danelles has turned Mahometan. This Frenchman is the first chriftian officer who has fo far difgraced chriftianity. The French minifter here immediatelyfentorders to take his authority from him, as likewife all his accounts.

A pamphlet lately appeared in Holland, entitled, "Obfervations on the declarations of the courts of Vienna, Petersburg, and Berlin, concerning the partition of Poland;" in which the author has taken fuch liberties with the character of the King of Pruffia, that his minifter has obtained a fup. preffion of the fale of his work.

The disturbances which have lately happened at fome of the Portugueze fettlements on the coaft of Africa, particular at Arverri, Mogador, and Arebo, are now intirely fettled, through the bravery and conduct of the Portugueze commander at Benin, who, with about 700 Europeans, (moft of them irregulars) and about Soo friendly negroes, gave battle to an army of between 30 and 40,000 negroes, under the command of the King of Whidah, a negro prince, and obtained a compleat victory; fince which, peace has been effectually re-established."

The hips and troops intended to quell the disturbances that prevail in the Spanish fettlements in South-America, are already failed under the command of Don Juan Antonio del Caftro, from whofe powers, the Spanish miniftry have formed very fanguine hopes of fuc

cefs.

Letters from Holland mention, that there is such a scarcity of provifions in feveral parts of that province, that the states have ordered a confiderable bounty over and

above the market price, to be paid to fuch perfons as will supply them with live cattle, wheat, rye, &c. It is further added, that a great number of poor die daily for want of the common neceffaries of life.

In fome of the provinces of Sweden, the fcarcity is fo great, that the poor people have pounded bran and the bark of trees together, and made the fame into bread.

Vienna, Nov. 22. The inhabitants of Bohemia having reaped a very fine harvest, the government again laid on the duty paid on tranfportation from one hereditary province to another, which had been fufpended during the late great fcarcity; but this impofition having occafioned great diftrefs among the people by the price of grain, the duty has again been laid afide for an unlimited time, and grain is permitted to be brought free from Hungary to Bohemia. The fertility of Hungary is fo great, that it is reckoned the granary the hereditary provinces, as Sicily was formerly to Rome. This country is fo vaftly prolific, that there is no occafion, in many parts. for further husbandry than that of flightly turning up the earth; and in many places the scattered grain produces fine crops.

of

The prefent diftress of the EastIndia Company, cannot be deemed furprizing to those who confider one moment the caufes which have contributed to haften their ruin : Let us attend to the following fact. -Our colonies fent annually to England 600,000l. for the fingle article of tea; but when it became a question, whether they should be flaves under that importation, or freemen importing it from a foreign market, the tea remained in [24]

the

the company's warehouses, and the 600,000l. went to Holland and Denmark. That non-importation, or lofs of market, has now continued for five years, it makes three millions difference in their cash account-is the true caufe of the great quantity now on hand is an immenfe lofs to the revenue, to the merchant, to the ftate, and has operated very confiderably towards producing the prefent fcarcity of money, and univerfal ftagnation to all business. This is not all; the fame motives which prevented our colonifts from confuming the company's tea, alfo prevented the purchase of many other valuable articles-'tis difficult to afcertain the amount, but it is very confiderable, and makes a monftrous difference in the ftate of their affairs. In fhort, it has been the principal caufe of their approaching diffolution.

Stockholm, Dec. 5. The importation of falt, used for falting herrings, &c. into the ports and provinces of Gottenburgh and Bahus, which hitherto has been confined to Swedish fhips only, has, by a refcript dated the 3d inftant, been allowed to any foreign fhips, notwithstanding an ordinance made in the year 1724, which forbids the entry of any foreign veffel into any of the ports of Sweden with that commodity.

Prague, Dec. 18. According to the informations received by the government, relative to the progress of the epidemical diftempers which prevail in Bohemia, there have died in that kingdom, from the 1ft of January to the ft of Sept. 1772 168,331 perfons,during which time there have been but 82,050 chil. dren born; fo that the depopula

tion amounts to 89,281 perfon and we apprehend that the four following months will prefent us with an account ftill more terrible. The ravages of the preceding year were greater ftill.

Algiers, O.31. The Winchelfea English frigate, Capt. Wilkinfon, which failed from hence the 27th of September, returned the 27th inftant. The English gave it out that she had only been to Marfeilles, to put fome difpatches into the poft for London, relative to the differences between the commander and this regency, which the Algerines affected to take no notice of After the ufual falutations, the Dey fignified to the commandant, that he was at liberty to have an audience whenever he pleased, provided he did not bring with him the conful, whom he was determined not to fee again, for reafons which he had given to his Britannic majefty. The commandant made anfwer, that as the conful was an officer appointed by his majefty, he could not difpenfe with introducing him; and rather than not bring him, he would have no audience himfelf. The Dey perfifting in his refolution, Captain Wilkinfon was equally determined, and went away again without an audience. During the time that the English frigate was here, all the chriftian flaves were chained, for fear they fhould recover their liberty, and go on board her.

Peterburg, Nov. 13. The fenate paffed fentence the 16th ult, against the fabricators of fome falle bank-bills. Their punishment was as follows: The two Pufkins were degraded from their rank of nobles, and are fent to work in the mines of Siberia, together with a fo

reigner,

reigner, who calls himself an Italian, and one other perfon concerned with them. And M Sukin, chief of the college of commerce at Moscow, has been condemned to ferve at Orembourg, in quality of a private foldier, for the remainder of his days.

At the close of the ballot 29th. at the India-house on the question, that the dividend for the laft half year fhall be at three per cent. the numbers were, for the question, 131; against it 12.

Extract of a Letter from Paris,

Dec. 31.

On Tuesday laft, about ten o'clock at night, a fire broke out in the Hotel Dieu, occafioned by the melting of tallow, which caught fire, and burnt with too much rapidity to be stopt. The Governor of Paris, and all the chief magiftrates attended, and ftrong detachments of guards were planted at all the avenues. Three rooms, occupied by fick people, were burnt, and a great number of the miferable objects therein loft their lives. The nuns fleeping room, the laundry, and all the old chapel, fel! a prey to the flames, which rage ftill; and feveral of the firemen and foldiers were killed. The cathedral of Notre Dame is filled with beds and fick people from the hofpital, who are vifited and relieved by ladies of the higheft diftinction. Great numbers of the fick are daily removed in covered carriages to the hofpital of St. Louis, out of Paris. All the avenues to the Hotel Dieu are ftopt. It is now midnight, and the fire is not yet extinguifhed. We have, however, the fatisfaction to affure the public, that not near fo many lives are loft as was at firft reported.'

Genoa, Dec. 26. On the 22d inftant, at two o'clock in the morning, died, of an inflammation in his stomach, the Serene John Baptift Cambiafo, Doge of this republic, after a fhort illness of five days. His death is generally la. mented by all ranks of people in this ftate, for his amiable qualities, and his extenfive charities to the poor, to whom he distributed annually near twelve thoufand pounds fterling. The body has been exposed to public view in one of the rooms of the palace, where four altars were erected for celebrating maffes; and this morning it was brought from the palace, and placed on a scaffold erected for that purpofe in the middle of the cathedral church, and is to be interred tomorrow in the church of St. Siro.

The following is an account of the toll collected at Blackfriars Bridge. 1. s. d. 4700 16 81 Sept. 1771 to 1772, 5996 4 2 Mrs. Manfel, wife of Mr. Manfel, filver polisher, in Corbet-court, was fafely delivered of two boys; and next morning about four o'clock, fhe was delivered of a girl; the children and mother are likely to do well.

From Sept. 1770 to 1771,

Peter Paul Puget, grandfon of the famous painter and fculptor of that name, lately died at Marseilles in the 94th year of his age. He had enjoyed for 42 years a penfion of 500 livres, in confideration of a fine piece of bas relief in marble, reprefenting the plague at Milan, which was left him by his grandfather. He had a prefent of 12,000 livres, befides the penfion abovementioned, for that fine piece of sculpture.

Died, John Story, Efquire, in
Greek-

Greek-ftreet, Soho. By his will he has left 100l. to the fociety for propagating the Gofpel; 100l. to St. George's Hofpital; 50l to the Foundling Hofpital; 100l. to the Middlefex Hofpital; 50l. to the Charity-fchool of Saint Ann's, Soho.

Mr. Roger Hunt, one of the greateft ftocking manufacturers in Nottingham, faid to have died worth upwards of 40,000l.

At the Hague, Solomon Emma. nuel, a Jew, native of Moravia, aged 109 years and 8 months; he has left fixty-feven defcendants behind him.

Ifabel King, widow, at Fochaber's in Scotland, aged 108. Her hufband, who died about two years ago, was 98 years old at his deceafe. They had lived in a married ftate upwards of 66 years.

In Of-alley, in the Strand, Frances Beet, who for many years received charity of the parifh and others; in her apartment, and about her bed, money was found to the amount of eight hundred pounds.

Mary Simes, a beggar-woman, aged 109, in the Mint, Southwark, faid to have died worth 1500l.

At Whittingham, in East Lothian, Barbara Wilfon, aged 120 years.

Aged 112, Thomas Pearce. a labouring man, at Hawley-hill farm in Wilts.

At Truro, in Cornwall, Mr. John Richardfon, a tradefman in that town, aged 137, who retained his fenfes till a few days before his death.

At Benham in the County of Suffex, one Joan Godfrey, aged 110, who till within a week of her