in the found, which is very dull, a fmall crack has been contrived in each of them, and to this their not ringing well is attributed. However, the fraud may be eafily discovered by rubbing the edge fmartly upon any thing hard; for then the leaf gold, which is very thin, will rub off, and leave the filver vifible to the naked eye.

The subjects for the prizes given annually to the fenior and middle bachelors, of Cambridge, by the bon. Edward Finch Hatton, and Thomas Townshend, efqrs; reprefentatives, in parliament for that univerfity, are:

For the fenior bachelors,

Utrum Civitati perniciofior fit Epicuri an Zenonis Philofophia? For the middle bachelors, Quomodo intelligendum eft effatum illud, Rete fit quodcunque evenit? The following anecdote is related of the reverend Mr. Sterne when he was at Paris. A French gentleman asking him, if he had found in France no original characters that he could make ufe of in his life and opinions of Triftram Shandy: "No," replied he, "the French resemble old pieces "of coin, whofe impreffion is "worn out by rubbing.'

22

In clearing the foundation for the fixth pier of Black-friars bridge, fo many human skulls have been dragged up, as to give juft reafon to believe, that that fpot was an island in the Thames with a place of worship on it. The river, at least, was of old, a great deal wider than now, and Westminsterabbey, when begun, was upon an ifland.

Forty-eight couple of bloodbounds were lately fhipt from Bri-.

ftol for North America, where, it is thought, they will be very ferviceable in difcovering the tracks of the hoftile Indians.

A lifeguardman of Poland, celebrated for his great voracioufnefs, was lately prefented to the court of Saxony, and in the prefence of it devoured near twenty pounds of beef, and half a calf roafted, befides other things.

A lad of fifteen years old, apprentice to a carman in Whitechapel, eat, at a public-houfe, for a wager of two guineas, seven pounds of beef-fleaks, all folid meat, a quartern loaf, and drank two quarts of porter. He had two hours allowed him to finish this his fupper, but devoured the whole in lefs than an hour and an half.

Letters from Gottingen, of the 6th inflant, pofitively infift, that Dr. Klarich, belonging to the univerfity there, had actually cured upwards of 54 perfons of the tooth-ach by the application of a load-ftone. [For an authentic account of the fame experiment being fuccefsfully tried in England, fee the laft article of our Natural Hiftory.]

We are told from Hamburgh, that a woman at Altena, after lofing nine children in the cutting of their teeth, faved fix others by rubbing their gums with virgin honey on the first sensation of pain, either with her finger, or a bit of linen cloth, and repeating the operation whenever the child was found uneafy. The fame experiment was tried with fuccefs on other children.

A few days ago Mrs. Merrit, in Bull and Mouth-street, aged [G] =

bea

between 60 and 70, after being laid out as dead two or three days, thewed fome fymptoms of life, and is fince perfeâly recovered. This is one inftance, among many, of the great danger there is of killing people in good earnest, by ftripping and laying them out; and, what is ftill more fhocking to think of, burying them alive, by committing them too haftily to their coffins. Putrefaction is the only fure fign of death in many cafes.

There is now in the parish of Braunfton, in the county of Rutland, an ewe, which has had feven lambs, all alive, within lefs than a year; and, when fat, does not weigh above fourteen pounds and a quarter.

There has been lately fhewn, at the fair of St. Germain's in France, an extraordinary Indian bird called the caifawary. He has no tongue, is not covered with fea. thers, but with briftles like a hog, and has on each fide of his breath fharp quills, which ferve for his defence. His legs are very large, but proportionable to the fize of its body; and he runs as fast as a horfe. His forehead is armed with a horn; and when he moves, his fkin fhews of different colours, all very bright.

A gentleman of South Caro lina, of great honour and veracity, declares, that he faw laft February a cabbage plant, at a gentleman's garden, near Savannah in Georgia, which rifes from one root, Ipreads over a circumference of 30 feet, measuring ten feet over every way: had flood three winters, and feeded annually. [For an account of two. extraordinary

kinds of this useful plant, fee our articles of Natural History and Projects for this year.]

His most chriftian majefty has granted a gratification of 18,000 livres to the widow Calas, 6000 to each of her two daughters, and 3000 to one of her fons, without depriving them of the expectative on their first judges. On the other hand, the parliament of Tholouse has appointed commiflioners to draw up a remonftrance to the king on the affair of that unfortunate family, and have forbid the arret in their favour to be stuck up. The heads of this remonftrance are, 1. That no evocations be granted for the future without an abfolute certainty of the facts. 2. That where they are found neceffary, they be made only from one parliament to another. 3.That no regard be paid to the judgment of the court des Requetes de l'Hotel. And 4. That the actual proceffion of the 17th of March may not be abolithed.

And

The fame monarch has not only beftowed on M. de Bellay, author of a celebrated tragedy, called The Siege of Calais, the gold medal for fome years intended for the perfon who should write the best tragedy on that fubject, but has ordered him a gratuity of 1000 crowns, and permitted him to dedicate his piece to him. hearing that the magiftrates of Calais had invited the French players at Paris to come to their ancient city to reprefent it, du ring their recefs in the holy-week, and that the magiftrates of that place generously propofed to defray their expences, which they as generously declined accepting, his

molt

moft chriftian majefty interpofed, and ordered the whole expence of the journey and representation to be defrayed out of the royal coffer.

The king of Pruffia has lately founded an academy, in which fifteen young noblemen are to be educated, according to his majefty's own plan. The tutors and profeffors are all French, of whom the celebrated M. Toutaint, author of the treatife entitled Les Meurs, teaches philofophy.

The Emperor of Morocco, propofing to break with the Danes, has been fo uncommonly kind as to give the merchants of that nation three months notice to retire with their effects. But perhaps this was done, in order to leave room for an accommodation, which might produce more than the feizing of their perfons, and the confifcation of their effects. At leaft, matters were again made up by the 9th of March.

The following is the refult of the council of war established in Spain, to enquire into the con duel of the officers employed in the defence of the Havannah, and of the island of Cuba. The mar quis de Real Tranfporte, commánder in chief of the fleet there, and member of the council of war; the Count de Superunda, lieutenant general, and prefident of the council of war; and Don Diego Tabares, a member of the faid council; deprived of all their military employments, and banished forty leagues from court for ten years, and their effects to be employed in making fatisfaction for the damage occafioned by the lofs of the above-mentioned place,

to his majefty's finances, and his fubjects. The chief engineer deprived of his military employment for two years, and banithed during that time, forty leagues from court; the fecretary of the council of war declared to be unfit for, that employment for the future, on account of his want of exactitude in minuting the feveral proceedings of the faid council.

Some time ago a man at Carnor, about two leagues from Carlitadt in Tranfylvania, who had been a few months married to a young woman of eighteen, of whom he was exceeding jealous, having ta ken fome exceptions to her conduct, locked himself up one evening with her and her mother; he then ftripped his wife, and hav ing faftened her to the wall with wooden pegs, he cut off her ears, nofe, and two breafts, and drove a flake into her belly. He then cut open her fide with a knife, and not finding her heart, which he wanted, opened her other fide, from which he took it out. He then loofened the poor wretch, laid her on the ground, to which he faftened her with three pegs, and afterwards laid himfelf down by the dead body; and, as if the being fatiated with barbarity produced the fame effects with drunkenness, he fell into fo profound a fleep, that his mother-in-law, who expected the fame fate, eafily opened the doors, and escaped into the neighbourhood, where the gave an account of the fhocking scene the had been witness to. Upon this proper perfons were difpatched, who feized him while ftill asleep. The punithment inflicted on him was, according to the manner of

[G] 3

the

the ancient Scythians, proportioned to fo unheard of a crime. The wretch was conducted on foot to the gallows, where he was ftript; after which his nofe, ears, and the flesh of his breaft was torn off with hot pincers. He was to have had his eyes plucked out, but this was omitted, becaufe from a fchifmatic he became a Catholic. He was then fastened to the tail of his own horfe, and dragged three times round the gallows; after which his two hands were cut off, one after another, by flow and deliberate ftrokes. His head was then cleaved, and his breaft being opened, his heart taken out, and cut into feveral pieces. At laft his limbs were nailed to the ganows, fo low, that the dogs and wild animals might reach them; and they were in fact devoured before night. This wretch bore thofe fevere torments with incredible firmnefs and refolution. On the fame day a neighbour of this inhuman wretch was taken up for cutting off his wife's breaft, from a like principle of jealousy.

The following inftance of gratitude deferves to be remembered. Nicholfon Woolley, efq; of Blenchington in Cumberland, who died lately, left the beft part of his eftate to his footman, who faved his life about two years ago

Mr. Richard Jordan, of York, merchant, lately paved, for a confiderable wager, 100 fquare yards with common ftones, in less than nine hours.

Died lately. The reigning prince of Anhalt, Bernburgh, duke of Saxony, aged 64.

The learned and pious Dr. Young, author of the Night

Thoughts, &c. [For fome aca count of his life, fee our charac ters for this year.]

At Salitbury, in an advanced age, Mrs. Barbara Wyndham, a maiden lady of a confiderable for tune, the bulk of which, we hear, fhe has left for the endowment of a charity, to be called WyndhamCollege, for the support of ten poor men, natives of the city, and fourteen poor women, whose bufbands are either dead, or otherwife fo abandoned as not to allow them a fufficient maintenance

At Barbadoes, Chriftopher Ir win, efq; inventor of the marine chair, a moft ingenious and useful contrivance for obferving the heavenly bodies, in the moft turbulent feas, with as much steadiness as they can be afhore. This gentleman was ftill more remarkable for the mildness and uniformity of his temper, as he was never known to be once out of humour in all his life time.

David Mallet, efq; a gentleman well known in the literary world.

Mr. flitchcock, a wealthy farmerat Wefton-ftony, Bedfordshire, who, being prepoffeffed on his death-bed that he should come to life again, gave orders, that his body thould be put into a coffin, flightly nailed, and placed at the top of the infide of his barn; which was done accordingly.

In Hog-lane, St. Giles's, one Duncan, who within a few years had amaffed above 1200l. by letting out barrows to poor people at fixpence per week.

At Harlftop in Norfolk, Mr. Colton, who by two wives had 43 living children.

Mrs. Anne Hardford, aged 92, whofe