CHRONICLE. A JANUARY. York, Dec. 30. Ta general meeting of the freeholders of the county of York held here this day, at which, most of the gentlemen of the first confideration and property were prefent, it was unanimoufly agreed, that a petition fhould be prefented to the Houfe of Commons for the purposes therein mentioned *. After which the following refolutions were propofed, and alfo unanimously agreed to, viz. ift. Refolved, That the petition now read to this meeting, addreffed to the House of Commons, and requesting, that, before any new burthens be laid upon the country, effectual measures may be taken by that Houfe to enquire into, and correct the grofs abufes in the expenditure of public money; to reduce all exorbitant emoluments; to refcind and abolish all finecure places and unmerited penfions; and to appropriate the produce to the neceflities of the ftate; is approved by this meeting. 2d. Refolved, That a commitmittee of fixty-one gentlemen be VOL. XXIII. appointed, to carry on the neceffary correfpondence for effectually promoting the object of the petition, and to prepare a plan for an affociation, on legal and conftitutional grounds, to fupport that laudable reform, and fuch other meafures as may conduce to restore the freedom of parliament, to be prefented by the chairmen of the committee to this meeting, held by adjournment, on Tuesday in Eafter-week next enfuing. The committee was then chofen, and thanks given to the lords and members of the House of Commons who honoured the meeting with their prefence and fupport. A deputation from the Proteftant Affociation, affembled 4th. under the patronage of Lord Geo. Gordon, waited on Lord North, to requeft his lordship to prefent a petition from that fociety to parliament, and to fupport the fame, against a law which has already received the royal affent, for the relief of his majesty's Popish fubjects in certain cafes; which his lordship abfolutely refused. In confequence of a public notice given by the sheriffs, a 7th. numerous and refpectable meeting of the freeholders of Middlefex was held at the Mermaid, at Hackney. About one o'clock Mr. Sheriff Wright took the chair (Sheriff Pugh being confined with the gout, did not attend) and read a requifition made to him, figned by feveral freeholders of the county, requiring the meeting, the purport of which was, to confider the propriety of entering into refolutions, and co-operating with the noble lords who formed the minority on the 7th and 15th of December on the motions for the retrenchment of the civil lift, and for controlling the public expendi ture, &c." A petition to the Houfe of Commons, almoft verbatim the fame with that from the county of York, was agreed to. After this, two refolutions fimilar to thofe carried at the York meeting were read and approved of, and a committee of Sfty-one gentlemen appointed to carry on the bufinefs, and the neceffary correfpondence with the kingdom. Mr. Grieve then made a motion, that the thanks of the meeting be given to the noble lords and commons, who have uniformly and unequivocally flood forth in the defence of the conftitutional rights of their country, and for reforming the ftate; which was carried. compelled to ruth, in a manner naked, into the streets, to fave their lives. At the above fire Mrs. Mitton, a dealer in coals, was feen to look out of her chamber window before the houfe caught fire; but an engineer at the inftant accidentally pointing the engine pipe that way, truck her backwards, and fhe was confumed with the building, to which the flames foon after communicated themselves. Admiralty-Office, Jan. 11. Capt. Clerke, of his majesty's floop the Refolution, in a letter to Mr. Stephens, dated the 8th of June, 1779, in the harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul. Kameschatka, which was received yefterday, gives the melancholy account of the celebrated Captain Cook, late commander of that floop, with four of his private mariners, having been killed, on the 14th of February laft, at the island of O'whythe, one of a groupe of new difcovered iflands, in the 2zd degree of north latitude, in an affray with a numerous and tumultuous body of the natives. Cap. Clerke adds, that he had received every friendly fapply from the Ruflian government; and that as the companies of the Refolution, and her confort the Difcovery, were in perfect health, and the two floops had twelve months ftores and provifions on board, he was preparing to make another attempt to explore a northern paff ge to Europe. [The above new difcovered ifland in the South Seas lies in 22 N. lat. and 200 E. long, from Greenwich. The captain and crew were at first treated as deities, but upon their revifiting that ifland fome of the the inhabitants proved inimical, hoftilities enfued, and the above melancholy fcene was the confequence.] Copies of the journals of the two fhips, together with many valuable drawings, were left with the governor, to be forwarded to England; who politely engaged to take charge of them himself as far as Peterburgh. This day the new elected members of the common-council took the ufual oaths for their qualification at the feffions at Guildhall, and immediately afterwards a court of common-council was held, when the committee appointed to enquire into the right of the members of that court to be Governors of the Royal Hofpitals, reported a ftate of their proceedings, and the measures taken by their opponents; and the committee were empowered to defend the right of the corporation in fuch manner as they should be advised, and to draw upon the chamber for the neceffary expences. 14th. Four prifoners were tried at the Old-Bailey, three of whom were capitally convicted, viz. John Benfield and W. Turley, for felonioully coining and couaterfeiting, at a houfe in White'salley, Chancery - lane, fhillings, fix-pences, and half crowns, feveral counterfeit fhillings, newly calt, being found in the room; and Mary Williams, for felonioufly colouring, with a certain wash producing the colour of filver, feveral round planks of bafe metal, of a fit fize to be coined into counterfeit milled money, refembling fhillings. The fame day the feffion ended, when feven convicts received judgment of death, nine were fentenc ed to hard labour in the house of correction, eight to be imprisoned in Newgate, five whipped and difcharged, and 11 difcharged by proclamation. The feflions of the peace is adjourned till Thurfday the 20th inftant, at Guildhall, and the feffions of gaol delivery till Wednesday the 23d of February, at the OldBailey. This day the following 19th. malefactors were executed at Tyburn, purfuant to their fentence: Hugh Mulvey, John Whiley and John Woodmore, who went in the first cart, for breaking open the houfe of Thomas Farley, of Coldbath Fields, and ftealing thereout two filk gowns, two pair of ftays, and other things; John Howell, for ftealing 352 filk handkerchiefs, and other goods, to a confiderable amount, in the houfe of Mr. Davifon, pawnbroker, in Bishopfgate-treet; and William Kent, for robbing Henry Otto, one of his majesty's meffengers, of his watch and money, on the highway, near Gunnerfbury-lane, who went in the laft cart. They were attended by the fheriffs, city mar fhals, officers, the ordinary of Newgate, &c. from Newgate to the place of execution. They behaved exceeding penitent, wept much, and were terribly agitated and fhocked at their approaching diffolution. The above unfortunate youths were all very young, the eldest not exceeding 23 years of age. The fame day a court of aldermen was held at Guildhall, when Mr. Thorp, one of the commoncouncil of the ward of Aldgate, prefented a letter from Mr. Alderman Lee, defiring to furrender the office [N] 2 of of alderman of the faid ward, he finding it incompatible with his prefent concerns to hold the faid office. The court accordingly accepted of the faid refignation. 21ft. The lord mayor went to Ironmonger's hall, Fenchurch-treet, when a wardmote was held before his lordship for the election of an alderman for Aldgate ward, in the room of William Lee, Efq; when William Burnell, Efq; one of the late fheriffs, was chofen without oppofition. Thanks were also voted to the late Alderman Lee by a majority of 12 voices. The king's proclamation, fetting forth, that for the future all foreign fhips taken carrying to and affifting the enemies of Great Britain with warlike-ftores or goods of any kind, fhould be deemed legal prizes, and the fhip or fhips and cargoes should be fold for the benefit of those who took them, was read at the Royal Exchange Gate by Mr. Bishop, the common-cryer, affifted by the proper officers. The adjournment of the feffion was held at Guildhall before the ford mayor, aldermen, recorder, &c. to conclude the bufinefs which was left unfinished at the late adjournment, when the following extraordinary tryal for an affault was heard:-Thomas Atkins, a ferjeant at mace, went on the 24th of laft June to ferve a procefs on Mr. Henry Gough, at his houfe on Holborn-hill; he acquainted Mr. Gough with the nature of his bufinefs, who feemed inclined to fettle the matter. Mr. Gough going up ftairs, the officer.followed, when he, Mr. Gough, turned round, and hoved Atkins over the bannifter: Mr. Atkins not re ceiving much hurt, renewed the attack, and a general battle enfued between Gough and Atkins, and Gough's man and Atkins's man. Gough finding the officer too mighty for him to oppofe without further affiftance, unchained a large fierce animal, which Mr. Atkins affirmed to be a centaur, or griffin; however, it proved to be a man fatyr: this had the defired effect, for both Mr. Atkins and follower, upon fight of the beaft, wifely declined the fight, and made a precipitate retreat. The charge being undeniably proved, Mr. Gough was accordingly found guilty, and fentenced to pay a fine of five guineas. Mr. Gough is a dealer in wild beasts. Laft December a gentleman tried the power of electricity on a myrtle tree, in the following manner: he placed the pot in a room which was frequented by the family, and for feventeen days electrified it once in each day, allowing half a pint of water to the root on every fourth day. In confequence of this tryal, the myrtle produced feveral thoots, the longeft meafuring full three inches, and it is now in the Green-house in perfect health. Dublin, Jan. 15. We have the pleafure to acquaint our readers, that on Monday laft there was made the firft exports entry of woollens from this kingdom at our Cuftom-houfe fince the restrictions on our trade were taken off. The entry was made by William Worthington, Efq; of 1300 yards of ferge, for Lisbon. York, Jan. 18. At a meeting of the Agriculture Society, held at Beverley, for the East Riding of the county of York and county of Hull |