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Northern Star (1837-1852), 6th January 1849, Edition 2 of 3, Page 6, Urobmcial imffiigme

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      6 The Northern Star. . Jakuaby 6, 1840.

      6 THE NORTHERN STAR . . Jakuaby 6 , 1840 .

      Urobmcial Imffiigme

      Urobmcial imffiigme

      • Shxofshibx.—The Mnansk At Bbioekokh Wa...

      • Shxofshibx . —The MnansK at BBioeKOKH was ag-un the robject of iaTeetigation before tho eoroaer on Friday week . The suspicion that tbe deesised Ann Kowton was murderid by her doughterwas strengthened » y the evidence adduced . R chard Evans , she policeman who apprehended tho prl * en « , ssid , I charged h * r with rnard , r ! ng her mother , and cautioned bar not to say anything to me . It going up the HUh Street when I was taking her to the lock-up , she said to me , * I sappose this trill be another Severn H « U jab . ' ( The prisoner ' s brotter was bang for toe murder of bis wife at Swero H * U . ) 1 said , » What do 30 mean by thai V and she said , ' Passion , passion ; I am very passionate , and as scoa as my passion ' s over , I forgive directly . ' The coroner read tho evidence of Messrs S-. range , Col *; , Kewili , and Martin , the sorgeons , and tho Inquest was adjourned uitil the 2 S-h of February , on which dsy ths jury will deliver their verdict .

      SnirruLD . —A Stsakoe Tkasbdy . —On Wednesday week an icqae * t was held on tha hoi ] of ¦ women , named Hasn-ih Bsttrey , aged 54 years , wife of John Bettr * y , a l-io-rarer . The evidence given was of a very perplexing character , and seemed rather te obscure than throw light opoa the cSicrawtauow , of the wotaan ' a death . It wonld appear that for several months do ceased bid teen neglected » y her hatband , who has been cohabiting with a wonaa ot infamous character , nsmed Denton , at JUrtherbam . The wife , with whom the hn * t > =-nd * 8 brother , Thomas Bettrey , lodged , resided in G ^ et a * e Yard , Andrew Street , Sbiffiaid , She , fiaSing tbst nrr busbana " would allow her nothing for her sup . port , di ^ rmined upon giving np housekeeping , end golcg is ; o the workbonte , and with this view had been

      recasting some furniture into Jehu Lane , to the residence cf her daughter , who is married . These circanetancrs , ta tho mean time , were made known to the husband by his brother . Oee of the witnesses . Mm Fud &? al . who lived next door to the deeea « ed , said that on Monday week afternoon , about five o ' clock , Mrs Battrf y came into her house , and told her that she had bad a strange dream the previous eight , in which she fiistiuctiy sew fctr husband , asd that she had been moit grievously tronbled about some muddy water ; and that her daughter , also , bad the ssm * night witnessed some , thing very marvellous by her bedside . She did not relate all the particulars aa ker household duties just then called her away . Soon after deceased had goue into her own beuea , lira Paddical heard some persons f 0

      past to Bettrey ' s bouse , but ehe aid not see who . In s few m : nat ; -s afterwards deeeased oame again to witness ' s kouse , end said , « Did you see that Ud just now ? J = tck ( msacisg her husband ) has sent for me to meet him on A ' -fcreliff- Read to make a settlement with me . Bo my dream is broke . ' Witness strove to persuade her not to go , but the poor wife , ready te forgive the past , seemed quite overj - . yed at the prospect of meeting her huibsnd a g ain , having pat on some superior clothing . acd giren witness sixpence to pay for soie milk , set off , saying as she went , * I will fee back in about an hour , and I w'Jl tell jon all ab .-ut my djyam , and what' Jack ' means to do . ' This was about twenty minutes after five . Some time after she had gone , a te ' . etive of the husband ' s , nainei Spsncer , came aud inquired for deceased , and for

      Ton B ttrey , Mrs Puddigal said she was net ia , that ehe was pone io see her husband . Spencer replied he was not far eff , and went away appearing very much flattsred . By end b y , Tom Bettrey also came and Inquired for deceased . To be brief , however , the poor creature was never again seen alive , but her body was found b , ' e boattaaa about eight o ' clock the following morning ia the canal . How she get there is a mystery . The husband declared he bad not sien her for twenty , one weeks before Wednesday l ast , "tea he saw her dead . He states that be arrived In Stieffi -id at five o ' clock , by railway ; that he sint no boy to fete'i her ; that fee went into Andrew Street with his brother Tom a little after seven to look for her , but that he n > ver saw her . After an tnxiotre sitting of six hours , the Coroner sojourned the lnv uisstion to Friday .

      SaMOW EsCAPS . —OSE HeUDBID ADD FlWY LlYlS in Pxbil . —Oa Christmas Day , the trails , at usual , carried a great many of tbe good folks of Merthyr from lhesmolty precincts of the town te the country . Aberdar ? , Cardiff , Newbridge , < feo _ , also sent forth a groat many to Merthyr , to take pert in tfee festivities there , ani the meeting ol Cymreigidaion . Tbe train left ilertbyr at batf-past four , and proceeded to the top of the incline ; the carriages were then placed in readiness to descend this declivity , and were waitinr tbe Cardiff train , wbich whs due one minute , when suddenly the chain wbich connected the ninth and tenth carriages gave way , and precipitated nine carriages filled with passengers down the incline . A person who was standing by at tbe time said that tbe carriages went at such a rate that they wera scarcely discernible , and tbe

      breris , wfeich were almostin a blsra , accompanied tbem in their perilous descent ; hat fortunately the csrriages proceeded down the incline with their living load without the least accident , although it was half a mile io length . They dii net fortunately get off the rails natil they arrived at tha bottom , consiqasnUy no injury wag sustained by any of the passengers , and none ol those who were inside were aware , until the carriages had stepped , that anything had occurred ; fhej were , howtver , much surprised at tbe rapidity with wh'ch they bad gone . It seemed almost a miracle that no injury was sustained , for had tbe carriages but run eff half way down the incline , no mortal power could hsvj ssvel the pas . tjngers from bete ; dashed ta atoms ; tad bad tbe Cardiff train but been in a minute sooner , a collision would hava inevitably occurred .

      Dsiih f £ oh Fbicht . — An inquest nag held at Hor . ten , last week , oa the body of a boy naeed C . Jackson , aged eleven years , son of a woolcomber . It appeared that on the previous Monday tbe deceased bad been doing some mischief to the windows of a mill belonging to Mr C . Tetley , when one of the overlookers caught him aad placed bin in a room under a preteace of detuning tfm until tbe arrival ef Mr Tetley , when , be was told . be would be sent to Wakefield . Tbe lad was much frightened , and cried bitterly , and after having been kept in confinement about ten minutes was liberated . AftErwaxda the hey west about hia usual business during tbe day , and at night he was taken IU and continued to get worse until tbe Friday marnmg , when Mr Greenwood , a medical man was cabled ia ; he was then suffer - Inj from convulsions , and was evidently in a dying state , exhibiting the usaal symptoms of effmionnpon tbe brain , Sir Greeawood , in his evidence , stated chat death might be csnsei » j fright , and the jury agreed up : n a verdict to that effect

      FaAuonLEHTLT CoLLzeme Bates . —At the Leeds Court House , on Friday week , John Spence , a middleaged man , was charged with obtaining the sum of . £ 33 8 ? . fid . by false representations . Mr Bond , solicitor , In the absence of tha toira clerk , appstrsd to support the accusation , and said that the charge agaiast the de-: feadant was , that having been formerly a collector of ¦ the lamp and improvement rates for seme of the townj ships of ths boroagb , he bad , after being discharged ifirom that ofHes , been collecting a considerable amount \ of rates end puttieg them in bis own pocket , Evidence i in support of the chargrhariag been given , the prisoner ¦ was committed to York ds- 'le for trial . Lascashibe . —A ftw days ago a male wild est , mea-1 Enring- fonr feet from tail to snout , and weighing Oibs ., ' was taken in a vermin tr « p by tbe gamekeeper to Jot ^ h JBnsheli . Eiq , of Balk , on that gentltman ' s estate .

      A GD 4 K 0 Ehbalhed Chud . —The other day the 1 mammy cf a male child , found imbedded in a vast de . I posit of Peruvian guane , near'Aries , was brought f : om ttfcat port t 3 L ' verpnol by the barque Octavia . Ia the jdeuosit were found three bodies , supposed to be those of ss father and mother , and this child . Tbe two adult l & oaiss have been f « sarded to tbe British Museum .

      CAHE 3 IDGZ 3 HISB —ASOTSEI LiBfiS FlEE AT CoTTBNhham —On Thnrsdsy week a fire broke out in the birn oon the premises of HrC . Cbfcers , of the Sing ' s Head . OOnswival & t the spot , the flames burst simultaneously fifrom all quitters of the birn , proving' that it must hava hbeen in existence for ceme time before its dhcorery . ITfcis barn cantsioed a large qaantity cf nnthrashed wWheat , which wonld have been beaten eat on Friday . In spp'te of tha tbe most tmoeaslsg exertions the fliraes nmaintainsd their ascendancy , sad gradually spread to aanotber barn , containing uathrasbed barley ; also to tttwo large wheat cobs , one eat cob , one core of bay , the o'ontbuJldicgs aaa offices ; these , with their contents , and Bisome live stock , contisUng of twelve pigs , a large qaontitity of poultry , and a dej who had long kept watch over

      thbe property were consumed . Heachlng . and communi . cheating with the premises adjoining , occupied by Mr W . SKormsn , the fire seised upon some nnthrashed oats , the pproctace of three acxe » , the straw from sir acres oi wheat sand two eerei of oats , end a building in which thirty tctons of wurz « l was stored ; this latter was so mneh h'burned as to be rendered totally useless , a cart , a crib , asnd some other farming implements , with tho st-cks aJabove mentioned , were totally consumed . On these pipreaiises also stood a cottage and a dove honse , tbe piprcptriy of Mr Chatles Chto & rs these nets bnusd alto tithe former wis in tbe occupation of Hr James Tburlbbanrn , and is totally consumes , together with Mr Thcrlbboarn ' s furniture , a qaantity of potatoes and other leief-cts . Passing from Mr Norman ' s premises , the fire e ^ ntered on Mr Bsnn 2 tt ' i house and shop , and soon re .

      dsdacsd them with their valuable contents , consisting of btbts furniture aad stock in trade , to a heap of a * hes . Hr CCiivers' house , known as the Stag ' s Head , next fell a riirittiaj , and from this nothing was saved exempt the Eufuruiture f rom one small 100 m . The cellar of ale , eansaiaJning about thirty barrels , wa » protected from icjary . HCMr Hine ' s house { a thatched ons ) , adjoining , was on fire ¦ eseveral times , but tke thatch being kept ia a state of Basaturstion it was saved . Thatched premises at various didistances caught fire from falling sparks from time to txftxme ^ hat a vigilant lookout being kept * upon their roofs ththe dsmsge to them was but trifling . As yet so correct ertstunate can be formed of the folds of the property , but it it is thought that it will exceed " £ 1 , 080 . For part of IMbii amount the fire offices will be sufferere . Mr Tburlboboura is wholly UBinsured . The reflection of ths flames waras seen at a great distance .

      Fata * Railwat Accinnrx ^ -At inquest was held on WWedneiday week , at lOn & ter . on the body of Stephen DhChandlsr , wb » bad met witbhia death by being run over by by ths 9 40 p . m . train which left Bamsgate on Monday Ssrnf Baal . The accident occurred ajt the cresting at the rtartatlon , aad it is conjectured that the deceased must satsave alighted on tha wrong aide , the lights at the station sebeing oat at the moment , through the wind , though awier * was no blame to attach to the railway officials . — referdlct , 'AccUental death , '

      • Shxofshibx.—The Mnansk At Bbioekokh Wa...

      Thi fJHAioi 01 Aiaox kx Lxvurooi ., — On Friday week W . C . Domain , who had besn remanded on a charge of arson , was again brought up before Mr Bosh , ton , when some farther evidence was proiuoed . The principal witness was Mr Smllhers , purveyor to the Yorkshire Insurance Company . Ha detailed the circumstances of tbe fire . Tho p risoner had eff . cted a policy of insurance for «»» on his property In Swifv s Court . After the fire he sent In a claim for £ 576 6 s . 7 d . , but the vslus of the property destroyed was only £ 2 JG 8 ,. 4 * . The prisoner mada different statements as to the origin of the fire , and did not ountion the qtroum . stances of the wire running up the building until a late period of ihe ecaminatlon . Lawrence Kehoe , ef the detective fores , deposed to appreheading the prisoner at

      his residence . In Grove-street , on the 22 nd ult . Tho prisoner ( bowed him tome wire , of vihlch he was con . trading a riddle . This wire ex & otly resembled that taken from tbe shop of the prisoner . Witness waited while the prisoner changed his dress , and whilst doing so , he pointed to a wire running np the wail of the room , and said he bad placed It there for the purpose ot ringing a bell te call up his servant That when he put it there , he borrowed a gimbkt frem Hr Harding ' s , aud had ssntjtae the boy with it back , bnt he hsd teg iscted to tske it ; that it had been left In tha shep , and he ( tbe witness ) had ao doubt that Ibis glmblet hsd been used for the purpose of fitting np tbe wire found ia the shop . The > risener asked him , ' What is it—tranjportation or imprisonmwt , for setting fire V Witness said

      he did not know , and the prisoner replied , ' Oh , yes yon do , well . ' Witness then said , I think it is transportation for a dwelling kouse , ' and prisoner said , ' Tes , or for anything else ; hut I never did it—the beys thteateaed m » b * fore , ' At the police office tbe prisoner was told tbe charge against Wm ; and he replies , 'lbave Hoiking to say against it . * —The prisoner was further remanded to Saturday , when he was finally committed for trial . Mr Hime , his solicitor , applied to the beneh to have him admitted to hail , He groiuded his application on the fact that the case was ons of suspicion alone egainst the prisoner . Mr Rnshton refused . He Intl . mated that he felt quite satisfied in his own mind of tbe prisoner's gnilt ; asd expressed high approval of the conduct of the Yerkshlre Insurance Company la pro . meting the prsaeeHtlan .

      Enmaoaen . —Fatal AcerosHT . —On Friday afternoon as some men were engaged in operations at the building ia the Lothian Road , formerly eccapied as the Dior « ma , which is now in course of removal , they fasteaed a rope round a portion of tbe wall near the roof , with the view of more speeaily brisglng the mass to ihe ground . After some exertion , tha mass was loosened , and fell ia with a crash , but unfortsnaleJy bnritd a la ! bourer , of the aime ef Toung , amoag the rubbish , who wis at work in the Interior of the building , by which he was killed on the spat . The authorities have com . mecoed an investigation into the circumstances .

      A Kiw Modi or Swindling . —Before the Colchester magistrates , on Saturday , G . Shepherd was charged with obtaining money under false pretences from a number of the carriers . It appeared that fer some time past the prisoner had been travelling the country as a servant to a qusck doctor , who was represented to h & ve taken np a temporary residence In Colchester , and the trick played was as follows : —The prisoner went to each of the carriers with a fgper packet neatly done up , and directed to certain respeotable parties residing at a oon . slderable distance in tbe country , and at the same time

      stating that the packets contained medicine ordered of his master by the parties to whom it was directed , and who were his emp ' oyer ' s patients , he ( nrlionsr ) not omitting to add that the carriers were to pay him for the medic ' ne , and charge tbe parties for whom it was intended with It , on its arrival at its destination . This beieg the practice of tbe carriers in many oases , they did not hesitate to comply with the prisoner ' s r » quest and all paid him the money ; but ou their endeavouring to deliver the parcels , no such parties could be found as described upon the packet * , the contents of whicb it appears , were valueless . —The prisoner wa « remanded *

      FoaeiD Bakk of Ekqlahd Notes . —The public are cautioned not to take £ 5 and £ 10 notes of the Bank of England without a previous carefnl iaspectien , as there are many for f tries in circulation . At Gravesend , no less than three £ 10 notes were last week detested as spurious , and have since been branded es forgeries by the Bank of England . ABh * -A short time age a cow belonging to tbe town clerk ef Macclesfield was turned Into a field , on his farm at Saetan , along with a number of others ; and on the cows bting taken to their stalls 1 b the evening , the stall usually eeeupled by ihls eew was found to be empty , Seerch was immediately made for it , bnt without sue . cess ; it was concluded that it was stolen or strayed , asd handbills whioh have since been transferred into the Police Gazette , had been accordingly printed , offering a reword for its alieev-ry . On Tuesday night week , however , one of the men who had besn employed by the town clerk , and whohad been particularly anxious about

      the cow , offering to go abeut in search of it , dreamt that the missing cow was in a drain near a holly bush . He got up on Wednesday morning about fire o ' clock and called upon another man in the town clerk ' s employ , to whom he told his dream , and asked him to go with him to look before the people were about , that they might not be laughed at if they found nothing . They censulted together , an ! the ether man conld think of no place where there was a holly bash except on a monnd in the field where the cows had been , about 130 yards from the town clerk ' s house . The dreamer , it is believed , had no knowledge himself of the field in which this mound of hollies was , 0 a going to ( he hollies they perceived a round hole in a drain , but it appeared no larger than would admit a man ' s body ; aud the other man on seeiag this said , ' Well , now you see thtre ' s nothing ;' bat the dreamer was not satisfied . Stooping down and putting his arm iutethe hole , he immediately exclaimed , ' There ' s something ia it , ' aad soon after , ' It ' s her , ' be said , 'for I feel her horns . ' It turned out that she had

      got into a wry large sough connected with the town clerk's house , end was standing with her forelegs resting above and her bind quarters at tbe bottom , in a crouch , lng posture ; aud it ie supposed that the drain had given way , so that her hind quarters first went down , tbe rest of her body following . Is is remarkable that tho persens in search of the cow had frequently passed the spot where she was without seeing any reason to think ehe was there . She was alive , although she had been thus confined from Sandty night till Wednesday morning , and has been since grazing as usual . —Jfaeole . " / ie ! ci Cottrfer .

      Attack oh Mb Adeeblet , M . P . —At the Birmingham Public Office on Saturday last ( before Viscount Lifford aad W . C . Alston , Esq ., ) three men , named Samuel Sudbury , of La ; Hill , Sutton , Charles Richards , and Edward Price , a carman of this town , were brought up for examination , charged with riot , under the clr . eutngtances which will be found ia the following statemsnt : —0 . B . Adderley . Esq ., M . P ., who wa g accom . panted by the Rev . Mr Thompson , stated that on the previous Tuesday he received information that a prize , fight was to take place at Kingsbury , in this county , on which he repaired to the field with the view ot preventing the fight . He found a great number of persons assembled , aud ring formed for tbe combatants . He stated himself to be a magistrate , and called upon the

      prisoner , Sudbury , several times to assist him in pre venting the fight . Sudbury , who was on horseback , paid 00 attention to what he said , bat rode awsy , and passed through two or three fenoc 8 to avoid him . In the course of the day he afterwards saw tbe prisoner on tbe ground He was quite sure that the prisoner heard him , and knew what he wanted him to do , for he ( Mr Adderley ) Motioned him , and teld him that he wonld be implicated in any ilbgal proceedings that might tske place . Sosn afterwards two men began te fight , on which he west up to the prisoaor , Charles R ' charis , who was one of the seconds , and laying his hands upon him said , * you are my prisoner ; ' and reported that he was a magistrate . Several men together drew the prisoner away from him , upon which he told them they were rescuing a prisoner from the bands of a magistrate , and soon afterwards a riot end great violence ensued . —Tisceuat Lifibrd said it appeared the principals in the fight were not in custody ,

      and until they were apprehended it would be advisable to remind the prisoners upon the prima facie case made ontinMr AdaMley ' istatement . If , however , thoy conld find ball for their appearance , it would be accepted on their giving notice to the clerk , of the parties they in . tended to effer , in order that he might make tbe necessary Inquiries . Hs wished it to be known » y such persons as the prisoners that one of the highest Misdemeanors they could commit was that of resisting a magistrate nnder such circumstances in tbe execution of his dnty . Mr Alston ssid his great desire was , if possible , to reach those persons , called respectable , who encouraged priae fights , btcked the unfortunate men , aud found money for thesa , In order thatthey might make msney by them . Sudbury wss then admitted to bail , himself in £ 40 and two sureties in £ 20 each , R'chards said be thought he could procure ball . Price , tbe carman , was released frost enstody , and not included in the remand .

      Gneoow . —HorsEBErjiiMO . —Abont half-past twelve o ' clock on Saturday morning , one of the night watchmen in Jamaica Street heard a pecaliar noise proceed , log from thppremisesof Mr M'Dowall , spirit-dealer , and became satisfied , after listening a few minutes , that there was some party in the shop . The assistance of other watchmen having been procured , the premises wer t surrounded , so that no means of escape were left for the supposed depredators , and the shop was then opened by the police . After a careful search—during which it was evident , from the confused appearance of the interior , that some person bad been making himself acquainted with the contents of tbe shop—a stout young

      fellow was at last discovered lying stretched at full length en one of the top shelves , where he had gone in the hope of escaping tbe lynx-eyed officers ef police . He was immediately utBgg .-d . from his place of concealment , and , after a dpspsrate resistance , in the course of which one of the inspectors was bitten through the hand by the ruffian , ha was safel y lodged in the Central Police-office . Thoogh only one party was found inside , it is probable that he had accomplices , as a quantity ef brandy is musing . The entrance was gained into the premises by T ? *!? ,. * . Br 8 t ' ftom » b 8 «* wfc < i ° » te aecon » - plish which two strong bars of wood were employed as levers The name of the man found in the shop is P * ter Dacherty . He is well known to the police . AT TA

      i ™ e ^ « . ^ * F * x » 8 .-Tho adjourned inquest on Mrs Holman , was held on Tuesday last at MerchantB Red Lion I „ , beforeMr f ! l £ * % * ££ evidence was produeed , except that a , urn of money 3 Xa ? a £ w . ' T u d , eTCd ^ " fiends Mr . Holaaa wer kept In her house wai discovered some

      • Shxofshibx.—The Mnansk At Bbioekokh Wa...

      days after the murder in the oashlen seat of one of the chairs . Tbe cushion happened to he taken np , when two sovereigns fell frem it , and on further investigation fourteen sovereigns and a £ 5 note were fouad in it . Whether the thieves found any money in her box Is still a mystery . The jury returned a verdict of 'Wilful murder against some person or persons unknown , Mr Buldwln Fulford e ' atedin the course of the inqulty , as a matter ef justice to George Badcock and George Holman whose names have been connested with some isle tales about the murder , that those parties have had nothing to do with it , as they were not near the place at the time , the one being in Plymouth , the other in London , On Friday two men were taken into custody by Hele , the Alphington censtable , cm suspicion of having bsen concerned in this transaction ; but , after two examinations bifore Mr Cnariee Gordon at tbe Caitle ( both Of Which were strictly private ) , they were discharged , there being no evidence to warrant their detention .

      Nabbow Escapi or Chables Cowak , Esq , M . P . — Thursday week while Mr Cowan was driving along in a gig , in the direction of Clerk Street , in the southern part of Edinburgh , the horse stumbled , and tbe driver who was seated b « slde Mr Cowan , either lost hold of the reins , or they enapped asunder in his hands . The ant . mal , as is supposed , became frightened , and set eff at fall gallop till it reached Montague Street , down whioh it turned . When about twelve or fifteen yarts from the bottom of the street , which Is closed up by a dead wall , the driver threw himself frem the gig , and , from the velocl'y at which the animal was proceeding , fell with

      some force on the ground , grazing his cheek , and slightly injuring his leg , Mr Cowan kept his seat ; and the animal ' s course hariog been stopped by the wall , against which it came with some force , shattering the shafts of the vehicle , he contrived to get out without Injury . He had 110 sooner accomplished this , than the horse again set off up the street in the epposite direction , but , on reaching the top ef it , Its course was stopped by a fall , when it was secured , and taken to Mr Dick ' s , Teterinary surgeon , Cl >* e Street . Mr Cowan sustained no injury , and the driver ' s bruises ate slight . The horse , which was a valuable animal , also escaped with some slight Injuries .

      NbYeL LACifCH . —On Thursday week athalfpsst one o ' clock , the iron steamer Menai , built by Messrs Greenstreet and Paton , engineers and iron-shipbuilders , was launched into the Queen ' s Dock . She is intended for a ferry-boat to ply between Carnarvon and Anglesey . Her dimensions are—length 60 feet 6 Inches ; beam , 12 feet ; depth , 6 feet 6 inches ; engine , 16-horse power . The novelty of the launch created considerable Interest . The vessel was required to be drawn ont of the yard in Stan , hope Street , in which she was built , and launched on rollers , which critical and difficult job was ably performed without the slightest mishap , aad was executed in the course of Wednesday night , and the forenoon of the following day .

      ExriofioK itr EoiKBUSGB . —On Saturday evening , about six o'clock , a tremendous explosion took place in an arched vault , under the pavement of the High Street , close by the entry to Blackfriars' Tfynd , the cause and means of which are as yet involved in mystery . The explosion tore up the strong and firmly-built arch beneeth the pathway , carrying with it the large fleg-stones , ratalsg a dense cloud ef dust and lime , and cpenieg up a chasm in front of tbe bouses from about fourteen to sixteen feet square . The shock occasioned was meet violent , causing infinite terror in the neighbourhood , shaking the contiguous houses like an earthquake , and io its suddenness extinguishing many of tbe lights ; and while it was heard at a great distance from the spot , it was described by those sear Has like a volley of artillery , or rather a tremendous and instant crash , with little reverberation , rendering < he horror the more intense by the tilenoe which succeeded . Most providentially , this

      occurrence , so fraught with danger to the crowds of passers-by in this busy locality , was unattended with tbe loss of life , and without dangerous or even seriems personal injury . The cause of the explosion bas not as yet been directly ascertained , although it is generally understood to fee gas , or foul air of some description , which , casually Igniting , occasioned the above result . The vault in question belongs to Mr Steel , ironmonger , but who bas not used it for a year or two , aud som * time since caused the communication between it and the od ' ar beneath hie own ebep to be built op , we be Ueve , iQ «» SMi \ M ! Boe ef lousa bed air or gsi constant !; and nmoflountobly issuing from it . The disagreeable smell was thus In some measure stopped . A repert that it was eeused by gunpowder was current , but of this Mt Steel keeps , at prestnt , but a small quantity in his shop The greatest difficulty , however , fs to account for the ignition , which is alee involved in m > stery .

      EiTHOBDiNABT . Catch ov UACKiBEL . MThe first and only mackerel boat whieh has arrived at Plymouth for the present eeason ia the Mary and Ann , of Hastings , Capt . W . White , and she made her first attempt on tbe SOtb ult . The ' nets were ee full that they grounded with tbe weight of fish in them . Counting 120 fish te the 100 , 7 . 750 mackerel were secured in a perfect state , and a great number in a broken state . Beside * these , there was a large quantity of pilchards , and , it is calculated , about 5 , 00 » J < log-fish which were thrown away . The 9 , 750 mackerel were sold for £ 78 10 s ., and tbe major part forthwith dispatched for Billingsgate Market .

      ROBBERT OF TBE MAILS ON THB GSEAT WfSTEBX JUilwat . —A series of robberies of the most extraordinary and extensive character were perpetrated on the up and down mails traversing the Great Western Railway daring the night oi Monday last . The up mail leavieg Plymouth at 6 , 85 p . m ., and Exeter at 9 p m ,, on Monday , arrived at Bridcwater at its usual heur—balf . pist ten o clock , At this station various bags of letters which had aecamalated in the Fast OtBce dnring tbe trip were , in accordance with the usual custom cf the guard , placed in a tender immediately at tbe rear of the Post Office , aud securely locked np . Tbe train which , in additien to the Post Office and tender consisted of about six or seven first and tecondclaae carriages , left Bridgwater in due course and proceeded on its joarnev

      to Bristol . The run between these two places being timed to occupy one hour and ten minutes without B ' -oppsge at any station . On the arrival of the train at Bristol shortly before midnight , the guard went to tbe tender In the rear ef the post cmse , In order to deliver the Bristol bags , when be discovered that all the bags hsd been more or less tampered with , some being cut open and others having the seals broken and strings untied . A very cursory examination of their contents satisfied him that all the money and registered letters , as well as the backers' parcels , had been abstracted , end without a moment ' s loss of time he communicated , first , with the two travelling post office clerks acconv panyisg the mail , and sabstquentl } with the post office authorities at Brist *! . " The discovery of course

      occasioned extreme consternation among the officials ; tbe guard was quite positive the bags were safe wbea the train lefc Bridgwater , and as bo stoppage had taken place between that town and tbe city of Bristol , it was self-evident that the robbery must have been effected by some parties travelling by the train , and while it was in motion . After a few moments' consultation , it was resolved to send the metropolitan hags on to London in the state in whieh the ' geard had discovered them and accordingly the traia left Bristol on its upward journey after a short delay . On reaching town at an early hoar on Tuesday morning the guard proceeded to the Post Office , in St Martin ' s le- Grand , and made a report of tho circumstances above detailed . The various bags were immediately subjected to examination , when it was found that not only hsd the whole of tbe registered

      letters and bankers' parcels been abstracted , but in some cafes the ' bills' on which all registered letters and valuable parcels are entered , were also missing , so that it is at present impossible to say how far the plunder has extended . As a precautionary measure , Information was forwarded by the Post Office authorities to the various City banking houses , so thf . t a check might be put upon the disposal of the contents of the stolen letters . At the same time active measures were taken In order to obtain a clue to thedepredaters , and in the course of the morning Mr Seymour Clarke , Superintendent cf the Great Western Railway , in company with two or three officials of the Post Office , left Paddington for Bristol , in order to investigate tho affair . In the afternoon , and while Colonel Maberie ; was tsgaged with stveral of his officers on matters connected with the above affair , information reached town of a second

      robbery—prtcltely similar in character—perpetrated en the down mail , which left loadoa at 8 £ 5 p . m . on the tame evening . In this oate the bags deposited In the tender were perfectly safe on the arrival of the train at Bristol at a quarter past one , a . m . On the tender b ' . ing opened at Bridgwater a scene similar to that previously observed at Bristol presented itself . All the bags were more or less raxtilated and disturbed , asd the more valuable contents abstracted therefrom . Hsppily in this instance the vigilance of the patties In charge of the train resulted in the capture ef the supposed thieves ; and there seems great reason to believe that the persons who efiVeted the first robbery were also the perpetrator * of the second . The parties alladed te are two men . ef respectable appearance , both of whom travelled in a flrgtclass

      carriage , occupying the next compartment to the Postoffice tender . Their Implication in the affair Is placed beyond all manner of donbt by tbe discovery of several registered letters and meaty parcels in the carriage in which they rote , tmtasdia te ) y opos their B Dprehenslon they were cenveyed to Eret « r , where they are to be brought up for examination before the magistrates . The presumption now entertaiaed by those best calculated to form an opinion is that both robberies were effected in the same manner , viz . by parties who rode fa a firstclsgg carriage first contriving to coenpy the next compartment to the Pest-office tender , and subsequently , when the train was in motion , at the imminent risk of their lives , leaving their carriage and stepping at once on to the tender , and then traversing the narrow ledge run . nlng along that carriage until they eame to the door ,

      which there ean be little doubt they were previousl y prepared to unlock . This done , there would be little diffi . culty to overcome . The tender is always well li ghted by a lamp suspended from the centre of thereof , and having once obtained entrance an expert thief wonld speedily abstract the booty . The impudence of the sieond rob bery , Immediately following open the first , is incomprehensible . It can only be described as one of those shortsighted acts by which offenders against the law very often bring themselves with . ' n its meshes . Had the thlevesknown , asisthe fact , that the same two Post . ^ S *" « « *»"! " »* Mw upmatt to Brhtol return wkh the down mail to Bridgwater , probably they would hsve been content with their first plunder , ind escaped E ™ ftk , t T * "J * !»*»«& . Doubtlessfln future , if the begs from the Post-office must continue

      • Shxofshibx.—The Mnansk At Bbioekokh Wa...

      to be placed in a tender , a guard will be appointed to travel with than . . _ 1 i 11 l 1 Ex ahihatiok o * thb Acer / Jin . —At the Hulldhall , Exeter , on Tuesday morning , Henry Poele , an « a man who refused to give his name , were charged with opening the mail bags , in their transit from Bristol to Exeter , and With abstracting several letters , registered lstters , and parcels therefrom—Mr Turner appeared to watch the case o « the parte ! the prisoner Poole , andMrSooble Willesford for the anonymous prisoner . —Mr Biriow , one of the directors of the Great Western lUllwey Company , stated that he was o passenger en the previous night by the mall train from London to Etetw , and that on the train reaching Bridgwater the guard eame to Mm and said that the m » U bags had been opeaed ; that they had

      been perfectly safe at Bristol ; but that , on gsttlag to Bridgwater , the mall guard discovered that the carriage had been opened amd the fastenings , of the bags cat . Hs was satisfied , lro » tM » lofotrnfttUa , that the robbery must have been committed by some one in the train , and that whoever had cemmttted it mast be in the train still . He , therefore , gave directions that every door should be immediately secured ; there were very few passengrrj , and theprisoners , whohad got in at Bristol , were sitting together in a first-class carriage , Mr An : drews , a solicitor , of Modbury , was in the same com . partment , but npon the other side ef it , and the door betweeen birn amd the prisoners was shut and tha blind down , Having jatiofbd himself that these mntt he the men who had cut open the bags , he caused tbem to fee

      searched , but nothing tending so implicate them was found on them st that time . At Taunton , he had them taken into the waiting room , and the carriage was searched more particularly . Under the seat on whioh tbey had been sitting a haaskerchlei was dlsiovertd containing thirteen er fourteen parcels , token from the ma ! l bags , and all directed to parties In the West of Engl & nd . In the carriage pocket two crape nesks were found , which bore evldentmsrkt of having been freshly made ; therewasalao a black cap , well ealeulated fer purposes of disguise . There had sinte , he understood , been tekeu from P 00 U a pair of false mouetaehios , which it was of some ImportaKce to notice , because It was possible they might be fonnd to bear upon similar robbery of the mail train , which had happened oa the

      same n ' gbt , He gave them Into custody of the superintendent of the Plymouth poll ** , whe was a passenger by the traia ; end on reaching Exeter they were immediately handed over in custedy . Joseph Rbynhcarr , the guard of the down mall ( fain , stated that , on reaching Bristel , a report was made that the bags of the up train had been opened between Exeter and that plaoe . The practise U fer the mill guard to remain in the carriage with the bsgs between Bristol and London , both on the up and down journeys ; bat between Bristol and Exeter he rides in the sorting carriage—which Is a ssparate compartment—with the sorting clerks . Oa reaching Bridgwater , the mall guard called his attention to the fact that the mall bags had been opened , and , on going into the carriage , he

      saw that many of them were tied up In a different way from that In whioh tbej were usually sent from the Post-office ; the original fastenings had evWenlybeea oat , and pieces of the string were strewed about the door of the carriage ; other pieces of precisely tbe same desoriptlen wore subsequently fouad upon the carpet la the carriage where the prisoners hod been sitting—Mr Clarke , the nujht superintendent of the Tauatefl Station , proved that be searched the carriage in whioh the prisoners bad travelled , at Mr Barlow ' s request , end found nnder the scat a number ef letters and parcels , whieh he handed over to Mr Gibbons , superintendent of the Plymouth police . —Mr Glbbene produced the parcels , which were with scarcely any exception , of a bulky character , and such as were likely , from tfetfr appearance , to eonta ' m valuable property . Wh-n be first searched the prisoners atBrldgwater , hefound a gold watoh and money on each , Ths mail

      but nothing to connect themwith the robbery , — guard having been obliged to go on te Plymouth with the bags , and other evidence being necessary to complete the case , the magistrates remanded both prisoners until Saturday . The prisoner Peoto was for some tlase In the service of the Great Western Railway Company as a guard ; the ether man Is entirely unknown . There ap . pears to be very little doubt that both robberies were the work of the parties In custody . That the proiuoe of the robbery of the n » mail is concealed somewhere in Bristol , there does not appear to be the shadow of a «« nU . One of tbe « fctat «« d letters stolen from this mail , it is stated , contained £ 4 , 000 , and the loss , se far as at present known , amounts to fifty times that sum . Cd . Maherly , the Secretary of the Post-office , and Mr Peacock , the Post-office Solicitor , were rngeged the whole of Wednesday morning in arranging plasts for the fall development of the whole efialr .

      Tntw and SmciDx ox ih « 0 » smtom . — Oa Thurs . day week , a small tin box , containlpg £ ii , belonging to the North British Railway Campany , was carried away from tbe Edinburgh station * Suspicion having fallen upon one of the servants of the company , who bad been observed in tbe course of the evening to enter oaeof the covered sheds where his duty did not require him , this place was carefully searched next dsy , amd £ 38 10 s found concealed behind one of tbe rafters there . In tbe course of tbe day the suspected party and others iu the employ of the company were questioned in the pellee office on tbe suV . ject . It being , however , Impossible that evening to procure sufficient evidence , the accused were liberated . Further facts having transpired the police had orders for the apprekenslon of tbe delinquent , but on seeing him it was found that In the Interval he had committed suicide . It appears that he had not returned home on Friday evening , and was fonnd dead next morning ia a field , with a phial containing a small quantity of laudanum

      A Mblmobauatic SMOoewa . —A few days ago . at the Plymouth police court , Francois Mellending , a Frenchman was charged with anjoggling half a gallon of brandy . It appeared that one of the customs' officers was standing on the quay the night before , and while there the defendant and four others came on shore . The officer , snapeotimr Mellending , seised biro , wbereupon , within melodramatic start , he plunged a knife into his bosom , and the * stream ef life' poured forth mest copiously . The officer , fearing that the wound would be fatal , not to the Frenchman ' s life , but to his own eeisuro , tore open the waistcoat of the prisoner and found a bladder which had been full of brandy , but now

      half emptied of Its contents by the ruthless knife . The bladder was handed over to tbe tide surveyor , who now produced it . A glass of the brandy was poured out , which was tasted by tbe court and others . The defendant looked at the glass , and stated , tbroogh an Interpreter , that It did not look like his brandy , and re quested tbe favour of tasting also . Tbe glass was handed to him , and , with a smilisg countenance , he placed it to his lips , but no sooner had it got there than tbe liquor disappeared with more then usual rapidity , much to the amnstment of those present , and having finished It he exclaimed . ' Son . ! bon / a man estomaa [' The defendant wae fined 20 s ,

      MiBACciors Ejcaps or the Railway . —On Friday night week , Mr F , Tickerman , of Blackmore , was returning ftom London by the mail train to Brentwood , and on stepping out of the carriage at that place , before the train had Quite stopped , he Accidentally slipped and fell off the platform under tbe carriage , bnt , fortunately falling between tbe rails longitudinally , he escaped with life , though be sustained severe ! cats and bruises . When ( be carriage passed him be was so elese to the north rail that tbe flange of the wheel severely wouuaed his right arm , his clothes wera eat in several places , and his railway ticket in bis pocket was cut In two , and

      received a perfect impression of a halfpenny which was in the same pocket . The porters were much alarmed , thinking Mr Vlckorman was killed , but prompt assistance wis rendered , and Mr Yfokerman , being immediately extricated , was conveyed to the White Hart Inn , where surgical attendance was at hand . It was then fonnd that no bones were broken . The . escape was , in . deed , a providential one , as , had the train moved on half a yard further , Mr Viokcrmau must have been crushed . The habit of alighting before tbe train has been fully brought np Is a very dangerous one ; a short time ago a gentleman , at the same station , narrowly escaped fal iag under the wheels from a similar cause .

      Drzadfdl iv > Fatal Accident ih a Cotton Mill at AeuTeM , —Oa Wednesday fonuoon . an accident , which terminated In the loss of life , occurred at Messrs Stanley and Chadwick ' s cotton mill , Ashton , a young girl having been taken round an uprght shaft , and literally dashed to pieces . From the facts which we have ascertained at the mill it appears that a girl ef the name Of Hannah Dearden , li years of age , whose parents reside in Cheriestown , was employed at the above mill as a setter-ln for a jaek frame ; that while at work , putting in some bobbins behind the frame , her clothes were caught by tbe shaft , whioh is about two feet from a wall , and revolves at the rate of 160 times a mlnuU . On finding that the shaft was taking her round she gave a

      loud scream , which' attracted attention , and created the greatest confusion amongst the other females iu the room . The next moment she was a corpse . Mr Chadwick being in the room below , and bearing the cries above , ran off te atop the engine , whioh was speedily done ; another messenger Immediately went for Dr Campbell and Mr Wood , surgeon , but on the girl being picked up life was totally extiact , the body being mangled in a most sboeking manner . Tbe corpse was carried home to the disconsolate parents b y some of the workpeople in a skip , covered with a sheet . As to how the accident took place le appears te all a mystery , as the shaft was protected by a round tin casting . When the girl was taken up , the tin cover was fonnd twisted off from its place and broken . It is a matter of some

      importance to * ae millowaers te know bow an accident of this nature conld take plaee from a shaft thus pro . tected . —Manchester Ccttrfer . Thb Recent Beox Robbfiy at Oxpoxd . —On Mon . day last , at tha Oxford Cily Sessions , Andreas Lockbart Belany pleaded guilt y to two charges of stealing boehe , one from the shop of Mr H . Blatter , bookseller ; and fifty-nine from the University Reading Roera . The prisoner , previous to being sentenced , expressed his deep contrition at the offence he had committed , and hoped the Court would deal leniently with him , —The Recorder , after to

      referring the systematic manner of the robberies , and the station tha prisoner held in seciety , which was an aggravation of the offenoe , then sentenced him to ene week ' s imprisonment for the first offence , and , for the second , transportation for seven years , —The prisoner was very much effected on hearing the last sentence . Makchebteb . —Shockiko Moans * op a Wipe by . hex Husband . —Shortly before ten o ' clock on Tuesday morning a man , habited in the livery of a gentleman ' s servant , called at the Town Hall , and requested to see Mr Sawley , superintendent of the A division of the Man .

      • Shxofshibx.—The Mnansk At Bbioekokh Wa...

      Chester polise force . At the moment when he called Mr Sawley was engaged , and he wos teld to wait for a few mlantes , when he very coolly seated himself aad waited for somewhere about a quarter of an hour , until Mr Sawley was at liberty . At the expiration ef that time he was shown Into Mr Sawley ' s effiee , when he walked in and elosed the door carefully after him , telling Mr Sawley that he had been sent by Dr Bell , of Mosley Street , to tell him something that had befallen his ( the man ' s ) wife . He then proceeded to state that his name was David Wiseman , and that he was eoaefaman to Dr Bell , of Mesley Street , who had been kind eaoogh on the previous evening to allow bim to iavlte his wife and children to come and take tea with him

      at Dr Bell s house , In Mosley Street , His wife came to him between five and six o ' clock , at which time she was quite drunk , when , Instead of permitting her to stay and take tea with him , he sent her home to Ardwick , where ha resided la the bat * part of a house formerly occupied br his master , Dr Bell , in which he was living until the house was let . After sending her heme he followed her , when in consequence of the state In which he found her they quarrelled , and be got hie tea and returned to look after Mb master ' s horses , Between eight aad nine o ' clock be again want home , aad , ae he stated , foaid his wife lying dead drunk in the house , and having himself been aggravated to get drunk in the interval , he pulled off bis boots aad gave his wife a geed beating bout tbe bead with one of them . After that , he says

      he took bis children te bed , retiring to rest also himself , and he saw nothing more of bis wife until hetweea five and six o ' clock next morning , O a awaking he missed her out of bud , and recollected their quarrel on the previoae evening , when he at once jumped up and camo down stairs In search of her , Not finding- her in the rUcb . « b , he proceeded into the yard , where ho found her bleedlag and almost speechless in the water closet . He carried her into the house and np stairs to bed , and ran off forthwith for hia aaster , Dr Bell . On the arrival of Dr Bell , ' that gentleman applied such remedies as the unfortunate creature ' s case seemed . to require , bat she never recovered her oonscloussess , and died almost immediately afterwards . Such was tbe story told to Mr Sawley by the husband , who seemed remarkably cool

      aad collected ; but , fearing that he had only got one Side Of the tale , Mr Sawley deemed it bis duty to detain the man whilst he made some farther inquiries , Accordingly be was placed in charge of ah officer , and Mr Sawley , accompanied by one ef the inspectors , called a one and proceeded to the honse at Ardwick , where the man stated he lived , when , on reachlag the spot , a most uelaaeboly sight was disclosed to view . The poor woman ( a victim , it is te be feared , to drink , and her husband ' s violence ) was discovered in bed a corpse , having two tremendous wounds over her temples , and her face being covered with blood . Her body also bore mat ki of vlelenee in various places , and it waa evident she bad been kicked and very brutally treated . On the slop stone In a back kitchen were found the husband ' s shirt , waistcoat , and neckerchief , deeply stained with blood , and in ether parts of the house were discovered tbe unfortunate wife ' s dress , bonnet , and shawl , literally saturated with gore . A small piece of

      hard wood , the portion of a chair bottom , about tea inches 'by five inches , was also found deeply stained with blood , to which was attached some portion of the poor ereature ' s hair , ahowing that ehe bad been beaten about the head with it . Some clean towels and articles of wearing apparel which bad been hung np in tbe Mfcben to dry , were also spotted with blood , which had evidently spirted from tbe poor woman when she had been struck . The floor also of the kitchen and necessary were deeply , stained with blood ; in fact , ia the necessary the blood lay in a pool . The children of ihe de . ceased , of whom there are three , all bays , aged respectively nine , seven , and five years , all concur ( n atating that their parents had a quarrel , and , melancholy enonyb , that both were Intoxicated ! One of them , the second eon , also says that his father did beat his mothet with the piece of wood mentioned , and slso that he struck her with his boots . Indeed , n * proof of the latter faetis wanting , fer the man ' s boot heel is stained with the blood of his victim . The eldest son seys thai

      he was the first up in the morning , and that seelag the blood about the floor , he commenced to wash It away . His father , however , osme down stairs whilst he was so engaged , and seeing what he was abont , stopped him . The husband , we believe , ou seeing tbe piece of the chair bottom , at olcb admitted that it belonged to him , but he says , so far as he can recollect what occurred , that he never struck his poor wife with it at all , One of his children , however , says that he did beat the unhappy woman abont the head with it , and that after he bad struck her two or three times she fell dowa end screamed out murder . He thereupon sefz ° d her by one of her arms and dragged her aleng the fleor into tbe yard , returning alone , in a moment or twe > , to take his children to bed . From all we can learn , ike deceased was a woman of Intemperate habits , whilst the husband Is spoken of as a very sober person .

      Two CoxiM & s Dbowhed im a Pit Sham . —On Wednesday week , at the Blockley Wood Fields Colliery , West Bromwich , a party of colliers , consisting of fire men and two boys , descended the pit shaft for the purpose of commencing work , but on getting nearly on a level with the workings , they found that there was a quantity of water lying at tbe bovtom of the shaft . This being an unusual occurrence , caused some alarm , and in Ihe confusion whioh ensued , the skip on which tley were stand ng ups ' -t , end two of the parly were precipitated Into the water and were drowned . It was found that there were five yards depth of water in ( he shaft , and owing to it being Christmas time , the men had net been working In the pit since Saturday week . Oa Tuesday week , however , the men whose du * y It Is to take charge of the horses kept in the pit , went down for tha purpose ' of feeding them , bat there was bo water in the shaft at that time .

      Sreianb.

      SreianB .

      Me Duffy' S Ibial , The Arguments On The...

      ME DUFFY ' S IBIAL , The arguments on the demurrer , in the case of Mr Daffy , were brought to a close on Friday , by the reply of the Attorney General , who contended that the facts obarged having been admitted by the demurrer , tbe judgment of the court should be final , wlthost the Intervention of a jury , as in a civil case or a charge of misdemeanor . The learned gentleman , however , threw out a suggestion thatthe court might permit the withdrawal of tbe demurrer before judgment , if the prisener was desirous of pleading . When the learned gentleman had concluded , the court , In consideration of the Importance of the question to be decided , adjourned until Tuesday , when judgment would be delivered . The { public , of all parties , regard the proceedings as a burleeqae , but one utterly devoid of Interest .

      Tuesday was appointed by the Judges for the delivery of their decision npen the demurrer , but en that day it was again postponed till Friday . ~

      STALE HCHB 0 G . Hew Year ' s Day ushered before the publio a long epistle from Mr Juhn O'Connell , addressed to the old dupes of the family—the ' people of Ireland , ' to wit , It is almost unnecessary even to glance at tbe contents of this document , It being merely a reproduction of tbe old condiments with which the more scientific cookery of hie father so long and so successfully tickled tho public palate , but which , at length , even with his consummate art , became , from repetition , 'flat , stale , and unprofitable . ' There was , It teems , no rebellion last July ; the people were—' God be praised for It '—loyal to the heart ' s core ; it was not the police that put down Insurrection , neither was it the soldiery ; it is to the teaching of the O'ConneHr , tbe priest ? , and Conciliation Hall , that Queen Vicioria standi indebted for the safety of

      this portion of her dominions ; and grateful onght her Majesty to be for the influence thus exercised in her behalf . There is nothing like throwing water on drowned rats ; and , accordingly , Mr J . O'Connell is unmeasured in his abuse of Toung Ireland , as the wilful depasers of his supremacy , and the unwitting exterminators of the whole Repeal humbug . Repeal , however , Is not deadnot it , Mr John O'Connell means to stir up the expiring embers aad ' do his own part , or die , '—of course , on the flow of the Heutoof Commons , whouo * , he says , he has been 'forced by paltry poverty Inte a temporary exile . ' Such is the substance of the new year ' s gift presented te the ' people of Ireland / and whioh , by the way , ^ must have reached Dnblin by some ageney even more rapid than the electric telegraph , as the letter bore date London , January 1 , and was published In the Faeihah ' s Journal at five o ' clock that morning .

      . BECLSMATI . iN OF WASTE XiAltDB . At the last meeting of the Royal Dublin Society , Sir William Beatham presiding , Mr Hat read a paper descriptive of the effective reclamation ef bog and waste lands , particularly upon the property of Mr Colthurst ia tbe county of Cork . The Cbaiekak said the paper read was a very important one . It had been stated that though a bog was reclaimed it returned in two years or bo to its original barrenness aud uselesBneeB ; but Mr Colthurst had demonstrated that It conld be made permanently productive . He approved highly of the suggestion to empley the able , bodied peor in workhouses in reclaiming land . Mr HAuenroN pointed out the ^ neceselty of selfreliance and Industry In working out the Improvements on land , instead of relying upuuthe Legislature , and the necessity of rendering the purchase of land more easy aad satisfactory .

      Mr HAtteocK . observed , that the sosUloa of Mr Colthurst was peculiar , and he possessed advantages whioh other landlords or tenants did not enjoy ; and as regardsd tbe advance of manufactures In Scotland , If they had In Ireland the same laws to facilitate their advancement he was sure that a similar result would follow . Tbe Earl of Devon bore testimony to the effective exeetlons of Mr Colthurst . He had not oaly drultted bog effeecively , but had raised upon it a superstructure essential to the purposes of agriculture . The ordinary method ot conveying earth to place upon the surface of beg was the expensive one of carting ; but Mr Colthurst had

      adopted a more economical and desirable method . The process adopted by him was highly desirable for , and applicable to , many parts of Ireland ; but ha should say there were several places In the country where the improvement of land at present under cultivation , would prove a far more remunerative source of agricultural pursuit , end one mere calculated to repay the expend ! - ture of money than the reclamation of bog . He did not desire to discourage tho reelamatlon of bog ; he would be gladts see Mr Colthurst's plan followed In maty localities ; but they would fall Into a mistake If they suppesed that this was tbe first point in the Improvement of land

      Me Duffy' S Ibial , The Arguments On The...

      to which they should dlreet their attention . He agreed with one of the speakers , that they were too apt to loot for support and countenance from government . The . suggestion ofMr Hill that tha government shouldforward the adoption of the plan recommended by Mr Celthurst had not beam overloeked when the legislature framed aa Act based npon the land commission ; but those engaged in that commission coasldered It desirable that if publio mtneyweretobe advaneed . lt should be for purposes connected with the Improvement of land ander cultivation , In preference to the reclamation of bog . It was said ' that the purchase of land should be rendered more hat under the law as it at present stood , a great

      easy deal of land could bs easily purchased , a good title ob . talued . aud that land made productive by those who de * ilred to improve it ; but he feared that what was wanting was that confidence which would induce , people to lay out their money in the purchase of land . The dlffisulty which thsy had to eneounter arose net so much from any waat of legislative interference as from a want of private laduatry , energy , aad confidence in developing tbe resources of the country . He hoped that much wonld be done in reclaiming bog , has he considered that it wonld be more judicious and more •• si-able to apply their capital In the further improvement of lands at present under cultivation .

      Disaster orr Skull Habbopb . — Fiva Lives Lost . — The following pntnful information received by Majoe Beamish , chairman of the Cooshen Fishery Association , and It Is to be feared tbas this truly practical undertaking , whose arrangements had jostbsen matured , with , every prospect of ultimate success , bas received a severe check by the calamity therein recorded : —This letter I » dMed , ' Cooshen , Skull , Saturday night , Deo . 23 , 18 i 8 . — Our fisherosen were Informed yesterday , by tho Cass * Guard of Skull , ** t a vessel hat been lost oa the coant .

      and that her masts and rigging were near Long Island Channel , but owing to the strong breeze from the S . E ., the Coast Guard could not secure it . This morning ; eleven ef our mtR put eff , soma In our hooker , a beautU ful boat of nearly thirty tens , and otbera in a yawl . IS was blowing rather fresh from the S . E ., but no gaio to injure any boat , About two o ' clock p . m . a man eame ridlag at a rapid rate from Gun-poins , near Lemcon , and Informed me that the hooker and small boat were lost- — knocked to pieces oa a rock west of Goat Island , called Carrlgfln & teen , and several of the men drowned ,

      woaxise «* thk poob . law . There are at present 800 fishermen In the workhouse of Dangarvan . Of these as many as 870 were admitted In ene day . It would be erroaeeuate infer that these are become permanently destitute , haviag availed them , selves of this reeoorco as a relief in tho late severe wea « ther , which prevented them from pursuing their ocenpa . tion . Fine weather would probably sendjnost of thtm back again to their industry , bat a great many must remaia to be added to tbe harden already existing upon what is left of property and self-supporHng energy , Miltowh , Wionbsoai . —The conditio * of the flaxillary workhouse , lately opened at Miltown , is awful la

      the extreme ; dysentery and fever are doing their work with frightful effect . On Christmas . day nine corpsee passed through the town fer interment , and the firse eight that canght my attention thil morning was three more from the same quarter . It would be well if tho guardiaua inspected the mode of interment . Two boys are ' sent to carry the tflrpso for burial , and from thai careless , hasty way in wbich the work is performed six ; or seven coffins are often found eneevered after heavy rains , their patrified vapour spreading Infection through * out the locality . I was called myself to witness , soma time since , seme of the bodies torn asunder by dogs , AHOTBEK SMEDTE IN TBE HENAQH WOBEB 0 CBB .

      One day lfcet week , when the farinaceous soup WBS given to the female paupers , 200 ef tbem became quits rebellious aad insubordinate . They dashed the soup to the ground , began te yell and shout , kick the quarts , brandish tin vessels , threaten the annihilation of tha workhouse , aad the destruction of the guardians ; and pounced upon and devoured two baskets of bread , whicb were brought for tbe use of other persoaa . The master then raised a force , with which he made for the apartments of the Amszjntan disturbers of the house , and ! h * v lng effected an entrance , the womea one aid all stood together at one side of the house , and the master and his fsree at tbe other . After a short rencontre , the master succeeded in arresting the ringleaders , and placed them ncder arrest . Tbe most determined and

      rebellious of the rioters was the woman wl « h the patch 0 Q her eye , and who had been the leader in the late rebel * linn . LOSePOSD QUABTKB SESSIONS , ExT » ioBDinAB . T Cass . —A Faixy . tobheu Swindles . —B'janM'Donough stood iadioted for that be , en the 1 st day of November , JSiS , and on divers days and times between laid day and the 1 st day of May last , did pretend to one Anne Lyons , widow , that the said Bryan M'Donough was the huabaae of the said Anne Lyons , who was supposed to be dead , who , in fact , was not dead , but was taken away by the fairies , and by means ot ¦ aid pretences the said Bryan M'Donough did then and there unlawfully obtain from the said Anne Lyons several articles of wearing apparel , value ten shillings , and

      thirteen shillings la cash , the money , goods , aud chattels of the said Anne Lyons , with intent then and there to cheat and defraud her of ihe saeSe , whereas la truth , and met the said Bryan M'D ; nough was not the husband of tbe said Anne Lyons , whose husband , James Lyons has been upwards of one year dead and burled , to ths great damage and deception oi tbe said Anne Lyons , tc the evil example ef all others in like cases offending , ifce . The prisoner is a low-simd , forbidiJeYJ-logkimr , dark-complexioned man , about forty-five years of age ; and from the novelty of the charge , which displayed the gross ignorance in which a number of the peasantry are enveloped , it excUed a good deal of interest , and caused the court to be mush crowded , Anno Lyons , an elderl y , rather stuptd . locklng woman , sworn and examined . —«

      Lives at Kiiticlough , near Bailinalee , Abont twelve months ago , the prisoner , Bryan M'Donongb , eame to her bouse in tbe evening and asked fer lodgings . She refused him at first , but oa being salted by her daughter she consented . Gave him eighteen-pence through fright , as he said he was her late husband , and that he was in the fairies . He came again In November last , and repeated bis former declaration , demanded his clothes , and threugh fear , and believing him , gave all her husband ' s clothes to him , even up to his tobacco bor . She asked Wm to show to he * In his own features . He said if he did , she and the family would be in great danger frem tbe fairies . She then said if that was tbe esse she would not risk It . Through fear she gave hint 5 s . « d . ; she gave hfm 13 s . at another time , as be said be

      was going to a blessed place to have masses said for him , » nd he would then come home in bis own features . Her husband , James . Lyons , is dsad . She saw him Interred . The pri soaer here examined the witness , with the permission of the court , having no solicitor employed , and the old woman having admitted that he bought some clethea and sent them to the house , in an air of trismphbe exclaimed , ' Bravo , the truth comes out betimes . '— Bessy Lyons , a respeotnble . looking country girl , dressed in a cloth cloak end boaaot , sworn and examined . —Is daughter to the last witness . Her father is dead abous a year or more . Recollects the prisoner M'Donongn coming to the house and asking for lodging . He said it she knew who he was , If It was either a plg-sty or a palace , be it ever so high or ever se low , she weu . d share it with him . He eame two or three times to the house after that , and from the threats that ho would

      moke parables of tho chfldrea by the fairies , he got money from her mother . She wen * to Arva to buy fowl at the market . He got 8 s . 8 i . from her . Said he had to gtvo It to a clergyman before he got two miles out of town to say a mass for him . Prisoner bought a couple of handkerchiefs and some flannel , and sent thera home to the house other mother by a boy , who said ho was a nephew of her husband , who died about nine jeara ago , and was also in the fairies . —Catharine L yons , a respectably . dressed , sensible-looking young woman , sister to last witness , proved the impoeltiens practised by the prisoner also ; and the prisoner having no defence the Barrister charged tbe jury , who found a verdict ef t tuilty , and alter an admonition to the prisoner on the enormity and vllenessof his conduct In thus Imposing en an innocent woman , sentenced him to be transported for seven ytats , a sentence which every person In eoMli ( save tbe prisoner ) seemed to approve of .

      BIPBAL AGITATION . Mr J , O'Connell has followed up bis letter by forward , ing five guineas , as his subscrip tion to the Repeal Asso . elation for 1849 , The iMuBuwkllcn of Br Cane ( recently a Slate pri . soner ) , as Major of Kilkenny , took place In that city . There wasa dinner on the occasion , but very little was said abont Repeal , the old system of agitation being re . pndlated utterly b y the Toung : Irelandcra . Alderman O'Brien , who has been elected Lord Mayee of Dublin for the ensuing year , was aleo inaugurated oa Monday . Tho Lord Mayor proposed that in future the meetings of tbe Corporation should be held on Monday instead of on Tuesday , Alderman Hudson . —Ae the Repeal Association ( which used to meet on Monday ) , is burled In the tomb of all the Capulets , there can be now no objection to meet on Monday , ( Laughter ) .

      Alderman Keshan : Instead of being hurled In the tomb ef the Capulets , it 1 . „«* dead at aU-rlamjbter ) -. it is not evea aleetfig ; but we had to attend to the poverty of the country with the be ginning ef the new year . ( Laughter . ) Babbaioos Assassination . _ Yesterday evening a man named Fitsgerald , steward te Sir David Riche , aart ., was shot dead athlg own deorat Barntlefc , within a few miles of this town , by a person who was lying in wait for the purpose . The perpetrator ef this bloody deed has aovyet been discovered , but diligent search Is being asade by the constabulary . We have not heard that suspicion y « t rests npon . any p « eon for the murder , and ne cause can be assigned for It a 9 deemed was ncHob esteemed the

      m neighbourhood . He came from Limerick to Barntick about seven months ago , to superintend the dramoge works la progress on Sir David Roche e property , a that place , and had been engaged yesterday , previous to hie murder , In paying the workmen about fifty of whom ere constantly ' . Dgaged on the land . He was standing on the Step , to his hail door when the fatal shot was fired , whioh t ^" sffacfon Z leftside ; ke Instantl y Jell , and was only able to say to tX- ^ 1 t ° Came ! ° thb door ? n hearlD K the "port , Take m , in , I am shot through tbe heart , ' ln Ifew 2 aTl * lT }* e , pIrtd ' DeMftMd waB only a few weeks married . Thomas TVhitestone , Esq ., coronet z » r ^ - *• JCJfi

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Jan. 6, 1849, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_06011849/page/6/