12. Every lackey, who fhall have his hair dreffed by a hairdreffer, fhall be punished by a fine of four rix dollars.

13. All filk hangings for rooms, and filk window-curtains, are prohibited to be put up after the present date.

14. His majefty reiterates his former prohibition refpecting the importation of the following articles into his dominions. All furniture, of whatever kind, under which are comprehended all forts of carpets.

All forts of carriages, as alfo harness for horfes.

All finished clocks and watches.

All foreign glafs, porcelaine, fayence, from which lookingglaffes are excepted for the prefent. The Eaft-India and Canal Companies, however, preferve the rights of their charter. Under this prohibition is not included what travellers may have for for extheir own ufe, or what may be brought into the portation.

country

15. His majefty, as well to reftrain luxury, as to leffen the expences of his fubjects, further orders and commands ;

That at entertainments no perfon fhall give more than eight dishes at dinner, fmall and great included, with fallad, and four kinds of defert at moft, befides what fruit the country produces; fo that all foreign confections, whether wet or dry, are altogether excluded.

At fupper, no fubject fhall prefent more than fix difhes, small and great, with fallad, and two kinds of defert, befides the fruit which the country produces.

At entertainments, as well at table as otherwife, fhall no wines be given, but what are commonly called French white wine and French red wine, (claret,) with Malaga and Madeira; whereas all fine wines and liquors, as well as old French wine and foreign beer, should be prohibited. Punch may be given to fuch as defire it.

At marriages, and fuch other extraordinary occafions, two dishes and two kinds of defert may be given, befides what are allowed at ordinary entertainments.

Laftly, From the 1ft of October, 1783, fhall no foreign provifions, or foreign prepared victuals, be given at entertainments, or be publicly fold, and for that purpose be advertised in the news-papers, provided that the principal ingredients, of which they are compofed, are to be found within his majesty's dominions. But as his majefty does not comprehend in this article fuch foreign ingredients as are neceffary for preparing victuals, he will specify more particularly, by an edit to be prepared by the general œconomical and commercial college, what of this kind is to be considered as contraband. Such wines only, as are

specified

specified in the foregoing article, fhall be fold in inns or cellars, and be allowed to be advertised in the news-papers for that purpofe. The fame is to be observed with regard to all kinds of foreign beer and liquors, which much neither be fold, nor advertised for that purpose, after the 1st of October, 1783.

Moreover, his majefty wills that his loving and faithful fubjects shall use what they already have to the above-mentioned date, and also that they shall restrict themselves in refpect to eating and drinking, as well as to the other articles above-mentioned, within still narrower bounds than those prescribed by the above ordinance.

That this law may be held in conftant remembrance, the fame fhall be read from all the pulpits throughout his majesty's dominions, every first Sunday after the new year, and every first Sunday of the month of July.

And as his majesty is perfuaded that his loving and dutiful fubjects, fenfible of their own intereft, will of themselves be difpofed to obferve this œconomical regulation, he will not therefore, as yet, enforce their compliance therewith, by the intervention of the police, or by any other coercive measure.

CAPTAIN BOURCHIER'S NARRATIVE of the Loss of his Majefty's Ship LE HECTOR.

HE following is a narrative of my proceedings, from the

port. Royal, Jamaica, till my arrival at St.

John's, Newfoundland :

The 23d of July, early in the morning, we got under fail, and proceeded for Bluefields, in order to join the convoy bound to Europe, under rear-admiral Greaves. The number of men on board then was 358, including 62 French and American prifoners, 27 invalid foldiers, 7 officers, and 39 ferjeants, corporals, and privates of different regiments, The fhip was pierced for 74 guns, but mounted only 52.

26th. I joined admiral Greaves, and received orders to put myfelf under his command, and proceeded with him and the trade for England.

Except the daily decrease of the ship's company, by death, nothing material happened 'till the zzd of Auguft; when, in lat. 32, 25, N. long. 75, 53, W. we loft fight of the fleet, owing to the light airs of wind and calms, the fhip failing badly, and being then a great way aftern. Every means was used to join the admiral again, but in vain; and the mafts, fails, and VOL. I. 10. rigging,

2 F

rigging, being in a very bad ftate, I thought it prudent to make the best of our way to the eastward, which we did, without interruption, 'till the 5th of September, when, in lat. 39, 59, N. long. 61, o, W. about two in the morning, we perceived two fail bearing down upon us, as if with an intention to engage us. Every thing was made ready for action, and in twenty minutes it commenced; one of the enemy upon the beam, and the other upon the quarter. They fhifted their pofitions frequently during the fight, and did us a great deal of mischief, which we could not poffibly prevent, as our original (small) complement had been much reduced, and there were upwards of thirty in the fick lift at that time. Encouraged by the flacknefs of our fire, they continued to engage us 'till half past day. light in the morning, but then thought proper to fheer off, and make fail from us, proving to be two large frigates, since known to be the Aigle, of 44 guns, taken by the Warwick, and La Gloire, under French colours, with a schooner attending them. One of them carried 24 pounders, as we judged by several shot from her of that weight, which were found on board the Hector. The fore-maft was very badly wounded in two places; one shot quite through, above feven feet below the yard, and another near half way up from the forecastle deck; the mizenmaft and bowfprit alfo were fhot through; the fails fo much fhattered, as to be fcarce worth repairing; four main and seven fore shrouds, the main and fpring ftays, together with the greatest part of the running rigging, fore and aft, almost totally deftroyed; feveral fhot in the hull, and fome between wind and water nine men were killed, and thirty-three wounded; amongst the former was lieutenant Tothill, and the latter myself, having my right arm and back so much shattered, as to be obliged to be carried off the deck about the middle of the action.

The behaviour of the officers and men upon this occafion was every way equal to my wifhes, and deferves my warmest acknowledgements; but the number of the latter was too small to enable them to give that account of the enemy, that I may venture to fay, in a proper fituation, could have been done. I must alfo, in juftice to captain Drury, who was a paffenger with me, obferve, that I received very great affiftance from him before I was wounded, and that his gallantry and conduct afterwards was highly meritorious.

We knotted, fpliced, and did every thing that was poffible, to put the fhip into a condition for proceeding on her voyage; bat, for want of the neceffary articles, that could not very well be difpenfed with, even in a well-manned and good-conditioned

fhip, things were in fuch a fituation, that it was judged neceffary to bear up for Hallifax; and the wind favouring our defign, we. shaped our courfe for that place; but, about fun-fet, we difcovered the two frigates, from the maft-head, ftanding towards us;. and finding it impoffible to engage them with any profpect of fuccefs, we stood to the N. E. in hopes of falling in with fome of the Newfoundland cruizers upon the banks.

8th of September. The weather began to grow fqually, and the rigging and fails to require conftant repair. James Paul, feaman, died of his wounds."

10th. Lieutenant Harvey, and Patrick Brickley, feaman, died the wind encreafing.

rith. A very heavy fwell in the morning rolled away the main top-maft; faved the mast and fail..

12th. John Donovan died: the wind began to abate : got down the stump of the main top-mast: unbent the main-fail to repair, and bent the main top-fail in its room.

15th. Calm weather: got up the broken top-maft.

16th. Set the top-fail, and bent the repaired main-fail: Robert Wade, and Matthew Rawstone, seamen, died.

17th. The wind began to blow ftrong, and the 18th encreased to a gale, which obliged us to bring to under the main-fail; but the jack giving way, and the fail being much worn, it was driven from the yard. The wind and fea encreasing in the evening, the fore top-maft went by the board at fix o'clock, and the main-maft foon after, close to the partners of the upper deck, which carried away the mizen-mait five feet above the poop the fore-yard went in the flings, and the tiller broke in the rudder-head at the fame time. In this dreadful fituation, the oven got loofe upon the main-deck, and killed Edward Tracey, the ship's corporal: the fea was extremely agitated the whole night the fhip began to grow leaky, and laboured fo much, that the rudder broke in the morning, and we were obliged to clear it from the ftern-poft. At noon the wind abated a little, and the water in the hold was reduced pretty low with pumping; but from that time the pumps were kept conftantly at work.

19th. We found a leak under the orlop-deck, on the larboard fide; which encreasing very much, and the fhip labouring exceedingly, obliged us to throw over-board several of the guns: fothered a fail, and got under the bottom.

22d. We threw over-board fourteen 18, and nine 9 pounders, to eafe the ship, but with very little effect. In the morning we found the lower deck much funk, and two of the orlop beams had fallen into the hold: threw over-board the lower deck

guns: John Dellis, feaman, and Mr. Harpley, the acting carpenter, died with fatigue.

23d. James Freeman, William Taylor, John M'Intire, and John Price, died.

24th. John Jordan, and Edward Morris, died. Employed fothering a fail, to put under the bottom.

25th. David Mann and John Morris died.

26th. Thomas White died; and by this time we had loft feven of the French prifoners. We had a small fail upon the fore-maft, and another upon the mizen-maft; but whenever we attempted to loose them, the weather was fo bad, and the canvas fo much worn, that they generally fplit to pieces.

27th. The chain-plates forward giving way, the fore-mast went by the board. John Williams died. Fothered another fail for the bottom.

Our misfortunes feemed now to be drawing to a conclufion; and from this time we had no other view than to keep the ship above water 'till the Almighty should fend fomething to our af fiftance, or think proper to put an end to our miseries, which we could not but expect would be ere long, as our water was all fpoiled by the leaks encreafing and filling the hold; and there was only a trifling quantity of fpirits remaining, to keep us from famifhing: add to this, we had no rudder. Our mafts were all gone; and the laft fail was under the fhip's bottom, with fothering, to ftop the leaks. In this dreadful condition, however, by the noble example of captain Drury, and the officers of the fhip, the pumps were kept going 'till the 3d of October, when we de cried a fail standing towards us. This was a joyful moment, and nothing lefs could have faved us from perishing; for the water gained upon us faft, and the people were fo difpirited and worn with fatigue at the pumps, that nature could not have fupported it much longer, as the four last days we had neither water or fpirits.

The Hawke fnow, (letter of marque,) from Lisbon, came under our ftern, took out fome of the men, ftaid by us all night, and fhifted the remainder in the morning. She was commanded by captain John Hill, of Dartmouth, whofe worth is far above my praife. His humanity in taking fo many men on board, at the risk of himself, his people, and veffel, and chearfully throwing over-board great part of his cargo to accommodate them after they were there, is deferving of the greateft commendations. Owing to their confined fituation in the foow, and the want of water, (the last cask of which we broached the day we made land,) many of the people died before, and feveral after we arrived at St. John's.

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