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other from Covent-garden Piazza, went to Chrift-church, Newgateftreet, where, after a fermon preached by Dr. Ogle, Dean of Westminiter, an anthem was fung by fome felect children, in which the whole joined four times in Chorus. The prefident, ftewards, trustees, &c. dined at the London Tavern, where an ode was fung in honour of thofe laudable inftitutions.

A law, of this date, has been published at Florence, which forbids any girl being received into any convent under ten years of age, or taking the veil till twenty; and, as foon as the makes her propofals for the latter, the is to be let out of the convent, and live in the world for fix months; at the expiration of which he is to be examined by a fecular ecclefiaftic of known piety and learning, who fhall have no employment nor any relation in any convent whatever. The government is to chufe the examiners, and a fecular judge is always to be prefent at the examination. The examinations made by the ordinaries of each place are not forbid, but that appointed by government is always to precede them. No money is to be taken with the lay-fitters, their fervices being deemed a fufficient confideration for their fubfiftence. As for the monks, they can only make their irrevocable profeffion at the age of twenty-four; and they must first give in their baptifmal extracts in form to the government, who will then give them permiflion to take the vows; nor can any be admitted without fuch permiffion. The fubjects of the Grand Dutchy, who, to evale this law, fhall go into any convent out of that state,

shall be accounted as foreigners, and can never fill any employment.

At 8 P. M. a remarkable 8th. phænomenon was obferved by a gentleman at Waltham abbey.A meteor, refembling a nebulous flar, appeared just above the moon, paffed eastward, with a flow motion, parallel to the ecliptic, through an arch of about 5 or 6 degrees, and then difappeared. It fubtended an angel of 6 or 7 minutes, and was of the fame bright, nefs and colour with the moon.

9th.

Was completed the fubterraneous tunnel at Norwoodhill, upon the line of the canal navigation from Chesterfield to the river Trent, when three veffels failed through the fame with no lefs than 300 people on board, attended with a band of mufic. They performed their fubterraneous voyage in one hour and one minute. This tunnel is 2850 yards long, 12 feet high, and 9 feet 3 inches wide, and in the deepest part 36 yards below the furface of the earth. It was first begun in November 1771, and is now completed. The range of the tunnel is fo truly directed, that a perfon, ftanding at one end thereof, may fee out at the other. The open cutting from thence to Retford, being 16 miles in length, has been navigable ever fince the beginning of November laft; which reduced the price of that neceffary article, coals, at Retford, from 15 s. 6d. to 10s. 6d. per ton, and lime from 16s. to 9s. per chaldron, notwithttanding the coals have been fubject to the expence of land-carriage for four miles from the nearest collieries to the navigation. Upon

this

this part of the line are 39 locks, 24 bridges, 7 aqueducts, 13 culvets, 8 fide-trunks, and 4 weirs. The works from Norwood-hill towards Chefterfield are carrying on with the greatest difpatch; and likewife from Retford to the Trent, upon an enlarged fcale, to admit veffels of 50 or 60 tons burthen to come up from the river Trent to the town of Retford. 10th.

Died at Zell, about midnight, her Majefty Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark and Norway, of a malignant fever, after an illness of five days, to the great grief of their majefties and all the royal family; and on the 13th her majesty's remains, accompanied by fixteen captains, were carried in a hearfe, drawn by fix horfes, and attended by a double guard of foldiers, to the church in that city, where it was interred in the royal vault. The burial expences, amounting, private as it was, to 3000l. were defrayed, by order, out of his majesty's own privy purfe.

The mourning on this melancholy occafion, was fuch as is generally ordered and obferved on the death of fuch exalted perfonages, and fo nearly related to the king on the throne, with the ufual exceptions in favour of the officers of the army, fleet, and marines. And on the 24th, a committee of the lords with white ftaves, and also a committee of the house of commons who were of the privy council, waited on his majesty at St. James's with their addrefs of condolence on the death of her majefty.

To the latter his majefty made the following moft gracious anfwer: "That he returns his thanks to that houfe, for the con

cern they have expreffed for the great lofs which has happened in his family by the death of his fifter, the queen of Denmark."

Mr. Juftice Aiton reported to the court of King's Bench, his minutes of the evidence on the trial of Meffrs. Leigh, Miles, James, Aldus, and Clarke, on the 24th of February laft, the four first of whom were convicted of a confpiracy and riot, and the latter of a riot only, in Covent-garden theatre on the 18th of November 1773, with intent to drive Mr. Macklin from the ftage. Lord Mansfield obferved on the nature of the offence, called it a national difgrace, and in very fevere terms reprobated the conduct of the parties concerned in it. He faid, in the first stage of the bufinefs he had urgently advifed the defendants to make Mr. Macklin an adequate compenfation for the great damage he had fuftained: that he then particularly pointed out as an advifeable meafure the faving of the cofts, by putting an end to the matter at once; that the law expences were now fwelled to an enormous fum, which fum the defendants themselves had given rife to, by their obftinacy and want of prudence. Some time was spent in the court's endeavouring to make an amicable adjustment of the matter, and a final conclusion of it. Mr. Colman was propofed as arbiter general, which the defendants unanimously agreed to, but Mr. Colman declined the office; at length Mr. Macklin, after recapitulating his grievances, informed the court, that to fhew he was no way revengeful, with which he had been charged, he would be fatisfied with the defendants paying his

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law expences, taking one hundred pounds worth of tickets on the night of his daughter's benefit, a fecond hundred pounds worth on the night of his own benefit, and a third on one of the manager's nights, when he should play; this plan, he obferved, was not formed on mercenary views; its bafis was to give the defendants popularity, and restore mutual amity. Lord Mansfield paid Mr. Macklin very high compliments on the honourable complexion and fingular moderation of this propofal; his Lordship declared it did him the highest credit; that generosity was univerfally admired in this country, and there was no manner of doubt but the public at large would honour and applaud him for his le nity. His Lordship added further, that notwithstanding his acknowledged abilities as an actor, he never aded better in his life than he had that day. The propofal was accepted by the parties, and the matter was thus ended. During the courfe of the bufinefs Lord Manffield took occafion to obferve, that the right cf hiffing and applauding in a theatre was an unalterable right, but that there was a wide diftinction between expreffing the natural fenfations of the mind as they arofe on what was feen and heard, and executing a pre-concerted defign, not only to hifs an actor when he was playing a part in which he was univerfally allowed to be excellent, but also to drive him from the theatre, and promote his utter ruin.

Soon after the above decifion, the managers of Covent-Garden theatre met, and generously agreed to give up their claim to the hundred pounds worth of tickets.

A motion was made in the fame court to make the rule abfolute against one Whitaker, in Fleet-. ftreet, for publishing, and Griffin in the Strand for printing, a letter in a morning paper of March the 1ft, 1775, highly reflecting, it was alledged, on Lord and Lady Mexborough; but the procefs not be. ing fufficient to fatisfy the court that Whitaker was the publisher, or Griffin the printer of the paper, and moreover that the blanks and inuendoes were far from being grounds fufficient to grant an information, the motion was overruled, and the order discharged.

11th.

The Houfe of Commons went into a committee of the whole House, on the bill to veft in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge a perpetual copy-right in books of useful learning within the faid univerfities. Governor Johnstone moved, that the following claufe be added to the bill: "Provided nevertheless, that nothing in this act fhall extend to grant any exclufive right, otherwise than fo long as the books or copies belonging to the faid universities are printed only at their own printing preffes, and for their fole benefit and advantage; and that, if any university fhall delegate, grant, leafe, or fell their copy-right, or exclufive right, of printing books hereby granted, or any part thereof, or fhall allow, permit, or authorife any perfon or perfons to print or re-print the fame, or fhall hold them in truft for the use of any perfon or perfons whatfoever, that then the privileges hereby granted are to become void and of no effect, in the fame manner as if this act had never been made." Governor Johnstone was fupported by the

Attorney

Attorney-general, Mr. John John. ftone &c. The claufe was oppofed by the friends of the London bookfellers. After a hard ftruggle, it was carried, to add the claufe to the bill. By the bill, as it is now amended, the univerfities get for them felves alone a perpetuity in the copy-right of all books which fhall be gifted to them in future, provided fuch books were never before published; but they are not allowed to buy or fell copy-rights, By the above claufe, and other amendments, the intention of fuch London bookfellers, as meant to obtain copy-rights in perpetuity delegated to themselves by the univerities, is fruftrated; and the bill, as it now ftands, met with no further oppofition.

Mr. William Faden, who was convicted on Monday the 27th of February last, of printing a libel on Alderman Kennet, in the Public Ledger of Tuesday, September 27, 1774, was brought up to the court of King's Bench to receive fentence, when Mr. Juftice Afton delivered the judgment of the court, fentencing him to pay a fine of 200 marks, and remain in cuftody till the fame was paid.

Came on to be heard, in the court of the Dutchy of Lancaster at Westminster, before the Chancellor and Council of the Dutchy, affifted by Lord Mansfield and Judge Gould, and attended by all the leading council at the bar, the long contested question between the crown and the occupiers of the houfes in the precinct of the Savoy in the Strand; when, after a full hearing, the court decreed the right in favour of the crown. This question commenced in 1702, when the Savoy hospital was diffolved by a de

cree of Lord-Keeper Wright; and though it had feveral times, at different periods, heen brought for trials in the court of Exchequer, no final decifion of the queftion was ever had till now; but by this decree, the right of the crown to the poffeffions of the hofpital, as parcel of the Dutchy of Lancaster, is firmly established.

Was held the anniverfary of the meeting of the fons of the clergy, at which were prefent the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor, his Grace the Archbishop of Canter bury, Prefident; the Bifhops of London, Exeter, Chester, Worcefter, St. David's, Rochefter, and Litchfield and Coventry; Aldermen Bull, Plumbe, Thomas, Hopkins, and Newnham; Sheriffs Plomer and Hart. The collections on the rehearfal and feaft-days were as follow, viz. on the 4th, at St. Paul's, 2101. 16s. 3d. the 6th, at ditto, 2111, 10s. 3d. at Merchant-Taylor's Hall, 4441. 6s. 9d. Total of the contributions, 8661. 13s. 3 d.

Some week ago, two fellows went to the houfe of Mr. Boyer, button-maker, in Horfefhoe-alley, pretending to have an order; but the maid refufing to open the door farther than a chain would admit, they pulled her partly through the opening, cut off her pockets, and made off.

There fell, in and about

Murcia, in Spain, a ftorm 13th. of hail, which lafted about twenty minutes. Many of the ftones were of the fize of oranges, weighing a pound, and fome twenty ounces, and the greatest part of them eight ounces. The country people were all thrown into the utmoft coniter. nation by it. The damage, it was

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feared,

feared, would be very great, from the quantity of corn, filk, barilla, &c. which was destroyed.

The Rt. Hon. the Lord Mayor, fome of the Aldermen, the Sheriffs, and Commons of the city of London, waited upon his Majefty with an addrefs and petition.

Monfieur Pia, of Paris, has lately prefented the Medical Society, of Crane-court, Fleet-ftreet, with a compleat apparatus for the recovery of perfons apparently drowned.

By letters from Hamburgh, the King of Pruffia has caused it to be notified to the merchants of Konigsburgh, that they are no more to frequent the fairs at Leipfic, his majesty having taken measures to have two annual fairs held in New Pruffia, where all forts of merchandizes fhall be brought for fale. His Pruffian majefty has alfo caufed fix frigates to be built at Stettin, three of which are to be fent to Spain to purchase cargoes of falt, which are to be vended in New Pruffia and Poland.

The Empress of Ruffia 16th. iffued an ukafe, whereby various taxes are abolished, fome of which were laid on during the late war, and others were of old ftanding.

The taxes laid on during the late war, and which are now abolished, were, the tax of 80 copecks over and above that of 1 rouble 20 copecks paid by merchants and handicraftímen. The tax of 100 rou. bles on each furnace or iron work. The tax of five roubles on each furnace in copper foundries. The tax of four copecks on each pood of caft iron. The tenths of founded brafs. The tenths of the capitals employed in mines of every kind.

The additional tax of one rouble

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per annum on each weaver's loom employed in fabrics, or by private perfons in their own houses; as likewise the tax of one per cent. on the value of every other kind of manufactured goods. And a general liberty is given to establish manufactories without the permiffion of the colleges.

The taxes upon the estates of the Livonian noblemen.

Amongst the taxes of old ftanding, which are now abolished, were the tax on tanners and skinners work; that on wax, on tallowmelting, on foap-works, on oilmanufactories, on private faltworks, and that on malt and hops, which, mentioned generally, is understood to relate to the malt and hops grown and made here.

The prohibition is taken off from all the towns and villages in the empire, of erecting fmith's fhops and fmall iron works; and they are henceforth permitted to manufacture and trade in all kinds of iron whatsoever.

There are feveral others of less importance, but they have not the fmalleft influence, either directly or indirectly, on foreign trade.

The fame edi&t contains a number of internal regulations, together with acts of grace and pardon. It takes off all prohibitions against marrying without the confent of the governors of towns or provinces, and all duties hitherto paid to obtain their permiffion,

It admits all burghers, who declare upon oath that they are poffeffed of a capital of 500 roubles, into the clafs of merchants; by which they are exempted from thofe taxes, which their former rank fubjected them to; but, in lieu of thefe, they are to pay one per cent,

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