"The early marks of trust and confidence, which you repofe in me by this addrefs, give me the greatest fatisfaction. "You may be affured, that I have nothing more at heart, than to put, as foon as poffible, fuch an end to the prefent troubles, as may be confiftent with the good of my people, the fecurity of my allies, and the honour and true interests of my kingdoms." Nov. 18. As a farmer of Rainton, in the county of York, was digging a hole to preferve potatoes in from the froft, about two yards in the ground, he found the back bone of a large fish, petrified, also a bunch of leaves, both very hard; and among other things, a wifp of ftraw, each straw turned to a very hard ftone, much like the ftones in the neighbouring grounds. The ftraws were united together, but not very clofe, with a kind of fand which crumbles betweeen the fingers. The whole mafs was very near as heavy as its bulk of lead would be. Capt. Moore, who brought the news of the late victory, was an hour in the King's prefence, who expreffed great fatisfaction at his narrative of the affair, and fent an order to the Treasury for 500l. clear of all fees, to be paid him for bringing the good news. Nov. 26. Three priests were feized in a Holland floop, with commiffions from the Pretender about them, and two brought from Yorkshire, in cuftody, under a file of musketeers. Nov. 27. liament to prevent frivolous and vexatious arrefts. A claufe was to be added to prevent vexatiouslaw-faits, and removing causes under 10/. from the inferior courts. A bill was ordered into Par Alfo for naturalizing foreign Proteftants. of the duty on glass and spirituous liquors' Ordnance office expence, land fervice not provided for For ordnance for land fervice, 1748 Ways and means in part. The malt bill, &c. brought in Loan by fubfcription 159,565 342,064 750,000 6,000,000 Dr. Pearce, dean of Winchester, and rector of St. Martin in the Fields, elected bishop of Bangor, in the room of Right rev. Dr. Hutton, tranflated to the archbishoprick of York. Robert Nugent of Gosfield-ball, Effex, efq. and member for St. Marys, comptroller of the prince of Wales's houshold, in the room of Viscount Donerayle, lord of the bedchamber, in the room of the earl of Darnley, deccafed. William Stanhope, efq. receiver general of the window-tax in Kent, in the room of Wilkinfen, efq. deceased. Dec. I. A violent ftorm happened, which blew down trees in St. James's park, overfet boats in the Thames, by which feveral perfons were drowned, and did a great deal of damage to the fhipping on the coafts of England and Holland; nine English fhips were loft, and many forced on fhore, among them the Nympha, a very rich prize, taken by the Royal Family privateers, at Beachy bead; but the gold on board her, with other valuable effects, were faved. Multitudes having flocked thither for plunder, feveral perished with the cold on the fhore, and in their way homeward, many more were taken up as dead, but recovered by warm beds; a woman was found dead with two children crying by her but the plundering was was foon ftopped; Mr. Belchier, member The right hon. John lord Delawar, lieu- Dec. 2. Were apprehended at Scarbo efq. were made aids-de-camp to his Majefty. John Folliott, efq. lieut. gov. of Kinfale and Charles fort, in that kingdom. Charles Rainsford, efq. major of the garrifon in the Tower of London, in room of Richard White, efq. deputy to the lieut. of the Tower of London, in the room of general Williamfon, deceased. Dec. 16. A petition was prefented by the fheriffs of London, in behalf of themfelves, and the court of Lord Mayor, aldermen, &c. to the Houfe of Commons, against the bill for a general naturalization of foreign Proteftants; which reprefents, "That it will occafion the decrease, if not total lofs of the duties of package, scavage, portage, and balliage of the goods of foreign merchants: that it is more likely to increase the poverty, than add to the wealth of this nation; for that neither the rich nor the induftrious foreigners need fuch inducement, as the latter never want encouragement, not the former the very privilege in queftion, when they apply for it to Parliament: that a like law was attempted in the reign of the late king William, but was rejected, on fuch national confiderations as it is prefumed can never escape the attention, nor lofe the regard of the House: that the experiment being the reign of the late queen Anne, it was found fo detrimental to the public interest, that it was shortly after repealed, and not without fome reflections on the mifchief it had produced and that as a naturalization cannot convey to foreigners a true knowledge of our happy conftitution in church and flate, or give them fuch zeal and affection for it as may be requifite for maintaining and defending it; and as those who have grown up under arbitrary government, may be fittest to answer arbitrary purposes, too much caution cannot be ufed in a matter of fo great importance; and therefore pray the bill may not país into a law." rough, by a warrant from the earl of Chef-made, by paffing a law for that purpose, in Lord Robert Manners and John Mofiyn, Dec. 18. Eneas Macdonald was brought to the bar at the court-houfe, Southwark, and the Attorney General having moved that fentence might be pronounced against him, he delivered a paper into court, defiring it might be read, (which was done) declaring that he had ufed no fubterfuge on his trial; that his witneffes were men of credit, who proved him to be in France many years; that he was fent out of this country without his knowledge; and if he had acted against the laws of it, it was through through ignorance. Then the lord chief juftice Lee pronounced fentence of death for the 15th of January, and the court adjourned to Feb. 15. The account of the difpofal of the money granted laft feffion unto Dec. 15, 1747, and of the difpenditure of the fum of 500,000l. granted to enable his Majefty to carry on the war, chargeable on the first aids next feffion, being referred to the committee, it was refolved, that there be granted to discharge the faid fum 500,000l. To make good the deficiencies in 1747, not above 571,8271. 18s. 7d. From the 12th to the 20th of December, there was in Ruffia a more fevere froft than ever was in the memory of man known, even in that country, before; fo that on the 19th, the cold exceeded by twenty degrees the utmoft feverity of the cold in Holland in 1739-40. Above 100 persons were frozen to death in the streets at Petersburgb; and in many of the villages in the more northern parts, every living creature was frozen to death, notwithstanding fome of the people were in their furs and ftove-rooms, which always used to prevent the effects of the most intenfe cold. Dec. 20. One of his Majesty's meffengers arrived exprefs from the earl of Hindford at Petersburgh, with the treaty figned by the emprefs of Ruffia, for the immediate march of 30,000 Ruffian troops for Flanders. Dec. 26. A proclamation was ordered for obferving a general faft throughout England and Scotland, on Wednesday the 17th of Feb. Dec. 29. His Majefty's royal annual bounty of 1000l. was diftributed to poor houfe-keepers of the parishes of St. Margaret's, Weftminster, St. John the Evangelift, St. Martin's in the Fields, St. Paul's, Covent-Garden, St. Clement's Dean, St. Mary le Strand, St. James's, St. Anne's, and St. George's, Hanover-fquare. A lift of Spanish and French fhips of war, taken, loft, funk, burnt or deftroyed, fince the commencement of the war. Spanish ships of war taken. The Glorious taken 08. 1747, by the Guns. 74 2 The Princeffa, taken April, 1740, by the Kent, Lenox, and Orford 68 3. taken by the Worcester after feventeen hours engagement 70 60 or 70 4 Invincible, burnt Jan. 1742, at the Havannab 5 6 7 caft away, July 1741, off Santa Martha, following commodore Anfon when he doubled cape Horn another loft on the fame errand, (force not faid) The Fuerte loft, Jan. 1742, on the islands of Cayos, endeavouring to make prifoners the crew of the Tyger, a British man of war of 50 guns, loft there 8 The Africa deftroyed, April 1741, at Cartbagena 9 San Carlos, ditto 20 Seven galleons, ditto. 22 St. Antonio, Oct. 1743 23 Poder burnt, Feb. 1743, in the engagement in the Mediterranean 24 The Acapulco fhip, taken by commodore Anfon, June 1742, carriage and swivel guns 25 Fort de Nantz, a galleon, taken Jan. 1746 26 a galleon, taken May 1746. 31 Five gailies burnt, June 1742, at St. Tropez, by the Duke firefhip. 32 Condé de Chincon taken, March 1744, by the Ripon cefter 24 taken, 0.7. 1741, by the Wor 33 34 Aftrea taken, Nov. 1739, at Porto Bello 35 Triumph taken ditto 37 38 40 two floops deftroyed at Fort Chagre, March 1739. 24 20 20 a floop taken by the Sea-borfe 16 two floops taken March 1744 and 08. 1745. 41 The Garland's prize French fhips of war taken, Sc. 1 St. Efprit, after engaging the Jer. fey of 60 guns two hours and a half, Aug. 1745, bore away for Cadiz, and was faid to fink next day 2 Fleuron burnt, Jan. 1745, at Breß 3 Vigillant taken, June 1743, off Cape Breton 13 74 68 64 6 An Eaft India fhip homeward bound, taken by the Leoftoff, Aug. 1744. 10 9 Three China fhips, Dauphin, Hercules, 14 an outward bound Eaft India fhip, 15 a fhip from Surat, taken by the Prefton, May 1746. The next nine by advices in Auguft, 1746. 16 The Aimable Maria. 17 The Mahomet, from Manilla. 18 Le Heureux, from Surat. 19 Duplex, from Boffeuren. 20 Cardanagore, from 21 Cefar, from Pondicherrey. 23 two pilot floops from Bengal. 26 Phillibert, 30 guns. Camb. &Hunt. John Partheriche, efqa Northumberland, Nicholas Brown, efq. By admirals Anfon Warwickshire, Sir Edward Broughton, bart. and Warren, May 1747. 30 Vigilante, 22 guns. 31 Modefte, 22 guns. The last 6 outward- Indiaman of 30 guns, 195 men, 700 2 Marquis d' Antix, 24 guns, 450 tons, ditto. 3 Notre Dame de Deliverance, 22 guns, taken Aug. 1745. 4 Superbe, outward-bound, 36 guns, and 5 The Hector, 28 guns, 56 men, 600 tons, N. B. Several of the dates are not the precife Sheriffs appointed for the year enfuing. Wiltshire, Thomas Phipps, efq. Brecknockshire, David Davies, efq. Appointed by the prince of Wales. Dec. 23. A moft terrible fire broke out at the Court-house at Bofton in New England, whereby that fpacious and beautiful building, except the bare walls, was entirely destroyed; as were the province records, books, papers, plans, pictures, and furniture. But through the mercy of God, the county records and the minutes of the council, from the begin ning to 1737, were faved in the lower apartments. An |