And to one road bill, and to four private bills.

Both houfes of parliament adjourned to January.

At a court of common council held at Guildhall, a motion was made and agreed to, to prefent the freedom of this city to his Royal Highnefs the Duke of Gloucester, in a gold box A memorial was at the fame time prefented to the court by Mr. Evans, a coal merchant, fetting forth the great frauds in the admeasurement of coal, and ftating his intention of applying to parliament for a remedy, and praying the fanction of that which was granted.

court;

The fociety of arts have voted 100l. to the famous Mr. Wildman, for his difcoveries relative to bees.

They write from York, that on Tuesday laft about ten o'clock at night was finished the felling of the famous afh at Eaft Newton in that county; which tree is fuppofed the finest and largest in this kingdom by good judges. A great number of hands had been employed in the felling from Monday morning. Mr. Richard Darley of Huitwaite in this county, the purchafer, has delivered in the fol-. lowing account of it: viz. the length of the whole tree, twentyeight yards; the length of the bole, five yards; the root, as it is dug up, every way four yards; the girdle of the bole, forty-four inches fquare; the girdle of the main brand, thirty-fix inches fquare; and each of the other brands, twenty-feven inches fquare. Total found workable wood, four teen tons; top wood and broken wood, computed at feven loads.

The feffions ended at the Old Bailey, when 6 were ca- 23. pitally convicted; 31 were fentenced to tranfportation for 7 years; 3 to be branded, and one to be whipped. Two of thofe that were fentenced to death, were convicted of forgery.

A confirmation was received of the lofs of the Eagle, Capt. Rogers, from Dublin, on board of which was General Stanwix, his lady, his only daughter, a near re lation, and four fervants, who all perished.

We have the following melancholy account of an accident that happened in Ayr in Scotland on the 3d inftant. About, fix o'clock in the morning a fire broke out in a tobacco cellar in a clofe oppofite to the meal-market, which had made a confiderable progrefs before it was difcovered; however, af fiftance being inftantly procured, we were in hopes that it would foon be got under, when on a fudden the whole town was thunderftruck by a most terrible explofion of five barrels of gun-powder, lodged in the fame house; inftantly the wall was drove over, and crushed to death John Orr, baker; John Logan, fhoemaker; and Neil Crook, nailor; who were affifting in extinguishing the fire.. The roof of the building being thatch, was drove all in flames as far as the citadel on the one hand, and to Wallace- ftreet (on the oppofite fide of the river) on the other, and part of it left blazing on the tops of most of the houfes in the neighbourhood, till extinguished by the water works; a cafk of tobacco was thrown over the tops of feveral houses, to the distance of 200,

yards,

yards; all the windows, and even the ftone walls near it, were broke to pieces, and one of the fire-en gines was buried in the ruins. The concuffion was fo great, that most of the houses fhook as with an earthquake; several people were carried off their feet in the street; John Craig, fhopkeeper, was thrown from the mouth of the clofe, where the fire happened, to the middle of the ftreet, and flightly wounded; Matthew Hand, John Paterson, Robert Paterson, his brother, were wounded; the firft of these so much burt, that his life is defpaired of. William Smith of Lockmark, John Reid, and John Donaldson, were alfo very much hurt; this laft it is thought cannot recover, befides feveral others, to the number of eleven, though it is impoffible to recount all. The fire abated foon after the explosion. Our magiftrates next day iflued the ftricteft orders forbidding the fhopkeepers, and other dealers in powder, to keep more than a small quantity, either in their fhops or warehouses, and to lodge that dangerous commodity in an outhoufe, to prevent the like fatal confequences for the future.”

Being Christmas-day, was 25. obferved as ufual at court as a high festival. The Duke of Montague carried the fword of state to and from chapel.

The Dublin fociety adjudged a premium of 401. to Mr. Hamilton for his invention of a machine by which two perfons may ftand on the fea fhore and send out 500 baited hooks to half a mile distance, and catch fish in all weathers. This is an old invention, and was offered here feveral years ago.

The bank began paying 26. 870,888 1. being one third of the remaining 4 per cent. navy, annuities; and alfo three months intereft for the fame, which became due the 25th inftant, pursuant to the act of last feffion.

A fire broke out in the house of Mr. Ward, butcher, in Norwich, which was fo fudden and rapid, that Mrs. Ward the wife, and Mrs. Tooley, the mother of Mr. Ward, near eighty years of age, two children, a grand-child, and a maidfervant, perished in the flames, and no part of the house or furniture was faved.

A gentleman unknown, who had juft fold out 1000 ftuck in the funds, gave the produce of it to the county infirmary at Gloucefter, and recommended it to the governors to veft their property in land fecurity, as a time must come when a remarkable fall will happen in the funds, that will prove fatal to many charities.

So many extraordinary indications of the mildness of the weather could perhaps never be produced at this advanced feason as in the prefent year. In one of the woods belonging to Lord le Defpencer, near Welt Wycomb, Bucks, there were leaves upon fome of the beeches in as fresh verdure as is ufual in the month of May. In the garden of Mr. Peepal, in the parish of Holiwell, Worcester, there are young goofeberries upon trees in the common ground and open air; and in St. Giles's there have been white rofes blown fome weeks fince. A dozen of ripe ftrawberries were pulled in a gentleman's garden without Micklegate bar, and there are

flowers

flowers on a great many of the plants. In a garden near Micklegate, York, there are now growing feveral artichokes, fome of them near as large as a man's fift, with which the owner treated his friends in the holidays. In feveral gardens about that city there are young goofeberries. And last week fine mushrooms were gathered at Heworth Moor, near the fame city.

A letter from Wales informs us of the dreadful inundation of the river Ufk the latter end of November; by which vast numbers of cattle of all kinds, ftacks of hay, and ricks of corn, were washed away, and feveral farmers thereby utterly ruined. The waters were up to the first stories of the houses. At Newcastle, in Cardiganthire, the bridge and three or four houses were entirely deftroyed.

Capt. Baker, of the Ravenfworth, in his paffage from London to Newcastle, took up 17 mariners from the wreck of a ship that had jult overfet; one boy perished, who is fuppofed to have been between decks when the difafter happened. This crew were preferved at the greatest hazard of the lives of the favers, who cannot be too much applauded. The merchants of Newcaftle on the firft notice of it opened a fubfcription for rewarding the Ravensworth's men, and relieving the poor fufferers.

A conciliating treaty propofed by France to the republic of Geneva, was rejected by 1095 votes againft 574, when the French ambaffador declared he had inftruction from his Majefty to break all connections with the republic; and at the fame time delivered the King's declaration to that purpose.

God only knows what will be the confequences.

Letters from various parts of Germany take notice, that there has not been fo long a drought in the memory of man in that country, as has happened this year. The Rhine has been forded in many places, and a rock has been difcovered in the Neckar, on which is engraved 1476, as a memorandum of the drought at that time, four inches below which is now engraved 1766.

The Electress Palatine has lately inftituted a new order, called the order of St. Elizabeth, after her own name, and the object of this inftitution is the relief of the unhappy. Her Electoral Highness

has received into this order the Duchefs of Bavaria, the Princess Amelia, and Mary Anne of Deux Ponts, the Countess Dowager of Taxis, mitrefs of her houfhold, and most of the ladies of honour belonging to her court.

We learn from St. Euftatia, that they have had a hurricane there more violent than has been known fince the year 1747. In the interior parts of the island great da mage was done to the provifiongrounds, most of the Mankiokte (Cafeda) great and fmall corn, is deftroyed; canes that were on Monday remarkably promifing, then lay even with the ground large tamarind trees, as thick as a man's body, were torn up by the roots; fences and many thatched houfes levelled with the ground: many perfons were obliged to leave their houfes, and feek for fafety in thofe that were built low: in fhort, fuch a fcene of horror might be better conceived than defcribed. Many veffels have been drove a

fhore

thore and loft; and it was greatly feared that many in other places had fuffered by the late ftorms, as that of the 21ft of September was felt from latitude 14 to 40. Several of the veffels that had put to fea were returned, but the greater part were fill out when the letter was written.

There is advice from Tortuga, that great part of the falt works had been deftroyed by a violent hurriCane; that three French and five Newfoundland veffels were drove on fhore; and that part of the grand key was beat down by the violence

of the fea.

Extract of a letter from Charlestown, South Carolina, Oct. 14.

By a gentleman lately arrived from Cuba, we are informed, that all the brick and ftone buildings in Bayrma, Yera, and Puerto del Principe, on that island, were to tally deftroyed by the fame fhock of an earthquake, that demolished St. Jago on the 11th of June; that Tome hundreds of people loft their lives therein that a general deTertion prevailed among the Spaih troops, from an apprehenfion of the hard labour and other difficulties they might be obliged to undergo in confequence of that dreadful calamity; and that fhocks continued to be repeatedly felt in that inland every day, till the ift of Auguft, when that gentleman left the place.

A letter from Dominica, dated Oct. 16, fays, "We had another violent gale of wind here the 6th inftant, which drove five veffels on hore, viz. The Phoenix, Capt. Knight, of Bristol, from Old CaTabar; the Thio went to pieces

foon after the ftruck, but the flaves had been luckily landed. The brig Three Friends, Capt. Keef, from Newfoundland, is gone to pieces. The brig Capt. Davis of Pifcataqua, may be got off again; the other two veffels belong to the Leeward iflands. There are no lefs than fifty fail drove on fhore at Guadaloupe and Grand Terre; they fuffered confiderably. The fnow Trever of Liverpool is here, with 194 fiaves. They had this gale at Barbadoes alfo. The fnow Amelia, Capt. Rowland, belonging to London, was blown out there, and paffed by here the roth for Carolina, without anchors."

By Capt. Gilchrift just arrived from St. Kitts, and Capt. Paterfon from Dominica, we have advice of another fevere hurricane at thofe and the other neighbouring iflands, on the 13th, 14th, and 15th of September, in which all the veffels, at Montferrat and Dominica, except Captain Paterfon's, with thirteen at St. Kitt's, were drove afhore and loft; many others put to fea. At Montferrat the hurricane was attended with a ter rible inundation from the mountains, which deftroyed half the town, and reduced upwards of 200 people to the greatest distress.

The freeholders and other inhabitants of Bofton, at a general affembly held at their town-hall, to take into confideration his Majesty's recommendation to the general affembly, to make up the loffes of the fufferers in the late unhappy times, which his Excellency the governor has thought fit to inter pret as a requifition peremptory and authoritative, have voted, from no regard however to the faid interpretation, but out of a du

tiful refpect to the mild reprefentation of his most gracious Majesty, and humanity and generofity to the fufferers, that on the appliçation of thofe gentlemen to the general affembly, in a parliamentary way, the reprefentatives of the town of Bofton be directed to use their influence that fuch loffes be made up, as far as may be, in a manner the most loyal and refpect ful to his Majefty, the most conftitutional and fafe to the invaluable rights and privileges of the people, and the moft humane and benevolent with regard to the fufferers. Application having been made to the Lords of the treafury for the payment of the money due to the colony by grant of parliament, for fervices during the late war, their Lord.hips' anfwer was, that as there had been dangerous riots in the colony, on account of the ftamp-act, in which feveral perfons had been divefted of their property, they were determined to retain the money in their hands, till fatisfaction be made to the fufferers.

A caufe has been tried in the fuperior court of New York, in which a merchant was plaintiff, and a Captain of one of his Majety's fhips defendant, for the feizure of a hip and cargo in 1763; the jury gave a verdict for the plaintiff, with 4046 1. damages, and coffs of fuit.

cut, of a grafs, that from the dark colour of its capfulæ, has obtained the name of Black Grafs; of which the ingenious Mr. B. Gale, at the request of Peter Collinfon Efq; has lately made public the na tural hiflory.

Black Grafs was first discovered near on old raft drifted down the river, and lodged in the above cove, or arm of the falt marfh, from whence it fpread fpontaneously from the feed that was wafted about by the fpring tides.:

Its early growth, lively green, and great increase, with the preference given to it by cattle, encouraged many attempts to propagate it, but it proved very uncertain in its vegetation, except in foils that most favoured it.

It has been observed to grow fpontaneously on high meadows overflowed by fpring-tides, and on the banks of creeks and rivers where there is an alternate change of fresh water and falt. It may likewife be propagated in low marthes now and then overflowed by the tide, provided a rivulet of fresh water runs through them; but its largest and most prolific growth feems to be in the fens, where fresh and falt water mixing pro. miicuoufly together, may be drained off by ditches; there it will render the loofe and miry fward firm and folid, and thrive amaz ingly,

There are many melancholy ac counts from, different parts of the world, of the great damages fuf tained by earthquakes, hurricanes, inundations, &c. by which, efpe cially in the Weft Indies, num. hers of people have been entirely ruined, and a great many lives loft. Our readers will fee in the appea

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