of Mrs. Eleanor Elliott, widow, near Haggerston, going one day. to her house to afk for his fweet heart, found none but the old woman, who told him her daughter was not at home, but afked him why he courted her daughter, who could not bring him above zol, and if he would please her, the would help him to one of 5ool. On which he replied, he would ever with gratitude acknowledge the favour. Then I am the perfon, (fays the,) if you'll accept of the offer: on which a bargain was ftruck immediately, and on Tuefday fe'nnight they were married at Killo. The bridegroom is only 18 years of age, and the bride 64.

Came on before Dr. Hay, 16th. Dean of the Arches court of Canterbury, at Doctors commons, a remarkable cause between a gentleman of fortune and a young lady to whom he was fome time fince married in a private houfe, or room, in Scotland. The queftion before the court, and upon which the cause turned, was this, Whether the marriage in Scotland (as the young lady was then under age) was binding on the gentleman, or not? when, after many learned arguments by the civilians on both fides, the judge was clearly of opinion that the marriage was good in law, and pronounced accordingly, That marriages celebrated in Scotland do not come within the act of parliament in 1754, to prevent clandeftine marriages. It is re markable this is the firft caufe of this nature tried fince the act took place, and it is faid is to be re-heard before the Court of Delegates,

Two ladies (fifters to the gen tleman who was lately, drowned at Chelfea in a coach) coming to town from Bath, were robbed on Hounslow heath by a fingle highwayman-What is remarkable, the ladies met the robber about noon the fame day upon Ludgatehill, who appeared much confounded; but the ladies let him pafs, being fo much affected that they had nor power to call for asfiftance to take him.

A gold medal was prefented to Mr. Doffie, by the fociety, for his eminent fervices in communicating the proceffes of making pot-afh and barilla in America, by which thefe articles are now become established articles of commerce in that country. He has alfo given in writing, an inge nious and ufeful account of potafh, with inftructions for judging of its comparative value, and dif covering the fophiftications of it, in order that the fame may be printed.

Articles of the peace were exhibited at Hicks's-hall, by a noble Lord, against a woman, for threatening to ftab his lordship, and fet fire to his houfe; when the court ordered her to find fecurity, or be committed. She found fecurity.

A perfon, dreffed like a gentleman, went to a regifter office, and hired a young man for his fervant, giving him a direction to come to his lodgings in Weftminfer the fame evening; but the office-keeper having a fufpicion of the perfon, attended the young fellow to the place, and found it to be a lock-up houfe for recruits ; and that the pretended gentleman was no other than a crimp.

The

The feffions ended at the 20th. Old Baily, when one for horfe-ftealing and two for highway robberies (one of whom was a negro) were capitally convicted. Thirty-three to be tranfported for feven years, four to be whipt, and three were branded.

This day his Majefty went 21ft. to the houfe of Peers, with the usual state, and gave the royal affent to The bill to punish mutiny and desertion. The bill to continue, for a further limited time, the free importation of wheat, and wheat-meal, from any part of Europe, and to difcontinue the duties payable on the importation on barley-meal and pulfe. The bill to discontinue the duties on the importation of tallow hog's-lard, and greafe-The bill to diffolve the marriage of John Stott, Efq; from Ann his wife, to enable him to marry again, and for other purposes.The bill to build a new bridge over the Thames, from Swynford in Oxfordshire, to the oppofite fhore. And alfo to feveral road, inclofure, and naturalization bills.

A remarkable experiment in husbandry was tried aft fpring, by one Mr. Carpenter of Chel tenham. In the beginning of March he fowed about fix acres with wheat, which turned out an exceeding good crop, and was fit to reap within nine days of that fowed at the ufual time. The land was a light fandy foil, and had been laid down with turneps, which were fed off with fheep during the winter. At a committee in St. 24th. Bride's veftry, an inhabitant who had fome time before mentioned to one of the church Tada

wardens, fome fufpicion he had relative to the bringing corpfes late at night to their burying ground on the fide of the Fleet market, came and declared to the gentlemen prefent, that he faw their grave-digger last Michaelmas day, at a little after it at night, with four bearers, bring down by the fide of the Fleet-market, a hell or coffin covered over with a black cloth, which fomewhat furprifed him; but he and his man followed, and presently coming to the burying-ground door, the leader gave two knocks, on which a woman within-fide, asked who was there? One knock more was repeated; on which the door was immediately opened; and the contents left in the paffage. On this extraordinary information they fent for the grave-digger, and on his appearing, he was queftioned concerning the corpfe that was brought at 11 at night fome time ago; he flatly denied being con cerned in bringing any so late at any time; but after fome other queftions, he owned bringing one a little after nine, from the lock. up-houfe in the Butcher-row; and another time, one from a house of the fame caft in Chancery-lane. Being asked whom he had orders from, he named a perfon, who was fent for; but he pofitively denied giving any fuch orders. He afterwards named another, who was the undertaker, and he being fent for, acknowledged that he gave fuch orders, but could not recollect the time; but after going home to perufe his books, found one to be on Dec. 6. 1765, and another on Sept. 29, 1766, from the above places, by the defire of Capt. but not at the

time of night above-mentioned; he alfo declared he paid the parish dues demanded, and also the bearers for their trouble; that he likewise brought a proper certificate and oath. On referring to the parish register of the above dates, there was found one Evans, aged 18, was buried Dec. 7, 1765, and one Hughes, (a pauper of the parish) Sept. 30, 1766; but neither the certificates nor affidavits were produced at that time; the perfon in whofe cuftody thofe papers were kept, declared he took very little care of them after the corpfes were buried. On examining one of the bearers who brought the corpfe on Sept. 29, he declared, that he and the reft went up into a garret or cockloft, in the lock-up-house in the Butcher-row, where the tiling and ceiling were open, there they found a man lying on the boards naked, only an old blanket flung over him; that he himself laid hold of him to lift him into the fhell, and that the flesh of his buttocks ftuck to the boards, fo that part thereof was left behind; and that they brought him from the above house about half an hour after 10, which corroborates the declaration of the gentleman who acquainted the church-wardens with thefe proceedings. The gravedigger, and three of the bearers, have been turned out of their employments.

A woman bought an old chair at a broker's, and upon ripping the top off, to have it new covered, found concealed in one corner, 21 guineas, all Q. Anne's coin, and a bank note, value 200l. both tied up in a canvafs bag; fhe

gave for the chair 188. She has a large family to maintain..

The right hon. lord, Baltimore was unanimously elected a fellow of the royal fociety.

"

An officer of the customs made a seizure of near four hundred pounds worth of fine Flanders lace, artfully concealed in the hollow of a fhip's buoy on board a French trader lying off Irongate.

By a letter from the chief mate of the Plaffy Eaft India country. trading fhip, to his brother, there is a confirmation of the treacherous character of the Chinefe very ftrikingly fet forth; for the Plaffy having fold a quantity of opium to a Chinese junk of great burthen in the Malaccas, the letter-writer was decoyed on board, in order to receive the money for it and being entertained in the most courteous manner, till he was off his guard, he was all at once furprised by a gun from the Plaffy, and rose in hafte to see what was the matter, but was inftantly feized by fix men, from whom he luckily difengaged himself, by cutting down the moft refolute of them, gaining the quarter-deck, tho' not with out being defperately wounded, and then jumping into his own boat, at which the junk fired, with no other effect, however, but that of frighting his people, fome of whom jumped overboard. When he reached the Plaffy, he found that he, too, had been in the poffeffion of the Chinese, and had freed herself by a most defperate and bloody effort, in which the captain loft his life, and moft of the Europeans on board were

wounded.

wounded. In this lamentable fituation, the Plaffy was obliged to fet fail, without the money for the goods fold.

It appears from the report lately delivered to the court of common, council of London, by the committee appointed in 1756, to enquire into the right of the mayor, commonalty, and citizens, to the hofpitals of St. Bartholomew, Chrift, St. Thomas, Bridewell, and Bethlem; and whether the right has, in any inftance, been given up, or taken away:

"That by three authentic in ftruments, the mayor, common, alty, and citizens, are the grantees of the hofpitals and their reve nues, and have the fole power of governing them.

That the right has never been given up or taken away, except during the troubles, and while the judgment upon the information in quo-warranto remained in force.

That the prefent governors act only by an authority referrable to, and derived from the right of the city. But,

That though the common council, as reprefenting the city, might have exercifed the right of government at firft; yet the lord mayor and aldermen very foon took upon them the fole management of the charities.

That the word commonalty feems in fome records to fignify not the court of common council, but the citizens at large.

That in the fourth year of Philip and Mary fome orders, which had been before made, were revived by the court of aldermen; which orders feem to be the true conftitution of the hospitals. There were to be fixty-fix governors at least,

fourteen aldermen, and fifty-two grave commoners, citizens, and freemen, four of whom were to be fcriveners. They were to be eleded, at a general court, on St. Matthew's day, and to continue in office two years; and the election was to be ratified, or reformed by the next court of aldermen, Thefe orders were attended to till 1615; but after the troubles, though the aldermen afferted their right of government, and declared that no unfreeman should be chofen a governor, yet nothing farther was done, except that they kept up the form of the beadles giving up their ftaves on St. Matthew's day, and preferved a refpectable footing as individuals, by confining the prefidency to aldermen, and conftituting all the aldermen governors without election."

Yesterday morning were married at White-chapel-church, one William Griffin, a journeyman fhoemaker, and Ann Mofs, a fervant girl. About feven months ago the parties were out-afked (as it is called) at the above church; but the girl falling into an ill ftate of health, retarded the nuptials, and lofing her place, was very foon obliged to pawn the most part of her clothes, even to the buckles out of her fhoes. This, though fhe at length recovered her health, and was willing to join hands, prevented it; fhe abfolutely refufing to go to be married in fo ragged a condition, yet inceffantly preffed by her fweetheart, who, by her obftinacy, foon grew into a kind of defpair, neglected his work, depofited his apparel chiefly as above, and about a fortnight ago, growing

weary

weary of his life, took the following methods to get rid of it: He first wrote a letter to Sir John Fielding, by the penny-poft, purporting to come from a perfon at Bethnal-green, who had the night before been robbed by a footpad, and was obliged to go out of town, and would return by the next feffion, defcribing himfelf (Griffin) to be the robber, and where to be found, &c. But this scheme not answering his expectations, as upon an inquiry being naturally made after the fuppofed author of the letter, none fuch could be found; he then purchased a pistol, and surrendered himself with it to Jofeph Girdler, Efq; a juftice of peace in the king's road, defiring him to take his confeffion of a robbery, which he pretended he had committed, and fend him to Newgate, faying he was forry for what he had done, but times were fo hard, trade dead, &c. and he would rather die than live. Whereupon he was actually committed to Clerkenwell Bridewell from the Saturday until the Wednesday following, when he was examined at the public office in Bow-ftreet, before the faid Mr. Girdler, Sir John Fielding, and other magistrates; when it appearing that the young lad had a lad had a good character, that it was love that was the real occafion of his late extraordinary conduct, and that the girl alfo on hearing of his being committed to prifon, had fallen into fits, and was very ill, he was difcharged, and another day appointed for him to come with his intended bride voluntarily be fore the juftices, who promifed their affiftance in getting them married the enfuing Sunday; ac

A cause was tried at the court of King's-bench at Guildhall, be tween one Stroud, a fellowshipporter, of Billingsgate, London, plaintiff, and a corn-factor, defendant; the action was brought against the latter for violently af faulting the plaintiff when about his lawful labour, in unloading corn out of a veffel on float upon the river Thames, within the ju rifdiction of the lord mayor of the city of London, which was de ́ nied by the defendant; and after many learned arguments, by the counfel on both fides, and examining several witnesses, the plaintiff's cafe being clearly proved, the jury, without the leaft hefitation, brought in a verdict for the plaintiff, with full cofts.

Was held at the Old Baily, 27th. the feffion of Admiralty, when three prifoners were tried, two of whom were capitally con- . victed.

John Wynne, otherwife Power, late a mariner on board the merchant-fhip Polly, Capt. Cox, bound from Bristol to the coast of Guiney, on the flave trade, of which hip, in the abfence of the captain, who was on fhore at cape Appolonia, he by force took upon him the command, fhooting the chief mate through the head, and

wounding,