26. At Falcon Park, by Nairn, Mrs Amelia Stuart, daughter of John Stuart of Cardneys, Efq; fpoufe to Samuel Falconer of Falcon Park, Efq. She is much regret red by all who had the honour of her acquaintance. She lived and died a pious good chriftian. Her ancestors had their charter from King Robert the Second, in the year 1399-to our beloved brother, with the title of noble and military baron, dated at Cardneys fame year, where the King refided many years-witneffes, the King's two brothers, the bifhops of St Andrews and Aberdeen, firft Lord Douglas and his brother, and Baron Erfkine, now Earl of Buchan. She is interred in Lord Halkerfton's vault at Oldearu. 29. In the 89 year of his age, and 45th of his miniftry, Mr William Paterfon, minifter of Slains. His conduct as a man, and as a minifter, was correct and examplary, gentle, innoffenfive, and benevolent-he never loft a friend, nor made an enemy. Aug. 30. Before Toulon, Captain Doy glas This Gentleman is defcended from a very refpectable family in Fifefhire in Scotland. His father, who unhappily furvives him to regret his lofs, is a man of the ftricteft honour, and poffeffes many amiable qualities. Capt. Douglas ferved with diftinguished merit at the fiege of Gibraltar, and obtained the particular thanks of General Elliot, for his brave and gallant bearing. The General remembered his fervices a long time afterwards, and rewarded them in a moft honourable manner; for upon his return to the garrifon, as Lord Heathfield, he appointed Capt. Douglas his aid-de-camp, and recommended him to General O'Hara, his fucceffor, as most worthy to retain that ftation. General O'Hara did more than this, for he named him Town Major alfo, and his Majefty foon after confirmed him in that office, He was alfo aid-de-camp to Sir Robert Foyd; but when part of the 11th regiment, to which he belonged, went up the Mediterranean, prompted by military zeal, and an active courage, he begged leave to volunteer upon that expedition. His offer was accépted, and against Toulon he displayed that valour and patriotic energy which could not avail him to prevent an early and un. happy death. He fell, beloved and lament ed by all who had the pleasure to partake of that cheerfulnefs and information his fociety imparted, the pride of his relations, and the glory of his country. ent. As an officer, both in tactics and experimental science, Capt. Douglas was proficiAs a Gentleman and a scholar, he was eminent for every graceful or learned qualification. He had an elegant tafte for poetry, which the verfes he has written upon feveral occurrences at Gibraltar fufficiently evince. Among the best of them are fome complimentary lines upon the Hon. Mrs Chetwynd, and alfo upon Prince Edward's Chair, which is placed upon the Levant Road, lately excavated out of the rock of Gibraltar, under the direction of Capt. Dou glas. 30. At Fairfield Head, near Longot, in Staffordshire, William Billings foldier, at the great age of 114; and what is further worthy of remark, this old veteran travelled through this extenfive ftretch of time without ever experiencing a fit of fickness, and at last expired without either qualm or groan. General Cadogan, who died a few years fince, was one of the last of Queen Anne's officers that furvived the great Malborough, and Billings the laft private in England that ferved under that great commander -Billings's birth and death were equally extraordinary; he was born under a hedge in the year 1679, not a hundred yards from the cottage where he died. Being born with a fpirit of enterprize, and not liking a country life, he left his fervice in the year 1702, and inlifted into a regiment then lying at Derby, in the year 1704. He was with Sir George Rooke at the fiege of Gibraltar, defended at that time by that gallant officer the Marquis de Salines After the reduction of that fortrefs, which was feverely bombarded for two fucceffive days, he was fent into Germany, and ferv. ed in Flanders under the Duke of Malborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy, and was prefent at the ever-memorable battle of Ramilies, which was fought on Whitfunday the 23d of May 1706. In this battle Billings had the honour of being amongst the foremost of thofe few gallant foldiers who had an opportunity offered them of rendering their great commander a very effential ferv ce, by rescuing him from the moft imminent danger. Indeed, had it not been for this handful of brave men stepping in fo opportunely, his grace must inevita bly have been killed or taken prisoner; for, being thrown off his horse as he was leaping a ditch, the Marefchal Villeroy (who both admired and dreaded the English General) was immediately informed of the Duke's disaster by one of his aides de camp. Orders were immediately given for fome of his choice troops to haften to the spot where the accident happened, and they were to bring the Duke dead or alive! Billings, however, and his comrades, who had juft time enough to throw themfelves betwixt their commander and these fabred miffionaries, played their part so well, that they fcarcely left one alive to carry the news to Villeroy. In this bloody conflict, however, Billings was feverely handled, a musket-ball lodged in the thick part of his thigh, and in fuch a part as rendered any attempt to cract extract it impracticable, and in this fituation the ball remained near thirty years, when it made its way down the thigh, and came out at the ham. This French cherry, as he always called the bullet, he carefully preferved to the day of his death. The latter end of June, the fame year, Billings was fo well recovered from his wounds, as to be able to affift in opening the trenches at the fiege of Oftend, which place furrendered to the confederates the 6th of July following. The conqueft of this place opened fuch a new fcene of delight to Billings, that (as he himself hath often declared) he never thought more of paft dangers, and that conqueft and glory ought to be the only aim of a foldier. He then began to think, the more towns they facked, the more fair captives would fall to his lot. On the 4th of Auguft, Billings was again employed at the opening of the trenches before Menin. This is one of the best fortifications in all Flanders, being conftructed under the immediate direction of that eminent engineer Monfieur Vauban, who put his ingenuity to the ftretch to render this fort impregnable, which furrendered the 22d of the fame month, after a very bloody and obftinate refiftance... Billings afterwards affifted at the fieges of Lifle, Tournay, Mons, Bethune, Aire, St Venant, and Bouchain; and, what is still more extraordinary, came off without the lofs of a limb. In the year 1712 he returned to England, and was employed against the rebels in 1715 and 1745. Billings was buried at Longnor on Sunday, and Mr William Johnson of that place, and fome of his neighbours, much to their honour, out of refpect to British valour, attended his remains to the grave. The fame perfons have agreed to purchase him a head-stone, upon which they mean to have engraved the following couplet after his name, age, and place of abode, &c. are inferted: At Belladrum Mrs Hannah Baillie, fpoufe of Mr James Frazer of Belladrum. 21. At Edinburgh, Mifs Mary Adam, daughter of Dr Adam. At Glasgow, Mifs Strang, daughter of Mr Robert Strang, merchant. 23. At Rofebank, near Edinburgh, Mr William Gordon, bookfeller. 24. At Baronald, near Lanark, Mifs Sufan Watt. At Edinburgh, Alexander Simpfon Efq. cafhier to the Bank at Aberdeen. 25. At his feat in Dorsetshire, the Right Hon. Henry Digby, Lord Digby, and Baron Sherborn, in England, and Lord Digby and Baron of Geefehill, in Ireland. His Lordship fucceeded his brother Edward, in the Irish Peerage, in the year 1757, and was advanced to the dignity of a British Peerage in the year 1756. He was twice married-firft in September 1763, to Eli zabeth, daughter of Charles Fielding, brother to Lord Denbigh. Her Ladyship died in January 1765, without any furviving ifue. Secondly, in November 1770, to Mary, daughter of John Knowles, Efq. by whom he had four children, all of whom are at prefent living. Edward the prefent Lord, was born January 6. 1773 State State of the BAROMETER in inches and decimals, and of Farenheit's THER MOMETER in the open air, taken in the morning before fun-rife, and at noon; and the quantity of rain-water fallen, in inches and decimals, from the 1ft to the 30th of September, 1793, within one mile of the Caftle of Edinburgh. Erratum, P. 248, Col. 2. Line 6th from the foot, (in a few copies of this Number) for oppofite read appofite. |