CHRONICLE. JANUARY. BE EING new year's day, was obferved at court as ufual. Particularly the forty boys, educated for the fea, in mathematics, &c. in Chrift hofpital, were, according to annual custom, prefented to his Majefty by their prefident. In the year 1680 a regular eftimate was made of the annual amount of the poor rates in England, which was 665,3621. and the last year, 1774, it was 3,000,000l. It appears by an exact calculation, that 94,000 head of black cattle, and about 800,000 sheep and lambs, were fold in Smithfieldmarket during the courfe of laft year. In the fame period, 3720 veffels were cleared from the port of Newcaftle, coaftwife; and 386, overfea; making in all 4106. The neat duties received at the Custom-house of Dublin, for goods imported and exported there, from the 3d of January 1774, to the 3d of January of this year, 1775, both days included, amounted to 360, 2601, of which 352,3091. was on goods imported, and 2,9511, on goods exported. VOL. XVIII. 1775. About feven o'clock a fhock 4th. of an earthquake was felt at Leghorn, and another about eleven o'clock; but happily neither of them did any damage. The difference between the height of the liquor in the thermometer this morning and the 2d, was above fix degrees and a half; which is a more remarkable change in the temperature of the atmosphere, than has happened in fo fhort a time for many years past. The Earl of Dartmouth, by the king's orders, wrote a circular letter to the governors of his majefty's colonies in America, requiring them to ufe their utmost endeavours to prevent the holding of any more congreffes. But, confidering the nature of the unhappy quarrel between the mother country and thefe [F] colonies, colonies, the confequences of thefe orders, if any, and indeed every other circumstance relating to this quarrel, must be too interefting not to deferve an able pen, and a more confpicuous place in this work than the prefent. Accordingly, the reader may expect to find all these particulars in the historical part of it. town for their reception between Kerch and Janicale. The houfe of Mrs. Staples, a widow Lady at Reading, in 5th. Berkshire, was, during her abfence to drink tea in the neighbourhood, broke open, and robbed of effects to the amount of 700l. the maidfervant being gone to fee a puppetfhow. 6th. Though twelfth-day, there was no court or drawingroom. But the Right Hon. the Earl of Hertford, Lord Chamberlain to his Majefty's household, made the ufual offering at the chapel royal, in the absence of their Majefties. A plan is agreed on for building on the ground belonging to the Temple, which has been taken from the river, a range of buildings like the front of the Adelphi, with a commodious terrace-walk next the river. A boat was overfet coming up the river, below Cuckold's point, by which accident five paffengers, and the waterman, were drowned. None of thefe unhappy perfons would, in all probability, have perifhed, had they been in cork jackets. But, as the lugging about of cork jackets, and even the bare putting of them on, would prove too troublefome to people not conftantly ufing the water, what fhould hinder the watermen from provid. ing themfelves with cork belts, and cork collars, for their occafional paffengers, who might hold thefe A woman applied to a refol things in their hands, till there was ver of lawful queftions, in a 7th. eccafion to use them, and then flip court in Fleet-freet, to be fatisfied them on in the twinkling of an in relation to fome future events; eye? Perhaps, a fmall premium but, while poor Albumazer was conto the first waterman who fhould fulting the ftars in his chamber in adopt this practice would in a fhort order to refolve her doubts, he seems time introduce it; and then their to have been entirely ignorant of own intereft would foon render it his own prefent fortune; for fome univerfal. Beides, they might be thieves (fuppofed to be the enquirer's allowed a reafonable recompence confederates) stripped his other afor the use of thefe prefervatives.partments of every thing that was Mr. Brower, print cutter, near conveniently portable. Alderfgate-freet, was attacked on the road to Enfield by a fingle highwayman, whom he recollected to be a tradefiman in the city; he accordingly called him by his name, whenthe robber hot himfelfthrough the head. The Chriftians in the Crimea are fled to the Ruffians, and the empress has given orders to build a large 9 Two ferjeants of the Surry militia, and two other men, 9th. in coming from Kingfton towards London, meeting a fifh-man of about 70, with part of a field-gate on his back, afked him if he came honeftly by it; and, on his feeming confufed, one of them attempted to fecure him; but, before he could effact it, the fellow pulled out a large knife knife, and ftabbed him in the breaft, who immediately cried out he had received his death's wound; then, the others endeavouring to fecure him, he ftabbed a fecond in the belly, a third in the arm, and the fourth in the groin. At length, feveral people coming up, he was overpowered, and conducted to the New Gaol. One of them died the next morning, and two of the others foon after. Of fuch fatal efficacy is any weapon in defperate hands against naked, though far fuperior ftrength and numbers! Laft week her Majefty received a prefent of fable skins from the Emprefs of Ruffia, which are faid to be the grandest ever feen in England. An order has lately been iffued at Hamburgh, to prevent the merchants of that republic, from fupplying the piratical ftates of Barbary with cannon and other warlike ftores. Six Criminals were exeroth. cuted at Tyburn; four for houfe breaking; one for ftealing a bank-note out of a letter in the general post-office; and one for ftealing money and bank-notes in a houfe in the Tower. The criminal executed for ftealing the bank-note, confeffed to the ftealing of three more. He, who fuffered for the theft in the Tower, had been formerly capitally condemned for another crime; but being pardoned on condition of transportation, unhappily for himself, broke jail before he could be shipped off; and took to his old courfes again. A well-dreffed man knocked at a millener's in Pallmall, under pretence of wanting fome ruffles; and being let in by the mistress, immediately locked the door on the infide, pulled out a pistol, and with horrid imprecations threatened to destroy her if the fpoke a word; he then tied a bandage over her eyes, bound her, and tripped the fhop of near 801. worth of lace and linen. The keeper of an ale- 11th. houfe in Bishopfgate ward, was complained of before the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor, at Guildhall, for harbouring the watchmen of that ward during their hours of duty; and, being convicted upon the ftatute of the 21ft of King James, for fuffering tipling in his houfe, paid the penalty of ten fhillings, befides being difabled by the fame ftatute from keeping an ale-houfe for the face of three years. Last week a ferge-maker, on the information of one of his poor weavers, before two of his Majefty's Juftices of the Peace, being con. victed of paying a woman her wages, not in money, but by note, was fined for the fame, pursuant to feveral ftatutes made for the relief of the woollen manufacturers. 16th. The feffions ended at the Old Bailey; when the court paffed fentence of death on eight convicts; fentence of tranfportation for feven years, on forty-three; and for 14 years, on three more. Three were ordered to be branded in the hand, and four to be privately whipt. And on the 15th of February, four of the capital convicts were executed at Tyburn. The fifth was pardoned on condition of transportation for his natural life. One of thofe who fuffered, was for robbing a farmer's boy of fix-pence. [F] 2 Being 18th. Being obferved as her Majesty's birth-day, the court at St. James's was exceedingly numerous and fplendid. The Lord Mayor has at length eftablished the juft forms of proceeding in all caufes before the court of Aldermen. A few days fince a moft daring robbery was committed by nine men, in difguife, in the dwellinghoufe of Mr. Liney, at Fyfield, near Marlborough. After getting in at the window, one of them went to the bed where Mr. and Mrs. Liney were, and held a pistol to the former's head, threatning his life, if he stirred, while the others commanded Mrs. Liney to fhew them where their money was; which being done, they took upwards of fifty pounds in cafh, fome teafpoons and other valuable effects, the buckles from Mrs. Liney's fhoes, and eight pounds from the maid-fervant; after this they made a fire, and regaled themfelves with bread, cheese, ftrong beer, &c. They then defired Mrs. Liney to fay, if any perfon elfe came to rob the houfe, that George had been there;' and commanded her to go to bed, fwearing if the family did not lie in bed till'nine o'clock, they would kill them before they were nine days older. The King of France, in one of the councils lately held in his prefence, determined, that for the future the punishment of deferters fhould not be death; but to work, as flaves, on the public roads. The following is a complete lift of the Emperor of Morocco's navy; at Laracha, two frigates of 30 guns, and 200 men, each; three, of 24 guns, and 150 men, each; two, of 20 guns, and 130 men, each; and one galliot of 22 oars, 12 guns, and 90 men, all ready to put to fea. At Tetuan, two xebecs of 30 oars, 20 guns, and 200 men, each. One galliot of 32 oars, 16 guns, and 100 men; three, of 24 oars, 10 guns, and 90 men, each; and one of 16 oars, 8 guns, and 70 men; all ready for failing. There are alfo ready for launching, one xebec of 26 oars, pierced for 16 guns; and two galliots of 22 oars, pierced for 12 guns, each. At Sallee, one veffel of 24 guns, and 180 men. One xebec of 20 oars, 18 guns, and 120 men; and three galliots of 30 oars, 10 guns, 130 men each, ready to be launched. At Tangier, one galliot of 36 oars, 20 guns, and 160 men, befides feveral others, very forward, on the stocks.. The court of Peterburgh has confented to the Grand Signior's fending the inveftiture of the fword and aigrette, as caliph, to the Khan of the Tartars, who is, notwithftanding, to be entirely independent in his temporal concerns. The Grand Signior has conferred the titles of Prince of Moldavia, and cabinet counsellor, on the drugoman of the Porté, who attended the Reis Effendi in this negociation. Turnbull's and Latimer's inftrument for taking the diftance of the moon from the fun, was tried and proved upon Gateshead Fell, near Newcastle, by Mr. William Hope, an experienced mariner, who de"clared, that by means of that inftrument, the longitude may be determined at fea, as often as fuch an obfervation can be made, with the greateft exactness, an A hackney coachman was fummoned before the Lord Mayor for grofsly abufing a lady, and violently fhoving the coach-door a gainft her, as fhe was getting in, because there were already four in the coach; and for then refufing to carry them. The Lord Mayor told the coachman, that, according to law, he had a right, before the lady got in, to infift upon fixpence more than the fare for the fifth perfon; but, as he made no fuch agree. ment, he was obliged to drive them where he was ordered; that the fine for his offence, was 20s. but he fhould this time pay only ten; at the fame time his lord fhip cautioned him, not to be guilty again of the like offence, as if he did, he fhould pay the whole fine. The rebel Pugatfchef, Zift. who had a long time maintained a rebellion in the extreme parts of Ruffia, was executed at Mofcow, when, by a mistake, his head was firft fevered from his body, and then his hands and feet; thefe were then fhewn to the fpectators, and afterwards his head. He fuffered with undaunted refolu. tion, as did likewife three others, companions in his treafon. It is generally believed the executioner will lofe his tongue for mistaking his orders, and cutting off the rebel's head, before he cut off his limbs. Pugatfchef was thus punished, merely for the murders, robberies, and devaftations committed by him and his followers; the Emprefs of Ruffia having previously remitted the crime of treafon against herfelf. The canal between Chefter and the Aquedu&t-bridge, near Huxley-mill, is now open, and a veffel of 70 tons, with coals, &c. went up it the 16th inft. Sir William Browne having di rected his executors to procure a die for annually ftriking off two medals of gold, of five guineas value each, to be fent to the Vicechancellor of Cambridge about the beginning of January, to be given by him, at the following commencement, to two under-graduates, one for the best Greek ode in imitation of Sappho, the other for the best Latin ode in imitation of Horace, on a fubject to be appointed by the Vice-chancellor; alfo one other gold medal, of like value, to be given by him to the under-graduate who fhall produce the best Greek epigram after the model of the Anthologia, and the beft Latin epigram after the model of Martial: the Deputy Vicechancellor has appointed for the fubject of the odes for the prefent year, In memoriam Gulielmi Brown, equitis, M. D. And of the Epigrams, De præmiorum ad doctrinam promovendum utilitate. By his majefty's order in council of this date, a former 23d. order of the 28th of October laft (directing that no horned cattle, nor any hides, fkins, horns, hoofs, or other part of any horned cattle or beaft, nor any hay, ftraw, litter, fodder, or other things which have been employed about infected cattle, or the hides, or any other part of fuch cattle, or have been in or near the places where any fuch infection hath been, and are liable to retain the fame, fhould be imported from any ports or other places on the coaft of France, within the diftricts of Picardie, Normandie, Bretagne, Poitou, Guienne, and Gafcoine, into Great-Britain, or Ireland, or any of the dominions thereto belonging) is extended to Languedoc and Provence, in con [F] 3 fequence |