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increafed with fuch rapidity that before the engines could be brought from Howden (a diftance of four miles) the entire building was on fire; by which the whole, with the leaden covering, was entirely confumed, except one chamber, with the outer and fome parts of the inner walls. It is fuppofed to have been occafioned by a chimney taking fire, from which no danger was apprehended when the family went to reft. The fouth fide, principal part of the quadrangle, being the only part left undemolished in 1650, contained the diningroom, drawing-room, and chapel, ufed as the parith-church ever fince the other was ruined in the civil wars. In the two principal chambers were fome beautiful tair-cafes of fingular contrivance, containing double flights of fairs, winding round each other, after the defigns of Palladio.

24th.

The following melancholy occurrence took place. As the ferry boat was crofling the river from Common-ftaithe quay to Old Lynn, at seven in the evening, with about 30 perfons on board, it ran foul of the cable of a barge, and was unfortunately overfet, by which accident it is feared that upwards of 20 perfons have loft their lives; four more muft inevitably have thared the fame fate, but for the active and vigorous exertions of one of the paffengers (John Price, a failor), who at the imminent hazard of his life, and with that humanity and intrepidity which are the characterifics of an English failor, refcued four fellow-creatures from death; he had feized a fifth (a woman), but the rapidity of the tide tore her from him, and he himself had

nearly perifhed in the attempt to fave her life. Eight only of the bodies have yet been found. It is juft 166 years fince a fimilar accident happened at the fame ferry, when 18 perfons were unfortunately drowned.

DIED. 7th.-At his lodgings in Bath, John Sibthorp, M. D. F. R. S. and regius profeffor of Botany in the university of Oxford. He was indefatigable in his refearches for new and rare plants, and travelled twice into Turkey and Greece to colle&t them. The fatigues he underwent in his last tour entirely deftroyed his conftitution, and he has fallen a victim to his favourite ftudy. He took the degree of M. A. June 28, 1780, of B. M. Dec. 8, 1783, (about which time his father refigned to him the profefforfhip), and of D. M. Jan. 20, 1784. Some years ago the university appointed him a travelling fellow on Dr. Radcliff's foundation, and in that capacity he vifited a great part of the European continent. At Gottingen his abilities were held in fuch eftimation, that he was honoured with a degree in phyfic by the univerfity. In 1794 he published a Flora Oxonienfis, and has left an estate of 300l. per annum to the univer fity, in truft, to defray the expences attending the publication of a Flora Græca, taken from fpecimens in his own valuable collection.

After that work is finished, the fum of 2001. per annum is to be added to the falary of the Sherardian profeffor, on condition that he reads lectures on botany in every term. His excellent collection of plants and books he has bequeathed to the botanical library of the univerfity.

B4

17th. In

17th. In his 59th year James Macpherfon, efq. M. P. for Camelford. Of this celebrated author of Offian fome anecdotes fhall be given in a fubfequent department of this volume.

4th.

MARCH.

Mr. B. D. Cock, driving a curricle round Camden-place near Bath, the horses, in confequence of being too much curbed, became reftive, and one of them, having broken the bar, fuddenly dashed over a precipice upwards of 100 feet deep, by which the gentleman was literally dafhed to pieces, the curricle deftroyed, and the horfes killed on the spot.

In the court of exchequer, in Dublin, a jury of merchants, on the 20th of February laft, gave lord Weftmeath a verdict of 10,000l. damages, against Mr. Bradshaw, fon of fir Henry Cavendish (who took the name of Bradshaw for a large eftate), for crim. con. with lady Weftmeath.-Lady Weftmeath was a Mifs Jefferys. She was married to lord Weftmeath in 1784, and has two children by his

lordship.

Derby. What particularly 10th. engaged the attention of the public at our affizes was a charge against a woman of the name of Ann Hoon, aged 24, for the wilful murder of her infant child, about 14 months old. The circumftances of this murder were as follows: On Friday laft, this poor creature, who is the wife of a labouring man, was about to heat her oven, and, being fhort of wood, had broken down a rail or two from the fencing round the plantation of

a gentleman in the neighbourhood; fome of her neighbours threatened her with a profecution, and told her fhe would be tranfported for it. This much alarmed her mind; and the idea of being feparated from her child, of whom the bad always appeared remarkably fond, fo wrought on her imagination, that the formed the horrible defign of putting it to death, in order that, by furrendering herself into the hands of juftice, the might be executed for the murder, and fo be for ever re-united in heaven to that babe whom the had loved more than life. As foon, therefore, as her husband was gone out to bis labour, the proceeded to put this diabolical defign into execution: the filled a large tub with water, when the babe, fmiling in its mother's face, difarmed her for the moment, and fhe found herself unable to commit the horrid fact. She then lulled the babe to fleep at her breaft, and, wrapping a cloth round it, plunged it into the tub, and held it under water till life became extinct; then took it out of the tub, and laid it on the bed, and, taking her hat and cloak, locked her street-door, and left her key at a neighbour's for her hufband, when he should return from his labour. She then proceeded to walk eight or nine miles to a magiftrate, and, requefting admiffion to him, told him the whole ftory, concluding with an earnest defire immediately to be executed. She was tried this morning; and, many ftrong inftances of infanity for fome years paft appearing, the Jury found her not guilty.

At Stafford affizes, a remarkable caufe was tried, in which Mrs. Dockfey, fifier and heir at law of

the

16th.

Were executed oppofite Newgate, purfuant to their refpe&tive fentences, Tho, Kemp, the letter-carrier, Jofeph Francis Bodkin for robbing Mr. Ardefoif, and William Fogden for horse-ftealing.

the late Peter Garrick, efq. of the magiftrate, who warned him to Lichfield, (brother to the celebra- beware of his conduct in future, ted David Garrick) was plaintiff, as a ftrict watch fhould be kept and Mr. Panting, furgeon of that over him and all his affociates. town, defendant. The defendant claimed all the real and perfonal property of the deceased, (nearly 30,000l.) under deeds of conveyance executed by Mr. Garrick at the advanced age of 85, to the total difinherison of all his relations and their families, and in derogation of many wills made in their favour, the laft dated in 1791. Mr. Erfkine led the caufe for the plaintiff; and after a moft eloquent and impaffioned opening of the cafe, which lafted upwards of two hours, and the examination of feveral witneffes, the caufe was relinquished on the part of the defendant.

Birmingham. Binns and 11th. Jones, two delegates from the London correfpondent fociety, regardless of the laws and peace of the country, delivered (the one at the Swan in Swallow-ftreet, and the other at the Bell public-houfe, in Suffolk-ftreet in this town) their inflammatory lectures; information of which being given to William Hicks, efq. one of our magiftrates, he immediately repaired, with the peace officers, to the illegal affemblies. The meeting at the Swan had broken up; but at the Bell they found Jones in a room haranguing about 70 people. As foon as he faw the magiftrate, he was filent; but Mr. Hicks being made acquainted, by feveral who were prefent, of the feditious language he had held, immediately ordered the proclamation againft diforderly meetings to be read, and the people in a few minutes difperfed. Jones was admonished by

This evening about fix 25th. o'clock, a difagreeable accident happened in Greek ftreet, the' corner of Compton-fireet. Two men intoxicated to a great degree, affaulted every perfon they met; and one of them, who had a hammer in his hand, ftruck a paffenger on the head with it, near the eye, which was beat in by the blow. They were at length fecured, and carried to the office in Marlb rough-ftreet, whence they were removed to Tothill-fields bridewell.

31ft.

Mr. Halhed has thought

proper to difpofe of all his oriental manufcripts, which he acquired with great labour and expence. Thefe manufcripts the British mufeum has very laudably purchased.

Vienna. On the prefentation of the princefs royal of France, a particular circle had been formed for the folemnity, and the court was as numerous as it was brilliant. The emprefs prefented the princefs to the ambaffadors and their ladies, and to certain ladies of the first rank. After which the other minifters and nobility were, in their turn, prefented to her royal highnefs, by the grand miftrefs of her Imperial majefty's court, by the grand treafurer of the court, count Dietrichftein, and by prince

Gayres,

Gavres, govenor of the princefs's court. The princefs of France exceeded the general expectation on this occafion. Her beauty, her fenfibility, her grace, her affability, and eafy deportment, excited at once furprize and admiration. She faid the moft flattering things to field marshals Lafey, Clarfait, Colloredo, and Pelegrini, and to count Trautmansdorff. The French emigrants were prefented to her royal highness by the marquis de Gallo, the Neapolitan ambaflador. They were fix in number: the duke de Guiche, captain of the guards to Louis XVI. who diftinguifhed himself on the 5th of Odober, 1780; the marquis de Riviere, the Blondel of his mafter; count de Gourci; count de Merci; the marquis de la Vaupaliere, and M. D'Afchepar. Amongst the other French and foreigners, who were acknowledged by the princefs, were the duke of Richelieu, count de Ferfen, the chevalier Mayer, fo well known for his literary productions; the bifhop of Nanci, alike celebrated for his virtues and his talents; the duchefs de Guiche, who shed tears; the countefs de Vauban, and the countefs d'Oudenarde. The prefence of these faithful and unfortunate nobles contributed not a little to render the fcene peculiarly interesting.

DIED. In his 84th year, Abbé Raynal. He walked to Paris a week before his death; got a cold, which was followed by a catarrh, and kept his bed fome days. On the day of his deceafe he got up, thaved and dreffed himself. At fix in the evening he went to bed; heard a news-paper read, and made fome critical obfervations upon the operations announced in the paper.

At ten o'clock he died. The juf tice of the peace of the fection des champs Elysées did not chufe to bury him until he had asked the Goverument whether it was intended to pay him any funeral honours.-He was employed, juft before his death, upon a new edition of his philofophical hiftory, and had prefented an addrefs to the directory to obtain from the agents of the republic in foreign countries the documents, of which he flood in need, relative to the commerce of different nations, to the Eaft India companies, and fome other objects of his work. The directory immediately complied with his requeft, and fent the neceffary orders to the French ambaffadors in Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, and Italy. It is known that the abbé had among his manufcripts, a hiftory of the revocation of the edict of Nantes, in four volumes; but it is rumoured that, under the reign of Robespierre, he burnt part of his papers.

17. At the Hague, Peter Paulus, prefident of the firft national convention there, and one of the principal authors of the revolution in Holland. In him his country lofes one of its most zealous defenders, the patriotic party their chief fupport, the convention its head, and marine its ableft director. He has fallen a facrifice to his exerertions as prefident. His death has produced the fame fenfations at the Hague as the death of Mirabeau did at Paris. The greateft bonours have been paid to the first prefident of the Batavian convention; and a decree of that affembly declares that he never ceafed to deferve well of his country; which decree, written on vellam, the convention

convention has refolved to prefent to his widow; and to give her, at the fame time, the national fcarf with which he was decorated at the opening of the convention.

At his houfe in Norton-treet, fir William Chambers, knight of the polar ftar, furveyor-general of his majefty's board of works, treasurer of the royal academny, and fellow of the royal and antiquarian focieties. A further account of this architect fhall be given under the head of characters.

2d.

APRIL.

The intimation of the firft performance of a piece afcribed to the pen of Shakspeare produced this night the effect which might naturally have been expected in a metropolis filled with his admirers. At four o'clock the doors of the theatre were befieged; and, a few minutes after they were opened, the pit was crowded folely with gentlemen. Before fix not a place was to be found in the boxes, and the paffages were filled. The play of Vortigern was announced for representation as the production of our immortal bard; but the tale of its long concealment and happy recovery was not heard without fufpicion; which his votaries withed to heighten into immediate incredulity. The town, however, retained its candour; and, we believe, the predominant fentiment in the audience, on this evening, was a wish to welcome with rapture the recovered offspring of their beloved Shakspeare. A play was, therefore, performed, founded in fome degree on the hiftorical account of the ambition of Vorti

gern, the ufurper of Britain; his murder of Conftantius; his alliance with the Saxons; and his paflion for Rowena, the daughter of the Saxon chief. The events are warped into a refemblance to thofe of Macbeth, Richard III. &c. with the inadvertency of a copyift, who was more intent on imitating the language than the genius of Shakfpeare. The characters are fuch as would not have been drawn by that aftonishing writer in the exercife of his ufual faculties. He is remarkable in feldom borrowing from himself. The play is deftitute of all thofe gigantic metaphors, and bold allufions, which, approaching the limits of poffibility, attonish and alarm our imaginations into a fympathy with his fublime conceptions. The language, though evidently an imitation, is infinitely beneath the original, which poffelfes an aptitude, a facility, and har mony, which has never been furpaffed. The audience betrayed ymptoms of impatience early in the reprefentation; but, finding its tafle infulted by bloated terius, which heightened the general infipidity, its reafon puzzled by difcordant images, falfe ornaments, and abortive efforts to elevate and attonith; pronounced its fentence of condemnation, at the conclufion of the play; and we have no doubt that Vortigern, if it be published, will rank in character, though not in merit, with the perverted and furprifing labours of the unfortunate Chatterton.

This moft grofs and impudent impofition had, however, its fupporters, as the following attefiation, drawn up by the rev. Dr. Parr, thews.

We whofe names are bereunto fubfcribed,

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