land, Alexander Kilpatrick, Efq. aged 116 years and fome months; he was formerly a colonel of an Irith regiment of foot, and ferved under the Duke of Marlborough.

At St. Lucar de Barrameda, Donna Anna Keyna, aged 100 years and 25 days: fhe had eleven children, 59 grand-children, and 25 great-grand-children. She enjoyed, through her whole life, perfect health, and preferved her trength until within two years of her death, when the fuffered by the confequences of a fall from a horfe. Her hair, which was black, turned white at the age of forty. At ninety fhe cut it off, and when it grew again, it was of the original colour, which never afterwards changed. She died without having known infirmities, and with the tranquil ufe of her reafon, declaring that fhe felt no pain.

AUGUST.

Edinburgh, Aug. ift. There was prefented to the Right Houourable the Lord Provoft of Edinburgh, a memorial from a number of gentlemen and merchants reiding in that city and Leith, fetting forth in fubftance, "That the order of council in the Gazette for a quarantine of forty days being obferved by all veffels from Dantzick, Royal and Ducal Prufia, and Pomerania, while it evinced the attention of government to prevent the dreadful confequences of peftilence, at the fame time would be productive of direful effects, relative to cargoes of foreign graip; that fuch was

the fituation of the city of Edinburgh and neighbourhood, that there was not a fufficient fupply of corn in granaries to ferve three weeks; that all dependence was laid on the expected arrivals, the utility of which would be defeated, if the quarantine was rigidly enforced." Thefe facts were fubmitted, and left with his lordship. The Lord Provoft, the 4th. Lord Advocate, and a numerous and refpectable meeting, convened at the Goldsmith's-hall. Dr. Cullen and Dr. Black attended, and gave it as their opinion, that there was very little danger of the peftilence being conveyed in grain. A very ample opinion was afterwards fubfcribed by thefe phyficians. A letter was immediately prepared, to be figned by the Lord Provost, ftating the facts already mentioned, and accompanying the memorial from the merchants, and opinion of the profeffors, to be tranfmitted by exprefs to the Right Hon. Lord North, Secretary of State for the home department, to be by him prefented to his Majefty and Privy Council, praying that fuch relaxation might be allowed in the difcharge of all cargoes of foreign grain, as the diftreffed fituation of the country fo loudly called for.

Peterburgh, August 7th. The court received difpatches from prince Potemkin, general in chief, dated from Karas-Baffar, in Cri

mea.

He published in that peninfula, as alfo in Taman and Cuban, a manifefto, in which the emprefs difclofes her intention of annexing these countries to her dominions. Every where the oaths were taken to the emprefs; and

that

that her fovereignty was eftablishing there in a manner fo folid, that it would be a very difficult matter for the Turks to break through thefe new engage.

ments.

Hanover, Aug. 8th. His royal highness prince William Henry, third fon of the king of England, arrived here from London on Sunday laft.

Naples, Aug. 9th. On the 29th paft, at one in the morning, a violent thock of an earthquake happened again at Calabria, which threw the whole country into an alarm. At fix the fame morning, they had another more violent and longer than any that had happened before, infomuch that the barracks now feemed not fafe, and every body fled into the fields. Four villages, which had been spared before, were overturned. Cotona alfo fuffered confiderably, and the new buildings begun at Cozenza are fo fhattered, that they muft be pulled down. It is not faid whether any perfons have perished, but the commotion was felt fo ftrongly at Meflina, that it again did confiderable damage there.

Frankfort on the Maine, Aug. 11th.

A fire broke out at Querfurt, which reduced 80 houfes to afhes, and almost as many granaries filled with the produce of the last harvest.

Sheerness. This morning four of the feamen who belonged to his majesty's fhip Raifonable, and who were condemned to die, by the fentence of a court-martial held on them at Chatham in the month of July laft, were difpofed of in the following manner, in order for execution: the Scipio,

Dictator, Carnatic, and Thetis, were the thips appointed for this folemn fcene; one being ordered to be executed on board of each. But the man who was to receive his punishment on board the Thetis, was reprieved just before the fignal was given. The other three were hanged, by being drawn up by the yard-arm at the firing of a gun; a yellow flag was flying from each hip during the

execution.

This being the birth-day 12th. of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, who enters into the 2zd year of his age, their ma jefties and the heir apparent received the congratulations of the nobility, &c. at Windfor.

York. An action was tried, brought by qui tam, on the ftatute of ufury, for discounting bills, and receiving a larger rate of intereft than the law allows. The witnefs, upon whofe fingle teftimony this action was fupported, was a young tradefman of family and character, but went through a long and fevere crossexamination by the counfel for the defendant. The rate of intereft was near fixteen per cent. and as bills were commonly difcounted here about that premium, it was become a caufe of great expectation. The jury gave a verdict for treble of the whole discounted, viz. 3600!. When the jury delivered this judgment, the judge faid, he applauded the fpirit of the witnefs for bringing the caufe into court; at the fame time he thought the verdict too fevere, for it might be the entire ruin of the defendant and his family. He therefore fubmitted to the jury, whether it would not be right to [0] 3

recon

which

reconfider their verdict, they did, and gave 390l. This being the birth16th. day of his Royal Highness Prince Frederick, Bishop of Of nabrug, who now enters the 21ft year of his age, their majefties received the compliments of the nobility on the occafion at Wind. for.

One of the king's mef 17th. fengers arrived with the ratification of the provisional articles, which was exchanged on the 13th inft. at Paris, between his majefty's plenipotentiary and the plenipotentiaries of the United States of America.

At 11 minutes after nine 18th. in the evening, a very fingular phenomenon was feen at Greenwith, It being rather dark, a fudden and uncommon light appeared, without any caufe then vifible, for full two minutes; then appeared this phenomenon, coming from the N. N. W. perfectly horizontal in its courfe, and without any vibration, continued to the S.S.E. It paffed over Greenwich, and near the Royal Obfervatory, till the elevated trees in the park took it from the fight, Though it was tranfitory, the motion was not rapid, for you could distinctly difcover its form, colour, &c. Its duration was near two minutes, during which there was no variation in its luftre. Its magnitude and animated effect, made it appear near our earth. Two bright balls parallel to each other, led the way, the apparent diameter of which appeared to be about two feet, and were followed by an expuliion of eight others, not elliptical, feeming gradually to mutilate, for the lait was finall.

Between each ball, a luminous ferrated body extended, and at the laft a blaze iffued, and terminated in a point. Minute particles dilated from the whole. While this luminary was paffing, the atmofphere was exceedingly bright; but immediately after it became dark, though the moon was up. The phenomenon which appeared in 1716, and continued from eight in the evening till three in the morning, was, like the prefent, not local; for it has been feen in moft parts of the kingdom, notwithstanding it was not fubject to the great vibrations of the former. The balls were partially bright, as imagination can fuggeft; the intermediate fpaces, not fo exquifite in their colourings. The balls were tinted firft by a pure bright light, then followed a tender yellow, mixed with azure, red, green, &c. which, with a coalition of bolder tints, and a reflection from the other balls, gave the most beautiful rotundity and variation of colours, that the human eye could be charmed with, The fudden illumination of the atmofphere, the form, and fingular tranfition of this bright luminary, rendered much to make it awful; nevertheless the amazing vivid appearance of the different balls, and other rich, connective parts, not very eafy to delineate, gave an effect equal to the rainbow, in the full zenith of its glory. It appeared also almost all over the island of Great Britain nearly at the fame time, as well as in France, Flanders. &c.

This being the birth day. 21ft. of his Royal Highness Prince William Henry, his majefty's third fon, who now enters the

Emes, Capt. Laud, a Dutch fhip,
from the Texel, bound to Bata-
via, under Ruffian colours, which
run on the Goodwin Sands.
The following letter was received
on Thursday night,. by the
Right Hon. Nathaniel Newn-
ham, Efq. Lord Mayor, from
Lord Grantham, one of his
Majefty's principal Secretaries
of State.

St. James's, Jan. 23, 1783.
Half paft feven o'clock.

"MY LORD, "I have the fatisfaction to acquaint your lordship, that a meffenger is just arrived from Paris, with the preliminary articles between Great-Britain and France, and between Great-Britain and Spain, which were figned at Verfailles on the zoth inft. by Mr. Fitzherbert, his majesty's minifter plenipotentiary, and the minifters plenipotentiaries of the aforefaid

courts.

and delivered. She pleaded her being a femme coverte; the cafe was,

that her husband, Lord Lanf, had parted from her, allowed her a feparate maintenance, and was now fettled on his eftate in Ireland. The queftion therefore was, whether, under thefe circumftances, the plea of coverture was to protect the lady from arreft and judgement ? Lord Mansfield mentioned the cafes where the plea of coverture was and was not valid. It was not valid where the husband was exiled by the laws of his country, because the creditors could not purfue him for the debt of his wife. It was not valid where, by a difcovery of infidelity to his bed, they had been feparated by the laws of their country. But the prefent was a new cafe. They were parted by confent. hufband was in Ireland, and the lady refided in England on a feparate maintenance. It was impoffible for the creditor in England, by the laws of that land, to recover his debt from the husband in Ireland, and therefore, in equity, the wife was confidered as a femme fole. The caufe was decided against Lady Lanf with cons of fuit.

The

DIED, lately, at Litchfield, the Rev. Mr. Bond, and his wife, who had lived together upwards of forty years: they were both interred in one grave, at the cathedral church.

In the Netherlands, one Mar

tens, aged 100 years and 11 months. His father lived to the age of 104, and his mother to the age of 108 years.

At Wamphray, Agnes Carmichael, in the 113th year of her age. FE

(the prifoners), and a few others, collected half a crown among themselves, which they gave to a countryman, for conducting them to Rye, whence they walked to London, where they had arrived but a very fhort time when they were apprehended and committed to Newgate.

Konigsberg, Sep. 3d. The wife of a merchant in this city exhibits an uncommon example of fecundity. She was brought to bed of five children, three fons and two daughters, all likely to do well, and the mother fuffered no more than is natural to expect in fuch a labour.

At fix this morning the 4th. honourable Colonel Cofmo Gordon and Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas met at the ring at HydePark, to fight a duel. It was agreed upon by their feconds, that after receiving their piflols they fhould advance, and fire when they pleafed. On arriving within about eight yards of each other they prefented, and drew their triggers nearly at the fame time, when only the colonel's piftol went off. The lieutenantcolonel having adjufted his piftol, fired at the colonel, who received a fevere contufion on his thigh. Their fecond piftols were fired without effect, and their friends called to reload them; after which they again advanced to nearly the fame diftance, and fired, when the lieutenant-colonel fell, having received a ball in his body. He received immediate afiflance from a furgeon, who attended the colonel in cafe of need, and who extracted the bail on the field,

mortal.

5th.

It was this day ordered by his majefty in council, that the embargo at prefent fubfilling upon fhips and veffels laden, and to be laden, in the ports of Great Britain and Ireland with provifions, be taken off.

An order of council was likewife iffued, for regulating the trade to America, in pursuance of an act of last feffion of parliament.

Letters from Liverpool, 8th, give an account of a violent hurricane there, which lasted four hours, during which, nothing was able to withstand its fury; the largest trees were torn up by the roots, many houfes unroofed, and almoft all the fhips driven from their moorings, but none, except one from Newfoundland, loft. Fortunately the ftorm happened in the night, or many perfons must have been killed by the falling of chimnies, tiles, &c, As fome men were empty

ing the lead mills, at Tem- 9th. ple Mills, Hackney, which were repairing, they found an urn full of Roman coins, fome of them in high prefervation, with the impreffion of Julius Cæfar and Conftantine the Great, together with feveral medals; likewise a stone coffin, with the skeleton entire, meafuring feven feet nine inches long; the infcription on the coffin is unintelligible: in removing the old foundation a vault was difcovered, in which were feveral urns, but quite imperfect: what is very remarkable, the vaults, for centuries paft, are fuppofed to have been fixteen feet under water.