public of Genoa, was at dinner with him, when one of the company at table told the duke that he did not like his wine, which had a particular tafte, and whilft the duke was anfwering him, M. de Sorha fell down dead, without uttering a word." Capt. Lamire, commander of the Heureux, on the 26th of April laft, being in the lat. of one deg. 2 min. and 21 deg. 28 min. long. w. reckoning from Teneriff, feveral of his crew, and a great number of negroes on board, were feized with a diforder in their eyes, many of whom were blind for ten or twelve days nine loft their fight entirely, and feven or eight the fight of one eye only, Accidents of this kind, it is faid, are not unprecedented in latitudes fo near the line, but the great number affected at the fame time exceeds any thing that ever was heard of before. 8th. The Right Hon. the Earl of Harcourt took leave of his majefty, previous to his depart ure on his embafly to the court of France. Madrid, Dec. 3. An ordinance is juft publifhed, which prohibits the bringing in cotton velvets, and all stuffs in general that have cotton in them, into any of the King's dominions in Spain and the Indies. The merchants are allowed three months to difpofe of the goods of this kind that they have by them; and after the expiration of twentytwo months, the wear of thote fruffs is entirely prohibited under fevere penalties. Dantzick, Dec. 4. The king of Pruffia has trebled the tax he had laid on all the lands in Polish Pruffia. General Tadden not long ago fent a lieutenant to Marienborough, to receive from the burgomafter of that city an account of the numbers of its inhabitants, and upon this magiftrate's refufing to comply, the Pruffian general fent 40 men to his houfe to live there at difcretion. Paris, Jan. 7. A few days ago died, of the gout in his ftomach, Mr. Helvetius, one of the most esteemed geniufes of the prefent age, much regretted by every body, but particularly by the learned world. He is faid to have left behind him feveral polthumous works. The explofion of the powdermills was very fenfibly perceived in many parts of Gloucestershire. The windows rattled, and the pewter was fhaken on the fhelves in feveral houfes about Frofter and Frampton; it was heard alfo in and about the city of Gloucester. A man travelling through the Foreft of Deane about ten o'clock on Monday, heard a noife like four diftinct claps of thunder. People from Worcester and other places bring an account of its being perceived in different manners in thofe parts of the country. From what can be collected, it was felt about ten o'clock in the morning; but the clocks in that country are a quarter of an hour later than in London. 14th. The French ambassador, Count de Guignes, arrived at his houfe in Great George-street. It was given out, on his departure, that he would never return on account of the fire at Portsmouth. A chapter of the order of the Bath was held at St. 15th. James's, to fill up the vacancies therein, by the deaths of the Duke of Chandos and Sir Francis Blake Delaval; when the Hon. William Hamilton, Hamilton, Efq; his Majesty's Minifter at the court of Naples, and Sir Charles Hotham, were elected, and invested with the enfigns of the faid order. The fethions ended at the Old Bailey. At this feffions eleven received fentence of death; fortyfour were caft for transportation for feven years; two were branded; and three whipped. The trial of the coiners is put off till next feffion, on account of fome more fresh difcoveries being made. Among thofe capitally convicted, was Jofeph Sloper, a fervant in the General Poft-Office, for ftealing two half guineas out of a letter; but judgment was refpited. The trial of the four men for robbing Sir Robert Ladbroke lafted near five hours, the fumming up of the evidence by Mr. Juftice Willes, another hour, after which the jury withdrew for about twelve minutes, and then gave in their verdict, finding the four principals guilty, and acquitting the two acceffaries, who were tried for receiving the goods. The evidences were John Lyons, who received the goods, and his wife, corroborated by the teftimony of his maid-fervant, who carried money to the four prifoners at different times in the New Prifon and Newgate, as alfo by the city marshal, and two of Sir John Fielding's fervants, who took up the faid John Lyons, and searching his houfe found almoft all the diamonds and a hoop ring. In the cross-examining Lyons, the Jew, he was afked, if it was not against his religion to traflick on their fabbath? to which he anfwered, he had not followed his religion a great while, having got nothing by it. Early in the above trial Jones complained to the court that they could get no counfel to plead for them, upon which Sir Robert Ladbroke offered to be at the expence of counsel for them, but Mr. Chefter pleaded their cause gratis. 17th. The lord mayor, aldermen, and common-council of Dublin, in respect to the memory of the late Dr. Lucas, his great merit, and behaviour in parliament, granted a penfion of 50l. a year to his widow Mrs. Lucas, and his three youngest children, to commence from the fourth of laft November, on which day he died. One Wood, formerly a broker, fent a waiter from the Antigallican coffee-house to Walpole and Co. bankers, in Lombard-street, for fome checks, in the name of Olivier, in partnership with Sir Joshua Van Neck, and, when the waiter returned, filled up one of them for 500l. and figned it Olivier; but being fufpected, he was immediately apprehended, and, it is fuppofed, is the fame perfon who obtained 4000l. fome years ago from the bank, by a falie draft in the fame name. Lord Sandwich, with other lords of the admiralty, examined a machine of a new conftruction, erect-, ed on board the Refolution man of war at Deptford, for making sea water fresh, and for baking bifcuit with the fame fire at the fame time. Their lordships were pleafed to approve the machine, for which the inventor has already obtained a patent. Extract of a Letter from Poole, Jan. II. land to this port, ftruck against one of the Scilly rocks, and split in half: all the crew perithed, except two men, who, being in the forepart of the fhip, were driven upon the rock, and remained there three days; when one of them was observed by fome perfons in a boat, to make a fignal, who immediately went to their relief, and gave them fome rum, which revived the man who made the fignal, but the other, though in good fpirits before, on his feeing the boat approach them, was fo tranfported with the profpect of their deliverance, that he never fpoke afterwards, but died as they were carrying them to the fhore." 18th. Being obferved as her majefty's birth-day, the ball at St. James's was remarkably brilliant, and was opened by the Prince of Mecklenburg and the Duchefs of Grafton. This day his majefty went 21ft. to the houfe of peers, and having opened the parliament with the ufual folemnity, made a moft gracious fpeech from the throne, to both houfes. For the speech, &c. fee the article of State Papers. At a court of common24th. council, three cups, one of 2001. value, the others of tool. value each, were voted, the first to Brafs Crotby, Efq; late Lord Mayor of London, the others to the Aldermen Wilkes and Oliver, for the noble ftand they made in the bufinels of the printers, against (as it is expreffed an arbitrary vote of the H- of C -ns. A new invention, of great utility, is now under the confideration of a committee of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts and Sciences, in the Strand, of which the following account is given, viz. In the whale fishery, the prac tice now is for the man who is called the harpooner, to stand at the head of the boat with a large dart, or harpoon, in his hand, with a rope faltened to it, which he throws with all his ftrength, and great dexterity; the whale, on being wounded, immediately fwims away with the harpoon sticking in him, to the imminent danger of the whole boat's crew, who are obliged to go within a few yards of the fish, and are liable to be funk with a flap of his tail. The prefent invention is adapted to remove the hazard of fuch a fituation, and to add more to the certainty of the operation, which the feamen call striking the figh; it is a dart, or harpoon, of much the fame nature as that now in ufe, but, instead of throwing it with a man's arm, it is so contrived that it can be fired at the whale out of a fwivel gun, with the rope fixed to it, at a confiderable diftance; the gun may be properly pointed, and occafionally fixed on and taken off, and three of them may be very conveniently and readily fixed to a boat. An experiment was made laft week at the Greenland-Dock, Deptford, before fome Gentlemen of the Committee of Arts and Sciences, fome commanders in the Greenland trade, and other gentlemen, merchants, &c. by firing it at a tub, or butt, in full motion, when it was found to anfwer very well; and it is thought it will be used in actual bufinefs by the firft fhips that go to the Greenland fishery. be interred in the family vault at Epfom. His lordship had injured his character in his life by feduction, fo that the populace paid no regard to his memory when dead, but plundered the room where his body lay the moment it was removed. This day arrived Monfieur Koch, fecretary to his Serene Highness the Hereditary Prince of Heffe Caffel, with the melancholy account of the death of her Royal and Moft Serene H hnefs the Landgravine of Heile Caffel, who departed this life on the 14th inftant, at Hanau, univerfally lamented. The late Princefs of Hefle, by her will, has given all her eftates to her two younger children, except annuities to all her fervants, equal to the wages given, until they marry, or get places where more wages are given than the annuities; and has appointed Lord Harcourt and Lord Berkeley executors. Between nine and ten 28th. o'clock in the morning, there was a great dark nefs for near an hour throughout London: it came on gradually in a thick fog from the S. E. and extending to the N. W. went off without either (now or rain. Laft night was opened, for the firft time, the much-talked-of receptacle of fashionable pleasure, The PANTHEON, to a crowded company of between fifteen hundred and two thousand people. Imagination cannot well furpafs the elegance and magnificence of the apartments, the boldness of the paintings, or the difpofition of the lights, which are reflected from gilt vafes, fufpended by gilt chains. Befide a number of fplendid ornaments that decorate the rotunda, or great room, there are a number of ftatues in niches below the dome, reprefenting most of the heathen gods and goddeffes, fuppofed to be in the ancient Pantheon of Rome. To thefe are added three more of white porphyry, the two firft reprefenting the prefent King and Queen, the last Britannia. The whole building is compofed of a fuite of fourteen rooms, all of which are adapted to particular ufes; and each affording a ftriking inftance of the fplendour and profufion of modern times. It is thought the company would have been fill more numerous, but for the fudden notice of the death of the Landgravine of Hetfe Caffel, which prevented many from going, on account of not having been prepared with mourning, and which took off a great deal of the fplendid ap. pearance that might otherwise have been expected. In point of confequence, the company were an "olio of all forts; peers, peerefles, honourables, and right honourables, jew brokers, demireps, lottery infurers, and quack doctors. 29th. The judges gave their opinions upon the great caufe of Perrin and Blake, in the Exchequer-chamber in Weftminfter-hall; in the decifion of which caufe the judges of the King'sBench had differed: the late Mr. Juftice Yates being againft the judgment pronounced by the majority of the court, confifting of Lord Mansfield, Mr. Juftice Afton, and Mr. Juftice Willes. In the Exchequer-chamber the judges are divided; but though the court fat from nine o'clock till near four, they had not all time to deliver their opinions. Those who did fo were Mr. Juftice Nares, Mr. Juftice Blackstone, [F] 3 Blackftone, Mr. Baron Perrot, Mr. Juftice Gould, and Mr. Baron Adams, who made very long arguments upon the cafe, and unanimoufly declared, that the judgment of the court of King's Bench was erroneous, and ought to be reverfed. The court adjourned, and Mr. Baron Smyth, the Lord Chief Baron Parker, and the Lord Chief Juftice de Grey, ftill remain tə give their opinions on this important cafe, which one of the judges declared, if decided as the King's Bench had taken upon them to do, would shake half the fettled property in the kingdom. Extract of a letter from Barbadoes, Dec. 4, 1771. "John Simmons, mafter of the hip Edgar, arrived here two days ago, left the coaft two months fince, fays, that the fnow Nancy, James Colly, mafter, belonging to Meffrs. Thomas and Clayton Cafe, of Liverpool, was cut off in Cafuca river, and every foul killed; likewife a large fhip belonging to London was blown up, with 5co flaves on board. The occafion of this melancholy accident was as follows: on the fhip's leaving the coaft the ftruck on Bonny Bar, and the natives of the place furrounded her immediately; the captain or dered all hands to jump overboard, which all did, except the Doctor, who refused; the captain, rather than become a prey to thofe favages, went into the powder-room, and fet fire to the powder, and every foul perished in the dreadful explofion."" Juft as the levee at St. James's was going to begin, an exprefs arrived from Copenhagen, with an account of an extraordinary revo lution which had taken place there. It appears that the reigning queen was taken out of her apartments before day, on the morning of the 16th inftant, and has been fent prifoner to the caftle of Cronenburg, The favourites, Struenfee and Brandt, together with a number of the great officers of ftate, have alfo been taken up, and all power feems at prefent, under the name of the king, to be lodged in the hands of the queen dowager, Julia Maria, and her fon prince Frederic. 31ft. The Dutch are in the utmoft diftrefs for want of bread corn, no wheat having lately come to market from any of the following corn countries, viz. Poland, Warder, Hamburg, Elbing, Koningfberg Pomerania, Stettin, Magdeberg, Manfe, Friezland, Mufcovy, Groningen, Oldampt, Brabant, Great Britain, Zealand; and what little comes from Foreland, of the red fort, fells from 17. 10s. to 187. 158. the laft, and wheat of the white fort from 177. 10s. to 19. 158. per laft. Neither has any rye come either from Pomerania, Colberg, Stettin, Brabant, Flanders, nor Great Britain; and what little quantity has been brought from Pruffia, fold from 261. 10s. to 281. the laft; and what rye came from Koningsberg, was fold from 251. 10s. to 271. 10s. Barley from Zealand fold from 13. to 13. 15s. Ditto from Groningen and Oldampt, from 12. 58. to 12. 108. Oats for brewing, frem 71. 58. to gl. Ditto for horfes, from 67. to 71. 5s. per laft. Vienna, Jan. 1. The weather, which is extraordinary mild for the feafon of the year, but very damp, occafions many people to be af flicted |