Historical Chronical
Letters from Virginia give a dreadful account of the overflowing of the Rappahannock River in that Province, owing to the great and incessant rains which begun on the 27th of May last, and continued without hesitation till the 8th of June; the water poured down in such torrents from mountains as to carry all before it, which caused the river to swell twenty five feet higher than ever was known by the oldest man living; all the warehouses on both sides the Rappahannock were entirely full of water, and at the different warehouses in Yarmouth and Norfolk towns in Virginia, upwards of 4,000 hogsheads of tobacco were carried away by the rapidity of the stream, and entirely lost. [Gent’s Mag. 1771, p 233]
August, 1771:
The court of session in Edinburgh, upon application from the Merchants there, ordered the ports to be opened for the free importation of all kinds of grain. [Gent’s Mag. 1771, p 375]
August, 1772:
On Tuesday, the 9th of June, in the night, a number of people unknown boarded his Majesty’s armed schooner, the Gaspee, as she lay a ground on a point of land called Nanquet, in Rhode Island, who wounded Lieut. William Dudington, the commander, and, by force, took him, with all his people, put them into boats, and landed them near Pawtuxch, and afterwards set fire to the schooner, and burnt her ashes. This schooner was stationed as a check to prevent smuggling, which the inhabitants of Rhode Island think they have a right to carry on without interruption. [Gent’s Mag. 1772, p 389]
August, 1772:
About the middle of June, 430 emigrants from Ireland were landed at Philadelphia and Newcastle in Pennsylvania. A like number is expected from Scotland. [Gent’s Mag. 1772, p 389]
September, 1764:
Sir William Johnson with a body of regular and provincial forces, to which more than 1,000 friendly Indians have joined themselves, has lately marched to visit the forts of Oswego, Niagara, Detroit, Pittsburgh, &c. in order to strike terror in the Western nations, and to reduce them to reason; many of these nations are unknown to their brethren, and some have already offered terms of peace; the Shawanese are the most formidable of those who stand out: And the friendly Indians express great eagerness to attack them. Since the march of these troops the back settlements have enjoyed perfect tranquility; and the Senecas have sent in a great number of English prisoners agreeable to their engagement. [Gent’s Mag. 1764, p 449]
September, 1764:
Mr. Gold and Mr. Wodeston, two young gentlemen, relations, riding in the night between Salt-hill and Mr. Gold’s father’s, Mr. Gold being foremost, rode on before till he come to a gate, when looking back he beheld his friend’s horse, but without the rider. Alarmed, he instantly rode back to the first house, and roused the people, who, after some search, found Mr. Wodeston with his neck dislocated. It is supposed that his horse had fallen with him, as his knees on examination were found dirty, and that by the fall the young gentleman had met with the fatal accident. [Gent’s Mag., 1773, p 464]