in the found, which is very dull, a small crack has been contrived in each of them, and to this their not ringing well is attributed. However, the fraud may be easily discovered by rubbing the edge fmartly upon any thing hard; for then the leaf gold, which is very thin, will rub off, and leave the filver visible to the naked eye.

The fubjects for the prizes given annually to the fenior and middle bachelors of Cambridge, by the hon. Edward Finch Hatton, and Thomas Townshend, efqrs. reprefentatives in parliament for that univerfity are:

For the fenior bachelors,

Útrum Civitati perniciofior fit Epicuri an Zenonis Philofophia?

For the middle bachelors, Quomodo intelligendum eft effatum illud, Recte fit quodcunque evenit ? The following anecdote is related of the reverend Mr. Sterne when he was at Paris. A French gentleman afking him, if he had found in France no original characters that he could make ufe of in his life and opinions of Triftram Shandy: "No," replied he, "the French refemble old pieces " of coin, whofe impreffion is worn out by rubbing.'

In clearing the foundation for the fixth pier of Black-friars bridge, fo many human skulls have been dragged up, as to give juft reafon to believe that that fpot was an ifland in the Thames with a place of worship on it. The river, at least, was of old a great deal wider than now, and Weftminsterabbey, when begun, was upon an island.

Forty-eight couple of bloodhounds were lately fhipt from Bri.

ftol for North America, where, it is thought, they will be very ferviceable in difcovering the tracks of the hoftile Indians.

A lifeguardman of Poland, celebrated for his great voraciousnefs, was lately prefented to the court of Saxony, and in the prefence of it devoured near twenty pounds of beef, and half a calf roafted, befides other things.

A lad of fifteen years old, apprentice to a carman in Whitechapel, eat, at a public-house, for a wager of two guineas, feven pounds of beef-fteaks, all folid meat, a quartern loaf, and drank two quarts of porter. He had two hours allowed him to finish this his fupper, but devoured the whole in lefs than an hour and an half.

Letters from Gottingen, of the 6th inftant, pofitively infift, that Dr. Klarich, belonging to the univerfity there, had actually cured upwards of 54 perfons of the tooth-ach by the application of a load-ftone. [For an authentic account of the fame experiment being fuccefsfully tried in England, fee the laft article of our Natural Hiftory.]

We are told from Hamburgh, that a woman at Altena, after lofing nine children in the cutting of their teeth, faved fix others by rubbing their gums with virgin honey on the first fenfation of pain, either with her finger, or a bit of linen cloth, and repeating the operation whenever the child was found uneafy. The fame experiment was tried with fuccefs on other children.

There is now in the parish of Braunfton, in the county of Rutland, an ewe, which has had seven lambs, all alive, within less than a year; and, when fat, does not weigh above fourteen pounds and a quarter.

There has been lately fhewn, at the fair of St. Germain's, in France, an extraordinary Indian bird called the caffawary. He has no tongue, is not covered with feathers, but with briftles like a hog, and has on each fide of his breaft fharp quils, which ferve for his defence. His legs are very large, but proportionable to the fize of his body; and he runs as fast as a horfe. His forehead is armed with a horn; and when he moves, his skin fhews of different colours, all very bright.

A gentleman of South Carolina, of great honour and veracity, declares, that he faw laft February a cabbage plant, at a gentleman's garden, near Savannah in Georgia, which rifes from one root, Ipreads over a circumference of 30 feet, measuring ten feet over every way; had flood three winters, and feeded annually. [For an account of two extraordinary kinds of this

useful plant, fee our articles of Natural History and Projects for this year.

His moft chriftian majefty has granted a gratification of 18,000 livres to the widow Calas, 6000 to each of her two daughters, and 3000 to one of her fons, without depriving them of the expectative on their firft judges. On the other hand, the parliament of Tholoufe has appointed commiffioners to draw up a remonftrance to the king on the affair of that unfortunate family, and have forbid the arret in their favour to be stuck up. The heads of this remonftrance are, 1. That no evocations be granted for the future without an abfolute certainty of the facts. 2. That where they are found neceffary, they be made only from one parliament to another. 3. That no regard be paid to the judgment of the court des Requetes de l'Hotel. And 4. That the actual proceffion of the 17th of March may not be abolished.

The fame monarch has not only bestowed on M. de Bellay, author of a celebrated tragedy, called The Siege of Calais, the gold medal for fome years intended for the perfon who fhould write the best tragedy on that fubject, but has ordered him a gratuity of 1000 crowns, and permitted him to dedicate his piece to him. And heating that the magiftrates of Calais had invited the French players at Paris to come to their ancient city to reprefent it, during their recefs in the holy week, and that the magiftrates of that place generously propofed to defray their expences, which they as generously declined accepting, his

moft

moft chriftian majefty interpofed, and ordered the whole expence of the journey and reprefentation to be defrayed out of the royal coffer.

The king of Pruffia has lately founded an academy, in which fifteen young noblemen are to be educated, according to his majefty's own plan. The tutors and profeffors are all French, of whom the celebrated M. Touffaint, author of the treatise entited Les Maurs, teaches philofophy.

The emperor of Morocco, propofing to break with the Danes, has been fo uncommonly kind as to give the merchants of that nation three months notice to retire with their effects. But perhaps this was done in order to leave room for an accommodation, which might produce more than the feizing of their perfons, and the confifcation of their effects. At leaft, matters were again made up by the 9th of March.

The following is the refult of the council of war established in Spain, to enquire into the conduct of the officers employed in the defence of the Havannah, and of the island of Cuba. The marquis de Real Transporte, commander in chief of the fleet there, and member of the council of war; the Count de Superunda, lieutenant general, and prefident of the council of war; and Don Diego Tabares, a member of the faid council; deprived of all their military employments, and banished forty leagues from court for ten years, and their effects to be employed in making fatisfaction for the damage occafioned by the lofs of the above mentioned place,

to his majefty's finances, and his fubjects. The chief engineer deprived of his military employment for two years, and banished, during that time, forty leagues from court; the fecretary of the council of war declared to be unfit for that employment for the future, on account of his want of exactitude in minuting the feveral proceedings of the faid council.

Some time ago a man at Carnor,' about two leagues from Carlitadt in Tranfylvania, who had been a few months married to a young woman of eighteen, of whom he was exceeding jealous, having taken fome exceptions to her conduct, locked himself up one evening with her and her mother; he then ftripped his wife, and having faftened her to the wall with wooden pegs, he cut off her ears, nofe, and two breafts, and drove a ftake into her belly. He then cut open her fide with a knife, and not finding her heart, which he wanted, opened her other fide, from which he took it out. He then

loofened the poor wretch, laid her on the ground, to which he fastened her with three pegs, and afterwards laid himself down by the dead body; and, as if the being fatiated with barbarity produced the fame effects with drunkenness, he fell into fo profound a fleep, that his mother-in-law, who expected the fame fate, eafily opened the doors, and efcaped into the neighbourhood, where he gave an account of the fhocking fcene fshe had been witness to. Upon this proper perfons were dispatched, who feized him while fill afleep. The punishment inflicted on him was, according to the manner of [G] 3

the

the ancient Scythians, proportioned to fo unheard of a crime. The wretch was conducted on foot to the gallows, where he was ftript; after which his nofe, ears, and the flesh of his breast were torn off with hot pincers. He was to have had his eyes plucked out, but this was omitted, because from a fchifmatic he became a Catholic. He was then fastened to the tail of his own horse, and dragged three times round the gallows; after which his two hands were cut off, one after another, by flow and deliberate ftrokes. His head was then cleaved, and his breast being opened, his heart taken out, and cut into feveral pieces. At last his limbs were nailed to the gallows, fo low that the dogs and wild animals might reach them; and they were in fact devoured before night. This wretch bore those fevere torments with incredible firm nefs and refolution. On the fame day a neighbour of this inhuman wretch was taken up for cutting off his wife's breaft, from a like principle of jealoufy.

The following inftance of gratitude deferves to be remembered. Nicholfon Woolley, efq; of Blenchington in Cumberland, who died lately, left the best part of his eftate to his footman, who faved his life about two years ago.

Mr. Richard Jordan of York, merchant, lately paved, for a confiderable wager, 100 fquare yards with common ftones, in lefs than nine hours.

Died lately. The reigning prince of Anhalt Bernburgh, duke of Saxony, aged 64.

The learned and pious Dr. Young, author author of the Night

Thoughts, &c. [For fome account of his life, fee our Characters for this year.]

a

At Salisbury, in an advanced age, Mrs. Barbara Wyndham, maiden lady of a confiderable fortune, the bulk of which, we hear, fhe has left for the endowment of a charity to be called Wyndham College, for the fupport of ten poor men, natives of the city, and fourteen poor women, whofe hufbands are either dead or otherwise fo abandoned as not to allow them a fufficient maintenance.

At Barbadoes, Christopher Irwin, efq. inventor of the marine chair, a moft ingenious and useful contrivance for obferving the heavenly bodies, in the moft turbulent feas, with as much steadiness as they can be afhore. This gentleman was ftill more remarkable for the mildness and uniformity of his temper, as he was never known to be but once out of humour in all his life-time.

David Mallet, efq; a gentleman well-known in the literary world.

Mr. Hitchcock, a wealthy farmer at Weston-stony, Bedfordshire, who being prepoffeffed on his death-bed that he should come to life again, gave orders, that his body fhould be put into a coffin, flightly nailed, and placed at the top of the infide of his barn; which was done accordingly.

In Hog-lane, St. Giles's, one Duncan, who within a few years had amaffed above 12001. by letting out barrows to poor people at fixpence per week.

At Harlitop in Norfolk, Mr. Colton, who by two wives had 43 living children.

Mrs. Anne Hardford, aged 92, whofe

whofe iffue amounted to 181 children, grand-children, &c.

At Pouline-Court, Glamorganfhire, the reverend Mr. Driene, aged 102.

At Nenthead, near Alfton, in Cumberland, Anne Wilfon, aged 110 years: She came from Derbyfaire, about feventy years ago, to work in the lead mines there.

In the county of Dublin, Judith Cooley, aged 116.

At Kinglon in Jamaica, the celebrated Conftantia Phillips, who, though once fo engaging, had not a fingle friend of either fex to attend her to the grave.

2d.

MAY.

At the anniverfary, meeting of the governors of the Magdalen charity, the collection amounted to upwards of 8001. Some time before, the queen was pleafed to declare herfelf the patronefs of this inftitution, permit the vice prefident, &c. to wait on her with a book of rules, &c. when they had all the honour to kifs her majefty's hand, and has fince prefented them with the donation of one hundred pounds.

The Thunderer man of war's 3d. long-boat, with feventy men. on board, unhappily foundered in Portsmouth harbour, and only fixteen out of the whole number were with difficulty faved.

A globe of fire, of very large diameter, was feen at Rome, one evening the beginning of this month, the light of which, at ten o'clock, it is laid, was nearly equal

to that of the fun, and greatly furprized the inhabitants; but it foon difappeared.

8th.

The queftion, whether the act of Parliament for fecuring the property of engravings, &c. to the inventors and defigners of them, extended to portraits, was argued in the court of CommonPleas; when, after a full hearing, the judges being unanimously of opinion, that portraits were entitled to the benefit of the faid act, gave judgment accordingly.

At the anniversary meeting of the fons of the clergy at St. Paul's, the collection amounted to 1911. Ios. 6 d. which with 2531. 18 s. 10 d. collected at the rehearsal, and 6361. 18s. 6d. at the feaft, amounts to 10821. 7 s. io d..

The right hon. the lord 10th. chancellor, as fpeaker, the earls of Sandwich and Gower, by virtue of a commiffion from the king, his majefty being indifpofed, gave the royal affent to the following bills.

The bill to veft the Ile of Man in the crown.

The bill to improve the harbour of Ramfgate, and the haven of Sandwich.

age

The bill for regulating the postof letters, &c.

The bill for repealing the duties on raw filk, and granting other duties in lieu thereof.

The bill for rendering more effectual in America the act for pu nifhing mutiny and defertion. ⠀

The bill for appointing additional commiffioners of the land