min Johnson, for breaking open fome ftables in Chifwell-fireet, and ftealing feveral bridles, four faddles, and a horse-cloth; Wm. Pollard, for breaking and entering the house and apartment of Richard Longworth, in the Old Bailey, and ftealing a black filk mode cloak, and other apparel; and Francis Mercier, otherwife Louis de Butte, for the wilful murder of Monf. Moudroit.

When Mercier was brought into court, on being asked, whether he was guilty or not guilty? he appeared fo ftupified, as not to be able to make any anfwer. The queftion was repeated feveral times, but without effect: Judge Afton then ordered the act to be read, which enables the court to pafs fentence when prifoners refufe to plead; a jury was therefore impannelled to try whether the prifoner was obstinately mute, or mute by the vifitation of God. One witnefs proved that on Thursday night he was with the prifoner fome time; that he understood English pretty well; that he then converfed with chearfulness, and did not feem unable to take his trial. The next witness was juftice Gretton, who proved that the prifoner both fpoke and wrote English; the third witnefs was one of the gaoler's fervants, who proved, that as they were bringing him from Newgate, he heard him fpeak, and fay he would not fit. A furgeon alfo examined the prifoner, who faid there did not appear to him any caufe why he could not fpeak. Judge Afton then fummed up this evidence to the jury, when they gave their verdict, that the prifoner was obftinately mute, and not by the vifitation of God; then

1

the judge proceeded to pafs fentence, that he fhould be hanged next Monday, and his body to be anatomized; he was then taken out of court, and after the next trial was over, Mr. Akerman acquainted the court that Mercier was come to his fenfes, and defired to fpeak to the court; he was therefore brought in again, and then appeared fenfible, though weak his request was, that his fentence might be refpited for fome time till he could repent of his crime, and prepare for death; this could not be complied with, and he was remanded accordingly.

:

Abraham Adams and John Foote were convicted of killing and flaying Elizabeth Jefferies, at Bethnal-green, on the 5th of November last, by firing a piftol (at a bonfire), the wadding of which wounded the child in the fide, and occafioned its death. William Wynn, a poftman belonging to the General Poft-office, was tried for feloniously ftealing, on the 7th of October laft, from out of a letter directed to the Hon. Lady Mary Forbes, at Margate, ten bank port bills, payable to the Hon. John Forbes, value received of John Lamb, of Golden-fquare, Efq; lettered, marked, and numbered, as ftated in the indictment. The indictment was not laid capital, but he was found guilty. Fourteen were fentenced to hard labour on the Thames for three years; ten to hard labour in the house of cor

rection, three of whom are for five years, and seven for three years; 31 branded, and committed to the house of correction for different terms; 5 branded, and imprifoned in Newgate; 5 to be whipped; and 42 were difcharged by proclamation. [0] 3 J. Holmes,

J. Holmes, the grave-digger of St. George's, Bloomsbury, Robert Williams, his affiftant, and Efther Donaldson, were indicted at the Guildhall, Weftminster, for a mifdemeanor, for ftealing the dead body of Mrs. Jane Sainsbury, who died on the 9th of laft October, and was buried in the burial place of St. George's, Bloomsbury, on the Monday following. On this occafion Mr. Sainsbury was under the painful neceffity of appearing to identify the remains of his wife, Holmes and Williams were found guilty on the cleareft evidence; but nothing being proved against Donaldfon, the was acquitted. The fentence of Holmes and Williams was fix months imprisonment each, and each to be publickly and feverely whipped twice, in the first and last week of their imprifonment, from Kingfgate-ftreet, Holborn, to Dyot-ftreet, St. Giles's, which is full half a mile. The latter part of the fentence has been fince remitted by his majefty, as it was apprehended that the mob were fo irritated against them, that their lives might be endangered by its execution.

A very extraordinary affair 7th. became the fubject of investigation upon the trial of an appeal at Guildhall, Weftminster. A man lived with his wife 23 years, in the courfe of which he had eight children by her. On a fudden he was ftruck with the perfonal qua lifications of another female, whom he courted; and in order to gain full poffeffion of his charmer, this dotard inftituted a fuit of jactitation in the Commons, under a colour that his marriage, being in the Fleet, was unlawful, confequently null and void, though it took place

before the act to prohibit their tak ing effect in point of law; the confequence was, what the man forefaw and relied upon: The woman, unable to fupport the very heavy charges of a defence, was forced to give a tacit acknowledgment of her husband's allegations, and of courfe the ecclefiaftical court pronounced the man free to marry again. He then had obtained his wishes, and takes by the hand his beloved object, and abandons his first wife, who, with four fine chil dren, in courfe fell upon the parifh. A very interesting argument enfued between the counfel, how far the fentence in the Commons fhould operate against the teftimony of the first wife. On one fide it was infifted, that the judg ment was much more than fufficient to overturn her evidence, for there were not only the allegations, but other proof to combat the teftimony now given. On the contrary, a comparison was made of this cafe with that of a certain noble lady, where the fentence was procured by collufion, and therefore not binding, or operative in any other court whatsoever. Sir J. Hawkins and the whole bench concurred in the latter opinion, and expreffed themfelves warmly against the hufband, who, to the aftonishment of all prefent, appeared at the fide of the council that argued in defence of the civil decree. Sir John wished, he faid, that the court had been impowered to throw the whole expence upon the husband, who had acted the character of a villain with fo much compofure. He ftrongly recommended an indic ment against him for bigamy, which the attorney for the parish undertook to profecute.

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9th. The

gth.

The towns of Manchefter and Liverpool have entered into a fubfcription to raife a regiment each, to be employed againft the rebels in America.

His majesty went to the 10th. Houfe of Peers, and gave the royal affent to the following bills: The land-tax bill; the malt.bill; the bill for fufpending the habeas corpus act; the ViceTreafurers of Ireland's bill, and fuch other bills as were ready.

By the advice of Lord 12th. Mansfield, the judges have declined giving an opinion upon the referved objections, as stated by Mr. Morgan, in the cafe of Harrison; convicted for forgery. Judge Blackstone, who tried him, declares that there is no law exifting under which he can fuffer, and that therefore he ought to have the benefit of the law, and receive an immediate discharge. The other judges advife, that he fhould wave his demand of being heard by counfel, and plead the king's pardon, iffued under the great feal; and fay, that, in case of refufal, they will confider the cafe with the utmolt caution; fo that the friends of the convict, to avoid danger, advised him to accept of the medium.

This day the Rev. Mr. Ruffen, for a rape, and Morris Geary, for coining, were executed at Tyburn. Ruffen, just before he left the prifon, feeing a company about him, made ufe of this emphatical expreffion, Stand clear, look to your Jelves, I am the firft hypocrite in Sion. He behaved with decency, and the parting between him and his fon was very affecting. He denied to the last his having carnal knowledge of the girl who fwore

against him, but confeffed that he had done what he ought not to have done.

One Harris flood on the pillory near Westminster-hall gate, for wilful and corrupt perjury. He fwore to ferving a notice of a jutti fication of bail, in an action of 750l. whereby the debtor put in fham-bail, was released from prifon, and the creditor irrecoverably lott his debt.

16th.

The monument of Mrs. Macauley, which was erected by Dr. Wilson, in the church of St. Stephen, Walbrook, is by order of the veftry to be taken down, leave not having been obtained for putting it up.

23d.

A patent paffed the great feal of a grant to the Right Hon. Sir Sidney Stafford Smythe,of a penfion, of 2400l. per ann. payable at the exchequer, to commence from the date of his refig. nation.

Lately came on before the juf tices, at the Guildhall, Westmin fter, a trial with which the public fhould be made acquainted. One Holderness, a waterman, plied fome gentlemen, and when in his boat, asked where they were going, up or down? They answered down; on which he swore he would not carry them. The company infifting that he fhould, he fwagged the boat, and in a few minutes filled it, and funk it in fourteen feet water, and it was almost a mi. racle that no lives were loft. The gentlemen complained to the watermen's company, but they dif miffed the complaint, on the ground that no fculler was obliged by law, to go farther down than Cuckold's Point, nor farther up than Vauxhall, as below or above

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thofe

those places there were no fettled fares. The court, however, were of opinion, that a waterman plying for paffengers, had no right to demand where they would be landed, much lefs had he a right to endanger their lives by finking his boat. Being tried for an affault, he was found guilty, and the court were proceeding to pronounce fentence of imprisonment in Newgate for one whole year, when the profecutor interpofed, in compaffion to his family, and requested that it might be mitigated to three

months..

A caufe came on at Guild24th. hall, before Lord Mansfield and a special jury, in which Meffrs. Lewily and Co. merchants of Bristol, were plaintiffs; and Meffrs. Cam and Co. clothiers, of Bradford, Wilts, defendants. The matter in difpute was, whofe property a certain quantity of Spanish wool was, that was unfortunately deftroyed by the memorable fire in Bell-lane, Briftol, occafioned by the villainous defigns of John the Painter, fome of which wool had been previously purchafed by the defendants, but at that time remained in the warehoufes of the plaintiffs. Evidence being produced to prove the weighing of the wool, and the delivery of the bill of parcels for the fame to the defendants, it was deemed a complete fale, and the jury immediately gave a verdict for the plain

tiffs.

Alfo this day a meeting was held at the King's Arms tavern in Cornhill, to confider of the most effectual mode of relieving the diftreffes of the American prifoners in the different gaols of Great Britain and Ireland. About one o'clock Robert Mackey, Efq; was

8

voted into the chair, when several refolutions were voted and carried without a division. When this bufinefs was ended, a committee was chofen, and a fubfcription opened, at which upwards of 8ool. were fubfcribed in lefs than an hour. The four members for the city, with feveral other gentlemen, were chofen on the committee.

27th.

Thomas Sherwood was examined before Sir John Fielding, when it appeared, that by means of a forged letter of attorney in the joint names of Meffrs, Myonet and French, two country clergymen, he had fold out stock in the 3 per cent. Bank confol. to the amount of 700l. and in the South-Sea houfe 8ool. under the fame forged power, to which he had drawn in his brother and his apprentice to be fubfcribing witneffes, whom Sherwood perfuaded to call themselves falefmen of Houndfditch, though only fervants to himself. It appears, likewife, that, notwithstanding this fraud, Sherwood became a bankrupt, and that he was detected by this forged power being found among his

Females 585

Females 494

April

At Whitby, Baptifms 278. Marriages 100. Burials 219. Increafed in baptifms 27. Increased in marriages 24 Decreased in burials 59.-The Diffenters are not included in thefe numbers.

At Manchefter, there were 1513 chriftenings, 577 marriages, and 864 burials. Increased in chriftenings 272; increased in marriages 83; decreased in burials 356.

At Liverpool there were 1224

The lady of Lord Stormont, at his lordship's hotel, in Paris, of a fon and heir, Lady of the Hon. Charles Hope Weir, of a daugh

ter.

3. Rt. Hon. Lady Tyrconnel, of a fon. Lady Bayntun, of a fon. 16. Lady of Hon. Mart. Bladen Hawke, of a fon.

Lady of the Hon. Col. Conway, of a fon.

The lady of Sir Martin Folkes, bart. of a daughter, at Hillington-Hall, in Norfolk.

21. Mademoiselle de Vallabriga, fpoufe to the Infant Don Louis of Spain, of a prince, at Cadahalío. 24. The Grand Duchefs of Tufcany, of a princess, at a palace near Florence. The lady of Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart. of a daughter,

1760 burials. Decreased in chriftenings 12; decreafed in marriages 93; increased in burials 89.

Leinster, of a daughter, at Leinfter-houfe, in Ireland.

The