A book entituled, The liberties of France afferted against the arbitrary, power of excommunication, was lately burnt by the common hangman at Paris. The

author is M. Huerme de la Mothe. His brother advocates, who brought this difgrace upon him, have alfo ftruck his name out of the lift of the members of their body. M. Huerme wrote this book on occafion of an actress, being refused the rites of matrimony, as a person excommunicated by the

canons.

The following is a tranflation of the Turkish manifefto against the Maltese:

"From the mighty powerful grand fultan Ofman, &c. &c. The grand Amurath, illuftrious fultan of the Turks, our predeceffor, and well-beloved brother, of immortal memory, had conceived the defign of wreiting the little rock of the knights of Malta from the Chrif, tians, and to deftroy their fhips which cover and infeft our feas, but death fnatched him off and prevented his project from taking effect; to us he has left it in charge by his will to fee his defign put in execution. Perhaps we fhould have deferred the enterprize, had we not been obliged to it by our juft wrath against thefe knights and their abetters; the behaviour of whom, in regard to our fhips, is but too fhocking. Therefore, taking a quick and lawful refolution, we ordain by this prefent ordonnance, that our fubjects appear at Conftantinople in the moon of March, with their galleys, and their ther armed veffels; and that all fhips in our arfenals be ready at the fame time, that we may em

bark our army, in order that it may imprint terror in the univerfe: that the whole chriftian world may feel our juft indignation; and that by our invincible power may be, made the laft maffacre of the Chriftians, &c. &c. &c."

The fleet of the Grand Signior, might perhaps be able to exterminate the Maltese, if they were abandoned to their own ftrength; but it is likely they will be fuc. coured by Spain, who has 36 hips of war all equipped, which joined to thofe of Naples, the gallies of the Pope, and those of Genoa, &c. may be more than fufficient to ren der all the defigns of the Sultan abortive.

Admiralty-Office. Extract 9th of a letter from vice admirál Saunders, to Mr. Cleveland, dated at Gibraltar bay, April 6, 17615 "I have the fatisfaction to defire you will acquaint their lordships, that his majefty's fhip Ifis fell in with the Oriflame, on the 1ft inftant, off Cape Tres Forcas, and, after a running fight of fome hours, took her; and they are now both arrived in this bay. She had been 29 days from Toulon, and one from Oran. The particulars of her lading are not yet known, as her papers of that fort are not yet found.

I am extremely forry to acquaint their lordships, that although the Ifis had only four men killed, capt. Wheeler is unfortunately one of that number, who, with two others (a midshipman and quarter-master) were killed by one fhot, very foon after the beginning of the action. The Ifis had nine wounded, two of them badly. The numbers killed and wounded in the Ori

flame;

flame, are not yet afcertained, but are fupposed to be between forty and fifty.

They began to engage at fix in the evening, and continued a running fight till half paft ten; the Oriflame endeavoured to get to the northward of the Ifis, in order to get over to the Spanish fhore, to prevent which, lieutenant Cunningham (commanding officer of the Ifis) found it neceffary to run on board her, which he did, with no other damage to either fhip, than the lofs of one of his own anchors, very foon after which the truck. She had forty guns mounted, 26 of them twelve pounders, and 14 eighteen pounders, and upwards of 370 men.

As lieutenant Cunningham, and all the officers and people, appear to have behaved extremely well in this action, I cannot omit recommending him earnestly to their lordships favour; and, for the prefent, I have given him an order to command the Oriflame, till their lordships pleafure be known, whether the fhall be taken into his majefty's fervice. She fails remarkably well; has lately had a thorough repair; is well found in all refpects, and carries her ports ex-tremely well, though now deep.

:

Paris, April 27. The publick cannot guess what may be the crime of the counsellor who drew up the memorial for Ambrofe Guy against the jefuits it is to be fuppofed that the judges of the Chatelet, by whom he has been tried, knew what they were about. His fentence imported, that he should be whipped, branded, and fent to the galleys for three years. After this fentence was read to him the 22d

inftant, he found means to cut his arteries, and the next day he was found expiring in his cell upon which a profecution was inftantly commenced against the corpfe, and in the afternoon of the fame day it was hung up by the heels, and then dragged through the ftreets in a hurdle. [Probably it was not for drawing up a memorial, but forging an arret of the council of ftate in favour of Ambrofe Guy's heirs, with which the jefuits were regularly ferved, but which the the council foon after difclaimed.]

The feveral divifions of

the Middlefex militia were 11th. muttered in the Artillery ground, Tothill-fields, Lambs Conduitfields, and White-Conduit-fields, where they received their new cloathing, &c. and afterwards marched off in different parties, for Hampstead, Highgate, Hendon, and Finchley, to be quartered there till further orders.

A fire broke out at Wal

tham-crofs, which in a fhort 12th. time reduced the whole building to afhes; and another at Hungerford, Berkshire, by which feveral houfes were confumed...

By the latt advices from Malta, they were very bufy in fortifying the places that are most acceffible, cleaning the cifterns, changing the water in them, airing certain provifions in the magazines, infpecting the arms in the arfenals, and making new mufkets. &c. On numbering the people in the inland, they have found fifteen thousand men fit for military fervice. They write from Rome, that the Pope is going to make an augmentation f his troops, and has ordered his galleys to keep conftantly cruifing

on

on, the coafts of the ecclefiaftick ftate.

There has lately been published at Wittemberg, a fecond edition of a very curious piece, intitled, De Polyphago et Allatriophage Wittebergenfi Differtatio, præfide D. G. R. Boebemers refp. G. G. Trenzel. This is an account of one of the moft prodigious eaters ever heard of: This man, at pleasure, for he did it only to get money, would eat up a whole fheep, or pig, and fometimes a bufhel or two of cherries, tones, and all; and even things of a destructive quality, and which other men would on no confideration attempt, did not affrigh ten him, breaking with his teeth, mafticating and fwallowing earthen and glafs veffels, and flints. He has been feen, to ingurgitate a bag pipe with all its appurtenances, living creatures, birds, mice, and catterpillars by handfuls. And, what feems beyond all belief, a tin ftandish being offered him by way of defiance, he made no bones of it, but devoured it, together with the pens, penknife, ink, and fand. This last fact, indeed, is fo trange, that though there it paffes for certain, though the celebrated author of this differtation makes no question of it, and feven credible witneffes made oath of it before the worshipful fenate, it is apprehended, many will reject it as an impofture. This enormous eater, however, was uncommonly ftrong and robuft, and continued his atchievements, which turned to good account, to the age of fixty years; when, betaking himself to a regular life, he reached his 79th year. On opening his body, the author difcovered many extraordinary particulars, of which he gives a very circumftantial account, together

The machine (fee page 98) lately mentioned in the publick papers, being painted in fuch glaring colours, obliged me to think the picture (no other than what the witty apes of thefe times call humbugging) drawn by fome finished Boniface of Richmond, by way of invitation to the curious Londoners, that he might have the opportunity of fhewing them the excellence of his wines, &c. But having business at Richmond yefter. day, I found myself most agreeably deceived in my conjectures. That there is a machine there for the capture of fish, is moft certain, your defcription of which, I affure you, is far fhort of its excellency. I faw it work, and in my opinion, there never was an invention fo fimple in itself, and fo ferviceable to mankind in general, and to this nation in particular. To me it is plain, if this invention is properly encouraged, Great Britatn cannot fail of rivalling all Europe, in the cod and ling trade.-I thould not have troubled you with this, had I not thought it the duty of every indi. vidual in Great Britain, to expose his thoughts in all things that may tend to the honour and interest of

the nation Thames-ftreet

May 15.

Extract of a letter from Bourdeaux,

April 25.

"On the 19th of this month, the wind being at S. W. between eleven and twelve at noon, there fell here a fhower of yellow pow der, refembling the flour of brim ftone, but of a little deeper colour, which foon lay a quarter of an inch deep in many parts of the city. The inhabitants having never feen the like, were greatly alarmed; their minds were poffeffed with a thousand frightful ideas. Pure fulphur could proceed from nothing but fome dreadful volcano ; they expected torrents of fire to follow the eruption, and every minute to fee the earth open and fwallow us all. In a word, the final diffolution was thought to be at hand. While the multitude were foolishly tertifted with their own chimeras, our phyficians, and fome other fenfible citizens, coolly collected this powder, examined it with attention, viewed it through a microfcope, and foon discovered the fimplicity of the phænomenon. It was nothing more than the duft or powder of the flamina of the flowers of pines, which abound in the lands fituate on the fouth of Bourdeaux. A ftrong S. W. wind having doubtlefs, blown off great quantities of this duft, brought it hither, and fpread it over the city. Some more fell the 21ft. and the wind continuing to blow very hard, it has been again examined by a microscope, and appears, like the firit, to come from the flamina of the pine flower. All therefore, furprizng in this, is, that the like thing fhould not be remembred to have been feen in Bourdeaux, fince the fame ap parent causes have fubfifted, a long

time."

Some letters from the

Hague mention, that the fa- 13th. mous Polish countefs and her dwarfs, are now the only fubjects of the converfation, and diverfion of the nobility and gentry in Holland, for their witty expreflions. The princefs Naffau Weilbourg, having one of thofe dwarfs upon her lap, faid, " are not you very forry you are not taller." No, (replied he) if I was, I fhould not have the honour to hit upon your ladyship's knee."

[See an account of thefe furpriz ing children in our laft volume, under the head of Natural History, page 78.J

About two o'clock the

caiffoon for the first pier of 19th. Black-friars bridge was launched with great dexterity, and no damage done either to it, or the fcaffold, which fupported it; but the populace were disappointed of feeing it float fram the fixed part of the stage, by the tide not flowing fo high as it generally does about the full of the moon, on account of a strong fouth'erly wind, which occafioned fome perfons to fuppofe there was a failure in the execution of the defign.

Mr. Godfrey's experiment for extinguishing fire, was tried in thế houfe erected for that purpose, by the fociety of arts, &c. in Marybone-fields. The duke of York, prince William and prince Henry, feveral perfons of distinction, and a numerous crowd were prefent. One hundred and forty of the foot guards attended on this occafion.

[See an account of this experi ment, &c. in our article of Projects for this year, page 146.]

Fifty-four French prifoners efcaped fcam Winchester caftle. Near

eighty more were taken out of the common fewer.

The gardiners round Lambeth are pestered with vermin called flying moles, their fore feet are like the wings of a cock-chaffer. No vermin can do greater damage than they in a garden; they cover themfelves at the root of the vegetable, and eat it off, particularly the cucumber plants. Several perfons are now employed in deftroying them.

Paris, May 9. The great caufe between M. Lioncy, of Lyons, and the jefuits, who refufed to honour the bills drawn on them in the Weft-Indies, by M de la Valette, to the amount of 1, 500, 000 livres, was decided yesterday in favour of the plaintiff who obtained 50, 000 livres as an indemnification for his bankruptcy, occafioned by the jefuits refufing to pay. The court being informed that many others had demands of the fame nature, and waited only for the decision of this caufe, to bring their actions, declared that all the houfes of the fociety in France, except the colleges, fhall be refponfible, with the general of the order refiding at Rome, for each other. The jefuits are ordered to pay M. Lioncy's money immediately, and to pay all M. de la Valette's other bills within a year and a day. Laftly, the fociety and all its members are prohibited to trade any more. This is a mortifying affair to the fociety. 20th. At a meeting of the fociety

of arts, their approbation and thanks were ordered to Mr. Godfrey for his experiment of yefterday.

A gratuity of twenty guineas was offered by the fame fociety to the perfon, who, within the month of Vol. IV.

June enfuing, fhall produce the beft drawing and likenefs of his prefent majefty in profile, from which a die of a guinea may be executed with the greatest propriety.

The method lately taken by the right hon. the lord-mayor, at the adjournment of the general quarter feffions of the peace at Guild-hall, when a great number of poor prifoners were discharged from Ludgate, the two Compters, and the Fleet, was the moft humane, concife, and judicious imaginable; no perfon was returned back for frivolous objections, or for bare oppofition, as has formerly been the cuftom; it being obferved that it was the bufinefs of the court to clear the prifoners, agreeable to the tenor of the act, as any one who in the leaft falfified his oath, lay open to the penalties of the law, which it was incumbent on the creditor to prove afterwards.

Sunday night laft the fervant of a green-grocer in Piccadilly, after the family were gone to bed, robbed the houfe of all the linen that was looked out to be washed the next morning, and other wearing apparel; after which the fet the house on fire in three feveral parts of the kitchen, by putting lighted fmall coal against the wainscot; and then made off. Some of the family being awakened by the fmoke, happily extinguished it, before it had communicated itself beyond the wainscot and furniture of the room.

Two cabins at Stillorgan, near Dublin, were lately confumed by fire, and a woman, a girl, a boy, an infant, and two horfes, perished in the flames.

We hear by letters from Rome, that digging lately in the vineyard [/]

of