Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

of the little square table.

The first ministress was

sitting at one end of the table to administer the tea; the great person was about to sit down at the other end, where the boiler stood. By a sudden motion, the lady gave the table a tilt. Had it gone over, the great person must have been scalded; perhaps to death. Various are the surmises and observations on this occasion. The godly say, it would have been a just judgment on him for preventing, by his laziness, the family's going to church last Sunday. The opposition do not stick to insinuate, that there was a design to scald him, prevented only by his quick catching the table. The friends of the ministry give out, that he carelessly jogged the table himself, and would have been inevitably scalded, had not the ministress saved him. It is hard for the public to come at the truth in these

cases.

At six o'clock this afternoon, news came by the post, that her Majesty arrived safely at Rochester on Saturday night. The bells immediately rang - for candles to illuminate the parlour; the court went into cribbage; and the evening concluded with every demonstration of joy.

It is reported that all the principal officers of state have received an invitation from the Duchess Dowager of Rochester, to go down thither on Saturday next. But it is not yet known whether the great affairs they have on their hands will permit them to make this excursion.

We hear, that, from the time of her Majesty's leaving Craven-Street House to this day, no care is taken to file the newspapers; but they lie about in every room, in every window, and on every chair, just where the Doctor lays them when he has read them. It is impossible government can long go on in such hands.

"TO THE PUBLISHER OF THE CRAVEN-STREET GAZETTE.

“SIR,

"I make no doubt of the truth of what the papers tell us, that a certain great person has been half-starved on the blade-bone of a sheep (I cannot call it of mutton, because none was on it), by a set of the most careless, blundering, foolish, crafty, and knavish ministers, that ever got into a house, and pretended to govern a family and provide a dinner. Alas, for the poor old England of Craven Street! If these nefarious wretches continue power another week, the nation will be ruined; undone, totally undone, if the Queen does not return, or (which is better) turn them all out, and appoint me and my friends to succeed them. I am a great admirer of your useful and impartial paper, and therefore request you will insert this, without fail, from

in

"Your humble servant,

"INDIGNATION."

TO THE PUBLISHER OF THE CRAVEN-STREET GAZETTE.

"SIR,

"Your correspondent, Indignation,' has made a fine story in your paper against our excellent Craven Street ministry, as if they meant to starve his Highness, giving him only a bare blade-bone for his dinner, while they riot upon roast venison. The wickedness of writers in this age is truly amazing. I believe we never had, since the foundation of our state, a more faithful, upright, worthy, careful, considerate, incorrupt, discreet, wise, prudent, and beneficent ministry, than the present. But if even the angel Gabriel would condescend to be our minister, and provide our dinners, he could scarcely escape newspaper defamation from a gang of

hungry, ever-restless, discontented, and malicious scribblers.

"It is, Sir, a piece of justice you owe our righteous administration to undeceive the public on this occasion, by assuring them of the fact, which is, that there was provided, and actually smoking on the table under his royal nose at the same instant, as fine a piece of ribs of beef roasted, as ever knife was put into; with potatoes, horse-radish, pickled walnuts, &c.; which beef his Highness might have eaten of, if he had pleased so to do; and which he forbore to do, merely from a whimsical opinion (with respect be it spoken), that beef doth not with him perspire well. This is the truth; and, if your boasted impartiality is real, you will not hesitate a moment to insert this letter in your very next paper. "I am, though a little angry with

[blocks in formation]

you at present,

"A HATER OF SCANDAL."

Junius and Cinna came to hand too late for this day's paper, but shall have place in our next.

MARRIAGES. None since our last; but puss begins to go a courting.

DEATHS. In the back closet and elsewhere, many poor mice.

STOCKS. Biscuit very low. Buckwheat and Indian meal-both sour. Tea lowering daily — in the

canister.

Wednesday, September 26th. Postscript. Those in the secret of affairs do not scruple to assert roundly, that the present first ministress proves very notable, having this day been at market, bought excellent mutton-chops, and apples four a penny, made a very fine apple-pie with her own hands, and mended two pair of breeches.

A LETTER FROM CHINA.

THIS jeu d'esprit was first published in The Repository for May, 1788. A correspondent, who was for several years personally and intimately acquainted with Dr. Franklin, writes to me; "He was very fond of reading about China, and told me, that if he were a young man he should like to go to China." In the form of a pretended narrative of a sailor, he has embodied in the following letter some of his knowledge derived from books, with fanciful descriptions of his own. In a few passages his peculiar manner of thought and style is very apparent. EDITOR.

SIR,

Lisbon, May 5, 1784.

AGREEABLE to your desire, I have examined the sailor more particularly, and shall now give you the circumstances of his story, with all the observations he made in the country, concerning which you are so curious. He appears a more intelligent fellow than seamen in general. He says that he belonged to the Resolution, an English ship, one of those that made the last voyage with Captain Cook. That on their return, being at Macao, he and a comrade of his were over-persuaded by a Portuguese captain, who spoke English and Chinese, to desert, in order to go with him in a brigantine to the northwestern coast of America, to purchase sea-beaver skins from the savages, by which they hoped to make fortunes. That accordingly they took a boat belonging to the ship, got ashore in the night, turned the boat adrift, and were hid by the Portuguese captain till the Resolution was gone. That this was in January, 1780, and that in April following they sailed from Macao, intending to go first to a place he calls Nooky-Bay, in latitude 50. That

[blocks in formation]

they had twenty-five men, with eight guns ar.d small arms for their defence, and a quantity of iron ware, cutlery, with European and Chinese toys, for trade.

That about the beginning of May, in a dark night, the captain being sick in his cabin, they were surprised and suddenly boarded by two boats full of armed men, to the number of forty, who took possession of the brig, no resistance being made. That these strangers altered her course, and stood, as he saw by the compass, to the northwest; that the next day the captain understood by a Chinese among them, that they were Curry* Ladrones, or pirates; that they had been cruising on the coast of China, and had lost their vessel on a reef the night before; and it was explained to the captain, that if he and his people would work the ship, and fight upon occasion, they should be well used, and have a share of plunder, or otherwise be thrown overboard. That all consented, and three days after they saw land, and coasted it northward; that they took two Chinese junks, who were sent away steering northeast, eight men being put into each, and some of the Chinese taken out. That the brig went on to the northward for four days after, without taking any thing; but running too near the coast in chase of another Chinese, they stuck fast on a shoal in a falling tide; that they hoped to get off by the night flood, but were mistaken, and the next morning were surrounded by a great many armed boats and vessels, which the chased vessel, which got in, had probably occasioned to come out against them. That at first they beat off those vessels, but, reinforcements coming, they saw it impossible to escape, and submitted, and were all brought on shore and committed to prison.

• Perhaps Corea.

« ZurückWeiter »