1752 was absolutely revived, and made his last act by the codicil of 1756. The jury, agreeing with the court, found a verdict for the plain tiff; in consequence of which, the earl of Cholmondeley will succeed, at the death of the present earl of Orford, to an estate of the annual value of 10,000l. exclusive of the magnificent seat at Houghton, which is supposed to have cost upwards of 200,0001. and some other property.

Kyd Wake, who was convicted at the sittings after last Hilary term of having, on the first day of the present session of parliament, insulted his majesty in his passage to and from parliament, by hissing, and using several indecent expres sions, such as," No George-no war," received the judgment of the court; viz. "That he be imprisoned, and kept to hard labour in Gloucester gaol, during the term of five years: that, during the first three months of his imprisonment, he do stand for one hour, between the hours of eleven and two, in the pillory, in one of the public streets of Gloucester, on a market-day; and that, at the expiration of his imprisonment, he do find security for 10001. for his good behaviour for 10 years."

Le Maitre, Higgins and Smith, were remanded, and Crossfield was put on his trial. The attorneygeneral addressed the jury, and having concisely stated the law, submitted to them the following account of facts in the case :-Some time since a man of the name of Upton, before the highest magis trates of the country, his majesty's privy-council, accused himself and several others, directly, with the design of assassinating his majesty. Among the persons so accused was the prisoner at the bar, who thought proper not to abide the justice of his country, but to fly from it. The prisoner at the bar, in company with Upton and another, went to a brass founder's, where they endeavoured to procure a brass cylinder, extremely smooth in the internal surface, of the length of three feet, and with a bore of fiveeighths of an inch. From thence they went to another brass-founder's, on Snow-hill, where they endeavoured to procure the same article; and upon the man's wishing to know for what purpose it was intended, he was answered, that it was a secret. A third brassfounder was also visited upon the same errand by the. prisoner and Upton; and from thence they went to one Hill's, who was a turner, and lived in Bartholomew-close, for the purpose of his turning them models of the instrument they wished to make. In answer to his enquiry for what purpose it was destined, he was told, for an elec

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and they would perceive that the arrow was of a peculiar construc. tion. It had points or barbs, which upon meeting any hard substance collapsed in the head of the arrow, and afterwards opened again, so as to prevent its being withdrawn when once it had entered the flesh; and towards the point there was a small hole for emitting any liquid which might be placed in a cavity prepared for holding of it. The consideration of one of these draughts might be important in the cause, because the dimensions marked on the margin were the hand-writing of the prisoner. When the information of Upton was received before the privy council, as he had before informed them, the prisoner at the bar absconded, and they should be able to trace him to Bristol; afterwards he returned to London; then went to Portsmouth, where he entered on board a vessel bound for the Southern whale. fishery, as surgeon. The name of this vessel was the Pomona; and, shortly after he came on board, they sailed from Portsmouth to Falmouth, during which time his bebaviour was in every respect becoming and decent. When he was at sea, however, he told them who he was, and avowed his having been concerned in a plot to kill the king, by an air-gun; and said, that if government knew he was on board that ship, they would send a frigate atter her, to bring her back. It so happened, that two days after they were at sea, they were captured by a French corvette, La Vengeance; and he expressed the útmost satisfaction at the thoughts of going to France; feeling himselt much safer there, than while amongst an English crew. They

were put on board another ship, the Elizabeth, and afterwards again transferred at Brest to another. During this time he rather acted as a superintendant of the prisoners than as one himself. He had frequent conversations with the French commissaries, and made several declarations as to his former and fu ture intentions of killing the king. It seemed then his intention to remain there or go to Holland: but upon the arrival of a cartel ship, he came home under the name of II. Wilson, and described himself as one of the crew of the Hope, and not of the Pomona, as he really was. Upon his passage home, he end'avoured to persuade the witnesses not to notice when they got home what passed at Brest, nor the circumstances of the change of ship and name. They were landed at Fowey in Cornwall, and upon these men giving information to the magistrates of what had passed, he was instantly apprehended. In coming to town, he endeavoured to persuade the officers to let him escape, and told them they could not expect above 5s. for their job, but he could reward them much more liberally. One asked, if they consented, what they could do with the post-boy? He answered, the boy might easily be secured by one of the pistols which the officer carried. Having thus gone through the circumstances of the case, the attorney general observed, there were two points for the consideration of the jury. The first, whether the prisoner was a party to the fabrication of this weapon; and secondly, whether it was designed for the purpose charged in the indictment.

He

He then proceeded to call evidence to substantiate the case.

The evidence for the crown being closed; Mr. Adam, counsel for the prisoner, said, he was afraid his case would take up a great length of time; he therefore submitted to the court, whether they would adjourn, or whether they wished him then to proceed."

After some consultation between the judges and the jury, the court adjourned at eleven o'clock at night to the next day.

12th. The trial proceeded; when the prisoner's counsel addressed the jury in his defence. They relied chiefly on the equivocations of the witnesses, on the prisoner's character; and that Upton in his information, was actuated by motives of revenge, for having been disgraced in one of their clubs.

The attorney general replied in a very able manner; and the learned judge summed up with candour and accuracy.

The jury, after retiring about two hours, brought in a verdict of Not Guilty.

13th..

Henry Weston, the unfortunate young man who forged the name of general Tonyn, and thereby got possession of 50001. stock, was tried at the Old Bailey, and capitally convicted. He calmly addressed the court after conviction, acknowledging the justice of his sentence, and hoping all young men would avail themselves of his example, and avoid the crime (gaming) which bad brought him into such a miserable situation. The trial of William Aus14th. tin came on at the Old Bailey this morning at eight o'clock, before Mr. Justice Grose, and lasted till half past seven in the evening,

when he was found guilty of being concerned in the forgery of the late Mr. Lewis's will

16th.

An action was brought in the court of King's Bench, by lord Valentia against Mr. Gaw. ler, for crim. con. with lady Valen tia. The damages were laid at 10,000l. Mr. Erskine, with his usual ability, stated the case, and the criminal conversation was clearly proved from the evidence of a maid servant, lady Lucy Maxwell (his lordship's sister), and others. The defence set up was, that lord Valentia not only winked at, but in some measure promoted the incontinency of his wife. Lord Kenyon delivered an excellent charge to the jury, and they brought in a verdict of 20001. damages.

On the morning of Friday the 13th of this month, the Peak hills in Derbyshire were covered with snow near four inches deep, the contrast between which, and the green thorn fruit trees in full bloom, formed a spectacle novel and striking.

There has lately been discovered at Wallingford an old painting, on oak, of our Lord's last entrance into Jerusalem, which has been used as a chimney-board, and was near being thrown into the fire; but turns out an original of the great Raphael's. The drawing, expression, and arrangement, astonish all who have seen the picture. Connoisseurs far and near are going to its owner continually to behold this fine piece, rescued by accident from obscurity and the flames, and likely to produce no inconsiderable sum by its sale. Several hundred pounds have already been offered for it and refused.

The triennial Eton festival

17th. was celebrated with great splendor. Their majesties and the princesses, accompanied by the prince of Wales, went to the college at half past one, when the procession of the young gentlemen began, preceded by the prince of Wales's band of music. Their cap

tain, Mr. Whitfield, being the senior scholar, led the van, with their serjeants,searjeants-major, colonels, corporals, ensign, lieutenant, polemen, musicians, &c. Messrs. Polehampton and Halifax, with twelve servitors, acted as salt-bearers, and by their legal depredations on the public gained a liberal supply towards sending their captain into the world with a good grace. When they came to Saithill, they were met by the king and prince of Wales on horseback, attended by general Gwyn and colonels Garth and Greville: her majesty and the princesses, with lady Harrington and her son, were in the royal coaches. The king took on himself the ordering and marshaling the multitude in such a manner, as the procession might pass freely round, the carriages of the royal family; many, however, notwithstanding, pressed so close, that his majesty was obliged to call them to order, and ask those he thought were Londoners, "if they were members of Eton, as he could not recognize their persons sufficiently to recollect them." At the close of the procession, ensign Hatch went to the top of the hill, and displayed the flag in a very masterly style, to the satisfaction of every person present. When the Montem was over, the king requested that, on their return home from the Windmill-inn, where an elegant dinner

was provided, they might appear on Windsor terrace, which they did in the evening. The royal family, after having given their usual donations, returned to the lodge to dinner. The fineness of the day alst drew an immense concourse of persons on foot and horseback to view the sight, which afforded, according to Mr. Halifax the sal bearer's account, on being asked the question by his majesty, a very profitable harvest.

This day came on the trial 20th. of John Reeves, esq. for a libel, before lord Kenyon and a special jury at Guildhall. This prosecution was instituted; in consequence of a resolution of the house of commons, on account of a pamphlet published by Mr. R. entitled, "Thoughts on the English Government ;" and in which were the expressions, "that the kingly government might go on, if lords and commons were lopped off;" and such other expressions as were deemed a libel by the house.

The attorney general stated the case on the part of the crown, and left it to the jury to consider, whe ther the expressions alluded to were merely unadvised and erroneous; or whether, considering the whole context of the pamphlet, they were, as charged, libellous, and tending to villify the constitution,

Mr. Piumer, in behalf of Mr. Reeves, admitted the fact of publication; and contended, from the whole tenor of the work, and the known character of Mr. Reeves, and his enthusiastic admiration and support against democracy, of the Brush constitution, that no imputation of libel could be fixed on him.

Lord Kenyon delivered an admirable

27th.

A very melancholy and extraordinary transaction took place. Lord Charles Townshend, and his brotherlord Frederick Townshend, sons to the marquis Townshend, had been to Great Yarmouth, for which place lord Charles had been just chosen representative; they arrived in town yesterday morning about six o'clock, and when they had reached Oxfordstreet, near the Pantheon, the postboys stopped to enquire where the bishop of Bristol, to whose house they had been ordered to drive, lived; when lord Frederick jumped out of the chaise, and struck one of the boys, which gave rise to an altercation, that drew together several persons who were passing by. Among these was a coachman, to whom lord Frederick particularly addressed himself; insisting upon it that he knew where the bishop lived; and on the man protesting that he did not, his lordship abused him with great violence; and, with the most deplorable marks of insanity, threw off his coat, waistcoat, and shirt, and challenged him to fight. Unable to provoke the man to a contest, he walked leisurely away towards Hanover-square,when some persons who had been attentive to the whole scene, looked

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into the carriage, and saw a lifeless body on the seat, which proved to be the corpse of lord Charles. Lord Frederick was immediately pursued, and being taken near the end of Swallow-street, was conducted to a neighbouring watchhouse, whither the body of his brother was also conveyed. soon as the magistrates at the police-office in Marlborough-street were apprised of the circumstance, they ordered lord Frederick to be brought before them, together with the postillions who drove him to town. His lordship, when interrogated on the melancholy subject, betrayed the most unequivocal symptoms of mental derangement, and it became necessary for the magistrates to apply to the postillions for the information they wanted. From their evidence it appeared, that about seven miles from town, in the vicinity of Ilford, one of them had heard the report of a pistol, when, looking round, he saw lord Frederick throw a pistol out of the chaise window; but he did not stop to inquire the cause of it. This was all that could be collected till the evening, when the agitation of lord Frederick had subsided, and he had recovered a considerable degree of composure. Lord Frederick then, on being asked concerning his brother's death, said, they had been discussing a religious subject, and lord Charles took a pistol and blew out his own brains, and that he had endeavoured to destroy himself, but his pistol failed. The mayor of Yarmouth was present, and declared that their lordships' conduct at that place appeared that of madmen, which induced him to follow them to town, being fearful some accident might happen.

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