occafioned these he cannot be a proper judge; but from their being unafual in the quarter from whence they have proceeded, they must probably be occafioned by circumstances equally unavoidable in a beginning work, as those which affected himself. Had time permitted, rather than have allowed fome of the numbers to have gone abroad in their prefent incorrect state, he would willingly have been at the expence of having them reprinted: but this was impoffible: measures, however, must and shall be adopted at any rate to guard against similar defects in future. If ever another edition of this volume fhall be called for, in circumstances which admit of its being done more leisurely and correctly, the editor will think himfelf bound to exchange that more correct copy for the prefent, to fuch of his subscribers as shall defire it. As to the mixture of paper, and the inaccuracies in folding which were unavoidable at the beginning, he hopes his subscribers find already much less room for complaint than before, and that in future things will still be better.

It was propofed to extend the present number fo far beyond the usual fize, as to include the chronicle (which for this volume will be lefs perfect than is intended in others,) and index; but it was found that this would have retarded the publication of this number beyond the usual time of publication; it is therefore published without them. The chronicle and index will be published separately with all convenient dispatch, and fhall be delivered gratis to the subscribers.

No endeavour fhall be wanting to render the fucceeding volume more deferving the public favour than the prefent. But the editor will be cautious of exciting expectations which he may not have in his power to the extent he would incline.

The difpute with Sin has greatly interrupted his communications with that kingdom and the fouthern parts of Europe; and the winter has precluded communications by fea with the coafts of the Baltic, which has greatly curtailed his correspondence with Germany. But these interruptions it is hoped will now be foon removed.

ON the 12th of December laft, the 24th. The lightning was uncom
inhabitants of Banbury were alarm-monly vivid, equal to what it usu-
ed by the sudden fall of the prin- ally is in the hot months of fum-
ciple aisle of the church, for the mer, and fet fire to a feed mill in
taking down and rebuilding of the neighbourhood. In the city
which, an act had paffed in the of Coventry, the battlements at
laft feffion of parliament. Provi- the weft end of St. Michael's
dentially feveral perfons had juft church received confiderable da-
left the church; and had it not mage. Lewis, Dec. 27th. The
fallen, it was intended that the hurricane, thunder, and lightning
workmen fhould begin to take it was exceedingly alarming at Hor-
down on the morrow, in which cham. The lightning ftripped one
cafe many lives would probably fide of the church fpire of all its
have been loft. The crack was fhingling, and melted the lead at
heard near two miles from the the top; it had also taken fire, but
fpot. On the following day the the rain extinguished it. At Hack-
'tower alfo fell.
wood park, belonging to the Duke

The late ftorms and hurricanes, of Bolton, near a hundred very attended with thunder and light-large trees were blown down; the ning, were more violent than has leads of the manfion in some places been known for many years. The rolled up like a fcroll; the tornado ravages they committed on land, (for such it might be called) had particularly in England, were very its direction S. W. by W. and its uncommon; of which the follow- apparent width fearce exceeded ing are a specimen. In Manchef-100 yards. ter, a large manufactory and house The civilization of modern manwere entirely levelled with the ners has been frequently contrafted ground. In Liverpool, feveral new with those of ancient Greece and built houses in the town and its Rome; and the difference has been vicinity were blown down; many in no circumftance more confpicubuildings unroofed, and chimnies ous, than in the inhuman delight demolished; the top of a mill, with which the ancients fhewed for the its machinery, was violently car, fights of wild beafts, and the more ried off, and thrown into the ad- cruel contentions of gladiators. joining land: Canterbury, Dec. we have always expreffed a just VOL. I.

3 A

abhorrence of thefe favage fpec-[nift with great courage, skill, and tacles, and our public amufements activity; he was much less bruifed are now for the most part of a than Johnson, who was carried off more elegant kind. Some modern apparently, very much affected in entertainments of a fimilar nature mind and body. are now much gone into difufe. Bull-baiting, bear-baiting, and cock-fighting have already affumed the fame horrid afpect. The uncommon rage which has of late taken place for those vulgar battles called boxing matches, is on this account the more unaccountable. The battles of Humphries and Mendoza have interefted the pubfic as much as the most important political deliberations. Thofe of the firft rank have honoured them with their prefence; and thoufands have expected the event with the utmoft anxiety. A future age may perhaps philofophife upon them as a national curiofity. We fhall give an account of one of thefe undignified fhews, as recorded with all the ferious folemnity of a judicial trial.

There was a fecond battle between the Ruffian and Johnson's brother, which was a very fevere trial of ftrength without skill. They were both dreadfully beaten; but the Ruffian had his jugular vein opened, and bled fo copiously from the neck, that they were obliged to take him from the stage to fave his life.

The emperor has established the ftates of the Milanese in the poffeffion of all the rights and privileges of which they had been divefted during the late reign.

General Pao

There has been no public building which has of late attracted fo much the general attention of the nation as Somerfet houfe. The expence has already amounted to 334,7001. ; a fum of 33,502). is further to be expended, exclufive This day the long expected bat- of what may be neceffary for retle was fought between Big Ben pairs. It is foon to undergo a reand Johnfon, in a fmall field at gular furvey, at the particular deWrotham in Kent. Upwards of fire of a great perfonage. 2000 perfons were affeinbled on Baftia, Nov. 10. this occafion; Johnfon having Joe li is re-established in his former Ward for his fecond, and Mendo- charge of general of the national za for his bottle-holder;-and Big troops, and has been appointed Ben, with Humphries for his fe- Prefident of the General Affembly cond, and W. Ward for his bottle- of the Ifland of Corfica. At the holder. Col. Tarleton, and Major opening of the Afembly, that ge Hanger officiated as unapires, aud neral made a fpeech, in which he Mr. H. Afhton as arbitrator. Af-drew a faithful picture of the mifter fighting for 29 minutes, a most fortunes of his country, and con→ defperate blow, which Johnfon gratulated the Corfican nation upreceived on his right ear, brought on its acceffion to the glory of the him to the ground; and at the French nation; he afterwards ex24th round he gave in. Johnson preffed his gratitude to the English was knocked down 17 times, fell nation and their beneficent king, orice by accident, and feveral times for having generously fuccoured dropped on one knee. Ben never him in his misfortunes. fell but when he was knocked down, and stood up to his antago

On the night betwixt the 8th and 9th November, a dreadful

earthquake happened in the town of easy virtue, and found not guilty of Oran. Within a very fhort fpace 18th January The Queen's of time, twenty reiteratedffhocks birth day was celebrated with the were felt, which shook the whole usual folemnity.

town, and buried a great number On the last day of 1790, there
of the inhabitants, and part of the was a fog at Amfterdam more
garrifon, under the ruins; on this thick and dark than any which
melancholy accident more than memory or tradition can parallel.
2000 perished.
The people could not fee their way
A curious discovery, which may along the streets, and ran against
throw fome light upon the means each other, even though they had
of curing the bites of poifonous lights in their hands. The acci
reptiles, &c. bas been ately pub-dents on that day were so nume-
lished by a physician ol New Eng-rous and remarkable, that they
land, viz. that when a rattle fnake must be attributed in part to the
bites the nofe of a dog, the latter confternation and terror, which
digs a hole in the ground, and, by must be the confequence of fuch
laying the part affected in it, is an uncommon phenomenon. It
commonly cured.
faid that more than 230 perfons
Northampton, Jan. 8. A boy perifhed by falling into canals.
was brought to the country hofpi- The English cotton manufacto-
tal on Wednesday last, having ex-ries fuffer much by the importa→
ifted fix days and nights without tions from India, and this matter
any kind of nourishment. His will therefore be seriously taken up
mafter, who is a fhoe-maker at in parliament.
Rotherfthorp, near this town, or- Some idea of the great impor-
dered him to go on the evening of tance of the woollen manufacture
Wednesday the 29th ult to a to England, may be formed from
neighbouring town with a wallet; the vast quantity of goods in this
and the boy not liking his business, branch, manufactured in York-
took that opportunity of eloping, fhire only. It appears by the re-
and was not heard of till Tuesday turn of the proper officer, that
night last, when he was discovered there were fent to market last year
by his groans in a calf pen in Kin- woollen goods manufactured in the
flingbury-field, where he had re- diftrict of Yorkshire, taking in
mained from the time of his de- Rochdale (a space of ground not
parture from home, and muft very more than thirty miles fquare) to
foon have perifhed for want, had the value of three millions, four
he not been thus fortunately dif- hundred thousand pounds.
covered; though it seems the wal- It has been in contemplation to
let contained a pork pye, which cultivate fugar in the Fandarch
the boy knew nothing of. A iflands, which lie midway in the
mortification has taken place in great Pacific ocean, and very near-
his feet, in confequence of being fo ly in the fame parallel latitude of
long exposed to the cold.
Jamaica; these ifles are very nu

On the 17th January, the trial merous, and remarkably fertile. of Lord Viscount Dungarvan, eld- The removal of the convicts from eft fon of the Earl of Cork, took New South Wales to fo very deplace; he was profecuted for a fireable a fituation, and the hopes jobbery by one Welden, a woman of being able to fupply the Chi

nefe markets with fugars, and o-which the poor were allowed to ther tropical products, from which remonftrate on their grievances empire they are not very diftant, with impunity. may poffibly induce our government to confider this fubject with ferious attention.

The Abbé Reynal, who was lately restored to his rank as a citizen by the National Affembly, has prefented the Royal Agricul tural Society at Paris, with a bond for a perpetual annuity of 1200 livres, or 50 L. Sterling, for the purpose of purchasing implements of agriculture, to be distributed anThe following lift of veffels (nually amongst husbandmen in the which have passed the found last different departments of the kingyear, may give some idea of Euro- dom. To this fum, Mr. Volland pean commerce. has added, for the prefent year, British, 3788 300 livres; and the fociety 500 1559 livres, taken from the fund deftin

Danes,
Ruffian,

We may infer the profperous ftate of trade and commerce, in Glasgow, from the great advance of landed property which has taken place of late in the county of Lanark.

4

Dantzickers,
Paperburghers,
Imperialifts,
Pruffians,

Dutch,
Bremeriers,

Swedes,

Lubeckers,
Oldenburghers,

Roftockers,

Courlanders,
Portuguese,

French,

Americans,

Spanish,

Hamburghers,
Venetians,

6ed for prizes of encouragement. 248 The Irish parliament have in99 ftituted an inquiry into the proper

6 means for preventing the inordi599 nate use of spirits among the low2009 er clafs of people.

377 Feb. 2. The tide rose in the ri430 ver Thames full twelve inches 89 higher than has been for twenty 24 years paft. A confiderable part of 339 the city was overflowed. This has 22 happened feveral times before, viz. 28 in the years 1235, 1730, Feb. 123 1735, Dec. 24. 1736, O&. 14. 44 1747, and Feb. 9. 1762.

32 The following is the amount of 104 the capital fum redeemed by the

6 commiffioners for the liquidation of the national debt, on the laft 9732 day of January 1791.

•

In all,

The hiftory of the natural world 3 per cent confols, for the last two years, is fomewhat 3 per cent, reduced, remarkable. There has been no Old South Sea, froft of three days continuance; and the winds of Europe have been almost as violent as the tornados of America.

New South Sea,

South Sea, 1757,

By the latest accounts from Spain, the people in various parts of the kingdom begin to talk audibly of accumulated taxes, and the

L. 2,753,800

1,878,450 1,091,100 807,000

242,000

L. 6,772,350 In October laft 6,365 1. Exchequer annuities fell in, and 48,515 1. granted in 1692, for 99 years will foon fall in, which, with the interfelicity of fome former age, ineft of the capital fum redeemed