r

raging.

19th.

His Majefty has been 17th. graciously pleafed to fettle 2 penfion of four hundred pounds a year on Lady Blackftone, widow of the late Sir William Blackftone. 18th.

This morning, about five o'clock, a fire broke out at the houfe of the Duke of Northumberland, at Charing Crofs. It began at the east end of the fecond ftory, fronting the freet, in a room where the fervants kept their liveries, and other clothes; two fervants lay in the next room, who were roufed by the fire, which broke in upon them, but they luckily made their efcape, though with the lofs of all they had. From five o'clock in the morning, when it was firft perceived, the fire raged furiously till eight, when the flames were pretty well got under, but by that time had burnt from the catt end to the weft, there being no party wall in the whole range of build ing. The roof is deftroyed, as are alfo the first and fecond floors, at the former of which it ftopped, the rooms on the ground floor being moft of them arched with brick. The rooms in front, which have been deftroyed, were all of them allotted to the ufe of the principal officers of his Grace's household; fuch as the fecretary, mafter of horse, &c. How it happened is not yet known; his Grace got out of bed when the alarm was given, and was prefent

A fire broke out at a linen-draper's, oppofite the Pantheon, in Oxford-street, which confumed the fame, and damaged another house. And at night a fire broke out at a tin and oil-shop, in Princes freet, Oxford - ftreet, oppofite Swallow - ftreet, which burnt the houfe and furniture, and destroyed the ftock in trade, before it was extinguished. A man who lodged in the house, and who had a wife and three children, came through the flames with a child under each arm, and returned to fave the third, when the staircase floor fell in with him, and they were burnt; a woman jumped out of the garret window naked, and fell upon the lamp. iron, and was fo terribly bruised, that he died next morning in the Middlefex Hofpital.

20th.

Mr. Fullarton, member for Plympton, and late fecretary to Lord Stormont in his embaffy to the court of France, complained to the Houfe of the ungentleman-like behaviour of the Earl of Shelburne, who, he faid, with all the aristocratic infolence that marks that nobleman's character, had in effect dared to say, that he and his regiment were as ready to act against the liberties of England, as against her enemies. This occafioned fome altercation between those who were the friends of each party; but being generally thought unparliamentary, it went at that time no farther.

The following acts received the royal affent by commiffion:

21ft.

A&t for raising a certain fum

of money by annuities, and eftab ling a lottery,

A&t for punishing mutiny and defertion, and for better payment of the army.

Act for regulating his majefty's

marine forces.

Act for better fupplying his majefty's navy with mariners, &c.

Act for repealing an act which prohibits the carrying the gold coin, &c. &c. to Ireland.

Act for paying and cloathing the militia.

Act for fecuring the lawful trade to the Eaft-Indies, and to prevent British fubjects from trading under foreign commiffions, and for other regulations of trade.

Act to regulate county elections. A&t for continuing the duties on ales, &c. brewed for fale in the town of Kelfo, in Scotland. And to feveral road, inclofure, and other bills. In all 42.

22d.

This morning, in confequence of the altercation above alluded to, a duel was fought between the Earl of Shelborne and Mr. Fullarton, which the following is an authentic narrative.

of

Lord Shelburne, with Lord Frederick Cavendish for his fecond, and Mr. Fullerton, with Lord Balcarras for his fecond, met at half past five, in HydePark, March 22, 1780. Lord Balcarras and Lord Frederick Cavendish propofed both parties fhould obey the feconds. Lord Shelburne and Colonel Fullerton walked together, while Lord Balcarras and Lord Frederick Cavendish adjusted all ceremonials, and fixed on piftols as the proper weapons. When they came to the ground, Lord Shelburne told them,

that his piftols were already loaded, and offered to draw them which was rejected by Lord Balcarras and Col. Fullerton; upon which Lord Balcarras loaded Col. Fullerton's pittols. The feconds having agreed that twelve paces was a proper diftance, the parties took their ground; Col. Fullerton defired Lord Shelburne to fire, which his lordship declined, and Col. Fullerton was ordered by the feconds to fire. He fired, and miffed. Lord Shelburne returned it, and miffed. Mr. Fullerton then fired his fecond pistol, and hit Lord Shelburne in the right groin, which his lordfhip fignified; upon which every body ran up; the feconds interpofed. Lord Frederick Cavendish offered to take the piftol from Lord Shelburne; but his lordship refufed to deliver it up, faying, I have not fired that piftol.' Mr. Fullerton returned immediately to his ground, which he had left with a view of affifting his lord fhip, and repeatedly defired his lordship to fire at him. Lord Shelburne faid,

Sure, Sir, you don't think I would fire my piftol at you,' and fired it in the air. The parties and their feconds got together. Lord Balcarras afked Lord Shelburne if he had any difficulty in declaring he meant nothing perfonal to Col. Fullerton. His lordship replied, You know it has taken another courfe; this is no time for explanation.' His lordship then faid to Col. Fullerton, AL though I am wounded, I am able to go on, if you feel any refentment.' Col. Fullerton faid, he hoped he was incapable of harbouring fuch a fentiment. Lord Frederick Cavendish declared, that

from

from the character he had heard of Col. Fullerton, he believed fo. Col. Fullerton faid, As your lordship is wounded, and has fired in the air, it is impoffible for me to go on.' Lord Balcarras and Lord Frederick Cavendish immediately declared that the parties had ended the affair by behaving as men of the strictest honour.

On hearing of the above affair, the following meffage was fent from the city:

Guidball, London, March 22. The committee of common council for correfponding with the committees appointed, or to be appointed, by the feveral counties, cities, and boroughs in this kingdom, anxious for the prefervation of the valuable life of fo true a friend of the people, and defender of the liberties of Englishmen, as the Earl of Shelburne, refpectfully enquire after his lordship's fafety, highly endangered in confequence of his upright and fpirited conduct in Parliament.

By order of the committee, Earl of Shelburne.

WM. RIX.' This morning a feflion of 29th. oyer, terminer, and gaol

delivery for offences committed on the high feas, was held at the feffions-house in the Old Bailey, before the Right Hon. William Earl of Mansfield, Lord Chief Juftice of the Court of King's Bench, and Sir James Marriot, Knt. Judge of the High Court of Admiralty, when John Williams, officer of marines, and James Stoneham, boatfwain's mate, of the Eagle privateer, were put to the bar. John Smith, firft lieutenant of the faid fhip, depofed, that they failed from Briftol on a cruize, in December laft; that,

being in the captain's cabbin, drinking a bottle of wine, on Christmas - day, they heard 2 mufket fired upon deck; that they fent a boy to enquire the caufe, who returned with an unfatisfactory anfwer; that in a few minutes they heard the report of a fecond mufket, which alarmed them very much, and they ran upon deck all together to fee what was the matter; that they found the whole crew muftered upon deck, and that they had broke open the chefts, and fupplied themfelves with arms; that upon the captain going up to them, Williams, one of the prifoners, advanced with a blunderbufs, and fwore that if he ventured a step further than the line he had drawn across the deck, he would blow his brains out; that the captain inftantly knocked Williams down, upon which the rest of the crew, feeing their leader fall, and thinking he had been killed, returned to their quarters; and that Williams and Stoneham, the prifoners at the bar, were inftantly fecured, as being fuppofed to be the ringleaders of the mutiny; that the next day they fell in with the Brilliant frigate of war, and that they put twelve more of the rioters on board that ship to ferve his Majefty, after which they returned without any further moleftation, peaceable into Falmouth.

Peter Reddish was then called, whofe evidence correfponded exactly with Smith's; the captain was called three times, but did not think proper to make his appearance.

The prifoners in their defence called three evidences, the perfons who acted as linguift, furgeon,

and

and furgeon's mate, who made it appear that the mutiny in the hip did not arise from factious or difhoneft motives in the prifoners, but from an honeft deteftation of the bad conduct of the captain, who it appeared had failed with a privateering commiffion from the Lords of the Admiralty, and had robbed every veffel of whatfoever nation that he met with of inferior force; they each gave an affecting narrative of the plunder of a Dutchman, whom they boarded under American colours, and stripped of all the poor man, who was fole owner of the vefiel, had in the world, though he was in a neutral bottom, and in a fair way of trade; the poor Dutchman wept over his misfortunes, but did not know that these barbarians were Englishmen. They likewife gave an account of the plunder of a Danish fhip and Portuguese veffel in the fame manner, and that the method they used on thefe occafions, was to throw a tarpaulin over the head of the fhip, which bore the figure of an eagle, and to call themselves the Black Prince American privateer,' Captain Mackenzie, commander; and these witneffes feparately declared, that the prifoners had often told them they would rather be killed than join the captain in thefe iniquitous proceedings; feveral other very refpectable perfons appeared to the characters of the prifoners, but Lord Mansfield refufed to admit them, declaring that the prefent trial did not at all depend on character, and his lordship then. fummed up the evidence in his ufual way; and the Jury, after retiring a few minutes, found the

prifoners guilty; but at the fame time earnestly recommended them to the King's mercy.

A few days ago, as the London waggon of Mr. 31ft. Truman of Derby, was travelling between Bigglefwade and Buckden, on the north road, the candle in the lantern, unfortunately caught the tilt of the machine, and the fire got to an alarming height before it was perceived by the driver, who had but just time to difengage the horfes, before a calk of fpirituous liquors blew up, and made a dreadful explosion. The lofs fuftained is computed at about 2000l.

Canterbury, March 29. Monday laft Mr. Tankard, a cuftom-house officer, with nine or ten affistants, came up with a gang of fmugglers, at King's-down Court-lodge, near. Dartford, as they were watering their horfes, and took 28 out of 30 horfes, laden with tea, filk, and lace. One of the master fmugglers was taken, and a number of the horfes wounded.

DIED, At Lincoln, James Pigot, Efq. aged 96.

Robert Macbride, a fifherman, in the island of Henies, aged 130 years and fome months.

At his feat near Derby, Samuel Pickering, Eq. aged 104.

At Radwinter in Effex, John Fox, Efq. aged 97.

In Kent-street, Southwark, Mary Ann Ryan, aged upwards of 107.

Jofeph Highmore, Efq. aged 88, formerly an eminent painter.

Dr. Ifaac Schomberg, a very eminent and learned phyfician.

3d.

A PRI L.

At the grand quarterfeffion of the peace, held at Guildhall, a new regulation was establined, by which every publican within the jurifdiction of the city is obliged to appear in perfon to renew their licences, and to enter into recognizances for the good order and proper conduct of their refpective houses.

Laft week, at the affizes at Kingfton, in Surrey, the trials on the crown fide came on before the Hon. Mr. Juftice Gould and a fpecial jury, when Mr. Donovan (who voluntarily furrendered) was tried for having killed in a duel, in November last, Captain. James Hanfon. It appeared by a number of refpectable witnefies, that the deceased was entirely in fault, and had forced Mr. Donovan to meet him in a field near the Dog and Duck; it also appeared, that the only ground of quarrel between the prifoner and the deceafed was, that Mr. Donovan interfered between Capt. Hanfon and another perfon, and prevented their fighting, on which Hanfon gave him very abufive language, and infitted that he would make him smell powder." The deceafed was wounded by a pistol bullet in the belly, and lived about 24 hours after. He declared to two eminent furgeons who attended him, and to feveral other perfons, that Mr. Donovan behaved during the action, and after it, with the greatest honour, tenderness, and concern; and he particularly defired that no profecution fhould be carried on against him, as he himfelf was folely in fault, by an unprovoked rafhnefs of temper and

heat of paffion. The learned judge gave an excellent charge to the jury, and faid, "though he allowed that all the circumftances. were as favourable to the prifoner as in fuch a cafe could be, yet as the idea of honour was fo often mentioned, he must say and inform the jury, and the auditors, that it was false honour in men to break the laws of God and of their country; that going out to fight a duel was in both parties a deliberate resolution to commit murder, and there could be no honour in fo favage a custom, which, how ever difguifed in words, is contrary to the principles and happinefs of fociety, and ought to be reprobated in every well-regulated community." The jury, without going out of court, acquitted Mr. Donovan of the murder, found him guilty of man-flaughter on the coroner's inqucft. The judge fined him 10l. to the King, which being paid in court, he was immediately discharged.

and

The feffions ended at 8th. the Old-Bailey, when fentence of death was. paffed on the following convicts, viz. John Sparrow, for affaulting John Turner Harris, on Conflitution. Hill, in the Green-Park, and robbing him of a filver watch, and 3s. in mo. ney; Thomas Williams, alias Charles Galloway, for affaulting Capt. Jofeph Richards on the highway, near Stepney-Caufeway, and robbing him of a gold watch and fome money; Francis Thompfon and James Early, for robbing Jofeph White in Stepney-fields, of one guinea, 7 s. and fome halfpence; Sufannah Flood, for ftealing three guineas and about 14% the property of George Nah, in