as in London and Westminster, with foot-paths on both fides for the paffengers; and that four large and beautiful caufeways are likewife ordered to be made from Barcelona, Cadiz, Valence, and Gallicia, leading to Madrid. And a duty of a Dutch florin per quintal is laid on falt, in order to fupport the expenfe of making the faid roads.

Hamburgh, June 26. They write from Hanover that they have received advice there from London, that his Britannick majefty is determined to pay off all his grandfather's debts in that electorate, which, together with the arrears, may amount to 500,000 rixdollars, and one third of which is going to be paid directly.

9th.

Early this morning, a fire broke out at the houfe of Mrs. Kennedy, in Manchefter-buildings, near Cannon-row, Weftminster, which confumed that house, and the houfe of mifs Dawfon the dancer, and a houfe in the fifh-market, and damaged feveral others.

Extract of a letter from Mull, one of the Western Lands in Scotland, dated June 29. "On the 26th inftant our neighbour Colin Muir Campbell, his fon, myself, and a few other friends, making a party of pleafure, went in our boat to the illand of Coll, in order to go a fowling among the rocks, when Mr. Campbell's fon, who had mounted almoft on the top of a rope-ladder, in order to exine fome holes wherein feveral large fowls, as big as geeld had neftled, as he was reacting out his hand in order to lay hold of one, the bird difcharged near a pint of oil in his face, which blinded him f, that lofing his hold, ho foll down, and was killed on the foot. Another

of our friends too, who was beginning to mount the ladder juft before this melancholy accident happened, was thrown down, and broke his arm by the fhoulder-bone, befides which he was otherwife much braifed. Thefe birds are near as big as a fwan; they are fo rank that nobody eats them, but are fought after for their oil, according to their bignefs, they containing from a pint to a qua t of this liquor in them: and if the person that goes to take them happens not to feize them properly, they difcharge it upon him out of their throat, and by that means often fave themfelves from being taken."

Paris, June 2. The general hofpital, to which the foundling hofpital was united by Louis XIV. in 1670 having taken into confidera-, tion the great expences of the hofpital, found that the number of foundlings which were taken care of by the ftate 100 years ago, did not exceed 5 or 600; and that at prefent they amount to 9000, of which at leaft 6000 are with wet or dry nurses; that most of the girls remain at the Saltpetriere, [the place, we fuppofe, afligned for their refidence) till they reach 25, and then difpofe of themfelves as they pleafe; that the boys when they come to man's eftate, are without a trade and profeflion, and difpende themfelves as varabonds over all the provinces of the kingdona.

and the houfe de la Couche. That the others fhould be placed at that age with burghers, labourers, fhopkeepers, or tradefmen, who fhould apply for them, till they attained the age of 25. That the hofpital fhould give with the boys, till they were 12 years old, 40 livres by the year; 30 livres from the age of 12 to 14; and with the girls 40 livres, till they compleated their 16th ycar. And on their firft receiving the facrament, 30 livres to cloath them that their masters and miftreffes fhould give an account of them to the board, every fix months, and of their progrefs in religion and other neceffary knowledge, and suffer them to contract no matrimonial or other engagements, without the confent of the board.

:

Thefe refolutions being prefented to the king, and his majesty finding that they tended to promote population and the culture of the ground, was pleafed to order, that male foundlings, of the age of 16, and properly qualified to bear arms, fhall be admitted to draw lots to ferve in the militia, in the room of the fons, brothers, nephews, of the perfons who bring them up, who fhall be exempted from ferving: and that this exemption fhall extend to all others who shall bring up the children put out by other hofpitals, communities, &c. throughout the kingdom.

Extract of a letter from the fame place to an English gentleman. "You expatiate very eloquently on the endowments of your young Ling; we are not totally ignorant of them here; for my part, I can feparate the qualities from the perfon, and efteem virtue in a heretic; but give me leave to relate to you a finglar inftance of the favour which

men of genius enjoy under the aufpices of Louis le bien amie. Some perfons, as creditors of M. Crebillon, the celebrated writer, took on them to get an attachment laid both on what copies were in the hands of the bookfellers and of the player, of his tragedy of Cataline. On this, the tragedian preferred a petition to the king's council, fetting forth, that to clafs the productions of the mind among feizable effects was a thing unheard of; that fhould fuch an abufe take place, they who had devoted themselves to ftudy, in order to make themselves ufeful members of fociety, would not publifh works, often very valuable and of importance to the ftate. A torturing cafe! that moft of the votaries of literature ftand in abfolute need of the produce of their compofitions; and that in France, the fecs of councellors, the perquifites and emoluments of perfons of liberal profeffion, were never allowed to be seized. On this an act of council was iffued against his prefumptuous arreft, which was publifhed with this title; "Act of the king's council of ftate in behalf of the fieur de Crebillon, author of the tragedy of Cataline, declaring that the productions of the mind are not seizable.”

Cologn, June 26. A letter from Lifbon, dated the 15th paft, fays, "All our regiments are learning a new exercife; and orders are given to raise recruits in all parts of the kingdom, in order to put ourselves on a refpectable condition, tho' the funds for that purpose are very deficient. The pay of the army is 14 months in arrear; and tho' all the coffers have been fwept, there is not enough to make them a payment; and there are ftill owing to

the

the perfons who furnished corn last year to the troops in the province of Alanteja, the fum of 400,000 crufades fabout 2s 6d. each.] The advantages derived from the erection of companies do not anfwer expectation. The Maranham company is ftill in arrear. The Oporto company, tho' they do not know yot what their gain is, regularly pay every year to the count d' Oyeras the free gift of 70,000 crufades. The king hath juft granted to that minifter, and his heirs for ever, a penfion payable out of the Auftoms at Paco d' Arcas." Extract of a letter from an officer in colonel Frazer's regiment, dated St. Valier, near Quebec, Feb. 19. "You may easily conjecture, that the feveral parts of this country which have been traverfing for thefe two years, are, with the calamities of war, greatly ruined, and its poor inhabitants reduced to the greatest extremities and want; a great number of whom would cer tainly have perifhed this winter, had not a moft humane act of Britih generofity been shown them, by collecting among ourselves money for buying the neceffaries of life for thefe needy wretches. Every private man, ferjeant, corporal, and drum in our regiment, has, of their - own accord, contributed one week's pay for, the relief and fupport of thefe diftreffed Canadians: each fubaltern officer has given 11. each captain 31. and the major 51. ferl. fo that we are now returning good for evil, and entirely forgetting their fealping fo many of our counArymen last year.

The b ans bring us in great quantities of bever, partridges, &c. and begin to be very fond of EngEh money.They of this neigh14h

bourhood in every refpect live like the Canadians, have their houfes built and furnished after the fame manner, plough their ground, fow their corn, &c. and are more induftrious in the chace than they; they all speak French, and have a handfome church in their village of Loretto, where I have fometimes been to fee their ceremonies and entertainments, which are curious enough."

Other accounts from Quebec by the fame conveyance fay, that the troops there enjoyed good health, and that it being winter no fhips had arrived there for four months, tho' they had conftant expreffes across the lakes.

A great ftorm of thunder, 11th. and lightning fell at Bougham, in Norfolk, about 11 o'clock, which ftruck upon an oak belonging to Roger North, Efq. in a piece of ground called Brown's wood, in that parish.

The oak measured about 30 feet neat timber in the body, the bark of which was clean taken off by the fury of the lightning in about 40 pieces: fome of which were near a yard in length and 6 inches over in breadth, fome lefs; many of thefe pieces of bark were drove thirty yards from the tree, and fome lay under it.

The body itfelf was split in pieces longitudinally, fo that in fome places one could eafly get two fingers into the fiffure or crack, in another a whole hand; in fome parts one piece was drove almost out, feemingly as big as a man could well lift, others but just cracked; in fhort, the operation was unaccountable, but feemed like the explosion of gunpowder, only here was no vifible marks of difcolourment, or

[K] 4

any

any fulphureous fmell. The place where the igneous matter went into the ground from the tree, making a hole like the fcraping of fome dog was very visible; but there was no smell, nor had the lightning any great effect among the roots; it is fuppofed the force was almoft fpent. The lightning had no immediate effect upon any of the arms or fmall twigs, nor was the head of the tree hurt faving from fecond caufes; for the bark being totally ftripped off, the leaves and arms muft die of course. The manner how this inflammable material (come it in whatsoever fhape Providence pleafes) operates, I imagine will be fome time a fecret amongst our philofophical virtuofi.

This ftorm continued with little interruption till late the day following, in the evening of which it greatly shattered, during divine fervice, Sifland church near Loddon in the fame county. The north fide of the church fled from the other parts about four inches. The clap which did this damage was attended with a very great concuffion of the air. Many other places fuffered greatly by the fame ftorm.

At three o'clock, the right hon. the lord-mayor, fix aldermen, and twelve commoners, attended by a committee of the grocers company, waited on his royal highnes the duke of York, to prefent him with the freedom of that company and the city in gold boxes of one hundred guineas value each. They were received in a polite obliging manner, and all had the honour to kits his royal highness's hand. It is neceffary that every perfon fhould be free of fome company of the city previous to his being admitted to the freedom, for which reafon the gro

The

cers were introduced to his royal highnefs before the common council. The freedom of the city of London was finely wrote on vellum by Mr. Champion, enriched with feveral emblematical figures on the margin thereof, with the arms of the city of London emblazoned on the top, thofe of the lord-mayor on the right fide, and thofe of the chamberlain on the left, and the city feal affixed to the bottom. gold box in which it was inclosed was of very fine workmanship, and the lid of it richly chafed; the following is a defcription of the device thereof: "His royal highness emblematically reprefented in the character of a Roman admiral, fitting on a pile of naval ftores, with a rifing fun behind the city prefenting him a freedom; two figures reprefenting religion and liberty in union, and Mercury as deity of commerce by their fide; a view of the fea, and Neptune triumphant, with the Britifh crofs on his trident, and the temple of Fame on a rock at a diftance; and the whole encompaffed with a fifhing net interwoven about the mouldings." The freedom of the grocers company was alfo finely wrote on vellum by Mr. Champion; and Mr. John Alexander their clerk prefented their compliments in the following man

ner:

"May it please your royal high

nefs,

"In teftimony of the dutiful affection of the worthipful company of grocers of the city of London for their illuftrious fovereign, and out of the grateful refpect they bear your royal highnefs, on account of your many eminent virtues and great love for this your native country, they moft humbly request that

your

your royal highnefs will be pleafed to honour this company by the acceptance of the freedom thereof."

Then John Lane, Efq; mafter of the company, prefented the copy of the freedom, and his royal highnefs addreffed himfelf to the committee, in the following manner: "Gentlemen,

"I receive with pleafure the freedom of the grocers company, as an inftance of their duty to the king, and as a diftinguifhing mark of their attention to me; and I fhall always be happy in any opportunity of fhewing them my regard."

The grocers company being withdrawn, the lord-mayor, and committee of common council were introduced, and after the recorder had paid their compliments, the city comptroller (in the abfence of the chamberlain) prefented the freedom to his royal highnefs, who, upon receiving it, fpoke as follows:

"My lord and gentlemen, "It is with pleafure I receive this compliment from the lord mayor, aldermen, and common council of London, as a fresh instance of their duty to the king, and as a diftinguishing mark of their attention to me. Ifhall think myfelf happy in any opportunity of fhewing my regard to the city of London, and in promoting its trade and profperity; and I fhall always exert my best endeavours in that profeffion to which I belong, and which is fo effentially connected with the reputation and independence of this commercial country."

The fociety for the encouragement of the arts, &c. adjudged a premium of 691. to the rev. Mr. Gaintborough of Henley in Oxfordfhire, for the beft model of a tide

mill; and the gratuity of 20 guineas for the beft drawing and likeness of his majefty to Mr. J. Meyers.

The committee having felected four of the many fine drawings offered on this occafion, they were this day laid before his majesty by the duke of Devonshire, in order that one of them might be ultimately fixed on.

The right reverend Dr. 17th. Themas Sherlock, lord bifhop of London, &c. departed this life, aged 82, a prelate of most diftinguished abilities, and the greatest goodness of heart and life.

18th.

Ata quarter paft eleven at night, a comet was seen off the quarter of his majesty's fhip Princefs Royal at the Nore, during near half a minute, very bright and light, but the clouds, being thick, obfcured it prefently. It had a very long tail, and appeared to the E. S. E.

About fix in the afternoon, the inhabitants of Whitby in Yorkfhire were greatly furprized at an extraordinary flux and reflux of the fea. It was then quite calm, and though a little more than half flood, the tide rofe and fell four times fucceffively in about a quarter of an hour. In the harbour, at the bridge, which is half a mile from the head of the pier, the firft time it ebbed more than a foot perpendicularly; the second time, about eight inches; the third time, about fix inches: and the fourth time, about four inches. Nearer the fea it was yet more confiderable; and we are credibly informed, that the water adjoining to the pier fell more than two feet the first time it ebbed. This extraordinary phanomenon was not only obferved in the harbour, but also upon the

open