Mr. URBAN,

F

April 15. ROM the following narrative, I with not

to infer that every

light and imprudent female is a profligate, 淡茶 that every good and virtuous one is

***** or

a deity. Frequent as it is fo found, yet, for the honour of human nature, it is not always fo. The concurring circumstances of time and place heightens the one, while it finks the other; and, as the hand of Omnipotence is vifible in all his works, our judgement should not be hoodwinked with ever fo dark a veil of turpitude.

Lefs than three weeks ago, a welldreffed young woman was fet down on Blackheath from one of the London ftages. She had in her arms a little girl of twelve months old; and her enquiries were directed to find a nurfe for the infant. She at length fucceeded with a woman who lives in on the South corner of the heath, in the parish of Lewisham. The day was cold. She propofed then to leave the child, and to return next day to vifit her, and to bring the ne-, ceffaries. The nurse, to her forrow, found this day never came. The poor women had a family of her own, and could not be encumbered with an alien. The flory was advertifed in the papers to no purpofe; and every dame around pities the innocent babe, and reprobates the unnatural mother.

The event foon reached the attentive ear of one of the moft amiable and beneficent of women, a neighbouring Princefs; of one who, from the et quette of Courts, is deprived of the endearing prattle of her own daughter. The little blooming foundling was foon ordered to be produced before her, which brought the fympathy of the mo

Rumour favs, that this regardless mother is of Greenwich, and the wife of a brave feaman, who is abroad with a captain of the navy, of Greenwich; and that the lived latterly in London.

Among other acts of humanity, which reflect eternal honour to this Princefs's heart and mind, is one of a blind beggar, whom the frequently pffed on the road, in many a cold and foovy day, neither unregarded nor unrelieved. A fervant was afterwards fent, to know what the poor fellow might get, one day with another, in the year; who found is. a day was the average. He was foon afterwards allowed 7s. a week, and a bag of victuals for his Sunday's dinner, to keep himself from the weather, and follow any other employment.

Mr. URBAN,

THE

P. M.

April 8.

HE memoir of Dr. Stephen Hales, p. 9, may be corrected from the following in his own hand, defigned for Dr. Rawlinfon's Contiņuation of Wood's Athenæ, to whom it was communicated, Apr 12, 1742, and is ftill preferved among the Doctor's loofe papers at Oxford. H. E.

"Stephen Hales, fon of Thomas Hales, efq, who was the eldest fon of Sir Robert Hales, bart. born Sept. 17, 1677, at Beak fbourne, near Canterbury; educated in grammar-learning under Mr. St. Clare at Kensington, and under the Rev. Mr. Richard Johnfon, at Orpington, in Kent;

admitted

admitted penfioner of Corpus Chrifti college in Cambridge, June 19, 1696; took the Degree of B A. 1699; clected fellow, Feb 5, 1702; took deacon's orders, Sept. 19, 1793, at Buguen, from Dr. Gardner, Bp. of Lincoln; and pricfts orders at Fulham, from Dr. Comptor, Bp. of London,

June 19, 1709; was nominated, Feb. 21, to the donative of Teddington, in the county of Middlefak, by the late Edward Hill, efq. for and, as the turn of Sir John Bridgeman, hart. of Castle Bromige, Warwickshire, it being from that time an altern te nomination; had a licente from the Bp. of London to ferve that cure, Aug. 10, 1709; took the degree of B. D. 1711; was prefented to the rectory of Porlock, in Somerfetfhire, by the lord Chancellor Cowper, 1718; and to the rectory of Farringdon, near Alton, Hampshire, by William Cage, efq. of Milgate, near Maidftone, Kent, and was inftituted, Feb. 9, 1722, and inducted March 1, following. Admitted F. R. S. in 1717."

THE

April 8.

Mr. URBAN, HE pears, fo well accepted by, Glutton Bonner (fee p. 15), and for more of which he purposed to return the frail to the donor, Mr. Lechmere, were probably of the lort deno. minated the Warden pear, which feem to have been relished by epicures at that period, and to have been occafionally ferved up in a meat pye. For Strype, in his account of the fufferings of Mr. Quinby, who, in the fleeple of New college, Oxford, was half-ftarved with cold and lack of food by his perfecutor Dr. London, being aiked by his friends what he would eat, and laying that his ftomach was gone from all meat, except it were a warden pye. "You shall have i," quoth they. "But," replied the poor dying man, "I would have," faid he again, "but two wardens baked; I mean, our warden of Oxford, and our warden of Winchefter, London and More. For, fuch a warden pye might do me and Chrift's church good; whereas, other wardens of the tree can do me no good at all." Thus jefting at their tyranny through the cheerfulness of a fafe confcience. (Ecclef. Memo. rials, v. I. 377.)

In the charge for first-fruits and tenths, payable out of the rectory of Lambeth, (fee Aidenda to the History of Lambeth Palace and Parish p. 302,) one of the items is, "In decima-pomorum, pirovum, et volemorum11 fh. ;" and the diftin&tion here made between the warden and other pears

implies that, at that time, there were in the parish gardens and orchards which had feveral trees producing this favourite fruit; and many years after, when Shakspeare wrote The Winter's Tale, warden pyes were still in high repute, it being hinted by the clown,

"I must have faffron to colour the

warden pyes," (&t. IV. fc. III), Miller, in Gardener's Dictionary,' Pyrus, No. 62, oblerves," the Pound pear, poire do livre, is in England called Parkinfon's warden, or the black pear of Worcester," adding, that it is not fit for eating, but bakes or ftews exceeding well. W. and D..

Mr. URBAN,

N your vol. LXVII. p. 147, S. P.

enquires, whether there is any monument to the poet Wycherly. Now, Mr. Urban, although I cannot anfwer the question direct; yet, I think, from what will follow, it is not likely a monument ever exifted.

Mr. Wycherly had feen a great deal of profperity and adverfiy. He was twice married; ft, to the Countefs of Drogheda; and, 2dly, when he was almoft in his grave, to a young lady named Jackfon, with a fortune of 1500l. fume part of which he ap plied to the ufe of his creditors, which eated his mind of a heavy burthen before he expired, and that was only 11 days after the celebration of his nup tials, in 1715, when he was in the 80th year of his age. He lies buried in the vault of Covent garden church.

In the fame volume, p. 457, a drawing is given, by Caractacus, of Sir Richard Steele's house at Carmar then; and in the fame page, a letter from Sir Richard Steele to Mr. Walpole, requesting his fupporting Mr. David Scurlock to be fteward of St. David's. It would feem that this Houfe was the refidence of Sir Richard Steele, which is not the fact; and the reader is left in fufpence to krow who Mr. Scurlock was. Now, Mr. Urban, if you think my information worth notice, you will infert it.

Sir Richard Steele was born in Dublin, but educated at the Charterhouse, in London. He was a private man, and afterwards a captain, in the horleguards. He was a commiflioner of the Stamp-office, and afterwards knighted by King George the Firft; who gave him a patent for a theatrical company, which he alligned over to Booth,

Wilks, and Cibber, who allowed him gool. a year finecure, with which he retired to Carmarthen, in South Wales, near which town he had an eftate of 5 or 600l. a year, that came by his wife, whole name was Scur lock. He did not live at his own feat, but boarded at the town of Carmar. then, with Mr. Scurlock, an eminent mercer, and nephew to his lady; and he died at Mr. Scurlock's house in the year 1728.

Can any of your correfpondents give information upon what occafion the Scottish title of Lord Viicant Preften became extinct? and to whom the eftates of the last lord reverted?

TH

A CONSTANT READER.

Mr. URBAN, London, April 4. THE late fcarcity of coals leads me to the confideration, how the town may be fupplied in future with that neceffary article at a moderate price, without being fubject to the great inconvenience which all ranks of people have lately felt. It must be acknowledged that, after a fupply of bread and of animal food, that of fuel must be the next in confideration to a metropolis, of fuch vaft population and magnitude as that of London; and I think that Government would do well to take the matter into their most ferious deliberation, that the neceffities of the poor may thereby be fupplied at a realonable rate, and the manufacturing part of the community may not be obliged to fufpend their works, to the great detriment of those they employ. Who knows what a diflreifing fituation the town might have been in, had the fupply been delayed a few days longer? I have been informed that, during the want of coals, feveral large manufactories were on the point of fufpending their workmen for a time, until a fupply arrived. To obviate any difficulty in procuring a regular fupply of fo valuable and fo effent:ally-neceffry an article, I would advife government to take the carrying trade between the ports of London and Newcastle, &c. into their own hands, and contract for hipping for that efpecial purpofe; and let the fame be under the management of the tranfport fervice; and for the coal merchant to pay either a tonnage upon the hipping, upon the delivery of the cargo, or elle fo much per chaidion duty, according to what is

delivered in the various ports they. may be configned to. By this means London may always be fupplied. with fuel at a moderate price, and the expences paid by government returned by the tonnage or duty. It would, have another additional good effect: if any combination were to arife, or any disturbance happen at Newcastle, or elsewhere, Government could immediately remedy the evil, by chartering a certain number of veffels to another port for their loading; and, the coal-merchants would not be able to regulate the fupply to answer any improper wishes on their part. It would keep up the fame nursery for. feimen, and alfo enable Government to have an additional tonnage of ship, ping to anfwer any purpofe which may be wanting. I have only fuggefted hints for much more able heads to arrange; and doubt not, if fome fuch plan was to be adopted, it would be. always the means of lupplying the metropolis, with what may be deemed a neceffary of life, at a very moderate price, and in a great meafure add to the comforts of the lower orders of fociety, preventing any discontent, and making them acknowledge that their wants are the first care of the happy Government which protects them; to which the mechanick and artificer must join, as it would also enable them to manufacture their goods at, perhaps, much less expence.

If what I have fuggefted may be the leaft beneficial, it will be a great. fatisfaction to,

Mr. URBAN,

W- -Y.

Chapter Coffee Houfe, April 20. AM forry to observe that, on newfe paper authority, you tranfmit to polterity (where it is feldom admite ted), in your last, p. 248, a fallity, refpecting a meeting of the trustees of the British Mufeum, to confider of a plan laid before them to convert Mon tague-houle into galleries of pictures, and ftatues. There has been no fuch meeting; nor has any fuch plan been laid before them, The establishment is already much better appropriated; and the arts, much as I admire them, are fufficiently encouraged by the Royal Academy. I cannot but add, that it is a great piece of impertinence, if not worfe, in a foreigner (however refpectable he may be), to interfere in any part of the police of the country

in