Thomas Earl of Bective. Henry Earl of Ely. Chancellor, Archbishop of Dublin. Register, Dean of St. Patrick's. Secretary, Lord Delvin. Ulfter, William Hawkins, Efq. Usher, John Fremantle, Efq.

Sicily, Feb. 5. There was a fhock of an earthquake at Meffina, which threw down feveral houfes, and on the following night, about a quarter after seven, a moft furious fhock finished, in fwallowing up or throwing down the remainder of the city, and befides the fhock a whirlpool of fire iffued from the earth. From the most authentic relations, the calamity was general, and most diftressful on the whole coaft of Calabria Ultra, extending upwards of one hundred and fifty miles. From Tropea to Squillace most of the towns and villages were either totally or in part overthrown, and many of the inhabitants buried in the ruins. Among the number of cities, caftles, and towns deftroyed

8. One of the king's meffengers arrived with the ratification of the preliminary articles figned the 20th of January laft, which was exchanged on the 3d inftant, by the plenipotentiaries of his moft Christian majefty.

A magazine, filled with more than 45,000lb. of powder was blown up at three leagues from Bourdeaux.

10. The hon. Charles James Fox prefented to the houfe of Commons, a petition figned by feveral hundred inhabitants of Weftminster, ftating that they were aggrieved by the circulation of counterfeit halfpence. That they had endeavoured as far as lay in their power to put a stop to the fame, but found their inability in fo doing-and therefore prayed the house to give them fuch relief as they in their wifdom should deem meet.

12. The lord chancellor, in the name of the house of peers, addreffed lord viscount Howe, and thanked him for the important fervices he had done his king and country in the relieving Gibraltar.

14. A petition from the county of Devon for a more equal reprefentation was presented to the house of commons, and read.

17. Mr. Bishop, common cryer of this city, attended by proper officers, read, at the Royal Exchange gate and Cheapfide conduit, the king's proclamation, declaring a ceffation of arms by fea and land.

19. The houfe of peers prefented their addrefs of thanks to his majesty for communicating to them the preliminary articles of the peace.

An exprefs arrived at the Admiralty from Portmouth, with advice of the Hydra frigate, captain Cohn, being arrived there from Ja maica, failed from Port Royal the 22d of December in company with

the Ardent of 64 guns, and the Vaughan floop, with a number of fhips under convoy, viz. 33 for London, 8 for Bristol, 9 for Liver pool, 5 for Glafgow, for New York, for St. Auguftine, and 5 for Bayonne, in France, with prifoners. On the 4th Jan. 48 fail of which were clear of the Gulf, and on the 17th following they met with a heavy gale of wind, which feparated the fleet, and on the 19th there were only 32 fail in company. A few days afterwards the Ardent man of war bore away for Antigua with five feet water in her hold.

An order of council was iffued, laying an embargo on all fhips which were taking in cargoes for America. The men convicts lying under fentence of transportation in Newgate, were removed to the veffel lying at Woolwich for their recep

tion.

22. The Bank of England gained a caufe in refuting to pay a bill ftolen from them, and loft at a gaming table.

24. The two members of parliament, Mr. Cook and Mr. Wilmot, who were appointed to revise the lift of penfions granted to the American refugees, made their report to the lords of the Treafury, by which it appeared that a faving of upwards of 20,000l. per ann. will accrue to the nation, by the reduction of fuch of the above penfions as they deemed unneceffary and unmerited. Thofe gentlemen who held employments under government in arrears, were to be paid their falaries up to the 10th of October last, and then to be confidered no longer as fervants of the

crown.

25. A petition from the county of York, and also a petition from the city of York, relative to a more equal reprefentation, were prefented to the house of commons. Be

fore it was fent from York to be prefented to parliament, it had 10,124 names fubfcribed to it, exclufive of thofe figned to a duplicate in London.

Letters from Bohemia advise, that on Thurfday the 26th of February a dreadful fire broke out in the town of Budin.

26. The lord mayor, attended by feveral aldermen, fheriffs, and city officers, and a great number of the common council, went from Guildhall to St. James's, and prefented their addrefs to his majesty on

the peace.

28. The report was made to his majefty in council of the convicts under fentence of death in Newgate, when the following were ordered for execution on Friday next, viz. John Merchant, John Kelly, and James Smith.

The following were refpited during his majefty's pleafure, viz. William Phillimore, Sarah Pond, Anne Randall, Mary Dymoch, John Harris, Anne Dean, and Robert Moore.

The county of Middlefex prefented an addrefs on the peace to his majefty.

Died, Margaret Melvill, wife of Robert Forbes, brewer, at Kettle in Fifefhire, on the 24th, aged 117. She was married at 35, and had one fon and five daughters; the eldest is now aged 77 years. She had 17 grand children, and 37 great grand children; fhe renewed her teeth about the 100dth year of her age, never had a head-ach or pain in her life, and walked, faw, and heard till the day before her death.-At Fulham, aged 101, Mr. Wrench, gardener. It is remarkable that he died in the fame house and room in which he was born, and had by two wives 32 children.-At Darlington, in the county of Durham, John Nicholls, a lobouring man,

aged

In the Affembly of the Delegates of thirty-four different Corps of Volunteers of the Province of Leinfter, at the Exchange,

Refolved unanimoufly, That the virtuous citizens of Geneva, who wish for an afylum in this kingdom from the hand of tyranny and oppreffion, deferve our utmost approbation, and fuch of them as establish themselves amongst us fhall upon every occafion receive our utmost attention and fupport.

The commiffioners appointed for receiving fubfcriptions for the bank of Ireland, received the fum of 600,000l. in government fecurities and lodged the fame in his majesty's Treasury, being the original stock or capital of this Bank.

3. A general order was sent to the lord lieutenants of the counties in England for difbanding, the militia.

Came on a second time to be tried before the earl of Mansfield and a fpecial jury of merchants, a caufe wherein Mr. John Carvick, of Bank

street, was plaintiff, and Mr. Abraham Vickery, of the Bank of England, defendant. The action was brought to recover the amount of a bill of exchange, drawn by Mr. John Maydwell the elder, and Mr. John Maydwell the younger, payable to their own order, directed to, and accepted of, by the faid Mr. Vickery, which bill had originally been obtained by one Nixon, without a valuable confideration, and only indorfed by John Maydwell the younger, one of the drawers: the question therefore to be determined was, whether the bill in that ftate was negociable? when the jury were clearly of opinion the plaintiff ought not to recover, the bill, with only one indorfement, not being negociable; which opinion the judge immediately entered in his book and read to the jury. By this important decifion it is fettled, that where two perfons not in partnership draw a bill of exchange, they muft both indorfe it before they can negociate the fame.

4. A petition was prefented to the houfe of commons from the city of Gloucefter, complaining of the prefent circulation of counterfeit copper.

Another petition was prefented from the electors of the ancient town and borough of Southwark, which fet forth the prefent difproportioned and inadequate reprefentation of the commons, and the unconftitutional duration of parliaments.

5. Paffed the great-feal a grant to the right hon. Ford Thurlow, of an annuity of 2,680l. per annum.

Was decided at Guildhall, before lord Mansfield and a fpecial jury, a caufe wherein merchants and underwriters are materially interested. The cafe was, feveral fhips were left behind at Jamaica, through a mistake, by the unfortunate convoy

which fuffered fo feverely in September laft; the Glorieux of 74 guns, was alfo left behind, and the thips at the ifland took the opportunity of the Glorieux's failing, to follow the fleet, which they joined, before they got through the Gulf of Mexico, where the mafters of the merchant veffels went immediately on board the admiral's fhip, to get failing orders, which they had not before received. In the ftorm which afterwards happened many of thefe fhips were loft, and others taken, which the underwriters refused to pay for, the policies being warrant ed to fail from Jamaica with convoy, which they alledged was not done, as the Glorieux was a chance fhip, and not regularly appointed for that purpose by the admiral on that station; and though this fhip, when joined, conftituted part of the convoy, yet the jury gave a verdict in favour of the underwriters, agree. ing, that joining a fleet at fea, and then receiving failing inftructions, was a deviation from the policy warranted with convoy, let the junction be made under any circumftances whatever.

7. The following malefactors were carried in a cart from Newgate, and executed at Tyburn, viz. John Merchant, James 6mith, and John Kelly.

Ended Winchefter affizes, at which 21 prifoners received fentence of death.

A petition of the freeholders and other principal inhabitants of the county of Cornwall; and alfo

A petition from the borough of Penryn, in the county of Cornwall, for a more equal reprefentation in parliament, were presented to the houfe of commons.

8. The ports of Dover and Calais were opened for paffengers to and from Great Britain and France.

10. A petition from the freeholders of the county of Surry; alfo

A petition from the inhabitants of Scarborough; and alfo

A petition from the freeholders of the county of Nottingham, were feverally prefented to the house of commons, complaining of the prefent inadequate reprefentation of the people in parliament.

12. A court of aldermen was held at Guildhall, when James Sanderfon, Efq. was elected alderman of the ward of Bridge within, in the room of Thomas Woolridge.

Two petitions from the gentlemen of the county of Flint were presented to the house of commons on the unequal representation.

13. The West India merchants prefented an addrefs on the peace to his majefty.

An exprefs arrived in town from Portsmouth, with an account of the crews of the Speedy and Marquis de Seignally floops of war (which were appointed to convoy the outwardbound fleets to the Weft-Indies) having mutinied, and refused to proceed on that voyage.

At the affizes held at Cambridge, before Mr. Baron Eyre, George Mean was tried for the murder of Mr. George Cooper, and condemned to be hanged.

A letter from Liverpool, dated March 13, after mentioning the lofs of the Count Belgiofo Eaft Indiaman off Dublin Bay, adds, all on board perifhed (147 perfons.) She was one of the richeft fhips ever failed from Liverpool, not lefs in value than 130,000 dollars on board, befides a great value in ginfeng, bale goods, and 300 tons of lead: and as a great part of the cargo was very weighty, little was expected to be fifhed up.

14. Twenty-five public and pri