towards the payment of their other creditors.

Various have been the conjectures concerning the cause of these bankruptcies; fome have attributed them to the large fums of money left unpaid by the English and French armies; and others to these merchants being difappoint'ed in their expectations of the feveral German princes, who had iffued bafe money during the late war, calling it in again, if not at the rate at which it was originally paid away, and for fome time circulated, at least at a much greater than what themselves had bought it up at.

The feafon continues fo mild, that an apple tree near Piper's Inn, in the road to Bridgwater, is in full bloffom, and three at BellHall, near York. A pear tree at Warminster, Wilts, bore a fecond crop of fruit. An elder tree, at Weston in Yorkshire, ripe berries, green berries, flowers full blown, and buds beginning to flower.

Paris, Sept. 10. I must not omit mentioning to you a difcovery made here by the fieur l'Hofte, his moft christian majefty's chemift; it is the fecret of rendering water fo pure as to be incorruptible. Many attempts of this nature have been hitherto made, but none of them have fucceeded. It is neceffary to fepa rate the heterogeneous particles that cause the water to corrupt: this the fieur PHöfte does, without the help of fire, and without any extraneous mixture whatfoever. The method he ufes is, in fact, fo eafy, that a child may put it in practice. He has kept water thus purified, by him, in various forts

of veffels, for ten years, without perceiving any fenfible alteration in them, either by fermentation, or otherwife; he has also caused this water to be, in the heat of fummer, tranfported to a confiderable distance, and it has ftill retained its purity. This water, thus purified, will, it is thought, prove an excellent antifcorbutic. The inventor is fenfible that this water, though to fo great a degree purified, may ferment in long fea voyages, in paffing the line particularly; but he is certain no putrefaction will enfue, neither will it be at all injured. It must be put into new casks, which fhould not be quite filled; but, what is still more furprifing than any thing I have told you, is, the inventor will difcover his fecret on very reasonable terms.

Bayonne, Sept. 1. Our miniftry are wholly attentive to the reestablishment of the marine, and have lately turned their attention to a forest of pines fit for fhips mafts, which grow in the Valley d'Afpe, in Bearn. The expence of carriage was fo great, that none of them have, till now, been used in the navy, though they are of the best kind, and fit for any fhipping whatever. We formerly used annually to buy great numbers of mafts from foreigners, but this trade is now at an end, for the river Cave is made navigable, by which a communication is effected betwixt the Valley d'Afpe and this city. Several floats, of various fizes, are already come, and we daily expect great numbers more. Confiderable quantities are ordered to be fent, for the ufe of the royal navy, to every dock-yard on

the coafts of Provence, Britany, and Normandy, and, doubtlefs, every other royal harbour will foon be fupplied with them; for there is fuch plenty of pines, fit for the purpofe, in this foreft, that we fhall not only have enough for the confumption of the whole kingdom, but be able to fupply, at a reasonable rate, our allies the Spaniards. The price of mafts is already fallen, and thofe from d'Afpe are of the most ready fale. The felling and bringing down this timber is undertaken by a company of merchants, who will, it is faid, make immenfe fortunes out of the profits; it was they who made the river Cave navigable, for the purpose of bringing down their floats of timber.

Died lately. Mrs. Eliz. Club, of Barking in Effex, aged 100. George Wilfon, at Allenton, Northumberland, aged 104.

John Waters, at Wells, Somerfetfhire, aged 1c6..

Rev. Peter Alley, 73 years rector of Donamore, in Ireland, in the 11th year. He did the duty of his church till within a few days of his death.

Nicholas Gallagher, at Caftle knock, in Ireland, aged 113.

OCTOBER.

rivulet rofe upwards of twenty feet; and in the latter, a mountain called Knockacree, within two miles of Tenehinch, burft with a prodigious noife; and poured out a torrent, which, in its way to a neighbouring river, bore down every thing it met with. Many lives were loft on this occafion. One of the bridges fell while it was crouded with people going to the relief of a poor family, furrounded by the water, and upwards of 70 perfons perished.

But, perhaps the most melancholy fcene of all was that on board a fhip going from Chefter to Dublin. Her provifions, already, it is probable, too little for the vaft number of fouls fhe took out with her, were rendered ftill lefs by many more who afterwards crouded on board her; and this fcanty flock, to make room for the paffengers, was obliged, along with the fea ftores moft neceffary in a ftorm, to be placed upon the deck, from whence every thing was foon after washed, before the captain and crew, furprifed by the fuddenefs of the ftorm, had time to look about them. What followed may be better imagined than expreffed. The wretches crammed into the hold, without light or air, and all on board the ship, without bread or water, with fcarce any other profpect of feeing an end to their fufferings but by the ship's foundering; an event, which the impoffibility of getting rid of the mafts, now become à moft dangerous incum brance, for want of proper inftruments to cut them away, feemed to render almost unavoidable. Providence, however, brought them in about 48 hours, into a small

port

port in Wales, but without putting a final end to their diftrefs, the place being too little to afford immediate relief to fo many new and unexpected guests.

The earl of Northumberland, befides doing for the sufferers on fhore all that could be expected from fo public fpirited a governor, gave them, in his private capacity, one thousand pounds. And, as foon as the Irish parliament met, they took care to prevent, as much as poffible, the fame calamity happening at fea again, on board any fhips coming to, or going out of, the Irish ports, by obliging the mafters, under fevere penalties, to man, victual, and otherwife

provide themfelves in proportion to the length of the voyage, and number of passengers, with proper allowance for accidents of every kind.

i

tor Saxony. His majefty was tall, and had a handfome face, but he was short necked and very lufty. He was good-natured, magnificent, generous, and affable; but too eafily guided by his minifters. Some time before his death, he was troubled with an almoft continual drowfinefs. The phyficians and furgeons, who were present at opening his body, remarked, 1. Several ftones in the gall-bladder. 2. Some appearance of a polypas on the heart. 3. A confiderable quantity of water between the fkull and the brain, the fudden effufion of which is thought to have been the immediate occafion of his death.

Seventeen prifoners made their efcape cut of White- 13th. chapel gaol, and all, except one, who happened to be hindmoft, and was shot, got clear off.

The fruit of the Paffi 16th. flora, was cut in high perfection, at Caftle Howard, in Yorkshire, and eat by a number of gentlemen and ladies, who gave it the greatest commendations for its moft excellent acid and flavour. It weighed one pound and a quarter, and may juftly be ranked amongst the beft of the tropical fruits, but never ripened to perfection in that county before.

A large number of failors

having riotously affembled, 17th. and feized on a register office keeper and a publican, for defrauding them, as they alledged, under pretence of getting their R's off at the pay office, were, after letting the delinquentsefcape, difperfed by a party of foldiers. But gathering together again in greater numbers, they attacked the foldiers, left at the publican's requeft to guard his houfe at Spitalfields, with fuch fury, as to make it abfolutely re

quifite

quifite for the men to fire in their own defence, upon which the failors thought proper to retire. But the populace on recovering from their fright, finding that, of four perfons killed on the occafion, two were innocent fpe&tators, renewed the attack in fo desperate a manner, that the foldiers were obliged to fend for a new reinforcement, and remain on the spot till next morning, when all was quiet.

An extraordinary luminous appearance was observed in Scotland about feven at night. It proceeded with great velocity from N. to S. and with fuch splendor, as to illuminate the whole country equally as in broad day. Such another phenomenon was obferved in France.

A man was robbed and barbarously murdered by ruffians, who attacked him in the road to Ratcliff - Croís. Finding but twopence half-penny in his pocket, they firft broke one of his arms, then tied a great stone about his neck, and threw him into a ditch, having firft shot at, and mangled his face in a moft horrid manner. The unhappy man had, notwithftanding, fcrambled out of the ditch into the road, but expired foon after he was found. And ten days after another man was found murdered in the Mile-endroad. 19th. At St. Neot's in Huntingdonfhire, at 45 minutes past feven, was observed an uncommon meteor, to the fouth of Capella, (a ftar of the first magnitude, in the left fhoulder of Auriga, in 45 deg. 44 min. and 6 feconds of north declination) from whence iffued a fire-bail, which feemed about nine inches diameter, direct

ing its course towards the earth; its motion continued about twentyfix feconds, and fell about two miles off Bedford, as confirmed by two gentlemen who were returning from Bedford to St. Neot's, and were terribly alarmed by the fudden light, and the ball falling near them, but providentially neither of them received any hurt.

A shovel-mouthed or cow-bellied thark, peculiar to the coast of Africa, was lately killed by fome fishermen on the coaft of Ireland. Its length was five feet; its breadth four. It had three rows of teeth, paps under its fins; and its maw could be feen diftinctly into three feet deep, and big enough to hold a man.

A curious halo appeared round the moon, its semidiameter, from the lower limb of the planet, to the oppofite arch of the phenomenon, was very near twenty-one degrees and a half. The halo was exceedingly bright and lafted from half past ten, till within one minute of eleven, when it was entirely diffipated.

Ended the feffions at the Old Bailey, when one for murder, feven for divers burglaries and robberies, two for perfonating feamen in order to receive their wages, and one for forgery, received fentence of death, which the murderer, three of the robbers, the forgerer, and one of those caft for perfonating feamen, accordingly fuffered. One was fentenced for transportation for 14 years, 24 for years, two to be branded, and one to be whipped.

Lisbon, O&. 5. I have the fatisfaction to acquaint your lordfhip, that his royal highnefs the duke of York arrived here in per

fe&t

fect health, on Monday the 3d inftant, in his majesty's fhip the Centurion. His royal highnefs is pleafed to make ufe of his title of earl of Ulfter, under which name his arrival has been notified to the court. His royal highness propofes ftaying about eight days, and will then proceed from hence to Gibraltar. In the mean while, their most faithful majefties, and their ministers, do every thing in their power to make his royal highness's refidence as agreeable to him as poffible.

Captain Forbes, an officer in the French fervice, having lately made his appearance in London, in order, as it was thought, to fight Mr. Wilkes, for challenging whom, as author of the North Briton, in Paris, he was obliged to fly that country, the ministry, it is faid, on getting notice of his arrival and intentions, very prudently caufed it to be infinuated to him, that his prefence on such an errand could not but be very difagreeable; upon which the captain thought proper to leave the kingdom, and a great deal of mischief, in all probability, was prevented.

The English merchants trading to Ruffia have shipped off for that country a fet of dreffing plate as a prefent to the czarina, which coft near two guineas an ounce, and amounted, in the whole, to 4000l. The workmanship is fo curious, that the royal family were pleafed to have it brought to them to

view.

འ ལ

A horfe patrole, under the direction of Sir John Fielding, is fixed upon the several roads near this metropolis, for the protection of his majesty's fubjects. This pa trole confifts of eight perfons well mounted and armed.

From the Dublin Journal.

To Mr. FAULKNER.
Urney, near Strabane, Oct. 9.
Dear Sir,

"Yefterday I went to Castlefynn, a town adjoining to my parish of Urney, to vifit an honeft and induftrious countryman, William Kemp, and his family, lying in great mifery. The occafion of their mifery was this: He had fome time ago admonished, for his difhoneft tricks, Charles Wright, who attended about the mill of Caftlefynn, whereupon Wright was heard to fay," he would give him a poffet;" Kemp fufpecting no harm, brought a peck of fhelling to the mill to have it ground. Wright ran to the apothecary's, bought rat's bane, and threw it into the hopper with the helling; Kemp carried home his meal, and had part of it made into ftirabout, which he fupped up greedily, being very hungry; his family, being nine in number, took fhare with him, but more fparingly; fix other perfons alfo who came into his cabbin got part of this fatal dofe. They were all immediately feized with violent gripings and vomiting; the doctor being called in pronounced that they were poifoned, and the apothecary had remembered, that Wright got the poifon at his shop. In this confufion Wright made his escape; but it is hard to exprefs the mifery these innocent people have fuffered; they who only got a fmall dofe ftruggled through with life, but the old honeft man, Kemp, whofe death is hourly expected, lies one of the moft miferable fpectacles I have ever feen; his eyes tongue, and cheeks, full of ulcers, his throat and bowels parched up,