So neat, although plain,

So graceful her mein,
Although the lives under a thatch;
Though the linnen be coarse,
The fkin's ne'er the worse,
Of the lafs of the Halfpenny Hatch,

What tho' fhe can't boast,
Like many a gay toast,

Of her jewels, her trinket, her watch;
Such toys the may scorn,
For they could not adorn,
The lafs of the Halfpenny Hatch.

Her every action

Drives me to distraction,
To fee her but lift up the latch;
Sets my heart all on fire,
And all I defire,

Is the Lafs of the Halfpenny Hatch.

Oh! were the but kind,
And like me inclin'd,

I'd the first opportunity catch;
A flame to impart,

Like mine to the heart,

Of the lafs of the Halfpenny Hatch.

In fome happy time, When our love's in the prime, If one willing kiss I could snatch;

I'd envy no peer,

His Lady lefs fair,

Than the lafs of the Halfpenny Hatch.

Of dames or of misses,
Where's one fuch as this is?

In fhort, there's not one that can match,
In Surry, fair fhire,

Nor on earth far or near, With the lafs of the Halfpenny Hatch. March 14, 1757

W.

Ye thoughtless youths, by impious paffions fway'd!

God in the prime of life must be obey'd; God the fole fountain of each good you know,

From whofe right hand eternal bleffings

flow;

In him, your friend, in him alone rejoice Nor dare let fports and plays attract your choice;

But, in your vigour, in the heat of youth, Fulfil his precepts, and embrace the truth. Repeat

SAT.

TH

HE feffions at the Old Feb. 26. Bailey ended this day, when fix perfons received fentence of death Richard Hughes, formerly an eminent taylor, for publishing a forged letter of attorney, by which he defrauded perfons unknown to the amount of 300l. in government fecurities; William Harris, and Thomas Marth, for street robberies; Thomas Philips, for forgery: Wm. Hardridge, for ftealing bank notes to the value of 3751. the property of Capt. Warren; and Gabriel Savoy, for fhopiifting.

The Hon. Wm. Pitt, Efq; prefented, by his majefty's order the following meffage to the honourable Houfe of Commons:

• next; ⚫the contrary.

4

But being informed that a mem⚫ber of the House of Commons who was a member of the court martial, which tried the faid admiral, has, in his place, applied to the house, in behalf of himfelf, and feveral < other members of the faid court, praying the aid of parliament to be released from the oath of fecrecy impofed on courts martial, in order to difclofe the grounds whereon fen<tance of death paffed on the faid admiral, the refult of which difcovery may fhew the fentence to be improper; his majefty has thought fit to refpite the execution of the fame, in order that there may be an

In confequence of this meffage, a motion was made for bringing in a bill to releafe from the obligation of the oath of fecrecy, the members of the court martial appointed for the trial of admiral Byng, purfuant to the exception contained in the faid oath ; and Mr. Potter, and Sir Francis Dashwood being ordered to prepare the fame, it was accordingly prepared, prefented, read, amended, and ordered to be engroffed all in one day. On the breaking up of the house, an order was difpatched to Portsmouth to refpite the execution of the admiral to the 14th of March.

MON. 28. The above bill was read the third time and pass'd, and Mr. Potter was ordered to carry it to the lords for their concurrence. The oaths now taken by the members of every court martial are as follow: 'I A. B. do fwear, That I will duly adminifter juftice, according to the articles and orders eftablished by an act paffed in the twenty fecond year of the reign of his majesty King George the fecond, for amending, explaining and reducing into one act of parliament, the laws relating to the government of his majefty's fhips, veffels, and forces by fea, without partiality, favour, or affection; and if any cafe fhall arife, which is not particularly mentioned in the said articles and orders, I will duly ad• minifter

<minifter juftice according to my con⚫fcience the best of my understanding and the cuftom of the navy in the like cafes; and I do further ⚫ fwear, That I will not, upon any account, at any time whatfoever, difclofe or discover the vote or opinion of any particular member of this court-martial, unless thereunto required by act of parliament.

So help me God.' TUE. March 1. Being St. David's day, the fame was obferved at court as a high feftival. The Rt. Rev. the Lord Bishop of Landaff preached an excellent fermon at St. Andrew's, Holbourn, where the collection and that at Merchant Taylor's-hall amounted to 11. gs. 5d. exclufive of what is apprehended may be given by the Welch gentlemen who meet at the Devil tavern, which money is appropriated to the Welch charity school on Clerkenwell green; where at prefent 40 poor boys, fons of Welch parents, benefited by no parochial charity, are cloathed and educated, and put out to proper trades, or the fea.

WED. 2. The Right Hon. the H. of Peers took under confideration the bill to abfolve the members of the court martial, &c. from their oath of fecrecy, and after examining the feveral members of the faid court martial upon oath, unanimously rejected the faid bill. The principal queftions put to the feveral members were thefe: I. Whether you know any matter that paffed previous to the fentence pronounced upon Adm. Byng, which may fhew that fentence to have been unjust? — II. Whether you know any matter that paffed previous to the faid fentence, which may fhew that fentence to have been given thro' any undue practice or motive ?-III. Whether you are defirous that the bill now under the confideration of the houfe, for difpenfing with the oath of fecrecy, fhould pafs into a law?-IV. Whether you are of opinion, that you have any particulars to reveal, relative to the cafe of, and the fentence pass'd

upon Adm. Byng, which you judge neceffary for his majefty's information, and which you think likely to incline his majefty to mercy?-The first and fecond queftions were unanimoufly anfwered in the negative, and the 3d and 4th were alfo answered in the negative by

Vice Admiral Smyth,
the prefident of the
court martial.
Rear Ad. Holbourne.
Rear Ad. Broderick.
Capt. Holmes.

Capt. Geary. Capt. Boys. Capt. Simcoe. Capt. Douglas

Capt. Bentley.

Capt. Denis.

To the third, Rear Admiral Norris, Capt. Moore, and the Hon. Mr. Keppel anfwered in the affirmative. The feveral anfwers of the fame gentlemen to the 4th, were as follow:

Rear Adm. Norris. At the time I faid I was defirous the act fhould take place, I understood that we should have an opportunity of delivering our particular reafons, for figning the fentence, and letter of recommendation.

Capt. Moore. I do not think myfelf at liberty, while I am under this oath, to answer that question.

The Hon. Mr. Kepple. I think that I can't anfwer that question without particularizing the reafons for my vote and opinion.

SUN. 6. The fquadron at Port l'Orient and Breft put to fea with a fair wind. It has fince been reported that the Breft fquadron was presently difperfed, and almost wholly dismasted by a violent ftorm, and obliged to return into port to refit.

im

commiflion of hoftilities in the ducal Pruffia; and that difpofitions have been made by the regency of Hanover for affembling an army of obfervation on the frontiers of that electorate.

WED. 9. Advice was received of the failing of the Breft fquadron, confifting of 16 fhips of the line, with 12 frigates, firefhips and tranfports. On this advice an exprefs was fent to Portfmouth to ftop the failing of the out-ward-bound merchantinen and tranfports, confifting of more than 400 fail, till a ftronger convoy is got ready for their protection.

SAT. 12. The Ruffian company made a donation of 100l. to the marine fociety, as a marke of their approbation. The Eaft India company have given 2001. The ftationer's company Tool. The apothecaries company tool. The cloth-workers, grocer's, merchant taylors, falters, fifh-mongers, fadlers, vintners, and feveral other companies have likewife contributed 100l. each to this useful fociety; and many private donations are daily received to a very great amount, which is one inftance of the public fpirit of the wealthy in this metropolis, and of their readiness to contribute to the fervice of their country whenever a proper occasion offers.

A commiffion impowering the lord privy Seal and other lords to declare, and notify the royal affent to feveral publick and private bills, was read this day in the Houfe of Peers, and the royal affent given to-An act to prohibit, for a limited time, the making of low wines and fpirits from wheat, barley, malt, or any other fort of grain, or from meal or flower.An act for the better regulation of his majesty's marine forces while on fhore. To two road bills, and two private bills.

they, in purfuance of that order, owed from Spithead, and made the bar bour a little after eleven o'clock with the utmost difficulty and danger, it blowing a prodigious hard gale, the wind at W. N. W. and ebbing water. It was ftill more difficult to get up fo high as the Monarque lay, on board which fhip the admiral fuffered. Notwithstanding it blew fo hard, and the fea ran very high, there was a prodi gious number of other boats round the hips on the outfide of the men of wars boats, which laft kept off all others. Not a foul was fuffered to be on board the Monarque, except those belonging to the ship. Mr. Byng, accompanied by a clergyman who attended him during his confinement, and two gentlemen his relations, walked out of the great cabin to the quarterdeck, where he fuffered on the larboard-fide, a few minutes before 12 o'clock. He was dreffed in a lightgrey coat, white waftecoat, and white tockings, and a large white wig, and bad in each hand a white handkerchief. He threw his hat on the deck, kneeled on a cushion, tied one handkerchief over his eyes, and dropped the other as a fignal, on which a volly from fix marines was fired, five of whose bullets went through him, and he was in an inftant no more. The fixth went over his head.

From his coming out of the cabin could not be two minutes, till he fell motionlefs on his left fide. He died with great refolution and compofure, not thewing the leaft fign of timidity.

The Ramillies, the ship the admiral had in the Mediterranean, was riding at her moorings in the harbour, and about half an hour before he fuffered, he broke her mooringchain, and only held by her bridle; which is looked on as a wonderful incident by people who do not confider the high wind at that time.