among the most neceffitous. Being afked who had fent it? he faid it was his own gift. Being further preffed to tell his name, he took his leave as if in hafte, and faid, he was going to Northampton. The fame perfon has fince vifited feveral other prifons, and given money to poor objects that he has met on the road.

An inhuman murder was lately committed at Lampeter in Cardiganfhire, on a poor woman who by industry and care had got together a little money, and lived in a little cot by herself, which was broke open in the night, her money carried off, and herself left a dreadful spectacle of favage cruelty, being ftabbed in feveral parts of her body; her dead corpfe half broiled on a heap of turfs, which it is fuppofed had been fet on fire to burn her cot, and her in it, to prevent fufpicion.

DIED. Lately, in Portugal, in the parish of St. Joannes de Godini, in the diocese of Oporto, aged 117, Verefimo Nogueira. He ferved as a foldier from the age of 17 till he was 37, and was at the battle of Almanza: after he had obtained his difcharge, he married, had feve. ral children, and maintained his family by his own labour and fome little independency which he poffeffed. He always enjoyed the beft ftate of health, and it is not unlikely that he might have lived fome years longer, had it not been for a fall, in which one of his legs was broken in three places, which occafioned his death. He had all his teeth, and all his hair, a few of which only were grown grey; and he enjoyed all his faculties to the last. This old man is a proof that an advanced age is not confined to the northern cli

mates.

NOVEMBER.

Came on before lord Mans

field and lord Loughborough, at 4th. Serjeant's Inn-hall, 'the fecond argument in error brought by Governor Johnftone against Captain Sutton, when Mr. Erfkine was heard at full length for the defendant; and Mr. Scott, the governor's counsel, rifing to answer, was told it was quite unneceffary, as nothing had been faid which could induce their lordfhips to alter their opinion, that the judgment obtained by Capt. Sutton in the court of Exchequer fhould be reverfed.-The cafe was fimply this :-Capt. Sutton obtained a verdict for 5,000l. against Commodore Johnstone. A new trial was granted by the court of Exchequer: a fecond trial had-afecond verdict for 6,000l. -A motion was then made, grounded on several points of law, to arrest judgment. The court confirmed the verdict. The Commodore brings a writ of error on the fame points his motion in arreft of judgment was founded on. This writ of error, by act of parliament, is in the judgment of the Lord Chancellor; but his lordship referred the argument to the two chief juftices, who have reverfed the judgment of the court of Exchequer. At present, therefore, the matter ftands thus : four judges have decided for Capt. Sutton, and two for Commodore Johnftone. The queftion, it was well known, would eventually go into the house of lords: it remains, therefore, to be known, what the Lord Chancellor and the other judges think on the fubject. The facts of the cafe are totally unaltered and unalterable. The question is reduced to a point of law; but though their lordships reafons are not yet

public,

public, it is fuppofed to be, whether a common-law action will lie at the fuit of an inferior officer against a commander in chief, though it be grounded on exprefs malice? The cause will certainly go to the houfe of lords, being of no lefs importance to the parties, than to the navy of Great Britain.

10th.

About two o'clock in the afternoon, the Countess of Strathmore was taken from the houfe of Mr. Forster in Oxford-street, under pretence of a warrant to take her before lord Mansfield; but in fact to carry her off by a company of armed ruffians. She was forcibly thrust into her own carriage, her own coachman taken from the box, and a ftranger put in his place, who drove off at a most furious rate, and did not stop till he arrived at Barnet, where the carriage was met by a company of armed men: that in paffing through one of the turnpikes, the lady was feen to ftruggle much, apparently gagged, and in great diftrefs: but no farther intelligence could then be obtained.

11th.

Came on in the court of King's Bench a trial at bar, in the remarkable cause between the natural daughter of the late Ch. Mellifh, efq. and his niece. The caufe had already been tried, when a verdict was obtained by the daughter, which was fet afide by a fubfequent one in the Common Pleas. The deceased made two wills, one in 1774, which gave place to one in 1780. There was also a codicil in 1781; and the conteft was, to which of the wills it applied. The will in 1780 being established by weight of evidences, the codicil of courfe must refer to that, and so it was determined.

22d. Yesterday, Edward Aylette,

the attorney, flood in the pillory a New Palace Yard, Westminster, for wilful and corrupt perjury.

23d.

This day, juft before the fitting of the court of King's Bench, Lady Strathmore was brought into Westminster-hall; and immediately on the arrival of the Judges, Mr. Law, her counsel, moved, that fhe might be permitted to exhibit articles of the peace against Mr. Bowes, and feveral others; which being granted, he then moved for an attachment against Mr. Bowes, and feveral of his accomplices, which was likewise granted.

Mr. Bowes appeared in the 27th. court of King's Bench, when his counsel moved, that he should be discharged, on the ground that he had not been legally ferved with the habeas corpus; but the court rejected this motion, confidering the fervice as good. A fimilar motion was likewife made, on the ground that Mr. Bowes was actually haftening to town to make a return to the habeas corpus, but was prevented by the attack upon his perfon, and other unavoidable circumstances; but the court confidering this affertion as contradicted by the affidavits of other perfons, rejected this motion alfo; and Mr. Bowes was finally committed to the King's Bench prifon till the judges determine what fecurity he fhall be obliged to find to keep the peace.

perfon answering his defcription having been feen in the neighbourhood that day, fufpicion fell on him, and he was twice taken up, and twice discharged for want of evidence.

The prifoner had been tried for a larceny, and Mr. Orrell reading his trial in the feffions-paper, it occurred to him to fearch at the pawnbroker's, where he had pawned the property ftolen, for which he was fo tried, to fee if any of his property, which was ftolen at the time of the murder, had been lodged with that pawnbroker; there he found a cloak of his wife's, pawned the morning after the murder, by the woman with whom he cohabited.

66

On the prifoner's being taken to the body of the deceased, he appeared not in the leaft agitated; but, putting his hand on her breast, he faid, My dear Nancy, I do "remember you well; I never did you any harm in my life!". Thefe expreffions very forcibly added to the fufpicions of his guilt, because her face was fo exceedingly cut and mangled, that Mr. Orrell declared he could not poffibly have known her. Two other circumftances, which tended to criminate him,, were a fpot of blood on a waistcoat which he wore, and fome flight marks of blood on one of the fleeves of his coat; which coat had been washed, though the blood on the fleeve remained; and an effort feemed to have been made, but in vain, to rub out the spot of blood from the waistcoat.

The principal evidence against him was the woman with whom he cohabited; who depofed, that he brought her home a cloak, which he faid he had bought, on condition

of paying for it at the rate of fo much a week. The cloak was produced in court, and Mrs. Orrell fwore to it as her property. The deponent further faid, that after Hogan had been twice taken before a magiftrate, he, at intervals, appeared to be very uneafy; that particularly he could not fleep in bed; that fhe faid to him one night, " For "God's fake what is the matter "with you? furely you are not "guilty of what you have been ta"ken up for:" that his answer was, "Yes, I am :-I am guilty:"I did it."-She then was much troubled in mind, and apprehended fatal confequences to herself, particularly, as he faid to her, "You must fay nothing; you must be quiet, for if I be hanged, you will be hanged with me:" and on her afking him, why he had murdered the young. woman, he answered, because he wanted to be great with her, and fhe refifted him.

The prifoner being called on for his defence, faid, "I am innocent; " and if any body takes away my "life, I will never forgive them."

He

The recorder fummed up the trial with great impartiality, and the jury inftantly found him guilty; he was then fentenced to be executed on Monday morning, and his body to be diffected and anatomized. was accordingly taken from Newgate in a cart on Monday, and executed on a gibbet oppofite Mr. Orrell's houfe. A great concourse of people attended the execution, but never died a malefactor with lefs pity. Juft before being turned off, he bowed four times to the populace, and, in an audible voice, confefled himself guilty of the murder, for which he had been justly condemned to die.

This morning Mr. Price, 25th. who was committed on fufpicion of forgery on the bank, and was to have been examined as this day at eleven, hanged himself in his room in Tothill-fields bridewell. From a variety of circumftances, there remains no doubt but that he is the perfon fo frequently advertised for forgeries on the bank for feveral years paft, and who has had the addrefs to elude the ftrictest search, though long known and fufpected. It was his cuftom, at times, to give entertainments to a felect party, and, to evade the plate-tax, to borrow the fplendid articles of the fideboard at a pawn-broker's, depofiting bank-notes as a fecurity. The pawn-broker happening to offer one at the bank, was ftopped, and, on relating how he came by it, with all the circumstances, proper people were fent to the fhop, who, when he came to return the plate, immediately took him into cuftody.

31ft.

The laft accounts from North America are full of the dif treffes occafioned by the heavy falls of rain in September and October laft.

At Portfmouth, in New Hampfhire, the waters rofe to an alarming height.

At Dover the waters rofe about 15 feet perpendicular above the ufual flowing of the tide, and carried off feveral hundred thoufand lumber. It destroyed fome valuab e ftores, feven mills, end two bridges.

At Portsmouth, in Virginia, a moft tremendous gale, added to the freshes, carried feveral veffels into the fields and woods, where fome of them never can be got off. The damage is estimated at 30,000l.

The long contefted caufe between the vicar of Odiham,

plaintiff, and the chancellor of Sarum, and others, defendants, was lately fettled by the judges of the Exchequer, in favour of the plaintiff, by his having a prescriptive right to all fmall tithes, though he could not produce an endowment. By this decifion that right of the inferior clergy to the tithes of cloverfeed, turnip-feed, and all small tithes whatever, is finally fettled.

DIED. Lately, at Garthore, in the parish of Kirkintillock, eight miles from Glafgow, Anne Horne, aged 49. She was 44 times tapped for a dropfy, and 286 Scots pints of water taken from her. For half a year before her death a Scots pint was collected every day.

FEBRUARY.

ift.

On the 27th of January, the brig Bafel, Capt. Raphael, arrived at Liverpool from Dominica. In her paffage the picked up the crew of the Charming Molly, bound from Bermudas to Turk's-iland, which veffel had foundered three days before, when the crew, ten in number, took to their boat, to the ftern of which they tied a log of wood, to keep her head to the fea. In this fituation they remained alnoft without hope of relief. When Capt. Raphael difcovered them, they had about a pound of bread, and two gallons of water left; of the latter of which they gave to each other a wine-glafs full, thickened with a mouthful of bread, once in 12 hours. The boat being only 12 feet in length, one half of the crew were obliged to lie down in her bottom alternately, while the other half fat along the fides, as in any other fituation the boat must [N] 2

have

have been top-heavy. In this fituation, expecting every moment to be their laft, they were providentially preferved by the humanity of Capt. Raphael, who brought them

home.

Out of a fleet of 13 fail of Swedifh merchant-fhips, laden with naval ftores, configned for l'Orient, in France, two only have reached their destined port, the other eleven having been wrecked in that heavy gale of wind in which the Halfewell perifhed. The coaft of Effex has been covered with the spoils of this unfortunate fleet.

On account of the league, offenfive and defenfive, between France and Holland, the following medal has been ftruck.

A woman reprefenting Holland, feated on a throne, the Batavian lion by her fide, armed with feven arrows, a fymbol of the Belgic Union, alluding to the peace concluded with the Emperor; Holland offering the olive to a nymph of the Efcaut; Renown appears in the air, blowing a trumpet, with a ftreamer ornamented with the fleur de lis. In the centre is a garland, forming a civic crown, fupported by two hands, with feveral other fymbolical figures. On the exergue is,

Duplice fædere falva.

The LEGEND.

On the reverfe is a Mercury, with his attributes, and the following infcription:

Grati animi monumentum illuftriffimis bujus difficilimi negotii præfectis dicatum, quibufdam civibus mercatoribus Amftelodamenfibus.

paffed the found the last year, amounts to 10,268, of which 2535 were English; 2136 Swedes; 1789 Danes; 1571 Dutch; 114 Ruffi ans; 176 Bremens; 161 Dantzickers; 1358 Pruffians; 110 of Roftock; 79 Lubeckers; 66 Imperialifts; 61 Hamburghers; 28 Portuguefe; 25 Courlanders; 20 French; 20 Americans; 15 Spanish; and 4 Venetians.

The number of veffels that entered the port of Dantzick in 1785, was 684, and 837 failed out; 57 wintered there. Of those who failed out, 76 were Dutch, 59 Pruffian, 153 English, 153 Danish, 239 Swediíh, and 162 Dantzickers.

Came on in the Court of 10th. King's Bench, before Lord Mansfield, and a very crowded court, the trial of 13 prifoners for debt in the King's Bench prifon, who fome months fince were committed to the New Gaol, for attempting to blow up the walls of the faid prifon. The indictment was laid against them for a confpiracy and mifdemeanour ; and, after a very long trial, they were all found guilty. They have all, fince, received fentence: the four principal ringleaders to be confined in Newgate three years; three of them to find fecurity for the fame term, after the expiration of their imprisonment; fix to be confined in Surrey bridewell for two years; and three in the house of correction for the fame term, and to find fecurity for their good behaviour for two years.

11th.

MDCCLXXXVI.

fkull