At a general court of proprietors of East-India stock, called together to deliberate on the disputes that have lately happened in the supreme council at Bengal, the chairman acquainted the court, that the directors had come to some resolutions on that subject, which they were desirous to lay before the proprietors; but that nothing final could be determined till the arrival of the Anson Indiaman, which was daily expected. The resolutions already formed implied a censure on the late government of Bengal; but, while the court were debating on these resolutions, the company's secretary received a letter, with intelligence, said to be communicated by the purser of a Dutch EastIndiaman of Dover, That the Marattoes had blockaded Bengal, in such a manner, that no ships could pass or repass; that they had taken one of the King's ships of 20 guns, and had likewise taken the Seahorse Indiaman with 30 lacks of rupees. This for a while threw the court into great confusion; but reference being had to the company's books, as to the time of sailing, and other particulars, it manifestly appeared that the whole was a Dutch manoeuvre to sink the price of stock; and as such it was reprobated by the general court, who again resumed the consideration of the business relative to the dispute, which, it appeared, had originated between the new judges and the old council; the last, in the general opinion, being most, to blame. Proofs, however, were wanting to support the facts; so that nothing final could be concluded on, and the court broke up.

8th.

Orders were lately sent to the keepers of the several

11th.

Being the anniversary of the institution of the royal academy of painting, &c. a general assembly of the academicians was held at Somerset house, for the purpose of electing officers for the year ensuing, when Sir Joshua Reynolds was elected president; and the premiums of three silver medals given this year were ad judged as follows; one, for the best drawing of an academy figure to Mr. F. Stepanoff'; one, for the best model of an academy figure, to Mr. William Huggins; and the third, for the best drawing of architecture, being the front of Somerset-house, to Mr. William Moss.

12th.

There was an interesting dispute at Guidhall, between the meal-weighers and the bakers concerning the prices of wheat, which the former delivered in to the lord-mayor and aldermen to fix the price of bread by. The bakers asserted, that the meal-weighers

do

do not deliver in the best price; the others admitted that they did not, because the best wheat was sold to the distillers to draw spirits from, and not for making of bread; but they affirmed that they always delivered in the highest price the bakers gave for what they used, and did not think themselves bound to deliver in the price given by the distillers. The lord-mayor and alderman Wilkes were of the same opinion, and therefore bread was ordered to continue at its former price. What a pity it is the best grain of the best kind should be thus wasted, or rather prostituted to the purpose of making a slow but sure poison, for the souls as well as bodies of that so useful part of the community, the working poor!

A dreadful fire broke cut so suddenly, in a house on Ex-bridge, Exeter, that a number of travelling poor, who lodged in the upper part of it, perished in the flames; ten of their bodies were found, and the remains of some others; but several, were burnt to ashes. In a few hours the fire was extinguished, after burning two houses only, and damaging some others.

A seizure of money, to

13th. the amount of 80001. (being shipped for America on board a man of war, at Spithead, contrary to law) was made by Mr. Miles, comptroller of Portsmouth; and, after some smart opposition, brought on shore, and secured in his majesty's warehouse in that port.

The Abby, Herbert, from Virginia to Liverpool, laden with tobacco and staves, having lately gone to pieces, on the Stags near Kenrule, in Ireland, the captain, mate, and two common men, who alone escaped of all the crew and passen

gers, were cast upon the lower stags, which are washed over every tide. when the sea runs high. The captain, therefore, sensible that they must soon perish in that situation, determined to endeavour to reach some of the adjacent rocks. He accordingly plunged into the sea, and very providentially got safe to a high one, where he could stand dry, and be seen at a great distance, which proved the means of saving his own life, and the life of his companions: an instance of courage and presence of mind worthy of being recorded, were it only to suggest the same conduct in similar critical circumstances of distress.

At the public-office in Bow-street, before Sir John Fielding, and the rest of the magistrates, an apothecary from Dublin was put to the bar, charged with attempting to defraud the county of Middlesex of 373 guineas. Sir John then ordered the prisoner's information to be read, which was to the following purpose, viz. That last Saturday, as he was coming to town from Highgate, he was stopped. near Kentish-Town, by three footpads, and robbed of 373 guineas. In the description of the features, dress, and behaviour of the robbers, he was very accurate. During the reading of the above information, however, he seemed greatly affected, and immediately acknowledged the whole of what he had said in his information to be false; owned who he was; said, that being obliged to leave Dublin for debt, his friends advised him, when he got to England, to concert some scheme like the above, in order to raise a

sum

o money. He begged for mercy, and said he would not have been guilty of such an iniquitous proceeding,

proceeding, but that he was ignorant of the English laws." On the whole, he seemed a mixture of low craft and ignorance. However, as his fraudulent intentions were timely discovered, and there appeared a thorough contrition in him, he was discharged.

Mons. Kerguelin has been appointed, by the French King, to the command of a fine new man of war, of seventy four guns, in order to make discoveries in the South Seas; and is to be accompanied by two frigates of 32 guns each. They are to put to sea the beginning of next month. The sessions ended at the 14th. Old Bailey, when twelve capital convicts received sentence of death, viz. one, for murdering her bastard child; two for treason; in counterfeiting the current coin; five, for house-breaking; three, for robbing on the highway; and one, for robbing his master. The unhappy wretch, who murdered her child, was executed, as the law, directs, immediately. And, on the 17th of January, 1776, the two coiners; two of the house breakers; one of the highwaymen; with the unfortunate brothers, Robert and Daniel Perreau, were likewise executed, all at Tyburn. At this sessions, Captain David Roche, and Mrs. Margaret Caroline Rudd, were likewise tried and acquitted. [We already promised to give some account of the latter in the Appendix to this article; and we shall likewise say something of the Captain's case, under the same head.]

War-office. It is his Ma16th. jesty's pleasure, that from the date hereof, and during the continuance of the rebellion now subsisting in North.America, every

person, who shall enlist as a soldier in any of his Majesty's marching regiments of foot, shall be entitled to his discharge at the end of three years, or at the end of the said rebellion, at the option of his Majesty.

17th,

Maximilian, Baron de Rodt, brother to the late prince and cardinal of that name, has been unanimously elected Prince Bishop of Constance.

By letters from Naples of 19th. this date, Mount Vesuvius had for some days thrown out fire, and seemed to indicate an ap proaching eruption, which had drawn thither a great number of foreigners. The Margrave of Bareith, with his whole retinue, was already arrived there. And by letters from Vienna of the 21st, they had in Croatia a continual succession of earthquakes for two months, particularly in the town of Bedekavesima, and in the mountainous parts near the city of Waradin.

By the last advices from Philadelphia, the committee of that province, appointed to draw instructions for the delegates in congress assembled, did not seem willing to carry things to such lengths as many other provinces have done; for, among other things, they say, "Though the oppressive measures of the British parliament and administration have compelled us to resist their violence by force of arms, yet we strictly enjoin you, that you, in behalf of this colony, dissent from, and utterly reject, any propositions, should such be made, that may cause, or lead to, a separation from the mother country, or a change of the form of this government."

The

The dividend on East-India 20th. stock was declared to be 3 per cent. for the half year ending at Christmas.

22d.

The attorney-general was attended at his chambers at Lincoln's Inn, by counsel on behalf of the Dutchess of Kingston, to support an application made to him for granting a noli prosequi, to stop all proceedings against her in the affair expected to be heard before the Lords. The ground of the application was the sentence obtained in the spiritual court; but, it is said, the attorney-general was of opinion that he had not authority to grant the writ on this occasion, as the of fence for which her Grace is indicted, was created by a penal statute; and the Bill of Rights in express words says, penal laws must not be suspended; and that the king's sign manual would not justify him if he issued the writ, and any future ministry were to call him to an account; as no command should induce a servant of the crown to act in his official capacity illegally.

His Majesty went to the 23d. House of Peers, and gave the royal assent to the following bills, viz.

The bill to prohibit all trade and intercourse with the North-American colonies, now in actual rebellion, viz. New Hampshire, Massachusett's Bay, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, the three lower counties on Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, NorthCarolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, during the continuance thereof. The bill for the better regulation of his Majesty's marine forces while on shore.

The bill to encourage adventurers to make a discovery of the northern passage from Europe, by British sub

jects only, to the western or southern ocean of America, and for penetrating to the North Pole.

The bill to explain and amend an act for widening certain passages, and for better paving the parish of Shoreditch.

And also to such other private bills as were ready.

At night, the Rockingham transport was lost, by mistaking (as is supposed) Robert's Cove, about ten miles from Corke, for the Cove of Corke, it blowing a gale of wind, and being thick weather. There were on board three companies of the 32d regiment. Lieut. Marsh and his wife, Ensign Sandiman, Lieut. Barker's wife, and upwards of 90 soldiers, besides the Captain and crew, were drowned. Five officers and twenty soldiers saved themselves in the flat-bottomed boat. By a similar mistake, during the last war, the Ramilies, of 90 guns, and 850 men, (taking the Bolt-head for the Ram, near Plymouth) perished with all on board, except twenty seamen, and one midshipman, These, among innumerable` other instances, shew the great necessity of sea-lights, particularly distinc tive ones.

About forty Americans, among them Col. Nathan Allen, taken prisoners in Canada, arrived, as such, in England, on board the Adamant. They were lodged in Pendennis castle, and, by the best accounts, well treated. But, whilst their friends in London were preparing to bring them up by habeas corpus, to have the legality of their confinement discussed, they were sent back to North-America to be exchanged. A few days after, the Liberty, Thompson, arrived at Bristol from Quebec, brought over one of the American riflemen, who

was