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Old English Newspaper articles of related interest - 1790
.
Some Selected Reports from Berrow's Worcester Journal
Wednesday, December 1st, 1790.
WORCESTER
Saturday's and Sunday's Posts concluded.
Lord Grenville has signified, by letter to the Lords of the Admiralty,
the King's intention: of giving to the officers who have been called
forth in consequence of the late armament, a gratuity in the following
proportions, viz.
Three months personal pay to the Captains and other Commissioned Officers.
Two months pay to the Masters, Surgeons, Masters Mates, Midshipmen,
and Surgeons Mates.
One months pay to the Seamen and Marines.
And orders are issued in consequence to the different Commissioners at
the ports where the ships are to or paid off.
Yesterday morning advice was received, by way of France, that Admiral
Cornish, with the squadron under his command, was safe arrived at
Madeira, after meeting with a deal of thunder and lightning, and
blowing weather.
A wager of a very curious nature, and involving a great nicety of
calculation, between two eminent arithmeticians, was determined on
Wednesday last. The subject was the National Debt, and the question
was, How many ton weight of ten pound Bank notes would be sufficient
to pay it? After an accurate investigation, it was clearly proved by
the umpire, that taking each Bank note at thirteen grains, being the
average weight, and the National Debt two hundred and eighty millions,
it would require twenty-one ton three hundred weight, or six waggon
load of ten pound Bank notes to discharge it !!
Yesterday, in the Park, a man, who had a large bludgeon in his hand,
was directed by one of the centinels on guard to get out of the way;
the other refused to do this, and becoming riotous, was pushed by the
centinel, upon which he struck him with his bludgeon; the soldier gave
him two deep wounds with his bayonet, and would probably have killed
him if he had not made his escape.
A tax on glass bottles and decanters, by which it is proposed that
these vessels shall in future be marked with a particular stamp, and
also contain full wine-measure, under a very considerable penalty, has
been submitted to the consideration of the Ministry. From the general
use, and great consumption of the above articles, such a tax
apparently must be productive; and from the great impositions
practised on the public by the present short measures, it certainly
must be popular.
About eleven o'clock on Sunday night last his Majesty's ship Elephant,
of 74 guns, commanded by Captain C. Thompson, lying in Plymouth
harbour, and nearly dismasted, received a flash of lightening, on the
head of her main-top mast, from whence it descended to the heel, and
shattered it to pieces; the iron hoop on the head of the main-mast
next attracted the electrick fluid, which broke and fell on the deck;
from thence running downwards it tore every woodling from the mast,
broke the fishes; and a mizen top-mast, which was lying on the booms,
had the head of it shivered to atoms. The chain-pumps were likewise
damaged, but providentially no person was hurt.
Wednesday morning a most melancholy accident happened in the Thames,
nearly opposite to the pavilions in Hampton-Court Park: As a team of
barge-horses, belonging to Mr. Winch, of Shepperton, were drawing a
barge up the river, owing to the unusual depth and rapidity of the
stream, they were overpowered, and entangled with each other; in
consequence of which the eleven foremost, with the driver were
unfortunately drowned. Only one, which happened to be blind, was saved.
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