288 
glans of Eton, in consequence of a difference on the 
preceding day, Sunday, met to decide it, according 
to custom, by a pugilistic contest, which lasted froma 
four o’clock till nearly six, when the Hon. F. 4. 
Cooper, who was over-matched, was carried to bed 
insensjble, and died about four hours afterwards. 
March 3.—Martin Jones, a blacksmith, at Harrow, 
made a complaint at Bow-street, of most outrageous 
and disgraceful conduct of about one hundred and 
fifty of the young gentlemen at Harrow School, and 
claimed the protection of the magistrates: as he 
stated not only his own life but that of his family 
were in danger, from. the furious threats of revenge 
of these young gentlemen, in consequence of his son 
having given the masters some information which 
caused one of them to be punished. Mr. Minshull, 
the magistrate, sent off Ellis, one of the principal 
officers, to Harrow, with a warrant, and instructions 
how to act; and, upon his arrival at Dr. Butler's, 
the head yaaster, he learnt that the affair had been 
compromised, and that the blacksmith did not wish 
the warrant to be executed. 
March 3.—Mr. W. Smith, M.P., Chairman of the 
Thames Tunnel Company, proceeded to Rother- 
hithe, to commence this great undertaking, accom- 
panied by the directors, auditors, engineer, sur- 
veyor, and other officers of the company. Mr. W. 
Smith, previously to laying the stone, made a long 
discourse on the utility of the arts and sciences, and 
exemplified it by reference to this gigantic under- 
taking. The Rev. Mr. White offered up a prayer 
for the success of it; after which, the first stone was 
laid with the usual formalities, amid the cheers of 
the surrounding multitude. 
March 4.—A fire broke out in the warehouse of 
Mr. Mallanger, rag and flock merchant, Great Gar- 
den-street, Whitechapel, which entirely destroyed 
the building and stock; likewise the premises and 
stock of Mr. Schooling, ironmonger, adjoining ; and 
of Mr. Colsworthy, druggist. 
March 13.—A curious coincidence in the planetary 
system took place on Sunday evening, at half past 
nine o'clock, by the conjunction of the moon and 
Georgium Sidus,; in the sign Capricorn. On the 
same day, in the year 1781, this planet was first dis- 
covered by the learned Dr. Herschell. 
March 14.—A fire broke out in the timber-yard of 
Mr. Vizier, in Little Queen-street, Holborn (which 
was partly destroyed by fire on Sunday the 27th 
ult.) ; the premises of Messrs. Scoles, coach-builders, 
and four others were burning at the same time. 
March 15.—A fire broke out at a house in Tower- 
street, St. George’s, which was entirely consumed, 
together with the whele of the property on the 
premises. 
March 16.—A fire broke out in a house at the cor- 
ner of St. Thomas’s-street, in the Borough, the 
whole of which was consumed. 
The late Mr. Simco, the antiquarian bookseller, 
bequeathed his valuable collection of prints, &c. to 
the British Museum, upon condition of the trustees 
paying his family £500, which the latter declined 
doing, conceiving them to be overvalued. They 
have since, however, been sold by auction for up- 
wards of £900. 
Sir Richard Colt Hoare, bart. has recently given 
to the British Museum his splendid library of Italian 
history. X 
In removing one of the walls of the Opera House, 
the workmen discovered the first stone of the old 
building, laid in 1704. A brass plate, which covered 
the cavity, bears the following inscription: ‘* April 
18th, 1704, in the third year of the happy reign of 
our sovereign lady, Queen Anne, this corner stone 
of the Queen’s Theatre, was laid by his grace, Charles 
‘Chronology of the Month. 
. China, and had entered the Bay of Biscay; many of 
[April 1, 
Duke of Somerset, master of the horse to her Most 
Sacred Majesty.” ‘ . 
March 25. —.A Meeting called of the Electors 
of Westminster, to consider of a Petition to the 
House of Commons for the Repeal of the House and 
Window Tax, was held in Covent Garden — Sir 
Francis Burdett and Mr. Hobhouse attending ; when, 
a set of Resolutions and a Petition on that subject 
having been read, and unanimously approved, Mr. 
Hunt (who had previously attended the Committee, 
in which the business was prepared, and had given 
no intimation of the least design of either opposing 
or introducing any other motion) brought forward 
an additional clause against making any provision 
for the Catholic Clergy, which he insisted should be 
incorporated with the petition against the Window 
Tax; and, by his abusive language against Mr. 
Hobhouse and others, excited such a tumult, that, 
in the midst of the noise and confusion, aud by the 
direction of his dumb-shew manceuvering, he got 
the people to hold up their hands, without knowing 
what the question was, and the petition was lost. 
And when the people found out the trick that he 
had played them, they were so much enraged, that 
it was with great difficulty that. a very strong 
guard of constables could preyent them from tearing 
him to pieces, and enable him to escape into a house 
in Russell-street. This circumstance, together with 
the tremendous dressing and exposure he had pre- 
viously received from Mr. Hobhouse in replying 
to h’s calumnies, will, probably, put an end to Mr. 
Hunt's popularity in Westminster. , 
The following account of the loss of the Hon. 
Company's ship Kent, and the rescue of the greatest 
part of the crew by the Cambria, has been transmit- 
ted by a passenger. ny 
About ten o’clock on the morning of the Ist inst. 
the Kent was making her way towards Bengal and 
the passengers were in bed, or only partly clothed; 
but they were suddenly aroused by alarming shrieks, 
and, rushing to the deck, found that the sailors, 
fearful, from the heaving of the ship, that the 
stowage might have been disturbed, had taken a 
lamp down to see that all was right; the lamp, un- 
fortunately, fell among some spirits, which had 
burst the cask, and which were placed near the pow- 
der barrels. Every attempt at extinguishing the 
flames proving unsuccessful; they opened the sluices, 
and let in as many tons of water as they supposed 
must inevitably have sunk the vessel. At this mo- 
ment the Cambria was seen coming up, and then 
every one was eager to go down to the cabins, to try 
to save any thing they could: this was, however, 
not allowed, for the officers stationed themselves 
along the deck with their guns, ready to shoot the 
first man who stirred; by this means, and the exem- 
plary conduct of the Cornish miners, &c. on board 
the Cambria, upwards of 500 men, including women 
and children, and the Captain, were saved; but 
about two o’clock on Wednesday morning the ves- 
sel blew up, with ninety persons still on board. The 
misery and distress exceeded description; the women, 
half clothed, were let down into the boats, three 
strung together. The Cambria, a brig of 200 tons 
burthen, was so small, that the passengers were 
huddled together without room to breathe; and, 
but for the most beautifully sereneweather, could 
never have borne the increase of numbers, After 
three days the vessel arrived ,in Falmouth, and no- 
thing could exceed the kindness with which the un- 
Ortuna'e sufferers were received. A subscription 
has been also set on foot for a present of plate to 
Captain Cook of the Cambria, which he richly 
merits for his exemplary conduct. oy 
“At 
