being an agreeable chearful companion, at the age of 100, when he married his last wife. At Winterborne, Hants, Sufan Edmonds, aged 104. OCTOBER. At a court of common zd. council held at Guildhall, a motion was made that the chamberlain do immediately lay before the court an account of all monies paid out of the chamber on account of the lord mayor, which was carried in the affirmative. The chamberlain withdrew, and returned with an account, which being read, A motion was made that the fum of 8141. s. paid on account of the lord mayor's view of the river and expedition to Windfor, ought not to be defrayed by the city, being totally unneceffary and highly extravagant. This brought on great debate, which lafted for near an hour and a half, when the previous question was put, and carried in the negative; the first question was then put, and refolved in the affirmative. In confequence of its being thrown out in the courfe of the debate, that the audit dinners in general were very extravagant, Mr. Sheriff Sainsbury made a motion that in future the expences at the auditing the city and Bridgehoufe accounts, do not exceed 50l. which was unanimoufly agreed to. A motion was made, and queftion put, that the chamberlain do not pay the lord mayor more than the fum of 3521. 19 s. of the balance due to his lordship out of the ample allowance given by this city. This caufed fresh debates, which lafted for a confiderable time; the lord mayor declined to put the queftion for fome time, but having confented, the queftion being put, it was refolved in the affirmative. Advice was this day received, that the Fairy floop of war, and the Vestal frigate, being cruifing on the Newfoundland station, they fell in with and took an American packet, on board of which was Mr. Laurens, Prefident of the Congress, As foon as Mr. Laurens perceived the English armed boat make up to the veffel in which he was, he threw the box that contained the letters overboard; but the lead that was annexed to it proving infufficient for finking it immediately, one of the daring tars belonging to the Vestal leaped from the boat, and kept it afloat till the reft affifted him in recovering it. Mr. Laurens was bound to Holland, with a commiffion from the Congrefs; and the purport of his bufinefs, it is faid, was of fuch a nature as must have produced hoftilities between this country and the States, if this accident had not intervened. The papers are of confequence which have been found in the box above-mentioned; they contain an explicit detail of his bufinefs with the States, and a full defcription of his powers and com. miffion there. On Friday, October 6th, about twelve o'clock, pursuant to an order for that purpose, Mr. Laurens was brought in a hackney-coach to Lord Germaine's Office, accompanied only by Mr. Addington. The Earl of Hillsborough, Lord Vif [P] 3 count count Stormont, and Lord George Germaine, three of his majefty's principal Secretaries of State, attended by his majesty's Solicitorgeneral, being prefent, Mr. Laurens went under a long examination, which lafted till near fix o'clock, when a warrant of commitment was made out, figned by the three Secretaries of State, committing him a clofe prifoner to the Tower. Mr. Laurens was conveyed privately foon afterwards, as before, in a hackney-coach, accompanied by two military officers, and two meffengers, who were likewife named in the warrant. They arrived at the Tower about feven o'clock, and delivered their prifoner into the cuftody of the go vernor. In confequence of an ad9th. drefs to his majefty, from the Houfe of Commons, dated the 6th of July laft, the claims of a confiderable number of fufferers by the late rebellious infurrections, have been laid before the Board of Works, the principal officers of which have made a report thereof to the Lords of the Treafury. A moft violent whirlwind 15th. or tornado burft on Ham mersmith, Roehampton, Richmond, Kingston, and the environs. The ftorm feems to have come in one direction from S. to N. it beat open the S. door of Hammersmith church, though a very ftrong one, and the chandelier becoming a conductor to the lightning, it paft directly through the church, and beat out a very large Gothic window on the north fide, which was full of firong workmanship both in iron and ftone; tore down the fronts of fome houfes, blew down walls, and tore up large trees by the roots; all the windows on the S. fide of the church were broken by tiles from the adjacent houses. The time of its duration at Hammersmith did not exceed four minutes. At Roehampton a barn with fome poor people in it was blown down, and feven out of eleven were fent to the hofpital; a ftable full of horfes was likewife deftroyed. The effects of the lightning on the ground of the fields, and of the form on the largest trees, was most aftonishing, and ftill continue to draw a concourfe of spectators. It has been said, but we do not vouch it, that the ftorm carried a large tree clear across the Thames. The violent ftorm, which did fo much damage in the neighbourhood of London, was still more feverely felt at Cherburgh on the coaft of France, where feveral fhips were driven out of the bay; the fea rofe to an alarming height; at Vologne the convent was ftruck with the lightning; in the foreft of Tour le Ville the trees were fet on fire by the flashes, which were inceflant for fome time: in fhort, the inhabitants on that part of the coaft for many miles were thrown into the utmost confternation. The council-houfe at Salisbury, a building erected about 200 years ago, and containing the law courts, was burnt down. It was obferved on fire at five in the morning, and extinguished by nine. Happily the charters, pictures, and furniture, were faved. Mr. Langdale, the diftil. 17th. ler, whofe houses were deftroyed by the rioters the beginning of June laft, brought his action against the lord mayor by ar reft, reft, for the recovery of 40,000l. being a lofs fuftained by the negligence of the city magiftrates. The feffions ended at the 21ft. Old Bailey, when the following perfons received fentence of death, viz. Anne Lavender, for ftealing a metal watch, a pair of ftone buckles, a diamond ring, and fome apparel, the property of Mary Adams, at her house in Southampton-street, Bloomsbury; James Johnfon and Richard Brown, for ftealing two geldings, the property of James Crow, out of his field at Edinford, in Bedfordshire; Richard Hapgood, for ftealing a quantity of wearing apparel, the property of Mr. Adams, in his houfe in Hatton-ftreet; George Bishop, a letter-carrier in the General Poft Office, for feloniously fecreting a letter fent by the poft from Burnley in Lancashire, from Mr. Greenwood, directed to Meff. Hitchen and Wood, in Chandoisftreet, containing a bill of exchange to the value of 301. and which was found concealed between two boards in a cellar, part of the apartments of the prifoner, in Jerufalem-court; Margaret M'Clachlan and Mary Allen, for robbing William Copping, in a dwellinghoufe, whom they ftabbed in the face, and threatened to dig out his eyes; and Richard Hill, for ftealing linen to the value of 27 1. in the dwelling-houfe of Mr. Lewis, oppofite the Manfion-house. A young man was tried at the above feffions on a charge of burglary and robbery; all the facts were strongly against him, but a point of law faved his life; the breaking and entering was juft upon the eve of the day, and happened not to be after dark; the recorder therefore obferved to the jury, that the prisoner was entitled to acquittal for the burglary; but he was found guilty of the felo ny, and the recorder immediately pronounced fentence of three years hard labour on the river Thames. The judge obferved, that it was the nicety of the law question which preferved him from a capital conviction, and not any mitigation of the real fact charged; that for fo heinous an offence it was neceffary to make an example to deter fuch daring offenders in future. 26th. A court of commoncouncil was held at Guildhall, when a motion was made and carried to defend the lord mayor and sheriffs in the fuit commenced by Mr. Langdale, after a debate, and the opinion of the recorder, which went directly to that end. A motion to discharge an alderman with the cofts of a controverfy between him and his parish, as to the right of ferving churchwarden, was adjourned. The expences of courts of confervancy were limited to 300 l. in every mayoralty. The vacancies in all committees were ordered to be filled up at a fecond court. A motion was made, feconded, and refolved, that the court have infpection of all bills drawn upon the corporation, and that no money be paid out of the chamber without the fpecial direction of the court of common-council. Some obfervations upon former accounts were mentioned, which required a nicer enquiry into all future claims, that the juftice of them may be afcertained. This day the new parliament met; his majesty as [P] 4 314. ufual ufual afcended the throne in his royal robes; and being feated, Sir Fra. Molineux, gentleman ufher of the black rod, was fent with a meffage to the Houfe of Commons, commanding their attendance, when his majefty's pleasure was fignified to them by the lord chancellor, that they fhould return to their House and chufe a fpeaker, to be prefented to his majefty for his royal approbation the next day at two o'clock. They accordingly chofe Charles Wolfran Cornwall, Efq. Secretary of State, went to him in the name of the king, and demanded his ftate papers. It is faid, that he delivered to him a letter from the king, who thanked him, in obliging terms, for his fervices in the marine. The fucceffor in the above im. portant poft, is M. de Caiftres, lieutenant-general, and the commandant of the Gendarmerie; and yesterday morning he went to Marly, where the court is at prefent, and there took the oaths to the king in quality of minister of the marine. DIED. At Staunton, Cumberland, Mrs. M. Smith, aged 104. At Fintray, Scotland, J. Taylor, aged 108. This evening the ceremony of the chriftening of the young prince was performed in the Great Council-Chamber, by his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury. His royal highnefs was named Alfred. The sponsors were his Royal Highton, nefs the Prince of Wales, his Royal Highness the Prince Bishop of Ofnaburgh, and her Royal Highness the Princess Royal. A feffion of oyer and terminer and gaol delivery of the High Court of Admiralty of England, was held before Sir James Marriot, knt. Judge of the High Court of Admiralty, and Mr. Juftice Heath; when James Robinson was tried for piratically and feloniously running away with a merchant brig, called the Hermione, in the Jamaica trade. The jury acquitted the prifoner. There being no other bills of indictment found by the grand jury, the court was adjourned. There were many other prifoners remanded to prifon till next feffions. Paris, Oct. 15. M. de Sartine, the minifter of the marine, is difmiffed. On Friday laft, at two o'clock, M. Amelot, Minifter and At Taunton, James Codring- At Winchester, Mrs. Clark, aged 105. In Bright's Alley, Gray's-Innlane, Elizabeth Swanbrook, aged Mrs. Bradshaw, formerly of Drury-lane theatre. The circumftances of her death are worth relating. She had a few years ago adopted a young girl; but the uncommon care which he had taken of her education, and the fatal confequence which has attended the want of fuccefs of her adopted, makes it now believed that the was really Mrs. Bradshaw's own daughter; for, upon her return from France, fhe was engaged to dance at Plymouth; but whether from the length of the dance, the timidity of the performer, or the ill nature or ignorance of the audience, she was hiffed. The effect this misfortune had upon Mrs. Bradshaw was truly tragical. She fell into fits inftantly, was convey ed ed home raving ́mad, and died in goods, every where taking change a fhort time after. NOVEMBER. The loffes fuftained by va ift. rious perfons during the riots, as delivered to the Board of Works, amounted, previous to the advertisements from that office, to 130,000l. Since thofe advertisements feveral other articles have been given in, fuch as Newgate, a prifon in the Borough, the tollhoufes on Black - Friars - bridge, &c. So that on the prefent lift the damages amount to about 180,000l. Oxford, Nov. 2. Laft week divers tradefmen of this city were defrauded of fums to the amount of upwards of 100l. by a female fharper of very genteel addrefs and appearance, who had made Oxford her refidence for about three weeks paft, in company with a perfon who spoke, or affected to Speak, broken English, and whom fhe called her husband, This fraud was effected by negociating falfe and counterfeit notes on copperplate cheques, Thofe put off here were filled up in an exceeding good hand payable to Robert Pearce or order at a banker's in Lombard-ftreet, London; the laft indorfer, A. Clifford; and it feems the lady had daily practifed the art of going from fhop to fhop in an affable way, purchafing trifles with ready money, and telling the people the fhould be a better cuftomer hereafter, being come to make a confiderable ftay. Having thus made a flight acquaintance, the day fhe left Oxford fhe went round and took up filver and other The out of her counterfeit notes. feveral articles thus taken up they likewife found means to carry off laft Friday night, affifted by a third perfon, their accomplice, and who went off with them privately after dark in the fame poft chaife. Upon breaking open the door of the apartment where they lodged, in a large leather trunk (fuppofed to contain their wearing apparel, which they alfo left locked) were found only a couple of walking fticks. Joth. In the Court of King's Bench, the Attorney General prefented a bill of indictment against George Gordon, Efq; commonly called Lord Geo, Gordon, to the grand jury, which they very foon returned, finding a true bill. Mr. Dunning obtained a 14th. mandamus from the court of King's Bench to transfer stock at the bank, which was refufed by the directors, on pretence that baftards could not devife by will; which was held nugatory. The report was made to his majefty in council, of 15th. the prifoners under fentence of death in Newgate, who were convicted latt September feffions, when the following were ordered for execution on Wednesday the 22d intant, viz. Samuel Baker, Steward Montague, Thomas Cox, Jofeph Freeman, Mary Gardner, Joseph Carter, Abraham Danford, and William Newton, Benjamin Kinder, and Thomas Humphreys. The following were eipited dur ing his majesty's pleafure, viz. John Harris, Grace Maddocks, George Duffey, and George Watfon. This evening came on by petition, before the twelve judges at Ser. |