the fourth wife he has married of the fame name.

DIED, the ad inftant, Matthew Maty, M. D. principal librarian of the British Mufeum, and fecretary to the Royal Society; a very learned and ingenious gentleman; and well known, as fuch, in the literary world.

The 25th, the celebrated David Hume, Efq: at Edinburgh. He had been ailing a long time, but never complained, nor was confined to his bed, till a day or two before his death. He appointed his brother his heir by teftament, but has left fome fmall legacies to feveral of his friends, viz. to a fervant 201. per ann.; to Dr. Smith 2001.; to Dr. Ferguson 100l. or 2001.; and Icol. to erect a monument to his memory, with an exprefs prohibition not to put any thing on it but the day of his birth and the day of his death. The reader will find fome memoirs of this great, however in fome refpects mistaken, genius, in the fecond part of this volume.

Lately, at Glaftonbury, Mrs. Sarah Brockman, widow, aged 106 years.

Mrs. Mary Yates, of Shiffnal, aged 128 years. She walked to London after the fire in 1666, married a third husband in her ninety-fecond year, and was hearty and strong at 120.

SEPTEMBER.

The lord-mayor, fheriffs, 3d. and city officers, proclaimed Bartholomew fair in the ufual manner; but ftrictly forbid all in

terludes, &c. Accordingly, none were exhibited, through the vigilance of the city-marshals and their affiftants, who have befides cleared that noted fpot of fharpers and pickpockets on market days, and introduced fuch order among the horse riders, as to prevent their trampling on paffengers, which heretofore but too often happened. Extract of a Letter of this date from Palma, the Capital of Majorca.

Forty-fix captives who were employed to draw ftones from a quarry fome leagues diftance from Algiers, at a place named Genova, refolved, if poffible, to recover their liberty, and yesterday took advantage of the idleness and inattention of forty men, who were to guard them, and who had laid down their arms, and were rambling about the fhore. The captives attacked them with pickaxes and other tools, and made themfelves mafters of their arms; and, having killed thirty-three of the forty, and eleven of the thirteen failors who were in the boat which carried the ftones, they obliged the rest to jump into the fea. Being then mafters of the boat, and armed with twelve muskets, two piftols, ant! powder, &c. they fet fail, and had the good fortune to arrive here this morning, where they are performing quarantine. Sixteen of them are Spaniards; seventeen, French; eight, Portugueze; three, Italians, one, a German; and one, a Sardinian."

About two o'clock in the morning, the moft dreadful 5th. fire that ever happened at St. Kitt's, began in one of the back rooms of John Gardner, Efq; in what is called the Pasture, in the town of Baffeterre, which for want of timely

affiftance

affiance at firft, fpread with unconquerable fury, conflagration fucceeding conflagration, till the most valuable part of the town was reduced to afhes-fo reduced, that not a stick of timber remained unconfumed. This fire was fucceeded, the next day, by a hurricane, attended with a deluge of rain, which did nearly as much damage to the island as the fire did to the town. The damage to the fhipping was likewife immenfe. Seven fhips put out to fea; three foundered; two more drove on fhore; and only one rode out the gale. This terrible hurricane was equally felt at Antigua, Montferrat, St. Kitt's, Martinico, Guadaloupe, and Marigallante; but, in the firft of thefe iflands, the rain providentially did as much good, as the wind had done harm.

The lord-mayor of Lon6th. don was robbed near Turnham-Green, in his chaife and four, in fight of all his retinue, by a fingle highwayman, who fwore he would fhoot the first man that made refiftance, or offered violence.

At the fair held in Briftol this week, there was as great a demand for the articles in the cloathing trade, as had been known for fome years paft, especially thofe of a coarfer fort, of which there was not a fufficient fupply brought to town. It was univerfally acknowledged by the clothiers from the various parts of the country, that they had a fale for whatever goods they could make; but they grievoully complained of the exorbitant price of wool.

A Ruffian house of trade, with a capital enabling them to ferve their VOL. XIX.

friends agreeably to their wishes, and let them partake of great advantages, independent of the house's tranfacting the affairs of the Ruffian government, has been lately opened at Conftantinople, under the immediate protection of the / emprefs, in order to take advantage of all the ceffions made to her imperial majefty by the laft treaty of peace between her and the Porte.

A fyftem of toleration lately adopted by the emprefs of Ruffia, has proved an amazing fource of population in her dominions. It is computed that twelve foreign colonies have fettled upon the Wolga, which altogether make 6091 families of different religions. A fimilar fyftem, we have seen, had been lately adopted by the empress queen, with proportionable good effects.

Arrived in the river, the Queen Eaft-Indiaman; which, though the had been out twenty months, had loft but one man. [For the methods of preferving the health of feamen, &c. in long voyages, please to turn to our fecond part.]

10th.

About eleven in the morning, as Jofeph Wright, a pilot, Jofeph Totry, and Melville, were failing in a boat oppofite Dawpool, in the port of Chefter, about a mile from shore, a violent form arofe, which overfet the boat. Wright got upon an oar, and ftripped himself, by which he reached the fhore, after swimming about an hour and three quarters. How, in fuch a fituation, he was able to difengage himself from his wet cloaths, is a matter of furprize, but an undoubted fact. He was fo weak when he reached the fhore, that he could give no [M]

account

account of the matter. The other two, although they were excellent fwimmers, being unable, through the violence of the current, to make land, were unfortunately drowned. Wright heard Melville fhriek for affiftance near an hour, which his father, who was a fpec. tator of his dreadful fituation, was unable to afford him. We insert We infert this as a proof of the great advantage which may be expected, in fuch terrible fituations, from the affiftance of light bodies.

The runner to a set of sharpers, who had for the purpose of defrauding honeft tradefmen of their property, under fpecious pretences, hired a great houfe in Grofvenorfquare, at the rent of 500l. a year, was convicted at the feffions at Weftminster, and fentenced to three years hard labour on the Thames. The rest of the gang were lucky enough to escape for the pre

fent. 12th.

A fudden fire broke out in the dead of the night, at the Goat alehoufe, in Shire-lane, and burnt fo furioufly, that the mistress of the house, who was just ready to lie in, attempted to fave herfelf by getting out of the onepair of ftairs window, but fell upon the ftones in the lane, and was miferably bruifed. A Mr. Tudor, who lodged in the houfe, being deaf, could not be waked till the ftair-cafe was on fire; when it is supposed, being involved in the fmoke, and not knowing which way to turn, he perifhed in the flames. The rest of the inhabitants were happy enough to efcape over the tops of the neighbouring houfes. A great many other houfes were damaged; and, confidering the clofenefs of that neighbourhood, it

14th.

is very furprising that the conflagration was fo foon got under. A few days fince, as two gentlemen, who live on the road between Dublin and Milltown, a village in the neighbourhood of that capital, were returning home, they were accofted by a genteel man, gravely dreffed, refembling a clergyman, who begged they would ftep with him into an adjacent public-houfe, as he had fomething of moment to communicate to them. This being complied with, he afked one of the gentlemen whether he was ever poffeffed of a gold watch; and being anfwered in the affirmative, he then enquired whether he could recollect the maker and number; the gentleman replied, that a space of upwards of twenty-two years had intervened fince he was robbed of his watch and fome cafh by five men, and could not poffibly know it again; but the other faying he remembered its conftruction, the ftranger produced the watch, which proved to be the fame the gentleman had been robbed of, and alfo 25 guineas, the fum taken from him. The owner of the watch then asked the restorer of it how he came by thefe articles, as they were confident he only acted in an official capacity: he defired to be excufed giving a direct anfwer; but added, that three of the men who robbed him were now in opulent circumftances, and the other two had died fince. Happy are they, faid he, who, having the misfortune in their younger days to defpoil their neighbour unjuftly of his property, make ample reftitution in their riper years: this thews their principles are not entirely vitiated, and that their repentance

pentance is fincere; but thrice happy they who have no need of this repentance.

This night, being the eve of a Sunday, on which a general communion was to be at the cathedral church of Zurich, in Switzerland, called Munster Kirk; and many thoufands were expected there to partake of it; the wine was prepared and brought to the church, to be ready against morning; but, in the mean time, an incarnate devil dared to lay hands on the fanctuary of the Lord, and poifoned all the wine. In the morning, when the facrament was adminiltered, there was a horrid confufion; feveral fainted away on the fpot, feveral vomited; feveral were taken with a violent cholic; and, in fhort, the whole city was thrown into the utmost confternation. Upon this, an experiment was tried, and the poifon difcovered. About eight had died of the poifon when this account came away; and had not the bad tafte of the wine given early notice of the intended mifchief, many more must have perished: ftill fome hundreds were dangerously ill. After a ftrict examination, it was difcovered, that one Wirtz, a gravedigger, was the perpetrator of this diabolical deed, with a view to promote his bufinefs, which had been flack for fome time. The villain was immediately apprehended; but what is become of him, we have not as yet, learned. 15th. The King's troops un

der General Howe, landed at Kepps-bay, in order to attack New-York; but, on their approach, found the city abandoned, and the Provincials fled; upon which they took poffeffion of the

city, after a flight fkirmish with the rear of the provincial army, with the lofs of fix or eight men killed and wounded..

A fire broke out at the corner of Rood-lane, in Fenchurch-street, which burnt three houfes in front, and damaged feveral others. Two men were killed, and one miferably bruifed, on the occafion.

16th.

This morning a highwayman was shot dead on Finchley-Common, in attempting to rob the Derby machine.

At the meeting of the three choirs at Worcester, the collection amounted to 5061.

The feffions ended at the 17th. Old - Bailey, when eleven convicts received fentence of death, viz. one for coining; four for houfe-breaking, one of them while the family of the houfe was in the country; two women for fhoplifting; one for horfe ftealing, of which he made a practice, in order to kill them, and boil their flesh, &c.; one for ftreet robbery; one for forgery; and one for returning from tranfportation; thirtyfour were ordered to hard labour for three years on the river Thames, among whom were nineteen capital convicts, who had received his Majefty's pardon on that condition; five were ordered to be fent to the houfe of correction; twelve to be imprifoned in Newgate for different terms; three to be branded in the hand; fourteen to be whipped; and forty-eight were difcharged by proclamation.

At this feffions a gentleman was tried for perjury, in polling twice for Mr. Wilkes at the late election for chamberlain; but it appearing that what he did was the effect of an habitual intoxication, or rather [M] 2

per

permanent ftupidity thereby produced, he was acquitted. At this feffions were likewife convicted two more of the fellows concerned in the murder of the custom-houfe officer (fee May 25th) and executed the 16th. At the place of execution, they owned being of the company, but denied having any hand in the murder; and behaved with great compofure of mind. Most of the other criminals were pardoned; fome of them, on condition of working on the Thames; and the reft were executed fome weeks after. Lord Howe, and Gene19th.. ral Howe, caufed a declaration to be circulated, promifing, in his Majefty's name, a revifion of all fuch inftructions as might be conftrued to lay an improper reftraint on the freedom of legiflation in the colonies; and alfo to concur in the revifal of fuch acts as they might think themfelves aggrieved by, &c. And foon after the iffuing of this declaration, the people flocked in great numbers to his head-quarters, and made their fubmiffion. 20th.

The greatest and finest part of the handfome town of Gefle, the capital of the province of Geftricia, in Sweden, was burnt to afhes.

quarter of the town was confumed; and the red must have fuffered the fame fate, had it not been for the exertions of MajorGeneral Robertfon, the officers under his command in the town, and the brigade of guards detached from the camp.

A few days ago Capt. Don Daval, a young and gallant fea-officer in the Spanifh fervice, in a frigate of 34 guns, in company with another Spanish frigate of 28 guns, fell in, near Tetuan, with four Moorish zebecs, when a bloody fcene was exhibited. The barba rians boarded the Spaniards nine times, and, although fuperior, almoft three to one in number, were every time repulfed with great lofs. At length, after an engagment of fix hours, the Moors were obliged to ftrike to the Spanish flag. The lofs of the barbarians, in killed and wounded, was upwards of 260; and that of the Spaniards, 38 feamen and 3 officers killed, and go men and officers wounded; amongit the latter was Capt. Daval.

Lord North, in taking 23d. an airing in Bushy-Park, had the misfortune to be flung from his horfe, and break one of his arms, which put a flop to fome very material parliamentary bufinefs till he recovered. In the mean time, his Majefty did his Lordship the honour to fend daily to enquire. after his health; and even frequently to go in perfon to fee him, but without ever fpeaking of bu finefs to him, left any application of mind should retard his cure.

The Aldermen Plumbe 28th. and Thomas were chofen fheriffs; and Alderman Halifax lord-mayor, for the year enfuing.

The Landgrave of Heffe-Caffel has returned the contribution which