And then, how can you suppose, that in thefe great void fpaces there is a Chain which unites all? If there be, it is certainly that which Newton has difcovered; it is he who has B fhewn that all the globes of the planetary world gravitate one towards ano ther in that immenfe void.

O Plato, fo greatly admired, all you have faid is a mere fable, and in the ifland of the Caffiterides, where in your time the inhabitants went stark nak

ed, there has rifen a philofopher, who has taught the world truths as lofty as your conceits were puerile!

zed in ftubble fields in 1755 (in which were ground-ivy in great plenty) of which two died, and three recovered by the affiftance of the emetic wine. The external fymptoms of thefe horses were exactly the fame as defcribed by your correfpondent. The dead horfes were not opened, and therefore the original caufe was not difcovered : but I remember three or four horfes fince taken with the fame diftemper, at a time when the Hedra Terrefiris was in the greatest perfection. I conjecture this herb must have been the caufe, as they alfo recovered by the emetic wine.I will extend my conjectures further, in fuppofing, firft, how ground ivy poffibly may affect this noble animal; and, fecondly, the effect we reasonably may expect from the emetic wine for a cure; and perC haps it may be the occafion of obtaining an effectual remedy.

Proceedings in America, on the Commencement of the Stamp A&.

HE late Act of the British Parliament, for taxing the colonies in America, has produced a fpirit of oppofition, in that remote part of the world, that was not perhaps foreseen by the advifers of that measure. A detail of facts, as they have happened on attempting to carry the Stamp A&

474 Proceedings of the Americans on Account of the Stamp A&.

into execution, will beft express the temper of the people.

A

On the 11th of September laft, the fhip arrived at Bofton in New England, that had the flamps on board for the provinces of New England and NewHampshire, with Mr Meferve, diftributor of ftamps for the latter province. The Governor, by the advice of his council, depofited the ftamps in the caftle; and Mr Meferve was furrounded by the people, and forewarned not to act in his office, or attempt to go to New Hampshire, without a previous refignation, if he had any regard for B

his life.

for the discovery of the rioters; but none were committed upon evidence, though feveral had been apprehended on fufpicion.

Thefe proceedings ftruck fuch a terror in the commifitoners and diftri. butors of stamps, in the other pro. vinces, that were appointed to carry the act into execution, that all of them to a man refigned their employments. At New haven the ftamp-officer endeavoured toļavail himself of delay, but was at lalt obliged to promife, that if any ftamps came to his houfe, his doors fhould be opened, and the people have free liberty to act as they pleased. Through all the Northern provinces, the fame fpirit prevails, and the whole country feems to be one continued theatre of tumult and confufion. The governors of macny of the provinces have prorogued the affemblies, as dreading the confequences of their refolutions on this critical occafions. That of Virginia have Refolved, that their General Affembly, together with his Majefty, or his fubftitutes, have, in their reprefentative capacity, the only exclufive right and power to lay taxes and impofitions upon the inhabitants of that colony; and that every attempt to vet fuch a power in any other body is illegal, unconftitutional, and has a manifeft tendency to destroy_British, as well as American liberty. This is the prefent temper of the colonies, in which all bufinefs is fufpended; the confequences of which are much to be dreaded.

On the ftamps being depofited in the castle, a report was inftantly spread that the Governor intended to unpack them there, and from thence to diftribute them all over the province, and the clamour, upon this report, rofe fo high, that the Governor tho't it prudent to declare, "that he had no warrant, order, or authority whatfoever to diftribute the ftamped papers, or to unpack the bales, or feparate the parcels, or order any perfon whatfoever fo to do; but that he had caufed them to be depofited there, to prevent D imprudent people committing an high infult on the King, an indignity which would be fure to meet with particular refentment; and to fave the town or province from being made anfwerable for fo great a fum as the value of the ftamped papers will amount to; as they certainly will be, if the ftamped E paper fhould be taken away."

This declaration was the more neceffary, as a dangerous multitude had

The news of the late change in the

affembled fome days before, and hadminiftry was received in America with

demolished an edifice lately erected,
as was fuppofed, for a ftamp-office;
attacked the office of the deputy-re- F
gister of the court of vice-admiralty,
entered the dwelling houfe of Mr Hol-
lowell, and deftroyed the rich and vạ-
Juable furniture; burnt his papers, and
purloined his money: and then pro-
ceeded to the manfion-house of his
Honour the Lieutenant-Governor,

which in a few hours they reduced to

G

mere skeleton; all the furniture, plate, glaffes, china, wearing apparel, his valuable and coftly library, the files and records of office, fell a prey to their deftructive rage. Add to this the lofs of 900 /. in cafh, which was H carried off in the hurry of the tumult; and next day his Honour was obliged to appear in the only fuit he had left, to attend the public bufinefs at the court houfe; when a proclama

was published, offering a reward

bonfires, ringing of bells, and every public demonftration of joy. The effigies of fome late obnoxious ministers were expofed upon trees, committed to the flames, and treated with marks of the utmost deteftation.

All this ferment feems to have arifen from the mode of taxation; and though it was fuggefted to the late minilters, if credit may be given to a

very fenfible writer that a more eligible way of levying the fums intended to be raised, would have been by fettling the quota of each colony, and leaving it to the affemblies to tax the inhabitants in a way the most agreeable to them, the fame was rejec ted in a contemptuous manner.

The burden of the ftamp act (fays

The authour of confiderations in behalf of the colonies,

this

this writer) will certainly fall chiefly on the middling, more néceffitous and labouring people. The widow, the orphan, and others, who have few on earth to help, or even pity them, muft pay heavily to this tax. An inftance or two will give fome idea of the weight of this impofition.

A

A

rheam of printed bail bonds is now
fold for about fifteen fhillings sterling;
with the ftamps, the fame quantity
will, I am told, amount to near one
hundred pounds fterling. A rheam
of printed policies of affurance, is B
now about two pounds fterling; with
the ftamps it will be one hundred and
ninety pounds fterling. Many other
articles in common ufe here, are in
the fame proportion. The fees in the
probate offices, with the addition of
the ftamps, will, in moft provinces, be
three times what has been hitherto C
paid Surely thefe, and many other
confiderations that must be obvious to
all who are verfed in the course of
American bufinels, are far from being
any evidence of the boafted equality
and equity, of this kind of taxation.

Mr URRAN,

Confid

D

Onfidering the very large fums that are collected and fubfcribed every year for the maintenance of hofpitals, that are unindowed, in and about this city, the public, in general, and in particular the benefactors, have a right to know any circumitance E which makes it at least doubtful whether they do not do more harm than good. Hofpitals are principally in tended for the cure of difeafes; and fupported, under the hope that fuch poor as go in fick fhall come out well; but if they appear to be fo managed, as that the poor, who go in well for F the cure of a flight wound, frequently contract a difeafe there which is their death, I apprehend that the fupport of fuch places is contributing to the destruction, and not the prefervation of mankind.

G

Among other trials related in the
fecond part of the laft Seffions Paper,
is one of Thomas Bradley, for the mur-
der of Philip Barry. It appears, by the
trial, that the parties fought in the
ftreet, and that Barry was flightly
wounded, and upon application was
received into the Middlesex Hospital,
where after fome time, he died. To H
For his death, Mr Goldwyng,

on of that hospital, a-
was examined, and he
ag evidence: I ne-

and did not

'observe that to be dangerous in the leaf-he walked about the ward, and was in a very good way; there was a change about four or five days be'fore his death; he had contracted a fever in the house; which is a very common cafe; it may be by the foulnefs of the air in the houfe. We impute his death to the fever,'

Now, Mr Urban, the death of this poor fellow, as it was imputed to the fever, must be imputed to the hofpital; and if it is a very common case for people to contract putrid fevers in an hofpital, it is very certain that they have a better chance for life under all the difadvantages of poverty out of an hofpital. That it is a common cafe, we have the teftimony upon oath, of a person that must know the fact, the Houfe-Surgeon, who has alfo affigned the reafon of it, the foulness of the air. If this cannot be remedied, money given to an hofpital is the wages of death; for what chance has the fick to be cured, where the healthy commonly contract fatal difeafes? If it can be remedied, the managers of the Middlefex Hofpital are furely accountable both to God and man for fuffering it to fubfift. This dilemma is fubmitted to the ferious confideration of your numerous readers, as, among them, there must be many whom it particularly concerns, by Yours, &c.

Anecdote of Shakespeare from Mr JOHNSON. 'N the time of Elizabeth, coaches being

at all in ufe, thofe that were too proud, too tender, or too idle to walk, went on horfeback to any distant business or diverfion. Many came on horfeback to the play, & when Shakespearefied to London from the terror of a profecution, his first expedient was to wait at the door of the play-house, and hold the horfes of thofe that had no fervants, that they might be ready again after the performance. In this office he became fo conspicuous for his care and readiness, that in a fhort time every man, as he alighted, called for Will. Sbake Speare, and fcarcely any other waiter was trusted with a horfe while Will, ShakeSpeare could be had. This was the first dawn of better fortune. Shakespeare find. ing more horfes put into his hand than he could hold, hired boys to wait under his infpection, who, when Will, Shakespears was fummoned; were immediately to prefent themfelves, I am Shakespeare's boy, Sir." In time Shakespeare found higher employment, but as long as the practice of riding to the play-house continued, the waiters that held the horfes retained the appellation of Shakespeare's boys.

Comparative Advantages refulting from the ACT of UNION between England and Scotland.

Efore the Union, the Scots could Before the Union, the Scots traded