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tions, and the confeffion of the villain himself, who has acknowledged

his crime.

Senfible of the enormity of this crime, and of its confequences with regard to the peace of our country, we have referred the whole affair to the confideration of our fenate, which we have ordered, jointly with the Synod, to invite the three first claffes, and the prefidents of all the

colleges, to hear the verbal relation
of general Weymarn, who has taken
the proper informations, to pro-
nounce fentence in confequence
thereof, and after that fentence has
been figned, to prefent it to us for
our confirmation of the fame.

The original is figned by her
Imperial Majefty's own hand.
CATHARINE.

In a

Account of a new Dye from the Berries of a Weed in South-Carolina. Letter from Mr. Mofes Lindo, dated at Charles-Town, September 2, 1763, to Mr. Emanuel Mendez da Cofta, Librarian of the Royal Society.

IN N Auguft, 1757, I obferved the rinfed it in cold water; when, to my mocking-bird fond of a berry,. furprife, I found a fuperior crimfun which grows on a weed called Pouck, dye fixed on the flannel, than the reprefented to me as of a poisonous juice of the berry. quality; the juice of this berry being a blooming crimson, I was feveral times inclined to try if I could extract a dye from it; yet the very thoughts of its quality prevented me from proceeding, till obferving these birds to void their excrement of the fame colour as the berry, on the Chinese rails in my garden, convinced me it was not of the quality reprefented. I therefore made a trial in the following manner :

ift. I ordered one of my negroes to gather me a pint of thofe berries, from which I extracted almost three quarters of a pint of juice, and boiled it with a pint of Bristol water, one quarter of an hour.

zdly. I then took two pieces of flannel and numbered them I and 2, boiled them in a feparate tin pot with alum a quarter of an hour, and rinfed them in cold water.

3dly. I then dipped the piece of flannel, No. 1. into the pot where the juice was, and left it to fimmer

five minutes; then took it out and

4thly. I then dipped the piece of flannel, No. 2. in the fame juice, and, being defirous to clean my hands from the stain, which No. 1. had caufed, I ordered fome limewater to be brought me, fuch as we ufe to fettle our indigo, and found the colour of the ftain change to a bright yellow. This unexpected change urged me to throw a wine glafs-full of lime-water into the pot, where the piece of flannel, No. 2. was fimmering; on which, all the juice, as well as the flannel, became of a bright yellow, by which I find alum fixed the crimfon, and lime the yellow.

5thly. Having then put a quart of freth juice in two pint decanters, in one of which I put a fmall quantity of powdered alum, I laid them up: about fix weeks after, I examined them, and found the juice in the decanter which had no alum was turned black, and the other retained its colour.

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A DESCRIPTION of the City of LISBON.

Ibon, a city of Eftremadura, the capital of Portugal, and the royal refidence, is fituated on the river Tagus, about ten miles from its mouth, and feventy-eight W. of the confines of Spain. The town, built on feven hills, winds with the river, from which it rifes in the form of an amphitheatre, mostly with an easy afcent: it is furrounded with a wall, on the range of which are said to be feventy-seven towers and thirty-fix gates; being reckoned to contain 30,000 houfes, and 200,000 inhabitants. Some of the streets in the valleys are so steep, as to be inconvenient for coaches; fo that litters with mules are generally ufed. Befides the cathedral, there are thirtyfeven parish-churches, and forty convents for both fexes. The W. part of Lifbon is under a patriarch, by virtue of a Papal bull in 1716, which contains twenty-one parishes; and the E. part is under the archbishop, whofe diocefe contains fix. teen parishes; particularly the or naments and plate of the patriarchal cathedral are said to have cost the crown the treasure of feveral flotas from the Brafils. In the fquare, where ftands the palace, are their bull baitings held at which all perfons of diftinction, together with the populace, affemble; and here. alfo is the Dominican church, a large structure, near which the offi. cers of the inquifition perform the dreadful folemnity called Auto de fé; when many unhappy perfons, of a different perfuafion from the Romish church, are cruelly tortured. At these shocking executions, people of rank, both ladies and gentlemen, affemble; who are taught as it were Odober 1764.

to rejoice at the torturing and murdering of a poor helpless and innocent man.

In the harbour of Lisbon fhips ride in eighteen fathom water; but it has two entrances difficult of accefs, which renders the affiftance of a pilot neceffary. The northern paffage, called Corredor, lies between a fand-bank and the rock Cachopos, and the tower of St. Julian; the fouthern, called Caroeira de Alcogova, is between Cachopos and the tower of St. Lorenzo, being broader and more commodious than the other. The city, viewed from the river on the fouthern shore, affords a noble profpect, by the gradual afcent of the buildings: nor is the profpect lefs agreeable from the town; the river, which is three miles over, being full of fhips of every nation in Europe; and beyond that, a fine country, interchangeably mixed with towns and villages. No port in Europe, London and Amfterdam excepted, has a more confiderable foreign trade; fo that the cuffom-house on the bank of the Tagus brings the king of Portugal a prodigious revenue; and here are unloaded all the goods from their American and other fettlements in Afia and Africa.

The plate annexed exhibits a view of the city previous to its almoft total deltruction on the first of November 1755, by an earthquake and inundation; and it is not yet entirely rebuilt. It was then divided into Eaft and Weft Lisbon, and fituated upon the N. fide of the river Tagus, upon feven hills, fome of them very fteep, and the fides of thofe hills covered with handsome 4 A

boufes

houses of the nobility and gentry, or churches and convents; from whence the profpes were very beautiful, most of them commanding a view of great part of the city, the river, and the oppofite fhore; the streets on the tops and fides of the hills moftly spacious, airy, and pleasant, and the buildings handsome, and all of ftone; particularly thofe of the nobility were elegant, with large gardens; but in the valley the houfes are generally very mean, with lattice-windows, and the streets narrow and very dirty. The form of the city was irregular, between four and five miles in length upon the banks of the river; but not very broad, except in the middle, and there it did not much exceed a mile. On one of the highest hills stood a fine church, and a large convent of the Carmelite friars: on another flood the cafile or citadel, commanding the town; and on a third the cathedral; both the laft, it is fuppofed, built by the Moors. The cattle is no ways remarkable but for its fize, being very large; as was the cathedral likewife, but extremely heavy and clumfy without, when near, but did not look amifs at a diftance; but it was handfome, and richly ornamented within, as indeed most of their churches were to a profufion, with paintings, images, croffes, pixes, &c. coftly veftments for the priests, and dreffes for the faints; many of them enriched with diamonds and other precious ftones; with a vast quantity of filver candle

In

'fticks, and other ornaments. the royal chapel the filver alone was valued at a million fterling. The riches and curiofities of the palace and treasury were immenfe in gold duft and ingots, gold and filver, plate, diamonds, beautiful tapef try, &c.

Juft without the W. end of the city was a nunnery of ladies, purely English (Scotch, Irish, or any other nation not admitted) of the order of St. Bridget, in great efleem for their charity and exemplary lives: they were in high favour, and often vifited by the late queen, who always paid them the greatest regard; and at the other extremity castward ftood the church of St. Vincent, behind the altar of which was a spacious faloon, round which, upon large fhelves, were depofited some of their kings and queens, and many of the royal family, in coffins, or rather large chefts, covered with gold and filver ftuffs; and fome with black velvet, laced and fringed with gold.

At Bellem, about three miles below the city, in the church, on the right fide of the altar, was the body of Q. Catherine of England, and wife of king Charles 11. depofited in the fame manner in a coffin of black velvet.

Lisbon lies in lat. 38 deg. 45 min. 25 fec. N. and long. 8 deg. 2 min. 15 fec. W. from the meridian of Paris; or 5 deg. 37 min. 15 fec. from that of London.

ANECDOTE of Mr. QUIN.

MR. Quin is a gentleman whofe

humour gives life to the conversation of thousands who perhaps

never had the pleasure of feeing

him; many of whom, but for the repetition of his wit, would be very

dult

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