an

King William on the general appearance of his metropolis. "But, Sir," faid he, "I am above all things pleafed with the fimplicity, meeknefs, and modefty that prevail in the dress of the richeft nation of Europe." Peter often mentioned to the English Noblemen and Gentlemen who attended him, that he purposed to make a fecond journey to England, as he found in that country fo great a number of inftructive objects. In his Majefty's old Library in the Green Park there is a portrait of this great Prince by Sir Godfrey Kneller; it correfponds exactly to the following defcription of Peter's perfon, as given by that inftructive Traveller, Mr. Bell, of Auchtermony: "His Majefty's perfon was graceful, tall, and well made; he was very plain in his apparel; he generally wore English drab-coloured frock, never appearing in a drefs-fuit of cloaths, unlefs on great feftivals and holidays, on which occafions he was fometimes dreffed in laced cloaths, of which fort he was not owner of above three or four fuits. When he was dreffed he wore the Order of St. Andrew; at other times he had no badge or mark of any Order on his perfon. When he went about the town by land, he always made ufe of an open two-wheeled chaife, attended by two foldiers or grooms, who rode before, and a page, who fometimes ftood behind the chaife, and often fat in it with his Majefty, and drove him. He rofe even in the winter time before four o'clock, and was often in his cabinet by three, when two private fecretaries and certain clerks were in conftant attendance.-Peter feems to have loved his fubjects with the attention of a friend, as well as with the affection of a father. He was anxious for their pleasure and amusement, as well as for their improvement. He came one day to the Gardens of Peterfburgh, called Catherine's Gardens, in honour of the Emprefs, which he had laid out himself, and on finding no perfon walking in them, he asked the reafon; one of the fentinels replied, Sire, it is becaufe we have fuffered no one to enter."-" And pray, block head," replied the Czar, angrily, "what wife-acre has given you thefe orders?"-"Our Officers, Sire," replied the centinel. "What a pack of fools!" replied the munificent Emperor;" could thefe people imagine that I had made fo valt a walk, and at fo much expence

too, for myself alone, and not for the advantage of the public?" The Czar, on being invited by one of his Nobles to a hunting party, which was to terminate with the hunting of the wild boar, replied," Hunt, Sir, as much as you please, and make war on wild beafts; for my part, I cannot amufe myself in that manner whilft I have enemies to encounter abroad, and refractory fubje&ts to bring into order at home."-Peter the Great knew no game of cards except a common Dutch game, at which he played occafionally amongst his Offi. cers military and naval; and he reftricted the ftake to a fmall fum, and made an edit, which declared that he who loft more than that fum was under no obligation to pay. Of perfons who were fond of gaming this great man ufed to fay, that they had no taste for any thing useful, and that they de voted their time and talents to the purpofes of grofs avarice. The Czar, when he retired to reft, was in general completely fatigued with the toils of the day, and gave itrict orders that he should never be awaked unless in cafe of fire. When any accident of that kind happened, there was a standing order given to rouze him at the first appearance of it, and his Majefty was frequently the first perfon that affifted at the fire, remaining there and giving the necessary orders until the danger was over. Nearly the laft act of this great Monarch's life was an effort to fave the lives of fome of his fubjects. In a very infirm ftate of his health the Czar was in a boat vifiting fome works that were carrying on near Petersburgh; he faw at fome diftance a vefiel, full of foldiers and failors, in danger of perishing; the weather was cloudy, and the fea rough, and the violence of the waves had already driven the veffel on a fand. The Czar immediately fent a boat to their affiftance; but, notwithstanding the efforts of the crew, they could not get the veffel afloat. The Emperor, a wit nefs of this diftreffing fpectacle, and thinking that they did not exert them felves fufficiently to fave their brethren from the fury of the waves, took the refolution of going himself to their afliftance, and finding that his boat could not advance to the hore on account of the fand banks, he waded into the water up to his knees, and reached the boat that was aground. The prefence and the example of the beneficent Sovereign made every one redouble his

efforts; the boat was foon got off, and the perfons it contained were faved. The next day the Czar was taken with a fhivering fit, which was followed with a return of his old diforder, a very horrid internal difeafe, of which he never recovered: acute and unremitting pain indicated the approaching death of this friend of his country, to which he refigned himself with the most heroic firmnels, two months after the exertion of one of the most heroic acts of benevolence that Hiftory has ever confecrated to the memory and admiration of mankind.

Phyficians College, and is to be buried with Chaucer, Cowley, &c. at Weft. minfter Abbey on Monday."-Dr. Turner to Dr. Charlett, Mafter of University College, Oxon, May 6, 1700.

QUEEN ANN.

A little before the Peace of Utrecht, Bifhop Lloyd, then 83 or 84 years of age, came to Queen Ann and told her, that he could prove from Daniel and the Revelations, that the ought not to make a Peace. The Queen replied, "My Lord, I am no Divine: I cannot argue that matter; but Lord Oxford may perhaps anfwer your objections." A time appointed; the Prefence Chamber full of Nobility to hear the conference; whereon the Lord Oxford confounded the Prophet, and expofed him to the laft degree. Lord Oxford rehearsed the whole conference to me, and 'twas the moft diverting thing I ever heard in my life; a vaft deal of learning, managed with a great deal of art."-MS. Letter to the Rev. Dr. Charlett.

AUGUSTE DE THOU,

It is fuppofed that the immediate' caufe of the profecution of this excellent and intrepid man was, that his grandfather had mentioned Cardinal Richlieu's father in his celebrated Hiftory of His Own Times, in a manner not much to his credit. His Judges were anxious to fave him. "M. le Chancelier a beau dire," faid Richlieu, "il faut que M. de Thou meure; The Chancellor may fay what he pleases, but M. de Thou muft die "."

De Thou, whilft he was in prifon, had made a vow to endow a chapel whenever he gained his liberty. On the morning of his condemnation to death, he compofed the following infcription for himself:

Chrifto Liberatori Votum in carcere pro libertate conceptum,

T. AUGUSTUS THUANUS
E carcere vitæ jam jam liberandus

Morte folvit xii Junii, 1642. Confitebar tibi Domine, quoniam ex

audifti me & factus es mihi
in falutem.

He died with great courage.

AC.

IN the month of February laft, petitions were fent from all the line-ofbattle fhips at Portsmouth to Lord Howe; but being all written by one perfon, and couched inthe fame language, it was prefumed they were only the productions of fome factious or mad-brained individuals, who were too contemptible for notice; the petitions were therefore thrown afide, and obtained no answers. This, on the return of the Fleet to port from the laft cruize, occafioned a correfpon. dence by letter to be kept up and paffed from hip to fhip, through the whole fleet; till at length it was unanimously agreed upon, that no fhip fhould lift an anchor till a redress of grievances was obtained. In this ftate matters remain ed till the 15th of April, when Admiral Bridport ordered the fignal for the fleet to prepare for fea; but, instead of weighing anchor, three cheers were given from the Queen Charlotte, as the fignal for difaffection, which was in like manner followed by every ship in the fleet. The Officers were thunderftruck, and tried various means to bring the men to a fenfe of their duty; but without effect. The next day a boat from each fhip was demanded, and two men from the crew of each were appointed Delegates to reprefent the whole, and Lord Howe's cabin was deemed the moft proper place for their deliberations.

On the 17th, every man in the fleet was fworn to fupport the caufe in which he had embarked; even the Admiral's body fervants were not exempted from the oath. Their next procedure was the reeving ropes, in terrorem, at the fore-yard-arm, and turning all the Officers out of the fleet who had behaved in any manner to offend them. On the 18th the Lords of the Admiralty arrived there, in the courfe of which, and two following days, feveral propofitions were made by them to reduce the fleet to obedience, but ineffectually. On the 21ft Admirals Gardner, Colpoys, and Pole went on board the Queen Charlotte, in order to confer with the Delegates, who informed the Admirals, that it was the determination of the crews to agree to nothing that should not be fanctioned by Parliament, and gauranteed by the King's Proclamation; which fo difappointed and irritated Admiral Gardner, that he fcized one of the Delegates by the collar, and fwore

he would have them all hanged, with every fifth man throughout the fleet. This circumftance fo exafperated the crew against the gallant Admiral, that it was with much difficulty he escaped from the fhip with his life. The Delegates from the Royal George now returned to their ship, and informed the crew of what had happened, who, after fome confultation, refolved on fummoning all the Delegates on board their ship, which was done by hoisting the red or bloody flag, which ftruck terror through the fleet (as the fignal was not generally understood), and particlarly to the Officers, who trembled for the confequences, fearing that fomething dreadfully hoftile was intended. It was at this moment that the much valu ed and refpected Lord Bridport's flag was ftruck, with a refolution never to difplay it again, which drew tears from almost all the Officers. The fleet next proceeded to load all their guns, ordered a

watch to be kept the fame as at sea, and put every thing in a state of defence, keeping every Officer to his refpective ship. On the 22d the men were fome. what pacified, and caufed two letters to be written, one to the Lords of the Admiralty, ftating the caufe of their conduct on the preceding day; the other to Lord Bridport, in which they ftiled him their Faiber and Friend, and avowed no intentional offence to him. This had a good effect; for on the 23d the Admiral returned to his ship, and rehoifted his flag, and, after a thort a drefs to the crew, in which he told them the painful bufinefs of the laft week would be the means of hurrying h thortly to his grave, he informed them that he had brought with him a redres of all their grievances, and his Majes ty's pardon for the offenders, which, after fome deliberation, were accepted, when ever man returned to his duty.

The following are authentic Copies of the feveral Papers which have paffed on this very extraordinary occafion: To the Right Honourable and the He

nourable Knights, Citizens, and Burgeffes, in Parliament affembled. The humble Petition of the Seamen and Marines on board his Majefty's Fleet, on behalf of themselves;

Humbly Sheweth, That your Petitioners, relying on the candour and juftice of your Honourable Houfe,

House, make bold to lay their grievances before you, hoping that when you reflect on them, you will please to give redrefs, as far as your wildom fhall deem neceffary.

We beg leave to remind your auguft Affembly, that the Act of Parliament paffed in the reign of King Charles II. wherein the wages of all feamen ferving on board his Majefty's fleet was fettled, paffed at a time when the neceffaries of life, and flops of every denomination, were at least 30 per cent. cheaper than at the prefent time; which enabled Seamen and Marines to provide better for their families than we can now do with one half advance.

We therefore requeft your Honourable Houfe will be to kind as to revive the Act before-mentioned, and make fuch amendments therein as will enable your Petitioners and their families to live in the fame comfortable manner as Seamen and Marines did at that time.

Your petitioners, with all humility, laid their grievances before the Hon. Earl Howe, and flattered ourselves with the hopes that his Lordship would have been an advocate for us, as we have been repeatedly under his command, and made the British flag ride triumphantly over that of our enemies. But, to our great furprize, we find ourfelf unprotected by him, who has feen fo many inftances of our intrepidity in carrying the British flag into every part of the feas with victory and fuccefs.

We profefs ourselves as loyal to our Sovereign, and zealous in the defence of our Country, as the Army or Militia can be; and efteem ourselves equally entitled to his Majefty's munificence; therefore with jealoufy we behold their pay augmented, and the out-penfions of Chelfea College increased to thir. teen pounds per annum, while we remain neglected, and the out-penfioners of Greenwich have only feyen pounds per

annum.

We your Petitioners therefore humbly implore that you will take thefe matters into confideration, and, with your accustomed goodness and liberality, comply with the prayer of this Petition, and your Petitioners, as in dury bound, will ever pray, &c.

We,the Delegates of the Fleet,here, unto fign our names for the fhips' companies: Royal George-Valentine Joyce, John Morris,

Queen Charlotte-Patrick Glynn, John Udlefon.

Royal Sovereign-Joseph Green, John Richardfon.

London-Alexander Harding, William Ruly.

Glory-Patrick Dugan, John Bethell. Duke Michael Adams, William Anderfon.

Mars-Thomas Allen, James Blithe. Marlborough-John Vallia, Williama Senator.

Ramilies-Charles Berry, Geo. Clear. Kobuft-David Wilfon, John Scri

vener.

L'Impetueux-John Witna, William Porter.

Defence-George Galaway, James Bare

rick.

Terrible-Mark Turner, George Salked.

La Pompée-William Potts, James Mel

vin.

Minotaur-Dennis Lowley, George Crofland.

Defiance-John Saunders, John Hufband.

Copy of the Petition to the Admiralty. To the Right Honourable the Lords Committioners of the Admiralty: My Lords,

We, the Seamen of his Majefty's Navy, take the liberty of addreffing your Lordfhips in an humble Petition, fhewing the many hardships and oppreffions we have laboured under for many years, and which we hope your Lordships will redrefs as foon as poffible. We flatter ourselves that your Lordships, together with the nation in general, will acknowledge our worth and good fervices, both in the American war and the prefent; for which fervice your Lordthips' Petitioners do unanimously agree in opinion, that their worth to the nation, and laborious industry in defence of their country, deferve fome better encouragement than that we meet with at prefent, or from any we have experienced. We, your Petitioners, do not boast of our good fervices for any other purpose than that of putting you and the nation in mind of the refpect due to us, nor do we ever intend to deviate from our former character, fo far from any thing of that kind, or that an Englishman or men fhould turn their coats, we likewife agree in opinion, that we should fuffer double the hard. hips we have hitherto experienced before we would fuffer the Crown of England