HE IS NOTHING AT ALL. By a fundamental law of the realm, the British fovereign muft profefs the PROTESTANT religion, neither can he marry a PAPIST. His annual income, commonly called the civil lift, is ftated by fome political writers at £900,000; by others at 1,000,000 sterling; how much is that per hour, fuppofing it to be the latter fum; and reckoning 8766 hours in the year? Ans. £114 15. 6d. • No. 266. HOURLY VELOCITY OF THE EARTH.It has been obferved in the fecond queftion, that our earth is one of the planets belonging to the folar fyftem. Its form has been stated in the 132d, where also its diurnal and annual motions have been flightly adverted to. The refumption of the fubject will not, we prefume, be found entirely ufelefs to our young readers. The daily rotation of the earth caufes the uniform fucceffion of light and darkness. Our fublime poet Milton, who appears to have been greatly enamoured with the beauties of nature, has exerted his unrivalled powers in enhancing her charms in this alternation of day and night, in the following exquifite lines: Sweet is the breath of morn, her rising sweet, PARADISE LOST, Book IV. 'The annual motion of the earth occafions the grateful viciffitude of the feafons, and the difference of the length, of the days and nights. In this yearly courfe the earth is faid to travel 596,088,000 English miles. What is the earth's rapidity per hour, the year containing 8,766 hours? Anf. 68,000 miles! 2 No. 267. ANSON'S VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD." In September 1740, a fmall fquadron of fhips, commanded manded by Commodore Anfon, fet fail from St. Helen's, in the lfle of Wight, Hampfhire, for the fouth fea, in order to annoy the Spaniards on, the coaft of Chili and Peru, in South America, and to co-operate occafionally with Admiral Vernon across the ifthmus of Darien, which connects North and South America. The fcheme is allowed to have been admirably well planned, but it was ruined by unneceffary delays and unforeseen accidents. Anfon touched at the Madeiras*; then at St. Catherine'st. In paffing the ftreights of Le Maire‡, and doubling Cape Horn, the dangers that he encountered, and the difficulties that he furmounted, must excite surprise in most of the readers of this interefting and perilous voyage. Perils and conflicts inexpreffible ANSON, with fteady undespairing breaff, DYER. Previoufly to this most critical juncture, two of his fhips had been feparated from him in a violent ftorm. Thefe, after putting in at Rio de Janeiro, returned to Europe. Having accomplished the paffage round Cape Horn, the commodore fteered to Sacro ; then to Juan In the Atlantic ocean, W. of Morocco in Africa. + Coast of Brazil, South America; in about 29 degrees S. lat. Between Terra del Fuego (an ifland S. of South America) and States. Inland. South part of Terra del Fuego. Coaf of Brazil; in about 23 degrees S. lat. I Coaft of Chili, South America. H4 Fernandez. Fernandez*. In this healthful fpot he continued till the valetudinary part of his men became convalefcent. Putting to fea, they made prize of feveral veffels, and captured the town of Paitat, in which he found confiderable booty. Then Paita's walls, in wafting flames involv'd, DYER. Bearing away from hence, they failed to Quibo ; then to the bay of Acapulco §; and afterwards ftretched acrofs the South-Sea towards the Philippine ifles in the EaftIndies. In this paffage the Gloucester was abandoned and funk ; the other veffels had been deftroyed for want of men to navigate them; fo that nothing now remained but the commodore's own fhip, the CENTURION, and that but very indifferently manned ; for the crew had been exceedingly thinned by fick nefs. Great were the hardships and miferies which they fuftained, from the shattered condition of their fhip, and from the fcurvy, when they reached the plentiful island of Tinian, where they were fupplied with neceffary refreshments. Thence they profecuted their voyage to Macao, an ifland near Canton in China. The chief object of the commodore's attention now, was the rich annual ship that fails between Acapulco in Mexico, and Manilla, one of the Philippine islands ¶. In hopes of intercepting her, he fet fail from Canton, See Index. + Peru, South America; in about 5 deg. S. lat. An island in the bay of Panama; N. W. part of Terra Firma, South America. Coaft of Mexico, North America; in about 17 deg. N. lat. Since the establishment of a free trade in the Spanish colonies, which took place in 1783, the ufual Acapulco hips, and other government traders, have been difcontinued; and the commerce to the Manillas, and other parts, is carried on in private bottoms by free companies of merchants. and and fteered his courfe back to the ftreights of Manilla, near which she actually fell into his hands, after a fhort but vigorous engagement. With this valuable and longlooked-for prize he returned to Canton; from whence he proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope +, purfued his voyage to England, and arrived in fafety at Spithead in June 1744, after an abfence of 3 years and 9 months. See Chron. and Biog Exer. Lord Anfon's voyage round the world was published in 1748; and no production of this kind ever met with a more favourable reception, four large impreffions being fold off within a twelvemonth it has been tranflated into moft of the European languages; and ftill fupports its reputation, having been repeatedly printed in various fizes. It was compofed under his lordship's infpection ; and, though it carries Mr. Walter's name in the title-page, is faid to have been really written by Mr. Benjamin Robins §. The galleon, or Manilla fhip, had 600 hands on board when the was captured; the Centurion only 227, thirty of whom were boys. The cargo, at the loweft eftimation, was computed to be worth £313,0co fterling. Allowing two thirds of this fum to the commodore and his officers, Between Manilla and the island of Samar. The fhip was taken about y leagues N. E. of Cape Spirito Santo, in the last-mentioned ifland. There his wave-worn bark Met, fought the proud Iberian, and o'ercame. + South part of Africa. A famous road between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. Mr. Robins was a mathematician of great genius and eminence, born at Bath in 1707, and died at Madras in 1751, in the capacity of engineer-general to the Eaft-India-Company. Some value this ship at £400,000; and the other veffels and ́effects destroyed by Anfon at £600,000: fo that the damage done to the enemy in this expedition amounted to a million fterling. It must, however, be admitted, that though this fortunate commander enriched himfelf, the British nation was not indemnified for the expence of fitting him out; and the original defign was entirely defeated. and dividing the remainder equally among the men and boys belonging to the Centurion, how much had thefe laft each? Anf. £459 12s. 4d. 4. No. 268. Divide the number of miles in the circumference of the earth at the equator, by all the arithmetical figures feparately. No. 269. Divide a million into as many parts as there are calendar months in a year. No. 270. Divide a thirty thousand pound prize into as many parts as there are lunar months in a year. No. 271. Divide the fquare* of twelve dozen, by the number of northern conftellations in the zodiac. No. 272. Divide the cube + of as many degrees as are contained in a quadrant, by the number of fouthern conftellations in the zodiac. No. 273. Divide the fquare of the number of counties contained in England and Wales, by the number of figns in the zodiac. No. 274. Divide the cube of the number of counties in Wales, by the number of degrees in a fign of the zodiac. No. 275. Thirty thousand pounds were offered for apprehending the young Pretender ‡, after his defeat at the battle of Culloden, near Invernefs, in Scotland, in 1746. Divide this fum into as many portions as there are drams in an ounce Avoirdupois. No. 276. KING WILLIAM, at the folicitation of Lord Somers, granted the celebrated Addison a pension of three hundred pounds a year, to enable him to travel through Italy. Divide this fum into as many parts as there are gallons in a hogfhead of ale. No. 277. When STEELE's comedy of The Confcious Lovers was published, with a dedication to George I. his Majefty made the ingenious author a prefent of five hundred. pounds. Divide this fum into as many parts as there are gallons in a hogfhead of beer. Sce Square-Measure Table. + See Cubic-Measure Table. See Chron. and Biog. Exer. No. 278. |