JANUARY.

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Ift. In the evening a comet was difcovered, and aftronomically obferved by Mr. Dunn, at his academy at Chelfea. It appeared to the naked eye like Jupiter, or Venas, through a thick fog, and made a near appulfe to the ftar in Orion's right knee, and moved more than four degrees of the heavens in four hours of time.

Yesterday a boat with four men, towing a coafting veffel over Tinemouth bar, was overfet and loft by a fudden fwell of the fea, which went into the harbour with fuch force, that much damage was feared among the fhipping, as many were preparing to go out; but fortunately for them the tide had not turned ere they weighed anchor: the coafter wore it by the goodness of her tackle. The oldeft feaman at Shields fay, they never knew fuch a violent and fudden motion.

3d. The body of a travelling Jew, known by the name of Little Ifaac, was found murdered in awood near Plymstock, Devonihire. Since which, Edward Jackfon, a militia-man, has confeffed that he met with this Jew near to Plymttock, and after drinking a pint of beer together, they both went out, and after walking about two miles, the deceased ftopt to reft himself, and putting a long fick he had in his band behind his back to reft his VOL. III.

box upon, Jackfon took the flick. from behind him, and knocked him

down, and when he was on the ground gave him two more blows, which finished him. Then taking his watch out of his pocket, and fome goods out of the box, he hid the box in a wood. When he offered fome of the things to fale, being atked how he came by them, he faid he found them in a box, and would fhew it to Mr. Sherenbeare; which he accordingly did, taking him into the wood where he had left it, and prefently after faid his confcience troubled him, and he confeffed the murder.

This day died the Hon. James Aunefley, Efq; only 5th. fon and heir of Arthur late lord Altham, and claimant of the Anglefey title and eftate. He was twice married, and has left one fon,' the heir of his claims, and two daughters behind him.

8th.

At eight at night a comet without a tail was feen in Holland in the conftellation of Orion. It was at first fomewhat obfcure, but at ten o'clock it was very vifible. The night after, at half an hour after fix and at feven, it was feen in the 23d degree of Gemini. It was 15 degrees above the horizon, and appeared as a ftar of the 3d magnitude.

Died William Wright, labourer, of Great Dunmow, 9th. in Effex, aged 105. Seventeen children,

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dren, 36 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren, followed his corpfe to the grave.

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In the evening the comet difcovered the ft by Mr. Dunn, paffed near and v in Eridanus, towards the whale's jaw; 10th, 11th, and 12th cloudy; 13th fair, and the comet not to be feen.

His royal highnefs the 14th. Prince of Wales fent 200l. to be diftributed amongst the fufferers by the late dreadful fire near Covent Garden, &c. A very large fum was raifed by fubfcription, &c. for the fufferers in general, which, according to feveral claims, was diftributed by the worthy promoters of fo humane and charitable a defign. Upwards of 2001. was alfo produced by a benefit-play on the occafion at Covent Garden play houfe.

The quarterly communi15th. cation of the hon. free and accepted mafons, held at the Crown and Anchor in the Strand, ordered the fum of 50l. to be remitted to the hon. major-general Kingfley, for the relief of the free-mafons in the army now in Germany. At a meeting of the nobi16th. lity and gentry of Scotland, at Edinburgh, it was unanimoufly agreed to abolish the unhofpitable cuftom of giving vails to fervants; and at the fame time it was their opinion, that an addition to the yearly wages of fervants would be more honourable for the mafter, and more beneficial to the fervant. The like refolution was agreed to in a meeting of the nobility and gentry at Aberdeen.

20th.

This morning a fire broke out at a gingerbread baker's adjoining to Whitechapel gaol,

which confumed the baker's, and part of the gaol. The confternation was fo great, that left the prifoners fhould be burned, the gaoldoors were opened, and all of them, to the number of 30, efcaped, except three, who returned in the evening.

Died Elizabeth Goffin, of Ormesby St. Margaret, near Yarmouth, aged 101. She had been blind go years.

Admiral Hawke, who ar21ft. rived at Plymouth the 17th, waited on his majefly, by whom he was received with particular marks of favour, his majefty meeting him as he entered, and thanking him for the fervices he had done his country. His majefty has fince fettled a pention of 2000l. a year upon him for his life, and the life of his two fons, and the survivor of them.

Died the wife of John 22d. Sharpe, of Gatewick, Surry, Efq.; the was the last of the Jordan family, who poffeffed Gatewick above Soo years.

An exprefs arrived in town from Leicesterfhire, with an 23d. account that Lord Ferrers had killed his fteward. [See the article concerning his lordthip in this year's Characters.]

A petition of the lord mayor, aldermen, and com24th. mons of London, was prefented to parliament, praying that leave may be given to bring in a bill to widen and enlarge feveral old treets, lanes, &c. and to open feveral new streets and ways; and for determining in a fummary way all difputes arifing about the rebuilding of houfes, in which feveral perfons have an intermixed property.

25th.

26th.

Died the most noble the marchioness of Granby.

Was finally determined, by a fpecial jury at the court of King's bench, the caufe fo long depending between the gate-keeper of Richmond park, and the inhabitants of Richmond and parts adjacent, concerning the legality of a carriage and bridle way through the park. After a long trial, which lafted from nine in the morning till feven in the evening, a verdict was given in favour of the gate-keeper of the faid park.

The laudable fociety for the relief of the British troops in Germany and Canada, and their widows and orphans, have provided and fent to thofe forces 6000 flannel waiftcoats, 6000 woollen caps, 6000 pair of half gaiters, and 5000 pair of woollen gloves. To this fubfcription the clothworkers and merchant-taylors companies have given 1ool. each.

His royal highness prince

27th. Edward, accompanied by feveral noblemen, attended divine service at the Magdalen-houfe chapel, and left a donation of 50l. for that charity.

A diftemper which rages amongft the horfes, makes great havoc in and about town. Near 100 died in one week.

The fhips in the river were never in a worte fituation than they were at the clofe of the laft froft; near 100 fail have been drove from their anchors and moorings by the hoals of ice, by which they received confiderable damage in their rigging, bowfprits, &c. Among the ice fe-, veral buman dead bodies have likewife been feen floating on the whole it made a very fad appearance. This froft alfo produced a

great deal of diftrefs among the lower fort of people and mechanics; feveral perfons, either thro' inadvertency, cold, or want, perithed in the ftreets.

A chemift of this city is faid to have invented a method of making a fort of inglafs from British materials, which anfwers all the intentions of what is imported from Ruffia: a difcovery of the utmost importance to brewers, as it can be manufactured immenfely cheaper than the former. It likewife merits the attention of the legiflature, as an annual faving of 50,000l. fterling may be made to this kingdom at the prefent price that ifinglafs bears, and which is paid for to Ruflia in ready fpecie; it being calculated that our exports are generally out-balanced about 80 per cent. by our imports from that kingdom; befides, ifinglafs is imported free of duty here, being a dyer's article.

On Saturday the 24th of

November, all of a fudden, 30th. and without any of the ufual fymptoms, happened one of the moft violent eruptions of Vesuvius ever known. Beginning at that time, it never ceafed, till the 4th of De cember, to vemit forth, by five different openings, vortices of flames, with torrents of lava, which running with impetuofity towards Nur◄ catia, threatened that town and the whole neighbourhood with fpeedy devaftation. The inhabitants left their houfes and fled to the neighbouring fields, offering up their prayers to heaven to put a stop to their calamity.

The workmen employed in dig ging the ruins of Herculaneum, have lately inade an important dif covery. It is a ftatue of white marble,

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marble, feven feet high, of exquifite workmanship, and which, as far as can be judged from the attitude, and fome characters half defaced on the bottom of the pedeftal, reprefents the famous Sibyl of Cu

ma.

Philip Erneft, prince of Hohenloe-Schillinsfurft, died lately, aged 96, the oldeft prince in Europe.

The late fickness, a flow fever at St. Kitt's, carried off John Franks, Simon Duport, John Dumarfal, Efqrs. Capt William Moran; Alexander Hume, Efq; of Baffeterre, of the custom-houfe; Mifs Polly Hart; Mifs Earle; the wife of Ralph Payne, Efq.; Mrs. Margaret Payne; Mr. Francis Guichard, jun. at Baffeterre; Mrs. Elizabeth Richards; Mr. William Malcolm, fen. at Sandy-point.--Near 200 people died, in the parish of Baffeterre, from the 26th of July to the 10th of November.

Oxford, Jan. 5.

A labourer who fell from St. John's college, died on Tuesday the firft inftant, though all poffible care had been taken of him. The place he fell from was between thirty and forty feet high: he pitched upon his feet in an upright pofture, and ftriking the ground with great force, bounded upwards to a confiderable height, and then fell backwards, fpeechlefs: upon an examination, neither his ancle, knee, nor hip bones were dislocated; but after his death, upon opening the body, the right kidney was found full of extravafated blood; the bladder, and all the other parts contiguous, mortified; and what is very extraordinary, and perhaps fingular, the os pubis on the left fide was found fractured and deprefied.

dent which happened a few days ago at Stirling, contains an inftance of heroifm and affection, uncommon and rarely to be met with. Some gentlemen who had been out a fowling, on their returning to Stirling, hot, a bird near the bridge, which fell upon a board of ice in the river, at a little distance from the bank. Two boys, the one of fixteen, the other of fourteen years of age, were diverting themfelves juft by: they faw the bird fall; and as the adjacent part of the river was ftill frozen, they were tempted to venture upon the ice to fetch it off. The eldest made the attempt; he got upon the ice, and had gone but a very little way, when it broke under him, and feparated by the current. The unhappy boy supported himself on the broken ice but for a moment; he fearce had time to implore the affiftance of his companion, ere he went to the bottom. The youngest boy was not long a fpectator of his comrade's unhappy fate: he no fooner faw his danger, than, without waiting to pull of his cloaths, he plunged into the river, dived to the bottom, and got hold of him; but encumbered and weighed down with his own cloaths, he was not able to bring him up. Determined however to fave his companion if in his power, he immediately came out, ftript off his cloaths, and went in a fecond time; but in this attempt he was equally unlucky; the other boy, by this time, was fo fixed in the mud, that all his firength was ineffectual to difengage him; and benumbed by the cold, it was with difficulty he faved himfelf. When he got out he had part of his companion's hair in his mouth, having among other efforts, in that way, likewife, endeavoured to fave

An account of the chriftenings, burials, and marriages, in Liverpool and Manchefter, 1759.

Chrift. Bur. Mar. Liverpool, 866 981 333 Manchefter, 815 712 330 By the mortality-bill for the city of Glasgow it appears, that 1034 perfons have died there during the latt year.

The bills of mortality of the city of Hamburg for the last year amounted to 2653 children baptized, and 2933 perfons buried.

The bills of mortality of the Proteftants in the city of Breflau in Silefia, for the laft year, amounted to 1445 children baptized, and 1697 perfons died; and at Munich, the capital of the electorate of Bavaria, 747 children were baptized, and 926 perfons died.

At Vienna, during laft year, 5186 children were baptized, and, 6369 perfons died. In the city of Francfort, 896 children baptized, 1700 perfons died.

From Lisbon we hear that don Gomez Freyra de Andrada, commander of the king's forces at Rio de la Plata in America, has fent his majefty a large quantity of the leaves of a plant named Concogna, which is esteemed a fovereign prefervative against weakness of the

town-houfe, in memory of the late general Wolfe. Above 100 bears were killed in September and October, in one diftrict in Hampthire, feveral of which weighed 400 lb. each.

Halifax, in Nova Scotia, Nov. 9. Laft Saturday night and Sunday morning we had here the moft violent gale of wind that has been known. It has done vaft damage to the wharfs in this town and fuburbs. Great quantities of fugars which were in the cellars near the beach, are almoft wholly ruined: two fchooners were driven athore, fome thousands of trees in the woods were blown down, and in fome places the roads rendered impallable. The damages fuitained at the wharfs, &c. is computed at feveral thousand pounds. As the ftorm happened at the height of the fpring-tide, and the wind in the fouthern board, it drove the tide in to that degree, that 'tis fuppofed the water rofe near fix feet perpendicular above its ordinary flowing.

FEBRUARY.

A Dutch veffel laden with ift. wine was thrown afhore near Mountfbay in Cornwall, where the received very little damage; and would, in all probability, have been got off, had not the favages affembled in a riotous manner, to the number of about 500; and after plundering her, and barbaroufly ufing the unfortunate crew, split her in pieces.

About fifteen minutes after ten in the evening of the 20th ult, two flocks of an earthquake were felt at Amfterdam, which, tho' they did no damage, fo terrified the inhabitants, that many ran out of doors.

The