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17th. In his 59th year James Macpherson, efq. M. P. for Camelford. Of this celebrated author of Offian fome anecdotes fhall be given in a fubfequent department of this volume.

4th.

MARCH..

Mr. B. D. Cock, driving a curricle round Camden-place near Bath, the horfes, in confequence of being too much curbed, became reftive, and one of them, having broken the bar, fuddenly dafhed over a precipice upwards of Ico feet deep, by which the gentleman was literally dathed to pieces, the curricle deftroyed, and the horfes killed on the spot.

In the court of exchequer, in Dublin, a jury of merchants, on the 20th of February laft gave lord Wefimeath a verdict of 10,000l. damages, against Mr. Bradshaw, fon of fir Henry Cavendish (who took the name of Bradthaw for a large eftate), for crim con. with lady Weftmeath.-Lady Weftmeath was a Mifs Jefferys. She was married to lord Weftmeath in 1784, and has two children by his

lordthip.

Derby. What particularly Icth, engaged the attention of the public at our aflizes was a charge against a woran of the name of Ann Poon, aged 24, for the wilful murder of her infant child, about 14 months old. The circumftances of this murder were as follows: On Friday laft, this poor creature, who is the wife of a labouring man, was about to heat her oven, and, being thort of wood, had broken down a rail or two from the fencing round the plantation of

a gentleman in the neighbourhood; fome of her neighbours threatened her with a profecution, and told' her fhe would be tranfported for it. This much alarmed her mind; and the idea of being feparated from her child, of whom the had always appeared remarkably fond, fo wrought on her imagination, that the formed the horrible defign of putting it to death, in order that, by furrendering hertelf into the hands of juftice, the might be executed for the murder, and fo be for ever re-united in heaven to that babe whom the had loved more than life. As foon, therefore, as her husband was gone out to his labour, the proceeded to put this diabolical defign into execution: the filled a large tub with water, when the babe, fmiling in its mother's face, difarmed her for the moment, and the found herself unable to commit the horrid fact. She then lulled the babe to fleep at her breaft, and, wrapping a cloth round it, plunged it into the tub, and held it under water till life became extinct; then took it out of the tub, and laid it on the bed, and, taking her hat and cloak, locked her fireet-door, and left her key at a neighbour's for her husband, when he fhould return from his labour. She then proceeded to walk eight or nine miles to a magiftrate, and, requesting admiflion to him, told him the whole story, concluding with an earnest defire immediately to be executed. She was tried this morning; and, many ftrong inftances of infanity for fome years paft appearing, the Jury found her not guilty.

At Stafford aflizes, a remarkable caufe was tried, in which Mrs. Dockfey, fifer and heir at law of

the

16th.

Were executed oppofite Newgate, purfuant to their refpective fentences, Tho. Kemp, the letter-carrier, Jofeph Francis Bodkin for robbing Mr. Ardetoif, and William Fogden for horfe-stealing.

the late Peter Garrick, efq. of the magiftrate, who warned him to Lichfield, (brother to the celebra- beware of his conduct in future, ted David Garrick) was plaintiff, as a trict watch thould be kept and Mr. Panting, furgeon of that over him and all his affociates. town, defendant. The defendant claimed all the real and perfonal property of the deceafed, (nearly 30,000l.) under deeds of convey ance executed by Mr Garrick at the advanced age of 85, to the total difioherifon of all his relations and their families, and in derogation of many wills made in their favour, the laft dated in 1791. Mr. Erikine led the caufe for the plaintiff; and after a moft eloquent and impaflioned opening of the cafe, which lafted upwards of two hours, and the examination of feveral witneffes, the caufe was relinquished on the part of the defendant.

Birmingham. Binns and 11th. Jones, two delegates from the London correfpondent fociety, regardlefs of the laws and peace of the country, delivered (the one at the Swan in Swallow-ftreet, and the other at the Bell public-houfe, in Suffolk-ftreet in this town) their inflammatory lectures; information of which being given to William Hicks, efq. one of our magiftrates, he immediately repaired, with the peace officers, to the illegal affemblies. The meeting at the Swan had broken up; but at the Bell they found Jones in a room haranguing about 70 people. As foon as he faw the magiitrate, he was filent; but Mr. Hicks being made acquainted, by feveral who were prefent, of the feditious language he had held, immediately ordered the proclamation againit diforderly meetings to be read, and the people in a few minutes dif'perfed. Jones was admonifhed by

This evening about fix 25th. o'clock, a difagreeable accident happened in Greek street, the corner of Compton-fireet. Two men intoxicated to a great degree, affaulted every perfon they met; and one of them, who had a hammer in his hand, ftruck a paffenger on the head with it, near the eye, which was beat in by the blow. They were at length fecured, and carried to the office in Marlborough-street, whence they were removed to Tothill-field. bridewell.

31.

Mr. Halhed has thought

proper to difpole of all his oriental manufcripts, which he acquired with great labour and expence. Thefe manufcripts the British mufeum has very laudably purchafed.

Vienna. On the prefentation of the princefs royal of France, a particular circle had been formed for the folemnity, and the court was as numerous as it was brilliant. The emprefs prefented the princefs to the ambaladors and their ladies, and to certain ladies of the first rank. After which the other minifters and nobility were, in their turn, prefented to her royal highnefs, by the grand mifirefs of her Imperial majefty's court, by the grand treafurer of the court, count Dietrichftein, and by prince

Gavres,

Gavres, govenor of the princess's court. The princefs of France exceeded the general expectation on this occafion. Her beauty, her fenfibility, her grace, her affability, and eafy deportment, excited at once furprize and admiration. She faid the moft flattering things to field marthals Laicy, Clarfait, Colloredo, and Pelegrini, and to count Trautmaņidorff. The French emigrants were prefented to her royal highnels by the marquis de Gallo, the Neapolitan ambafiador. They were fix in number: the duke de Guiche, captain of the guards to Louis XVI. who diftinguished himself on the 5th of October, 1780; the marquis de Riviere, the Blondel of his mafter; count de Gourci; count de Merci; the marquis de la Vaupaliere, and M. D'Afchepar. Amongit the other French and foreigners, who were acknowledged by the princefs, were the duke of Richelieu, count de Ferfen, the chevalier Mayer, fo well known for his literary productions; the bishop of Nanci, alike celebrated for his virtues and his talents; the duchefs de Guiche, who fhed tears; the countefs de Vauban, and the countefs d'Oude narde. The prefence of thefe faithful and unfortunate nobles contributed not a little to render the fcene peculiarly interefting.

DIED. In his 84th year, Abbé Raynal. He walked to Paris a week before his death; got a cold, which was followed by a catarrh, and kept his bed fome days. On the day of his decease he got up, thaved and drefted himself. At fix in the evening he went to bed; heard a news-paper read, and made, fome critical oblervations upon the operations announced in the paper.

At ten o'clock he died. The jui tice of the peace of the section des champs Elysées did not chufe to bury him until he had asked the Government whether it was intended to pay him any funeral honours. He was employed, just before his death, upon a new edition of his philofophical hiftory, and had prefented an addrefs to the directory to obtain from the agents of the republic in foreign countries the documents, of which he stood in need, relative to the commerce of different nations, to the Eaft India companies, and fome other objects of his work. The directory immediately complied with his re-. queft, and fent the neceffary or ders to the French ambaffadors in Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, and Italy. It is known that the abbé had among his manufcripts, a hiftory of the revocation of the edict of Nantes, in four volumes; but it is rumoured that, under the reign of Robespierre, he burnt part of his papers.

17. At the Hague, Peter Paulus, prefident of the first national convention there, and one of the prin cipal authors of the revolution in Holland. In him his country lofes one of its moft zealous defenders, the patriotic party their chief fupport, the convention its head, and marine its ableft director. He has fallen a facrifice to his exer ertions as prefident. His death has produced the fame fenfations at the Hague as the death of Mirabeau did at Paris. The greatest honours have been paid to the first prefident of the Batavian convention; and a decree of that aflembly declares that he never ceafed to deferve well of his country; which decree, written on vellum, the convention

convention has refolved to prefent to his widow; and to give her, at the fame time, the national fcarf with which he was decorated at the opening of the convention.

At his houfe in Norton-ftreet, fir William Chambers, knight of the polar ftar, furveyor-general of his majefty's board of works, treasurer of the royal academy, and fellow of the royal and antiquarian focieties. A further account of this architect fhall be given under the head of characters.

2d.

APRIL.

The intimation of the first performance of a piece afcribed to the pen of Shakspeare produced this night the effect which might naturally have been expected in a metropolis filled with his admirers. At four o'clock the doors of the theatre were befieged; and, a few minutes after they were opened, the pit was crowded folely with gentlemen. Before fix not a place was to be found in the boxes, and the paffages were filled. The play of Vortigern was announced for representation as the production of our immortal bard; but the tale of its long concealment and happy recovery was not heard without fufpicion; which his votaries withed to heighten into immediate incredulity. The town, however, retained its candour; and, we be lieve, the predominant fentiment in the audience, on this evening, was a wish to welcome with rapture the recovered offspring of their beloved Shakspeare. A play was, therefore, performed, founded in fome degree on the hiftorical account of the ambition of Vorti

gern, the ufurper of Britain; his murder of Conftantius; his alliance with the Saxons; and his pathon for Rowena, the daughter of the Saxon chief. The events are warped into a refemblance to thofe of Macbeth, Richard III. &c. with the inadvertency of a copyift, who was more intent on imitating the language than the genius of Shakfpeare. The characters are fuch as would not have been drawn by that afionifhing writer in the exercise of his ufual faculties. He is remarkable in feldom borrowing from himfelf. The play is deftitute of all thofe gigantic metaphors, and bold allufions, which, approaching the limits of poflibility, aftonifh and alarm our imaginations into a fympathy with his fublime conceptions. The language, though evidently an imitation, is infinitely beneath the original, which poffeffes an aptitude, a facility, and harmony, which has never been furpaffed. The audience betrayed tymptoms of impatience early in the reprefentation; but, finding its tafte infulted by bloated terms, which heightened the general infipidity, its reafon puzzled by difcordant images, falfe ornaments, and abortive efforts to elevate and aftonifh; pronounced its fentence of condemnation, at the conclusion of the play; and we have no doubt that Vortigern, if it be published, will rank in character, though not in merit, with the perverted and furprifing labours of the unfortunate Chatterton.

This moft grofs and impudent impofition had, however, its fupporters, as the following atteliation, drawn up by the rev. Dr. Parr, fhews.

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the poor.

The trial of admiral Corn7th. wallis, for difobedience of orders in not proceeding to the Weft Indies pursuant to the inftructions of the admiralty board, commenced on board the Orion at Portsmouth, at eight o'clock in the morning. The charges were three in number. The fubftance of them is as follows: ft, That admiral Cornwallis, after having failed from England for the West Indies, and proceeded a confiderable way on his voyage, did return contrary to the orders he had received. 2dly, That

not having a fufficient regard to the importance of the fituation of a commander in chief, he omitted to fhift his flag on board of fome other hip after the Royal Sovereign had been difabled, in order to proceed, as he ought to have done, to the place of his deftination; but that, inftead of doing fo, he gave his inftructions and the command of the convoy to another officer. And, 3dly, That after his return he difobeyed another order of the board of admiralty, by not hoifling his flag on board the Aftrea frigate, and proceeding to the Weft Indies, as he had been ordered by their lordships.

The evidence having been gone through, the trial clofed at one o'clock, when the court pronounc ed the following fentence:

"The court having heard the evidence in fupport of the charges exhibited against the honourable William Cornwallis, vice-admiral of the red; and having heard his defence, and the evidence in his behalf, and having maturely weighed and confidered the fame, were of opinion,

"That with refpect to the two first charges, of his returning without leave, after having been ordered to proceed to Barbadoes, and of his difobeying the orders he had received, mifconduct was imputable to him, for not having thifted his flag on board the Mars or Minotaur, and proceeded in either of them to the Weft Indies; but, in confideration of other circumftances, the court acquitted him of any difobedience in his conduct on that occafion.

"With refpect to the third charge, of his having, after his return, difobeyed the orders of the

board

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