Urging Lord Melville to instruct the Board of Longitude to hold a conference with the Astronomer Royal in order to consider the state of their correspondence with relevant academics in Europe. In particular, Shone refers to the observations made by the Italian astronomer [Giuseppe] Piazzi on the planets and the comets, and on the succeeding phenomena which were visited upon the world. Stone then lists these phenomena, which included volcanoes, earthquakes, swelling seas, pestilence and 'the dreadful fever', and warns the Board to take note, 'in case of a visitation of like events' at the approaching equinox. The letter is addressed from St. Johns, Worcester.