fee to take a pin from the ground; and, what rendered it the more alarming, it happened when I was but two fields diftance from my houfe, and appeared as if rifing from the top of it, in two large pillars of about feven feet high; from whence I conjectured the roof was on fire, and ordered my fervant to drive on as fast as poifible; in the interim, fo light was every thing round the houfe, that I could plainly fee into the rooms, thro' every window in view,, and when I came near, I jumped out of the coach, expecting to find the whole building in flames; but, in an inftant, to my fecond great furprize, the light vanished, without leaving a feark behind, or doing the leaft damage, I fince hear this furprizing phenomenon, or meteor, or whatever the naturalists please to call it, was feen at fix miles distance, and lafted for only half a minute; but its continuation over the houfe, I judge to be near five minutes; and when it difappeared, it feemed to move forward, and fink down below the roof. The following very melancholy accident lately happened at Elgin in Scotland: One Harvie, a journey man dyer, having bought of William Frafer, merchant, fomne gunpowder, Harvie, to try the powder, loaded a piftol in the thop, with an intention to fire it: At the very inftant he was about to fire, one James Finlay came into the shop, and called out to him to ftop, as he knew a barrel of gunpowder was just by them; but is alarm unhappily came too late; the piftol fathed in the pan, and a fpark flew into the cafk, which contained about forty pounds weight, and which inftantly blew up, and brought down the whole tenement. Finlay and Harvie were miraculou Ty proferved, but Frafer the owner of the fhop, was killed by the explosion, which burft out at the door and windows, and carried the lintel tones of both to the oppofite fide of the ftreet. The most fhocking part of this fatal affair was, that Laurence Calder, merchant, James Bowie, maltman, James Grant, taylor, John Adam, and James Rofs, being in the fhade at the door of the fhop, were carried off with fuch impetusfity, that Bowle and Grant were dafhed to pieces, and killed against the walls of the houfes on the oppofite fide of the street. They were found oulte dead, and al.noft na-ked, their cloaths being almost en-" tirely burnt off them. Calder was found alive, in the moft difmal condition, his head terribly bruifed, one of his legs eut quite open, and the foot hanging by a ligament only; he expired in a few hours. Rofs is yet alive, but his recovery uncertain. It can hardly be accounted for, how Finlay and Harvie were preferved within the fhop; but certain it is, they too likewife muft have perished, had not the town's people, at the hazard of their lives; from the broken and tottering walls, dug them from beneath the rubbish, and in that manner favéd their lives. There is no other damage done to the adjoining or oppofite houfes, but fome of the windows and cafements broken. A grant has paffed the great feal to John Wood, of Wedneibury in Staffordthire, for his new: invented method of making mal-. leable iron from pig or fow metal. Auto Jonathan Greenal of Parr, in the county of Lancaster, for his new-invented fire engine for drain ing ing mines, coal-pits, and lands from water. Private letters from Prague mention an adventurer, who keeps himself concealed in that city, who, after living by his wits for many years, endeavours to impofe himfelf upon fome zealous and credulous Jews for their Meffiah. There has been a ftrict, tho' fecret, fearch after him, and there is no doubt that if he falls into the hands of justice, he will be treated as he deferves. The prize offered by the Imperial academy of sciences at Peterfburg for the beft differtation on the queftion they had propofed on the sexes of plants, has been unanimoufly adjudged to the celebrated M. Linnæus, who confirms the difference of fex in plants, by folid reafoning. The following tragi-comical occurrence is faid to have happened to a Spanish gentleman lately arrived in London. Being greatly enamoured with the London demoifelles, he visited a house in Hedgelane, near the Haymarket, but had the caution before he retired with his lady, to confider the fubftance of his pocket, where was 31 thirtyfix fhillings pieces, which, according to the cuftom in fome foreign countries, where of two evils they chufe the leaft, and as it were, tolerate fuch houfes under certain Legulations, he very wifely gave to the old lady of the house to take care of; but before he returned, her lady (hip was moved to another part of the town, and he not having a farthing left, was moft feverely treated by his lady, who tore his cloachs almost off his back; and what heightened - the confufion of the whole was,, he could not fpeak a word of Eng lish. The following uncommon accident is faid to have happened at a place near Appledore, in Devonfhire, to the furprize of the inhabitants: a fhoemaker's wife being in labour, there were in the room with her a midwife, nurse, and two afiftants: a little after the good woman was delivered, fhe fell down as in a fit. One of the affiftants, who was fupporting her, immediately followed; next the midwife fell, and then the nurse after dropping the unclad infant on the floor. The only perfon remaining ran haftily down ftairs to call a doctor, and he broke her thigh. The myftery is explained thus; there being no chimney in the room, a pan of charcoal was introduced, and from the fuffocating fumes of the charcoal, thefe diforders are fuppofed to have rifen; but, however, the amazing fits foon wore off, and no hurt is like to accrue, unlefs to the poor woman whose thigh was broken. A late juftice of the peace for the county of Norfolk, who lived to upwards of ninety, has ordered it in his will, to be buried in his wedding fhirt, with his cloaths and wig; his filver buckles in his fhoes, a cane in his hand, and black ribbands round his writt. Naples, January 20. The 8th inftant at night, Mount Veluvius began to throw up in the air, with uncommon violence,. trees, ftones, and bituminous matter. In the morning, of the 9th, this eruption ceafed. On the 12th a very terrible noife proceeded from the mountain, and foon after it was. difcovered that the whole top was rallen fallen in. At prefent it fends out neither lava, fire, nor finoke: and inftead of a vulcano, one would take it for a cultivated hill. The owners of the lands on it are labouring there with the fame unconcern, as if there had never been an eruption; yet the damage caufed by the laft, amounts to a million of ducats. The proprietors of the lands on it propofe to raife a fund to indemnify fuch as fall hereafter fuffer by eruptions. They reckon that the cultivated lands amount to 200,000 square toifes; and they compute that twenty fous yearly for cach toile will be fufficient. This matter is at prefent before the ministry. Bolton, Jan. 19, We have had an extreme cold feafon, whereby our harbour has been for two or three days almoft filled with ice. We have, within that time, had feveral alarms by fire, which were foon extinguished; but Tuefday evening laft, a violent fire broke out in one of the fhops oppofite the north fide of Faneuil Hall Market, on Dock-fquare, which entirely confumed all the row of wooden buildings from the fhore-houfe, occupied by the hon. Tho. Hubbard, Efq. to the Swing-bridge. Thefe buildings belonged to the town, and were leafed to a number of tradefmen, fome of whom had their whole ftock therein, moft of which was either confumed or loft. There were feveral fchooners in the dock, but they received little damage; nor did the fire proceed to the north fide of the dock: on the contrary, it communicated itfelf to that lately edifice Fanquil Hall Market, the whole of which was foon entirely confamel, excepting the brick walls, which are left landing. The fire then proceeded to a number of ́ fhops occupied by fome tradefmen, on the fouth-fide of the market, and confumed them alfo. The wind rifing about this time, carried the flashes of fire over the houses towards King-firect, and the warehoufes and ftores on the Towndock, and Long-warf, wherein were the greateft quantities of the richeft merchandize in the town. Although the flames and flakes of fire fell on many houfes and ftores, yet no dwelling-houfe was confumed: though one or two near the market were confiderably damaged. Never were flates on houfes difcovered to be of so much advantage as at this time; for when great flakes of fire fell thereon, they immediately ran off without doing any damage. The lofs of Faneuil market must be great to this town: it was built near twenty years ago, at the fole expence of the late generous Peter Faneuil, Efq. This capacious hall, which bore the founder's name, could contain 1000 of the inhabitants at a meeting. There were convenient apartments for the officers of the town to tranfact their respective bufineffes therein; befides two offices, at the caft end of the lower floor, one of which was occupied as a naval office, the other as a notary public's, the other part was very commodious for a market. The records, papers, &c. with fuch other things as could be removed, were moftly faved. There were near twenty tradefmen deprived of fhops by this fire, which muft make it extremely dif ficult in this winter feafon, especially when it is confidered that many of thefe, who loft their fhops, in March lat, are not yet fupplied. with proper places to carry on their refpective bufineffes. The two gold medals given 23d. annually by his grace the duke of Newcastle, chancellor of the university of Cambridge, for the best claflical learning, were adjudged to Mr. Poft of Queen's college, and Mr. Maddifon, of St. Peter's College, batchelor of arts. A gentleman, who had undertaken to ride one horfe 100 miles in 13 hours for 200 guineas, ftarted from Whitechapel church, and rode twice to Market End, and back again (which is 100 miles) in 12 hours. There lately appeared a moft fhocking inftance of the bad ufe often made of private mad-houses; in a caufe brought before a fupreme court of justice, where it was most clearly proved, that an unnatural father, in order to gratify his cruel difpofition, and to cut off his only daughter from her birth-right, caufed her to be conveyed to one of thefe infernal manfions, and to be kept under the strictest confinement (though in her perfect fenfes) and where fhe would have, no doubt, foon ended her days, had not her friends, by a moft providential accident,, difcovered the place of her confinement, and firred in her be. half. They write from Amfterdam, that the Duch governor of Surinam, finding himself unable to reduce the rebellious negroes of that colony by force, hath wifely followed the example of governor Trelawney, at Jamaica, and concluded an amicable treaty with them; in confequence of which all the negroes of the woods are acknowledged to be free, and all that is paft is buried in oblivion. Six teen negro captains fwore to the obfervance of this treaty in the Chriftian manner: but the negroes infifted, in their turn, that the other fhould fwear in their manner; accordingly each of them had a fmall incifion made in his arm, and blood being received in a kind of cup, in which was a little water and earth, the Dutch chriftians, as well as the heathens, drank of the ftrange mixture: after which a negro prieft pronounced a folemn imprecation against the breakers of the treaty... A highwayman having 25th. committed several robberies on the Highgate road, the north ftages, to protect their paffengers, have employed a guard to attend them till day-light, when they generally think themselves fafe; but this day two thief-takers, in hopes of entrapping the highwayman, and apprehending him for the fake of the reward, fet out early in the morning in a poít-chaife, like travellers, upon the fame road, with a view of being attacked by the Highwayman at the ufual place. When they had got to the bottom of Highgate-hill, they paffed one of the frages already mentioned, and obferving the guard riding towards the coach with fire-arms, concluded him to be the highwayman of whom they were in purfuit, and firing a blunderbus at him fhattered his arm in a terrible manner, and killed a fervant who rode upon the top of the ftage. Information of this affair being given to a proper magiftrate, warrants were fuel out. for apprehending the thief-takers, one of whom is already committed to Newgate, and the other is faid to have abfconded, The 26th. The mill at the Red-houfe Deptford, with a quantity of flour, &c. was confumed by fire, damage-20001. it was occafioned by the violence of the wind, which drove the mill with fuch velocity that it could not be flopped. They write from Milan of 27th. the 27th ult. that the farmers general at Mantua endeavouring to raife feveral duties, efpecially on felh, the citizens got to their arms, and flot nine excifemen dead upon the fpot; upon which all the reft of the collectors fled immediately to the monaftery of St. Francis for refuge. Mr. Willy Sutton, after a trial of nine hours, for the murder of Mifs Bell, was acquitted at the Old Bailey. The feffions ended at the 28th. Old Bailey, when one received fentence of tranfportation for 14 years, 14 for 7 years, and one was ordered to be whipped. His excellency Mark Milbanke, Efq; his late majefty's ambaffador to the emperor of Morocco, and commodore of the fquadron employed all laft fummer upon the coaft of Barbary, is arrived at Portfmouth in his majefty's fhip Guernsey, with the Leghorn convoy under his command, after having compleated the redemption of captain Barton, and the crew of the Litchfield man of war, and his majefty's other fubjects, flaves in thofe dominions, and eftablifhing peace with the aforefaid monarch, infinitely more advantageous than ever. fubfifted with his ancestors. The Grand Signior has peremptorily demanded reftitution of the Turkish man of war mastered by the chriftian flaves on board, and brought into Malta the 6th of Nov. laft; (fee our Chronicle for laft year, p. 152.) and the knights of Malta, who are always at war with the Turks, have as peremptorily refufed to reftore her; on which account the Ottoman court are preparing a fleet, and threaten to attack the ifland of Maitae in which cafe the court of Spain will proba bly fend their fleet to defend it, as the Turks have always protected the pirate towns of Barbary againft the Spaniards. The following letter has been wrote to Sir Walter Blackett, Bart. in Charles-ftreet, St. James's fquare, viz. SIR, Febry 26th, 1761. I as your Mcs herty well withar take this Liberty to Acquaint you with the Dark define's Laid against your Honour's Perfon as I Viery Strangely heard of it by great Accedent I think it my Duty to tell you your Life is ABfalutly agreed upon to Bee taken away upon the Account you have taken the Vails from your Servts thair is A Cartin Larl or Tow that is to Share the fame fate I find when A Convenient OPertunity Sarves thair is Likewise Sir James Lowther & C. in the Lift which I am Much Affraid will End in Evel Confider your honours Life & Fortunes is all at Stake Drop that wrong Profieding & So Advife you'r Friedds I muft Concl'd with Telling you I have no Interest in it my Celfe But interle for your honr Perfon & the welfare of the Englush Nation I am with All Dutifull |