London to lye-in. As it appeared the adoption of this child was calculated to deprive fome heir at law of an eftate, or for fome other unlawful purpose; the intention of this paragraph is to caution thofe perfons whom it may concern to be on their guard against such infernal practices.

22d.

At a quarterly general meeting of the proprietors of Eaft India ftock, the company was given to understand, by an official letter from the treafury, that they had nothing farther to expect from government for expences they incurred in taking the Manillas; and by another letter, that, as the act which obliges the company to export annually a certain quantity of woollen-cloth, was juft expir. ing, their Lordships intended to apply to parliament for a renewal of it. These advices, as we may well imagine, occafioned very warm debates.

A large caravan of 1500 laden camels, going from Bagdat to Damafcus, was lately plundered near Palmyra by Sheek Tyawr, chief of the Amizy Arabs: 600 Perfians, fome of them perfons of diftin&tion, who accompanied it in their way to Mecca, were likewife ftripped; and it is faid two hundred of these wretched travellers foon after perished with cold. The lofs of this caravan is faid to be very great, and falls heavy on the merchants of Bagdat, Baffora, Damafcus, Aleppo, and Conftantinople.

A petition from the Ame23d. rican merchants was prefented to the King, praying his Majefty to withhold the royal affent from the bills now depending against the trade and fisheries of the Maffa. chufet's Bay, &c.

His Majefty went to the 24th. Houfe of Peers, and gave the royal affent to the following bills, viz.

The bill for punishing mutiny and desertion, and for the better payment of the army and their quarters.

The bill for defraying the charge of the pay and cloathing of the militia.

The bill to continue an act for

allowing the free importation of Irish falted provifions, &c.

And alfo to feveral road, inclofure, and private bills.

His Grace the Duke of

Athol was inftalled Grand 25th.

Master of the most ancient and honourable fraternity of Free and Accepted Mafons, according to the old inftitution.

One of the oldest clerks of the Seal-office was found hanging in the faid office in the Temple. The caufe affigned for his committing this violence on himself, was, a reprimand he lately received from one of his fuperiors, which he could not brook, having been in that office more than forty years, with an irreproachable character.

As one Benjamin Scolfield, of Pudfey, was clearing away fome rubbish from a place on PudleyCommon, called King Alfred's Camp, adjoining to an old cave, he accidentally found the thigh bone of an horfe, in the cavity of which were upwards of one hundred Roman filver coins, many of them of prior date to Julius Cæfar. 26th.

Some thieves, from an adjoining empty house, got in at the garret window of Mr. Fernandez's houfe, in Devonshirefquare, and went into his bedchamber, from whence they carried

off an iron cheft, containing cash, Bank notes, bills of exchange, and jewels, to the amount of 10,000l. and that without giving the least alarm, though there was company at the time below ftairs. How ever, most of the notes, &c. were foon after found in the house of a woman, in St. Mary Axe, who fome time ago was capitally convicted at the Old Bailey; but was pardoned, at the interceffion of her Majesty.

About eight in the even27th.. ing, a fire broke out at a rope warehouse in Narrow-ftreet, Limehoufe, which in five hours deftroyed twenty-seven houfes and two deal yards, together with the furniture, and every thing else on the premises. The flames were fo rapid from the quantity of pitch, tar, rofin, old junk, &c. ftored up in them, that the firemen could not venture near enough to give any effectual help; befides which, there was a great want of water for above an hour after the fire broke out, no body present knowing where the plugs lay, and the tide at that time being out. At length the chafm formed by the flip going down to the horse-ferry happily prevented the flames from fpreading, fo that with the affiftance of feventeen engines, the fire was got under by three in the morning. On this occafion, feveral poor housekeepers loft every thing they were poffeffed of. It is very remarkable, that the fame premises were burnt down about eleven years ago, when more than forty houfes were deftroyed.

Sir George Savile moved for leave to bring in a bill to prevent the circulation of notes for fmall fums in Yorkshire, where there are fome in circulation among the ma.

nufacturers, from 5s. down as low as 6d. to the fhameful abuse of the induftrious poor.

His Majefty went to the 30th. House of Peers, and gave the royal affent to the following bills, viz.

The bill for reftraining the trade of New England, and the fisheries of that colony on the banks of Newfoundland.

The Oxford canal bill.

The Thames navigation bill. The bill for repairing the Newmarket roads.

And alfo to fix other private bills. A motion was made in the House of Commons for leave to bring in a bill to repeal the act 31 Eliz. relative to the erecting and maintain. ing of cottages. This act was made in confequence of a complaint made in thofe days against the engroffing of farms, and enacts, as a means of fapplying the markets with poultry, eggs, butter, &c. that no new cottage fhall be erected, except for the free refidence of the parishpoor, without adding thereto four acres, or more, of land.

The Moors, who, in confequence of their declaration of war against Spain, had laid fiege to Melille, a Spanish fortrefs on the coast of Africa, have entirely raised that fiege, and defired a perpetual peace with Spain. Notwithstanding which, the Emperor of Morocco foon after declared war against the Dey of Algiers, for not affifting him, as the declaration set forth, by attacking Oran, another place belonging to the Spaniards, according to promise.

A fmart fhock of an earthquake has been lately felt at Martinico; and another, along the Barbary coaft. The first deftroyed

the

the fortifications of the island where it happened; the latter, thofe of Oran; and both befides did other confiderable damage. 31ft.

Two gold medals given annually by the Duke of Graf. ton, Chancellor of Cambridge Univerfity, for the encouragement of learning, are this year adjudged to Mr. Hall, of St. John's College, and Mr. Hewet, of Caius.

Letters from Bohemia bring the most afflicting accounts of a revolt among the peasants there, and the Huffites, who have joined them. Thefe revolters, who are divided into several corps, commit many exceffes, and do much damage in the different places they pafs through. They have, among the reft, pillaged the beautiful town of Klumitz, which belongs to count Ferdinand de Kinfky, and would have ferved the castle in the fame manner, if it had not been guarded by four companies of infantry, who drove them away. The manor of the count Browne, and several others, have been very ill ufed by them. This revolt is faid to be occafioned by fome of the peasants being perfuaded, that the fuperior nobility with-hold a patent, written in letters of gold by the Emperor, by which fervitude and the corvees, to which they are fubject towards their lords, are abolished, For this reafon they go from lordfhip to lordship to demand this patent; and, on being refused, plunder and pillage, and carry with them the officers and domeftics belonging to the lords. But thefe commotions were foon appeafed, the court of Vienna having fent five regiments of infantry, with a corps of dragoons and huffars, against the infurgents, great numbers of whom

were furrounded by thefe troops Among thofe that were taken on this occafion, were feveral of the chiefs, who were hanged at Prague. His imperial Majefty, to manifeft his clemency, had previously ordered a general pardon to all that fhould return to their duty, the chiefs only excepted.

We are affured that the Emperor had already refolved to abolish the unlimited fervice of the peasants, and that Count de Collowrath had received orders to make the neceffary regulations for that purpose; but that, the prefent circumftances intervening, a courier was dif patched to that nobleman, with orders to leave every thing in Bohemia on the fame footing.

It has fince appeared, that a plan had been formed in Bohemia to break out in an open revolt against the Lords, and was to have been put in execution the 16th of next month.

DIED lately, viz. the 11th inft. at Newport-Pagnel, Buckinghamfhire, Mr. Mitchell and his wife, with a fon and daughter of theirs, and all within three days of each other.-When fuch odd combina tions of circumstances happen, whether of premature death, fudden death, or long life; extraordinary barrenness or fertility, &c. it is but reasonable to fuppofe that fuch combinations are not owing to chance, but to fome powerful hidden cause. Would not the exploring of this cause be matter of the moit rational entertainment; and the discovering of it, a fource of the greateft utility?

And on the 21ft, was found dead in his bed, at his lodgings in Bullhead-court, Jewin-ftreet, a very old man, who for upwards of twenty

[G] 4

years

years had not fuffered any perfon to go into his room, and till within two days of his death went about in a moft ragged miferable condition. After his death upwards of 50 guineas were found under his pillow, and a good deal of money in other parts of his room: he also had money in the public funds. He died without a will. When he walked out, his appearance being very deplorable, many people offered him money, but he would not accept of any, and generally expreffed great refentment at their kind offers.

APRI L.

The States General have iffued a Proclamation prohibiting the exportation of arms, ammunition, gun-powder, &c. in Dutch or foreign fhips, from any of their dominions, without licence; and a tranflation of it appeared in this evening's Gazette.

Mr. Jefferson and Mrs. Jefferfon, an elderly couple, were both found dead in their beds, at their houfe in Portugal-court, Deptford, with their throats cut in a fhocking manner; fome villians having firft murdered them, and then robbed the house.

By a letter from Philadelphia, a number of veffels belonging to Montego Bay, in Jamaica, which had for fome time paft made it a practice to cut wood on the Ifland of Cuba, were furprized by a Spanish veffel fitted out for that purpofe; and nine floops and fchooners fell

into their hands.

A raven's neft, with five young ones in it, was to be feen, built under one of the windows of the

parifh-church of Yeat, in Somerfetfhire. It was fupported by the bough of a tree faftened to the wall with dirt by these birds.

4th.

The Earl of Bristol attended the levee at St. James's, and refigned all his places under the government.

A turgeon, 7 feet 10 inches long, and weighing I cwt. 3 qrs. 7lb. caught in the river Thames, near Brentford, was fent by the Lord Mayor, as a prefent, to his Majefty.

At a common hall, held at the request of feveral of the 5th. citizens of London, to confider of a remonstrance and petition to the Throne, refpecting the measures in agitation with regard to America, the thanks of the Lord Mayor, &c. were voted to be given to thofe Lords who protested against the bill to prohibit the people of New England from fharing in the Newfoundland fishery, &c. and also to thofe Commoners who voted against the fame; and to feveral other lords and gentlemen, who diftinguished themselves in oppofition to these bills.

A leafe, for twenty-one years, of the place of one of the fifteen Sea Coal Meters of London, was fold at Guildhall to Mr. Tomkins for 60501. So that the fale of this place may be reckoned to be worth to the city upwards of 4000l. per annum, one year with another; a fine fund, alone, for acts of magnificence and charity!

At a grand rout given at

the Manfion Houfe, it is com- 7th. puted the company amounted to

near

one thousand perfons; many of them perfons of the first rank of both fexes; who all expreffed the greatest fatisfaction at

the

the uncommon regularity and elegance of the entertainment.In the Egyptian hall, where the company dined, was a beautiful piece of painting, reprefenting the triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne, or love united with wine. In the ball room, an emblematical painting at the top exhibited to the eye a landfcape of rural felicity, the charming nymphs and fwains tripping over the green, and feeming to invite thofe below to the fprightly dance. The lamps were illuminated in a new tafte, and by the variety of their colours, difpofed in wreaths upon the pilafters, in imitation of the orders of architecture, had a moft pleasing effect. To crown the whole, many of Mr. Cox's pieces of mechanifm, from the Museum, all in full tune, continued their mufical movements, during the greatest part of the dinner.

The city marshals have received orders from the Lord Mayor to attend every market-day at Smithfield, to prevent, as much as poffible, all iniquitous practices there; and particularly all barbarous treatment of the cattle brought there for fale; and, if they find any offending, to take them into cuftody.

fideration, and to make provision for fettling the faid palace upon her Majefty, and for appropriating Somerfet-houfe to fuch ufes as fhall be found moft beneficial to the public."

Addreffes, upon this, were immediately moved for, to thank his Majefty for his moft gracious meffage, and to affure him that the contents should be taken into confideration.

They write from Montalto di Caftro, in the Diocese of Rome, that a fire broke out a few nights ago in a wooden cabbin, wherein about two hundred labourers flept, in the Pontifical Morafs. Twentyfive of the poor wretches were burnt to afhes; and, of feven more taken out half dead and fenfeless, two foon expired. Several others were terribly burnt and maimed. The flames were fuppofed to be occafioned by fome fparks from the fire, which it is ufual to keep in the middle of fuch fort of cabbins, to preferve the poor tenants of them from the bad air.

Agi Ofman Pacha, grand9th. fon of Topal Ofman Pacha, was ftrangled as he was making his entry at Negropont, of which he was appointed governor. To prevent any disturbance, the Janiffary Aga of the place, who was charged with this commiffion by the Grand Signor, had the precaution to fhut the gates of the fortrefs, whilst he was on the bridge, and to tell the troops who preceded him, and those that followed him, that the bridge was broke. At the fame time notice was given to the Pacha, who had then only ten or twelve people with him, that he muft go into the little castle next the bridge, to fettle his ac

counts