guily, that thofe who were near the ordinary's coach, when the was carried to execution, cried out they hoped he would pray for her damnation, for fuch a fiend ought not to be faved. Abstract of the trial of William Gueft for High-treafon, in filing, impairing, Sc. the current cain of this kingdom. OHN Leach, a teller at It was undoubtedly a principle J Bank, depofed that Mr. Gueft of virtue that abhorred cruelty, but to preclude the mercy of the Almighty was certainly cruel, and the best of mankind have no ground of hope but the gracious promife that extends to the worit, "All manner of fin and blafphemy fhall be forgiven unto man. She was executed on Monday, the 14th day of Sept. and her body was carried to Surgeons-hall to be anatomized. It is fcarce poffible to quit this horrid fubject without obferving, that the facts which now have been demonftrated were in the highett degree improbable. Who could have believed that two wretches of the age of 15 or fixteen years,could, in fuch a metropolis as London, and such a neighbourhood as Fetter-lane, continue to fuffer as Mitchell and Clifford fuffered for two years, without difcovery or efcape, efpecially as there was no other fervant in the family but the apprentice-boy to go on errands. Let us not then too haftily conclude, on other occafions, that what does not appear probable is neceffarily falfe, nor haftily reject every propofition for which we cannot fully account. Let our enquiry be cool, critical, and deliberate and as evils multiply beyond probability, let our vigilance be not only conftant but fcrupulous, not refting in flight appearances, but pufhing on to facts. had been there between two and three years; that he had feen him pick new guineas from the old ones; that this being Mr. Gueft's frequent practice, it had created a fufpicion in his (Mr. Leach's) mind, which fufpicion he com. municated to fome others; that on the 4th of July Mr. Gueft paid fome money to Richard Still, fervant to Mr. Corner, a dyer on the Bank fide; that feeing Mr. Guest take fome money out of the drawer, and put it among the reft on the table; when he had paid the man, Mr. Leach followed him out, and begged the favour of the man to walk into the pay-office, and let him tell the money over; which he did, and, out of thirty guineas, three of them feemed to be newly filed; that the man faying this was all the gold he had about him, Mr. Leach carried the three guineas to Mr. Robert Bell, who looked at them: Mr. Leach defired the faid Mr. Bell would carry them up to Mr. Race the cashier, but did not go up with him then; that thefe guineas appeared to him, as if the right milling had been taken off, and then filed. Being asked whether it was not common to take fome money out of the drawer in their payments at the bank, Mr. Leach replied, that it was fometimes, but very feldom done there; but this was not the whole [N] 3 of of the money, but part; that it was mixed with the money upon the table; that they put their guineas in one drawer, the filver in another, moidores in another, and ports in another: that Mr. Race weighed the three guineas in his prefence, which together weighed fifteen penny weights, nine grains; whereas the weight fhould have been fixteen penny weights, four grains and a quarter, which made a difference of nineteen grains and a quarter; that is, three fhillings and a penny according to the ftandard: one of the guineas (a George II.) weighed five penny weights three grains and nine fixteenths; two of his prefent majefty wanted about ten-pence, the other thirteen or fourteen pence. Richard Still depofed to the guineas being paid, and taken from him, in the manner above related. Mr. Bell, a teller at the bank, confirmed their being brought to him, and carried by him to Mr. Race; who having looked at the edges, clofed them in a paper, wrote 4th of July on them, and then bid him carry them to Mr. Leach, and defire him to keep them in his cuftody, which was done. Mr. Race, the chief cashier, depofed to the guineas being brought him by the last evidence, with his delivery of them to Mr. Bell again, who teftifies to his own re-delivery of them to Mr. Leach, and the latter to their having been in his cuftody ever fince. Mr. Thompson, one of the cafhiers, depofes to the manner of locking up the tellers bags every night; and that having received orders from Mr. Race to infpect into M. Gueft's bag of the 4th of July, and one or two of the tellers to be prefent with him, the bag was accordingly examined in the prefence of Mr. Lucas and Mr. Kemp, who told the money over, when the whole fum was 1800l. 16s. 6d. in feveral bags; that is to fay, thirteen bags in all; that there was one bag, in which were forty guineas, which feemed fresher than the others upon the edges; that thefe guineas were compared and examined with caution and deliberation; fealed up by Mr. Kemp and himself; not opened till that morning, and kept locked up by the two keys of the cashier and teller. Mr. Lucas and Mr. Kemp, both tellers in the bank, confirmed the teftimony of the preceding witness, with the appearance of the forty guineas on the edges, and their deficiency in weight; which Mr. Kemp fays, was from eightpence to fourteen-pence one with the other, and that there was a deficiency in every one of them. Mr. Sewallis, belonging to the bank, depofes to having fearched the houfe of Mr. Gueft, in July laft: that in a two-pair of ftairs room was a mahogany neft of drawers, the top of which was forced open in the prefence of Mr. Hull, Mr. Humberton, and the lord mayor's officer, and there they found a vice, files, and other things. Mr. Humberton fwears that he is a fervant in the bank; that he was prefent in the fearch of Mr. Gueft's houfe; afked him at the bank for the keys of his book-cafe and a cupboard, telling him he was going to fearch his house, there being warrants out against him; that Mr. Gueft replied, he did not know what authority any bo ly had to fearch his houfe, and refufed to deliver his keys; and that he found all the things there above depofed, which had continued under feal till before the grand jury, the day before the trial came on, and that they were then unter the feals of the grand jury. (Among thefe things was a bag with a hundred guineas, and two bags of gold filings, weighing four pounds eleven ounces and nineteen penny weights. The cheft of drawers in which they were found, is defcribed at large in the feffions paper, and is of very curious contrivance. On the teeth of one of the files was fome yel low stuff.) Jofeph Nichols depofed, that he is one of the moniers at the mint, where he has been employed twenty years, apprenticeship and all; that one of the tools produced was capable of milling money round the edges; and having look ed at the three guineas paid Mr. Still, the hundred guineas, and the forty guineas, found in Mr. Gueft's bags, faid they had all artificial edges, and appeared to be fresh filed, which might be done with the inftrument before produced, and was not done at the mint at the Tower. Mr. Chamberlaine produced three guineas, on which Mr. Nichols put edges in his prefence, with the inftrument found in the prifoner's room, and faid they were quite plain before. Being compared by Mr. Nichols, with the others found in the prifoner's drawer, the latter faid they were fo near alike, that he believed them all to be done with the same tool. Humberton depofes to taking three fmall parcels of filings out of thofe found in Mr. Ğueft's room, and delivering them to Mr. Chamberlaine, who delivered the fame to Mr. Lucas; which laft again fwears to having received, affayed them, and found them agreeable to the ftandard, and thinks they might come from the filings of our guineas. Samuel Lee, a teller at the bank, thinks it was the latter end of March the prifoner had a bar of gold, between five and fix inches long, under two inches wide, and better than half an inch deep; that he asked the prifoner how he came by it, who faid, he had it from Holland. To this Lee faid, he thought it was not like a regular bar of gold, it had a deal of copper on the back. Gueft replied, it must be filed off, and that all bars of gold were fo. Mr. Lee being afked whether he had seen any bars of gold before, faid he had fcores of times, but never any with fuch a fcum. Thomas Troughton, a jeweller, depofes to having fold two ingots of gold for Mr. Gueft, one about forty-eight ounces, the other about forty-fix ounces, which appeared like bars of gold that came from abroad, and that he understood them as fuch. The first of thefe was fold the 12th of June laft; the other about fix months ago. Says they were about a foot long, and had no appearance of copper or filing. Efther Collins, fervant to Mr. Gueft, fwears to having looked once into his book-cafe, in his abfence, when open, and to have seen there a glafs cup with some yellow duft in it, and by the cup was a file like that produced in court. Prisoner, [N] 4 • Prifoner, in his defence, faid he was innocent of the matter laid to his charge.. Robert Fratley, optical inftrument maker; John Hunter, converfant in the mathematical and clock way; Geo. Hodgfon, clockmaker; all for the prifoner, depose, that the inftrument produced as above in court, is fit for milling many other things befides guineas; and the fecond faid it was the greatest improvement he had ever feen. Several perfons, and among them fome of rank, appeared to Mr. Gueft's character. Thofe who would perufe this trial more at large, are referred to the feffions paper. Copy of a letter of her imperial majefty of all the Ruffias, to his excellency count Wolodimer Orlow, director of the academy of Sciences at Petersburg. Monf. Count Orlow, taken; (3) that if there be not a fufficient number of aftronomers in the academy for compleating the obfervations in the places pitched upon by the academy, I propofe, and take upon me to find out among my marine fubjects, fuch as, during the interval be. tween the prefent time and the tranfit of Venus, may be perfect ed in the habit of obferving under the eyes of the profeffors, fo as to be employed to advantage in this expedition, and to the fatisfaction of the academy. You will, Mr. Count, tranfmit me the anfwer of the academy, with its full opinion about every thing above, that I may give orders for the whole, without lofs of time. CATHERINE. Mofcow, 3 March, 1767. Copy of a letter from M. Ramonfky, of the imperial academy of fciences at Petersbourg, to Mr. Short of the Royal Society of London. SIR, HAVING been informed, Expected your letter impatient year 1769, the planet Venus will pafs over the fun, I write you this letter, that you may acquaint the academy of fciences on my part, (1) that it is my pleasure that the academy fhould procure the ob fervations to be made with the utmoft care; and that I defire, in confequence, to know (2) which are the most advantageoufly fito ated places of the empire that the academy has deftined for this obfervation? To the end, that in cafe it fhall be neceffary to erect any buildings, workmen, &c. may be fent and proper measures be of October. We were fomewhat in doubt as to our answering the views of our fovereign, till the arrival of your letter, which dif fipated our uneafinefs in refpect of the iuftruments. Judge yourself, fir, how fatisfactory it was to us to understand that you would take upon you to procure us the neceffary inftruments, and, moreover, to give us your advice how to proceed fuccefsfully in this important obfervation. I thank you, fir, in the name of the academy, and on my own account efpecially, hoping for a more favour. favourable occafion of teftifying my obligations. At prefent, I refer to your judgment the mea fures the academy has taken with relation to the tranfit of Venus. Pursuant to her imperial majefty's orders, in her letter to his excellency Count Wolodimer Orloff, director of the academy, the copy whereof I herewith fend you; the academy having reprefented, that the propereit places in the Ruffian empire for the obfervation of the duration of the tranfit, are Kola, and parts near it, and for the exit, the borders of the Caspian fea, has befeeched I have nothing material to her majefty to be pleafed to fend A trouble you with at prefent, two obfervers to the north, and two to the Cafpian. The ftations named by the academy, are Kola, Solowetkoy, Monaftir, Aftracan, and Oreuburg. The emprefs, in accordance to the reprefentations of the academy, apprehenfive of the precarious state of the weather at the end of May at Kola and thereabouts, has been pleafed to diftribute four other obfervers among thofe quarters. The academy availing itself of the high protection her imperial majefty has deigned to extend to this enterprize, has determined one to Jakoutfke where the duration will not be less than, by about lefs than at Kola, Torneao and Ca janeburg.. Mr. Wargentin has informed me, that Mr. Mallet of Upfal is preparing for Torneaö, and Mr. Planmann for his former Cajaneburg, fo that this country will be fo fecure in fuch a multiplicity of obfervers, that it may be well hoped, that fome ftation or other will not fail of affording a com I will endeavour to give you a fhort and exact account of the eruption, which is allowed to have been the moft violent, though of fhort duration, in the memory of man. I had foretold this eruption fome time, having had opportunities from my villa to watch its motions more minutely than any one here; and thofe threats which you read in the papers, were extracts from my letters to lord Shelburne. The 19th, at feven in the morning, I faw an unufual fmoak iffue with great violence from the mouth of the volcano, and form the fhape of a pine-tree, as Pliny defcribed before the eruption in which his uncle perished; by which I knew the eruption to be at hand, and in fact before eight I faw the mountain open, and the lava ron from the crack, near the top of the volcano; but as it took its courfe on the fide oppofite our villa, I had the curiofity to go round, and take a nearer view of it: as it requires time and fatigue to go up, I did not come in fight of |