tub. It was made for Mr. Meux, brewer; and will contain 10,000 barrels, the coft of which will be about 30001. Mr. Layton gives fecurity of 2000l. to indemnify Mr. Meux from any lofs that may be fuftained within the firft twelve On a fide-table in the tub was a china bowl, on a mahogany ftand with wheels, which contained twenty-feven gallons and a half of punch.

months.

16th. At nine o'clock in the evening, a gang of twelve men, armed with knives and bludgeons, affembled on Saffron-hill, and, as appears, from a fpirit of wanton barbarity, fell with their bludgeons and knives upon every perfon they met with, many of whom were feverely and dangerously wounded, by ftabs they received on the fide and face. One poor labonring man, who was quietly paffing by them, fell a victim to the cruelties practifed by these defperadocs; for him they purfued; and one of the party gave him a mortal wound in his fide. After he fell, this wretch kicked the poor man, and ftamped upon him, and with the reft of his companions knocked down the gentleman who took the wounded man into his houfe, and demolished his windows. The name of the unfortunate man was Jordan Hofty: he was taken to St. Bartholomew's hofpital, where he lingered a fhort time, and died. On Friday night two of the gang were taken in Holborn, Armitrong and Jones, who were on Saturday examined at Bow-ftreet, and were by feveral perfons fworn to have been very active in the above fhocking tranfaction that Armstrong was there with a drawn knife in his hand, and, as well as Jones, had a blud

geon, with which they knocked down feveral perfons, who appeared and identified them.

17th. Northampton. This morning about one o'clock, an alarming fire broke out at the Shoulder-ofMutton public-houfe, on the Market-hill in this town, which in a fhort time entirely deftroyed the fame, together with all the furniture, &c. and what is most shocking to relate, out of nine people who were in bed, only one (Henry Marriott, the landlord) efcaped the fury of the flames. The family confifted of the faid Henry Marriott, his wife, and five children, and a man and his wife (lodgers who only came the preceding evening). The fire began in the cellar, where they had been brewing yesterday; and had communicated to the rooms on the firft ftory before it was discovered by the watch, who immediately gave the alarm, but too late to fave the unhappy fufferers.

21ft. Mr. Donadieu on Saturday obtained a verdict in the court of King's Bench, of 501. damages, against the Earl of Barrymore, for an affault on his perfon, laft season at Brighton. When the evidence was clofed, Lord Kenyon left the cafe entirely to the jury. He thought the conduct of fome people of rank in this country a little difgraceful, and fufpected there was fome defect in their education when they were brought into a court of juftice to finish it.

A verdict against his Lordfhip for 4491. was likewife obtained in the fame court by a builder, for erecting the Wargrave theatre before his Lordship came of age. The plea of non-age was done away by fubfequent promifes of payment.

Lord Kenyon lamented that this

young

ture was detected lately at the postoffice in Exeter. A gentleman dropping a letter into the letter-hole, was ftruck at not hearing it drop to the bottom, and on examination a cafe was discovered to have been let down the hole by a ftring, and faftened on the outfide by a piece of watch-fpring. It was, when detected, full of letters, and no doubt contained bills to a very confiderable amount.

27th. Dublin. About half paft four o'clock, the fheet-iron funnel from one of the stoves, either that in the corridore, or that in the hall forming the weftern wing of the Court of Requefts, which paffed through the roof close by the bafe of the great dome of the Senatehoufe, was obferved from the street to be on fire; but no further notice was taken until a few minutes paft five, when the Members in the Houfe of Commons were alarmed by the tumultuous buftle of a number of people paffing and repaffing in feeming confufion before the windows, which, from the bafe of the dome, threw light into the Houfe. Immediately an alarm of fire was given, and the Houfe filling with fmoke, corroborated the alarm. It was thought, however, too trifling to interrupt the business of the Houfe, when one of the Members who had difcerned the fire from the ftreet, and had made his way to the roof, looking down into the house from one of the ventilators, confirmed the apprehenfions of thofe within, by faying the dome was furrounded by fire, and would tumble into the Houfe in five minutes. The fpeaker inftantly put the queftion of adjournment; and all the members ran into the ftreet, where they had the mortification to ob

ferve the flames burfting forth on all fides from the bafe of the dome. In lefs than three quarters of an hour the whole dome was furrounded by a volume of fire, which foon made apertures on all fides, by melting the copper from the woodwork, and thus exhibiting the cavity of the dome filled with flames like a huge furnace. About half past fix the dome, burnt on all fides from its fupporting principles, tumbled into the houfe with one great crafh. The House of Lords, as well as the Commons, was fitting and in debate when the flames first broke out. Engines were brought from all fides; but their approach was fo tardy, and when they did come, the fupply of water fo very fcanty, that the rapidity of the flames baffled all their efforts to prevent the total ruin of the place.

Parties of horse and foot from the garrifon were immediately brought to keep off the populace, and prevent as well plunder to the chambers as interruption to the firemen. The flames, having spent their fury on the House of Commons, fpread their ravages to the rest of the building, and blended every thing fufceptible of combuftion in the common ruin. Happily and providentially the calmnefs of the evening prevented the extenfive mifchief that would otherwife have been inevitable. The valuable library, and all the papers of importance, were faved. For the remainder of the feflion the Houfe of Commons are to do bufinefs in the great room at the west front of the building, which was intended to be appropriated for the parliamentary records.

23d. DIED, Sir Joshua Reynolds, aged 68. The following character of him is the production of Mr.Burke.

His illness was long, but borne with a mild and cheerful fortitude, without the leaft mixture of any thing irritable or querulous, agreeably to the placid and even tenour of his whole life. He had from the beginning of his malady a diftinct view of his diffolution, which he contemplated with that entire compofure which nothing but the innocence, integrity, and usefulness of his life, and an unaffected fubmiffion to the will of Providence, could beftow. In this fituation he had every confolation from family tendernefs, which his affection to his family had always merited. Sir Jofhua Reynolds was, on very many, accounts, one of the most memorable men of his time: he was the firft Englishman who added the praise of the elegant arts to the other glories of his country. In tafte, in grace, in facility, in happy invention, and in the richness and harmony of colouring, he was equal to the great mafters of the renowned ages. In portrait he went beyond them; for he communicated to that defcription of the art in which English artifts are the moft engaged, a variety, a fancy, and a dignity derived from the higher branches, which even those who profeffed them in a fuperior manner did not always preferve when they delineated individual nature. His portraits remind the fpectator of the invention of hiftory, and the amenity of land scape In painting portraits, he appears not to be raised upon that platform, but to defcend to it from a higher sphere. His paintings illuftrate his leffons, and his leffons

feem to be derived from his paintings. He poffeffed the theory as perfectly as the practice of his art. To be fuch a painter, he was a profound and penetrating philofopher.

In full poffeffion of foreign and domeftic fame, admired by the expert in art, and by the learned in fcience, courted by the great, careffed by fovereign powers, and celebrated by diftinguished poets, his native humility, modefty, and candour never forfook him, even ou furprife or provocation; nor was the leaft degree of arrogance or af fumption vifible to the moft fcrutinizing eye, in any part of his conduct or difcourse. His talents of every kind powerful from nature, and not meanly cultivated in letters; his focial virtues, in all the relations and all the habitudes of life, rendered him the centre of a very great and unparalleled variety of agreeable focieties, which will be diffipated by his death. He had too much merit not to excite fome jealousy, too much innocence to provoke any enmity. The lofs of no man of his time can be felt with more fincere, general, and unmixed forrow.

Hail, and Farewell!

The funeral of this great artist and very refpectable man*, was in the highest degree honourable to his character. The following is a brief account of the chief occurrences which attended this honourable teftimony of departed excellence.

The corpfe was brought to the Royal Academy on Friday evening, March 2d, and depofited in the fmaller exhibition - room on the