We pay no regard to the accounts of the kind and number of diseases given in the yearly Bills of Mortality, for the reafons affigned in our last volume. We cannot conclude this article without heartily wifhing, that the great number of the drowned, among the above cafualties, may awaken the zeal of our readers to promote the views of the Beneficent Society inftituted for the recovery of perfons apparently dead by drowning, &c. See p. 196. BIRTHS for the year 1776. Jan. 1. The Lady of Governor Verelt, of a daughter, in St. James's-Square. 15. Her Royal Highnefs the Duchefs of Gloucester, of a Prince, at Rome, See the Chronicle. Lady Shelly, of a daughter, at Putney. 16. The Lady of Sir John Smith, Bart. of a daughter, in Pall-Mall. 31. The Lady of Sir Jofeph Achmoody, Efq; Judge of his Majesty's high court of Admiralty, in North America, of twins, in the Hay-market. 13. The Lady of Sir Edward Mar. 2. The reigning Duchefs of Deux-Ponts, of a Prince. 9. The Grand Duchefs of 10. The Princefs confort of Duke Charles, of Mecklenburgh Strelitz, of a Princefs, at Hanover. The Lady of the Right Hon. Thomas Townfhend, jun. of a fon, in Cleveland-Court, Saint James's. 11. Lady Boston, of a daughter, in Grosvenor-Square. 12. Lady Mahon, of a daughter, in Harley-Street, Cavendish-Square. 29. The Lady of Noel Hill, Efq; member for Salop, of a daughter, in Cleveland-Court, St. James's. 31. The Lady of the Hon. Thomas Moftyn, Efq; of a fon, at Ufton-Court, near Reading, Berks. Lately, Lady Bagot, of a fon, in Upper BrookStreet. Lady Stormont, of a fon and and heir, at Lord Stormont's hotel, in Paris. Apr. 6. Lady Lincoln, of a daughter, in ArlingtonStreet. 25. Her Majefty, of a Princess. See the Chronicle. 30. Lately, The Lady of the Hon. Richard Walpole, of a daughter, in Great George-Street. May 7. The Lady of the Hon, and Rev. Dr. Digby, of a fon, at the Deanry, Weftminiter. The Lady of the Right Hon. Philip Yorke, of a fon, in Great GeorgeStreet, Hanover-Square. Lady Tankerville, of a fon. 15. The Lady of Sir John Thorold, Bart. of a fon, in Cavendish-Square. 26. The Countefs of Galloway, of a daughter, in SouthAudley-Street. June 8. Lady Algernon Percy, of a daughter. 11. The Hon. Mrs. de Grey, 29. The Lady of Commodore Fielding, of a daughter. Aug. 1. The Lady of Sir Richard Sutton, Bart. of a fon. 4. Her Royal Highness the Countess of Artois, of a daughter. 5. The Lady of the Hon. Mr. 14. The Princess, confort of One of the Grand Signior's 26. The Hon. Mrs. Johnson, of a fon. 31. The Countess of Effex, of a fon. Sept. 4. The Lady of Monf. Alexander, a near relation to the Prince of Condé, of a daughter, in DavidStreet, Berkley-Square. 6. The Marchionefs of Carmarthen, of a daughter, in Grofvenor-Square. 12. The Lady of Col. Ogle, of a daughter, in QueenAnne-Street, Cavendish Square. 24. The Lady of Sir Thomas Mills, of a daughter, at his house on the Adelphi Terrace. 30. Lately, The Lady of Col. Pigot, of a daughter. Lady Lady Drogheda, of a daughter. The Countess of Cowper, of a fon, at Florence. The Countess of Roseberry, of a daughter.. The Hon. Mrs. Beauclerk, of a daughter. Oct. 3. Lady Brownlow, of a daughter, in Bond-ftreet. 8. The Countefs Dowager of Dumfries and Stair, of a fon, at Rookville, in Scotland. 18. The Countess of Derby, of a daughter, in Grofvenor-Square. 31. Lately, The Lady of the The Lady of the Bishop of 30. Lately, the Lady of the Hon. Charles Vane, of a daughter. Dec. 15. Lady Grimstone, of a daughter, in GrosvenorSquare. 22. Her Royal Highnefs the Princefs of Brazil, of a Princefs. 26. The Duchefs of Gordon, of a fon, at Fochabers, in Scotland. MARRIAGES, 1776. Jan. 2. The Right Hon. Sir John Blaquieere, Knt. of the Bath, at Dublin, to Mifs Elinor Dobson, heiress of Robert Dobfon, of Ann Grove, in Yorkfhire, Efq; 16. Lady Afhbrook, of a fon, at Feb. Shillingford, in Berk fhire. 25. Lady Millington, of a fon, in Somerset-Street, Grofvenor-Square. 29. Her Royal Highness the Princefs Ferdinand of Pruffia, of a Prince, at Fredericksfeldt. 4. Sir Martin Folkes, Bart. of Hillington-hall, to Mifs Turner, youngest daughter to Sir John Turner, Bart. Sir John Abdy, Bart. of 6. Mr. Mackenzie, of the Ex- 13. The at the time the bankrupt was alledged to be in infolvent circumftances. The decifion of the caufe, on the part of the plaintiffs, depended upon a fingle proof of the bankrupt's diftreffed fituation when the writ was executed. Among feveral witnesses, who were examined, one was a creditor, who cal ling, as he faid, upon the bankrupt for a demand, was informed by him of his tottering state of credit, and appointed to call at a future hour, when he would certainly be at home, and pay the debt. The creditor accordingly attended, and was told that the bankrupt was not at home. This anfwer not fatisfying him, he made use of a stratagem, which fhews he thought that he had been impofed upon. To appearance he went away, but, in fact, fecreted himself without the door, but fo as to have a full com'mand of the fhop: in this fituation he had not remained a minute, before he heard a fervant call up ftairs, he is gone;" when the mater immediately came down ftairs. But Lord Mansfield did not hold this to be effective evidence of an act of bankruptcy; and, as to the confeffion of the bankrupt, it was, he remarked, totally out of confideration, and could not be received; for a man could not legally be permitted to prove himself, a bankrupt; fo the plaintiffs were nonfuited. The cleaning of the bafon of Cherbourg, deftroyed by the Englih during the laft war, being at laft effected, a fhip entered it this day. An action upon a breach 18th. of promife of marriage, in which Mifs Ellis was plaintiff, and Mr. Cock, an attorney, defendant, was tried before Lord Mansfield, and a fpecial jury, in the court of King's-Bench, London. The declaration ftated, that the defendant, before the death of his father, late a very confiderable auctioneer, being then an indented clerk to Mr. Ellis, the plaintiff's father, paid his addreffes to her, obtained her affections, and the confent of her friends, and promifed to marry her upon the death of his father, which contract he ever fince that event refused to comply with. On the part of the defendant it was urged, that his father, being a man of confiderable property, indented him to her father, in order to make him competent to the protection of his own fortune, which chiefly confifted of houfes in London and Middlesex; that he was then but a boy under fixteen years of age; that he being difcovered to have too great an affection for the plaintiff's younger fifter, it was infifted by his father that the young lady fhould be sent into the country, which was accordingly complied with; that fhe was no fooner removed, than the defendant made his profeffions to the prefent plaintiff, which, it was urged, her father, and, after his death, her brother, connived at, and encouraged; that being at age, he requested a private meeting, in order to confider of their fituations; at which time, without his knowledge, and contrary to his expectations, the plaintiff's brother, Counfellor Eilis, appeared, and that he was, by the artifice of the parties, tricked into the promise upon which the action was grounded. Lord Mansfield, in his charge, opened the whole of the laws refpecting fuch contracts, civil and ecclefiafti cal; was cal; obferved that the young man's non-compliance feemed to be the confequence of his father's dying injunction; and that any promife antecedent to his full age, contrary to the law of the land, The jury, after confulting near two hours, returned with a verdict for the plaintiff, and 1000l. damages. About a quarter paft ele17th. ven o'clock, Sir John Fielding,with the high-bailiff, &c. affembled on the huftings in CoventGarden. When they had fat there till twelve, filence was proclaimed, and the high-bailiff declared a feat in parliament for Westminster to be vacant, by Earl Percy's becoming a peer in his own right, in confequence of the death of his mother, the late Duchefs of Northumberland; on which Lord Petersham, now in America, was nominated a a candidate, and, no other candidate appearing, declared duly elected. About ten minutes after the election was over, Sir Watkin Lewes appeared on the huftings, and was received with great applaufe. He declared himself a candidate, and demanded a poll, which being refufed on account of his not appearing at the declaration, a warm difpute arofe in refpect to the time allowed by act of parliament, before they proceeded to elect. Sir Watkin afterwards invited fuch of the electors as were defirous of bringing this bufinefs before the House of Commons, to the Swan in New-street, for the purpose of drawing up and figning a proteft against the proceedings of the day. Came on before Lord Mansfield, and fpecial juries, in the court of King's-Bench, Guildhall, the trials of Meffieurs Miller, Wilkie, Randall, and Baldwin, printers of fome morning and evening papers, for publishing, in the middle of the year 1775, an advertisement from the Conftitutional Society, figned by Mr. Horne, refpecting the payment of 1001. fubfcribed by that Society to Dr. Franklin. The Attorney-General, in opening the charge against each of them, expreffed his abhorrence of the libel, and his judgment of the probable confequences; faid, that it contained great encouragement to the moft audacious and unnatural rebellion that ever difgraced the annals of hiftory, and charged thofe heroic leaders, who, at the peril of their lives, were afferting the liberty of the conftitution, and the law eftablished by king and parliament, with the worst of all. offences-murder! He faid, he hoped the jury would therefore in juftice permit the laws to operate against the oftenfible perfons with whom fo foul and ungateful an offence originated. On the part of the defendants, their counsel quoted feveral elevated periods, when the liberty of the prefs was unreftrained; faid that all our prefent immunities were derived from thofe fources; and ended with a quotation from ancient hiftory, to fhew, that, as long as the Romans were allowed to fpeak and write without reftraint, their liberties remained, and no longer. They extenuated the accufation in favour of the defendants, who, they faid, were not accountable for what came to them in the way of common advertisements. To this the Attorney-General replied; and Lord Mansfield explained the law re fpecting |