One Mrs. Holden, an aged gentlewoman, who lived at the end of Swallow-ftreet, being alarmed with the cry of fire, fell down, and expired directly. And the next day, as a number of perfons were gazing at the ruins, a party wall fell down, by which a man was killed, and feveral others dangeroufly bruifed.

This accident was owing to Edward Winwood, a coachman, carrying a lighted candle into the ftable, and (agrecable to Dean Swift's Advice to Servants)fticking it against the rack; the itraw being fet in a blaze in his abfence by the candle's falling.

This man being a few days after convicted of thus negligently and carelessly caufing the faid fire, and refuting, tho' very able, to pay the penalty of 1001. for the faid offence, was committed to the houfe of correction at Weltminfter, to hard labour for 18 months.

A CAUTION to servants in general, relative to fires happening in London, by their negligence and carelessness.

By the 6th of Q. Anne, Cap. 31. Sec. 3d, it is enacted, "That if any menial or other fervants, through negligence, or carelefinefs fhall fire, or caufe to be fired, any dwelling-houte, or out-houfe, or houfes, fuch fervant or fervants fhall on conviction forfeit and pay the fum of one hundred pounds to the church-wardens of the parith where tuch fire fhall happen, to be diftributed amongst the fuiferers

in fuch proportions as to the faid church-wardens fhall feem juft; and in default of payment to be committed to fome workhoufe, or houfe of correction, to hard labour for the space of 18 months."

Rome, May 28th. The refident from the grand master of Malta has had an audience of the Pope, in which he produced fome difpatches concerning the warlike preparations making by the Turks, which leave no room to doubt but that their armament is defined against the island of Malta: upon which reprefentations the Pope has ordered all forts of ammunition and provifions. to be tranfported from the Ecclefiaftic state to that island. A negotiation for the loan of a fum of money is likewife fet on foot, upon the fecurity of the estates and revenues of the knights of that order.

The great cause between 25th. the Duke of Devonthire (who fued in the king's name) and the lead miners, concerning the duty upon the ore, was determined by a fpecial jury in the King's Bench, after a trial of 17 hours, in favour of the duke.

A grant has paffed the great feal, granting to the right Hon. Arthur Onflow, Efq. a penfion of 30001. per annum, payable out of his majelly's treafury at the exchequer, for his life, and the life of George Onflow, Efq, his fon, and the furvivor of them.

The vice chancellor of Cambridge gives notice, that the fubjects for Mr. Finch and Mr. Townshend's prizes for this year are.For the fenior batchelors; Utrum sit præstantius nova invenire, an inventis cultum addere et ornatum. For the middle batch ·lors; [H] 4

Utrum

Utrum boni plus an mali reportent ferequi peregrinantur adolescentuli. At Warwick aflizes, one was capitally convicted, but reprieved; at Eaft Grinstead two; at Rochefter two, one of them a French prifoner for murder; at Kingston three, two of them were reprieved; at Taunton two; at Stafford three, two of them were reprieved; Coventry proved a maiden afsize. Extract of a letter from capt. John Bell, of the Elizabeth of London, dated from Oporto.

"Since I have been here, a Dutchman fell into the river, and was taken up from the bottom about three quarters of an hour afterwards; he was carried on board the fhip he belonged to, and orders were actually given for fewing him up in a hammock, in order to bury him. The British vice-conful, Mr. Gabriel Harvey, who is a very humane gentleman, hearing of the affair, took a boat, went on board, laid the fellow by the fire fide, and kept rubbing him with common falt till life returned, and the man is now hearty and well. Mr. Harvey hath fince told me, he has known a dog kept under water two hours, and recovered by being covered with falt; and his lady told me that fhe had recovered a cat." See our fecond volume for 1759, p. 420. The court went into mourning for a fortnight, for the late duke of Burgundy.

28th.

The collection, at church and at the annual feaft of the Middlefex hofpital, amounted to near 4001.

Eleven dwelling houfes, with barns, ftables, &c. were confumed by fire, at Kineton, in Warwickfhire.

Chatham, April 24. In a meadow adjoining to this town,

which a month ago was covered with the moft beautiful verdure, and afforded the profpect of a crop of the fineft grafs, there are thousands of uncommon maggots or grubs; which have deftroyed the grafs ; and in fome places the root alfo is wholly eaten up and gone: the ground is left entirely bare as a foot-path. Thefe maggots are found under the furface of the earth, are about an inch long, and like those called bots, which fometimes deftroy bowling-greens, &c. They are. of the caterpillar kind; and it is imagined that in a few weeks they will be metamorphofed, and be furnished with wings and fly away. Some little trenches, dug to carry off the water, are almoft filled with thefe vermin. We don't hear of any fuch appearance in other parts. Thefe infects live in the worm ftate two cr three years, according to the mildness of the weather, and the rooks are faid to be great devourers of them in that ftate. The third or fourth year they become flies, when they may be eafily deftroyed, by means which in due time fhall be communicated to our readers.

At the anniversary fermon and feaft of the London hofpital 13541. 17s. was collected for that charity.

Marshal Broglio having lately fent notice to the hereditary prince of Brunfwick, of his having been created a prince of the empire, his ferene highness answered him by the following letter.

SIR,

head has decorated you with the moft valuable gift he could beflow. What would not my countrymen do, if they durft regard you as their defender? Your highnefs may be affured that I take a fincere part in whatever perfonally concerns you; and that nothing would give me greater pleafure, than, one day, after these troubles are paft, to affure you, by word of mouth, of the high regard and efteem with which I have the honour to be, fir, your high nefs's moft humble, and most obedient fervant.

Charles of Brunfwick." They write from Magdeburg of the 14th inft. that a fisherman fishing for falmon in the river Elbe, near that place, caught a fea-dog in his nets; it is furprizing how that fish come there, being at fuch a vaft diftance from, the fea, and how it could live in fresh water; but it is fuppofed the late great inundation brought it up.

On Eafter Tuesday, the elector palatine declared to his court, that the electrefs, after being married 19 years, and then 40 years of age, entered that day into the 6th month of her pregnancy.

A letter dated at Fort Prince George in South Carolina, January 9, fays, I have been several winters in the north of Scotland, and do not think I ever felt it colder than here at this time; the fnow is in general three quarters of a yard deep, attended with very fharp frofts.

Many people of fashion have lately vifited a tradefman's family at Brentford in Middlefex, to fee nine fine healthy children, all of whom were born in 25 months.

Died lately, Mrs. Jane Atkins, of York, aged 100,

One Klauk, a peasant of the vil

lage of Treppendorff, in the Upper Lufatia, aged 104; during his life he had no fickness till he was about 100 years; he could fee to the last without fpectacles; his wife was 102 years old when fhe died, with whom he lived 52 years, and hath a fon now living that has two children, who are grandfathers to two others.

In the diocefè of Lucon, in, France, one James Benerteau, aged 104 years, two months, and five days, who never had any illnefs but that which laid him in his grave, and never was subject to the infirmities incident to old age. His father lived to be 107. In the laft Eafter week, Mrs. Sarah Hooper, at Exeter, an old maiden, in her 105th year, whofe father was buried in the fame church with her 95 years ago. The fame week, one Cox, a gardener in that city, who is in his 99th year, and has all his fenfes perfect, went to the Guildhall, and voted for Mr. Tuckfield and Mr. Walter.

Ifaac Duberdo, of Clithero, in Lancashire, aged 108.

Patrick M Ewan, of Fordie, in Perthshire, aged 109. Mrs. Gillam, of Alderfgateftreet, aged 113.

black fcales. It produced 1250 quintals of oil.

3d.

About one o'clock this morning, a terrible fire broke out at a biscuit-baker's, on Wapping wall, between Pelican and King James's Stairs, Lower Shadwell, which confumed about 30 houfes. One fhip, which was repairing in the dock, took fire, but was foon extinguished; and eight other ships were, with great difficulty, preferved. Several perfons had their limbs fractured, and feveral it is feared perifhed in the flames. Eight barges and lighters were deftroyed, and three funk, and the damage is computed at above 50,0001.

A little after two o'clock

The

4th. the people on the Royal Exchange were much alarmed by the appearance of a cow (hard driven from Smithfield) at the fouth gate, and (though the beaft did not run in upon Change, great confufion enfued; fome lofing hats and wigs, and fome their shoes, while others lay upon the ground in heaps, with their limbs bruifed, &c. and during the alarm, a rumour of an earthquake prevailing, fome threw themselves on the ground expect ing to be swallowed up. cow, in the mean time, took down Sweeting's Alley, and was knocked down and fecured by a carman in Gracechurch-street. This accident probably gave occafion to the motion made the next day in the court of common council: "That many fatal accidents being frequently occafioned by the driving of horned cattle through this city and liberties, in a carelefs or inhuman manner, it be earnestly recommended to the right honourable the lord mayer and the reft of the worthy magiftrates, to exert their

authority to fupprefs this growing evil, fo contrary to the police of the metropolis, and the fecurity of its inhabitants." Which was refolved in the affirmative, and ordered accordingly.

5th.

At a court of commoncouncil held at Guildhall, it was unanimoufly refolved, "that the freedom of this city, in a gold box of the value of 1001. be prefented to the right hon. Arthur Onflow, Efq. fpeaker of the houfe of commons in five fucceffive parlia ments, as a grateful and lafting teftimony of the refpectful love and ve neration which the citizens of London entertain for his perfon, and diftinguifhed virtue; for the many eminent qualifications he difplayed, the unwearied and difinterested labours he bestowed, and the impartial and judicious conduct he maintained, in the execution of that arduous and important office, during the courfe of three and thirty years; and for that exemplary zeal, which, upon all proper occafions, he exerted with fo much dignity and fuccefs, in fupport of the rights, privileges, and conftitutional independencies of the Commons of Great Britain."

Was tried at Guildhall, be6th. fore lord Mansfield, chief juftice, the caufe fo long depending between Samuel Blackden, of Hallifax, in Nova-Scotia, plaintiff, and captain Gambier, of his maiety's thip Burford, defendant. The action was brought for damages the plaintill fufiained in Nova Scotia, by the defendant's taking him by violence from his freehold there, burning his houfe, and detaining the pinoff unjuftiy on board the Burford 125 days: when, after a Hearing of three hours, a fpecial

jury

jury of merchants gave the plaintiff 8001. damages and cofts of fuit. [This verdict must give great fatisfaction to all his majefty's fubjects in America, and increafe their efteem and affection for their mother country, whofe excellent laws will not fuffer any injury to the fubje& in the moft remote part of the British dominion,, to pafs with impunity; and convince all men in power, that they are accountable at home for every arbitrary act, even in the moft diftant parts of his majefty's dominions.]

James Grattan, Efq. recorder, and Charles Lucas, M. D. were chofen members for the city of Dublin, after a poll of 13 days.

A caufe is depending before the parliament of Paris, which deeply concerns the Jefuits. The point to be decided is, whether the whole order be bound to make good the obligations of any particular houfe, or whether each houfe is to be anfwerable for itfelf alone. The Jefuits, the defendants, demand that the houfes of the fociety may be confidered in the fame light as the regular abbies and other rented monafteries. What gave occafion to this trial was, that father de la Valette, procurator-general of the profeffed houfe at Paris for its poffeffions in French America, had purchafed eftates and effects in Martinico and elsewhere, for which he gave bills on the profefed houfe. The remittances he fent from the West Indies, either in filver or goods, being intercepted by the English, or loft at fea, the houfe at Paris refufed to honour his bills, because they had no effe ts in hand. This athair being brought before the judge-confuls, they gave a decree for the plaintiffs.

The defendants appealed to the parliament. One of the plaintiffs has produced letters from the general of the Jefuits, acknowledging the doubt to be juft, and alking him to have patience. If it be determined that thefe houfes are anfwerable for each other, their credit, and confequently their gains, will be immenfe. On the other hand, if their houfes are adjudged not to be anfwerable for each other, the credit and trade of each fingly will be greatly di

minifhed.

Mr. Gleditfch fome time fince read to the royal academy of fciences at Berlin,, a memoir, the fubftance of which may not be difagreeable, as explaining a phænomenon which may have been often obferved: it is, that a dead mole being left on the ground, after a few days is no longer to be seen, and this fooner or later, according to the season, and the nature of the foil.

Mr. Gleditsch, in the month of May, left in his garden a mole, on a moift, foft, and black earth; two days after he found it a hand's breadth deep in the ground, and the day following this cavity was half filled up; examining further, under the corpfe he found four beetles, which he immediately conjectured to be the grave-diggers; this was further confirmed about a week after, when, within the mole, he faw three or fourfcore whitifh maggots, unquestionably the iffue of the beetles, who had there provided them with plenty of sustenance in their infantine ftate. Further, by repeated experiments, this indefatigable naturalift has been frequently entertained with a large fight of beetles from the fame parental