Thomas Gregg 20 14 Hull Deptford Ditto Perth o fath. Thomas Kirkaldy o Elif. Bawtree Colchester o father John o wife Janet o father David o wife Barbara o wife Ann Burrowfto. Havford we. Newcastle Sunderland Bluc. Valentine 20 The whole which was thus remitted out of this fhip only, amounts to more than 1000 l. and, if we confider to whom this was fent, it appears to have been (except in four inftances) to wives, fathers, mothers, and brothers; 55 of which have thus received relief, while the failors are by this means enabled to bestow what they have earned in the manner moft agreeable to their inclinations, an advantage they never enjoyed before. If we confider the fums, we find that fome have remitted upwards of 40l. a fum fufficient to inrich a little family; and, if we obferve the places to which it has been fent, the benefit appears to have been diffufed univerfally; every part both of Scotland and England have partaken of it. I -have heard from undoubted authority that one little fea-port of Scotland hath had remitted into it for this purpose upwards of 800l. and the effect hath already been fuch that numbers have by this means been induced to deftine their children to a feafaring life, as they fee that their labours in that way may now be turned to fo good an account; not only to the support, but even to the inriching of their families. It would be needless to produce any other lift of the failors of any other fhip who have remitted; the manner of all is the fame, and appears fufficiently clear from what is inferted above. That it may however be understood how far this scheme hath already operated, I will here give A general Abstract of the Whole of the Remittances made at the Out ports, from the 13th of December 1758, to the 10th of March 1759. 1324 At what ports the payments Portsmouth 11,497 28,053 15,425 It appears then from this account, that within the pace of about three months 1324 failors have remitted 15,425 1. which is more than the half of their wages, in the manner and to the purposes defigned by this excellent law; and from this fhort fpecimen we are enabled to guefs how much greater the effects of it will be, when the advantages of it have been a little farther experienced and understood, and when fome unhappy prejudices contracted against this humane plan have by these means been fully removed. After having given this state of the fuccefs of this act, it is unneceffary to fay any thing in praife of the Legiflature which paffed it, or of the right honourable perfon by whofe labours it was formed and principally promoted. The merits of this regulation can now no kn er be doubted; the beneficial 5479 994.6 confequences, which have already refulted from it, are fufficient to refute every objection which hath ever been made to it. The humanity and wisdom of the defign do no lefs honour to the heart which first conceived, than to the head which planned it: And, when we confider that a maritime regulation of this nature had many years before been recommended from the throne and tried without fuccefs, we cannot help admiring the abilities which were able at once to fee and remedy all its defects, and to bring it at one conception to that state of perfection which had often been wifhed, but never before effected. In a word, I take the liberty to congratulate you on the additional fupport, which hath hereby been given to the navy of England, which is fo jully esteemed the bulwark of it. On Friday the 9th of March, 1759, was held a Court of Admiralty against Persons for Piracies and other Offences, committed on the high Seas. Bill of indictment was found by the to affect Thomas Wingfield and Thomas A Grand Inqueft againe Thomas Lewis Kent, they were intitled to their discharge and John Hyre, for piratically and felonioufly boarding a fhip, called De Twee Ge Broeders, in English, the Two Brothers, the property of Klaas Hinderiks Swardt, from Hamburgh; and for affaulting the faid Swardt, and robbing him of five fats of indigo, value 100l. on the 17th of November, 1758, three leagues from Beachyhead, within the jurifdiction of the Admiralty of England. To this indictment they pleaded not guilty, and it appeared from the prifoners defence, the feveral witneffes in their behalf, and other circumstances, that they were in Dover, the very time this piracy was committed, though Swardt the Mafer of the fhip, and Martens the Mate, fwere to the identity of their perfons, as concerned in the faid piracy in the morning of the 17th of November laft. The Council of the Crown being asked, whether they were fatisfied in regard to the prifoners innocence, and no objection being made, the Jury acquitted them.. Another bill of indictment was found by the Grand Inqueft, against Nicholas Wingfield, Thomas Wingfield, Thomas Kent, and Adams Hide, for piratically and feloniously boarding, about two leagues from Beachy-head, a fhip called De Reifende Jacob, or Rifing Jacob, the property of Jurgen Muiler, and for robbing him of twenty casks of butter, value 201 on the 11th of Auguft, 1758. To this indictment they feverally pleaded not guilty; but Hugh Bromedge, who commanded his Majesty's armed cutter, Duke Willjam, having the fame day met with the faid fhip, and having afked if the had been boarded by any priva teers, Muller and his Mate Heyman informed him, they had been boarded by two, and robbed of twenty cafks of butter; and the Mate hewed him a flate on which he faid he had made the marks of each cafk. Hereupon, Bromedge having taken down the marks in writing, and made the Cap tain and his Mate fign it, went in queft of the two privateers, as defcribed to him, and, fift boarding and rummaging Nicholas Wingfield's fhip, found ten cafks of butter, all anfwering the marks given him. Wingfield being asked, who was with him at the taking of the butter, answered his neighbour Adams Hide, and, Hide's fhip being fome time after examined, one only cafk was found, but of the fame make, and the mark was juft dubbed out on the head and fide. As no evidence had been offered but the two Captains of the privateers, Nicholas Wingfield and Adams Hide, were found guilty, death. The Court then adjourned till Saturday morning eight o'clock, and a bill of indi&ment was found by the Grand Inquest againft Jofeph Halfey, late of London, mariner, for the wilful murder of Daniel Davidfon, a mariner, belonging to a merchant fhip called the Amazon, whereof Samuel Gallop was Mafter, by ftriking, pushing, and beating him with a pitch mop feveral times in the stomach, and also kicking him with his right foot in and upon the hips and backfide, giving him divers mortal bruifes, of which he languished from the 3d of September last, until the 4th of the fame month, and then died upon the high fea, about the distance of 120 leagues from Cape Finneftre. To this indictment he pleaded not guilty; but, the facts being fully proved against him, the Jury in a few minutes agreed in their verdict, and brought him in guilty, death. Another bill of indictment was found by the Grand Inqueft against the said Halsey, for the murder of John Edwards, a mariner, belonging to the faid Amazon, by ftriking him with a handspike upon the breaft, belly, and ftomach, giving him feveral bruifes, of which he languished from the 31st of Auguft to the 1ft of September, 1758, and then died upon the high fea. The priioner, being convicted upon the first indictment, was not tried upon this: Whereupon fentence of death was immediately paffed upon him, and he was hanged at Execution dock on Wednesday, March 14, and his body afterwards delivered to the Company of Surgeons, to be anatomised. A bill of indictment was alfo found by the Grand Inquest against William Lugen, for the murder of a female negro child, about the age of four months, by being prefent, aiding, abetting, affifting, &c. one Thomas Bullock (not yet taken) to throw the faid negro child out of a merchant fhip called the Hope fnow (whereof the faid Lugen was Mafter) into the fea, about the distance of 100 leagues from the island of St. Thomas, on the 31st of March, 1756, by reafon whereof the faid child was inftantly drowned. To this indictment he pleaded not guilty; and it appearing upon trial, that the infant's mother died of the flux during the voyage; that the infant was ill of the fame, and not likely to live; and that it was was very troublesome to the reft of the people; the Jury, though the prisoner said nothing in his defence, gave in their verdict, not guilty. The trials being ended, the Court paffed fentence of death on Nicholas Wingfield and Adams Hide. Thomas Poe, otherwife Powe, against whom a special verdict was given by the Jury at a former feffions of Admiralty, was admitted to bail, to abide the event of the fpecial verdict. Henry Woodliffe, indicted for the murder of Thomas Tripp; and William Watson, for receiving goods ftolen from a Dutch fhip; being called and not appearing, the Court directed that their recognisances fhould be eftreated. Richard Tatlock, charged with murder, appearing pursuant to his recognifance, the Court difcharged the fame. Nicholas Cooke, charged with piratically robbing the mariners of a fhip unknown; Robert Brewman and Daniel Owens, charged with high treafon, being taken in arms in a French fhip, called the Vin de Village; and Thomas Gagg, charged with piracy and robbery, in ftealing a watch from a Dutch fhip; were discharged by proclamation, for want of profecution. The Court then adjourned to Wednesday, March 21, 1759, at 9 o'clock in the morning, to the Great Hall in Doctors Commons. Anecdotes relating to the Circumflances of the late Field-marshal KEITH's Death. VERY circumftance, relating to the the flower of his army, hoping to penetrate must through acceptable and interesting to the public. The late Field-marshal Keith had acquired, by his perfonal merit and capacity, a military character inferior to none of the prefent age; and no incident of his life was more ho nourable than that of lofing it; inafmuch as the conduct and valour he displayed in his last moments, contributed, in a great measure, to the fafety of the Pruffian army. Befides, we think it is a duty we owe to his memory and character, to acquaint the pub. lic with the particulars of his death, fo contrary to the injurious report that he was furprised and flain in his own tent, before he could put on his cloaths. Field-marshal Keith difapproved of the fituation of the Pruffian camp by the village of Hochkirchen, and remonstrated to the King on that fubject: In confequence of this remonstrance, General Ratzaw was sent with a detachment to take poffeffion of the heights which commanded this village, but by fome fatality mifcarried, incurred his Majefty's difpleasure, and died in difgrace at Schweidnitz. Marthal Keith was not in any tent; but lodged with Prince Francis of Brunswic, in a neighbouring chateau, belonging to a Saxon Major. On the firft alarm in the night, he mounted his horfe, affembled a body of troops with the utmost expedition, and marched directly to the place which was attacked. The Auftrians had poffeffed themselves of the rifing ground which Ratzaw had been fent to occupy; they had planted a numerous train of artillery along the hill, and made themselves mafters of Hochkirchen, after having cut in pieces the free company of Angenelle, which was pofted in that village. It was here that Count Daun made his principal attack with he had succeeded, the King's whole army must have been ruined. Marthal Keith knew the importance of the stake, and therefore directed his whole efforts to this place, while his Majefly was employed in sustaining an attack from another quarter, and in forming the troops as they could be affembled. General Keith, who was on horfeback by four o'clock in the morning, attacked the village of Hochkirchen, and drove the enemy from that poft; but, being overpowered by numbers, was obliged to retire in his turn. He rallied his men, returned to the charge, and regained the vil lage. Being again repulfed by the fresh reinforcements of the enemy continually pouring down from the rifing grounds, he made another effort, entered Hochkirchen the third time, and fet it on fire, because he found it untenable. Thus he kept the Austrians at bay, and maintained a furious conflict against a vaft fuperiority in number, until the Pruffian army was formed, and began to file off in its retreat. During this engagement he rallied the troops, charged at their head, and expofed his life in the hottest of the fire, like a Captain of grenadiers. He found it neceffary to exert himself in this manner, in order to remove the bad effects of the confufion which prevailed, and to inspirit the troops by his voice, prefence, and example. The difpute was fo defperate, that not one General or Fieldofficer escaped unwounded; and many loft their lives. The Field-marfhal was dangerously wounded by eight o'clock in the morning, but refused to quit the field: On the contrary, he continued to signalife himfelf in the midst of the battle, till about half an hour after nine, when, having intirely fruitated the defign of the Auftrian Gene ral, ral, he received a shot in his stomach, and fell dead in the arms of Mr. Tibuy, a gallant English Gentleman, who had made the campaign as a volunteer, and was himself fhot through the fhoulder. The Marshal happened to be fo near the enemy, that his body foon fell into their bands, and was ftripped. In this fituation it was recognised by Count Lafci, fon of the General of that name, with whom Marshal Keith had ferved in Ruffia. The young Count had been the pupil of Marshal Keith, and revered him as his military father, tho' he now enjoyed a command in the Auftrian fervice. He knew the body by the large fear of a dangerous wound which General Keith had received in his thigh at the fiege of Ockzacow. He could not refrain from bursting into tears when he faw his old friend and honoured mafter, extended at his feet, a lifeless, naked coarfe. He forth with caused the body to be covered and humed upon the spot. It was afterwar dug up by the Cure of Hochkirchen, l: in a coffin, and decently buried: Final his Pruffian Majefty ordered it to be moved to Berlin, that it might be intern with thofe honours that were due to rank and extraordinary merit. Merit univerfally acknowledged, that even t Saxons lament him as their best friend, a patron who protected them from violen and outrage, even while he acted as an in ftrument in their fubjection. Afriking Inftance of the Inefficacy and Fallibility of TORTURES, in order t a true Confeffion of Crimes, fo far as it relates to the Confeffions made by the Partie lately executed at Lifbon. IN N the genuine and legal Sentence, pronounced by the High Court of Judicature of Portugal upon the confpirators against the life of his Most Faithful Majetv, we are only told, that the major part of the criminals had confeffed, and that their confeffions were corroborated by the teftimonies of witnesses. With regard to the confeffions of the parties, these we are not told were made voluntary, or that they arofe from a certainty of conviction from evidence. Had the latter been the cafe, they all would undoubtedly have confeffed their guilt; and, had the proceedings been otherwife than very fecret, the voluntary confessions of one would probably have influenced those of all the reft. We must then fuppofe thefe confeffions to have been extorted from them by tortures; a method not practifed in Portugal in the ordinary courfe of civil juftice, from its having been difcovered to be falJible; and the caufe of its difufe is faid to have its foundation in the following fact, the ftory of which is in the mouth of almost every person of that kingdom. A confcientious Judge, having observed the effects of the rack on fuppofed criminals, in making them ready to confefs any thing, to the facrificing of their lives, in order to get releafed from the torture; felt in his own mind fome ftrong fenfations on the conviction of accufed perfons by fuch methods; infomuch that, from fomething which had happened in a particular cale, his concern was fo great, as to determine him upon trying an experiment. It is a capital crime, in that country, to kill a horfe or a mule, and he happened to have one of the former fpecies which he very much efteemed. In profecution of his fcheme, he took care one night to keep all his fervants employed, so that no one but his groom could go into the ftable. But, when all were afterwards faft afleep in their beds, he ftole thither himfelf, and cut off the tail of his horse, by which wound the creature bled to death. Great confufion, it may be fuppofed, followed the discovery of the mischief, on the fucceeding morning; when the matter, upon being informed of what had happened, appeared highly incenfed. Strict inquiries being made about the person who could have committed the crime, the other fervants all found means eafily for the juftifying of their own innocence; fo that the whole of the imputation, of courfe, refted on the groom, who was thereupon apprehended and committed to prifon. The poor fellow, upon his arraignment, it may be fuppofed, pleaded not guilty; but, the prefumptions being very strong against him, he was ordered to the rack, where the extremity of torture foon wrung from him a confeffion of the crime, he chufing to fubmit to death, rather than endure the mifery he was undergoing. Upon this confeffion, he had fentence of hanging paffet upon him; when his master (who, from having been profecutor, could not of courfe courfe be one of his Judges) went to the Tribunal, and there expofed the fallibility of confeffions obtained by fuch means, by owning the fact himself, and difclofing the motives that had influenced his making the experiment: Since which time, the practice has been difcontinued of applying the tors ture in any cases that are determined in their public Courts. EXPEDITIONS fince the Beginning of the Spanish War 1739, to the Firft of January, 1759. 1741 Expedition against Carthagena, with the lofs of S Gen. Wentworth 1739 Expedition to Ferrol 1740 Expedition to the South-Seas Sir John Norris Admiral Anson Miscarried. Miscarried 20,000 men 2 Admiral Vernon Miscarried. 2 Admiral Boscawen Succeeded. 1758 Expedition for taking Louisburg, and the Islands General Amherst Colonel Bradstreet D. of Marlborough 2 Commodore Howe 5 General Bligh 2 Commodore Howe S General Bligh 2 Com. Lord Howe An ANSWER to Sir JOHN BARNARD's Scheme for remedying the Scarcity of Silver Coin. I This apprehended, that, if bafe filver be coined for circulation, without making it by law a legal tender and payment, it can never be made to circulate, fo as to answer the purposes it would be calculated to ferve; what happened with refpect to Wood's halfpence in Ireland, and thofe of Birmingham in England, are undeniable proofs of the fallacy of fuch a scheme. There is no making of bad money and good to go current at the fame price: This has not been found practicable in Holland, Genoa, or any other kingdom. The cause of this evil is no other than our not proportioning rightly our eftima. tions of gold and filver in our coinage; and in confequence thereof on our bullion : alfo. Our guineas are valued at above fixpence too much, which is two and a half per cent. and fo much, at leaft, from the different eftimations of other nations, do the money-dealers get by exporting our filver in preference to our gold; which is a continual lofs in trade of fo much to the kingdom on all national coin, and almost ali the bullion that is exported. From hence it is, in time of peace, that we have fo much light Portuguese gold always clogging our national circulation. This light gold is occasionally the balances gained in trade by all other countries with Portugal; which they drop in its paffage among us, and draw off, in payment for it, our filver coin or bullion, at fuch an advan tage |