Viewing page 128 of 285

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

202] ANNUAL REGISTER

[[Two columns]]
| | |

| "That your petitioners beg leave to represent his Honourable House, that the calculation of expences, upon which (according to the report of the Secret Committee) the present bill proceeds, to restrain your petitioners in the exercise of their legal rights, appears to them to be incomplete and erroneous; and they are confident, if their affairs had been examined in a public manner, agreeably to the genius of this happy constitution, whereby your petitioners (as well as the particular persons who are so deeply affected by the present bill, should it pass into a law) might have had an opportunity of attending to their several interests, that the Honourable Members of the Committee would have made a report very different from that which has appeared.
  "That as the expences of the commission are intended to be defrayed from a part of the savings proposed to be made thereby, such expences, your petitioners do most humbly apprehend, cannot in any degree injure the creditors of the said Company, but on the contrary, must tend to their advantage, more especially as your petitioners are determined to proportion them, with the most exact economy, to the present circumstances of their affairs.
  "That your petitioners intreat this Honourable House to consider the dangerous consequences of such a bill to the credit of the Company, which, by preventing them from taking the necessary steps for the arrangement of their affairs, may deprive them of the means of fulfilling their engagements to the public.
  "Your petitioners therefore do, 

| | with all humility, claim the benefit of the law of the land, and the public faith of the nation, for the free enjoyment and exercise of the rights and powers which they hold under their charter; and pray
  That they may be heard, by
    themselves or their counsel, 
    against the said bill, 
    as tending to restrain or 
    suspend what appears to 
    them to be the legal 
    operation of those rights and 
    powers."
----------------------------------
The following extraordinary Account, in a Letter from Canton, dated Nov. 19, 1771, is said to be authentic.

"TOWARDS the latter end on September, 1771, a vessel of uncommon appearance arrived at Macao, a Portugueze settlement near the entrance of Canton river, with sixty-five persons on board, most of them military. The commanding officer bore the rank of colonel, and title of Baron de Benyorsky, which he held under the Queen of Hungary. There were in the vessel five persons in womens apparel. The following account is taken from the colonel: He was sent by the Queen of Hungary with a body of five thousand men in May 1769, to join the catholic Confederates in Poland, against the Polish protestants, who were strongly supported by the Russians. A battle soon ensued, in which the protestants defeated and took prisoners the greater part of their enemies. The colonel, with many of his countrymen, was carried to Casan. They were closely confined and cruelly treated, which

For the Year 1772.  [203
[[Two columns]]
| | |

|which determined them to resolve on an escape. An opportunity soon favoured their design, by their guard being reduced, which they overpowered; and, having taken their arms, with incredible difficulties, they directed their rout to Kamschatka, on the sea-coast of Tartary, where the colonel knew a friend, on whose assistance his hopes depended. on his arrival at Kamschatka, his friend furnished him with a vessel, in which he embarked with eighty-five of his fellow-prisoners. As he had been formerly in the marine service of the states of Malta, he knew something of navigation, by the assistance of which he determined to sail to China; but, being scantily provided, he resolved to keep near the coast. A strong gale of wind, which he soon met with from the westward, defeated his purpose. the colonel then giving up all thoughts of regaining the coast, sailed to the eastward and southward till he saw part of North America*, in lat. 57. 00. N. Here he refreshed his people, having encountered every difficulty nature is able to sustain. From hence he endeavoured to go to Acapulca, but contrary winds prevented him. This obliged him to fail for the Philippine-Islands, intending to go into Manilla, but was again disappointed by the contrary winds. He proceeded then to Macao, having once more experienced surprizing difficulties, being five months on his passage from Kamschatka.
    I am, Sir, &c.
"P.S. Since I wrote the above, the following strange account has reached me from Macao, (every day brings forth new matter concerning

| | these people): One of the persons dressed like a woman, died a few days since. The body was sent on shore, with the following very extraordinary request to the governor, That the corpse should be interred where none had lain before, and in an honourable spot; that the baron might have liberty to attend the funeral to pay particular honours to the deceased. This remarkable request producing that never- failing curiosity peculiar to the Romish priesthood, two worthies of the Franciscan order, taking advantage of the night, peeped into the coffin, and discovered the body of a man. This deception disgusting the Portugueze exceedingly, the body was ordered common internment. Various are the accounts we have of the rank of the deceased: some say the baron declares he was a prince of the empire; others report him a bishop. This account has produced many conjectures, not very favourable to the remaining petticoats."

Copy of a Paper sent by Baron de Benyorsky from Macao to a gentleman at Canton.

"Became prisoner in the year 1769.
"Carried away into exile with the Princess P. Szolti, Bishop of Cracowia, P. Sangusko, P. Rzseviuzky, P. Paez, Bishop de Kiowe.
"Kamschatka, under 63d. degree of north lat. 175 deg. longitude, month of May, 1771, failed on board the S. Peter Galliot in order to pass as far as 238. N. deg. of long. and 57. N. deg. of lat. from whence sailing we were to pass to the isle of Marian; with a great tempest and very strong wind came |

*Probably California.