land fervice under her fon, general Wolfe. Robert North, efq; has, amongst feveral other legacies for pious purpofes, left one of 350l. to the fociety for promoting chriftian knowledge. In a hut, at Wrington, Somersetfhire, lives William Hobbs, who has now paffed his 106th year, strong and lufty, a ftranger to pain and weariness, the common concomitants of longevity. And what is more remarkable of this man, is, that he has lately cut two teeth, as white as thofe of an infant, and it is imagined he is now breeding more. There is likewife living in Norway, one Christian Jacobsen Drakenberg, who was born therein in the year 1626, and spent his life in the fea fervice, part of it on board the British navy in queen Anne's wars, but the greatest part in the fervice of the king of Denmark. His health is ftill good; bis faculties are very frong; and the knowledge and experience he has gained, during fuch an amaz. ing feries of years, spent in active life, and accompanied with various turns of fortune, caufe him to be much careffed by people of diftinc tion there. Died lately. Mary Wilkinfon, who for fome years paft made it her bufinefs to pick up rags in the Atreets, yet left 3001. In Kent-ftreet, Southwark, John Cornwall, aged 91, known by the name of the Cripple of Kent; who, though a common beggar for more than 60 years laft paft, left a wo man, whom he called his wife, upward of 400 guineas in gold, and a confiderable fum in filver. At Farbuck, in Lancashire, Mr. Glover, aged 104. 4 SEPTEMBER. The prince of Afturias was efpoufed at St. Ildefonfo to the 4th. princefs Louifa of Parma. 5the The collection for the fons of the clergy at Newcastle, a mounted to 305 l. 6s. 4d. By a letter from Dunkirk, received yesterday, we learn, 7th. that the demolition of the jettees of the channel of Dunkirk, was begun the 2d inftant. Lon. Gaz. The ftone-work of the fixth pier of Black-friars bridge was finished. Exclufive of the greateft part of the first courfe carried by the caif foon when placed for this pier, the whole has been done in feventeen working days, and stands in fixteen feet water at low water mark. Six months and a week were employed in building the laft. This morning their royal and 9th. ferene highneffes the duke of York, and the hereditary prince and princess of Brunfwick, landed from Holland at Harwich; from whence the duke of York came to London the fame day. The next evening at eight the prince and princefs of Brunswick arrived at the queen's palace, where they were received by their majefties, the princefs dowager of Wales, and others of the royal family. After ftaying about an hour at the palace, their highneffes went to the apart ments lately poffeffed by the duke of Cumberland, at St. James's where they fupped, in company with her royal highness the princefs dowager, the dukes of York and Gloucefter, and others of the royal family. About one o'clock in the morning a dreadful fire broke Toth. out out at a linen-draper's near Sadlershall, Cheapfide, which entirely confumed it and two other houfes in front, all likewife linen-drapers; and then spreading with inconceivable rapidity backwards and forwards, deftroyed two dwelling houfes, and feveral warehouses; and burnt as far as the Halfmoon tavern, which happily escaped. This fire is faid to have been occafioned by a young man's falling afleep in the compting-houfe, with a lighted candle by him; at leaft, a young man, who happened to be in the compting-house, with a lighted candle by him, when it broke out, unfortunately perished in the flames. haberdasher in Grace-church ftreet, executors of Jennix Dry, efq; deceafed, paid to the treasurers of the five following hofpitals, viz. St. Thomas's, St. Bartholomew's, Bethlem, St. Luke's, the London, and the London workhouse, 840 1. a piece; which, with 2000 1. a piece before paid them, make 17,0401. and is in full of the refidue of the teftator's perfonal eftate, bequeathed to the faid hospitals and workhoufe, except 1001. Old S. Sea Ann. vefted in truft during the life of a widow gentlewoman, 70 years of age. Ended the feffions at the Old Bailey. At this feffions nine 24th. criminals received fentence of death; James Grief, a thief-taker, and another man, for the murder of Mr. John Smith, a clerk of the bank; a fervant girl, for the murder of her baftard child; two men and two women, for thefts; a woman for forgery, and one for highway robbery, received fentence of death; two to be tranfported for 14 years; 27 for 7 years; one to be whipped; and two were branded. The murderers were executed as ufual; and in about a fortnight after the highway robber, and one of the men convicted for theft. A fingle pea, planted this year in a garden at High- 30th. Wycomb, Bucks, produced 516 pods, containing 1236 peas. The branches of this plant, when in bloom, measured upwards of four yards in circumference. At Frome, in Somersetshire, John Bowles, efq; having planted nine grains of wheat laft October, obtained from them hundred ears, containing 3658 grains. one At Namptwich, in Cheshire, Mr. Mr. Samuel Jackson of that place, had, this year, a crop of oats, of about eight ftatute acres, which were fix feet high and upwards. It is fuppofed, that almost every grain produced eleven or twelve ftems, and that most of the ftems produced about two hundred and eighty grains, the razoms or ears being covered eighteen inches long; and though it is common for one chaff to contain two grains, it is very remarkable, that, in this crop, one chaff frequently contained three, the leaft of which had a good kernel in it. Upon threshing and winnowing a thrave, or twenty-four fheaves, the produce was feven measures of fine marketable corn, and half a meafure of light corn, thirty-fix quarts to the measure. The above were Dutch oats, and had been fown but once in this kingdom. A gardener near Fulham lately cut out of his ground an extraordinary large pumpkin; the circumference of it being upwards of fix feet, and the weight above eighty pounds. The cavity of it, when the pulp was taken out, contained fifteen gallons. The ftupendous cliffs to the fouth-west of the great island of Arran, in the mouth of the bay of Galway in Ireland, which, from time immemorial, have been the place of refort, or rather the natural habitation of fuch numbers of rock birds or puffins, as is almoft incredible, were at once deferted by them, on the 24th of June laft, though their nefts were full of eggs, and have not fince been revifited by any of them. This event is faid to have been foretold, or the like, at leaft, to have happened, about forty years ago. VOL. VIII. Samples of velvet, lately brought to town from the manufactory at Exeter, have been found equal in goodness to any made at Genoa. A fine whole length picture of lord chief juftice Pratt, now lord Camden, has been put up near the court of Huftings, in Guild hall, with the following infcrip tion under it. Hanc Iconem In Curia Municipali Nono Kal. M. A. D. MDCCLXIV: The price of milk has been rai. fed in London, fince Michaelmas. day laft, from three halfpence to two pence a quart; which, along with the lowering of it by water, and the felling of it in fhort meafures, feems to deferve, confidering the great ufefulness of that article, especially for the bringing up of children, the most ferious attention of the legislature, next to the adulteration of it; all abuses, at this time, there is great reason to think, but too prevalent. Thomas Scot, a peruke-maker of York, lately rode his own horse from that city to London in 32 fucceffive hours and 40 minutes, being 192 miles. James Hardy and William Bennet, confined for felony in Newgate, lately broke, though loaded with irons, through the floor of their apartment into the cellar, and from thence made their efcape into the Old Bailey-yard [K] and and got clear off, carrying their irons with them. A golden cup of antique form, and curious workmanship, was lately difcovered under the ruins of king John's palace in Shoreditch, fuppofed to have been made ufe of by that monarch. On the opening of Drury lane play-house for the enfuing winter, the audience were agreeably furprized to see the ftage illuminated in a clear and strong manner, without the affiftance of the rings hitherto ufed for that purpofe. This is done by the difpofition of lights behind the fcenes, which caft a reflection forwards, exactly refembling fun-fhine, greatly to the advantage of the performers, but more to that of the fpectators, who have now no longer the air they breathe tainted by the noxious fmoke of between two and three hundred tallow candles, nor their fight obftructed by them and the rings fupporting them. The French theatre has been long illuminated without thefe offenfive rings, though not to that perfection attained by Mr. Garrick, who, however, is fuppofed to have taken the hint from it. About this time last year, a gentleman or two, upon a river in the neighbourhood of Newcastle, being in great want of pitmen, endeavoured to obtain thefe ufeful men by tempting them with extraordinary binding money for one year, as far as two three, and even four guineas, inftead of one fhilling, which was heretofore all they ufed to get. This encouragement made the men in the other collieries work with great reluctance all the year; and, as the time was approaching when the above-men 2 tioned gentlemen would be again in want, it was natural for the feveral coal-owners on the Tyne and Weare to confider of fome method to prevent fuch proceedings for the future. They, therefore, had a meeting, at which it was agreed, that no coal-owner fhould hire another's men, unless they produced a certificate of leave from their laft mafter; and, as no coal-owner would grant fuch a certificate, it was by the pitmen called a binding during the will of the mafter; and was, confequently, a fpecies of flavery not to be endured in a free country. This notion fpreading like wild. fire, on or about the 14th of Auguft laft, all the pitmen on the two rivers left off work, and have continued fo ever fince, notwithftanding the coal-owners have repeatedly declared they had no intention of hindering them from hiring with whom they pleased, and earnestly exhorted them to return to their work till the expiration of their bonds, at which time they fhould have a regular difcharge in writing, if required. But the pitmen, made fenfible of their importance, in order to be revenged of their employers, rofe in their demands, as often as any new propofal was made to them; fo that though they in general earn from 12 to 14s. a week, they in one colliery infifted upon an advance of wages equal to 75 per cent. But the grand article they latterly infifted on, was, that all their bonds be given up, though fome of them have till Chriftmas to go; which demand the coal-owners determined not to agree to; for they have always avoided binding too many at one time, left it should be in their power power to distress the trade, by re- tions, not only the pitmen of the fufing to work till their demands were fatisfied. Other accounts reprefent this affair in a different light. But all feem to agree in charging the coalowners, in general, with very harsh ufage towards the pitmen, whom, it feems, they have made a custom to bind but for 11 months and 15 days, to prevent their obtaining a fettlement, though this year they attempted to keep them at work for 14 months. But whatever the caufes of this difagreement might have been, the confequences of it had like to have proved fatal to that trade, fo ufeful to the kingdom. The pit men on the Tyne and the Weare, burnt and otherwife deftroyed the utenfils of many coal-pits, fet fire to the coals both above and below ground, and broke up the coalways, notwithstanding the vigilance of the foldiers placed there to prevent them; in confequence of which, the waggons were ftopt, the keels laid by, upwards of fix hundred hips kept idle at New caftle and Sunderland, and 100,000 men out of bread in Newcastle, Sunderland, and London, from near the middle of Auguft laft to the end of this month; when the difference between the pitmen and their employers was happily compromifed, and coals fell in the port of London to 32s. per chaldron. As we cannot help confidering thofe, who are best friends to the working poor, as beft friends to the public, of whom, indeed, the working poor conftitute the greateft part, befides fupporting the reft, we think it our duty to take notice, that, during thofe commo Hartley colliery, in the county of Northumberland, belonging to Thomas Delavall, efq; continued peaceably at their work, on account of his humane treatment; but even the difcontented pitmen at other places were not only continually fending him affurances of their being fo fatisfied with his behaviour to his own people, that the faid colliery fhould not be molested, but great numbers of them ftrove who fhould be foremoft to enter into his fervice. The reverend Mr. Dingwell, an eminent mathematician in Scot-. land, has lately invented a fet of aftronomical tables calculated for discovering the variation of the compafs in any latitude; a difcovery, next to that of the longitude, of the greateft confequence to na vigation. A very profitable pearl fishery, after being neglected fixty years, was revived this fummer in the river Spey, in Scotland; for, tho' moft of the country people, who applied to it, earned about fix guineas apiece, the adventurers, who are from London, are faid to have made, proportionably, a great deal more by it. The exceffive heat felt in Bran denburgh, during the prefent dogdays, having made the inhabitants very anxious to find out precau→ tions againft the fatal effects of be ing bit by mad dogs, M. de Sydow, of Stolzefelde, near Soldin, has communicated the following easy remedy, by which ten perfons, above one hundred head of cattle, and fome dogs and pigs, bitten by mad dogs, have been cared. It is the Matrifylva, well known in the fhops. The patient may take as [K] 2 much |