Hiftorical Chronicle, January 1747:

Extract of a Letter from Cape Breton, dated October 3.

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Am forry I loft the first opportunity of writing from this place, which is called St John's. A Capt. Scot brought us hither, and immediately upon landing our men we met with a terrible misfortune, for whilft they were mowing grafs to make hay for a few cattle we had procured, a party of Indians came out of the woods, deftroyed and took all our men except three, who faved themselves by swiming, and one woman, who was murdered in the fight of her husband. Thefe wild people are encouraged by the French to these defperate undertakings, by a reward for what they call fcalping the Englifb. [Scalping is cutting the fkin from the eyebrows round the head and peeling it off, and the French give them a reward of three pounds fterling for each fcalp.] We loft fixty head of oxen and milch cows, thirty calves, two hundred fheep, fifty horfes, ninety pigs, feven fwivel guns mounted on timber, two hundred cartriges of grape fhot, thirty D ftand of fmall arms, and ammunition in proportion, twenty-feven foldiers, and feven failors. When the Indians made their first appearance, Capt. Scot was that moment going on fhore, but was prevented by their fire, by which he and fome more of us efcaped being maflacred. A flag of truce was fent by the French to governor Knotules, that he might redeem fuch as were wounded and taken prifoners; upon which Capt. Scot was fent on a fecond command, but is not yet returned.

Extract of a Letter from Antigua, dated November 9.

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E have juft now the agreeable news, that St Bartholomew, an ifland ten leagues to the northward of St Chriftophers, is taken by two privateers belonging to this ifland, called the Fitz-Roy and the Knowles. They have fecured about three hundred negroes, two hundred of which are this moment arrived here in the two floops. A fortification is already made on the island in order to keep and fecure it, and 70 men are left in it. The flocps will return in a day, to bring off the remaining flaves, as well as fecure the conquest. -There is a very good harbour in the

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ifland, from whence the enemy greatly annoyed our trade, and have taken, fince the commencement of the war, above 50 fail of merchant fhips, and carried them there, till they could have an and conftantly fitted out and refreshed opportunity to carry thein to Martinico; themfelves in this port. The privateer's had on board when they attack'd it only 185 men; yet they have made near 400 white people prifoners, 140 of whom are fit to bear arms. The French were

fo fuddenly attack'd, that they had not time to defend themfelves. Ten men of the privateers were killed and one wounded; of the enemy only one was wounded. It is an aftonishing affair that these people have been fuffer'd to fubfift fo long, as their privateers were daily making captures: however it gives much fatisfaction to find, that our privateers have render'd fo great a piece of fervice to the leeward islands; and hope they will be able to support it.

-The Fitzroy and Knowles have alfo brought in four French privateers, which makes fix they have taken fince my last; one of which had 12 carriage guns, 12 fwivels, and 30 men.

FRIDAY 2.

His royal highness the D. of Cumberland, arriv'd at St James's from Holland. -He was convoy'd from Holland in one of the royal yachts by the Bridgwater, and put to fea with a fair wind at eaft, but by the ignorance of the Dutch pi lots, who fteer'd a wrong course, got among the thoals and bad hard banks that lie off Dunkirk and Gravelin; the yacht was in 14 feet water, and capt. Knowles in the man of war, ftruck upon the Polder, 8 miles from Gravelin, to faid a little before, they expected to fee the great furprize of the pilots, who the north foreland light; fo that had it blown hard, or been hazy weather, fays the writer of this account, we had all been drown'd, or in half an hour more running the fame courfe, run afhore, near Gravelin, and fo have been made prifoners in France.

At the quarterly general meeting of the governors and guardians of the foundling hofpital, the treafurer receiv'd 1000/. the benefaction of an unknown perfon, and 270/. in gifts and fubfcriptions, befides feveral annual fubfcriptions. Commodore Legg, in the capt. of 70 guns, with the Sunderland and Dragon, 60 guns cach, failed from St

Helens,

The commons have confider'd the H anfwer of Simen Ld Lovat to the asticles exhibited agamft him by the Enights, citizens and burgeiles allem

HISTORICAL CHRONICLE.

Jy paid his fine of 500l. to be excus'd from ferving that office. [See Hift. Chron. Dec. Taft, and the Ode p. 38.]

WEDNESDAY 14.

Wm Whitacre, Efq; upon a fcrutiny against John Tuff, Efq; was declared duly elected alderman of Lime-street ward, in the room of Sir Robert Willimot, deceas'd, by a majority of five.

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Was held a court martial on board the duke at Portsmouth, adm. Byng prefident, to enquire into the lofs of the Panther arm'd veffel, when capt. Bromfield, the commander, was honourably acquit-B ed: the mafter was muleted all his pay, and fent on board one of his majelty's hips at Spithead; the mate alfo was muleted all his pay, and fent on board another fhip to be try'd with feveral of the crew, at another court-martial, for deferting after the fhip was caft away.

FRIDAY 16.

The pay of the difbanded horfe guards was fettled at the war office; that the officers fhall have their pay till provided for in other regiments, the old men to have a fhilling a day during life, thofe that chufe to quit the fervice 30/ and those that chufe to enter into other regiments 10. per ann. till provided for. Each trooper of Honeywood's horfe that chofe to quit rather than ferve as a dragoon, had 31. for his horfe, his cloaths and boots.

WEDNESDAY 21.

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guilty of high treafon; then the L. C. Juftice Willes paffed fentence of death on thefe two, Alexander Mackenzie, Henry Moir, and Robert Moir; the court fix'd their execution for Feb. 13 next, and adjourn'd to Feb. 16.

MONDAY 26.

Beef and mutton fold in Smithfield market for 225. per Cwt, and pork at 225. 10d. and oats for fhipping, at bearkey, at 6s. 9d. per quarter.

THURSDAY 29.

At a court of common council at

Guildhall, it was unanimoufly refolved to prefer a petition against the bill now depending în parliament, for the naturalization of foreign proteftants.-The argument for it is-to fill our island with induftrious people; that against it, our manufacturers will then want work.

FRIDAY 30.

CA new tax is propofed, and will very probably take effect, by which, for every coach, landau, chariot, calafl, chaife, chaife-marine, chaife with 4 wheels, caravan kept by any perfon for his or her own ufe, or let out to hire, fhall be paid 41. yearly. For every chaife with two wheels, or chair, fhall be paid 2/. hearfes and itage coaches to be excepted. -On every houfe that fhall be erected 25. yearly every window, every house inhabited containing 10 windows or upwards and lefs than 15, 6d. above 15 and lefs than 20, 9d. and 20 or upwards, 15. each.

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Were executed at Tyburn, Felix and Anthony Mathews, haymakers, Barnaby E Linday, a boy of 16 for highway robberies; Samuel Mecum for burglary; Philip Jewel, for fhoplifting; Robert Fitzgerald, for uttering a forged bill of exchange; Richard Clay and John Mathews, for burglary.-Peter de la Fountain, for publishing a forged bill of exchange, was order'd for tranfportation for life; John Pigeon, for ftealing a filver watch, and Robert Radwell, for horseftealing were reprieved.

THURSDAY 22.

The houfe of peers appointed Feb. 23 for the tayal of the lord Lovat in Westminster hall.

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At a general court of the S. S. com- G pany, a dividend of 2 per cent. on the capital flock was declar'd for the last year due at Christmas laft, payable Feb. 23.

Strode,

Buchan,

Ingram,

Lord Howe,
Capt. Draper,
Wells,
Furbar,
Cary,
Frederick,

Sheldon,
Whitwell,
Cholmley.

His royal highness the duke of Cumberland is prefented by the provoft and magiftrates of Edinburgh with the freedom of that city.

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A fpecial free pardon pass'd the great feal to William Murray of Taymond, Elq; of all treafons and inifprifions of treafon, by him committed before Dec. laft.

Some hundreds of hides were unfold at Leadenhall market, because the owners could not fwear that the beasts were found.

A butcher was convicted at Norwich on the 10th, of expofing a calfskin to fale without a certificate, and paid 10%. half to the poor, and half to the informer. [See the form of certificates, in laft Suppl.]

Fewer fhips, by 500, were cleared from the port of London for foreign parts in the year 1746 than in 1745. 1,291,000 ounces of foreign filver coin were imported this month for the fervice of the E. India company.

Further particular grants (fee Dec. p. 667.)
To the Q. of Hungary, to maintain
65,000 men in the low countries 1. 433,333

To the K. of Sardinia
For 13,000 Hanoverian foot and
5,000 horfe

300,000

400,000

10,000

For artillery for ditto.
*More than last year (See Vol. XVI. p. 396.)
Extract of a Letter from Newcastle, Jan 24.

On the 7th Geo. Stephenfon, Efq; of Gate fhead, was chofen mafter of our Trinity houfe. On the 8th dy'd Capt. Nicholas Burdon, three times mafter of the faid houfe, who (with Antb. Harrifon, Abrabam Dixon, and Ulrick Whitfield,Efqrs) is the fourth gentleman of this town, who dy'd lately worth near 40.000l. each.

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On the roth at night Lieut. Melvil and Enfign Reynolds of Chelmondeley's regiment, being in company with other gentlemen, the enE fign more than once, drank damnation to all Scotcbmen, which occafioning high words between them, they were fent home under an ar reft. But next morning the enfign fent to the lieutenant to meet him, who return'd, that he might come to his room; he did fo, with a pair of loaded piftols, and they foon went off he was thot thro' the body, and the licut. went off, F ordering the people to fend for a furgeon. A jury gave their verdict on it Manflaughter.

Extract of a Letter from Chelmsford,

Ovell at High- Eafter, 8 miles from

NE of the carpenters who dug a

this town, in November laft, relates, that for 20 feet, the foil was a chalky clay, and they then came to a blackish earth, which lafted 24 feet more, in which a piece of oar was found, about 18 feet deep, a foot fquare and an inch thick; no water yet appear'd. At 38 feet they began to bore, and boring

feet, came to a fandy gravel fo hard that the earth-bit would not penetrate: They heard a noife, like water, and put fome into the hole they had bored to foften the ground, which immediately

bubbled with a confiderable noife; and continued fo till they dug down to the gravel, which was as hot as a horfe-dunghill, they bored 11 fect more, when a fulphureous fmoak coming up the hole, they poured more water into it, and that bubbled as before and made a great noife, like a water mill wheel. The mafter, finding himfelf faint, made the fignal and wasd rawn up; then the fervant who did not stay to take the tools; his face and hands were black, and he was almost dead; but foon recover'd again in the open air. -No water came into the well, but a ftrong wind up the hole, which continued 'till next morning, when it burst up in fo furious a torrent that it threw up fome of the fandy gravel and stones feveral feet above the mouth; and for about a minute fhook the farm-house and the ground all about it very much. -After this three cats being fucceffively let down, and drawn up, one dyed, and lighted candles being no fooner put into the well but they were extinguished, they left off working for a fortnight; in which time the noise abating by degrees, and candles let down coming up alight, the workmen ventur'd down for their tools and bored again, the noife began as before, and continued till they bored three feet, the inftrument dropp'd down a foot and a half, as into a hollow place; then the noife ceafed, and they came to a hard gravel again, which broke their inftrument and prevented their proceeding. -The tenant reports that he heard the like noife again in the well about a fortnight ago, but it continued but a little time.

A DESCRIPTION of the Town and Harbour of Louifbourgh, on the land of CAPE BRETON, in Lat45, 55. Long. $2, 47; Weft from the Meridian of the Lizard. [See the plan of this town and port, at the top of the Map of New France, &c. of January Magazine. HE town is built on a point towards the South Eaft fea; the ftreets are re

TH Gular and broad compofed mofily of stone houfes, with a large parade a finall diftance from the citadel, the infide of which is a hne fquare 200 feet each way; the North fide of the fquare was, when the French poffefa'd it, the governor's house and church, the other three fides are taken up with barracks, bomb-proof in which place the Freneb put their women and of the town is from the citadel to the ftone children during the fiege The greatest extent gate, called the Duke de Pentbieure, which is more than half an English mile; and to walk round all the rampart, which a mounted

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HISTORICAL CHRONICLE:

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MArtin FetherstonHaugh, Efq; marry'd to the only daughter of late Chriß. Letbiculier of Belmont, Efq; JAN. 1. Conyers, Efq;to Lady Fermor, daughter to the E. Pomfret. H 2. Ths. Clargis, Efq;to a fifter of Ld Vic, Barrington.

Antomy Sawyer, Eiq; late deputy paymaf