mitted, to go home with her father.

As the fuppofed fpirit had before publicly promifed, by an affirmative knock, that it would attend one of the gentlemen into the vault, under the church of St. John, Clerkenwell, where the body is depofited, and give a token of her prefence there by a knock upon her coffin; it was therefore determined to make this trial of the existence or veracity of the fuppofed fpirit.

While they were enquiring and deliberating, they were fummoned into the girl's chamber by fome ladies, who were near her bed, and who had heard knocks and scratches. When the gentlemen entered, the girl declared that the felt the spirit like a mouse upon her back, and was required to hold her hands out of bed; from that time, though the spirit was very folemnly required to manifest its existence by appearance, by impreffion on the hand or body of any present, by scratches, knocks, or any agency, no evidence of any preternatural power was exhibited. The spirit was then seriously advertifed, that the perfon to whom the promise was made of ftriking the coffin, was then about to vifit the vault, and that the performance of the promife was then claimed. The company, at one, went into the church, and the gentleman, to whom the promise was made, went, with one more, into the vault: the fpirit was folemnly required to perform its promife; but nothing more than filence enfued. The perfon fupposed to be accused by the ghost then went down, with feveral others, but no effect was perceived. Upon their return they examined the girl, but could draw no confeffion from her. Between two and three she defired, and was perVOL. V.

It is therefore the opinion of the whole affembly, that the child has fome art of making, or counterfeiting, particular noises, and that there is no agency of any higher cause."

To elude the force of this conclufion, it was given out that the coffin, in which the body of the fuppofed ghoft had been depofited, or at least the body itself, had been difplaced, or removed out of the vault. Mr. K-- therefore thought proper to take with him to the vault the undertaker, who buried Mifs F, and fuch other unprejudiced perfons, as on infpection might be able to prove the weak nefs of fuch a suggestion.

Accordingly on February 25, in the afternoon, Mr. K---, with at clergyman, the undertaker, clerk, and fexton of the parish, and two or three gentlemen, went into the' vault; when the undertaker prefent knew the coffin, which was taken from under the others, and eafily feen to be the fame, as there was no plate or infcription; and, to fatisfy further, the coffin being opened before Mr. K., the body was found in it.

Others, in the mean time, were taking other fteps to find out where the fraud, if any, lay. The girl was removed from houfe to houfe, and was faid to be conftantly attended with the ufual noifes, though bound and muffled hand and foot; and that without any motion in her lips, and when the appeared asleep. Nay, they were often faid to be heard in rooms. at a confiderable diftance from that where the lay.

Sunday, being told that the approaching night only would be allowed for a trial, the concealed a. board, about four inches broad, and fix long, under her ftays. This board was used to fet the kettle upon. Having got into bed, fhe told the gentlemen she would bring Fat fix the next morning.

The mafter of the house, however, and a friend of his, being in formed by the maids, that the girl had taken a board to bed with her, impatiently waited for the ap pointed hour, when she began to knock and scratch upon the board; remarking, however, what they themselves were convinced of, that "thefe noises were not like thofe which used to be made." She was then told, that she had taken a board to bed; and, on her denying it, searched, and caught in a lie.

The two gentlemen, who, with the maids, were the only perfons prefent at this fcene, fent to a third gentleman, to acquaint him that

the whole affair was detected, and to defire his immediate attendance; but he brought another along with him....

Their concurrent opinion was, that the child had been frightened into this attempt, by the threats which had been made the two preceding nights; and the mafter of the house allo, and his friend, both declared, "That the noises, the girl had made that morning, had not the leaft likeness to the former noises." Probably the organs, with which she performed these strange noises, were not always in a proper tone for that purpofe, and the imagined she might be able to fupply the place of them by a piece of board..

At length Mr. K--- thought proper to vindicate his character in a legal way. On the 10th of July, the father and mother of the child, one Mary Frazer, who, it seems, acted as an interpreter between the ghoft and those who examined her, a clergyman, and a reputable tradefman, were tried at Guildhall, before lord: Mansfield, by a fpecial jury, and convicted of a confpiracy against the life and character of Mr. K---.

But the court, chufing that Mr. K, who had heen fo much injured on this occafion, fhould receive fome reparation by the punishment of the offenders, deferred giving fentence for feven or eight months, in hopes the parties might make it` up in the mean time. Accordingly, the clergyman and tradesman agreed to pay Mr. K--- a round fum, some fay between 5 and 600l. to purchafe their pardon, and were thereupon difmiffed, with a fevere reprimand. The father was ordered to be fet in the pillory three times in

ons

one month, once at the end of Cocklane, and after that to be imprisoned two years; Elizabeth his wife, one year; and Mary Frazer, fix months in Bridewell, and to be there kept to hard labour.

The father appearing to be out

of his mind at the time he was firft to ftand in the pillory, the execution of that part of his fentence was deferred to another day, when, as well as on the other days of his ftanding there, the populace took fo much compaffion of him, that, inftead of ufing him ill, they made a handfome collection for him.

State of the Land-carriage Fishery in London, to the end of September 1762; Submitted to the public by the fuperintendant.

THE fuperintendant of the landcarriage fish plan, in order that all ranks of people might reap the benefit thereof, did, at the commencement of this undertaking, direct certain prices for the feveral kinds and fizes of fish to be publicly fixed, at as moderate rates as the nature thereof admitted at which they continued till four o'clock in the afternoon, and from that hour till feven they were reduced to onethird, in order that families of middling rank might partake of this defirable food, as well as the great and opulent, and at leffer prices; and what remained after the laftmentioned hour, were further reduced to half price, for the benefit of perfons of lower degree; and moreover, any furplus quantity left at the fhutting up the places of fale at night (as has often been the cafe) were directed to be fprinkled with falt, and exposed to fale the next

morning, at two-thirds less than the firft price the day before, för the benefit of poor families and if not fold by twelve at noon the fecond day, were then given to the prifons and workhoufes, fo that no part thereof might be wasted.

These methods have been hitherto continued; but the fuperintendant has found that this proceeding, which was calculated for general benefit, has been perverted to very oppofite purposes, and greatly to the difadvantage of this undertaking; feveral dealers in fish having made it their practice (efpecially fince the weather has been fo cool for the fish to keep good till the next,or fucceeding day) to wait for the hour of half price, and then to purchase the fish; which he is informed they fell in their fhops the next day, at the fame (and often at a lefs) price, than that affixed in the morning at the land-carriage places of fale for fish newly arrived; and by this means have had an opportunity of underfelling this plan with its own filh; or, in cafe no fifh arrived by land carriage, to get extraordinary prices for the fame; befides leaving a door open to impofitions of another kind.

For thefe realons the fuperintendant finds himself neceffitated to make an alteration in his measures, and to direct that no fish be fold at reduced price on the day of their arrival; and thinks it proper to give this notice to the public, left it fhould imagined that fuch an alteration of measures proceeds from lucrative views, which is not the cafe, as the fish, which remains after the fale of the first day is over, will be fold the next day at proper prices, according to the ftate and condition thereof; and care will be

[L] 2

taken

taken to distribute what remains unfold, while it is wholefome and fit for ufe; and which he can with confidence affure the public, has hitherto been done; fo that out of 45 tons, or 917 cwt. (the quantity brought from the commencement of this undertaking, between the 16th of May and the 30th of Sep. tember laft, both inclufive) there has not been one cwt. loft, and that unavoidable. Moreover, he may venture to affert, that the prices firft affixed in the morning, have been at least one-third, or rather one-half, lefs than thofe for which fuch fish were ufually fold before this undertaking was fet on foot; not to mention the further

39518 Pair of Soals

benefit which has accrued to the middle and lower rank of people, by the reduced prices, and to the poor, by what has been given away, amounting together to 931 1. 9 s. 10 d. within the above-mentioned time, as appears in the monthly account annexed.

The fuperintendant conceiving it may be fome fatisfaction to the public, to be acquainted with the ftate and progrefs of this undertaking, has taking this early opportunity to give an account of the feveral fpecies of fifh brought in confequence of this plan, within the time above-mentioned, with the tale and weight of the fame, which are as follow:

14190 Mackerel

867 Brill or Pearl

286 Turbots

1443 Thornback

135 Salmon

4538 Herrings

704 Pipers and Gurnets

8

497 Crabs

7 3 20

570 Dories

1988 Plaife and Dabs

40300 Prawns

3 2 11

136 Lobsters

I

249 Trout

I

122 Eels

2 2 2 1

20

2 17

26

27

I

3

18