And lead us in a firing-a, But, lack a-day! X. From his next play, What now can be expected? Ben's Silent Wife For, chang'd the days Made pit and galleries rear-a; And buzz applause no more-a, XII. The green-room mouse, Drefs'd in fuch dainty dudds-a, Is fous'd into the fuds-a. XIII. French politics, Like Broglio's tricks, Have made a defart round nim Hard fate, at length, That his own strength Should ferve but to confound him. XIV. So making sport For Gaza's court, XV. With flights perplex'd, By fimilar difafters, Lo, Davy leans And hugs his fine pilafters, XVI. In piteous plight, The town about their ears-a. XVII. Such A young actress, who firft appeared in a principal character of the piece, to whom ber part appeared fo pleafing and natural, that fhe foon converted her fham elopement into a real one ; tbus it is, fays Sir John Fielding, that Macheath makes many of our bighwaymen. A famous few finger, in whom the play boufe goes fnacks with the fynagogue. Mr. Sheridan, junior, the fuppofed author of the piece. The late afting manager. The prefent acting manager. Alluding to the judgment of Paris on mount Ida. + Aliuding to the revolution in The Rehearsal, refembling much the late one at CoventGarden, except that the fuppofed ufurpers, whom nobody took for conjurers, bave proved the better politicians: the dethroned monarch, like a true Brentford king, being indeed here with a whoop and gone with a bolla!" 11 Ben Jonson's Silent Woman, a play altered by Colman. The acting manager of Drury. A nibbling critic, fo called in the news-papers, fuppofed, from bis filthy abuse of the be no lefs a perfonage than their little manager bimself. actresses, In fo much that be may be faid to be ifolated in the midst of bis orun company. 3 So called, in allufion to the following converfation piece, written on Colman's forfaking Says Colman to Garrick, once brother and brother, THE MONTHLY CHRONOLOGER. Particulars of what paffed previous to and at the Execution of the two Brothers, Ro bert and Daniel Perreau, &c. N Friday the 12th inftant, a petition was presented to her Majefty, by the wife of the unfortunate Robert Perreau, which concluded thus: "The execution of Robert Perreau will, in its confequences, involve an innocent family in ruin: The agonies of his afflicted wife muft fhortly end her days, and his children must be left without a parent; fhame and forrow must be at beft their por tion. The punishment which extends itself with fuch feverity beyond the unhappyconvict is not a common cale. Your petitioner therefore flies to your Majefty's commiferation, prefuming to hope that by changing the fentence of the Jaw to transportation, the ends of justice would be answered. Juftice has never been fo rigorous in this country, as not to hear the cries of humanity: for the fake of the innocent, guilt has been often spared; and if your Majefty will be graciously pleafed to fue for a mitigation of the dreadful fentence, mankind will honour the generous tendernets, which on a throne can feel for a wretchéd mother and her unhappy children. Your petitioner therefore with refignation, but not without hope, commits her cafe to your Majesty's royal goodness. Most humbly imploring your Majefty to intercede with your royal contort, the father of his people, that he may be pleafed fo far to extend his mercy, as to order the unhappy Robert Perreau to be tranfported for life: And your petitioner will ever most feryently pray, &c." His crime however was thought too great to admit of royal mercy, and he was left to fuffer the fate of his fentence. On Wednesday the 17th, the morning of their execution, Daniel came in first from chapel, bowed to the company, and went to the fire, where he warmed himself with the greatest compofure. Robert foon after fol. lowed, and looking at his brother for a moment, wiped off a falling tear, which he feemed anxious to hide: he then turned to a little table, where lay the ropes with which they were to be bound; his emotions were then to strongly painted in his countenance, that the furrounding fpectators gave vent to their fympathy in loud lamentations. Daniel now affifted in putting the rope properly round himtelf with decent firmness; but when he saw the man do the fame office for his brother, it quite unmanned him.-he fighed and wept. They then took a laft farewell of their friends, and on their quitting Newgate, the malefactors were conveyed to Tyburn in the following manner; George Lee, for robbing Thomas Cudding, Efq; on the highway; Saunders Alexander and Lyon Abrahams, alias Lipe, for breaking into the houfe of Mr. Sandford, baker, in Winchefter-treet, with intent to fteal his goods, went in a cart; Richard Baker, and John Radcliff, for counterfeiting the coin of this kingdom, viz. half-crowns, shillings, and fix. pences, were drawn on a hurdle; and Robert and Daniel Perreau were carried in a mourning coach, accompanied by a clergyman and a gentle.nan. The two sheriffs and the under fheriff attended. They arrived at Tyburn before eleven o'clock, and all behaved with the utmost refignation and pe aitence 54 The MONTHLY CHRONOLOGER. nitence. The Perreaus delivered each a paper to the Ordinary, previous to their being turned off, affuring him in the most folemn manner, that the contents were strictly true. The original papers, of which the following are copies, are in the hands of the Rev. Mr. Villette. "As I am now going to appear before my great and juft God to answer for all my actions, I do folemnly declare to the world in these my last moments, and I call God to witnefs, that I never had the least knowledge or fufpicion of criminality whatever in any of the bonds or other fecurities that I negociated of Mr. William Adair's for Mrs. Margaret Caroline Rudd and my unhappy brother, but did always believe them to be valid and genuine fecurities. I do folemnly declare alfo, that I did firmly believe, till the moment the forgery was discovered, that Mrs. Rudd and my brother were intimately acquainted and connected with Mr. William Adair, as they had from time to time impofed upon me; and under this firm belief I was led to negociate thefe fecurities; and when the bond I carried to Mr. Drummond to raise the money upon was objected to, as not being the hand-writing of Mr. Adair, I applied to Mrs. Rudd to inform Mr. Adair of it, who returned, and told me she had feen him, and that he would fatisfy Mr. Drummond that it was his hand writing if he would call or fend to him about it, and defired I would return to Mr. Drummond and tell him fo. Accordingly I returned to Mr. Drummond, and from the implicit confidence I had in all Mrs. Rudd told me, I inadvertently gave her words to him as my own, faying, that I had feen Mr. Adair; but this I folemnly proteft was done from no motive of defrauding whatever, nor did I ever detain any of the monies arifing from the difcounts of thefe fecurities for my own pfe: therefore, through my imprudence, or folly, in telling a falfity, I am unhappily brought to an ignominious and flametul death. ROBERT PERREAU." "I do folemnly declare, in the prefence of Almighty God, before whom I am going to be judged for all my actions, that I am totally innocent of all the forgeries of bonds, or other fecurities of Mr. William Adair, given to my unhappy brother and myself by Mrs. Margaret Caroline Rudd, to be negociated : but that my unhappy connection with her, and infatuatiou to her, made me believe every thing the told me was true; therefore, through her impofitions, I deceived my brother in the fuppofed and pretended acquaintance with Mr. Adair, always believing, however, from her ftories, that I was very foon to be introduced and connected with him by means of her family alliance, and thereby to derive confiderable advantages in life; by which I am unhappily brought to an ignominious end through her artifices. DANIEL PERREAU." Jan. Hearfes attended to receive the bodies of the two Perreaus, which were privately interred on the Sunday evening following, in the family vault of Robert Perreau, in St. Martia's in the fields; Lee, the highwayman, was a handfome young man, about 18 years of age, dreffed in a pompadour fuit of cloaths,.. with a narrow gold laced hat. He was fitted out genteely by his friends to go a voyage in a Weft-India fhip in the capacity of steward; but getting acquainted with a young proftitute, he spent all his money, and, being unwilling to afk his friends for more, to fupply his wants, he went on the highway a few days before he was to have gone on board the fhip, and committed the robbery for which he fuffered. It is faid it was his first offence. Juft before the malefactors were executed, a fcaffolding broke down, by which accident four men were killed, and several much bruifed. Several other accidents happened in different places. ONF LONDON. N Friday arrived a tranfport from Bofton WEDNESDAY, 3. con A letter from Cork, dated Dec. 23, fays, "The Rockingham tranfport, which was loft last night, mistook Robert's Cove, about ten miles from hence, for (as is fuppofed) this harbour; it blew a gale of wind, and was thick weather; there were on board three companies of the 32d regiment. Lieut. Marth and his wife, Enfign Sandiman, Lieut. Barker's wife, and upwards of go foldiers, befides the captain and crew, were drowned; five officers and 20 foldiers faved themfelves in the flat-bottomed boat.-In the like manner, by mistake, laft war (taking the Bolthead for the Ram, near Plymouth) the Ramilies, of 90 guns, and 850 men, all perifhed, except 20 feamen, and one midshipman." TUESDAY, 9. A letter from Lisbon, dated Nov. 28, fays, "The governor of Pernambuco, in Brafil, has written to his Majefty, informing him, that at Siara, the capital of a province of that name, one Andrew Vidal, of Negrei 1776. The MONTHLY CHRONOLOGER. ros, had lately died at the age of 124 years. He had enjoyed the ufe of his memory and his fenfes till the day of his death. In the year 1772 he was chief magiftrate of the city, and, notwithstanding his great age, performed the office of judge to the entire fatiffaction of every one. He was father of thirty fons, and five daughters." THURSDAY, II. This day came on at St. Margaret's Hill, the trial of the principal rioter at Vauxhall, on the last night of the feafon, when after a trial of seven hours, he was fined, apd obliged to give fecurity for his good behaviour for two years. The fine was paid in court. THURSDAY, 18. On Tuesday the Thames was entirely frozen over at Mortlake, where several perfons walked over the ice, and one man ran in imminent danger of lofing his life, by wheeling a barrow of dung from Mortlake to the oppofite fhore, for the trifling wager of five fhillings. Her Majefty has ordered 500l. to be diftributed among the diftreffed poor in five parishes, towards relieving them with bread and coals. WEDNESDAY, 24. A citizen, who had raised himself to the diftinction of a common-councilman of one of the wards of this city, and had the misfortune to fail, and compounded with his creditors, lately called them together, to acquaint them he had embarked in another bufinefs, in which it had pleafed God to blefs his honeft endeavours with fuccefs, and he paid them every fhilling of their debts. At the fame time he defired one of them, who was churchwarden of his parish, to accept his benefaction of 20l. towards cloathing the poor children at this fevere feafon of the year. COUNTRY.NEWS. Containing the Particulars of the Damages done by the great Fall of Snow. A Letter from Chelmsford, dated Jan. 19. fays, "The prefent general fail of fnow is the most confiderable that has happened within the memory of the oldeft perfon living. Round this neighbourhood, and as far as we have been able to learn, through this and the adjoining counties, it is driven in many places into the roads and hollow ways from fix to twelve feet deep; the average is not above fifteen inches. We have heard of a man being Joft near Baddow, and a poor woman at Willingale, with feveral other accidents." By a veffel arrived in the river from Dover, an account is received that the town is fo full of gentlemen and ladies, lately come from France (who are detained there on account of the badness of the roads to London) that provifions of all kinds are so dear, many poor families are in a starving condition; 55 that beef, mutton, veal, &c. fell at rod. per pound; that there are no fowls to be got, the country people not being able to bring them to market. A letter from Oxford of the 13th thus concludes, "The roads are rendered impaffable for carriages, infomuch that many of the stages from hence have been utterly incapable of pursuing their journies; feveral accidents have happened; and not only ftages, but poft chaifes, have been obliged to be dug out of the fnow. "In fome of the turnpike roads, the fnow is drifted from fix to eight feet deep; and in many bye roads, we are informed, to the depth of near 18 feet." They write from Gloucefter of the fame date, that an account of the following accidents has already reached that place; a young woman on Broomfgrave-Licky; the poftboy between Birmingham and Wolverhampton ; the poft boy between Wotton-Underedge and Bristol; a man on Marcle-Hill, in Herefordshire; another near Witney, and another on Eafham-Hill, in Oxfordshire; and a poor woman on Corfe Lawn, have all perished in the fnow. Yesterday a journeyman tiler and plaifterer and his wife, of this city, were found dead in the fnow on Mendip. A recruiting ferjeant is alfo faid to be loft on the Gloucester road. A man who travels the country with Irish linens was found frozen to death, in Wooten-Wood, near this place, with his box at his back. Near Trowbridge a labourer was found dead in the field; and near Salford, another man was dug out of the fnow, quite dead, and a fhepherd was found frozen to death, up to his middle in fnow, near Aylesbury. So great is the number of people detained at different places on the road from Dunstable to Daintry, and still further on towards Coventry, and the stock of provifions fo fmall, that mutton fold last week from ten-pence to upwards of a fhilling per pound, and other things in proportion, owing to the cross roads and lanes being topped up. A poor woman and two infants were found frozen to death on the 21ft inftant on Windfor foreft. The further particulars of thefe caJamities, we must defer till our next. A letter from Canterbury, dated Jan. 10, fays, "By the heavy rains which fell on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday laft, the ri..ver Stour, which runs through this city, was fwelled to an amazing degree on Monday morning, and continued rifing till fix in the evening, which broke the banks in many places above the city, making a free passage through houfes and gardens, fo that all the houfes in the freets next the river were upwards of four feet deep in water. It came on fo fuddenly, that many of the cellars and low rooms were full, before any of the moveables.could be taken away. The inhabitants were obliged to betake themselves to 56 FOREIGN AFFAIRS. their bed-chambers for fafety, and many families were under the neceffity of leaving their habitations. The current ran fo extremely strong through North Lane, that it has done confiderable damage to the pavement, as likewife to the foundations of fe veral houfes. Had this flood happened in the night, the confequences would have been of the most alarming nature. Happily only one person's life is loft. By yesterday noon the water had left the streets; but the confufion which ftill prevails among the inhabitants is fo great, that their loffes cannot as yet be afcertained. AFFAIRS. AMERICAN E account of the regulars Jan. great diftance, when they found them re- A letter from an officer at Bofton, to his friend at Edinburgh, dated Dec. 14, fays, "The American army is much elated at the fuccefs of their troops in Canada, which they look upon as an immediate interpofition of Wlanding at Lechmore's Point, about Providence, and have had a day of thanksgiv a mile and a half from Cambridge; about 300 of the regulars landed from Bofton, on the above mentioned point, under cover of a very heavy and continual fire from their batteries on Bunker's, Breed's, Corps, and Beacon Hills; as alfo from a frigate which Jay within 300 yards of the point on which they landed. They had poffeffion of the hill for near an hour before they could be obftructed, owing to a very high tide, which prevented our people from croffing a causeway, which was overflowed, and the only way to get at the enemy. During this time they were fhooting horfes and cows, with an intent of taking them off; but a battalion of rifle-men, under command of colonel Thompfon, difregarding danger and difficulty, took to the water, which was then up to their middles, and a quarter of a mile over, and notwithstanding the regulars had lodged themselves behind ftone wails, and in an orchard, where they might have done our people much damage, yet on Colonel Thomfon's approach they fled to their boats in great confufion, but not without a warm ferenade from the rifle-men, who fired at a ing for their victories. They have fortified a hill near Boston, and from their prefent temper we expect an attack foon upon the town, which must bring on fomething decifive; our works are of fuch ftrength, that there is little doubt of the Americans being repulfed." FOREIGN AFFAIRS. A Letter from Naples, dated Dec. 19, fays, "For fome days paft Mount Vefuvius hath thrown out fire, and feems to indicate an approaching eruption, which draws hither a great number of foreigners: the Margrave of Bareith, with his whole retinue is arrived here." They write from Vienna, that the negociations relative to adjusting the limits of Moldavia, by the commiflaries of that court and thofe of the Porte, were not broke off as had been reported, the two courts having agreed to the principal points in difpute; and that the commiffaries only wait for a more favourable feason to put the finishing stroke to this business. To our CORRESPONDENTS. OBSERVATIONS on Affaffination is obliged to be deferred till next month. An Ode to the new year-Stanzas on Winter Epigram on a Mifer-and an Epitaph for an Infant, are received. We hope for the thanks of J. D. both for our impartiality and care. The order of the notes was preferved, and his remarks placed to greater advantage, than at the bottom of the page. If we were to publish his late reflections, probably another correfpondent would retort "uncandid, party concerned, prejudiced, &c." We advife Mr. S. N-s not to publish his poem. The Verfes and Ghost, which be fent as a fpecimen in spelling and poetry, are too difmal to appear in public. The lines figned L. M. are inadmissible. Lift of Marriages, Deaths, &c. in our next. |