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ing on the meri's and fufferings of the count, and concluding with fome fevere reflections on the French queen as the leader of a faction, and on count d'Adhemar, the French ambaflador, and Monf. Barthelemy, as the infidious agents of the queen and her party. The attorney general opened the cafe, and faid, that, amongit the great number of libeilous papers which the gentleman now before the court had published, it feemed to be strange that he fhould go to far out of his way as to libel the French ambaffador, or any gentleman left in charge for him, as it could have no' view whatever but to create a misunderstanding between the two courts. The characters of gentlemen reprefenting their fovereign were not thus wantonly to be attacked; otherwife, no man could ever ferve as an ambailador from any foreign court to the court of London, because they would be under the apprehenfion of feeing themfelves attacked in the public papers, and held up as bafe and infamous characters, without an opportunity of gaining redrefs.

John Bolt was then called, who purchased two newfpapers at Mr. Woodfall's office. Mr. Woodfall fwore to the hand-writing of lord George. Mr. Frafer, one of the under fecretaries of ftate, proved the official fituation of count d'Ad hemar and Monfieur Barthelemy. He added alfo, that the abufe contained in thefe paragraphs had been known and felt in the capital of France.

Lord George then put the following questions to Mr. Frafer: Do you know any thing of d'Adhemar's family at Paris? No.-Don't you know he is of a very low and inean extraction? I do not.--Don't

you know that he bears a bad cha racter in Paris?-The court stopped him by obferving, that these queftions tended to nothing, as the count was ambassador at this court.

Lord George then entered on his defence; when he contented himfelf with re-afferting and justifying every thing he had written. There did, he faid, exilt a faction in Paris guided by the queen, and the count Cagletro had been perfecuted for his adherence to the cardinal de Rohan; and although he had been acquitted by the parliament of Paris, yet d'Adhemar continued to publifh bafe, falfe, and infamous paragraphs about him in the papers, particularly in the Courier de l'Europe, a paper in French, published in London under the immediate patronage and direction of the count d'Adhemar. Cagliostro, therefore, threw himself under the protection of his lordship, to extend what influence he might have in his favour in this country. Count d'Adhemar, he proceeded to fay, was a low man, of no family; but, being plaufible and clever, had pufhed himfelf forward to the notice of men in authority; in fhort, faid his lordhip, whatever Jenkin fon is in Britain, d'Adhemar is in France. (This allufion to Lord Hawkefbury created an univerfal laugh.) He had been charged, he faid, with libelling the queen of of France; whereas it was impoflible, as it was known what her character was in every street in Paris. The court was going to i terpose, and stop this irregular difcourfe; but lord George, with a marked emphafis, faid, he declared it, in the face of the court, that the French queen was as great a — as the emprefs of Ruffia. He was proceeding in this rain; and faid many things, which refpe& to

fuch

fuch high characters forbids us to repeat, until the court was compelled to interfere.

The attorney general observedYou are a difgrace to the name of a Briton.

Lord George then continuedIt was in order to have these bafe paragraphs explained, that his lordhip, with count Cagliostro, had waited on the French ambaffador, where not receiving the information they expected, the paragraph in queftion was written and publifhed. He therefore contended it was no libel, as it contained nothing but truth in favour of Count Cagliostro, who had as much right to the protection of the laws as Count d'Adhemar, or any other foreigner.

After a fhort charge from the judge, the jury inftantly returned their verdict, GUILTY.

The council for the profecution were the attorney and folicitor generals, Meff. Erfkine, Bearcroft, Baldwin, and Law. On the other fide lord George ftood alone, and pleaded his poverty, as an excufe for having neither advocate nor folicitor. See p. 31.

14. At the January feffion of gaol delivery holden at the Old Bailey 1787, John Moffat was in dicted for forging and uttering a bill of exchange, in the words and figures following, with intention to defraud one William Ball.

Navy-Office, Dec. 21, 1786.
• Sir,

Seven days after date, pleafe to pay to Mr. John Moffat, or his order, the fum of three pounds three fhillings, and place the fame to the account of,

Sir,

Your most obedient humble fervant, '(L.S.) WALTER STIRLING.

To George Peters, Efq; Accepted,

Bank of England.' Geo. Peters. Indoried-John Moffat, now furgeon of the Scipio guardship at Sheerness.'

Upon the evidence, the guilt of the prifoner was clearly established; but upon infpection of the bill, it was found to be drawn upon paper with only a two penny flamp; whereas by 23 Geo. III. c. 49, upon all paper on which any bill of exchange fhall be drawn for lefs than col. there fhall be paid a ftamp duty of fixpence. It was therefore objected, that as this was not a legal bill of exchange, it not being properly tamped, it could not become the fubject of an indictment for forgery. But upon the authority of the cafe of the king verfus Hawkefwood, the objection was over-ruled. However, in looking over the acts of parliament relating to bills of exchange, it was found to be enacted by 17 Geo. III. c. 30. That all negotiable bills of exchange above 20s. and under 51. fhall fpecify the names and places of abode of the perfons to whom, or to whofe order, the fame fhall be made payable; and that every indorfement thereon fhalk fpecify the name and place of abode of the payer; and that both the figning and indorfement of fuch bill fhall be attefted by one fubfcribing witnefs.'-A doubt was therefore conceived by Mr. Recorder, whether this indictment could be fupported, as for forging a bill of exchange, which upon the face of it, by the express directions of the ftatute, was void. He therefore recorded the verdict guilty, but refpited the judgment until the opinion of the judges was had upon this point. And at the last feflion, Mr.

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juftice

juftice Afhhurst delivered the opiion of the judges, that the indictment could not be maintained.

Paris, June 7. On the 5th, be tween ten in the morning and two in the afternoon, the Comteffe de la Motte, according to the account of the keepers of her prifon, made her efcape from her confinement; but it is believed that she was fetched out at the repeated inftances of several people of rank, who wished her to be in a more decent fituation. It is remarked, that another prifoner went with her; and that the took away all her clothes, and even a canary bird in a cage.

21. Monday arrived with his fuite, in perfect health, at Portfmouth, from Gibraltar, fir George Auguftus Elliott. On his coming on fhore he was faluted with the guns of the feveral batteries, and honoured with every teftimony of publick gratitude.

22. Between one and two in the morning, a fire was difcovered in the houfe of Mr. Whealy, papertainer in Alderfgate ftreet, in which Mrs. Whealy perifhed. The maid fervant, who laid with her, not being able to wake her, got out at the window of the fecond floor, and hung by her hands till they were fcorched, and then fell into the street, and was carried dangeroufly bruifed to St. Bartholomew's hofpital. A youth, apprentice to Mr. Whealy, was fo bruifed by throwing himself out at the garret window, that he died next morn ing; and a child of three years old was miffing. Mr. Whealy was out of town on a journey.

24. William Farringdon, efq. citizen and cordwainer, and James Fenn, efq. citizen and fkinner, were elected fheriffs of London.

25. Advice is received that lord

George Gordon, who for fome days paft, had been ordered to attend the court of king's bench to receive fentence, had landed at Helveotfluys, on Thursday fe'nnight.

25. Yesterday, at noon, the following paper, regularly ftamped, was fold about the Royal exchange, by a woman :

The LONDON GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY. Published by Authority.

St. James's, June 22d. 1787. At fix o'clock last night an exprefs from the Right Hon. Vifcount Torrington, his majesty's minifter at Bruffels, arrived at Deal, in an open boat from Dunkirk, and reached Windfor about half past four this morning with the intelligence, that a body of French troops, confifting of twenty thou fand infantry, and twelve thousand horse with field pieces, under the command of Count de Vaux, had affembled on the 18th inftant, at St. Amand from the adjacent gar rifon towns in the French Netherlands, and proceeded immediately on their march by Leffines, Ninove, &c. towards Holland.

His lordship adds, from undoubted authority, that every neceffary preparation is making for the above mentioned troops to cross the Biefbofch at the new ferry, and the high and low Swaaluw, on their way to Dortrecht.

Printed by THOMAS HARRISON. [Price three-pence halfpenny.]"

This was a forgery, intended to affect the funds, and it fucceeded; for ftocks fell one per cent. and, but for the difcovery of the deception, would have continued rapidly to fall. The woman, Alice Law

rence,

rence, was brought before Mr. Alderman Pigot, at Guildhall; in her defence, fhe faid, that they were delivered to her for fale by a man, who defired her not to cry them till he came to the Royal Exchange, and told her that he would meet her there. The aldernian remanded her for re-examination till this day, and in the interim, ordered ftrict fearch to be made after the perfon who deliver ed them to the prifoner for fale, A number of the like gazettes were alfo left at the pamphlet fhops of Meffrs. Axtell, Emerton, and Dean, at the Royal Exchange, and many of them were eagerly bought up prior to the difcovery. [The woman, in the fequel, underwent a fecond examination; but nothing farther tranfpiring, he was discharged.]

26. Andrew Robinfon Bowes, efq. Edward Lucas, Francis Peacock, Mark Provost, and Henry Bourn, were brought into the court of king's bench to receive judgment for a confpiracy against lady Strathmore, when judge Afhurft pro. nounced the fentence of the court as follows, viz.

"That Andrew Robinfon Bowes, efq. do pay a fine of 300l. to his Majefty that he be imprifoned in his Majefty's prifon of the king's bench for three years; and at the expiration of the faid term to find fecurity for 14 years, himfelf in 1000l. and two fureties in 5ool.

each.

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"That Mark Prevost be imprisoned in the gaol of Newgate for one year. No fine.

"That Henry Bourn do pay a fine of 50l. and be imprisoned in the gaol of Newgate for fix months."

Lucas, Peacock, and Prevost, are already under bail, by order of the court of king's bench, them◄ felves in 500l, together with two fureties in the fum of 250l. each, for keeping the peace towards Lady Strathmore for 14 years.

An application was made in behalf of Lucas, whom, it was faid,

might be dangerous to fend to Newgate, as many perfons who had been apprehended by him were now confined in that prifon. The judge delired that a memorial may be prefented, which would be received for confideration.

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The fame day, Mr. Wilkins, the printer, was fentenced to be im prifoned for two years in Newgate. (ee p. 27.)

Dublin, June 19. A gentleman, led by a curiofity excited by read ing an article originally published in a Dublin paper, recommending experiments in the various modes of tanning, has made, with fuccefs, the following difcoveries :

He tanned goat-fkins and calf. fkins for book-binding, and bafils, in the warm ooze wherein artichoaks, were boiled, as effectually as if tanned with white galls, or the bark of the willow.

The floe leaf, boiled to a decoc tion in water wherein barley was fteeped for malting, he found e qually fuccefsful in penetrating fkins with the vegetable matter nes ceffary to render them serviceable.

And in the experiment he made on the root of the flag, or yellow iris, he found it anfwer all the pur poles of the best white gall, which is far fuperior in ftrength and beau

ty

ty of effect to the best of all the reflector turning a fire fixed 15 feet barks.

Some of these skins he ftained red, yellow and blue, and they anfwered nearly as well as the Morocco, and little inferior to the Lisbon leather.

Dublin, June 23. Yefterday, in the court of king's bench, a magiftra'e of the counties of Meath and Dublin, was complained of for writing a letter and tampering with the grand jury at the quarter feffions at Kilmainham, and afterwards at the commiffion of oyer and terminer, to find bills of indictment against a person whom he intended to profecute.

After hearing the arguments of counfel on both fides, the lord chief juftice delivered the fentence of the court, deela ing that it ought to be known to the publick, that all fuch attempts were against law, and would, when complained of, meet with due punishment.

The magistrate was ordered to pay a fine of sol. all the cofts that the party complaining was put to, and to remain in the custody of the tipfaff until the whole fhould be difcharged.

Paris, June 11. The French have just found out à method to make the light-houfes on their coafts more useful than ever, by enlarging the body of light to appearance, and alfo giving each light a peculiar character, which will make it 'known and distinguishable from every other light, or any other fire or burning. Through means of a machine, very large reflectors, by turning regularly round, will throw fucceffive dafhes of light and fhade as they gradually appear and difappear in going round. The experiment will be made at the entrance into the port of Dieppe. There is to be alfo a

above the machine, which is to turn the other.

Bruffels, June 14. The Sieur Coffe, founder of the royal manufacture established at Laon, having difcovered the fecret of preparing with the hufks of grapes a fub flance, which, when mixed with common pit coal, gives it a parti cular quality, and increafes it to double the fize, has obtained an exclufive privilege for fifteen years to make this coal through all the kingdom. By means of a particular preparation, this coal will be able to forge the largest pieces of iron and steel, make the iron more malleable, and give a fuperior temper and quality to cutting inftruments. This difcovery must prove extremely beneficial to the world.

JULY.

5. At a common hal', held for the election of a fheriff of London, in the room of Wm. Farringdon, efq. who had fworn off, Matthew Bloxham, efq. citizen and stationer, was elected.

The

Bury, in Lancashire, July 5. A dreadful accident has just happened here by the fall of the theatre, by which more than 300 perfons were inclofed among the ruins. fpectacle was fhocking. Many were killed, many more dangerofly wounded, not a few had their limbs fractured; and fome were horribly bruised; in fhort, the whole town was in general lamentation, though many miraculously efcaped unhurt.

9. On the 5th of July, in the night, a hill near Willington quay, Newcale, upon which a dwelling. houfe had been lately erected, flid away upwards of ten yards from its former fcite. The inhabitants, who were afleep, did not perceive

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