approaching, but the following article is very mysterious.

Prince Jerome de Radzivil, great ftandard-bearer of the dutchy of Lithuania, who is immensely rich, but has no children, has lately formed in his ftates a body of between three and four thousand troops, well cloathed, well armed and well difciplined, together with an arfenal, in which are already above 60 pieces of battering cannon, with powder and ball in proportion. He has also formed a troop of 100 mufqueteers, exceedingly well mounted, and fuperbly clothed. Befides which, this prince has got together thirty of the most beautiful and well fhaped maidens among his tenants and vaffals, of whom he has formed a company dreffed in the amazon habit, and for whofe education he is fending for mafters in various sciences and accomplishments; and when those maids fhall have attained the age, at which he will allow them to marry, fuch of the mufqueteers as he fhall think most dserving will be allowed to chufe wives amongst them. RUSSIA.

The Ruffian troops which are kept on foot for the service of the year 1751 amount to 464,000 regular troops, befides irregulars; 100,000 regular forces are quartered in Livonia, and the other conquefts from Sweden, which may be drawn together in a fhort time.

The emprefs fo well approved M. Grois's conduct at Berlin, that the has made him a counfellor of state,

with a penfion of 2000 rubles, and he is to prefide in foreign affairs. DENMARK.

The mathematicians fent by the king into Iceland to make aftronomical obfervations, and examine into the nature and product of that country, obferve, that this ifland produces a great quantity of falt petre, and that the earth in fome places, is fit to make china, and has ftones which contain filver; 100 weight of these ftones fent to Copenhagen were found upon an affay to produce 6 ounces of fine filver.- -By the great encouragement which his majesty gives to trade, a scheme is proposed for encreafing it, by forming a great magazine of all kind of naval stores in the island of St Thomas in the W. Indies, to fupply all nations that trade to those parts, and the better to accommodate fhips, that may want careening, to ftop leaks, or repair, (an invention formerly practised in Denmark) whereby a fhip either light, or laden, may be careened in 24 hours, and fit to put to fea again.

PRUSSIA.

From Berlin we hear, that by the plan for the administration of justice, eftablished by his Pruffian majesty in his dominions, the court of judicature in that city determined 560 law-fuits during the year 1750, not fo much as one being left undecided; for which dispatch his majesty wrote a very handfome letter of thanks to baron Cocceji, his chancellor.

"On the feventh of December Mr. "Richards, parfon of the Hay, a "market town of Brecknockshire, in "South-Wales, died, as it was fup"pos'd fuddenly, and the fecond day "after, as his limbs did not ftiffen, " he was bled, and the blood could "hardly be stopped by the furgeon, "who faid he was not dead but in a "trance; however, next day his "friends buried him. A perfon "hearing a noife in Mr. Richards's << grave, procured it to be opened,

NEWS.

"and the body appeared bleeding at "nofe, and covered with sweat; "whence it is conjectured that he was not dead when buried, tho' "all fymptoms of life were now "vanish'd."

66

This month a man came to Dundee, fuppos'd lately from Holland, who was fuddenly taken ill, and died. There were found in his cuftody filings of gold to the Value of 18 1. Sterling.

Letters from Montgomeryshire mention, that the mortality among the cattle rages there, and in all Denbighfhire and Flintshire.

A Bill is preparing to be brought into parliament, to punish failors who fhall fell their tickets for wages and prize-money to more perfons than one; and likewife to punish all agents, and buyers of fuch tickets, that shall prefume to take more than legal intereft for tickets fold to them; and to render more effectual the fpeedy payment of feamen's wages, without any deduction whatever.

This month feveral perfons were convicted before the Commiffioners of Excife, of retailing fpirituous liquors without licence,and fined in the penalty of 10 l. each. A practice too common among the chandlery and herb-shops, whereby many fervants are inured to drinking, to the ruin of their morals and induftry.

Jan. 15. London. A Committee from the Governors of the Foundlinghofpital, waited lafted Thursday on the fociety of the free British fishery, at Mercers-hall; when they generously offered to let fuch foundlings as had ftrength fufficient for it, to be employed in weaving twine, making nets, ropes, &c. for the fervice of the aforefaid fociety; which propofal was accepted of with due thanks.

by a very gentle thaw, and the Sound is already fo clear of ice, that feveral veffels in the road of that city are preparing to put to fea. GERMANY.

6

The king of Pruffia has received a letter from the king of Great Britain, on the fubject of the answer, which his majefty lately gave the count De la Puebla, concerning the election of a king of the Romans: In which, his Britannick majefty fays, among other things, that it is evident, and confirmed by experience, that, when there has not been a fucceffor to the empire, during the life of the emperor, the moft bloody wars have enfued and that the neglect of this precaution, has been attended with the most pernicious and fatal confequences to the empire that the election of a king of the Romans is at prefent more neceflary than ever, and will be fufficiently juftified by the intention of preventing in time future broils; that indeed it were to be wifhed the archduke Jofeph had a few more years over his head; but that, at all events, it is more to the advantage of the empire to have a minor for its head, than to have none at all, &c.'

From Erfurt we hear, that on the 25th of last month, N. S. a terrible fire happened at the village of Alperftead in the territory of Saxe-Eifenach, which in less than three hours reduced above twenty houses to ashes, befides barns, ftables, &c,

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