A

Few moments will now deliver me from the virulent perfecutions, and fruftrate the farther malice of my enemies. Nor need lenvy them a life fubject to the fenfations my injuries and the injuftice done me muft create. Perfwaded I am, juftice will be done to my reputation hereafter. The manner and caufe of raifing and keeping up the popular clamour and prejudice against me, will be feen through. I fhall be confidered (as I now perceive myfelt) a victim destined to divert the indignation and refentment of an injured and deluded people from the proper objects. My enemies themselves muft now think me innocent. Happy for me, at this my last moment, that I know my own innocence, and am confcious that no part of my country's misfortunes can be owing to me. I heartily with the shedding my blood may contribute to the happiness and service of my country; but cannot refign my juft claim to a faithful difcharge of my duty according to the best of my judgment, and the utmost exertion of my ability for his majefty's honour, and my country's fervice. I am forry that my endeavours were not attended with more fuccefs, and that the armament under my command proved too weak to fucceed in an expedition of such mo

ment.

Truth hath prevailed over calumny and falfehood; and juftice has wiped off the ignominious ftain of my fuppofed want of perfonal cousage or difaffection. My heart ac

quits me of thefe crimes. But who can be prefumptuously fure of his own judgment? If my crime is an error in judgment, or differing in oerror in judgment fhould be on pinion from my judges; and if yet,

the

their fide, God forgive them, as I do; and may the diftrefs of their minds, and uneafinefs of their confciences, which in juftice to me they have reprefented, be relieved and fubfide, as my refentment has done.

The fupreme judge fees all hearts and motives; and to him I must fubmit the juftice of my caufe. J. BYNG. On board his Majefty's Ship Mo

narque, in Portsmouth Harbour, March 14, 1757: TUES. 15. Arofe the greatest ftorm of wind on the western coaft of this island that has been known :-At Liverpool it began about 9, preceded by a dreadful roaring of the fea. At 10 it blew a hurricane, and about 11 vered to the W. N. W. and was attended with fuch heavy fqualls of wind, that the oldeft perfon here don't remember the like. The floop Duke, Thomas Deaz, for Drogheda; a river floop, Tarlton, for Prefton; and brigantine Quefter, Potter, for Africa, funk. Brigantine Drogheda Merchant, James Heys, for Drogheda, and the brigantine Manchefter, Randle M' Donald, for Londonderry, overset, funk, and were stranded all of them oppofite to the town.

The fnow Monmouth, Twentyman, fhip Johnfon, Gawith, and fnow Swale, Pollard, for Virginia; fhip Trafford, Clarke, for Philadelphia, fnow Hopewell, Langford, for Barbadoes; fnow Mears, Barrel, for Africa; and a floop Williams, from Holyhead, all riding at anchor at the Black Rock, parted their cables, and were put afhore in Bootle Bay. The Marlborough, Ward, for Virginia; Rainbow, Harrifon, for Africa, and St. Andrew, Burton, for New York, were the only veffels that rode it out there. The ship Great Britain, Hicks, from Riga, and the brig John, Clif

ton

a

ton, for Yarmouth, were put on fhore near Knott's Hole. The Liverpool Exchange, Urmfon; the Smithfon, Salisbury, from London, and Barneveft, Howard, for London, were forced on fhore near Highlake; Dutch vessel, name unknown, and all her crew perished. A pilot-boat, William Cerlett, late owner and mafter, met with the fame fate. Duke of Argyle, Hardy, for Virginia; Carolina, Erskine, for Barbadoes, with many others, parted their cables. Ship Alice, Brigs, from London, cut away her mafts, and the Ince boat, with feveral others were bulged and ftranded.

The damage in the town was very confiderable, numbers of chimneys, fome houses, and many walls, were levelled with the earth: roofs ftripped and showers of broken flates, bricks,, &c. rendered the ftreets impaflible. About 42 feet of the lofty fpire of St. Thomas's church, (which was efteemed one of the moft beautiful in Europe) fell upon the body of the church, broke through the roof, and has torn down the west galleries.

In the different parts of the adjacent country, barns, houses, and other buildings were ftripped, and many levelled with the ground. Confiderable damage is done at Knowsley-hall, the feat of the Earl of Derby. Crosbie, Sephton, Woolfall, Spellow, and feveral other mills are blown down, ricks of hay entirely deftroyed and carried away. Happily for the fea coaft the tides were at the lowest, or in all probability there would have been confiderably more damage done; for though it was ebb tide in courfe, yet the flood returned, or rather did not go out of the River. The gale abated and backed to N. N. W and N, about one o'clock in the afternoon,-At Chefter about 100 chimnies were blown down, most of the houfes fripped of their flating; the chimnies at the minfter, and all the windows on one fide are blown to pieces; and all along the adjacent road the houfes and

barns were ftripped, and hundreds of large trees torn up by the roots. At a little town called Acton, within a mile of Nantwich, the top of the church fteeple beat in the roof of the church, and damaged it to the amount of 2000l. At Nantwich the church is much shattered, and the houses mostly ftripped.-At Worceftor the wind blew down a ftack of chimneys at the Town-hall, which beat thro' the roof, and thence through the cieling over the nifi prious bar, while the court of aflize was fitting. Mr. Juflice Wilmot was on that bench, but his lordhip happily received no hurt, and there happened to be only five of the counfellors prefent, four of whom were hurt, but not dangerously, viz. Mr. Moreton, Mr. Afton, Mr. Nares, and Mr. Aurft; Mr. Afton prevented further damage to himself by inftantly flipping under the council table; but Mr. Moreton was prefently jammed in by the rubbish, and remained fo fome time. The fix following perfons loft their lives on this occafion, viz. Mr. Lawes, the cryer of the court; Mr. Chambers. an attorney of Kidderminter; Mr. Freme, an iron-monger; Mr. Hurtle, of Hartlebury; and Mr. Shaw, of Omberfley; all of whom were taken out dead from amongst the rubbish, and most ditmal spectacies they were, as was likewife Mr. Wainwright, of Bromfgrove, who did not die till fome time after he was carried out of the hall. Divers other people were greatly hurt. It is not to be conceived what confufion the court was prefently in, or what mischief enfued from the people's hurrying out of the hall, and in going down the hall fteps, whereby feveral were thrown down and trampled upon a confiderable time; nor is it eafily to be described the anxiety of fuch people who happened to be at home, while fome of the family were out and fuppofed to be gone to the hall. Mr. Baron Adams, who fat at the crown-bar, at the other end of the hall, had adjourned the count, and was gone to his lodgings

but

but a few minutes before this melancholy accident happened, which put an entire ftop to the bufinefs of the affizes.

THURS. 17. Books were opened at the Bank for receiving contributions towards raifing the fum of 2,500,000l. for the fervice of the current year, on the terms expreffed in the following refolution of the H. of Commons on the 14th inftant.

Refolved,

That, towards raifing the fupply granted to his majefty, the fum of 2,500,000 I be raifed by annuties for lives, with the benefit of furvivorship, or for terms of years certain, and charged upon a fund to be established in this feffion of parliament for payment thereof, and for which the finking fund fhall be a collateral fecurity, the faid feveral annuities to be granted upon the conditions, and in the manner following; that is to fay, That all perfons, who, in books to be opened at the bank of England for that purpose, fhall fubfcribe, at any time before 5 of the clock in the afternoon of the 4th day of April next, for the payment of 100 l. or as many entire fums of 100l. as they shall chufe to contribute towards the faid fum of 2,500,000l. and fhall at the time of fuch fubfcription make a depofit of 10 1. per cent. on fuch fums fo to be contributed, and shall make the future payments on, or before, the times herein after limited, viz.

151. per Cent. on or before 26th

May next.

151. per Cent. on or before 7th July next.

151. per Cent. on or before the 18th of August next.

151. per Cent. on or before 29th Sept. next.

15. per Cent. on or before 10th

Nov. next.

to be divided into five claffes: the first clafs to confift of annuities of 41. for every 100l. contributed, for the lives of nominees of any age, with the benefit of furvivorship upon the death of nominees of the fame clafs, for the term of 60 years; that is to say, after the expiration of this term, the contributors fhall continue to enjoy the benefit of their accumulated annuities during the lives of their respective nominees, but no further benefit by the death of any nominee which shall happen after the expiration of that term: the fecond class to confift of annuities of 41. 5s. for every 100l. contributed for the lives of nominees, who shall be above the age of 20 years, with the like benefit of survivorship upon the death of nominees of the fame clafs, for the term of 50 years, in manner aforefaid: the third class to confist of annuities of 41. 10s. for every 100l. contributed, for the lives of nominees who fhall be above the age of 30 years, with the like benefit of furvivorship upon the death of nominees of the fame clafs, for the term of 43 years and a half, in manner aforefaid. The fourth clafs to confift of annuities of 41. 15s. for every 100l. contributed, for the lives of nominees who fhall be above the age of 40 years, with the like benefit of furvivorship upon the death of nominees of the fame clafs for the term of 38 years and a half, in manner aforefaid. The fifth class to confift of annuities of 51. for every 100l contributed for the lives of nominees who fhall be above the age of 50 years, with the like benefit of furvivorship upon the death of nominees of the fame clafs, for the term of 35 years, in manner aforefaid: but that fuch contributors, who, inftead of annuities for lives, fhall chufe to accept annuities for terms of years certain, fhall be entitled, at their option to any of the following annuities, after the rates of interest herein after mentioned, viz.

Of 41. per Cent. for 66 years.
41. 5s. per Cent. for 54 years.

41. 1os

The faid annuities for lives to be paid half yearly on the 5th day of January, and the 5th day of July, in every year: the first half-yearly payment of annuities for lives to be made to the feveral contributors refpectively on the 5th day of January 1758, if they fhall before that time have appointed their nominees, or upon fuch of the faid half-yearly days of payment as fhall be next after the refpective appointment of their nominees; and the said annuities for certain terms of years, at what time foever the contributors fhall make their option to accept fuch annuities, fhall commence from the 5th day of July 1757, and be paid half-yearly as aforefaid; and that all contributors, paying the whole, or any part of their contributions, previous to the days appointed for the refpective payments, fhall be entitled to an allowance of fo much money, as the intereft of the feveral fums fo previously paid, after the rate of 31. per Cent. per Ann. fhall amount to from the time of fuch previous payment, to the respective times on which fuch payments are directed to be made; and that all the feveral fums before-mentioned, which shall be contributed as aforefaid, fhall, by the cafhiers of the bank, be paid into the receipt of the Exchequer, to be applied from time to time, to fuch fervices as fhall then have been voted by this houfe in this feffion of parliament, and not otherwise.\

TUE. 22. For the better fupply of feamen to ferve on board merchant and other trading fhips and privateers, his majefty, pursuant to the powers granted by parliament for that purpose, iffued his royal proclamation, permitting them during the continuance of the war, to be navigated by foreign feamen, provided their

number fhall not exceed three 4ths of the ship's crew.

FRI. 25. Was held the anniversary meeting of the governors of the London hofpital at Merchant Taylor's hall; at which were prefent the D. of Devonshire, prefident; the Ld. Bp. of Worcester, and feveral other gover

The collection at church and at the hall amounted to 2040l. 155. 6 d.

THU. 31. It is reported that overtures have been made for rendering his majefty's electoral dominions neutral, by a triple regulation: in confequence of which, the army of obfervation is to remain in their quarters; the French are not to enter the empire; and the Ruffians are not to pafs their own frontiers. But an obftacle to the execution of this plan hath arifen with regard to the affairs of Saxony, of fuch a nature, as not to be easily removed.

Since the publication of our laft, two fkirmishes have happened between the Pruffians and Auftrians on the frontiers of Bohemia, which are thus related: On the 20th of February a body of 6000 Austrians furrounded the little town of Herschfeld in upper Lufatia, which was garrifoned by a battalion of Prussian foot. The first attack was made at four in the morning, on the two redoubts without the gates, on each of which was placed two field pieces: and though the Auftrians were feveral times repulted, they at last made themfelves mafters of one of the redoubts, and carried off the two pieces of cannon. In their retreat, they were followed by the Pruflians, who fell upon their rear; killed some of them and took many prifoners. The Auftrians own they loft 500 men in the different attacks. About the 6th inft. the Duke of Bevern marched out of Zittau with a body of near 9000 men, in order to deftroy the Dens the Auftrians keep up on their frontiers. In which expedition he took the Auftrians ma

gazine at Friedland in Bohemia, confifting of 9000 facks of meal and great ftore of ammunition; and, af ter making himself master of Rei chenberg, he returned to Zittau. The van of his troops, confifting of 150 Huffars of the regiment of Put kammer, met a body of 600 Croats, fuftained by 200 Auftrian dragoons of Bathianí, at their entering Bohe mia, and immediately fell upon them fword in hand, killed about 50 of them, took 30 horfes, and made 10 dragoons prifoners. The Pruffians did not lofe one fingle man on this occafion, two of them only were flightly wounded, the Auftrians having been immediately_put to flight. On the 11th of February, about ten o'clock at night, the ftream of the Elve that rifes in the mountains of Bohemia, came down with fuch rapidity, that it broke up the ice, and threw very large pieces of it upon the land at a furprizing diftance. The noise it made was unfpeakable. Next morning the ice meeting with fome obftruction between Drefden and Meiffen, the current rofe fo high, that it came up to the iron rails of the bridge. This lafted about an hour, when it began to feparate and go off with the ftream. His Pruffian majefty, and the princes his brothers, went into the garden of the palace, in order to look at fo ftrange and extraordinary a fight.

AMERICA.

Charles-Town, South Carolina, Nov. 25. We have certain accounts, that a number of Cherokees arrived at Halbamer Fort on the 16th of laft month, accompanied by two Shawa aefe, and two Frenchmen with difpatches. That on the 18th they had a meeting with the upper Creeks, to whom the Shawanefe prefented a red ftick, and follicited them to take part in the war in which they were, engaged against the English: but the VOL. XIII,

Wolf king, (who had previously order'd all his warriors to be ready at a call, to come armed with their hatchets, and painted red, being betermined in cafe he fhould find any of the Creekhead men difpofed to liften to the Shawanefe's proposals, to bring a war upon the Shawanese, Cherokees and Frenchmen then there) declared to them, that before an Englishman fhould be hurt, he and every one of his warriors would facrifice their lives to pro'tect them,' whereupon all the Creekland men declared likewife, 'that thefe were their fentiments, and threw the red ftick away. That one of the Frenchmen proceeded with his difpatches for Moville, with five of the Cherokees: and the other retur ned with the Shawanese for the northward, with letters, that were delivered to him at the Halbamer Fort. That the Shawanele had brought a red hatchet with them from, the northward, and left it in the over hill Cherokee town, (where they had excited fome jealoufies) which was to have taken it up in case the Creeks had taken up the red flick. Upon the whole it may be prefumed that the refolution of the Creeks bids fair for an happy iffue to our agent's negociations, and puts all our Indian affairs upon a good footing.

Lift of Ships taken from the FRENCH.

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