24 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



horses, to meet his holiness, as a 

 present to him, in token of their 

 devotion to his interest. These 

 were gifts the more agreeable, as 

 both the papal palaces at Rome, 

 stalls, stables, and all, had been 

 completely ransacked and emptied. 

 A part of the Quirinal had been fit- 

 ted up and furnished in haste for the 

 reception of his holiness. At night 

 the whole city was illuminated, and 

 several triumphal arches. 



12th. This day was laid the first 

 stone of the intended new wet dock, 

 near the Isle of Dogs. A grand 

 aquatic procession took place, and a 

 number of persons of considerable 

 distinction were present. 



The privy council have decided, 

 that it should be recommended to 

 his majesty to grant a charter for 

 the incorporation of Downing-col- 

 lege, in every respect conformable 

 to the scheme approved by the 

 trustees and the court of chancery, 



Mrs. Elizabeth Shaw, who died 

 lately at Pontefract, in Yorkshire, 

 bequeathed the principal part of her 

 property amounting to 15,000/. to 

 her house-maid, named Mary Wat- 

 son. The heir at law disputed the 

 validity of the will, at the last as- 

 sizes, and endeavoured to prove, 

 that the deceased was in a complete 

 state of intoxication when she exe- 

 cuted the deed. This allegation, 

 however, was not substantiated ; 

 and the fortunate housemaid will 

 of course receive the fuU amount of 

 the above legacy. 



The duke of Northumberland, in 

 a letter to a gentleman in Dublin, 

 states the expense of the life-boat 

 presented to the town of North- 

 Shields, at 160/. and that it has al- 

 ready saved nearly 1000 seamen 

 and passengers, besides several ships 

 {ind their cargoes. 



The gi'and junction canal has 

 lately been opened from the Thames, 

 at Brentford, to Fenny Stratford, in 

 Buckinghamshire, from which place 

 onward, through Bedfordshire, to 

 Tring in Hertfordshire, it was be- 

 fore navigable. Mr. Dodd, the en- 

 gineer, has begun to stake out the 

 line of the Thames and Medway 

 canal, which promises to be of 

 great local and public utility, and, 

 though but eight miles and a half in 

 length, will supersede the necessity 

 of going 47 miles about by sea, be- 

 tween London and Rochester. 



Mr. Yates, the master and propri- 

 etor of a canal-barge at Colebrook- 

 Dale, lately went all the way, 

 which is upwards of 400 miles by 

 water, from that navigation, to 

 Hambro' Wharf, near London- 

 Bridge, in 14 days. He touched 

 at Worcester, Gloucester, and other 

 towns, with part of his cargo. This 

 is the first barge that ever made the 

 entire passage. 



17th. This day an inquest was 

 taken before Mr. White one of the 

 coroners for Lincolnshire, at the 

 Bull, Witham-Common, on the bo- 

 dies of Thomas Gilling and John 

 Barnes, who were overturned from 

 the Newcastle-coach the preceding 

 day, between Stamford and Grant- 

 ham, and crushed to death by the 

 coach falling upon them. It ap- 

 pearing from the examination of 

 the witnesses that the coach was 

 overloaded with the knowledge of 

 one of the proprietors, the jury de- 

 clared it to be forfeited as a deo- 

 dand. 



Thre§ girls were killed last week, 

 and a fourth severely wounded, by 

 the falling of an old house at Cos- 

 grove, in Northamptonshire. 



21st. This night, about eleven, 

 a fire broke oul on the premises of 



