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CHRONICLE.

17th.

JANUARY.

AT

T ten at night the whole nave of Chelmsford church fell in with a great crash : fortunately no perfon was paffing by at the time. The ruins feemed to threaten the chancel, by falling in it. An infcription, in white ftone Gothic letters, nine inches long, inlaid in flints and hard mortar, in relievo, on the outfide of the wall of the fouth aile, juft under the battlements, fets forth that this building was erected, by the contribution of the townfmen, in 1424.

General Washington's funeral was celebrated, on the eighteenth of December, with every mark of honour and regret fo juftly due to his virtues. A great multitude of perfons affembled at mount Vernon, to pay their laft melancholy duty to this diftinguished man. His corple lay in ftate in the portico. On the ornament, at the head of the coffin, was infcribed Surge ad Judicium; about the middle of the coffin, Gloria Deo; and on the filver plate, General George Washington, departed this life on the fourteenth of December, '99, Æt. 68."

The prince of Wales has made a prefent of a Scotch horn, very beauifully mounted in gold, with a Scotch pebble at the top, to the VOL. XLII.

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marquis of Huntley, as a proof of his esteem, for the very gallant conduct of that young nobleman in Holland. There is an infcription on the lid, in Erfe, to the following purport: "The fon of the king, to his friend the fon of the duke of Gordon."

21ft. Between the hours of ten and eleven at night, a terrible fire broke out in Bramah's manufactory of engines and patent locks, in Eaton-street, Pimlico, which, in a fhort time, deftroyed the whole building, being made of wood.

22d. Exeter. Between the evening of Saturday laft and the Monday morning following, a moft daring robbery was committed on the city bank, fituated in the church-yard of this city, and conducted under the firm of Samuel Milford and Co. the circumftances of which are as follow: the bank was fhut at the ufual hour, on Saturday evening, and the cash, bank notes, drafts, &c. were depofited in an iron cheft, in an inner room of the bank; after which, the five keys were depofited at the dwelling-houfe of Samuel Milford, efq. one of the proprietors. On the Monday morning following, the clerks, having opened the bank as ufual, found every door, &c. locked, as it had been left; but were astonished to perceive that all B

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the property, depofited in the ironcheft, had been flolen. An alarm was immediately given, and feveral perfons were examined; but, as yet, nothing has tranfpired which may ' tend to difcover the perpetrators of this theft. Bills have been diftributed defcribing the marks, &c. on the notes loft; and it is hoped, from the fteps which have been taken, the villains concerned in this robbery will be difcovered, and brought to condign punishment. The amount of the caih and notes of different kinds, which are ftolen, is about 70001. but payment of the greatest part of the bills. has been ftopped. What renders this robbery the more remarkable, is, that the iron cheft, where the property was depofited, has a lock of peculiar formation; the aperture to which cannot be difcovered by a perfon unacquainted with its nature; yet this, and every other, lock must have been opened, fhut again, and no force appears to have been used to effect it.

A fire broke out in a lodginghoufe in Gofwell-ftreet; and an oftler's wife, carrying her two children under her arm, was obliged to drop them in getting out of a window, and they both perifhed.

25th. The form, laft night, blew down the remains of king John's caftle, at Old Ford, near Bow. This ancient pile was built in 1203, and was the refidence of king John. Here, hiftorians fay, he plotted the death of prince Arthur; here he entertained the Brabançon chiefs; and here he ufually flept, after having figned Magna Charta. This palace was firft mutilated during the civil wars of Charles I. About forty years ago the chapel fell, and

ten years afterwards two wings tumbled down. It is now all levelled. The ground belongs to the Blue-coat fchool. Some curious coins, &c. have been difcovered in the ruins.

The exact report of the number of prifoners, under the charge of the French commiflary, December 21, 1799, the day when they were delivered over to the tranfport-board, the confular government refufing to provide for them any longer, is as follows: Plymouth Portsmouth Liverpool Stapleton Chatham Yarmouth

Edinburgh Norman Crofs

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7,477 10,128

2,298

693

1,754

50

208

3,038

25,646

31ft. This evening, about half paft feven, a fire broke out at the fugar-houfe belonging to Meffrs. Freake and Endelman, in Thamesfircet. In about two hours this large and lofty building was entirely confumed. The Caftle-Baynard-Ward affociation attended, under arms, to prevent depredations.

DIED. At Wolfenbuttle, after a fhort illnefs, field-marfhal de Caftries, formerly minifter of the marine in France. He had acquired much reputation, as a soldier, in the feven years war, and fhewed talents for adminiftration during the time he was minifter of marine. He enjoyed, in an eminent degree, the confidence of Louis XVIII. The duke de Caftries, his fon, is colonel of a regiment in our pay, which is now in Portugal.

FEB

FEBRUARY.

11th. A fire broke out between fix and feven o'clock this evening, at Lingham's brandy and fugar warehouses, in Lower Thamesftreet. The flames extended with great fury to the furrounding houfes, particularly the cuftomhoufe, which feemed to be in great danger It is computed to have deftroyed property of above 300,0007. in value. Of this, a large proportion confifted in prize goods, depofited in the warehouse by government. The flames communicated to fome fmall houfes in Gloucefter-court, behind the warehoufe, and deftroyed four or five of them. The wind blew fresh from the eastward, and the fire raged tremendously for fome time. The weather-cock at the top of the cuftom-houfe, which is on the other fide of the street, was twice on fire, as well as the frames of the windows; and two fhips in the river, that lay off Bear-wharf, were damaged materially by the flames communicating to their rigging. Happily, however, about twelve at the night, the whole was got under, and no lives loft.

A bill, juft paffed into a law, for regulating the fale of bread, enacts, "That it fhall not be lawful for any baker or other perfon or perfons, refiding within the cities of London and Westminster, and the bills of mortality, and within ten miles of the Royal Exchange, after the 26th day of February, 1800, or refiding in any part of Great Britain, after the 4th day of March, 1800, to fell, or offer to expofe to fale, any bread, until the fame fhall have been baked twenty-four hours at the leaft; and every baker, or

other perfon or perfons, who fhall act contrary hereto, or offend herein, fhall, for every offence, forfeit and pay the fum of 51. for every loaf of bread fo fold, offered, or exposed to fale."

On Saturday, February 8, the duke de Montpenfier and the count de Beaujelais, the younger brothers of the duke of Orleans, arrived at their refidence in Sackville-ftreet, from Clifton, where one of them had been confined feveral days by illness. The duke of Orleans had arrived in town three days before; and his first visit was made to Monfieur, of whom he had requested an audience. On Thursday, the duke waited on his royal highnels, and being introduced into his closet, he addreffed him by saying, "that he had come to afk forgivenefs for all his faults, which he hoped would be forgotten. They were the effect of error, and were chiefly to be attributed to the evil councils of an intriguing woman, (madame de Genlis) who had been intrusted with the care of his education." He added "that he was ready to fhed the laft drop of his blood in the reparation of his errors, and in defence of the rights of his lawful fovereign. My brothers (continued he) whom I have left indifpofed at at Clifton, participate in my fentiments, and will haften to offer to your royal highne's the fame proteftations of repentance. Monfieur then embraced the duke and replied, " that he had no doubt of the fincerity of the profeffions he had juft heard. He received them with pleasure; but he recommended to the duke to repeat them to the king himfelf, and he thould have great fatisfaction in forwarding his letters to Mittau." As foon as this converfation

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verfation had ended, Monfieur and the duke went into the drawing room, where were assembled several emigrants of the firft diftinction, before whom the duke of Orleans begged leave alfo to make a recantation of his errors. He then expreffed his with to fee his uncle, the duke de Bourbon; the intended vifit was foon after made, and a reconciliation took place in the fame manner as with Monfieur. On Friday, the duke of Orleans again waited on Monfieur with the letter to Louis XVIII. at Mittan, which was forwarded on the fame evening. Monfieur recommended that another fhould be written, figned by each of the three brothers; and in ftill ftronger terms, which the duke promised to fee executed, immediately, on their coming to town.

The throne of Tippoo, worth 60,000 pagodas, has been broken up.

The fultan's private ftud confifted of 3,120 horfes, 99 elephants, and 175 camels. There were 650 women, including his wives, &c. in the palace, which is faid to have been miferably furnished. Several tigers, which had been kept in a yard, were ordered to be hot, to prevent accidents. The English, who had been kept in captivity by Tippoo, were, two days previous to the affault, brought out, and ordered to work the guns against the befiegers, which refufing to do, their heads were ftruck off.

19th. At a meeting of the mayor, aldermen, and liverymen of the city of London, in common-hall affembled, confifting of upwards of 2000 perfons, it was refolved, by a vaft majority, "That a petition be prefented to the hon. the house of commons, upon the prefent fituation of public affairs, praying them to take

fuch measures as they may think proper towards promoting an imme. diate negociation with the govern ment of France, for the purpose of reftoring to his majefty's fubjects the bleffings of peace." And a petition being prepared agreeably to the faid refolution, was read and agreed to; and the reprefentatives of the city were inftructed to fupport the fame in the house of com mons.

20th. Four convicts, Abbot, for forgery on the bank; Chapman, Jones, and Hall, for a burglary, in the Minories, were executed before the debtors' door, at Newgate, pur fuant to their fentences. Abbot, who appeared about 19 years of age, behaved with becoming propriety, Jones and Hall appeared penitent and refigned to their fate: but Chapman difplayed inftances of the moft abandoned depravity. On his being brought out to mount the fcaffold, he leaped up the fteps that led to it, and then, inftead of attending to the clergyman, nodded to the females that appeared in the windows oppofite; laughed at them fometimes immoderately; kicked off his fhoes, one to the right, and the other to the left, amongst the crowd that came to witness his difgraceful end; and, in fhort, did every thing that he thought could prove his contempt of death.

DIED. 5th. At Iddefley parfonage, Devonshire, the rev. William Talker, author of An Ode to the Warlike Genius of Great Britain; Elegy on the Death of Garrick; Poems, 4to. 1779; the Carmen Seculare of Horace tranflated; Ode to the Memory of the Bishop of Sodor and Man; Odes of Horace and Pindar tranflated, 8vo. 1780; Annus Mirabilis, or the Eventful

Year,

Year, 1782; Arviragus, a Tragedy, acted at Exeter; A Series of Letters on the Wounds and Deaths related in the Iliad, Æneid, and Pharfalia, &c. 12mo. 1798; and fome other performances. He appears to have lived in distressed circumftances.

23d. At Wickham, Hants, of which he was rector, and prebendary of Winchefter, aged 78, the rev. Jofeph Warton, D. D. F. R. S. elder brother of Thomas Warton, who died May 21, 1790. Jofeph was born about 1722; admitted of Oriel college; proceeded M. A. by diploma, 1759; B. and D. D. 1768; elected head-mafter of Winchester college, where he had received his education, and which he refigned 1793, and was fucceeded by Mr. Goddard; and rector of Upham, Hants, 1792, in the gift of the bihop of Winchester. His earlieft publication was "An Ode on readWeft's Pindar, 1749," followed by other fort poems, among which is "The Enthufiaft, or Lover of Nature." In 1746, when B. A. "Odes on feveral Subjects," Svo, In 1756, without his name, the "Effay on the Writings and Genius of Pope, vol I.;" and, in 1782, the fecond, volume, of which the firft 200 pages were printed 20 years before publication, in 1753. The Works of Virgil, in English verfe; the Eneid, tranflated by the rev. Mr. Chriftopher Pitt, the Eclogues and Georgics, by Mr. Jofeph Warton; with feveral new Obfervations, by Mr. Holdfworth, Mr. Spence, and others," &c. &c. in

ing

vol. 8vo. ; dedicated to fir George (afterwards lord) Lyttelton. With the merit of Mr. Pitt's verfion of the Aneid the world is well ac

quainted.

Of Dr. Warton's Eclogues and Georgics, it may be faid that they convey the fenfe of their originals with greater exactness and perfpicuity than any other tranflations we have; that their verfification is eafy and harmonious, and their style correct and pure; yet, if read for themselves, they are far inferior, to the fimilar performances of Dryden. In 1797, he committed to the public the labour, as it is faid, of 16 years, his edition of the works of Pope, in 9 vol. 8vo. The expectation which this work had excited, in the literary world, was, in fome meafure, difappointed, on its appearance. It bears marks of hafte unpardonable in fuch an undertaking. The commentary confifts of a selection of the best of Warburton's notes, combined with the correfponding parts of the Eflay on the Writings and Genius of Pope. Notwithstanding, however, various blemishes of ftyle, and ins ftances of the garrulity of age, the notes are ufeful and entertaining, in point of poetical criticifm, illuftration, and anecdotes, and perhaps the beft are thofe from the Effay. Yet, though not fo excellent a work as may be wifhed for, and might have been expected, it is certainly the beft edition of Pope we have, The doctor was twice married; and by his firft wife had one fon, who difappointed his hopes, and was found dead in his father's library, at Winchester - fchool; and feveral daughters. Harriet, the youngest, was married, at Wickham, to Robert Newton Lee, efq. of Bath, 1793. The doctor's vivacity of character, penetrating judgement, informing converfation, and fund of anecdote, will tranfmit him to poB 3

fterity

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