time, to be preffed upon all the Banks in this town, makes it neceffary that an extraordinary quantity of fpecie fhould be brought into the country, Meffrs. Ridley, Waddington, and Co. Surtees, Burdon, and Co. Loraine, Baker, and Co. and Ralph J. Lambton, J. Bulman, and Co. refpectfully inform the public, that they intend to take immediate meafures for that purpofe; and they earnestly hope that any further call upon them for gold will be fufpended in the mean time, till they can obtain a fupply adequate to the occafion.

"A meeting of the wholefale Tradefmen of Newcastle and Gatefhead, is requested to be held at Turner's this evening, at feven o'clock.

"Newcastle, Feb. 20, 1797. "In confequence of public notice, a numerous meeting of the principal tradefinen in this town was held this day at Turner's Inn, to confider of the moft proper means of removing the inconvenience that may be experienced in trade during the temporary fufpenfion of payment in fpecie at the different Banks, It was refolved,

"That we, whofe names are hereunto fubfcribed, will receive the notes of all the Banks here in payment as ufual.

"That the chairman be empowered to call another meeting, if he fhall deem it neceffary.

And, That these refolutions be printed and distributed, and a copy be left at the Exchange for additional fignatures."

of 74 guns, and the Santa Cecilia, of 36; the Spaniards, at the fame time, burnt one fhip of 84 and two of 74 in the harbour.

25th. The following letter was this day fent to the Lord Mayor of London:

My lord, I have the honour to acquaint your lordship that intelligence has been received that two French frigates, a corvette and a lugger, appeared off the Eaft of Pembrokeshire, on the 22d inftant, and on the evening of that day difembarked fome troops (reported by deferters to be about 1200 men,' but without field-pieces.) Every exertion had been made by the Lord Lieutenant and gentlemen of that county and its neighbourhood for taking the proper fteps on this occafion; and the greatest zeal and loyalty has been fhewn by all ranks of people. Immediately on an account having been received at Plymouth of this force having appeared in the Bristol Channel, frigates were difpatched from Ply mouth in queft of them. I have the honour to be, &c.

PORTLAND."

Advice has been fince receiv ed that the French troops, mentioned in the preceding letter, furrendered at difcretion to Lord Cawdor.

27th. The following notice was this day given from the Bank of England, Feb. 27, 1797.

"In confequence of an order of his Majefty's Privy Council notified to the Bank laft night, a copy of which is hereunto annexed.

"The governor, deputy gover nor, and directors of the Bank of Engiand, think it their duty to inform the proprietors of the Bank Stock, as well as the Public at large,

that

that the general concerns of the Bank are in the most affluent and profperous fituation, and fuch as to preclude every doubt as to the fecurity of its notes. The directors mean to continue their ufual difcounts for the accommodation of the commercial intereft, paying the amount in bank-notes; and the dividend-warrants will be paid in the fame manner.

"FRANCIS MARTIN, Sec." "At the council chamber, Whitehall, Feb. 26, 1797. Ey the Lords of his Majesty's most honourable Privy Council. Prefent, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Prefident, Duke of Portland, Marquis Cornwallis, Earl Spencer, Earl of Liverpool, Lord Grenville, Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer. "Upon the reprefentation of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, ftating, that from the refult of the information which he has received, and of the enquiries which it has been his duty to make refpecting the effect of the unufual demands for fpecie that have been made upon the metropolis, in confequence of the ill-founded or exaggerated alarms in different parts of the country, it appears that, unless fome meafure is immediately taken, there may be reafon to apprehend a want of a fufficient fupply of cafh to anfwer the exigencies of the public fervice. It is the unanimous opinion of the Board, that it is indifpenfably neceffary for the public fervice, that the directors of the Bank of England fhould forbear iffuing any cafh in payment, until the fenfe of parliament can be taken on that fubject, and the proper measures adopted thereon for maintaining the means of circulation, and fupporting the public and

commercial credit of the kingdom at this important conjuncture: And it is ordered that a copy of this minute be tranfmitted to the directors of the Bank of England; and they are hereby required, on the grounds of the exigency of the cafe, to conform thereto until the fenfe of parliament can be taken as aforefaid. (Signed) W. FAWKENER.”

This day, at 12 o'clock, a meeting of the moft opulent merchants in London, and of all the bankers, was held at the Manfion-House, when the following refolution passed unanimoufly:" At a meeting of merchants, bankers, &c. held here this day, to confider of the fteps which it may be proper to take, to prevent embarralliments to public credit, from the effect of any ill-founded or exaggerated alarms, and to fupport it with the utmost exertions at the prefent important conjuncture, refolved unanimously, We, the underfigned, being highly fenfible how neceflary the prefervation of public credit is at this time, do moft readily hereby declare, that we will not refufe to receive Bank-notes in payment of any fum of money to be paid to us, and will ufe our utmost endeavours to make all our payments in the fame manner." It was alfo the opinion of the meeting, that the bankers fhould all agree only to pay the fractional parts of drafts in fpecie, fo that every person might remain on an equality.

In confequence of fome words which fell in a recent debate in the Irish House of Lords, from Lord Blaney, concerning the emigrant officers who command the Irifh brigades, the Duke De Fitz-James, a ci-devant French nobleman of very high honour, conceiving himself

infulted

the noble Lord, fent him a challenge a few days fince; on which a meeting took place in the Phonix Park, where each difcharged a cafe of piftols. The Duke was grazed by a ball in the fide, and Lord Blaney had part of his hat fhot away by the fire of his antagonift. The feconds then interfered, and an amicable explanation took place.-The Duke De Fitz-James became indifpofed fhortly after, and was politely vifited by Lord Blaney. The latter nobleman ferved on the continent, under the Duke of York, and received a flight wound in one of the engagements in Flanders.

At Mr. Trumbull's fale of pictures, Mr. Weft made feveral purchafes for the King. Among these were Deijenara and the Centaur, 5881. A Landfcape, with figures and cattle, by Berghem, 9451. and the Virgin, Chrift, and St. John, by Raphael, 8921. The whole collection, containing 91 pictures, fold for 8,2171. 17s.

On Friday evening, about feven o'clock, a dreadful fire broke out in a warehoufe near the Old Dock, Liverpool, belonging to Mr. Walton, which, with the whole of its contents, confifting of a large quantity of manufactured cotton goods, was totally destroyed in about two hours; but, by the very great exertions of a number of gentlemen, and others, aided by the affiftance of the firemen, the adjoining drugwarehouse of Meffrs. Well and Sinclair, the roof of which had at one time caught fire, was preferved, with little damage.

Mr. Colquhoun, in his Treatife on the Police of the Metropolis, ftates, that there is a clafs of female fharpers, who drefs elegantly, per

66

go to St. James's.-" The wife of a well-known fharper, now upon "the town (fays he) is faid to have appeared at court, dreffed in a "ftyle of peculiar elegance, while "the fharper himself is supposed to "have gone in the drefs of a cler

gyman. According to the infor"mation of a noted receiver, they pilfered to the value of 17001. on "the King's birth-day, in 1795, "without difcovery or fufpicion."

Sir Godfrey Webfter obtained a fentence of feparation against his wife, in Doctors Commons, on Thurfday, for adultery with Lord Holland. The charges upon which the divorce was founded, and to which L. Webfter made no defence, were in fubftance as follows:

"That Sir Godfrey and Lady Webfter, in the beginning of the year 1795, were at Florence, together with their three children, and that Lord Holland visited them, in common with others, until the month of February, at which time Sir Godfrey had occafion to return to England, in confequence of the death of Richard Vafall, Efq, his father-in-law, leaving Lady Webfter behind him, who, from being with child, could not travel:-That Lord Holland continued his vifits to Lady Webfter during the abfence of Sir Godfrey, who did not return again to Florence, but remained in England: That Lady Webfter made feveral excursions in the abfence of Sir Godfrey, to Padua, Vienna, &c. &c. in which the was accompanied by Lord Holland; and in June 1796 they arrived at Cruxhaven, on their way to England: That they lived together at the fame inn at Cruxhaven for fix days, carrying on adulterous intercourfe, and took their paffage home

by

by the fame veffel: That they arrived at Yarmouth in the fame month, and immediately proceeded to London. On their arrival there Lady Webster ordered her coachman to drive to the house of a lady in Albemarle-ftreet, where the faw Sir Godfrey, and where fhe remained fome time, but refufed to fleep with him: her maidfervant conftantly flept in her room, who depofed that during her lady's ftay in Albemarle-ftreet, neither Sir Godfrey nor any other perfon flept with her: That on her quitting Albemarle-ftreet, fhe went to refide in ready-furnished apartments in Brompton-row, and flept in a two-pair of stairs room in which there was only one bed: That Lord Holland vifited Lady Webfter at these apartments, flept in the fame bed with her, and they lived together in this place in all refpects as man and wife until the month of Auguft laft, at which time they removed to Brompton-Park, where they have ever fince refided: That on the 6th day of November laft, Lady Webster was delivered by Dr. Crofts of a full-grown infant, at Brompton-Park: That Lady Webfter had frequently acknowledged the child to be Lord Holland's, and that Lord Holland had paid the usual fees to Dr. Crofts, and had ever fince maintained the child as his own.

Sir Godfrey has fince obtained 60001. damages against Lord Holland; who, immediately after the divorce had taken place, married Lady Webfter.

Last week a moft fhocking murder was committed on the body of Mr. Wood of Brownhills, near Newcastle, in Staffordshire, by a Mr. Oliver, an apothecary in Burfem, near the fame place. It ap

pears that the latter paid his addreffes to one of Mr. Wood's daughters; but having been difmiffed the houfe by the old gentleman, formed the defperate refolution of fhooting him. On Friday laft he went to Mr. Wood with a brace of loaded piftols, faying, "I am come to die with you," and immediately fhot him in the body: he then attempted to shoot himself, but was prevented. Mr. Wood died in great agonies on Monday: and Oliver is committed to Stafford gaol to take his trial at the next affizes.

DIED. Ift. Shot himself in the weft porch of Weftminster-Abbey, Col. Frederick. The coroner's jury on the 3d returned a verdict of Lunacy. On the 6th, at noon, his remains were brought in a hearfe to St. Ann's, Soho, attended by two mourning coaches. Several gentlemen attended in the church, and followed the bier to the grave. The body was depofited at the west end of the church, close by his father, King Theodore. About an hour before the folemnity, a refpectable perfon defired that the following character, in a fair handwriting, might be placed upon the church wall:

"Here lie

the fhattered remains of Col. Frederick, fon of Theodore King of Corfica.

In his deportment he was a finifhed gentleman;

In honour, honefty, and truth, he was princely; he was poor in circumftances, but rich in the poffeffion of a most liberal heart.

The greatest diftrefs he laboured under, was the want of ability to relieve the diftreffes of others. God be with him."

3d. Shot