The National Register. — London, England, 1811-11-10 00:00:00

708 LUDICROUS ZYTECTS OP TIRE A PPEARANCE Of A COMET IN 1712. In the year 1712, Mr. Whiston having calculated the return of a Comet, which was to make its appearance on Wednesday the 14th of October, at five minutes after five in the morning. gave notice to the public accordingly, with this terrifying addition, that a tot 1 dissolution of the world by lire was to take place on the Friday folhwing. The reputation Mr. Whiston had long maintained, both as a divine and philosopher, left little or no doubt with the populace of the truth of his prediction. Several ludicrous events now took place. A number of persons in and about London seized all the barges and boats they could lay bands on in the Thames, very rationally concluding, that when the conflagration took place, there would be most safety on the water. A Gentlarnan who had neglected family prayer fur better than five years, informed his wife, that it was his deter mination to resume that laudable practice the same evening ; but his wife having engaged a ball at her house, persuaded her husband to put it off till they saw whether the Comet appeared or not. The South Sea Stock immediately fell to five per cent. and the India to 11 ; and the Captain of a Dutch ship threw all his powder into the river, that the ship might not be in endanger ed. The next morning, however, the Comet appeared-accord ing to the prediction, and before noon the belief was universal, that the Day of Judgment was at hand. About this time 123 Clergymen were ferried over to Lambeth, it was said, to petition that a short prayer might be penned and ordered, there being none in the Church Service on that occasion. Three Maids of Honour burnt their collections of novels and plays, and sent to a bookseller's to buy each of them a B ible, and 'Bishop Taylor's Holy Living and Dying. The run upon the Bank was so prodi gious, that all hands were employed from morning till night in discounting notes, and handing out specie. On Thursday, con siderably more than 7000 kept mistresses were legally married, in the face of several congregations. And to crown the whole farce, Sir Gilbert Heathcote, at that time Head Director of the Bank, issued orders to all the Fire-offices its Loudon, requiring them "to keep a goed look-out, and have a particular eye upon the Bank of England." METEOR. On Thursday night, about a quarter before nine o'clock, a splendid Meteor illumined the visible horizon of the Metropo lis. It appeared above the loose clouds, through which Jupiter was scarcely perceptible, and passed over an amplitude of about CO degrees in the third of a minute. Its greatest altitude, when first distinguished, was about 18 or 20 degrees, and it disap peared in the N. N. E. part of the horizon. Its diameter was about the sixth of a degree; its mass compact, its light dense, and the colour on the ground and among the clouds was blue, inch as is produced by the combustion of Roman candles. Its whale appearance was that of a magnificent rocket, projected by the Omnipotent Architect of Nature. PRICE OF BREAD. • In consequence of the late rapid and alarming rise In the price of bread, meetings have been held at l'aisley, Liver pool, and in other commercial manufacturing districts, when it was agreed to petition his Royal highness Ow Prince Regent to prohibit the further distillation of spirits from grain. As the article of breast is now a scrious object in housekeep ing, it may be an acceptable piece of information to the Public to learn, that many families have adopted the use of rice- in mak ing bread, in the proportion of onc-r,H;sili. The rice is previ ously boiled for ten or twelve minutes, in three times its weight of water, which is put to it cold. Thus ti:n pounds and a half of [kir-, the quantity used in three quarters loaves, when made into dough, with one pounel and a hall of what the bakers call sponge, will knead up with three pounds and a half of whole rice so prepared, and the produce will be six loaves instead of three—hereby a saving will be made of twopence in the guar tern loaf, valuing the rice at sixpence per pound, atter paying the baker amply for his trouble, and the consumption of the corn will be reduced nearly one-half. The bread 18 very pia-, table, and lighter and whiter than wheaten bread. Parents cannot be too cancioui of trusting their children for an instant from t!wir sight.—On Friday se'nnigbt, at Southamp ton, the mother of a five boy of 18 months old, had but turned to the oprosite side ct the room, when he got to' the fire-place, nd pulled down a large pan of boiling water directly upon his his head. He lingered a few hours and expired lit the greatest agony. THE NATIONAL REGI Only one fleet more is expected frem the Baltic this season.— The foreign seamen who have arrived in the last fleet are re solved to remain here during the winter, being fearful, if they return, that they may be impressed for the naval service of France. Government have determined on forming a basin or reservoir at Sheerness, for the purpose of supplying the ships with water, as the present well requires frequent cleaning out, owing to the sand accumulating so fast, which occasions considerable delay. A curious invention has been lately adopted on board some of our merchant ships, which seems excellently calculated to prevent their being boarded by the enemy's small privateers, or boats. It consists in fastening to the ruff-tress and quarter-rails of vessels, a set of boxes, which contain spring bayonets four feet in length, and which in case of alarm are immediately pushed out in a horizontal position, thereby forming a line of bayonets one foot asunder, completely fore and aft, over which it is ex tremely difficult for the boarders to pass. They seem to meet with such general approbation, that it is very probable they will supersede the use of boarding nettings. • Tryce Oakey, a seaman of his Majesty's ship Cyane, was last week tried by a Court-Martial at Portsmouth, and sen tenced to suffer death, for striking his Captain, Collier, two blows with his fist, when about to be tied up and flogged for nut keeping the screw of a gun clean. John Fogerty, a private marine, of the Barbadoes, was also tried for having struck the Master-at-Arms and Boatswain's Mate, when attempting to secure him for taking a jacket belonging to John M‘Kay ; and for kicking the t.unner, and conducting himself in a mutinous manner towards Lieutenant W. Savage, of that ship. He was sentenced to suffer Dcath ; but as it appeared he had saved the lives of many persons by jumping into the sea after them, whenever overboard, the Court recommended him to mercy. THE COME T. R NAUTICAL INTELLIGENCE. HIGH TIDES. The late rains have occasioned the spring tides in the Thames to rise considerably higher than usual, and the kitchens and cellars contiguous to the river were on Sunday and Monday last laid under water. The inhabitants of Westminster, in many instances, have suffered severely by the inundation. On Friday se'nnight, the quantity of rain which fell inEd inburgh was immense. OnSaturday morning, the meadows presented, from the one end to the other, almost a complete sheet of wa ter. Owing to the high tides and great fresh in the harbour of Leith, several houses on the shore were under water. The ri ver Esk rose to a greater height than ever remembered, and a number of articles were carried by the force of the water into the sea at Musselburgh. It is also said, that the late high tides have done considerable intury to North Berwick harbour , and to several other places on both sides of the Fort. In die South of Scotland, the rains have also been excessive; and in the losv part of the town of Dumfries, several of the houses have been inundated, and about two hundred people, in consequence, obliged to remove from their habitations. At the isle near Dalswinton, a farmer lost upwards of fifty sheep. The Clyde, near its source, it is said, flowed into the 'Tweed; and both ricers have overflowed their banks to a greater extent than has been known for thirty years back. HORRID SUICIDE.--A few days ago, John Schofield, of Har riion county, in open day, and in the presence of his wife and family, cut his own throat. After the first gash was made, his wife discovered the horrid deed, and with all the eloquence of sympathy and distress intreated him to desist ; but, begging her to leave him, he went to an adjacent room, seized another knife, drew it across his throat eleven times, and then thrust it down to his heart and instantly expired. We are also informed that a brother of the deceased, who was present at his burial, has since attempted to hang himself, and finally succeeded in puc ting an end to his life by cutting his throat.—( Kentucky Paper.) HORNSBY and Co. Stock-Brokers, No. 26, Cornbill, beg leave to remind the Public, that the only STATE LOTTERY to be drawn this year consists of 6,500 Tickets, which is not half the usual consumption ; as such. H OgNSBY and Co. request their Friends who purpose to have a chance to exchange their Prizes or to buy immediately, otherwise they will be obliged to pay an extravagant rice. Ticket Half £lO 5 0 £2 13 0 Quarter 5 - 4 0 1 Sixteenth 1 7 0 All Orders by Post or Carrier duly executed.—Prizes paid ft soon as drawn. The 19th of THIS MONTH the DRAWING will BEGIN and FINISH.