tahed defperately forward to fhare her fate. Thele hapless females had fcarcely rifen into the bloom of womanhood, and one of them was on the eve of her nuptials. 30th. The board of agriculture has tranfmitted circular letters to the high fheriffs of the refpective counties of the kingdom, inclofing certain refolutions entered into at the laft fpring affizes by the grand jury of the county of York, requeft ing that they may be laid before the magiftrates at the enfuing feffions, and likewife before the grand jury at their respective affizes. Thele refolutions ftrongly recommend the immediate bringing into cultivation all fuch parts of wafte lands as may be capable thereof, it appearing that there remains in England the immenfe quantity of 7,800,000 acres of uncultivated land; in attention to which, the grand jury of the county of York are of opinion, lie the most effectual means of redreffing our prefent, and fecuring againft future wants. In the returns made to the board of agriculture, are fome very important facts. Of the county of Kent, the fquare acres are estimated at 850,000; the population is about 200,000; the average rent of land 15s. per acre, producing a rental of 672,0001. and the whole extent of commons about 200,000 actes. Norfolk is ftated to contain 1,094,400 acres; the population is estimated at 220,000 the average rent per acre, the fame as Kent, and the whole rental 770,4007.; the unim. proved commons are faid to be 80,000 acres. Staffordshire contains 780,800 acres, and the whole annual rent about 600,0001.; the wafte land 150,000 acres. Mid dlefex contains 175,200 acres; wafte lands 16,650 acres. Two new fpacious fquares are now forming on the duke of Bedford's Bloomsbury eftate, one of which is to be called Ruffel-fquare, and the other Tavistock-fquare. Thefe are to be connected by three fpacious ftreets, running north and fouth, and opening into Bloomfbury-fquare and Ruffel-ftreet. At the north end of these improvements, and adjoining to the new road, a very handfome dreffed nurfery ground, and plantations, are already inclofed and laid out; and northward of thefe, a road of 160 feet wide, in a direct line, is to be formed through the joint eftates of the duke of Bedford and lord Southampton, from thefe buildings to the junction of the two London roads to Hampstead, faving the circuitous and unpleafant routes, either of Tottenham-court-road, or Gray's-inn Lane. The cartoons, which were in Bedford-houfe, were bought in for his grace, who very liberally made them a prefent to the Royal-acade my, for the ufe of the students. DIED. At her houfe, in Portmanfquare, in an advanced age, Mrs. Montagu, relict of the late Edward Montagu, efq. of Denton-caftle Northumberland, grandfon to the firft earl of Sandwich, daughter of Matthew Robinfon, efq. late of Weft Layton, York, and of Horton, in Kent, fifter to the prefent lord Rokeby, and diftinguifhed for her benevolence, to the poor chimneyfweepers, whom the annually entertained with roaft-beef and plumbpudding every May-day, on the lawn before her houfe, and who will have great reafon to lament her death. Mrs. Montagu was an ex cellent cellent scholar, and poffeffed a found judgement, and an exquifite tafte. Her Effay on the Writings and Genius of Shakspeare," in antwer to the frivolous objections of Voltaire, muft always rank with the best illuftrations of the tranfcendent powers of our great English poet. It is not an elaborate expofition of obfcure paffages, but a comprehenfive furvey of the fublimity of his genius, of his profound knowledge of human nature, and of the wonderful refources of his imagination. This effay is, we believe, the only work of which Mrs. Montagu publicly avowed herself to be the author; but it is well known that she affifted the first lord Lyttelton in tlie compofition of his "Dialogues of the Dead;" and fome of the best of thofe dialogues, by his lordfhip's own acknowledgement, were the efforts of her pen. Lord Lyttelton was very much attached to her; and, if he had been free from matrimonial connections, the might have commanded his title and fortune. Mrs. Montagu, however, it was imagined, was attached to Pulteney, the famous earl of Bath. She accompanied this nobleman and his lady on a tour through Germany. Mrs. Montagu peculiarly excelled in epiftolary compofition; and her letters, in point of learning, judgement, and elegance, far exceed thofe of her namefake, lady Mary Wortley Montagu, even fuppofing that the latter was really the author of the letters attributed to her, which, however, have long been known to be in a great meature fietitious. Mrs. Montagu was a near relation of the celebrated Dr. Conyers Middleton, to whofe care the devolved in early life, and who fu 10 perintended her education with parental fondnefs. It is faid, that the made to early a difplay of her tendency to literature, that he had tranfcribed the whole of the Spectators, before the was 8 years of age. Incredible as this story seems to be, it has been attefted by the beft authority, and was always folemnly affirmed by the late Dr. Monley, phyfician of Chelfea-college, a particular friend of Dr. Middleton, and of Mrs. Montaga. The epiftolary correfpondence that took place between Dr. Monfey and Mrs. Montagu, during her tour in Germany, and, indeed, through the whole of their intercourse for upwards of 30 years, affords proofs of uncommon talents, original humour, and acute obfervation on both fides. both fides. We fincerely hope that thefe letters, at least, thofe of Mrs. Montagu, will be fubmitted to the world, as they contain nothing but what would tend to imprefs mankind with high reverence for her capacity, her attainments, and her virtues. In private life, Mrs Montagu was an example of liberal difcretion and rational benevolence. Her eftates, about 10,000!. per annum, devolve to her nephew, Mr. Montagu. SEPTEMBER. 4th. Two labourers, employed in a warehouse at Deptford to remove brandy, took occation to broach one of the hogfheads, and by means of a reed, fucked fo much liquor, that they were both found dead by the fides of the cafks. One of them, a few hours before, was feen feen at a public-house, feemingly fober, drinking a pot of beer. A hair-dreffer, at Bruffels, having lately quarrelled with a woman to whom he was attached, fhot her through the head with a piftol, and, finding that the ftill gave fome figns of life, he killed her with the buttend of a mufket. When the guards entered the place, he threw himself on the dead body, and before he could be feized he blew out his brains with the mufket. An innkeeper, returning from taking a walk with his wife, was fo affected at the fpectacle as to drop down to all appearance dead; the medical perfons who were called in declared him to be lifeless. The next day he was in closed in an oak coffin, and depofited in a chapel till the funeral was to take place. Some of the neighbours hearing a noife in the chapel, ran to the place, and found the poor man bathed in his blood, and really dead, having, as it appeared, made moft violent but ineffectual efforts to break his coffin. 4th. Laft week, the whole of the property of Bognor, in Suflex, was put up to fale at that place. It was divided into lots. Sir Richard Hotham's refidence, called Chapel-houfe, with upwards of thirty-nine acres attached to it, was purchased by colonel Scott, at 36501. Bognor-ledge, with upwards of thirty-five acres attached to it, was purchafed by Mr. Couk, at 3500. Northamptonplace, confifting of feven houfes, was bought by Mr. Hurst, at 44001. Eaft-row, containing fix handfone houfes, was bought by Mr. Metcalf, the Eaft-India director, at 31002. The Lawh-cottage was purchased by Mr. Middleton, at 5607. Colonel Scott is the chief parchafer. Befides fir Richard's VOL. XLII. fine refidence, he has purchased various lots of ground, to the amount of upwards of 120 acres, fome of which fold very high. The colonel gave likewife 300 guineas for the manerial rights of Southwick. Mr. Metcalf has likewife made feve ral purchases of land; fo have fit Lionel Darell, alderman Newnham, &c. The whole has yielded but about 64,000l. for what coft more than 160,0001. A letter from Xeres, in the neighbourhood of Cadiz, ftates, that 1857 perfons had died in Cadiz in feventeen days; that 30,000 had deferted that city, and that 3000 were fick. The population is about 80,000. Five days generally terminates the difeafe; two days of which the patient is feized with a delirium and black vomit, and, if a copious perfpiration does not fucceed, death is the confequence: fometimes they recover, but a relapse is fatal. There had been no rain for feventy days, which occafioned a great foulness in their fhores and firects. Some perfons are of opinion that the disease has been imported from Tangiers; others, from America. Pius VII. has begun the reformation of the ecclefiaftical state in his own houfehold, by reducing the expenfes of it to 86,000 dollars, which formerly amountc.! to 150,000.The papal chamber has a debt of fifty millions, the payment of which requires the ftricteft economy. 14th. This evening notice was given to the magiftrates, that two bills of a moft inflammatory kind had been posted on the monument. They were in writing, and both apparently in the fame hand; and their contents as follow: BREAD WILL BE SIXPENCE THE QUARTERN, D If If the people will affemble at the Corn-market on Monday. Fellow countrymen! How long will ye quietly and cowardly fufler yourfelves to be thus impofed upon and half ftarved by a fet of mercenary flaves and government hirelings? can you ftill fufler them to proceed in their extenfive monopolies, while your families are crying for bread? no! let them exift not a day longer; we are the fovereignty; rife then from your lethargy. Be at the Corn-market on Monday. Thefe infamous provocations to popular outrage induced the lord mayor to take the neceffary meafures of precaution to fecure the public peace. He collected all his civil officers, and received an assurance from the volunteer corps, that they would await his orders. It was not difficult to collect a mob, under a promise of fo great a reduction in the price of bread. At ten o'clock the rioters began hiffing the mealmen and cornfactors going into the market. Some they huftled, others they pelted with mud. The quakers were the peculiar objects of their wrath. This body of tradefmen, who employ their skill and capital only in thofe manufactures and commodities which are unconnected with war deferve, more than any other, the bletlings of the poor, from the fimplicity of their lives, and the example which they give of moderation in all their dealings. Vulgar prejudice, however, marked them out as the authors of the fcarcity, by withholding from the market flores which they had accumulated. The riot increating, the lord mayor went to Mark-lane about ten, and addreffed the populace, recommending them to go peaceably to their homes. The mob heard him with complacency, and began to difperfe. There were only a few ftragglers; and thus, in the first inftance, the market was protected. The lord mayor, however, had fcarcely reached Guildhall, when a meffage was brought him from the marshal and conftables he had left on duty, that the mob had reassembled. The lord mayot on his arrival again addressed them in terms moft conciliatory and temperate, but in the most decided manner. He was joined by fir William Leighton, and fir John Eamer, and fupported by his conftables. He defcended into the ftreets among them; and finding at length that all intreaties were ineffectual to make them difperfe, and that feveral of his peace officers were wounded with brick-bats and ftones, he read the riot act. The mob then difperfed, and before five o'clock there were only a few idle spectators.Towards evening the populace, however, again affembled in very large bodies in Mark-lane, and broke the windows of feveral inhabitants, particularly thofe of Mr. Bolland. But being difperfed by a few of the volunteers and conftables, they proceeded to Whitechapel and Shoreditch, and broke the windows of fome bakers' shops; and, about twelve at night, they went to the houfe of Mr. Ruby, in the Blackfriers-road (who was fometime fince convicted of regrating), which they completely gutted: an act of the most difgraceful injuftice, fince Ruby is now awaiting the fentence of the law for his offence. In confequence of the above riots, the lord mayor ordered the following hand-bill to be pofted on the walls of the metropolis: COMBE, COMBE, MAYOR. Manfon-Houfe, Sept. 17, 1800. Whereas the peace of this city has been, within thefe few days, very much disturbed by numerous and tumultuous affemblies of riotous and diforderly people, the magiftrates, determined to preferve the king's peace, and the perfons and property of their fellow citizens, by every means which the law has intrufted to their hands, particularly request the peaceable and welldifpofed inhabitants of this city, upon the appearance of the military, to keep themselves away from the windows; to keep all the individuals of their families and fervants within doors; and, where fuch opportunities can be taken, to remain in the back rooms of their houfes. By order of his Lordship, W. J. Newman, Clerk. 16th. An efpecial court of aldermen was held; who, in the moft temperate yet manly terms, determined to protect the peace of the metropolis; and gave it as their decided opinion, "that, from the best information they were able to procure, had not the access to the Corn-market been yesterday impeded, and the tranfactions therein interrupted, a fall in the price of wheat and flour, much more confiderable than that which actually took place, would have enfued, and the court were farther of opinion, that no means can fo effectually lead to reduce the prefent exceffive prices of the principal articles of food, as the holding out full fecurity and indemnification to fuch lawful dealers as fhall bring their corn or other commodities to market." 20th. George Thomas, an eminent attorney, pofleffed of a good fortune at Brackley, in Northamptonihire, was indicted, at the Old Bailey, for an attempt to defraud the navy board. He had been applied to by the executors of a Mr. Coldridge, who had been employed by the commiffioners of the navy, in carrying timber from the foreft towns, to make out an account; he did fo to the amount of 12007. and delivered it, accompanied by vouchers, purporting to be the receipts of the workmen. On examining thefe, many were difcovered to have been forged, and others made out in fictitious names. The prifoner addreffed the court, but in too low a voice to be diftinctly heard; he refted his defence on the refpectability of his character, to which many creditable witnesses bore testimony. After a trial of nine hours, the jury found a verdict-guilty; but recommended him to mercy. The following melancholy account of the lofs of the Queen Indiaman, is extracted from a letter from an of ficer on board the Kent Indiaman, dated from St. Salvadore, on the coaft of Brazil, July 17, 1800."We fhould have left this place ere now, but for a melancholy accident which has befallen the Queen Indiaman, which had put in here with us a few days fince for want of water. On the ninth, between two and three o'clock A. M. our officer who had the watch on deck discovered a fmoke iffuing from the gun-room ports of the Queen, which was moored a little way from us. Immediately we called the captain and officers; for, although no alarm was given from the Queen, yet, as the was evidently on fire, every exertion was made to man our boats with fire engines, buckets, &c. for their affiftance; but, within a few minutes of our difcovering the smoke, D2 the |