fied it, and lord Grenville's motion was carried.

6th. Sir J. W. Anderfon (the late lord mayor,) read, in common council, two letters from lord Nelfon and captain sir E. Berry, which were or dered to be entered in the city journals.

Vanguard, Palermo, Jan. 31, 1799. Sir,

I have only this day received the honour of your letter (when lord mayor) of the 16th October; and I beg that you will convey to the court of common council my fincere gratitude for all their goodnefs to me, and affure them it fhall be the bufinefs of my life to act in the manner moft conducive to the profperity of the city of London, on which depends that of our country. I am truly fenfible of your politenefs in defiring me to fay what particular devices I fhould with on the fword, which is to be prefented to me by the city of London; but I beg to leave that to the judgement of my fellow citizens. Believe me, when I affure you that I feel myself,

Your most faithful and obliged fervant, Nellon.

Sir,

Kenfington, April, 23, 1799.

I have this inftant had the honour of receiving your favour of the 16th October laft, which I conclude has been travelling in queft of me fince that period. Permit me, fir, to return you and the court of common council of the city of London, my warmeft thanks and moft grateful acknowledgements for the very high compliment I am honoured with; believe me fir, I efteem it as the higheft mark of my country's approbation, to gain which is moft gratifying; at the

But

"I have much more reason than the commiffioners can have to be dif fatisfied with the fmallness of my income. I have never yet in my life difavowed, or had occafion to re-confider any declaration which I have figned with my name. the act of parliament has removed all the decencies which used to prevail between gentlemen; and has given the commiflioners (frouded under the fignature of their clerk) a right by law to tell me that they have reafon to believe that I am a liar. They have alfo a right to

C 2

demand

demand from me, upon oath, the particular circumftances of my private fituation. In obedience to the law, I am ready to attend them upon this degrading occafion, fo novel to Englishmen; and to give them every explanation and fatif faction which they, may be pleafed to require.

I am, fir,

"Your humble fervant, John Horne Tooke." 9th. At the fittings before lord Kenyon, a cafe was determined, Middleton qui tam, verfus Blake, which deferves the moft ferious attention of the clergy; an action was brought against the Rev. Mr. Blake, who is vicar of the parish of St. Leonard, Shoreditch, to recover eleven penalties for non-refidence. It appeared, that this gentleman had been vicar of that parifh for nineteen years, but had refided on his eftate at South Molton, Devon, and never came up to London to vifit his parish but to receive their Eafter offerings. On the part of the reverend defendant, witneffes were produced, to fhew that he was in an extremely poor ftate of health; that he was very much afflicted with the gout; and, very generally after he had refided in London about a month, he was feized with illness, and fometimes was obliged to remain in town three months before he was able to return to the country. The jury found a verdict for the plaintiff for 1107.

This day was tried, in the court of King's Bench, an action for an affault, and for falle imprifonment, wherein Mr. Dowding, a respectable wine-merchant, was plaintiff, and general Watfon, of the 3d regiment of guards, was defendant. The cafe made out by the plaintiff

in evidence was fhortly thus: the plaintiff and his fifter had been dining at the houfe of a friend of theirs, a few miles from town, on the 22d of July laft, and were coming on horfeback through Knightsbridge, and as they came near to the gate of the barracks, a gentleman was coming towards them. They were only walking their horfes; the gentleman's horfe was going on a jog trot; they met, and the lady was frightened, as the horfes came nearer one another. They were on the left hand fide, which was their proper fide of the road, and very near the foot-path. There was abundant room for this gentleman to pafs, the road being very wide, and not a carriage in it at that time, but the road was a little dirty. Mr. Dowding came up to the gentleman, and faid, " Sir, I hope you will never turn a lady out of the road;" upon which this gentleman made ufe of very abufive language, and immediately aimed a blow at Mr. Dowding's head, in which he loft his own hat for the moment. Mr. Dowding then rode off towards his fifter, to allay her fears, inttead of contending with this gentleman, who however followed, and gave him a very violent blow on his head, which cut through his hat, with what is called a crutch ftick. Upon this the gentleman who had thus conducted himself, immediately ordered out the foldiers that were at the barracks, who came with their fixed bayonets, and furrounded Mr. Dowding; he demanded Mr. Dowding's name, which he gave him; he ordered the foldiers to take Mr. Dowding into cuftody, and Mr. Dowding afked for his name, which he refufed, and told the foldiers, on the peril of their

lives, not to tell his name: it foon appeared, however, that it was general Watfon.

Not the leaft incivility or provocation was given to the general before he ftruck the blow, nor any return made to him of his own language by the plaintiff, fuch as fcoundrel, rafcal, &c. and after the general made the firft attempt, unfuccefsfully, to ftrike Mr. Dowding, and after he was riding up to his fifter to help her, and to try to difpel her fears, the general turned his horfe round, and was going to ftrike with the fmall end of his flick, but he changed its pofition, and laid hold of the fmall, and ftruck with the club end of the stick.

The defendant's cafe was fupported by the evidence of three of the foldiers, who had acted in the fcene under his command, but to their evidence the jury paid no credit, as they gave a verdict for the plaintiff, damages 250%.

11th. A woman drawing water from a well at Surlingham, in Norfolk, was, by the breaking of the rope, precipitated to the bottom, a depth of 42 feet; the water was not more than 5 feet high; and in this condition fhe remained for fome hours, till, her long abfence from home inducing fearch, fhe was difcovered, and, a cord being lowered, the tied it round her waift, and was drawn up much bruifed, and nearly exhaufted.

12th. Eight gentlemen belonging to the Walton affociation, formed a party to go to Hounflow, to fee Haines, the highwayman; on their way home, they stopped at the Flower Pot, at Sunbury, till ten at night; and, being flufhed with what they had drank, in croffing the Thames at Walton, fome of them

joftled the boat fo violently, that it overturned; by which accident three of the gentlemen were drowned.

15th. This morning were executed, purfuant to their fentence, in the Old Bailey, the following malefactors, viz. James Turnbull, for robbing the Mint, and Hugh Campbell, William Harper, and Jofeph Walker, for forgery. Their beha viour was ftrictly becoming their unhappy fituation.

16th. In an action for an affault, brought by a Mr. Humphries, againft lord Camelford, committed by the latter, in a very violent and unprovoked manner, at Drury-lane theatre; a jury this day gave the plaintiff 5007, damages.

29th. This morning a fire broke out at the houfe of Mr. Mofes Haman, in Cob-court, Petticoat-lane, which confumed the infide, with a great part of the furniture. A child, about three years of age, was burned fo thockingly, as to be taken to the London infirmary without hopes of recovery.

30th. At half past ten this morning, Mr. Wakefield was brought up before the Court of King's Bench to receive judgement, when Mr. juftice Grole, after an appropriate fpeech, pronounced the following fentence: "The court, having fully confidered the whole of your cafe, do order and adjudge, that you be committed to Dorchefter goal for the term of two years; that at the end of this term you give fecurity for your good behaviour for five years, yourself in 5001, and two fureties in 2501. each; and that you continue in the faid gaol until you have given fuch fecurity." The prifoner bowed, and withdrew.

At the fame time the attorneygeneral prayed judgement of the court on Mr. John Perry, the editor; John Vint, the printer; and George Rofs, the publisher; of the Courier newfpaper, for a paragraph which appeared in that paper, ftating "the emperor of Ruffia to be a tyrant among his own fubjects, and ridiculous to the reft of Europe."Mr. juftice Grofe pronounced the judgement of the court, which was, "That Mr. John Perry do pay the fum of 100%. and be imprifoned in the King's Bench prifon for fix calendar months, and enter into fecurity for his good behaviour for five years, himfelf in 5001. and two fureties in 2501. each; and that John Vint and George Rofs be imprifoned in the fame prifon each for one calendar month."

DIED. 26th. At Edinburgh, in his 85th year, James Burnet, of Monboddo, efq. commonly called lord Monboddo, one of the fenators of the college of juftice; promoted to the bench in 1767. His firft publication was " A Differtation on the Origin and Progrefs of Language, 1773," 6 vol. 8vo; 2d edit. 1774; afcribing the invention of alphabetical writing to the Egyptians. When he was fo near the fountainhead, he might as well have fuppofed it an immediate communication from the Deity. He published also a work in 5 vol. 4to. just completed in a 6th, intituled, "Ancient Metaphyfics;" a performance remarkable for a furprising mixture of penetration and genius with the moft abfurd whim and conceit. He ftrenuously maintains, that the Ourang Outan is a clafs of the human fpecies, and that his want of fpeech is merely accidental. We remember it was faid, that Maupertuis

died juft as he was going to make monkeys talk. Lord Monboddo alfo endeavours to establish the real exiftence of fea nymphs or mermaids.

JUNE.

4th. Being his majesty's birth-day, the feveral affociations of the metropolis and its neighbourhood, confift ing of fixty-five well-equipped corps, and amounting to upwards of 8000 effective men, affembled in Hyde-Park, where they were reviewed by the king. The Temple affociation, commanded by captain Graham, was the first that entered the Park: it arrived at seven o'clock, during a heavy shower of rain, which continued inceffantly from the time it left the Temple-gardens. Several other corps followed foon after; and at half past eight the whole were on the ground. The neceflary difpofi tions, agreeable to the official regulations were then made, and about ten minutes past nine his majesty appeared, attended by the prince of Wales, the dukes of York, Kent, Cumberland, and Gloucefter, a number of general officers, and a formidable detachment of the life guards. The line being formed, a cannon was fired, to announce the approach of the king on which all the corps immediately fhouldered in perfect order, and the artillery then fired a royal falute of twenty-one guns. A fecond gun was fired on his majesty's arrival in front of the line, and each corps immediately prefented arms, with drums beating and mufic playing. A third cannon was fired, as the fignal for thoulder ing, which was promptly obeyed. His majefty having paffed along the line, and returned by a central point

:

in front, a fourth cannon was fired, as a fignal to load; and upon the fifth gun being fired, the different corps began to fire vollies in fucceffion from right to left. The fame loading and firing were repeated, upon the fixth and feventh cannons being fired: in all fifty-nine rounds. On the eighth cannon being fired, three cheers were given, and the mufic played, "God fave the King." The corps then pafled his majefty in grand divifions, in a moft excellent manner, under the direction of general Dundas, who headed them on horfeback; after which they filed off to the ftations refpectively allotted for them. The whole of the evolutions pointed out to them in the general orders having been performed, and another royal falute of twenty-one guns fired, his majefty, after expreffing the higheft fatisfaction at the martial appearance and excellent conduct of this loyal and patriotic army, departed from the ground at a quarter before one, amidst the joyous fhouts and affectionate greetings of the people, who affembled on the occafion to the amount of upwards of 100,000, including all the beauty and fafhion of the metropolis. The fight was truly grand and highly gratifying; and, notwithftanding the evolutions were confiderably impeded by the high wind and fome rain, the whole were performed in a manner that reflects much credit upon every corps prefent, whofe conduct fully entitles them to the very handfome compliment of his royal highnefs, the commander-in-chief, paid them by order of his majefty, in the Gazette of that evening. The ground was kept clear by the London and Weftminfter, and Southwark volunteer corps of cavalry, who preferved

the lines from being infringed by the immenfe multitude who crowded the Park.

10th. Lord Thanet and Mr. Ferguffon, accompanied by the duke of Bedford, lord Derby, &c. being brought into the court of King's Bench.

The attorney-general faid, he had received his majesty's commands to enter a nolle profequi with respect to the firft, fecond, and third counts.

Mr. juftice Grofe then addreffed the defendants in a fpeech of confi-. derable length. After commenting upon the impartiality of the trial, and the juftice of the conviction, he obferved, that the rank and fituation of the defendants were fuch as ought to have made them the laft men in the world to have been guilty of fuch conduct. He then proceeded to pafs the fentence of the court upon ford Thanet, which was, that he fhould be imprifoned for one year in the Tower of London; that he should pay a fine of 1000.; that at the expiration of his imprisonment he fhould give fecurity for his good behaviour for feven years, himself in 10,000l. and two fureties in 5,000l. each; and that he fhould be further imprifoned till the faid fecurity was given and the fine paid.

The fentence upon Mr. Ferguffon was, that he fhould pay a fine of 100.; that he should be imprifoned for one year in the King's Bench prifon; that at the expiration of his imprisonment he fhould give fecurity for his good behaviour for feven years, himself in 500l. and two fureties in 2501. each; and that he fhould be imprifoned till the faid fecurity was given and the fine paid.

On the fame day, about three o'clock, the duke de Sorentino, a Sicilian nobleman, who has refided