The triennial Eton festival

17th. was celebrated with great fplendor. Their majesties and the princesses, accompanied by the prince of Wales, went to the college at half past one, when the procession of the young gentlemen began, preceded by the prince of Wales's band of music. Their captain, Mr. Whitfield, being the fenior scholar, led the van, with their ferjeants, ferjeants-major, colonels, corporals, ensign, lieutenant, polemen, musicians, &c. Meffrs. Polehampton and Halifax, with twelve fervitors, acted as falt-bearers, and by their legal depredations on the public gained a liberal supply towards fending their captain into the world with a good grace. When they came to Salthill, they were met by the king and prince of Wales on horseback, attended by general Gwyn and colonels Garth and Greville her majesty and the princesses, with lady Harrington and her fon, were in the royal coaches. The king took on himself the ordering and marshaling the multitude in fuch a manner, as the proceffion might pass freely round the carriages of the royal family; many, however, notwithfstanding, pressed so close, that his majesty was obliged to call them to order, and asked those he thought were Londoners, if they were members of Eton, as he could not recognize their perfons fufficiently to recollect them." At the close of the proceffion, ensign Hatch went to the top of the hill, and displayed the flag in a very masterly style, to the fatisfaction of every perfon prefent. When the Montem was over, the king requested, that or their return home from the Windmill-inn, where an elegant dinner

was provided, they might appear on Windfor terrace, which they did in the evening. The royal family, after having given their usual donations, returned to the lodge to dinner. The fineness of the day also drew an immenfe concourse of persons on foot and horfeback to view the fight, which afforded, according to Mr. Halifax the faltbearer's account, on being asked the question by his majefty, a very profitable harveft.

20th.

This day came on the trial of John Reeves, efq. for a libel, before lord Kenyon and a special jury, at Guildball. This profecution was instituted, in con-. sequence of a refolution of the house of commons, on account of a pamphlet published by Mr. R. entitled, "Thoughts on the English Government;" and in which were the expreffions, "that the kingly. government might go on, if lords and commons were lopped off;" and fuch other expreffions as were deemed a libel by the houfe.

The attorney general stated the case on the part of the crown, and left it to the jury to confider, whether the expreffions alluded to were merely unadvised and erroneous; or whether, confidering the whole context of the pamphlet, they were, as charged, libellous, and tending to villify the constitution.

Mr. Plumer, in behalf of Mr. Reeves, admitted the fact of publication; and contended, from the whole tenor of the work, and the known character of Mr. Reeves, and his enthusiastic admiration, and support against democracy, of the British conftitution, that no imputation of libel could be fixed on him.

Lord Kenyon delivered an admirable

mirable charge to the jury, who retired, and remained out of court for upwards of an hour. When they returned, the foreman faid,

"

"

My lord, the jury are of opinion, "that the pamphlet, which has been proved to have been writ"ten by John Reeves, esq. is a very improper publication: but "being of opinion, that his mo"tives were not such as laid in the

"

"

information, find him - Not Guilty."

A very melancholy and ex27th. traordinary tranfaction took place. Lord Charles Townshend, andhis brother lord Frederick Townshend, fons to the marquis Townthend, had been to Great Yarmouth, for which place lord Charles had been just chosen representative; they arrived in town yesterday morning about fix o'clock, and 'when they had reached Oxfordstreet, near the Pantheon, the post boys stopped to enquire where the bishop of Bristol, to whose house they had been ordered to drive, lived; when lord Frederick jumped out of the chaise, and struck one of the boys, which gave rise to an altercation, that drew together feveral persons who were paffing by. Among these was a coachman, to whom lord Frederick particularly addressed himself; infifting upon it that he knew where the bishop lived; and on the man protesting that he did not, his lordship abused him with great violence; and, with the most deplorable marks of infanity, threw off his coat waistcoat, and shirt, and challenged him to fight. Unable to provoke the man to a conteft, he walked leisurely a way towards Hanover-square, when some persons who had been at tentive to the whole scene, looked

As

into the carriage, and saw a lifeless body on the feat, which proved to be the corpfe of lord Charles. Lord Frederick was immediately pursued, and being taken near the end of Swallow-ftreet, was conducted to a neighbouring watchhouse, whither the body of his brother was also conveyed. foon as the magistrates at the police-office in Marlborough - ftreet were apprized of the circumftance, they ordered lord Frederick to be brought before them, together with the poftillions who drove him to town. His lordship, when interrogated on the melancholy subject, betrayed the most unequivocal symptoms of mental derangement, and it became neceffary for the magistrates to apply to the postillions for the information they wanted. From their evidence it appeared, that about seven miles from town, in the vicinity of Ilford, one of them had heard the report of a piftol, when, looking round, he faw lord Frederick throw a pistol out of the chaise window; but he did not stop to inquire the cause of it. This was all that could be collected till the evening, when the agitation of lord Frederick had fubfided, and he had recovered a confiderable degree of compofure. Lord Frederick then, on being asked concerning his brother's death, faid, they had been difcuffing a religious subject, and lord Charles took a piftol and blew out his own brains, and that he had endeavoured to deftroy himself, but his pistol failed. The mayor of Yarmouth was prefent, and declared that their lordships' conduct at that place appeared that of madmen, which induced him to follow them to town, being fearful fome accidentmight happen.

/

The evidence of the fervants, refpecting the conduct of their lordships, was fimilar to the above, A piftol was found unloaded in the carriage, which appeared to have been juft fired. The piftol which had put an end to the life of lord Charles had been placed in his mouth, and loaded with two flugs or balls, one of which perforated the skull, and the other was extracted from the mouth. Neither the teeth nor tongue were injured, fo that it is evident that no violence had been used in the introduction of the fatal instrument, and the death of lord Charles might not improbably be an act of his own, committed in a paroxyfm of phrenLast night the coroner's inquest fat on the body; when, after a long examination, the jury brought in a verdict" That the deceased had been killed by a pistol-ball, but from whose hands unknown."

zy.

Yesterday and this day 30th. there was a very heavy gale of wind from the fouth- weft, which blew in gufts with uncommon violence. Much damage was fuftained in many parts of the metropolis by the blowing down of chimneys, untiling houses; and in fome of the environs of the town many trees were torn up by the roots. In Dean's yard, Weftminfter, part of the old ruinous buildings came down by the violence of the wind with great crafh. Luckily it had been some time fince railed and paled in, fo that no perfon was near enough to receive any damage. In St. James's Park more than a dozen large trees were torn up by the roots, and the foliage of others were fcattered in every direction. The passage to Spring Gardens was as thickly

a

strewed with leaves as any orchard in autumn. A part of one of the stands, erected in Covent-Garden for the accommodation of the fpectators of the election, was blown down: there were, however, no perfons on it at the time, as from its elevation it was not confidered safe. Part of the roof of a houfe at the corner of College-hill, Dowgate, was thrown down; which, falling upon a poor woman pailing at the time, bruised her fo feverely, that the was carried to St. Bartholomew's hofpital, without hopes of recovery. Several buildings in the neighbourhood of Houndsditch, Bishopsgate-ftreet, &c. were also unroofed, and fome trees in the quarter of Moorfields were torn up by the roots. In Lambeth-marth, an empty house, condemned by the commiffioners of the road, was blown down; as were the roofs from some of the buildings in the same quarter.

An officer belonging to a

party on the recruiting fervice at Brecon, took an opportunity, whilft a poftchaise was waiting for him at the door of an inn in the town of Hay, to shoot himfelf, and deliberately contrived to fend the ball through his head in

fuch a direction, that he inftantly fell, and died without a groan.

13th. Between 11 and 12 in the

forenoon a fire broke out in the hay loft over the oil-mill of Meffrs. Watts and Parfons in Turners-hill, Marsh-lane, Chefsunt; which in a short time confumed the whole premises, with fifty loads of oil ready to remove, not without fufpicion of wilful mischief, the mill having been on fire a week before.

At the close of the poll 13th. for Westminster, the num

bers were, for Mr. Fox

Admiral Gardner

Mr. Horne Tooke

5160

4814,

2819

Andrew Robinson Bowes, who was committed for an affault upon lady Strathmore, and wholas been in prifon eleven years, was brought up, and in confequence of the fign manual produced in court, containing his majesty's most gracious pardon, was discharged upon his own recognizance.

Lord Kenyon, in fumming up to the jury on a little wretched play debt, faid, it is to be lamented, that gaming is so prevalent among the highest ranks of fociety, which have fet the example to their inferiors, and who, it seems, are too great for the law. I wish they could be punished. "If any prosecutions are fairly brought before me and the parties are juftly convicted, whatever may be their rank or station in the country, though they be the first ladies in the land, they shall certainly exhibit themselves in the pillory."

Charlestown. On the 13th of June a most alarming fire broke out in Lodge-alley, which baffled all the exertions of a numerous concourse of citizens, who speedily

assembled to extinguish the devouring flames, till Tuesday morning, when a confiderable part of the city was laid in ashes.. Thofe acquainted with the city will conceive the damage done, on being told, that every house in Queenstreet, from the bay to the corner of Church-ftreet: all Union-ftreet continued-two-thirds of Unionstreet-Church-ftreet, from Broadstreet, to St. Phillip's church, with only two exceptions-Chalmers's & Beresford's alleys - Kinloch's court

and the north fide of Broad-ftreet, from the ftate house to Mr. Jacks's, four doors below Church-ftreet; and five houses on the Bay, from the corner of Queen-street, were burnt to the ground. The public buildings destroyed, are the French church, and deveral adjoining buildings. Phillip's church was on fire at different times, and ultimately must have been destroyed, if a spirited negro man had uot afcended to the top of the cupola, next to the vane, and tore off the shingles. The private buildings destroyed, and the property they contained, are of immenie amount. Five hundred chimies, it is faid, have been counted, from which the buildings are burnt; and 150,00ol. fterling, is supposed to be a fum far short of the value of those buildings. The goods and furniture deftroyed, are probably nearly equal to this fum.

23d.

The new college at Hackney, with 18 acres of land, was this day knocked down at 5700l. whether to a real or fictitious bidder we have not heard. The adjoining house, inhabited by Dr. Rees, as prefident of the college, was bought by him, or in his name, for 1050l. The fate of this building, on which the proC4

prietorr

prietors acknowledgeimmensesums have been expended in building, and for which more than twice the fum it now fetched had been refused, and the fate of the institution itself, affords a striking proof that the people of this country are not disposed to encourage the modern philofophers in their attempts to undermine the conftitution. That seminary was inftituted under the most favourable aufpices. The most wealthy and respectable part of the diffenters were disposed to fupport the institution; but, that fupport having been with drawn, the building is brought to the hammer. Whether it thall be converted into barracks, being not farther from the east than those in Hyde-park from the western extretremity of the capital, or into a country fettlement of any capital public and more conftitutional school in London, or ferve as a supplement to Bedlam, already too crowded to receive more inhabitants, time must shew.

27th. The following melancholy accident happened yefterday morning in Houghton-ftreet, Clare-market: -Two houses suddenly gave way, and buried in their ruins fixteen unfortunate inhabitants. At noon, thirteen were got out and conveyed to the parith workhouse in Portugal-street. Of these, three had been dug out, shockingly mangled, without the leaft symptoms of life: two children apparently dead, were restored to life by the means prescribed by the humane society in cases of fuffocation; the rest received some of them flight and others fevere contufions. But what rendered their fituation the more deplorable was that they recognized, or ex

pected to recognize, in every indi vidual who was brought in, a relative or a friend.

The landlord of one of the houses, it is reported, received notice of the insecurity of his house two days ago, but did not apprise the lodgers of their danger for fear of lofing them. 28th. A duel was fought in a Hamburgh, between lord Valentia and Henry Gawler, efq. They left England with their, seconds and furgeons for the express purpose of fighting. They fired together. Mr. Gawler's ball took place; it entered his lordship's breaft-bone, and lodged near the neck; it was extracted on the field, and he is confidered to be out of danger. Lord Valentia's ball paffed through Mr. Gawler's hat. The affair between Mr. Gawler and lady Valentia was the subject of the dispute.

field within three miles of

DIED.-At Bedwell-park, Herts, in his 76th year, Samuel Whitbread, esq.; whose abilities, in tegrity, benevolence, and public spirit, will transmit his character with respect to posterity. His father was a yeoman of Bedfordshire, who lived at the Barns at Cardington, in that country, on an estate of about 2001. per annum, which devolved to his eldest son, who much improved it by building, and spent much of his time at it after he purchased Bedwell-park. He is faid to have died worth a million at least; the bulk of which he has bequeathed to his fon. He was half-brother to Ive Whitbread, efq. hardwareman, of Cannon-ftreet, and theriff of London with Mr. Beckford, in 1755. By his first wife, Harriet, daughter of -- Haytor, an eminent attorney, of London,