sistants of Fishmongers company, went in procession, from their hall in Thames-street, to Leicester-house; to present his royal highness the prince of Wales, with the free dom of their company. The prime warden presented it to his royal highness, who was seated and surrounded by the young princes and the lords of his court. A GENERAL BILL OF CHRISTENINGS AND BURIALS WITHIN THE BILLS OF MOR TALITY, FROM DECEMBER 12, 1749, 7394 Males 11,742 7154 In all 14,548 In all 23,727 Increase in the burials this year 1789. Whereof have died, Under two years of age Between two and five 8024 Hants, Sir William Gardiner, bart. esq. Herefordshire, Thomas Gwilliam, esq. esq. Oxfordshire, Francis Clerke, esq. Warwickshire, Edmund Chambers, esq. 1533 Anglesea, John Lloyd, esq. 746 Caermarthenshire, Richard Cony Jones, 2542 Cardiganshire, William Williams, esq. 1 1751, Jan. 4. The earl of Pomfret, was appointed ranger and keeper of St. James's and Hyde parks, in the room of lord Wey FOR THE YEAR Mouth, deceased. ENSUING. Berkshire, Alexander Walker, esq. bart. Camb. and Hunt. John Sumpter, esq. Jan. 10. At a general court of the South Sea company, it was resolved to address his Majesty, that he would be pleased to continue to be their governor, and that he would take into his royal consideration the state of the company in relation to the late treaty with Spain. A proposal was laid before the court, tending to shew the advantage that would accrue to the company, by putting their unsubscribed stock on the same footing with the subscribed; and after some time it was agreed that the said proposal should be printed, and sent to each proprietor. This proposal was→ That upon the government's continuing to the company an interest of four per cent. per annum, on their present capital 3,662,7841, 8s. 6d. for seven years, and then to be reduced to three per cent. per annum; the company would undertake to pay off 2,325,0231. 78. 11d. old and new South Sea annuities unsubscribed; 1,220,9281. 28. 10d. whereof to carry an interest at three and a half per cent. per annum, for five years, and then to be reduced to three per cent., and the remainder, being 1,104,0957. 5s. Id. at an interest of three per cent. until paid off, out of such monies as shall be applied by Parliament for discharge of the national debt, after payment of 1,100,000l. or thereabouts, lately agreed to be advanced by the bank of England; and in case they shall not receive the first monies that shall be applied by Parliament, then the South Sea company are to be paid the said 1,104,095l. 5s. Id. in any sums not less than 100,0007. at any one time. A dividend of two per cent. for the half year's interest due at Christmas last on the capital stock of the said company, was declared payable February 13, next. Jan. 17. Was exhibited before the Royal Society, a method of making artificial magnets much stronger than the best load stones, with the assistance only of a common poker and tongs; by John Canton, A.M. and F.R.S. His Majesty went to the House of Peers and opened the session of Parliament with a speech from the throne; the Lords and Commons severally voted addresses to his Majesty, which were graciously receiv ed. February. Justice Fielding having received information of a rendezvous of gamesters in the Strand, procured a strong party of guards, who seized forty-five at the tables, which were broke to pieces, and carried the gamesters before the jus tice, who committed thirty-nine of them to the Gate-house prison. Feb. 5. A proclamation from the King in council was published, in pursuance of addresses from both Houses of Parlia ment, concerning a seditious paper, entitled Constitutional Queries, &c. promising 10007. for the discovery of the author, 2001. for discovery of each of the printers, and 501. for discovery of each publisher, to be paid upon conviction out of the royal treasury. Feb. 7. This morning at five of the clock the honourable Alexander. Murray, esq. brother to lord Elibank, was, by order of the House of Commons, for some matters relating to the Westminster election, sent to Newgate, Was closed the subscription to the Free British Fishery, the sum of which amounted to about 200,000l. Six busses for the ensuing season were ordered to be imme diately built, The sheriffs of London, pursuant to an order of the Common Council the day before, presented a petition to the House of Commons against the naturalizing foreign protestants. The lords of the Admiralty gave orders for working double tides in the yards of Deptford, Woolwich and Chatham, to fit out a fleet of ten men of war of the line with all expedition. Ordered also the cleansing and opening the several docks, guts, and drains of all his Majesty's yards in the kingdom. The seamen voted for this year were 8000; land forces 18,857; the land tax 3s. in the pound. The sum to be raised for paying off the unsubscribed South Sea annuities was 2,100,000. the remainder, which was 225,0231. 178. 11d. being to be paid out of the sinking fund. The duty laid on the British distillery from 1740 to January 1750, amounted on an average one year with another, to 676,2561. which is above 100,000l. a year more than before that term. Feb. 25. A bill was brought into the House of Lords for altering our style, and strongly recommended by the noble earl (Chesterfield) who moved for it, and also by another nobleman (Macclesfield) of well known learning and abilities. The bill was ordered to be read a second time on Monday se'nnight, and to be printed. The turbulent weather did great damage to edifices in several parts in England. On the 27th a storm of thunder and lightning almost ruined the churches of St. Etham and Ladock, near Truro in Cornwall. At Oxford the high wind on the 26th so damaged the steeple of St. Mary's that it was expected to fall; at Litchfield the gilt ball on one of the spires of the cathedral was blown down the vane on another spire, and the glass and stone work of one of the windows greatly suffered. At Worcester two prebendal houses near the cathedral were quite demolished, large stacks of chimnies blown down, and a multitude of windows shattered to pieces. At Bromyard, Herefordshire, a chimney fell upon an adjacent school, where the mistress was sitting in a chair with a child in her arms, with several scholars, who were all buried in the ruins, but very little hurt. At York, a pinnacle of the north-west tower of the Miaster with the battlements, fell through the roof and two lofts, and broke the pavemeat, the damage above 5001. In the adjacent country and in Nottinghamshire, barricanes did much mischief, unroofing many houses, blowing down some, dispersing stacks of corn and hay, and tearlag up large trees by the roots, and throw ing down park pales. At Limerick in Ireland, in the hurricane, a Dutch dogger was beat to pieces, vessels forced on shore, and all the shipping damaged; many houses blown down, besides loss of cattle, and much damage to the banks on both sides the Shannon. The same hurricane did considerable mischief to the shipping in Dublin, and other ports of Ireland; also in the Thames. March 4. The sheriffs of London presented a petition to the House of Commons for a bill to be brought in to prevent small fish being taken in the Thames, and to preserve the fry of fish therein. A petition was presented by the Mayor, aldermen, and citizens of Lincoln, and another from the county, praying leave to bring in a bill for the recovery of small debts, on the same plan as Westminster and Southwark. March 7. A great number of sea officers' widows attended the House of Commons, with petitions that their pensions might be better paid for the future. March 12. The King went to the House of Peers, and gave the royal assent to the bill for raising a sum by lottery. &c. for paying off the unsubscribed annuities; to the malt bill, and a road bill. It was affirmed that upwards of 4000 persous who sold spirituous liquors without licence, had been convicted of the penalty of 10 each, from January 1749, to January 1750; and according to a list of private gin shops, on the best calculation, they amounted to upwards of 17,000 in the bill of mortality. That the bill for preVenting the consumption of cheap compound liquors, proposed an additional duty of St. per ton on all malt spirits, to esumence from Lady-day 1751, that no compounder should make or sell any spirituous liquors, unless he had a still of 100 gallons in his dwelling-house, and served a legal apprenticeship; and that no distiller should have more than one apprenfice at a time. The malt distillers were Very busy, in order to increase their stock before the act for laying an additional duty, took place. A proposal was delivered to both Houses for purchasing of the duke of Athol, tho isle of Man; in order to annex it to the crown; that island in its state of independency serving as a storehouse to the French for wines, teas, &c. whence they ran to England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. March 20. Between ten and eleven at night died at Leicester house, the most illustrious Frederick, prince of Wales, by the breaking of an imposthume between the pericardium and diaphragm, which threw the matter contained in it upon the substance of the lungs. His Royal Highness caught a cold about three weeks before in Kew gardens, and increased it on the 12th instants, by coming very warm from the House of Lords with the windows of his chair down, soon after which he complained of pains which were thought to be plea retic, and were attended with a fever. His Royal Highness had been in a declining state for some time; about two years before, he received a hurt in his breast by a fall, others say, by the stroke of a cricket ball, and was judged too weak to bear repeated bleeding; he was therefore blistered, and thought to be out of danger. About a quarter of an hour before his death, he told Dr. Wilmot, who had at.tended him, and been up all the preceeding night, that he was much better, and advised the Doctor to go home; the Princess remained with him, to whom he soon after complained of a sudden pain, and an offensive smell, and immediately threw himself backward and expired. Her Royal Highness had sat up with him seven nights during his illness, though she was far advanced in her pregnancy. This excellent Prince, who was universally regretted, was born at Hanover, Jan. 20, 1707: created duke of Gloucester, Jan. 10, 1718; installed knight of the Garter, by proxy, April 30, 1718; created baron of Snowdon, viscount Launceston, earl of Eltham marquis of Ely, and duke of Edinburgh, July 15, 1726; first landed at Harwich, Dec. 3, 1728; was introduced by the command of the King into the privy council the 18th: was created prince of Wales and earl of Chester, Jan. 9, 1729; received his summons to Parliament next day, and on April 27, 1736, was married to the prin cess Augusta, only surviving daughter of Frederic II. duke of Saxe Gotha, by whom he left issue five sons and three daughters. The storms which happened in several parts of England about the latter end of last month, were still more violent abroad; particularly at Nantz. and its neighbourhood, where in the night a terrible hurricane began at S.W. and at three the next morning turned to the N.W. accompanied with thunder, lightning, and such terrible noises, both at sea and land, as seemed to proceed from an earthquake. March 22. The royal assent was, on account of the Prince's death, given by commission to the following bills: To an act for punishing mutiny and desertion, and for the better payment of the army and their quarters. For enabling his Majesty to raise the several sums of money therein mentioned by Exchequer bills, to be charged on the sinking fund; and for empowering the commissioners of the treasury to pay off the old and new unsubscribed South Sea annuities out of the supply granted to his Majesty, for the service of the year 1751; and for enabling the bank of England to hold general courts, and courts of directors, in the manner therein directed; and for giving certain persons liberty to subscribe Bank and South Sea annuities, omitted to be subscribed, pursuant to two acts of the last session of Parliament. To indemnify persons who have omitted to qualify themselves for offices and employments within the time limited by law, and for allowing farther time for that purpose. For granting an aid to his Majesty of 3s. in the pound, by a land tax to be raised in Great Britain for the service of the year 1751. And to several road and private bills. After which the Lords adjourned to the 27th, and the Commons to the 25th, on account of the death of his royal highness the prince of Wales. The House of Commons presented an address of condolence, on the death of the prince of Wales, to his Majesty, and received a most gracious answer. Lord Chamberlain's office, March 23. Orders for the court's going into mourning on Sunday the 31st instant, for his late royal highness the prince of Wales. March 24. By order of the Lord Chamberlain, notice was fixed in the halls of St. James's and Leicester house, that the time fixed for deep mourning would end on Sunday, June 30; that on Sunday, July 7, will commence the second mourning, and end on Sunday, Oct. 6. March 26. A revenue of 50,000l. a year for life, was settled by Parliament on the marriage of her royal highness the princess of Wales, in case she survived the Prince, to be paid quarterly, without deduction, four-fifths out of the post office, and the other fifth out of the hereditary duties of excise. March. 31. Was a very great court at St. James's, it being the first time his Majesty appeared in public since the death of the Prince of Wales. Prince George and prince Edward, and the other young princes waited on the King, who in the evening visited the prince of Wales at Leicester house. The right honourable Robert Walpole, earl of Orford, knight of the Bath, auditor of the Exchequer, ranger of Richmond park, and master of the King's harriers and buck-hounds, died, aged fifty-one, of an abscess in the back. April 1. The court of the prince of Orange went into deep mourning for three months, on the death of the prince of Wales. April 3. The corpse of captain Coram was interred with great solemnity in the vault under the chapel of the Foundlinghospital; the charter of the hospital was carried before the body on a velvet cushion, the children walking before it; the pall supported by eight persons of distinction; a great number of governors followed the body in deep mourning, and were met by the choirs of Westminster and St. Paul's, who performed a solemn service composed by Dr. Boyce. The House of Commons adjourned to the 16th. April. 4. The House of Peers adjourned to the 17th. The treasurer of her Royal Highness was paid 12,5001. being one quarter of her Highness's settlement. April 5. An order of permission from the Lord Chamberlain's office came to the managers of the theatres, (who had been prohibited from playing, on account of the late Prince of Wales's death) to act on the Sth. Six months pay (part of fifteen months in arrear) were ordered to the sea officers, to put them in mourning. April 6. This day died Frederick king of Sweden, and landgrave of Hesse Cassel, born 1676. April 13. At half an hour after one in the morning, the bowels of his late Royal Highness, were brought from Leicester house in a coach and six to the Prince's chamber, Westminster, in an urn covered with crimson velvet, and were from thence carried by four yeomen to Henry the VII. chapel, attended by the dukes of Chandos and Queensberry, the earl of Middlesex, the lords North and Guildford, Sir John Rushout, bart., George Doddington, Henry Drax, and John Evelyn, esqrs. and there interred, in the vault in which the royal corpse was, exactly at nine o'clock the same night, deposited. Justice Lediard, with some constables, and a party of the guards, went to the long room in James's-street, Westminster, where was a masquerade that evening, in order to suppress gaming, for which such assemblies were calculated; seventeen were committed to the Gate-house, among them the proprietors of the gaming tables, who had been taken before and now forfeited their recognizances. At the South Sea house it was determiced, that fifteen directors, with a governor, and deputy governor were sufficient to manage the South Sea company's affairs, and that in all future elections of directors only fifteen should be chosen : this reduction of thirty directors to fifteen, was a saving of 2,250l. per annum, the salary being 1501. each. April 20. His Majesty was pleased to order letters patent to pass under the great seal of Great Britain, for creating his royal highness George William Frederick, (the prince of Great Britain, electoral prince of Brunswick Lunenburgh, duke of Edinburgh, marquis of the isle of Ely, earl of Eltham, viscount of Launceston, baron of Snowdon, and knight of the most noble order of the Garter) prince of Wales, and earl of Chester. April 22. At Tring in Hertfordshire, a publican giving out that he was bewitched by one Osborne and his wife, harmless people above seventy, had it cried at several market towns, that they were to be tried by ducking this day, which occasioned a vast concourse. The parish officers having removed the old couple from the workhouse into the church for security, the mob missing them broke the workhouse windows, pulled down the pales, and demolished part of the house; and seizing the governor, threatened to drown him and fire the town, having straw in their hands for that purpose. The poor wretches were at length, for public safety, delivered up, stripped of their cloathing by the mob, their thumbs tied to their toes, then dragged two miles, and thrown into a muddy stream; after much ducking and ill usage, the old woman was thrown quite naked on the bank, almost choaked with mud, and expired in a few minutes, being kicked and beat with sticks, even after she was dead; and the man died soon after. To add to this barbarity, they put the dead woman in bed with her husband, and tied them together. The coroner's inquest brought in their verdict wilful murder. April 26. His Majesty sent a mes VOL. II. sage to both Houses of Parliament, recommending that, when the Imperial crown of these realms should descend to any of the issue of his son, the late prince of Wales, being under the age of eighteen years, the princess dowager of Wales, their mother, should be guardian of the person of such successor, and regent of these kingdoms, until they should attain such age; with such powers, and limita tions, as should appear necessary and expedient for these important purposes. The Lords and Commons, addressed his Majesty, thanking him for his communication, and promising to take the recommendation contained in the message into their consideration. April 27. The honourable Mr. Murray was brought before the judges of the King's Bench, Wright, Foster, and Dennison, and a motion made for his being admitted to bail, but it was over-ruled, and he was remanded to Newgate. A committee of the honourable House of Commons was appointed to inspect the overseer's accounts, and all other charities throughout the kingdom, to see that they were properly applied. April 30, A perpetuity passed the great seal to the earl of Northampton, for a market to be held every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, in the vinegar ground, St. John-street, London, for selling all raw and undressed skins of lambs and sheep killed within the bills of mortality. May 4. A general court of the society of the Free British fishery was held at Mercers hall, when his royal highness prince George was unanimously chosen governor, and a resolution was taken of opening the subscription books of the society forthwith, to lie open till June 15. May 6. Much snow fell in and about Newcastle on Tyne, preceded by thunder and lightning. May 16. His Majesty removed from St. James's to Kensington for the summer. May 19. On Thursday last a vessel hired by Charles Town, South Carolina, sailed for New York, with the honourable William Bull, jun. esq. accompanied by several head men of the Indians. They were to meet six northern nations at Albany some time in June, where commissioners from all the British colonies on the continent were appointed to be at the same time, in order to settle a general and lasting peace. May 20. At Pontefract, Yorkshire, by a violent shower of rain, many cellars were almost filled with water; a collection of waters at the meeting of two sloping F |