October 1754

Gregorian

 S  M Tu  W Th  F  S
       1  2  3  4  5
 6  7  8  9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31

http://www.hf.rim.or.jp/~kaji/cal/cal.cgi?1754

Saturday, October 19 About two this afternoon, a place called the Dust-house, belonging to Mr.Norman’s gunpowder mill, at Moulsey, in Surrey, blew up, and killed one man, who was barrelling up the gunpowder. It is reckoned there were about 30 barrels of powder in the store-room, each barrel containing about 100 lb. weight.  The building was blown into thousands of pieces, and carried a great way; the poor man’s body was torn into so many pieces, there was no finding them, or half his bones. Seven or eight great elms, that stood near this room, were tore up by the roots, and many others shattered, and several adjacent buildings terribly tore; a building about 30 yards from it, which contained about the same quantity of gunpowder, had its roof beat in, and a man at work received a slight blow on the back of his neck, by a piece of timber, but the powder remained safe.  The windows of several neighbouring houses were broke, and some of the tiles blown off the houses at some distance, by the force of the shock. The houses for many miles about were shaken by the explosion.

The grand jury for Westminster presented the editor and publisher of the late lord Bolingbroke’s works.

Orders were given, about this time, for a captain, four lieutenants, and 60 bombardiers and matrosses, to hold themselves ready to embark from Woolwich, in order to join the forces destined for Virginia.

Sunday, 20 This morning, about seven o’clock, a fire broke out in the upper part of a very large warehouse in Montague-Close, near St. Mary Overy’s church, Southwark, which entirely destroyed the same, and very large quantity of hops, which were in the same warehouse, and damaged several of the adjacent houses. There were a party of soldiers to keep off the mob, and the fire was in a great measure suppressed about noon. The inhabitants near St. Mary Overy’s church were in so great confusion, that divine service was not performed there in the morning.

On Nov. 28, 1753, the French made an attempt to take Trichenopoli (by surprize) a strong place belonging to the Nabob, in which was a garrison commanded by Capt. Kilpatrick. They made the attack about four that morning with 800 Europeans. Their Black forces were to make several false attacks on different parts of the town: By the darkness of the night, and the carelessness of a guard, they got over the ditch, fixed their ladders and 600 of them, without firing a shot, got possession of a battery on the outward wall, called Dalton’s Battery.  By this time an accidental shot or two alarmed the garrison, who immediately repaired to their posts, and attacked the party on the battery, who defended themselves till day light, and made several attempts to scale the inward wall and petard the gate, but were kept off by the garrison. By day-break, those that did not choose to venture their necks by jumping off the battery to save themselves, called out for quarter, which was given them. There were taken on the battery 293 Europeans prisoners, besides 65 wounded, and 42 killed in the ditch, and nine officers; the rest of their loss was not known, but it was believed must have been pretty considerable. In this action the garrison had scarce any loss. From the time of the before mentioned action until the middle of February following, nothing material happened, when Col. Lawrence, who was then encamped near Trichenopoli, was obliged, according to custom, to send a party to escort provisions to the camp, consisting of 230 Europeans, eight officers, about 500 Seapoys, and four pieces of cannon. They marched on, Feb. 12, and on their return upon the 15th, were attacked by a party, of the enemy, consisting of 120 French, two companies of foreigners, the French troop of 100 men, 1000 Topasses, 6000 Seapoys, all their Black cavalry, in number about 8000, and seven pieces of cannon. This detachment moved in the night, and came up with Col. Lawrence’s detached party by break of day, as they, were on their march. What men could do, they did; but the commanding officer, unfortunately afraid of losing his baggage, divided his force to save it upon which they enemy fell in amongst them, and, although they paid dearly for it, killed or took prisoners almost the whole army.

Deaths

20^th Wilbraham Tufton, Esq; only surviving brother of the late earl of Thanet.

The lady of the Rt. Hon. the lord chief baron Parker.

Earl of Drumlanrig, eldest son to the duke of Queensberry. He was on his journey from Scotland, with the duke his father, in one post-chaise, and the dutchess, his mother with lady Drumlanrig in another; and being tired with riding in the chaise got on horseback, soon after which his pistol accidentally went off, and killed him on the spot.

23d Daniel Sadler, Esq; chief clerk in the annuity Pell-office, and one of the oldest clerks in the Exchequer.