form the Court, that he was in possession of the King's sign manual, by which his majesty consented to the prisoner's being discharged from the gaol of Newgate, upon condition that security was given that he should be confined in some proper place as a lunatic, or in some other manner taken care of, so as to answer his majesty's most gracious intentions. Bail were then produced, and the prisoner was ordered to be liberated.

12th. In the afternoon as several young men were skaiting on the ice on the canal in St. James's Park, two of them fell in; two others endeavouring to rescue them, shared the same fate, by the ice giving way; they were in the water more than half an hour, when one, by the assistance of a ladder, was got out, but three were unfortunately drowned. A boat was brought from Westminster Bridge, but too late; the bodies were taken up, and carried to three public houses, where the usual means prescribed by the humane society were used, but without the desired effect.

13th. In the morning a most dreadful fire broke out at the sugarhouse of Mr. Engell, Wellclose Square, which entirely consumed the same, together with three houses contiguous to it. There were about 500 tons of sugar, rough and refined. The conflagration was truly dreadful, and raged with the utmost fury for upwards of four hours.-The loss is estimated at upwards of 30,0001.

14th. Was tried at Guildhall, the cause of Martin, esq. against Petrie, esq. This was an action against the defend

ant for criminal conversation with the plaintiff's wife.-The damages were laid in the declaration at 20,000l. Mr. Bearcroft, on the part of the plaintiff, stated, that he was the eldest son of a gentleman of large fortune in the county of Galway, in Ireland. In the year 1777 he married a lady of beauty and accomplishments, a Miss Vesey. With her he lived happily for the space of fourteen years, having had, during that time, nine children by her. At the end of that period he was under the necessity of leaving his wife at Paris, where he had resided for some time, and of returning to England. During his absence the defendant was introduced to the acquaintance of his lady, whom he after a short period seduced. The jury gave a verdict of 10,0001. damages.

21st. At half-past eight o'clock, a fire broke out in Miss Le Clerc's apartments on the second floor in Richmond-house, Privy-gardens, which was occasioned by a spark having shot from the fire to the bed furniture, where the young lady lay asleep. The duke was then writing a letter in the library, where the breakfast cloth was laid. In a few minutes afterwards, his grace, the duchess, and Miss Le Clerc, the duchess carrying a favourite dog under her arm, left the house, and the ladies were escorted to the duke of Buccleugh's by a gentleman, who appeared to be a friend of the family, and who met this party upon the steps. The duke returned to the yard of his house, and there being then no engines, and very little readiness either in the astonished servants, or the populace, to afford assistance, he seemed likely to be, in a very

short

short time, a witness to the destruction of his entire property there. A gentleman at this time ran up the great stair-case, and presently afterwards, some of the populace encouraged by his example, and entreaty followed. Eight or nine persons seemed then to be employed by his direction in lowering furniture from the windows, and bearing it down stairs. Three lookingglasses, said to be worth twelve hundred pounds, were thus rescued; two large cabinets, containing his grace's papers, were lowered from the rails of the balcony by this unknown gentleman. Upon the whole it appears, that the endeavours then used for the preservation of the valuable furniture and effects were so far successful, that all the papers in the office fronting towards the garden, and appropriated by the duke to ordnance business, are saved; all the furniture of the first floor, even to the hangings of the duke's bed; all his private papers, with the letter which he had left unfinished, and the valuable paintings, are saved. One looking-glass of great value was broken and left behind, the others were carried down the great staircase. The books in the library were saved by being thrown from the windows upon mattresses, which the stranger, who seemed to conduct the whole, had ordered to be placed under them.

The

model of the new house intended to be built by the duke at Goodwood, and all the valuable busts from the library, were also saved. About one o'clock, the whole roof fell in; three floating-engines on the river played the water on the east-side, and a number of engines in the yard played very rapidly; so that soon after four o'clock they

got it nearly under. His royal highness the duke of York, with about 300 of the Coldstream regi. ment, assisted the watermen, and kept off the mob. During the rage of the fire, a favourite spaniel dog of the duke's was observed at the window of an apartment, jumping and making endeavours to force his way through the glass. His grace offering a reward to any person that would save him, a waterman by means of ladders fastened together, mounted to the window, threw up the sash, and brought the dog down safe. The duke gave him ten guineas, and the duke of York one, for this act of humanity and courage. The pictures, and most of the numerous writings and curious books, which his grace possessed, we are extremely happy to hear, are saved. At such a fire, the loss of property is not the highest consideration; science often suffers irreparably. No lives were lost, nor have we heard of any material accident sustained by the persons who assisted.

24th. The Roman Catholic inhabitants of Kerry county, in Ireland, have presented an address to the lord lieutenant, professing their loyalty and attachment to the government, with a solemn declaration, that they hold in abhorrence all writings and actions tending to excite sedition, or favour faction. The address is signed by lord Kenmare and Gerard Teahan-the former as representative of the inhabitants, the latter as primate of the clergy.

The Fazeley and Birmingham canal, which has proved so advantageous to that seat of industry and arts, on which was expended upwards of 100,000l. a few years ago, is now so far improved in

value, that a share which cost 1401. was lately sold by auction for 1,0801.

17th. DIED-Henry Flood, esq. the celebrated Irish orator, of whom an account will be given in a subsequent part of this volume.

Lately, at Landilow, South Wales, Howell Morgan, a cockfeeder, rat-catcher, and methodist preacher, either of which avocations he practised as occasion suited. He had dissipated no inconsiderable fortune, was a good classic scholar, and allied to an ancient and respectable family in Monmouthshire. He had made tlre tour of Europe, and wrote to the king of Denmark on the subject of cockfighting, when that prince was in England.

27th. At Bath, sir Henry Geo. Ravensworth Liddell, bart. of Durham. He succeeded the late lord Ravensworth in his estates, when the title became extinct, and only the baronetage revived in his person; and afterwards married Miss Steele, sister to the right hon. Thomas Steele, M. P. who survives him. He possessed an immense estate in the north, where he was distinguished for a warm and generous spirit, which sometimes, however, carried him into romantic transactions. His excursion to Lapland, upon a wager, and his return with two Lapland girls and reindeer, are well remembered. See the "Tour through Sweden, Swedish Lapland, Finland, and Denmark. By Matthew Consett, esq. Stockton, 1789," 4to. from May 24, to Aug. 12, 1786. The Lapland girls were returned safe to their native country, after an absence of several months, with 501.

daughter.

21. Duchess of Leinster, a

son and heir.

Sept. 13. Duchess of Northumberland, a daughter.

15. Lady of Scrope Bernard, esq. M. P. a son.

22. Lady of the hon. colonel Fox, a son.

Countess of Granard, a

son.

29. Lady Kinnaird, a daugh

ter.

daughter.

8. Lady of Richard Joseph Sulivan, esq. M. P. a

son.

14. Lady Cathcart, a daugh

ter.

26. Lady M. Stuart, a daugh

ter.

Lately, Countess of Lincoln, a daughter.

July 4. Viscountess Bayham, a daughter.

25. Lady of Sir William Foulis, a daughter.

28. Viscountess Valletort, a daughter.

Aug. 3. Lady Charlotte Lenox, a son and heir.

4. Lady of James Lowther, esq. M. P. a daughter.

5. Lady of Sir Thomas Rumbold, bart. a daughter. Lady of the hon. Mr. Petre, a daughter. 10. Lady of Sir Gregory Page Turner, bart. a son. 12. Lady Elizabeth Howard, lady of Bernard Howard, esq. presumptive heir to the duke of Norfolk, a son and heir.

13. Lady of Lord Brownlow,

a son.

VOL. XXXIII.

daughter.

12. Lady Saltoun, a son.
16. Hon. Mrs. Drummond,
of Perth, a son.

27. Countess Spencer, a son. Nov. 4. Lady Susannah Thorpe, a daughter.

6. Lady of Sir John Sinclair, bart. a daughter. 13. Viscountess Stopford, a

Jan. 5. Right hon. John Charles Villiers, to Miss Mary Forbes, daughter of the hon. admiral Forbes. 6. Earl Fauconberg to Miss Cheshyre, daughter of the late J. Cheshyre, esq. of Bennington, Herts. 18. Lord Ducie to Mrs. Child. Sir John Roger Palmer, bart. to Miss Altham. 24. Sir Henry Tempest, bart. to Miss S. Pritchard Lambert.

29. Viscount Stopford, to lady Mary Montagu Scott, daughter of the duke of Buccleugh.

Feb. 16. Henry Augustus Leicester, esq. brother to Sir John Fleming Leicester, bart. to Miss Letitia Sophia Smyth, daughter of Nicholas Owen Smyth Owen, esq. of Condover, Salop. Rawson Hart Boddam, esq. late governor of Bombay, to Miss Tudor, of St. James's-street. 22. Benjamin Bond Hopkins, esq. M. P. to Miss Knight, sister of Robert Knight, esq. of Burrells, in Warwickshire. 24 Marcus Beresford, esq. son of the right hon. John Beresford, to lady Frances Arabella Lee

son.

Rev. Miles Beevor, son of

esq.

to Miss Beevor, daughter

of James Beevor, esq. of

Norwich.

cote, bart. to Miss Baring, daugther of Charles

Baring, esq.

16. Henry