not finding tenants to take it, determined on this unfuccefsful mode of difpofing of it.

DIED. At Eaft Dereham, Norfolk, William Cowper, efq. of the Inner Temple, author of a poem in titled "The Tafk," and many other beautiful productions. He was born at Great Berkhampstead, Herts, Nov. 15, 1731. His father, the rector of that parifh, was John Cowper, D. D. nephew to the lord high chancellor Cowper; and his mother was Anne, daughter of Roger Donne, gent. late of Ludham-hall, Norfolk. The firft volume of his poems was published in 1782; the fecond in 1785. In 1791, he undertook the arduous talk of tranflating the Iliad and Odyffey into blank verfe.

MAY.

4th. The thermometer placed in the fun, rofe this day to 104, being four degrees above blood-heat, and 38 above fummer heat; in the evening it fell to 66, being ten degrees above temperate.

6th. Two boxes, containing a valuable collection of coins and medals, have been ftolen and carried off from a room adjoining to the library in King's College, Cambridge, between the 5th of April laft and this day. The college has offered a reward of 5001, on the conviction of the offenders.

This day, in a committee of privileges, in the houfe of peers, the hearing of evidence was concluded refpecting the claim to the Scotch peerage of Fairfax. The only point, which appeared to remain undecited, when the committee laft fat,

was, whether the claimant was the eldeft fon of the late William Fairfax. A brother of the claimant's, who was killed in the service at Quebec, was ftated as an old man, and having left iffue; this produced a degree of doubt in the committee; and farther evidence was reforted to, which this day was deli. vered by Mrs. Athawes, who stated, to her certain knowledge, that the Mr. Fairfax, killed at Quebec, was a younger brother of the claimant ; and, as we could collect, left no iffue. This point being ascertained, the committee had no hesitation in forming their opinion; and the attorney-general, and the lord advocate of Scotland, who appeared on the part of the crown, making no objection, a refolution paffed the committee, ftating, in effect, that the claimant had made good his title to the peerage in queftion; and, the houfe refuming, the ufual fteps were ordered to be taken in confequence.

7th. The duke of Bedford having difpofed of the materials of Bedford-houfe for 5 or 6000l. a fale of the furniture, pictures, &c. by Mr. Chriftie, commenced this day, when, the most crowded affemblage were gratified with a laft view of this defign of Inigo Jones, for the earl of Southampton, father of the amiable relict of William lord Ruffell; from whence the dates many of her letters, published by Mr. Selwood; and refided in it till her death, 1723. The late duke fitted up the gallery (which was the only room of confequence in the houfe), and placed in it fir James Thornhill's copies of the Cartoons, which that artit was three years about; which he bought, at the fale of that emis

ment

neas.

nent artist's collection, for 2001.St. John preaching in the Wildernefs, by Raphael, fetched 95 guiA beautiful painting, by Gainsborough, of an Italian villa, 90 guineas. The archduke Leopold's gallery, by Teniers, 210 guineas. Four paintings of a battle, by Caffanovi, which coft his grace 1000l. were fold for 60 guineas. A most beautiful landscape, by Cuype, for 200 guineas. Two beautiful bronze figures, Venus de Medicis and Antinous, 20 guineas; and Venus couchant, from the antique, 20 guineas. Another of the pictures was the duel between lord Mahon and the duke of Hamilton. The week after, were fold the double rows of lime-trees in the garden, valued, one at 907. the other at 8Q/; which are now all taken down, and the fite of a new fquare, of nearly the dimenfions of Lincoln's-inn Fields, and to be call ed Ruffell-fquare, has been laid out. The famous ftatue of Apollo, which was in the hall at Bedford-houfe, has been removed to Woburnabbey, and is to be placed on an eminence in the fquare between the abbey and the tennis-court and riding-houfe. It originally coft a thousand guineas.

An accident of a remarkable na ture lately happened in the environs of Beziers, in Languedoc. A labouring man coming home found a kite perched on the cradle of his child, and devouring it fo greedily, that the father took the bird without any difficulty; but the child was fo much injured as to be paft reco

But fhe

into the drawing-room, and threatened to ftab her with his fword. By the earnest entreaty of his lady, however, he was diverted from the purpofe, and the fervant was permitted to leave the room. had fcarcely withdrawn, when he attacked Mrs. Meadows with the moft favage ferocity, gave her three ftabs in the body, and cut her throat in fo dreadful a manner as nearly to fever her head from her 'body.

The fervants were firft alarmed by one of their children, who ran down ftairs exclaiming that her pappa had killed her mamma. As the murderer was armed with two or three brace of piftols, befides his fword, they were obliged to fend for a party of the, Pontefract volunteers, who immedi ately fecured him, and carried him off to York-caftle. His lady was a dutiful wife and tender mother and the conduct of Mr. Meadows can be attributed only to infanity,

15th. A circunftance occurred this morning in Hyde Park, which caufed a confiderable fenfation through the town, in the course of the forenoon, His majefty was attending the field exercifes of the grenadier battalion of the guards, when, during one of the vollies, a ball cartridge was fired from the mufquet of one of the foldiers, which ftruck Mr. Ongley, a clerk in the allotment department of the navy, office, who was ftanding only twenty-three feet diftance from the king. The ball entered the fleshy part of the thigh in front, and paffed ftraight through, Mr. Ongley was dreffed on the ground; had the wound been an inch higher, it muft have proved fatal. An examination took place of the cartouch boxes of the foldiers, but no individual could

be

be fixed upon as the perpetrator of this act. The following bulletin on this fubject was iffued from the horfe-guards, in the courfe of the afternoon :

66

Horfe-Guards, May 15. "This morning, during the fieldday of the grenadier battalion of the foot guards, in Hyde-Park, a fhot was accidentally difcharged from the ranks, which unfortunately wounded a gentleman of the name of Ongley, who was amongst the fpectators. The hot perforated Mr. Ongley's thigh, but did not injure the bone or arteries. His majefty directed the military furgeon prefent to examine and dress Mr. Ongley's wounds, and was much gratified by the favourable report made by Mr. Nixon, the furgeon of the grenadiers. His majefty, on coming from the field, fent his command to Mr. Keate, the furgeongeneral, and Mr. Ruth, the infpector of hofpitals, to wait on Mr. Ongley, and to offer their affiftance during the progrefs of his cure."

In the evening a moft alarming, and extraordinary circumftance occurred at the theatre royal, Drurylane. At the moment when his majefty entered the box, a man in the pit, near the orcheftra, on the right hand fide, fuddenly ftood up and difcharged a piftol at the royal perfon. His majefty had advanced about four fteps from the door. On the report of a piftol his majesty stopped, and stood firmly. The houfe was immediately in an uproar, and the cry of "feize him" burft from every part of the theatre. The king, apparently not the leaft difconcerted, came nearly to the front of the box. The man who committed the crime was feized and

conveyed from the pit. The audi ence vehemently called out "fhew him!" In confequence of which loyal clamour, Kelly, who, with a multitude of perfons belonging to the theatre, had rufhed upon the ftage, came forward and affured them that the culprit was in fafe' cuftody. The indignation of the audience was foothed by this intelligence, and "God fave the king" was univerfally demanded. It was fung by all the vocal performers, and encored. The curtain drew up for the commencement of the play; but Bannifter, jun. was not fuffered to proceed till fomething more could be learned respecting the wretch who had made this diabolical attempt. Bannifter and Mrs. Jordan both again affured the audience that the culprit was perfectly fecured, and the play was then fuffered to go on without farther interruption.

Mr. Sheridan, affifted by Mr. Wigftead, the magiftrate, proceeded immediately to examine the man in the room into which he had been conducted, and where he had been fearched, to fee if he had any other fire-arms, or papers. He had none. Mr. Tamplin, a trumpeter in the band, who affifted in taking him over the orchestra, recognized the man to be a foldier, and pulling open his coat, found that he had on a military waistcoat, with the button of the 15th light dragoons. It was an officer's old waistcoat. On being queftioned by Mr. Sheridan, he said, "he had no objection to tell who he was. It was not over yet-there was a great deal more and worse to be done; his name was James Hadfield; he had ferved his time to a working filversmith, but had enlisted into the 15th light dragoons, and

fought

At this time the prince of Wales and duke of York entered the room, to be prefent at the examination. He immediately turned to the duke, and faid "I know your royal highness -God bless you.-You are a good fellow. I have ferved with your highness, and (pointing to a deep cut over his eye, and another long fcar on his cheek) faid, I got thefe, and more than thefe, in fighting by your fide. At Lincelles, I was left three hours among the dead in a ditch, and was taken prifoner by the French. I had my arm broken by a fhot, and eight fabre wounds in my head; but I recovered, and here I am. He then gave the following account of himself, and of his conduct:

He faid, that having been difcharged from the army, on account of his wounds, he had returned to London, and now lived by working at his own trade. He made a good deal of money; he worked for Mr. Solomon Hougham. Being weary of life, he last week bought a pair of piftols from William Wakelin, a hair-dreffer and broker, in St. Johnftreet. (Perfons were immediately fent to bring Wakelin and his mafter to the theatre.) He told him they were for his young mafter, who would give him a blunderbufs in exchange. That he had borrowed a crown of his mafter that morning, with which he had bought fome powder, and had gone to the houfe of Mrs. Mafon, in Red-Lionftreet, to have some beer; that he went backwards to the yard, and there Ire tried his piftols. He found one of them good for nothing, and left it behind him. In his own trade he ufed lead, and he caft himself two flugs, with which he

At this part of his narrative fir William Addington, the magiftrate, arrived, and took the chair: he went over the examination of the perfons who had fecured him, and who had feen the piftol levelled at his majesty. He afked Hadfield what had induced him to attempt the life of the beft of fovereigns? He anfwered, that he had not attempted to kill the king. He had fired his piftol over the royal box. He was as good a hot as any in England; but he was himfelf weary of life-he wifhed for death, but not to die by his own hands. He was defirous to raife an alarm; and wifhed that the fpectators might fall upon him-he hoped that his life was forfeited." He was afked if he belonged to the correfponding fociety. He faid, "no; he belonged to no political fociety; he belonged to a club of odd fellows, and he was a member of a benefit fociety." And being afked if he had any accomplices, he folemnly declared that he had none, and with great energy took God to witnefs, and laid his hand on his heart.

From this time he appeared to exhibit fymptoms of derangement. When asked who his father was? He laid he had been poftillion to fome duke; but he could not fay what duke. He talked in a myfterious way of dreams, and of a great commiffion he had received in his fleep; that he knew he was to be a martyr, and was to be perfecuted like his great mafter. He had been perfecuted in France; but he had not yet been fufficiently tried. He knew what he was to endure. He uttered many other incoherent things in the fame flyle.

William