trial.

"Whitehall, Treafury-Chamber, 31ft May, 1765. Prefent, Mr. Grenville, lord North, Mr. Hunter, and Mr. Harris.

Mr. chancellor of the exchequer fignifies to my lords his majefty's pleafure, that all expences incurred, or to be incurred, in confequence of actions brought against the earl of Halifax, one of his majefty's principal fecretaries of flate, the under fecretaries and meffengers,

and the folicitor of this office, for proceedings had by them in executing the bufinefs of their respective offices against the publisher of feveral fcandalous and feditious libels, fhould be defrayed by the crown; and that a fufficient fum of money should be, from time to time, iffued to the folicitor of the treafury, for that purpofe.

Read a paper from Mr. Webb, ftating what the expences are likely tobe, and thata farther fum of 3000l. may probably be wanting for difcharging the fame.

Iffue to Mr. Webb, from time to time, as the faid fervice may require, a fum not exceeding 3000l. directing him to apply the fame, according to his majefty's commands, to discharge the feveral expences above-mentioned."

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11th. At a meeting of the burgeffes of Newcastle, fir F. B. Delaval was placed in the chair; petition was agreed to, and ordered to be ingroffed for figning. There are two petitions to be prefented from this town; one in the name of the burgeffes, the other in that of the freeholders of the town

and county.

A meeting was held at Derby, in the county-hall, in which a petition was read and agreed to.

A premium is offered by his majefty to the students of the Royal Academy in Pall-mall, for the beft painting on the following fubject, viz. Time difcovering Truth. The rewards are, firft, a gold medal for the best performance, which is to be determined by the prefident and committee, and the perfon to be fent to Rome to study at his majesty's

expence.

There are already five candidates for the above premium, whofe pie

ces are now placed in the exhibition-room, for the infpection of the committee.

One Captain Hollymore, an of ficer on half-pay, who, for fome time paft, lodged at the Nine-elms, near Vauxhall, has of late, when in perfect health, been heard to say, that his mother had frequently told him, he would die on the 10th of November, 1769. The captain himself was ftrongly prepoffeffed with this notion. On Friday laft, the 10th inftant, without any vifible figns of illness, more than apparent depreffion of spirits and a frequent fighing, he made his will; executed it, and gave orders about his funeral: at the fame time affuring his friends that he should die that night. As there was no ap pearance of illness, more than a depreffion of fpirits, his friends confidered this affair as merely ideal; however, in the morning, he was found dead on his bed, without the leaft figns of his not having died a natural death.

14th.

This day both houfes of parliament met at Westminfter, pursuant to their laft prorogation, and were further prorogued to Tuesday the 9th of January, then to meet for the difpatch of business.

Lottery tickets fold for 121. 165. which is 4s. under the original price paid for them to government; an inftance fcarce ever known before.

A precept having been iffued by the fecretary of state to the sheriffs of London and Middlesex, directing the execution of the two weavers to be in Bethnal-green as this day, the fheriffs waited on Monday night on the lord-mayor, with their doubts of the legality of this extraordinary direction. It appeared that the precept was contrary to the [2] 4

record,

record, which was, "that the criminals fhould be executed at the ufual place of execution." In confequence of a remonftrance to his majefty on this fubject, the convicts were refpited for one week.

The right worshipful fir Thomas Salufbury, LL.D. judgeof the highcourt of admiralty of England, made the report to his majefty of the pirates now under fentence of death in the cells of Newgate; when Edward Pinnel, for finking a fhip, Thomas Ailfbre, Samuel Ailfbre, William Geary (otherwife Juftice, otherwife Wood), William Wenham, and one of the Hydes (but which, there being two of the fame name, is not publicly known), for robberies and piracies on the high feas, were ordered for execution on Wed nefday, the 29th inftant..

About twelve o'clock at night, a most barbarous and premeditated murder was committed on the body of Mr Deighton, a fupervifor of excife at Halifax, and itis fuppofed by fome of those defperate and daring villains who have fo long been a nuifance, and are now become a terror, to that whole neighbourhood; they first shot him through the head, but not thinking him fufficientlydifpatched, they ftabbed him in feveral parts of the body; after which they had the amazing effrontery to rifle his pockets of ten guineas; and all this within afew yards of his own houfe. Mr. Deighton had been publicly very active in apprehending thofe iniquitous rafcals, the diminifhers and counterfeiters of the current gold coin of this kingdom, who knowing him to be a principal evidence against thofe already fecured, as well as a terrorto those, who, to the difgrace of our laws it may be faid, yet walk at large unnoticed;

they thought the only way to bring off their brethren upon trial, and render themselves fecure in their villainous and treasonable practices, was to take him off; which they have effectually done. What makes this melancholy affair ftill more calamitous is, that Mr Deighton has left a wife and feven children in great diftrefs.

At William Clayton's, efq. of Harlyford, Bucks, was tried a new and curious pump, invented by the Rev. Mr. Gainsborough, at Henley; when, contrary to the opinion of divers workmen, who had rafhly pronounced it impoffible, it answered to great admiration, raising the water, by the power of the atmosphere, ingeniously aided by the weight of the water, 50 feet perpendicular from the furface below to the fhore above, with the fame eafe, as well as in the fame quantity and time, as upon common principles could have been done only half that diftance. The piftons of this engine, which are three in number, are undoubtedly the completeft of the kind ever invented; having no more friction than a column of water without them, yet fo exactly filling up the barrels, which are of lead with the ufual inaccuracies, as to fuffer not the leaft water to escape; at the fame time being fofimple and cheap, that to a common eye they will hardly fail of appearing ridiculous.

18th.

Wednesday laft the fhip Mercury, from Stockholm, bound to Cadiz, laden with iron, tar, and other goods, in a gale of wind northerly, ran on fhore on the Goodwin-fand, where he was foon filled with water, and her bottom beat out. The people of Broadtairs, feeing the diftreffed fituation of the ship's crew, had the courage

to

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