be convinced that the phantom of military conquest has vanished, and the ministry of Great Britain are making their last effort of despairing impotence."

Next, we have a Proclamation "Given at York, in the State of Pennsylvania, this Ninth Day of May, Anno Domini, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy-Eight." The preamble states "that violences have been done by American armed vessels to neutral nations in seizing ships belonging to their subjects under their colours, and in making captures of those of the enemy whilst under the protection of neutral coasts contrary to the usage and custom of nations;" and this is followed by a solemn warning, under threat of condign punishment, against the commission of "such injustifiable and piratical acts, which reflect dishonour upon the national character of these states."

Following this are "Extracts of the Minutes," with the resolution, recommending "to the Legislatures of the respective States to enact Laws for exempting from Military Duty all Persons who have deserted, or shall hereafter desert from the British Army and Navy during the present War," &c. Henry Laurens, president, and Charles Thomson, secretary, sign the proceedings.

News had been received from Georgia of the capture, "by Col. Elbert and Col. White, in the Washington and Lee Gallies of the State, joined by the Bullock Gally," of several vessels "belonging to the King of England." The bulletin from South Carolina further states: "We are menaced with an expedition from St. Augustine against Georgia and are sending troops (under command of Col. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney) to the assistance of our sister State." The "Rattlesnake privateer of Philadelphia, Capt. McCulloch," had carried two prizes into Georgia. It was reported that provisions, both fresh and salt, were very scarce in the city of New York; "and though the prices are limited by martial law, yet the seller generally found means to obtain more; that a good quarter of veal could be sold for half a joe, and other provisions in proportion. [A joe is, or was, a Portuguese gold coin, equal to $8.]

A correspondent signing " Milton," in an address of a column and a quarter, "To the People of Massachusetts-Bay," declaims earnestly against the laws of the state, by which he declares that "Congregationalism is as certainly established by them as Episcopacy is by the laws of England :" and he goes at length into an argument against such discrimination. The effect of these laws, he says, was to compel Christians of other denominations to contribute toward the support of Congregational churches whether they attended such churches or not; and he introduces in illus

tration the following story: "A collector of ministerial rates called upon a certain barber for his proportion of the minister's tax, to whom, in great surprise, he replied, I owe him nothing; I never attended his preaching.' 'I cannot help that,' said the collector; 'you live in the parish, the doors are open every Sunday, and Mr. preaches to the congregation; you may attend if you please. The assessors have rated you so much, and I must have the money!' The poor barber was accordingly obliged to pay it. The next day he made a visit to the minister himself, and complained of the injustice of forcing him to pay for what he never had. 'O sir,' said the minister, that is your fault; the meeting-house doors are open every Sunday.' The barber, finding he could get no relief, went home; and after some months had elapsed, he carried in an account to the minister for shaving him and dressing his wig. The minister looked at it with astonishment and with no small degree of resentment exclaimed, I owe you nothing. I never employed you. I cannot help that, sir,' said the barber; that is your fault; my shop is open all the week, and you may be served if you please."

The second page closes with two-thirds of a column of advertisements, offering for sale all sorts of groceries, New England rum and other spirituous liquors, vessels and their equipments, cannon, swivels, shot, "20 casks of essence of spruce," "Jesuits-Bark," flaxseed, " 50 tons of Fustick," etc. One column of the third and two of the fourth page are also devoted to various advertisements, including two of absconded slaves-a negro man, named Cæsar, for whom a reward of eight dollars is offered by Samuel Lee of Manchester, and a negro girl, Venus, in the nineteenth year of her age, whom Ephraim Fuller of Middleton, cautions everybody against, and forbids their harboring, " as they would avoid the penalty of the law." Quartermaster Undy Hay offers "ten pounds Pennsylvania currency, per month, equal to twenty-six dollars and two-thirds, for experienced teamsters willing to enter the Continental Service." Capt. Benjamin Farnham, of Andover, advertises a deserter, William Burt, who enlisted in Capt. Benjamin Tupper's regiment. William Bant, "Attorney to Hon. John Hancock," notifies all persons indebted to him, or who have demands upon or accounts open with him, to call "at the subscriber's house in Tremont street near the chapel" for settlement. "Continental bills will be received in payment, in preference to gold and silver."

There is only one regular drug-store advertisement-that of William Scollay," at his shop, the corner of State-street, formerly called "Brazen Head." [Did he give the name to "Scollay Square?"] Among variety of the most approved patent medicines, warranted genuine," he has "Lockyer's Pills," in reference to which Mrs. Stebbins mentions the

a

singular fact of such advertisement, when Lockyer had been in his grave more than one hundred years, having died on the 26th of April, 1672, aged seventy-two. Taken, also, in connection with the following epitaph, which she has preserved in her album, it is still more curious:

"EPITAPH IN ST. SAVIOUR'S CHURCH, SOUTHWICK.

"Here Lockyer lies interred-enough his name

Speaks one hath few competitors in fame,
A name so great, so general, it may scorn
Inscriptions which do vulgar tombs adorn.
A diminution 'tis to write in verse

His eulogies, which most men's mouths rehearse;
His virtues and his PILLS are so well known,

That envy can't confine them under stone.

But they'll survive his dust and not expire

Till all things else, at th' universal fire,

This verse is lost, his Pills embalm him safe
To future times, without an epitaph."

Under the general head "America " are about two columns of interesting news articles worthy of being presented entire if space permitted. At Lancaster, May 24th," the remains of His Excellency, Thomas Wharton, Jr. Esq., President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, was interred with military honours." At Fishkill, Sunday, May 31st, the sloop of war, King-Fisher, of sixteen guns, was obliged "to tow off with precipitation, having been hulled several times by well-directed shot from a couple of guns sent down for the purpose, under command of Capt. Moodie." Deserters from the British army were daily coming in from Philadelphia and New York. A letter received at Hartford states that a considerable village, forty miles west of Albany, had been "destroyed by the Indians and Tories, which brought on an engagement between the enemy and a party of Continental troops," who were defeated with a loss of twenty-five killed and missing. Information had also been received from Washington's headquarters, that a large body of the enemy crossed from Philadelphia, at Cooper's Ferry, into Jersey; and that a division of the American Grand Army were under marching orders "to intercept them." On May 31, a detachment, one hundred and fifty strong, of British troops, commanded by Major Ayres, landed at the mouth of Fall River, "with a design to burn Freetown and the mills; but they were repulsed by twenty-five of the citizens before very serious damage was done, leaving one man killed and one mortally wounded. Two Tories were lately hanged in Albany and ten more were to suffer the same fate on the 5th of June."

The legislature of the "State of Massachusetts-Bay," in session, had taken active measures to have all newly enlisted men, and others on furlough, sent to the Continental army at Fishkill without delay. With one other domestic incident, we will close this brief description. T. & J. Fleet, Cornhill, offer for sale "the second edition of Mr. Fiske's Sermon on the Tragical Death of Mr. Joshua Spooner (who was lately barbarously murdered at Brookfield, by three Ruffians, hired for that purpose by his wife) preached on the day of his interment, from 2d Samuel iii. 34 -As a Man fallest before wicked Men, so fallest thou."

Alluding to this, Mrs. Stebbins writes: "My mother told us of the execution of this woman, and her 'ruffians' who were British officers. They were hung on Boston Common-the woman in white satin between two of the men. Mr. Spooner's body was found in a well, where they had thrown him. In those days parents used to send their children 'to see the men hung' and my grandmother sent all her children to witness the impressing ceremony."

Is there in any public or private library a copy of Mr. Fiske's Sermon ?

Horatio King)

WASHINGTON, D. C.

THE MARQUIS DE LOTBINIÈRE

Editor Magazine of American History:

In a recent number of your valued publication I find the following extract from Rev. Manasseh Cutler's diary in New York, of Saturday, July 7, 1787: "Dined with Gen. Knox. Introduced to his lady, and a French nobleman, the Marquis Lotbinière-at dinner, to several other gentlemen who dined with us. No person at table attracted my attention so much as the Marquis Lotbinière-not on account of his good sense, for if it had not been for his title I should have thought him twothirds of a fool."

As he has descendants in Montreal to-day, I made inquiries and beg to state that the Marquis de Lotbinière referred to was the ancestor of Col. Harwood, late D. A. G., and of the Honorable Mr. Joly, Mrs. De Bellefeuille, J. Macdonald and others. He was one of the distinguished Canadians who fought the battles of the conquest. In 1746 he served in Acadia as an ensign and rose to the rank of engineer-in-chief of New France. He built Fort Carillon, directed the engineering operations at the siege of William Henry with Desardouin, and built other fortifications. His title was conferred by France since the conquest.

After this event he took part in the war of American Independence on the side of the United States, and was sent by the Court of France on a special secret mission to Congress. His son espoused the British side and was reproached by the Marquis for it.

Regarding his being out of his mind, it is accounted for in this way: once while crossing Isle Perrot his horse took fright, his carriage was dashed to pieces and he barely escaped with his life, his skull being severely fractured. The Marquis recovered after having been trepanned, and at intervals afterwards was eccentric in his ways. It was probably on one of these occasions that Mr. Cutler met him.

He was

The Marquis must have been a man of considerable culture. a member of the Académie des Sciences et Belles Lettres, perhaps the only Canadian of his time in that body.