were afterwards found seven other skeletons, all ranged in good order at about a yard apart, and about two feet under ground; but neither of these had any thing to distinguish them. How these bodies came to be deposited in this place affords matter of speculation to the curious.
A melancholy affair happened on board a Scotch vessel, laden with corn, which was just come up the river; and lay off Tower-wharf; the captain, on their coming up, would have had his people go on shore to refresh themselves, which they refused, and remained on board. Soon after (whether thro' wantonness, or cruelty, is not known) some fellows got on the deck, fastened their hatches, stopped up their funnel, cut their cables, and set them adrift. In running down with the tide, she fell foul of a tier of ships, the people of whom seeing her without any body on the deck, suspected something, and going down into the cabin, found three men lying dead, and the captain and a boy near expiring. The funnel, &c. being stopped, occasioned such a smoke, as suffocated the three poor fellows; the captain is pretty well recovered, but there are very little hopes of the boy.
29th. Came on to be argued before the Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, and a special jury of gentlemen, a cause which has been depending above twelve months in that court; wherein Edward Burrow, Esq. collector of his majesty's customs at Hull, on the part of the King, was plaintiff, and a Dutch merchant defendant, touching the seizure of a Dutch vessel, for importing French brandy into the port of Hull; when after many learned arguments on both sides, (during the space of six hours) a verdict was given for the plaintiff without the jury ever stirring out of court.
By the said determination it is to be hoped a stop will be put to this particular trade of our good friends the Dutch.
DECEMBER.
5th. Dr. Shebbeare stood on the pillory, pursuant to his sentence.
6th. Dr. Hensey was farther respited to January 21.
12th. No. 72,570, in the present lottery, was drawn a prize of 10,000l.
The drawing of the lottery was finished, when No. 30,135, being the last drawn ticket, is entitled to 1000l.
An oak in Langley woods, near Downton, Wilts, supposed to be near 1000 years growth, was sold for 40l. It was the property of the Bishop of Salisbury, measured 6 feet 2 inches in diameter, and contained about 10 ton of timber.
On the 11th instant the old castle of Douglas, in Scotland, the residence of the Duke of Douglas, was consumed by fire.
Sunday night, the 26th ult. about nine o'clock, a very remarkable meteor appeared in the firmament, and passed over the city of Edinburgh with great velocity. It was of a conic form, and in appearance about four or five inches diameter at the base, and as it went along, numbers of sparks fell from it, like those of a rocket when its force is spent. A most surprising light issued from it, so strong, that while it lasted, which was for five or fix seconds, oneeasily
