diately burst with a noise like thunder, and dispersed into innumerable little stars, with which the whole atmosphere was perfectly illuminated. 16th. One hundred guineas was paid Mr. Read, by the society of arts, for the first premium in sculpture. A remarkable cause came on in the court of King's Bench, upon indictments against an eminent builder, and a master bricklayer employed by him, for a nuisance, in leaving a heap of rubbish in the street, last October, no watch or light being set up, in order to prevent accidents; the consequence of which was, that a coach with some ladies and children in it was overturned, most of whom were greatly bruised; but one of the ladies re ceived so much hurt, that she never spoke again, and her death (as vas fully proved) which happened in two or three days after, was entirely owing to this accident. The builder alleged, that he commited the care of removing this rubish to the bricklayer, whose poper province it was to see it done and the bricklayer laid the blame n the carter. But the builder wa considered as culpable; it beig his business not only to take are to employ proper people undr him, but also to see that theylo their duty; and he was therefre fined 1001. which he paid in cort; and the bricklayer's sentence us twelve months imprisonment in te King's Bench. The king was this day 19th. pleased to constitute and appoint George Dunk, earl of Halifax, first lord of the Admiralty. His royal highness the 23d. duke of York having hoisted his flag on board the Princess Amelia at Spithead, went on board; and the whole fleet under Sir Edward Hawke, of seven ships of the line and two frigates, fell down to St. Helen's. There is now blowing at the earl of Portsmouth's, at Billingbear near Reading, two narrow-leaved American aloes, with a number of flowers. An appeal came on lately before the court of delegates, between the dean and chapter of Westminster, and the parishioners of St. Margaret's, concerning the painted window in the church. The bill was ordered to be dismissed, and each to pay their own cost. At the sale, at St. Paul's coffeehouse of Mr. Gill's collection of coins, medals, and curiosities, the following lots sold as under: 1 Penny of Henry I. 1 ditto of Edward I. 1 Groat of Henry VIII. 1 Crown, half-crown, shilling, and sixpence, Q. Elizabeth 1 Half-crown and three pence of Charles I. gold ring with an ancient Runic in A scription } } 3 IS O 215 0 15 0 0 them be loaded with taxes, let their trade be ruined, their fleets sunk, their armies defeated; all this makes little alteration in their demeanour; they don't sing a song the less, or look a whit the graver on this account. Nay more, a Frenchman is immediately comforted under the loss of a town, a province, or a battle, if he be allowed to level an epigram at the head of a minister or general, to whose charge these misfortunes are laid. A joke dispels the gloom of affliction, and at bon-met diffuses cheerfulness through a sad heart. A jack-pudding in a French ship is the best preservative against the scurvy; and it is well known, that when the famous Louvois heard of a spirit of desertion having got into a strong garrison, he always sent a Merry Andrew to retain the soldiers in their duty. The author of the letter now be fore us imputes the French gaiety to the following causes: 1st, To their climate. 2dly, To the nature of their government, which exempts them from all influence or share in public affairs, the transacting of which renders men naturally grave and serious. 3dly, To that vanity, which gives the French a fond and pleasing notion of their superiority over all other nations. And, 4thly, To their sociability. A moor at Solesberry in Buckinghamshire, another great one near Pately-bridge in Yorkshire, the high moors near Sheffield, and the moor or heath on Bloreme-hill in Monmouthshire, are all on fire; that on Bloreme-hill, near six feet deep, and those near Sheffield for thirty miles together in some places; owing, it is probable, considering in how many and distant places the tre broke out, not to malice or careessness, but to the extraordinary disposition of the peat to kindle by inflammable exhalations, through the late excessive heat and dryness of the weather. In Scotland, the woods of Rothimurchus, and the fine forests of Glenmere and Glensiddick, have been in great danger from the same cause. The woods of Abernethy have suffered prodigiously, and the neighbouring inhabitants have been employed night and day in diverting the course of the flames. Several woods in North America are said to have shared the same fate, and from the same cause.. An elm-tree of an uncommon size, in the close at Salisbury, giving a most violent crash, fell down so suddenly, as to alarm many hundreds who were present, it being the fair time. Twelve or fourteen persons were beat down by the boughs; a boy had eight ribs and his back broke, and died in about an hour; two men had each a leg broke; and much more mischief was done. A curious dissertation has lately appeared in Holland, to recommend sugar, instead of salt, for preserving animal as well as vegetable provisions; as it preserves the virtues and flavour in the latter, as much as salt destroys both in the former. Liverpool, June 18. Anne the daughter of Jonathan Walsh, of Harrogate in Yorkshire, aged 12 years, last Christmas was a twelvemonth, entirely lost her appetite : she has not eat of any kind of solid victuals since that time; her support is nothing but a pint of wine and water, which serves her three days; notwithstanding so small a quantity, she enjoys a good state of health, and looks as well as ever. A melancholy account 26th. was received from New York, of the loss of a cartel-ship that that sailed from thence in November, and was soon after cast away; and out of 120 souls on board, six only were saved, among whom were the captain and M. St. Luke; the latter lost a brother, two sons, two nephews, and several other relations and friends. There were on board 14 officers, 10 ladies, and 14 young gentlemen of fashion; and scarce a person in New York but has lost a relation or friend. Died lately, Mr. Thomas Baker, of Bethnal-green, aged 101. 5th. JULY. Came on at Guildhall the grand cause (which has been so often argued, and so long depending) between the city and dissenters, in regard to the serving the office of sheriff, before lord chief baron Parker, Mr. Justice Foster, Mr. justice Wilmot, and Mr. justice Bathurst; when, after several learned pleadings, the judges were all of opinion, that the disssenters were not liable to serve the said office, &c. But the city has since appealed from this decree to the House of Lords. Last week Dr. Wilson's prize, at Oxford, of ten guineas, for the best essay in English, on the advantages of a safe, honourable, and lasting peace, was adjudged to Mr. Ellison, probationary fellow of Merton College. And the classical prizes at Cambridge, of 15 guineas each, given annually by the hon Mr. Finch and the hon. Mr. Townshend, were adjudged to Mr. Rosenhagen, of St. John's College; and to Mr. Eyre, of Peter house, senior bachelors; and to Mr. Maddison, of Sidney, and to Mr. Zouch, of Trinity College, middle-bachelors. In the Gazette of this day 6th, is the following intelligence from the Hague: "The Hermione, a Spanish register ship, which left Lima the 6th of January, bound for Cadiz, was taken the 21st of May off Cape St. Vincent, by three English frigates, and carried into Gibraltar.Her cargo is said to consist of near twelve millions of money registered, and the unregistered to be likewise very considerable, besides 2000 serons of cocoa, and a great deal of other valuable merchandize." An account of her cargo from other papers. 5243 arobes of cocoa. 1193 quintals of tin. 25 arobes of Alpaca wool. Two boxes with letters, which were thrown overboard from the Hermione, have been taken up at sea, near Faro in Portugal. Sth. A committee of the society for the encouragement of arts, made an experiment of an engine invented by a Swiss, for rooting up trees. The engine answered the intentions, but broke in the operation. It is a very simple machine, and capable of great improve. ments. 7th. Three Cherokee chiefs, lately arrived from South Carolina, in order to settle a lasting peace with the English, had their first audience of his majesty. The head chief, called Outacite or Mankiller, on account of his many gal. lant actions, was introduced by lord Eglington, and conducted by Sir Clement Cotterell, master of the ceremonies. They were upwards of an hour and an half with his majesty, who received them with great good ness; and they behaved in his preşence with remarkable decency and mildness. The man who assisted as interpreter on this occasion, instead of one who set out with them, but died on his passage, was so confused, that the king could ask but few questions. These chiefs are well-made men, near six feet high, their faces and necks coarsely painted of a copper colour; and they seem to have no hair on their heads. They came over in the dress of their country, consisting of a shirt, trowsers, and mantle, their heads covered with skull caps, and adorned with shells, feathers, car-rings, and other trifling ornaments. On their arrival in London they were conducted to a house taken for them in Suffolkstreet, and habited more in the English manner. When introduced to his majesty, the head chief wore a blue mantle covered with lace, and had his head richly ornamented. On his breast hung a silver gorget, with his majesty's arms engraved. The two other chiefs were in scarlet, richly adorned with gold lace, and gorgets of plate on their breasts. During their stay in England, of about two months, they were in vited to the tables of several of the nobility, and were shewn by a gentleman, appointed for that purpose, the tower, the camps, and every thing else that could serve to inspire them with proper ideas of the power and grandeur of the nation; but it is hard to say what impression these sights made on them, as they had no other way of communicating their sentiments but by their gestures. They were likewise conducted every day to one or another of the places of amusement in and about London, where they constantly drew after them innumerable crowds of spectators, to the no small emolument of the owners of those places, some of which raised their prices, to make the most of such unusual guests. Here they behaved in general with great familiarity, shaking hands very freely with all those who thought proper to accept that honour. They carried home with them articles of peace between his majesty and their nation, with a handsome present of warlike instruments, and such other things as they seemed to place the greatest value on. 9th. A dew of honey fell in the neighbourhood of Rathiermuc in Ireland, which loaded the trees and long grass in such a manner, that quantities of it were saved by scoops: a method used for saving water in some parts of the West Indies. [Something of this sort, but not in any quantity, may, at this time, be observed on the leaves of oaks; but whether an exsudation, or a dew, we do not pretend to determine.] A young gentleman, near Ormond-street, shot a servant maid of the family, on her refusing to marry him, in a very dangerous manner. However, she soon recovered; and on his being tried for it, as an assault, gave such evidence, as made it appear he was out of his senses; upon which he was committed to a mad-house. 10th. Was opened in Westminster Abbey, near the Poets' Corner, a monument in memory of the late George Frederick Handel, Esq. He is represented pointing to the back of the monument, where David is playing on the the harp. In Mr. Handel's right hand is a pen, writing part of the Messiah, "I know that my Redeemer liveth," &c. and the following inscription: GEORGE FREDERIC HANDEL, ESQ. 12th. Born February 23, 1681. At Lord Peterborough's, at Parson's Green, just as the gardeners had left work to go to dinner, a whirlwind came, and took up seven of the bell-glasses into the air above twenty feet: one of them went over the garden-wall into the King's road, and had like to have fallen on a man's head going along; three others were blown upon the hot-house, and broke a great quantity of the lights; the house was about twenty yards distance; and, what is very remarkable, there were two rows of glasses, and the seven were the first row that was blown up; but in the other row there was not one stirred. ry of the late gallant lord Howe, was opened in Westminster Abbey: On the top is a trophy of arms in white marble; and on a flat pyramid of black marble, highly polished, are his lordships arms, coronet and crest in white marble, on the top of the monument, sits a beautiful figure of a woman in a melancholy position, inimitably well executed, representing the province of Massachusset's Bay; and underneath the following inscription: "The province of Massachusset's Bay, in New England, by an order of the great and general court, bearing date Feb. 1, 1759, caused this monument to be erected to the memory of George Augustus, lord viscount Howe, brigadier-general of his majesty's forces in America, who was slain July 6, 1758, on his march to Ticonderoga, in the 34th year of his age, in testimony of the sense they had of his services and military virtues, and of the affection their officers and soldiers bore to his He lived respected and beloved; the public regretted his loss; to his family it is irreparable." A curious collection of above command. 30,000 tracts, with some manuscripts, formerly collected and bound up in volumes for the use of king Charles I. but which fell into private hands, and for many years past have been in the possession of a lady, were lately purchased, by or der of his majesty, and presented to the trustees of the British Museum. The harbour of Rye in 14th. Sussex was opened, pursuant to an act of parliament passed the last session, by letting the sea and tides into the new cut up to Winchelsea wall, where vessels of 300 tons burthen, and upwards, can ride with the greatest safety. A most beautiful monument, de signed by Mr. Stuart, and executed by Mr. Scheemaker, to the memc 15th. Was laid before the governors of the city of London Lying-in Hospital for married women, in Aldersgate street, a state of the hospital, by which it appeared, that from the institution of it to that day, there had been 3655 women delivered in the hospital, 45 of whom had twins, and one was delivered of three children: 3702 children were born; males 1896, femalcs 1806: that there had been received from the institution to the 14th instant, 12,2401. 5s. Sd. and expended to the same day, 9,7491. 145. all the tradesmens bills being paid up to Midsummer last. A cen. |