A. D. 1764. 391 



The India company, in order to avoid fimilar difputes in future, made 

 a law, that henceforth none of their fervants fliould ever accept any 

 gratuity from any prince or governor in India. 



Some flones found in the Highlands of Scotland *, and judged to 

 be equal in beauty, and all the other characleriftics, to the oriental 

 rubies, were prefented to the royal fociety and the fociety for the en- 

 couragement of arts, commerce, and manufxdlures. If a brilliant 

 ftone is really a defirable thing, and worthy of being purchaled at the 

 price of a good eflate, whether is it better to procure them from the 

 poorefl provinces of our own ifland, or from the mofi; opulent regions 

 of the globe ? 



Siberia, a country hitherto little known, appears to be rich in mines 

 of the pretious metals. 13,200 pounds weight of filver, and 990 pounds 

 of gold, the produce of the labour of the miners in the year 1 763, 

 were conveyed to Peterfburg in the beginning of this year. The quan- 

 tity was expeded to be greater in the enfuing year, as that of 1763 had 

 exceeded what had been got in 1762. A mine of quickfilver was alfo 

 difcovered in the lame country. 



March 20th — Anewharbour was completed by Sir John HufTey Dela- 

 val at Hartley near Newcaftle, the entrance of which was cut out of the 

 folid rock 19 feet deep and about 900 feet in length. 



There being a general complaint of the high prices of provillons, 

 parliament inftituted an inquiry, whei-eby it appeared, that the price 

 of the beft: beef to the venders was 3^/ a pound, and to the confumers 

 4^' and ^.{d fov choife pieces, ^d and 3j(Y for middling, and from ild 

 to 2^^ for coarfe pieces, being about a halfpenny dearer than the prices 

 in the fame month (March) in the preceding years, when we were en- 

 gaged in an extenfive war. On examining the pvrople concerned in con- 

 veying the meat from the farmer to the confumer, it appeared that 

 there was no fcarcity of cattle, that meat v.'as fold much cheaper with- 

 in thirty miles of London, and, notwithftanding feveral Ipecious pre- 

 tences, that the high price in London was in reahty owing to the arts 

 of cngroflers and forelLillers. But though the caui'e of lo great an evil 

 was difcovered, we do n«t find that any effectual ren:iedy has ever been 

 applied f . 



• Among tlic pretious flones found in the High- Alexander I was ctkbratctl and coveted in forei)^n 



lands may be reckoned fapplilres, equal lo tlie ori- kingdon-.s. See an aeeoiuil of the Scnuilh pretious 



ental; hexagonal topazes, commonly called, from Hones in the Bfe, 17^3, a periodical woik puLlilh- 



the mountain on which they are chiefly found, ed at Edinburgh. 



Carn-gorm (loncs, one of which, in the poircdioii f Some hold it as a maxim, that the high price 



of Mr. Farquharfon of Invercauld, is as large as of provifiuns is a proof of floiirilhiiig ei.mmerce 



the body of a child of two years old ; the emerald; and national profptrity. But tiiis, lik>- all other 



the anicthyfl; the garret or tuby. The Ely ruby general rules, nmil be received with allowances and 



found in the fands at Ely in Fife. exceptions. The trade of the cattle jobber and 



'I'he i>earls of Scotland were famous In former carcale-butcher may prolper while '.lie price of 



times, and the coUedion of them belonging to King meat ii very high ; but commerce is hurt by it in 



