one, and not exceeding two poft ftages, the fum of 2d. and other letters in proportion; but these regulations are not to extend to the penny-poft. The rates of postage between England and Ireland, thro' Carlifle, Dumfries, Port Patrick, and Donaghadee, or other convenient ports, repeal fo much of the act of 9 Anne, as directs the postage between Port Patrick and Donaghadee to be paid where the letters are delivered. To prevent difputes, poft roads may be measured by perfons appointed by the post-mafter general for the time being; and a return is to be made thereof upon oath, and entered in the three chief poft-offices in Great Britain or Ireland, and the chief offices in America: fair furveys also are to be made out, and depofited in, the respective offices, figned by the perfons making the fame, and attested upon oath and certified by the poft-mafter general or his deputies. Moreover, on fufpicion of error, new furveys may be made out, according to which poftage is to be charged. Power is likewife hereby given to fettle penny-poft offices, where convenient, in any city or town, and the fuburbs thereof, and places adjacent, within the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, and the British dominions in America. Where fuch offices are established, no perfon may collect the letters without being duly licensed. Letters, &c. brought by the inland, or foreign poft, to the London office, and directed beyond the department of the general poft, but within the delivery of the penny-poft, may be fent by the penny-poft, and charged accordingly: and, from and after July 5, 1765, no packet exceeding 4 ounces (except thofe fent by the general poft, &c.) may be fent by the penny-poft. From July 5, 1765, the fame rates of postage are to take place between London and Hamburgh, as between London and Germany; and the postage of letters to be fent out of Great Britain, may, if deemed neceffary, be demanded upon their being put into the office. The penalty of any officer of the poft-office fecreting or embezzling any letter with any bank bill or note, &c. therein, or taking out any fuch note or bill, is felony; and the penalty of robbing mails is felony; and the penalty of any officer, &c. embezzling or mifapplying the postage money received by him, or destroying any letter or packet, or advancing the rates, and not accounting for the fame, is also felony. The poft-boy quitting or deferting the mail, or fuffering any per. fon, (except the guard) to ride on the horfe or carriage, or loitering on the road, &c. is to be committed to hard labour, and unlawfully collecting, conveying, or delivering letters or packets, he forfeits 10s. for every letter, &c. and if not paid forthwith, he is to be committed to hard labour. The claufes, &c. in the act of 9 Anne, or in any other a& touching the general or penny. poft office, not hereby altered or repealed, are extended to this act. The rates and pecuniary penal ties ties are to be deemed fterling money. The clerk of the parliaments, and clerk of the house of commons, are impowered to send and receive letters free of postage. Privileges of ambassadors and their fervants, as to their debts, by the laws of England. TN refpect to civil fuits, all the foreign jurifts agree, that neither an ambassador, nor any of his train, comites, can be profecuted for any debt or contract in the courts of that kingdom wherein he is fent to refide: yet Sir Ed ward Coke maintains, that, if an ambaffador make a contract which is good jure gentium, he fhall anfwer for it here. And the truth is, we find no traces in our law books of allowing any privileges to ambaffadors or their domestics, even in civil fuits, previous to the reign of queen Anne; when an ambaffa dor from Peter the Great, Czar of Muscovy, was actually arrefted and taken out of his coach, in London, in 1708, for debts which he had there contracted. This the Czar refented very highly, and demanded (we are told) that the officers who made the arreft fhould be punished with death; but the queen (to the amazement of that defpotic court) directed her miniftry to inform him, that the law of England had not yet protected ambaffadors from the payment of their lawful debts; and that therefore the arreft was no offence by the laws; and that fhe could inflict no punishment upon any, the meanest of her subjects, VOL. VIII. unless warranted by the laws of the landi To fatisfy, however; the clamours of the foreign minifters (who made it a common caufe) as well as to appease the wrath of Peter, a new ftatute, viz. Anne, chap. 12. (a copy of which, very elegantly engroffed and illumined, was ed, was fent to Mofcow as prefent) was enacted by parliament, reciting the arreft which had been made, in contempt of the protection granted by her majefty, contrary to the law of nations, and in prejudice of the rights and privileges which ambaffadors and other public minifters have at all times been thereby poffeffed of, and ought to be kept facred and inviolable." Where fore it enacts, that for the future all process whereby the perfon of any ambassador, or his domestic fervant, may be arrested, or his goods diftrained or feized, fhall be utterly null and void; and the perfons profecuting fuch procefs, fhall be deemed violators of the law of nations, and difturbers of the public repofe; and fhall fuffer fuch penalties and corporal punishment as the lord chancellor and the two chief juftices, or any two of them, fhall think fit. But it is exprefsly provided, that no trader, within the defcription of the bankrupt laws, who fhall be in the fervice of any ambassador, fhall be privileged or protected by this act; nor fhall any one be punished for arrefting an ambaffador's fervant, unlefs his name be registered with the fecretary of flate, and by him tranfmitted to the fheriffs of London and Middlefex; exceptions, that are ftri&ly conformable to the [0] rights rights of ambaffadors, as obferved in the most civilized countries: and, in confequence of this ftatute, thus enforcing the law of nations, these privileges are now ufually allowed in the courts of common law, Black. Com. 247., The courts of common law have come to the following refolutions, upon application, on faid act. " That it is not neceffary that the party fhould live in the ambaffador's house. 2 Stra. 2 R. Raym. 1524. Fitzgib. 200, pl. 12. When the party comes for benefit of the act, it is not enough that he be registered in the fecretary's office as a fervant: but muft fhew the nature of his fervice, that the court may judge whether he be a domeftic fervant within the meaning of the act of parliament. Fitzgib. 200, pl. 12. 2 Stra. 797. A trader, an annuitant, a juftice of peace, a menial fervant, an hired clerk, a person who receives no wages, a courier, a meffenger, a land-waiter at the custom-house, denied the benefit of the act. Fitzgib. 200, pl. 12. 2 Stra. 797. Pract Reg. C. P. 14. Barnes's Notes, C. P. 264. 271. Rep. & Caf. Pract. C. P. 65. 134. 272. Barnard. K. B. 401. MSS. Rep. K. B. Mich. 31 G. II. 1775. Masters and Manby. *George Lambert to be the first prefident, Francis Hayman to be the first vice-prefident, Richard Dalton to be the first treasurer, Francis Milner Newton to be the firft fecretary, and James M'Ardell, George Barret, William Chambers, William Collins, Francis Cotes, Charles Grignion, John Gwynn, Nathaniel Hone, Jeremiah Meyer, George Michael Mofer, James Payne, Edward Penny, Edward Rooker, Paul Sandby, Chriftopher Seaton, William Tyler, Samuel Wale, Richard Willin, Jofeph Wilton, and Richard Yeo, perfons to be named with the above four. for for life, or years, or otherwife, and likewife authority to hold and enjoy lands, &c. which may be deviied, granted, or fold to the faid fociety; and alfo to purchase, hold, and poffefs, in mortmain, in perpetuity, or otherwife, to them, or in truft for them, and their fucceffors, for the use and benefit of the faid corporation, from any perfon or perfons, bodies politic or corporate, or otherwife, not exceeding the yearly value of 1000l. over and above all charges and reprizes, and to fell, grant, demife, and difpofe of the fame for lives or years. Claufe. And to be able to fue and be fued, as other bodies politic or corporate in Great Britain. Common feal as before delivered. With liberty to break, alter, or change the fame, from time to time, as they shall think fit. Claufe. Directors to confit of twenty-four perfons, whereof the prefident, vice-prefident, treasurer, and fecretary to be four; and that all perfons who, within fix months from the date hereof, fhall be chofen fellows by the firft prefident, vice-prefident, and directors, therein after named, and in all times after the faid fix months, by the prefident, vice-prefident, directors, and fellows of the faid body corporate, for the time being, fhall be fellows of the faid fociety, and fo called during life, except by the statutes of the faid fociety removed. Claufe. And for the better execution of this grant, we do nominate, conftitute, and appoint George Lambert, &c. as before delivered, until the feaft of St. Luke next after the expiration of one year from the date hereof, and from thence till other fit and able perfons be chosen into their faid feveral offices and rooms. Provifo. That the prefident, vice-prefident, treasurer, fecretary, and the rest of the directors, be either painters, fculptors, architects, or engravers by profeffion; and that all perfons to be appointed directors, fhall aid, advise, and affift in the bufinefs of the faid corporation. Further claufe. Liberty to the faid corporation to hold meetings of themselves for the better im- . provement of the faid arts, &c. as often as it fhall be neceffary, within the city of London, or ten miles thereof. Claufe. And that it fhall be lawful for the faid fociety, from time to time, to nominate and choose, once in every year, fit and able perfons, being members thereof, to be prefident, vice prefident, treasurer, fecretary, and directors, to continue feverally until St. Luke's day, next after the expiration of one year from the time of their respective elections, if they fhall fo long live, or not be removed for juft caufe, and from thence till another be chofen. And in cafe of the death, or removal, of the prefident, vice prefident, treasurer, or fecretary, and directors, to choose able perfons to fill up fuch office; and the perfon or perfons fo chofen, to continue till the expiration of one year, for which the faid directors fhall be then chofen. Claufe. And in cafe of the abfence of the prefident and viceprefident, upon any day upon [0] 2 which which a meeting of the fociety had been before appointed, then it fhall be lawful for the directors, then and there affembled, being of the number of fixteen or more, to elect among themselves a perfon to be vice-prefident for that meeting only; which vice-prefident, fo elected, fhall have the fame authority, in all refpects, as if the prefident or vice-president were actually prefent. And if it shall happen, that the election of the prefident, or other officers, cannot be perfected on the feaft of St. Luke, that they may appoint any other day near the faid feaft of St. Luke for the perfecting thereof, which fhall always be by ballot, and fo from day to day till completed. Further claufe. Liberty to the faid prefident, &c. to affemble together in London, or ten miles thereof, as the prefident shall appoint, by fummons, or notice, which he is hereby empowered timely to iffue for that purpose; and, when met, fhall have power to make ftatutes, bye laws, and ordinances, neceffary and expedient for the government of the faid fociety and every member thereof, which ftatutes, &c. not being repugnant to the laws and ftatutes of this realm, fhall be effectually obferved and kept; and to do all other things concerning the revenues thereof. Provifo. No bye-law, ftatute, or ordinance, fo made by them, fhall be binding upon the faid fociety, until the fame fhall have been read over and approved of by the majority of the prefident, vice-prefident, directors, and fellows, affembled together for that purpose. Some account of the nuptials of the prince of Afturias with the infanta Louifa of Parma: and of the archduke Leopold of Auftria with the infanta Maria Louija of Spain. N the 3d of July 1765, in the evening, the princess Donna Louifa, infanta of Parma, future spouse of the prince of Afturias, made her entry into the city of Genoa with a very numerous fuite, and escorted by a company of the duke of Parma's horfe guards. As foon as the paffed the firft gate of the fuburbs, fhe was faluted by 101 pieces of cannon; and when the appeared in fight of the port, by his majesty's fhip the Centurion, commodore Harrison, and the Guadaloupe, the honourable captain Ruthven, each with twenty-one guns. The same evening the princefs received the republic's deputation of fix gentlemen and fix ladies; and the next day she was complimented by almost all the nobility of both fexes. On the 5th, in the evening, the princess took an airing on the fea with two of the republic's gallies; and on paffing by his majesty's fhips Centurion and Guadaloupe, was faluted with twenty-one guns from each ship. On the 17th, about three in the afternoon, the Spanish fquadron, with the infanta Maria Louifa of Spain, future spouse of the archduke Leopold of Austria, entered the port of the fame city, under the discharge of twenty-one pieces of cannon from each of the English fhips under commodore Harrison, and of 101 from the sity. |