rope, fastened to its top, round his hand and arm, to the height, it is fuppofed, of five hundred feet, when the rope and netting be. ing difengaged from the balloon, he fell into a garden adjoining, and expired foon after. June 9, 1787, two sparrows built their nest upon the topmaft of a ship lying at our quay, and depofited therein fix eggs. This year a bill received the royal assent, to enable his majesty to license a playhouse in Newcastle. November 5, 1788, being the hundredth annual revolution, it was observed here with great rejoicings. Many parties of gentlemen met in various places of the town to celebrate the event. Feb. 20, 1789, the joyful news of his Majesty's recovery from his late mental derangement arrived; in confequence of which, a few days after, a general illumination took place, the grandest and most brilliant ever remembered at Newcastle. *The 18th of Aug. 1791, a terrible fire broke out in the cellars and warehouses on the fouth fide of the bridge-end chapel, which greatly damaged the chapel, burnt in part the rooms over the water-gate, where the coopers and flaters company held their meetings, did confiderable damage to the roof of the exchange by melting the lead, which damaged the pictures of king Charles II. and James II. they were afterwards repaired by Mr William Bell, portrait painter. In the year 1795, a corps of volunteers were raised here, confifting of one grenadier, one light infantry, and two battalion companies: they received their colours at the Forth from Mrs Mayoress, August 25. On Friday the 28th of August, 1795, his royal highness the Duke of York reviewed the troops encamped on the coast of Northumberland, on Blyth Sands; the whole force confifted of thirteen regiments of horse and foot, and the line extended upwards of three miles. The fight being fo novel in this part of kingdom, it is supposed near 60,000 people were present on the occafion. His Royal Highness came to Newcastle in the afternoon of the fame day, and dined at the manfion-house, accompanied by prince en William of Gloucester, the duke of Norfolk, earl of Scarbro', lords Falconbridge, Dundas, &c. generals Sir William How, Balfour, Dalrymple, Smith, &c. &c. Www A fociety was formed in the year 1796, in Newcastle (to correfpond with fimilar institutions in other parts) to propagate the Christian religion among pagans, &c. The The seamen at Shields were extremely riotous in the fummer of this year, frequently depriving the masters of their command, and detaining vessels under way for fea. Seventy or eighty of the most audacious, however, having been taken into custody and impressed, order was at length restored. In September this year two hundred French emigrant priefts arrived at Newcastle from the island of Jersey, and a committee was appointed to provide accommodations for them. This spring also, in consequence of the alarm of invafion and the scarcity of specie, the notes in circulation poured in so rapidly upon the banks in Newcastle, that the proprietors, at a meeting, refolved to suspend payment till specie could be obtained. Gentlemen and tradesmen, however, to the number of 689, figned a declaration to take, as before, the notes of all the banks in this town, Durham, and Sunderland. January 25, 1798, a dreadful fire broke out in the shop of Mr Elliot, hatter, in Mosley-ftreet, which, from want of a timely fupply of water, burnt with great fury, destroying the entire houfe, the upper part whereof was occupied by Mr Matthew Brown, printer, whose property was nearly all confumed. About this period died in this town the celebrated vender of **nostrums and quack medicines, known by the name of Dr Palmer. He was 100 years of age, and for the last thirty years of his life he never went to bed sober. He served as a private foldier in the royal army in the year 1715. In the year 1798, an armed association was formed in Newcastle, commanded by Sir M. W. Ridley, Bart. M. P. They were presented with their colours by lady Ridley in the Nun's Field, December 27th of the fame year. In the spring of 1799 died, at the Leazes near Newcastle, Mr John Howard, an eminent schoolmaster: he was the author of feveral mathematical and poetical works. A female was, in the autumn of this year, admitted into the lunatic hofpital in Newcastle, who has lived more than three years among the rocks on the fea shore, near Seaham. She spoke the Scottith dialect, but it is not known from whence the came. The poor unhappy was dressed fantastically in rags, which chance or shipwrecks threw in her way. Her beard had grown on the lower part of her chin nearly an inch long, and is busay like the whifkers of a man. She is supposed to have lived upon shell-fish, and appeared about thirty-five years old. " At At the beginning of the year 1800, no less than fixty-nine out of feventy-one veff. Is, laden with coals from Shields and Sunderland, were wrecked in their passage to London. The harvest in the vicinity of Newcastle, in the year 1799, was fo backward, that a quantity of oats was not cut till the 28th of January, 1800, at Leadgate, in the parish of Ryton; and at that late period oats were standing uncut at Hedley and other fouthern parts of Northumberland. In confequence of the failure of the above harvest, together with the effects of the war, a great dearth prevailed, and wheat in Newcastle market was frequently fold at two guineas a boll, two Winchester bushels. May 11, 1800, 144 vessels failed from Shields under convoy, for the Baltic, having on board, befides other commodities, 11,600 chaldrons of coals, Newcastle measure. In the autumn of this year, the foundation of the Roman wall, fuppofed to have been built by Severus upwards of 1500 years fince, was taken up at Byker-hill, in order to repair the high ways. In the year 1801, two Life-boats were built by Mr. Greathead, of South Shields, one of which was conveyed to the station off Bawdfey Cliff, and the other to Lowestoffe in Suffolk. In the spring of this year died at Walker, near Newcastle, Mr. T. Barnes, colliery viewer; a man of tranfcendant talents to combat the difficulties of an arduous profeffion; to avert dangers which an ordinary mind had not foreseen, or foreseeing, could not have prevented; and of industry and probity to obtain the confidence, esteem, and respect of his employers, to his affiduity in whose service he fell an early martyr. June 30, 1801, the alterations, for improving and widening the bridge over the river at Newcastle, were begun, under the management of Mr. D. Stephenson, architect. On the 15th of October in the fame year, on the signing of the preliminaries of peace between Great Britain and the French Republic, a general illumination took place in Newcastle; when many loyal and curious devices in transparency were difplayed.. On the 7th January, 1802, between twelve and one o'clock in the morning, part of the wall, (to the length of 60 or 70 feet) of All-faints church-yard, next to Silver-street, fell down with a tremendous crash, expofing to view several coffins and innumerable quantities of human bones. :: A LIST A LIST OF THE MAYORS AND SHERIFFS OF NEWCASTLE, Since it was made a Town and County of itself, in the year 1400; previous to which, from the year 1251, the town was governed by a mayor and four bailiffs, who were annually elected. 1400-1 Roger Thornton mayor, William Redmarshell sheriff 1402 to 1408 Robert Chirdon mayor, John Bywellgate sheriff 1409 to 1413 William Aughton mayor, Wm Middleton sheriff 1414-5 Robert Hebborn mayor, the same sheriff 1416 to 1420 Roger Thornton mayor, John del Strother sheriff 1421 William Eflington mayor, Laurence Acton sheriff 1422 The fame mayor, John Chirdon sheriff 1423-4 William Ellerby mayor, the fame sheriff 1425 The fame mayor, John Jay sheriff 1426-7 Roger Thornton mayor, the same sheriff 1428 John Rhodes mayor, the same sheriff 1429-30 The fame mayor, John Clark sheriff 1431 The fame mayor, Edward Bertram sheriff 1432 Laurence Acton mayor, Thomas Chirdon sheriff 1433 The fame mayor, Thomas Penrith sheriff 1434 Richard Hall mayor, Richard Brown sheriff. 1435 Robert Whelpington mayor, Thomas Wardell sheriff. 1436 Richard Hall mayor, John Chambers theriff 1437 Laurence Acton mayor, Thomas Pendreth sheriff 1438 Robert Whelpington mayor, John Castle sheriff 1439 John Clark mayor, William Harding sheriff 1440 John Chambers mayor, John Musgrave sheriff 1441 William Harding mayor, Simon Weldon sheriff 1442 Thomas Wardell mayor, William Jay sheriff 1443 John Musgrave mayor, Thomas Headlam sheriff. 1444 William Harding mayor, Thomas Bee sheriff 1445 William Jay mayor, John Ward sheriff 1446 William Harding mayor, John Winton sheriff 1447 The fame mayor, Robert Baxter sheriff 1448 John Ward mayor, John Richardion sheriff 1449 William Harding mayor, Alan Bird sheriff 1450 John Ward mayor, George Carr sheriff 1451 Robert Baxter mayor, John Baxter fheriff 1452 William Harding mayor, John Penreth sheriff 1453 John Carliel mayor, Nicholas Wetwang sheriff 1454 John Richardfon mayor, William Roddam sheriff 1455 The fame mayor, Thomas Cuthbert sheriff 1456 The fame mayor, John Nixon sheriff 1457 The fame mayor, Richard Stevenfon sheriff 1458 John Penreth mayor, Henry Fowler sheriff .: : 7: 1459 John Richardfon mayor, Richard Stevenson sheriff 1460 John Baxter mayor, Nicholas Hayning sheriff 1461 John Richardfon mayor, Nicholas Wetwang sheriff 1462 Alan Bird mayor, Henry Forster sheriff 1463 The fame mayor, William Blaxton sheriff 1464 John Nixon mayor, Nicholas Hayning sheriff 1465 Alan Bird mayor, William Thompson sheriff 1466 John Nixon mayor, Robert Chambers fheriff 1467 William Blaxton mayor, John Efington sheriff 1468 John Nixon mayor, John Cook theriff 1469 Richard Stephenson mayor, John Fisher sheriff. 1470 William Blaxton mayor, Thomas Lockwood sheriff 1471 Jon Nixon mayor, John Carr theriff 1472 William Blaxton mayor, Thomas Snow sheriff 1473 The fame mayor, Robert Harding sheriff 1474 Nicholas Haynyng mayor, William Hodshon sheriff 1475 John Carliel mayor, John Semple sheriff 1476 The fame mayor, Peter Bewick sheriff 1477 John Cook mayor, John Heaton fheriff $478 Robert Chambers mayor, John Ridsdale sheriff 1479 John Semple mayor, William Scott sheriff 1480 John Carlifle mayor, William Bewick sheriff 1481 George Carr mayor, William Cuningham sheriff 1482 John Cook mayor, Robert Harding theriff 1483 John Carlifle mayor, Robert Stockett theriff 1484 George Carr mayor, George Bird sheriff 1485 Robert Chambers mayor, Thomas Hardbourn sheriff 1486 George Carr mayor, Robert Brigham sheriff 1487 The fame mayor, John Penreth theriff 1488 Thomas Lockwood mayor, William Richardson sheriff 1489 George Carr mayor, William Chambers theriff 1490 Peter Bewick mayor, Thomas Morpeth sheriff 1491 George Carr mayor, Robert Harding sheriff 1492 The fame mayor, Bartholomew Young theriff 1493 George Bird mayor, Thomas Hardbread sheriff 1494 The fame mayor, Thomas Green sheriff 1495 The fame mayor, Chriftopher Brigham sheriff 1496 The fame mayor, William Hayning sheriff 1497 Robert Harding mayor, William Davel sheriff 1498 George Catr mayor, John Penrith sheriff 1499 Robert Brigham mayor, John Snow sheriff 1500 George Carr mayor, William Riddell sheriff 1501 Bartholomew Young mayor, William Selby sheriff 1502 George Carr mayor; Thomas Hall, or Hill, sheriff 1503 John Snow mayor Robert Baxter sheriff 1504 Chriftopher Brigham mayor, John Blaxton, sheriff 1505 The same mayor, Jolin Brandling sheriff 1506 |