the court of admiralty. Had it been a case of piracy, they would have been hung in chains. DIED.-In Portugal, Dr. Lore. ira, author of the "Flora Cochinenfis." This celebrated botanist devoted 30 years of close application to the compofition of this work. Sir Joseph Banks invited him to this country, for the purpose of publishing it here; but advanced age prevented him from accepting the invitation. 20. At Lancaster, in an advanced period of life, Mr. Alexander Stevens, architect; who in the course of the last forty years, erected more ftone bridges, and other buildings in water, than any man in these kingdoms. Among the many works of that kind may be mentioned the bridge over the Liffey at Dublin, and the locks and docks on the grand canal of Ireland. The north of England and Scotland exhibits numberless works of his execution. The aqueduct over the river Lune, at Lancaster, is one of the greatest undertakings he was ever concerned in; and, had he lived a few months longer, he would have had the fatisfaction of seeing it completed. FEBRUARY. This night, after eleven Ift. o'clock, as the royal family were returning from Drury-lane theatre, when the carriages had reached the end of John-street, Pall Mall, a stone was flung with fuch force as to break one of the glass pannels in the coach, in which were their majesties and the lady in waiting; which, after striking the queen on the cheek, fell into lady Harrington's lap. A de. pofition on the above business was taken at the duke of Portland's office, before the fecretary of state and two of the magiftrates from Bow-ftreet; when some of the footmen attending on the royal family were examined. A reward of 1000l. is offered for the discovery of the offenders. 18th. This day came on in the court of king's bench, the cause of Jeffreys versus Mr. Walker and others, commiffioners appointed for liquidating the prince of Wales's debts, for the fum of 54,6851. for jewels furnished by the plaintiff for his royal highness. Meffrs. Sharp, Elias, Levi, and Dugden, eminent diamond-merchants, were called on the part of the plaintiff, who proved the value of the articles to be, unset, 50.9971. 10s.; while Meffrs. Crifp, Duval, and Francillon, on the part of the defendants, gave it as their opinion, that, having examined the jewels, they were not worth more than 43,800l. exclufive of the fetting of a miniature picture of her highness. The jury, after a quarter of an hour's confideration, found a verdict for the plaintiff, 50,9971. 108 Richard England was put 19th. to the bar at the old Bailey, charged with the wilful murder of Mr. Rowlls, brewer, of Kingston, in a duel at Cranford-bridge, June 18, 1794. Lord Derby, the first witness, gave in evidence, that he was present at Afcot races; when in the stand upon the race-course he heard Mr. England cautioning the gentleman present not to bet with the deceased, as he neither paid what he loft or what he borrowed; on which Mr. Rowlls B3 went went up to him, called him rafcal or scoundrel, and offered to strike him; when England bid him stand off, or he would be obliged to knock him down, saying at the same time, "We have interrupted the company fufficiently here, and if you have any thing further to fay to me, you know where I am to be found." A farther altercation ensued; but his lordship, be ing at the other end of the stand, did not diftinctly hear it, and then the parties retired. Lord Dartry now lord Cremorne, and his lady, with a gentleman, were at the inn at the time the duel was fought: they went into the garden, and endeavoured to prevent the duel; there were several other perfons collected in the garden. Mr. Rowlls defired his lordthip and others not to interfere; and on a fecond attempt of his lordthip to make peace, Mr. Rowlls faid, if they did not retire, he muft, though reluctantly, call them impertinent. Mr. England, at the same time, stepped forward, and took off his hat: he said, "gentlemen, I have been cruelly treated, I have been injured in my honour and character; let there be reparation made, and I am ready to have done this moment." Lady Dartry retired, his lordship ftood in the bower of the garden, until he faw Mr. Rowlls fall. One or two witpesses were called, who proved nothing material. A paper containing the prifoner's defence being read, the earl of Derby, marquis of Hertford, Mr. Whitebread, jun. col. Bishopp, and other gentlemen, were called to his character. They all spoke of him as a man of decent gentlemanly deportment, who, in itead of seeking quarrels, was stu dious to avoid them. He had been friendly to Englishmen whilft abroad, and had rendered fome fervices to the military at the fiege of Newport. Mr. justice Rooke fume med up the evidence, after which the jury retired for about three quarters of an hour, when they returned a verdict, guilty of manflaughter. The prisoner having fled from the laws of his country for twelve years, the court was dif posed to shew no lenity. He was therefore fentenced to pay a fine of one thilling, and to be imprifoned in Newgate twelve months. 20th. ،، In the king's bench, came on the trial of Kyd Wake, indicted for a mifdemeanour in hiffing and hooting the king as his majesty was going to the parliament-house, on the first day of the present sessions, and likewife crying, down with George, no war," &c. Mr. Stockdale, the bookfeller, and Mr. Walford, the linen draper, who acted as conftables on the day, were examined, and fully proved the facts charged in the indictment; upon which the jury without hefitation, found a verdict, guilty. A great number of persons attended on the part of the prisoner; but as they could only speak to his general character, and not to the cafe in point, Mr. Erskine, the prisoner's counfel, declined calling upon them, referving their teftimony to be offered in mitigation of punithment, on the first day of next term, when the prisoner will be brought up to the court of king's bench to receive judgment. 21 ft. Hull, After the family were gone to bed, a very alarming fire broke out in the habi table part of Wressle Castle, which increased increased with such rapidity that before the engines could be brought from Howden (a distance 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 supposed to have been occafioned by a chimney taking fire, from which no danger was apprehended when the family went to rest. The fouth fide, or 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 everfince the other was ruined in the civil wars. In the two principal chambers were some beautiful ftair-cafes of fingular contrivance, containing double flights of stairs, winding round each other, after the defigus of Palladio. 24th. nearly perished in the attempt to save her life. Eight only of the bodies have yet been found. It is just 166 years fince a fimilar accident happened at the same ferry, when 18 persons were unfortunately drowned. DIED. 7th. At his lodgings in Bath, John Sibthorp, M. D. F. R. S. and regius profeffor of Botany in the univerfity of Oxford. He wasindefatigable in his researches for new and rare plants, and travelled twice into Turkey and Greece to collect them. The fa tigues he underwent in his laft tour entirely deftroyed his conftitution, and he has fallen a victim to his favourite study. 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 profefforship), 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 visited a great part of the Eu ropean 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 eftate of 300l. per annum to the univerfity, in truft, to defray the expences attending the publication of a The following melancholy occurrence took place. As the ferry boat was croffing the river from Common-staithe quay to Oid Lynn, at seven in the evening, with about 30 persons on board, it ran foul of the cable of a barge, and was unfortunately overset, by which accident it is feared that upwards of 20 persons have lost their lives; four more muft inevirably have shared the fame fate, but for the active and vigo-Flora Græca, taken from speci rous 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 characteristics of an English failor, rescued 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 mens in his own valuable collecti- 17th. Ju 17th. In his 50th year James Macpherson, esq. M. P. for Camelford. Of this celebrated author of Offian some anecdotes shall be given in a subsequent department of this volume. MARCH. Mr. B. D. Cock, driving a 4th. 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, suddenly dashed over a precipice upwards of 100 feet deep, by which the gentleman was literally dashed to pieces, the curricle destroyed, and the horfes killed on the spot. In the court of exchequer, in Dublin, a jury of merchants, on the 20th of February last, gave lord Westmeath 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 Westmeath.] eftmeath. - Lady Westmeath was a Miss Jefferys. She was married to lord Westmeath in 1784, and has two children by his lordthip. 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 circumstances of this murder were as follows: On Friday last, this poor creature, who is the wife of a labouring man, was about to heat her oven, and, being short 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 the would be transported for it. This much alarmed her mind; and the idea of being feparated from her child, of whom the had always appeared remarkably fond, so wrought on her imagination, that the formed the horrible design of putting it to death, in order that, by furrendering herself into the hands of justice, the might be executed for the murder, and so 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 his labour, she proceeded to put this diabolical design into execution : she filled a large tub with water, when the babe, smiling in its mother's face, difarmed her for the moment, and the 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 husband, when he should return from his labour. She then proceeded to walk eight or nine miles to a magiftrate, and, requesting admiffion to him, told him the whole story, concluding with an earnest defire immediately to be executed. She was tried this morning; and, many strong inftances of infanity for fome years paft appearing, the Jury found her not guilty. At Stafford afsizes, a remarkable cause was tried, in which Mrs. Docksey, fifter and heir at law of the the late Peter Garrick, efq. of Lichfield, (brother to the celebrated David Garrick) was plaintiff, and Mr. Panting, furgeon of that 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 disinherison of all his relations tion of many wills made in their favour, the last dated in 1791. Mr. Erskine led the cause for the plaintiff; and after a most eloquent and impaffioned opening of the cafe, which lasted upwards of two bours, and the examination of feveral witnesses, the cause 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-house, in Suffolk-street in this town) their inflammatory lectures; information of which being given to William Hicks, esq. 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 saw the magiftrate, he was filent; but Mr. Hicks being made acquainted, by several who were present, of the feditious language he had held, immediately ordered the proclamation against disorderly meetings to be read, and the people in a few minutes difpersed. Jones was admonished by the magistrate, who warned him to beware of his conduct in future, as a strict watch should be kept over him and all his associates. 16th. Were executed oppofite Newgate, pursuant to their respective sentences, Tho. Kemp, the letter-carrier, Joseph Francis Bodkin for robbing Mr. Ardesoif, and William Fogden for horfe-stealing. This evening about fix dent happened in Greek-street, the corner of Compton-street. Two men intoxicated to a great degree, affaulted every person they met; and one of them, who had a hammer in his hand, struck a paffenger on the head with it, near the eye, which was beat in by the blow. They were at length secured, and carried to the office in Marlborough-ftreet, whence they were removed to Tothill-fields bridewell. 31ft. Mr. Halhed has thought proper to dispose of all his oriental manuscripts, which he acquired with great labour and expence. These manufcripts the British museum has very laudably purchased. Vienna. On the presentation of the princess royal of France, a particular circle had been formed for the folemnity, and the court was as numerous as it was brilliant. The empress presented the princess 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, presented to her royal highness, by the grand mistress of her Imperial majesty's court, by the grand treasurer of the court, count Dietrichstein, and by prince Gavres, |