Thursday 16.

One Richard Coventry, a lighterman, navigating his barge from London-bridge, on the Surrey-fide of Black-friars, was fet faft; ' and, in going home between twelve and one, made the following difcoveries, of which he made oath before the juftices at Union-hall in the Borough. Seeing a light in a carpenter's yard, and hearing the found of ham mers, he was induced to be curious, and difcovered five perfons hammering tankards, tureens, fpoons, &c. &c. the utensils appearing to be covered with dirt and filth. It ftruck him that this was the plate which was ftolen from the Archbishop; and he immediately called his fellow-bargeman and a boy, who, arming themfelves with two old pistols and a cutlats, berit into the place, and forprized the thieves at their work: four of them got off —the fifth jumped upon a pile of timber, but being furrounded was obliged to defcend, and was taken into cuftody by the watchmen. Four large bags of plate were found upon the fpot, all tarmthed black, having been thrown into the adjoining ditch. The plate was produced, and feveral pieces of it were best clofe together, fo as to render it impoffible to be identified: but it was not fo with the greater quantity, which was clearly proved to be the property of the Archbishop by two of his fervants. The proner's name is Edwards. He has ufually plied upon the water, and occafionally worked as a porter, and was known by the nick name of Oil Skin Fuck. The facts being fully corroborated, the prifoner Eowards was committed to the Borough New Gaol for further examination. Friday 17.

His Majefly being again indifpofed, the levce was poftponed. The report of His Majesty's indifpofition drew the whole Royal Family together on Saturday.

Monday 20.

has not been better for a long time than at prefent, He fill (O&. 30.) continues fo Friday 31.

Authentic advices have been received from Sweden and Denmark, that, in order to free the fubjects of both kingdoms from unneceffary bloodfhed, his Swedith majefty declares his willingness (notwithstanding the late irruption into his dominions) to continue in peace with his Danish majesty, until he fees the confequences of the prefent negotiations for reftoring peace to Sweden and Ruffia.

Qn the part of Denmark, it has been ac knowledged, that this declaration ought to re-affure his Danish majeliy fo much the more, as, at the time of its being written, the troops of Denmark had paffed the defiles of Norway, forced the paffes, and penetrated as far as Uddavalla in Sweden, without, however, committing any hoftilities against the inhabitants they found unarmed.

The above declaration of the King of Sweden is clear and ex licit. The acknowledgment on the part of Denmark, the fentiments of the Mediators, which, it not admitted on the part of Denmark, will autho rize force.

On the part of the Emperor, if he is yet alive, which is very doubiful, his armies are every where in the moft ruinous and deplorable fituation. Driven from pou to poft, they have no longer an exiftence in the Bangat of Temeswar, In Tranlylvania they are encompaled on every fide with enemies; and, having no magazines of provifions, mutt be reduced to inconceivable distress, of which fome idea may be formed from this circumfiance, that the baggage-waggons of the army, not less than 3000, are drawn opehalf by four horfes each, and the reft by fix oxen each; fo that daily provifions must be furnished for 4 or 5000 draught horfes and 6 or 7000 oxen, over and above the efficient body of the army itself.

The army under General Laudehn, in Croatia, is thought to be in no better fityation; and that under the Prince de Coburgh is in great want of provifions.

The Rofian armies are in like fituations; that in the Crimea has fuffered much in their attack on Oczikow.

Among the offenfive acts of the Parifian parliament fince their recall, is the burning thofe arrets of the King inimical to their liberties. The King and Parliament are apparently ou very bad terms. The Ex-minifters have the ear of the King; and the New minister feems introduced only to destroy their popularity. All the Ex minitters have been rewarded fince their difmiffion, and Necker has been publicly checked for meddling with promotions out of his deparment.

On the 16th inftant, feven Lettres de Cachet were flued, and the objects of them fent to the Baftile and other prilons.

The Duch patriots are again at work, and Amfterdam again in a ferment. P. 7843

P. 784, col. 2, 1. 7 from the bottom, read

Restoration."

P. 840, col. 1, 1. 53. The late Mr. Ralph Ward was at his villa near the Black Rock, when he first heard of the Ordnance-office being fealed up, and the decifive steps taken by the Viceroy to investigate the whole bufinefs and accounts of that department. On the intelligence he seemed fomewhat affected, but not alarmed, e preffing his wish that every matter might be fcrutinized, not doubting but his character would be found altogether founded on the firm bafis of honour and ftrict integrity, Some friends of high refpectability vifited him the day after his difmiflion; and to them, in the most peremptory manner, he afferted his innocence; difclaimed all knowledge of fraud, embezzlement, or any the fighteft peculation; his with, his fole object was, investigation into every accompt, every office, as the only means of vindicating his honeft fame. He perfevered in the very fame language on the Sunday and Monday following, and feemed bufily engaged with the fecretary of the Ordpance in preparing boldly to meet every charge. On the Tuesday evening (Sept. 2) he was vifited by a gentleman who held an office of confiderable truft in the arfenal, and had the care of the finall arms. After fome little converfation, Mr. W. was reminded of a tranfaction that he, for the moment, feemed to have totally forgot; this was, an order he had prevailed on this gentleman to fign, for 1000 ftand of arms. The gentleman very candidly confeffed, "that in this affair be had reason to take to himself no little fhare of blame; he had been repeatedly applied to to fign the order, and this for two months he peremptorily refufed; but Mr. W. might recollect his coming to him, and stating the diftrefs he was then in, occafioned by fome play-debts, which, if not immediately difcharged, his character would be ruined; and, upon his affurance that the matter fhould be foon and properly replaced, he did fign the warrant, and for this Mr. W. received the amount at the Treasury. Matters were now in that fituation, that bare af fertions could not be admitted. Facts were ftrong, proofs undeniable; for his part, he was determined to produce fuch documents as muft vindicate the thare he had in that tranfaction," Mr. W. feemed extremely agitated. Soon after the gentleman had taken leave, he returned to his apartment, and perpetrated the deed which has been attended with fuch dreadful effects. He was found feated in an armed chair, all over blood, and his writing-defk open before. The deikknife was alfo on the floor befide him, covered with blood. The houfe being alarmed, and affiftance fent for, he for fome time refufed any kind of dreffing, withing frequently for

*The fabricated order for the thousand fand of arms took place in the year 1780.

death; but at length yielded to întreaty. He was faint through lots of blood; but from that time to Saturday afternoon (when he expired) he had no locked jaw, and retained his fenfes to the evening preceding his death, which was occafioned by a mortification of the wounded parts. -Having much lamented the rash act he had committed, a clergyman attended him from Wednesday, till he found death approaching, when he received the facrament, and prayed fervently, with every apparent fign of repentance, and died with. his family about his bed. In all the above time he never uttered a word of complaint against the proceedings of a great perfonage in his official refearches.-He was fond of his grandfon, and was highly folicitous to have the fatal difafter concealed from him. He acknowledged his marriage with Mrs. A—y ; and, in the will made previous to his going to Bath in April 1787, left her 300l. per annum. He is faid to have died worth upwards of 18,000l. a great part of which he has bequeathed to his only daughter, who married a Mr. Read, a bricklayer, for whom Mr. W obtained one of the furveyorship's places at Ringfend, an employment worth between 2 and 300l. a year. His property was principally vefted in houfes in Dublin, of which he had built a very confiderable number, particularly on the fite where Mr. Conolly's house ftood, in Capei-street. The whole range of buildings in Capel-street, connected with Little-Britain and Greenfleet, were his fole property, and produced a nett rent of upwards of 700l. per annum.To his graudion, Mafter Read, he has left 2001. per annum, befides 2000l.; this to be entirely independent of the property left his father Mr. Read, who, by the will, is to have 700l. per annum, with the town and country refidences. Befides this, he is left refiduary legatee. There are feveral other annuities, which are to devolve to Mr. and Mrs. Read, and their children. At prefent. they have only one, the fon above-mentroned, a fine youth, who was juft preparing to enter the College.-Mr. W. was a native of England, and went over to Ireland with the late Duke of Leinster, then Marquis of Kildare, and at that time maftergeneral of the Ordnance, through whofe intereit he was appointed furveyor-general to that Board, which employment he had held near 26 years, at a falary of 400l. per ann.

P 841, col. 2, 1 12 from the bottom, for "Oxford," read "Cambridge."

P. 842, cul. 1, l. 53. The late Countess of Lanesborough was the eldest daughter of the Right Hon. David Latouche, efq. and was married to the Right Hon. the Earl of Lanefborough in January 1731, at the age of 17Her Ladyfhip's departure from Ireland was early in June laft, in perfect health, on a vifit to Spa, in accompany ment of the Earl, who was then in a delicate ftate of health. From thence, on their return to freland, the

family vifited London, where her Ladyfhip was feized with the fatal malady that fo fuddenly terminated in her death. She has left ifve two fons: the elder, Robert Lord NewTown, aged five years; the younger, the Hon. David Butler, aged three years. Her remains, attended by the principal tradesmen and domesticks of the Lane fhorough and Latouche families, were privately interred in the family vault in the church yard of St. Anne, Dublin, he 13th inftant, at feven o'clock in the mowing.

Ibid. col. 1, 1. 3 from bott. The efficient canfe of the death of the late Sir Rob. Taylor was a cold caught at the grave of his friend Sir Cha. Afgill, which terminated in an inflammation of the bowels. His character and condition had many strong and amiable raits. He feems, from the beginning, to Aave been of thofe independent original powers which are reciprocally felf-formed and felf-forming: at least, as far as pecuniary aggrandifement goes, the repute of it is for the most part his own; it is but little broken in upon by any hereditary claims. His father was the great ftone-mason of his time: like Devall in the prefent day, he got a vaft deal of money; but again, unlike him alltogether, te could not keep what he got. When life was lefs gaudy than it is now, and when the elegant indulgences of it were rare, old Taylor the mafon enjoyed them all. He reveled at a villa in Effex; and as a villa is imperfect without a coach, he thought it ne cetary to have that too. Excepting fome common schooling, a fee when he went pupil to Sir Henry Cheere, and just money enough to travel on a plan of frugal study to Rome, Sir Rob. T. got nothing from his father. Re.fore that plai at Rome was completed, his father died; and the fon, whose heart through life was high and warm when it beat towards any kind emotion, then fhewed what his feeling must be by what h's enterprize was. On the first tidings of his father's illnefs he tried to hurry home: but, as there was a war on the Continent, as that war required certain paffports, and as paifports, like other things, will not always come when they are called, Taylor, with amiable alacrity, determined to do without them, and circumvent the risks he could not hope to overcome. Affuming the apparel of a friar, he joined another Francifcan. and fo pailed unmolefted through the enemy's camp. That apparel, it is not to be wondered at, Sir Robert ever made a point of keeping. When he came to look at home, he found, like Wolfey, be had nothing but his robe and his integrity; that, to live, he muft work; and to live to any good purpofe, his work must be good. He therefore fe about it in good earneft: for pecuniary aids he found neverfailing friendship in the Godfrey family of Woodstock; and for advance in art, all that by application could be done he never ceased to do. in a little time he did to much, and

fo well, that when Cornwall's monument was to come, it was voted to come from Taylor. His beft work, as a ftatuary, was Gueft's monument, near the North door of Westminster Abbey. The Britannia at the Bank, and Chebas relief in the Manfion-house pediment, are his. His method of working, asa ftatuary, was to be, as they call it, to hew out his heads from the block; and, except fome few finishing touches, to leave the reft to his workmen. After the works juft mentioned, he relinquished fiatuary, unless incidentally a house-ornament, and confined his purfu ts to architecture. As an architect he was ftrong, in ftrong departments of his art. He was fure in his principles, and most corre& in their application. His plans were free from faults, and fometimes full enough of beauty. On a reference to beauty, perchaps his Richmond villa for Sir Cha. Afgill is the heft. For a performance on a larger fcale, the most complete dwelling-houe that the built was for Sir P. Taylor, at Purbrook, under Portfdown-hill. The magnificent additions to the Bank are his grandeft work; and thefe, when a foreigner of the first taste, M. de Calonne, faw them, he pronounced, with no exception hitt St. Paul's, to be the first architecture in London. Befides thefe, the following are his: the Duke of Grafton's, in Piccadilly; Lord Howe s, in Herts; Lord Radnor's additions in Wiks; Lord Clarenon's alterations in Herts; Lincoln's-Inn fone building; Ely-houfe, Dover-ftreet; Sir John Boyd's, & Danton. Mr. Gower's, near the South-fea-houfe, was his firtt; Lord Grimfton's, at Gophambury, his last private work. London-bridge, altered in 1756 and 1758, as it ftands at prefent, he did in conjunction with Mr. Dance. He for fome time had a feat at the Board of Works. He was furveyor to the Admiralty, to the Foundling-hospital, and when Athens Stuart died he got Greenwich. Thefe, with furveyorfhips and agencies out of number, from fome indeed of the firfl property in the kingdom, as the Pulteney eftate, &c. complete the catalogue of the works on which he was employed. Thefe were all his works, and these were all well; for his employers were well fatisfied. But he did his best when he worked for himself. As the architect of his own fortune, there is no inftance in art like it. Kent died worth re,ocol.; Gibbs had about '25,002; Sir C. Wren had 50,000l.: and yet, befides t e first palace, the first hospital, and the first cathedral, St. Paul's, Greenwich, and Hampton-court, Wren built 55 churches, the Monument, and feven other public buildings.-Sir R. Taylor's property amounts to 180,col.; and yet he told the writer of this account, "when he began life he was not worth eighteen pence!" This `aftonishing accumulation was the growth of his lift 40 years. His age was 74. Had he lived to 91, the age of Sir C. Wren, can itte computed what had been his property then?