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Northern Star (1837-1852), 9th February 1850, Edition 1 of 3, Page 6, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      pi ' . tmmmmmm ———^^ ^^***^" ® $ e it fftropelt * . Health of London btjkino the WKBK .-The B « ristrar-General ' s weekly retarn states that in the * eekendinglast Saturday , the deaths registered in the metropolitan districts were 1 , 094 , and exhibit an increase of 60 on those of the previous week , and likewise an increase of almost the same amount on the average of the corresponding weeks of the 10 previous years ( 1840-9 ) , the mortality of these weeks having ranged from 780 deaths iu 1843 , to 1 , 478 in 1 S 48 . But , if a correction is made for increase of population , the estimated average becomes 1 , 126 , and the deaths now returned are less tfcaa this number by 32 . The causes of death pretailing at the present time are found , in by far the

      largest proportion , in that class of diseases which affect the organs of respiration . In tnis class , of ¦ which the most important are phthisis ( or consumptio ;;) j bronchitis , pneumonia ( or inflammation of th ? lungs ) , and asthma , there are now enumerated the -Jeaths of 33 i persons , or more than one-third of all who died in the week . The corrected average of z-iii corresponding weeks is 376 . On the other hani , the deaths from the zjmotic or epidemic daises of diseases were only 168 , the corrected average being 216 . A girl of 5 years died of "Asiatic cholera , " after M hours' illness , in Portmaa-place , near the Edgeware-road ; and in Fencaiirca-street , a boy of 9 months died of " cholera , hooping-cough , teething , and convulsions , " after a month ' s illness . Diarrhoea is the only epidemic -which exceeds the average ; it was fatal to 11 children and 10 adults ; the average of this period is tot more than 9 ; the fatality of measles 13 of the

      usual amount ; and small-pox , scarlatina , hoopingcough , and typhus continue to show a decrease , which , however , is most considerable as regards the first two of these epidemics . Four children and a man died of smallpox ; 13 children of scarlatina . CoLsamption was fatal to 137 persons , about the average ; bronchitis and asthma to 159 , er more by 52 loan the average ; and pneumonia to 75 , or 30 less than the average . Two persons died of privation . The mean daily reading-of the barometer at the lioyal Observatory , Greenwich , was above 30 incli-c-ri on Sunday and Wednesday . The mean temverature rose from 33 deg . on Sunday to 44 deg . on Tuesday , declining to about 36 deg . on "Wednesday and Thursday , and rose above 50 deg . on Pricsv and Saturday . On Sunday and Wednesday it wri lower than the average of the same days in seven years ; and on Friday and Saturday it was more than 15 deg . above it . The mean temperature of the week was 41 deg . S min ., which is 6 deg . above the average .

      Extraordinary Robbery in the Cut . —Late On Saturday evening last , considerable alarm was caused in the neighbourhood of Bishopsgate-street "Without , owing to the following daring robbery . A resneztably-dressed yonng man entered the shop of Mr * Hvho , a silversmith and watchmaker , and asked to be shown a silver watch . One was produced ( a Jialf-jiate lever ) , which the fellow examined very ihinciely , and having inquired the price , he put his hand into his pocket , as it was supposed , to take out the money to pay for the article . Instead , however . Of so doing , he seemed to hesitate a little , and asked to be shown another , somewhat ligh'er . Mr . Hybo

      having turned round to reach another , the fellow ihre-v - the contents of his hands , which , instead of bdpr money , were either gunpowder or some other combustible , upon the gaslight . Several persons passing by the shop thinking the place had taken fire immediately started to White Gross-street brigftce station for the engine . The thief rushed out ef the shop , carrying with him the watch . The moment Mr . ilyho recovered himself he ran out of the shop , and followed the man for some distance shouting ' Stop thief , " but the fellow succeeded in getting char off . The only damage done to the premises was the breaking of the gas-lamp and blackening some of the windows .

      Suicide at Bbrmosdset . —On Saturday last , Mr . ^ Dart er went into an inquiry at the Simon the Tanner , Jjong-lane , Bermondsey , respecting the death of Samuel Smith , aged thirty-two years . —Robert Borrows , the engine-keeper of St . Mary Magdalen , B ± rmon&ey , stated that on Wednesday evening last he was called to the deceased's residence by a policeman of the M division . Witnes * proceeded to No . 163 , I < oii £ - < ane , where , upon going to the second floor bask , witness found the room door closed . lie ( wit-Bess } forced an entrance , and then discovered the deceased lying on the floor apparently lifeless . His clothes were partially destroyed , and in the same apartaent was a charcoal fire , between two fenders , which were placed about two feet from the grate .

      ! Fb . erk-or and joists had become ignited , and were then on fire . Witness extinguished the flames , and had to make a precipitate retreat as the fames of the charcoal were so powerful . Upon making an examination witness found that the various crevices round the wiadow and door had been carefully covered over with papar , which had been firmly pasted down , and ¦ z ensi have taken two or three hoars to accomplish . "Witness was of opinion that the deceased died from the elects of the fames of the charcoal , and had committed the act himself , producing his own death . — Other evidence having been offered , the jury unanimously agreed to a verdict to the effect " That the deceased destroyed his own life , being at the time in astaisof insanity . "

      v . Skockisg Accident . — Oa Saturday last an inquest was taken by Mr . Payne , the City coroner , at St . Bartholomew ' s Hospital , as to the death of Edward Hedger , Esq ., aged 71- The deceased resided at Brunswick-terrace , Hackney-road . On "Wednesday morning he went into " the City on business , and about eleven o ' clock waa crossing from Princes-street , opposite the Mansion-house , to I / ombard street , and had reached the obelisk in tbe centre of the road , where he waited for an omnibus to pass fi-om King William-street to Princes-street . One of Hansom's cabs proceeding from the Poultry

      to Lombard-street , came up , and before the cabman eou ! d pull up his . horse tbe shaft had struck the unfortunate gentleman ' s head , and it then caught the collar of his coat , turned him round with great violence and threw him on the ground . The horse vas pulled on his haunches , hut he first trod on the deceased ' s stomach , and afterwards on hh legs . Upon being got np by the policeman " on duty , lid Was placed in a cab and conveyed to St . Bartholomew ' s Hospital , where he died from the effect of a concussion on the brain . The jury returned a verdict of " Accidental death . "

      MSEAXCHOI . T Death . —On Monday afternoon an inquest was taken before Mr . II . M . "W / akley , at the Red Lion public-house , Brompton-road , respecting the death of Miss Jane Tucker , aged seventy years , the well-known originator of the Governess Institution in Bedford-square . The deceased , for the last six months , had resided at No . 19 , Queen-street , Brou-pton , and daring that time had enjoyed a tolerably good state of health . About a fortnight sines she went down to Tentern , in Devonshire , to Bee her sister , who was dangerously ill . She returned

      to her lodgings on Thursday night last , apparently wel-I . with the exception that she complained of being fatigued with her journey . Shepartook of some tea , and iiioftly afterwards retired to rest . On the following morning she did not make her appearance at the usual hour , at which the landlord of the house became alarmed , and her bed-room door was eventually broK n open . The deceased was foand lying in her bed quite dead and cold . Mr . Anderson , a surgeon , was called in , and ascribed death to an affection of the heart . The jury immediately returned a verdict in accordance with the medical testimony .

      Suspicious Cash . — A protracted inquiry was ield by adjournment , before Mr . W . Baker , the eorouer , on the 1 st inst , at the Fountain Tavern . Upper Clapton , Hackney , concerning the death of James Merritt . aged 34 years , a turncock in the emptay of the East London Water Company , who died from the effects of arsenic under the following very suspicious circumstances : —The deceased resided with his wife in Pear Tree-co « rt , Upper Clajt-on . He had enjoyed a good state of health nnti- within the last fortnight , and on Thursday moraing , the 34 th ult , he complained of a violent sickness , and brought up a large quantity of bile . He siid be had on the previous evening partaken of some stew , and some tea immediately afterwards ,

      which he thought had not agreed with him . On the same day he complained of intense thirst , and he had some gruel , which was prepared by his wife . Soon afterwards he appeared much worse , and was compelled to go to bed and leave his work unfinished . "While ia bed he complained _ « f violent pains in his Stomach and had cramps in his feet . The deceased gradually became worse , and Mr . Tonlmin , a surgeon , was called in , who prescribed for him , but he expired in about half an hour afterwards . Immediately the deceased had breathed his last his Wife made application to a benefit society which the deceased belonged to for the burial money . —Mr . Tou ' min said he had made a post mortem examination of thebodv of the deceased . —Dr . Henry Latheby

      lecturer on chemistry at the "London Hospital , deposed that he had submitted the contents of tne deceased's stomach to an analysis , and found it to contain eight grains and a half of white arsenic . Witness had not the slightest doubt that the deceased had died from the effects of white arsenic . The stomach contained about a pint of fluid which had a red appearance , in which witness detected the presence of arsenic , and which he had no doubt Was the gruel , ths deceased had swallowed . The coroner remarked that there was so much suspicion in-thecase that it required a most rigid and

      searchmg investigation , and he therefore could not think of closing the inquiry at that sitting . After some further conversation the inquiry was adjourned . —On Tuesday morning , at twelve o ' clock , the adjourned inquiry was resumed , for the third time , at the Fountain ^ Tavern ' ,- pppe * ylaptop , relative to'the death of JaMft slMewirt , aged thirty-four years ; a turncockin the " employ 'of the . East London Water Company , who died on-Thursday . the 24 th ult . i from the effects bf aisetfc , alleged to havebeen administered to him ~ 6 y hiswife , -A * Merntt , whonow stands' remanded Bntii next week , ajMged- with having caused' her husband ' s death . The Coroner said , before he pro-

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      ceeded m examining ¦ the numerous-witnesses he would inform the jury that since the last meeting he had . receiver ] a communication from Mr . Andrew * , the summoning officer , that the deceased ' s father had died suddenly under precisely similar circumstances , and that considerable suspicion attached to . the accused that she \ oA poisoned her father-in-law as well as her husband . He bad , therefore , deemed it necessary to order the disintermenl of the body , &post mortem examination ! and also art analysis of the contents of the stomach , to ascertain , if possible , if there was any foundation for the rumour .: He did not intend to call witnesses in that cise at the present inquiry , but should impanel a fresh jury ; at a future time . The following additional evidence was then

      adduced :-Mary Gillett , the wife of a labouring man residing in the adjoining house to the deceased . Jiaiu that on Thursday last , after the adjournment . ot the inquest , Mrs . Merriit entered the house and asked her if she bad heard that poison had been fonndin the deceased ' s stomach . Witness replied in the affirmative , when Mrs . Merritt exclaimed , 1 am innocent ; he was a dear good husband , and it is not likely I should do such a thing . She then added , " D ear creature , if that is the case , he has done it by hU own hand . " Witness remarked at the same time that that was n » t very likely , &i he had purchased a new pair of boots the night previous to his death . Witness also knew the deceased's father , and saw h m alive on Saturday , the 29 th September last . He died on the following day ; and for ths Ia 9 tfew hours

      previous to his death he was suttenng from pains , and under similar circumstances as the deceased . — By the Coroner : The deceased belonged to a benefit society , and early on the morning of his death Mrs . Merritt applied to the society for the burial money , and received £ 3 los ., a portion of the sum she was entitled to on the death of her husband . —By the Jury : Witness could not undertake to say that the deceased ' s father belonged to the society . —Other witnesses were examined , but their evidence was of no public importance .-The Coroner said some further time was necessary to enable the police to make fu / ther inquiries , and it would , therefore , be necessary to adjourn again . . In the interim tue _ body of deceased's father would be thoroughly examined , and the results hid before another jury . The inquiry was according adjourned until Monday next .

      Accident from Gunpowder . — On Tuesday morning a boy about eight years of age was taken to King ' s College Hospital , so injured as to be without hope of recover } -. The child had been amusing bin : * self by playing with gunpowder . The neighbours , on hearing the boy scream , went to the room , which was filled with smoke , in one corner , of which lay the little sufferer on the ground , burnt most frightfully about the face , bands , and arms . His clothes were nearly all destroyed . The parents were absent from home at the time . .

      Fibb at St . George b Workhouse . — : On Saturday last shortly after noon , a fire broke out in the workhouse of St . George ' s the Martyr , Southwark , which was promptly subdued by . the inmates and the brigade firemen . It was ascertained that the fire originated in a' quantity of straw used for casual paupers' bedding . Very little damage was done . . Alabm of Fire at St . Thomas ' s Hospital . — Great alarm was caused in the Borough on Monday night owing to flames being seen issuing apparently through the roof of St . Thomas ' s Hospital . Messengers immediately started in all directions for the engines , and in tbe course of a few . minutes a strong body of the London brigade with , several engines reached the hospital , when the firemen happily found

      that the cause of so much alarm was owing to one of the chimneys taking fire , theflamei from which , as they rushed through the pot , being supposed by the crowd to issue through tlie roof .. Alarming Fire in John-sirest , Clerkenwell . : —On Tuesday night , about ten o ' clock , a fire bi oke out in the premises belonging to Mr . . David Tatton , umbrella and parasol manufacturer , No . 20 , Albemirle-street , St . John's-street , Clerkenwell . The flames were first discovered by one of the lodgers , who , on returning home , found the front shop on fire . He instantly caused an alarm , and several engines promptly attended ; but the fire was not put o » t until the whole of the valuable stock-in-trade was reduced to ashes , and the premises much damaged . The origin of the fire is uuknown . .

      Fihi is Watiisg-Stbeet . —On Tuesday afternoon a fire broke out in the large range of premises belonging to Me ^ rs . Smith and Son s , the wholesale fruiterers , No . 10 , Watling-street , City . For nearly a month , workmen have been employed in the basement , putting down asphalte pavement , to protect the place from the ravages of rats and damp . During the whole of this period , firemen belonging to the chief brigade station have been in attendance both ni ^ ht and day to protect the premises from fire . On Tuesday afternoon , however , the heat from three furnaces used for melting the asphalte set some wooden bricks in the chimney on fire , and in a very brief space of time the flames were working into the ground floor warehouse , where property of many thousand pounds' value was deposited . The engines from the station in the same street promptly attended and by setting tbe small portable one to work , the fire was extinguished speedily , the damage done being very trifling .

      Destructive Conflagration in Lambeth . — On Thursday morning , shortly before one o'clock , a fire broke out in the extensive timber-yard belonging to Mr . George Myers , of the Ordnance Wharf , Belvideve-road , which , in the extent of its ravages , has very far exceeded any catastrophe of the kind with which the metropolishas been visited for many years past . In less than half an hour from the period of the outbreak , the premises on the west side of Guildford-street , formerly occupied by Messrs Gri-sell ( now in the tenancy of Messrs . Christopher Nickels and Co ., ^ ndia-rubber web manufactures , ) became ignited , and all efforts to stay the ravages of the flames proved utterly futile . In a very short period the window frame * at the back of the houses in the York-road , caught fire , and before any effective means could be adopted to prevent it , the whole range numbered 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , and 12 , were one mass of

      flame . ' The awful progress of the fire for some few minutes previously had forewarned the inhabitants of the danger to which they were exposed , and a very large quantity of furniture was hastily , thrown out of the houses into the centre of the York-road , as the only chance of saving it from being reduced to ashes . The firemen worked bravely , but the extent of the catastrophe was so great tfeat theiv energies appeared paralyzed—so to speak—and it soon became evident that the fire must exhaust itself . It is quite impossible , owing to the confusion that prevailed , to give anything approaching an estimate of the damage that must accrue from this frightful disaster . The great quantity of furniture strewd about all the thoroughfares ia the district gives too mnch reason to fear that the poorer classes will suffer very severely . On the question of insurance also no certain information could be obtained .

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      whioh , upon-inquiry , was found to proceed from the room , occupied by Mr . George > Thompsop , M . F . tor the . Tower Hamlets , who . had ... been , lecturing tne previous eyeriihg upon financial reform at St . Mary s Hall / ' It appears that tho hon ^ gentleman , on retiring to his apai'tmeiit for the / night , hiid probablyput the candle by his bedside " 'for the purposoof reading , when he : unintentionally fell asleep ,,, and did not awake until he found himself enveloped in flames . Sir ' . Joshua "Vyalmsley , M . 'P .. for Boltori , who slept in the adjoining room , hearing' a disturbance , ' hastily rushed out onthe'landing , and , to his horror , discovered flamed issuing from the room occupied by Mr .: Thompson . We are , happy to state , however , that the . hon . gentleman escaped without

      injury , and also that tlie , house and fumitura are fully insured in tho West of England Insurance Company . The loss is estimated at £ 100 i Railway Accident and Loss , of Life . — -On Saturday afternoon , between four and five o ' clock , an accident occurred to a coal train on tho lino , of the Great North of England Railway , about two miles south of Darlington , by which the stoker , John Tinkler , was killed , and the engine driver and guard seyerely hurt . Fortunatel y assistance was speedily . procured , and the line—which had been blocked up by the tender being thrown on the down line—was cleared so as to be passable in the course of a few hours . On Monday , the 4 th ult ., an inquest was held at Darlington on' the' body of the deceased ,

      before Mr . Trotter , one of the coroners for the county of Durham , when itappeared that the accident had been caused by the explosion of the boiler , owing to their having too little water in it , and the cold water having been let in when it was in a heated state . The engine was proved to be of ex- « cellent construction , and to have been in good working order when taken charge of by the engine driver . After some consideration the inquiry was adjourned until the 12 th inst ., to enable tne jury to hear the evidence of the engino driver' and guard , who were so severely injured that they could not at

      present be examined . Accident on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railvtat . —On Tuesday evening the passenger train which left the Salford station ,, at six , for Bolton , having arrived nt tho Clifton junction , being a distance of about three miles from Manchester , . came in contact with a luwgago train , ' which the immense hurricane of wind had driven down the line to a corisiderablo distance . ' Three carriages were smashed to pieces in the passenger train ,, and a lady in a first-class carriage broke her log , and a fow others were severely bruised . Fortunately no other injury was inflicted .

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      MURDER OF A PARISH APPRENTICB . ' The Northern Star of the 19 th iiit . gave a brief ac . count of the ill-treatment suffered by a parish apprentice at a village near Bideford * . in Devonshire , which ended in hen death , and the committal of her master and mistress on a charge of wilful murder . The WetUtn Times furnishes the following startling details of the cruelty inflicted on this poor girl : — About three or four miles to the louth of Bide , ford is situate the little secluded parish of Buckland Brewer , and about two miles and a half from the village is a lonely farm , called Gawland—the seen © of the horrible tragedy we are about to relate . Gawland is the property of one Robert Curtis Bird , who prior to Michaelmas last , lived with lug wife

      and their four children at Burnngton , in this count y . About this period he appears to have removed with his wife and family to Gawland ; and on tho 29 th of September last Mrs . Bird applied to Mr . Thomas Sermon , the master of the llidoford union , for a servant , and selected Mary Ann Parsons , aged 15 an inmate in the union . This girl ' s mother \ ras also in the union , but her father for some years past has been in the West Indies . With the consent of the guardians ahe was permitted to leave for Gawliind , receiving two suits of clothes , and a promise of a pair of shoos in a month . She was then , according to the testimony of the master , " strong and healthy , although not particularly bright , and had never been ill whilst in the union . " About a

      month afterwards her mistress called at the workhouse for the shoes , when she told the master that her servant was an " honest , good , industrious girl . " Oil Christmas-eve Mr . Sermon again saw the mistress , and on this occasion she said her servant " began to steal , tell falsehoods , and be idle ; " and this Mr . Sermon ( who has been a soldier , and ap . pears to have great faith in the efficacy of the lash , even , when applied to young women fifteen years of age , ) replied , " Have you properly chastised her ?" And in reply to some remark by Mrs . Bird , which he says ho did not exactly recollect , he added , " You ought properly to chastise her , and if she continues to behave badly , return her to the house . " "W hether the brutal treatment -which caused the poor girl ' g

      death , had eommGnced before this recommendation of proper chastisement , or whether it was a consequence of that ' , advice , does not appear ; but the master , says he heard nothing more of the girl until Friday , the 5 th of January , when Bird came to the union and astonished him by reporting that she had died that morning , and that "he had sat up with her until two o'clock , when , a 3 she seemed quite quiet and inclined to sleep , he left her , and in the morning when we got up she was dead . " About one o ' clock the same day Sermon ( as we find in his evidence given before the magistrates ) went to Gowland and saw the deceased . He says , "The corpse was in the coffin , and , on removing it , and ripping off the petticoat , chemise , « fcc ., I

      saw that tho legg had been lasnod witn a small birch , or something of that kind , more especially below the knees . The flesh of both legs was torn . 1 have been in the army , and have frequently seen sentences of whipping executed under orders of courts martial . We used to say ft was not " fail * thrashing" if the flesh was cut with the end of the instrument in a similar manner to the legs of deceased . The flesh was cut as though with the point of something . I should say there were forty or fifty cuts on the calves and front of the legs , and the marks were as if produced by a pin or knitting needle . I mean to say theflosh was lacerated in forty or fifty places . I have punished children in the workhouse , but never served a child anything like that . On the right pin bone I observed something I had never seen in a human being before—it was exactly like the ' setfast , ' which I Live seen on horses' backs , caused by the

      saddle not fitting properly ; it was the . size of the palm of my hand . The inflammation arising from it extended from loin to loin , and to . the points of the shoulders . There were wounds on the knees , which were , in my opinion , caused by exposure . Some portions of the back were black , and some portions covered with small bladders . From the seat to the point of the hips was bladdered , and from the hip to the shoulder bone was black and discoloured . On the top part of the back of the head was a wound , but U must have been of some standing , for it was partially closed . The extent of it was an inch to an inch and a half , jagged forwards . Enough of the hair was cut from the head to sec the wound plainly . The impression on my mind was that it was done by a fall . If it had been caused by any blow from an instrument , it must hare inflicted serious injuries . The left side of the face was bruised . The second and third

      finger-nails , with portions of the flesh of the left hand , were gone . There was something the matter with the feet , but the injuries proceeded , I should say , from cold , ' Setfasts' are also caused by blows , pinches , &c , and are pieces of flesh which rise from the body , the edges become jagged , and the wounds forms sloughs , but this had not done so . Having been a cavalry officer for some years I hare seen them in horses . " Rumours of ill-treatment were whispered abroad , and a jury was summoned , who , under the direction of the coroner , found an epen verdict , " That death , occurred from congestion of the brain , induced by external injuries , but how or by what means such injuries were caused there was no evidence to show . " This verdict did not satisfy public opinion ,

      nor silence the general belief that the girl had been cruelly treated by her master and mistress , and that her death was the consequence of ' such treatment . Application was accordingly made to the Rev . J . T . Pine Coffin , the nearest magistrate , who on the Monday following went out to Gawland and reduced to writing the depositions of the witnesses who had been examined nt the inquest , and also examined some other parties , the result of which was , that he directed Bird and his wife to be taken into custody to undergo a more formal examination . At the consequent examination before the magistrates , RlC HARD IIooper ,. of Buekland Brewer , spoke to various nets of brutality which he had seen perpetrated on the unfortunate deceased . About a

      month or five weeks ago she appeared in good health . The day after Christmas Day she appeared to be very ill ; she could not stand upright , I saw blood drop from her as she was walking , as if coming from her hinder part . I also observed a cut in the back part of her nead , but it did not appear very fresh . There was no blood about it . Mrs . Bird ordered her to go in and go up stairs , which she did , but could not get up very fast . There were marks or stripes on her shoulders , and bruises on her arms . I saw Mrs . Bird flog deceased once with a hazel rod across the shoulders . The rod was not very bi ° f . I did not hear whiit Mrs . Biro , said to her at the time , I saw Mr , Bird flog her one morning , about a week before Christmas . He flogged her with a " furze stub . " He struck her twice across the shoulders two heavy blows , in such a way as I should not like to be struck myself . When Bird

      struck her , he said , "What have yen been about that you ha ven' t lit the fire . '' The spectators were horrified at this stage of the proceedings by the production of the instrument of punishment ; it was a strong stick of about a foot in length , to which were fastened eighteen stout , sharp leather thongs , about two feet long . This formidable cat was capable of inflicting the most cruel laceration , as bad as the army whip , and worse than the cowhide of the American slave owner , and would not be used on a girl by any person possessed of the common feelings of humanity . Mart Bkanch , who went to Gawland to lay out the deceased , described the horrible appearance of tho corpse . From the ankle to the middle she was cut as if with a knife—some of the cuts large enough to lay her finger in . Iu the centre of the back and across the shoulders there were pieces of flesh cut

      out . Mr . C . TnuifER , surgeon , gave the following evi * dence : —Robert Bird came to me on Friday morning last to request that I would go to his house to see . a girl who had been living with him , and whom he had just taken from the union workhouse . I asked him what was the matter ? and he said the girl was dead . I then asked him if any medical man had seen her , and he replied , " No . " I said , "It is useless my going to see her ; you had better g ive notice of it to the constable and coroner , and , m all probability , an inquest will be held . " I didn't inquire into the particulars . In the evening the constable called to require my attendance at Gawland the next day to meet the coroner . I went

      there , and , on viewing a body in an upstair room , found it to . be . that of a givl of about fifteen yeavs of age , whose name I have since ascertained to be Mary Ann Parsons . The coroner was present when I viewed the body , but not at first . The female prisoner and the witness Branch were the only parties then present . The body having been stripped of the clothes in which it ! was enveloped , I imme » diately discovered several marks ^ bf , violence— -viz . an exterior bruise on the ' ariterior and superior left part of the head tofthe cheek ; -a'bruise with a sli ght abrasion on the cheek , bufcl cannot give an opinion as to how it occurred . It was sufficient to-have caused the death of , . deeeased , or , rather the blow that caused iti which ' was a recent one . There-was a bruise oh ' the chest just below the collar bene , aflt * on " the anterior parts of the legs and thighs there

      were wounds apparently inflicted by a biielu T& " waslho impression made on my mind immediately I saw them . . There was a large slough . on the right hip , and four small wounds apparently of oW date * varying in . size from balf-a-crown to a shilling , on tho posterior part of the hip . The -wounds on the back ha « t been inflicted at a differonk timo from the others ^ some of thorn were covered with ' piaster * and I cannot say . bji what means- they were occasioned . There were two bruises ,, not Tory , extensive * between the shoulders ; and there were abscesses on the upper and fore part of the left arm , but * cannot say how tfioy were produced . On the upP * ' part oftheright arm there was an abscess ., W ( nails jon ^ ho fingers of the left hand were gone , as » the tops , of . the ; fing ' ers ' had been frostbitten ! tw nails of the' first and " fourth"fingers ' had been gon ? about a-fortjhigbjtj ' aB new ones were coming } p ) w

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      ' ' " ********* f ^ & + *~********** scrjtliintf . Execution op Margaret Hamilton . —The unhappy woman was hanged on Thursday week in front of the Court-house , Glasgow , for . the crimes of forgery and murder . ' By eijjlit o'clock there were fully 20 , 000 persons present , a much smaller number than have been in the habit of attending similar spectacles in former times . About nine o ' clock on Wednesday night she requested Mr . Reid , the chaplain , to sing a certain paraphrase , in which she audibly joined . She then wrote a letter to her husband ; but towards midnight she became faint , and wholly unconscious . She revived a little through the attentions of Dr . Gibson , the surgeon of the prison , but never regained her firmness . Still , at the moment of her utmost

      weakness , she whispered the word innocent in the ear of the matron . About four in the morning her dress had to be put on , and while she lay on a couch this was done by the attendants , ' without the slightest help from the unhappy woman . So much had her appearance changed within a few hours that recognition became uncertain . When the executioner appeared to pinion her she quietly submitted , saying , " Don ' t make it tight to hurt me ; " but during'the operation the unhippy being seemed almost to be in a comatose state . At five minutes past eight a low moaning was heard from the narrow underground passage leading from the prison to the Coiirt-hsuse , and immediately the unhappy culprit was borne into the hall , supported in the arms of two of the prison

      officers , by whose assistance she slowly walked into the portico before which the scaffold stood , and ascended the gallows . While the executioner put the rope round her neck , and pulled the cap over her eyes , she whispered to him , " Do it with as little pain as you can , sir . " The officers then left the platform leaving the criminal standing alone on the drop . The chaplain was praying earnestly on the step behind her , and the executioner endeavouring once or twice to make her accept the signal handkerchief , but she either did not understand what the man meant , or would not take it . As she stood on the drop her body was observed to sway backwards and forwards

      and finally she fell back altogether , having evidently gone off in a swoon . She thus swayed into a recumbent position , supported by . the rope , while her feet partially rested on the drop . A momentary thrill of horror ensued - the cbaplin hastily descended , with the prayer unfinished—but the executioner in the next moment pulled the bolt , and the drop fell . The unhappy woman died almost instantly , haying evidently departed while in a state of insensibility . A slight motion of the limbs and hands was perceptible —and all was over . At five minutes before nine the body was cut down , after : hanging about forty mintes , and in the afternoon it was interred within the precincts of the prison ,

      Thkft at the Gai-lows Fooi . —Although , when compared with the metropolitan gatherings at a public execution , that of the immense concourse who on Thursday surrounded the seaffjld , and feasted themselves with the contemplation of a fellow creature ' s agonies , must be pronounced orderly and decorous , the character of those composing it was not above the average of that class from which such assembles are usually drawn . A number of professed thieves mixed with the crowd , and no doubt found many opportunities for the pursuit of their calling . One little fellow , young in years , but an old offender was caught in the act of picking a person ' s pocket of his handkerchief at the very time when the drop was about to fall , and the attention of those who could

      stand the sight was engrossed ay the doings on the sc ifFold . He was secured and conveyed to the police office instanter . In an hour aftewards he was brought before the sitting magistrate , and sentenced by him to the usual sixty days of imprisonment . Lird Jkfsrky vms buried on the 31 st u \ t ., and according to the desire of his relatives and the wish of deceased , the funeral was strictly of a private nature , as far as the public character of the deceased judge would allow . Notwithstanding this , however , alarge assemblage collected in the neighbourhood of Morayplace , and numerous groups were formed along the

      line which the mournful procession was expected to take , all evincing . by their demeanour profound regret at the loss which the public have sustained . Death op Mr . W . Lockhart . —Drowned in the Wannan , district of Port Philip , New South Wales , on the 3 rd of September last , William Mercer Lockhart , Esq ., fourth son of Robert Lockhart , Esq , of Castlehill , Lanarkshire . This humane and generous hearted young gentleman gallantly plunged into the river—then in flood—on his horse , for the praiseworthy purpose of saving an individual from drowning , but was unsuccessful , and unfortunately perished in his laudable attempt . __ . A _

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      + **********^^^* - * " ~ ' ** - * S ***** Stwami . Destitution in Clare . —We extract from a letter in the' Limerick and Clare Examiner the following harrowing picture of the present condition of the Kilrush union , as drawn by Mr . Major , the assistant-barrister , in the Court-house , on the 26 th ulfc ., during the hearing of some appeal cases . The remarks of the learned chairman , who is remarkable for the moderation and prudence of his conduct and opinions , ave thus reported in that journal : —•• There must be something radically wrong in the Kilrush union , for in every part of the country with which he was acquainted there were evident signs of rer ? turning prosperity , even in the worst parts of those Siistricts but in-this union their fellow-creatures

      were reduced to a condition unexampled in any time or country . The poor presented a spectacle of wretohedness that would be insupportable to the feelings of men , if they were not , as appeared to him , beginning to forget that these poorpeople were their fellow-creatures . In the whole course of my life ( said Mr . Major ) I never witnessed such patient agony . I protest that I thought the sufferings of the poor of this union beyond human endurance . " The Clare Examiner remarks that whilst the Assistant-Barrister thus spoke in the Court-house , in presence of several of the landlords and poor-law guardians , the coroner was holding an inquest in the Market-house on the body of a person named Bryan M'Mnhon ( the son of an evicted tenant ) , who ,

      it is stated , had lain for four days unburied within three hundred yards of the workhouse . That paper adds ;—" Evictions , destitution , and all will be cured by the summary process now going on . The mortality in the woiihouse there amounts to one hundred and twenty per month . " Even in some parts of Clare , according to . the testimony of Mr . Major , a most competent authority , tliero are manifest symptoms of impuovement , whilst KibAish , so notorious for those , wholesale evictions described by Sir ^ Robert'Peel , in . his memorable speeoh last session , is sinking deeper and deeper in destitution and bankruptcy , ' . ... . ; ' Anotubr'Drbadfdl Catastrophe in a Workhouse .

      —Twenty-seven Lives' Lost , —The Limerick ClironicU , of Thursday weok contains an account of a dreadful loss of life in the workhouse , in Clarestreet , in the city , on the . night before : — " Shortly after the inmates , 500 females , had retired to rest , a false alarm of fire . was . given by . one » f the women , whether with an , idle intention of causing annoyance , or by design , is , unkn 6 wn ; but socles trio was the panic created , thatalmost instantaneously the females on tho first loft leaped from their beds , and , in the darkness , rushed" in abody tofche staircase ; or ladder , leading from thaVpbrtiom of the building to the ground floor : Ultimately the paupors on the other Ion ' s congregated in the nar . *

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      row passage , when the laddeiubroke , and , numbers were precipitated to : the ground ^ fro m a , height of not more than-ten feet ; The scene thaVensuea is almost indiscribable—the shrieks from below induced those 'ahove to press moire eagerlytowards " the " stair-, ease , " and as they came to the verge of the passage , down they fell in crowds over each * other . ' For sometime all remonstrance was unavailing to dissuade the paupers from rushing headlong to ruin , and before the surprising nerve and exertion of the

      matron , Mrs . Sleflman , and assistant-master , Mr . O'Shau ' gbnessy , had effect , twenty-seven females were killed or rather suffocated , from falling on the top of each other . The number received into the hospital seriously injured , was twenty-eight , and of these there are three not expected to recover . ' No blame is attached to the officers of the institution , as the melancholy occurrence originated with the paupers themselves . " The funeral of the twentyseven unfortunate workhouse victims took place at Limerick on the evening of the 31 st ult . '

      EXTRAORDINARY SCENE IN TUE CORPORATION . — The quarter assembly of the Corporation of Dublin , held last week at the Royal Exchange , presented a remarkablo scene of excitement and tumult , on account of the opposition given by the Conservative party to Mr . Reynolds taking his seat as Lord Mayor . They contend that he has become disqualified by the decision of the Court of Queen ' s Bench , that ho has lost his qualification as a burgess , and that his name in consequence has been erased from the burgess-roll . The Lord Mayor camo in state , presided as usual , and attached his name to the minutes , declaring that ^ he has the advice of eminent counsel to sustain him . lie read the opinion of the Attorney-General on a case submitted to that right

      hon . gentleman , to the effect that no election for a , new Lord Mayor could take place until Mr . Reynolds was removed by quo warranto ; that meantime he might discharge the duties ; and that if he . were to appoint a deputy , or locum Uneni , such doputy would nod incur any penalty . The Lord Mayor , however , admitted that any informer might proceed by action in the superior courts for penalties , against him , and he was ready to test the legality of his conduct by meeting such actions . After nn angry and boisterous discussion , in which the Lord Mayor was warmly' supported by the majority of the council , a resolution was proposed by . Sir Timothy O'Brien , that the solicitors of the corporation should prepare a case for counsel , in order that a legal : opinion should be at once obtained with respect to the present position of the Town

      Council , consequent upon the decision of- the Queen ' s Benchi After another scene of confusion and wrangling , the corporation adjourned . State of Tipperary . —The Tipperary Vindicator states that : — " In one of the unions a vice-guardian has been arrested and lodged in Nenagh county prison for alleged debt ; whilst one of the collectors iippomted by the' vice-guardians was likewise arrested on the' day of his appointment for tho tame alleged reason . In the greater ; part of the hitherto rich and prosperous union of Thurles the misery of the poor is heartrending in the extreme . In the Bomsoleigh electoral division the poor are in a lamentable state ; outdoor roliof has ceased , with some few unimportant exceptions . Within the last four months rates amounting to 8 s . lid . in the pound have been made on the Borrisoleigh electoral division . "

      The PoLiiiCAli Convicts . —The Nation states that a letter has been received in Dublin announcing the safe arrival in Sydney Bay of Mr . John Martin , of Loughorne , and Mr . Kevin O'Doherty , ex-editor of the Tribune newspaper . The voyage occupied but three months , and during that time both " exiles " enjoyed excellent health and unimpaired spirits . : . ¦ - ¦ ' ¦ ¦ Incendiarism in Uisteb . —There are some further incendiary fires in the counties of Armagh and Down . One oi these occurred near Lurgan , and a letter from that town states that the peasantry refused to give assistance in extinguishing the fire , on the ground that the tenant hadfbeen dispossessed under circumstances of great hardship . There are

      compiajnta tnat some landlords are "invading the tenant-right , " long established by custom in the northern province , and the most vehement denunciations against a class of landlords have been uttered at some of the meetings of the tenantry . State or tub Cotjntbt . — " We regret extremely , " says a Drogheda journal , " that destitution is on the increase , and in Drogheda apparently to an alarming degree . The number of pauper applicants , however , are not natives of the town , not even residents of the union , but heart-stricken wretches driven out of the lands from which they drew their bread , in Cavan , Monaghan , Meath , and Louth .

      The Berry Standard says : — " The office houses belonging to a farm in the townland of Silverwood , lately in the occupation of Mr , John Gird wood , of Lurgan , were last week set fire to , and completely destroyed . An attempt was also made to burn the dwelling-house , in which was placed a care-taker ; but it failed , as is supposed , from the calmness of the morning . Mr . Gird wood had lately given up the premises and farm in consequence of the landlord , Major Fulton , having raised the rent on the expiration of the lease , and possession had been f iven to a tenant on the day before , who , however , id not intend-to remove to it for a few days . He hasnow expressed his determination not to take the place at all . Such was the feeling of the neighbouring tenants on the s ubject , that they refused to give the least assistance in subduing the flames , and would not even lend a tin can for that purpose .

      The Banner of Ulster , in mentioning some of the most pressing wants of the country , says : " Let us have a thorough system of industrial security established in Ireland , and a moderate poor law taxation will be sufficient , as agricultural employment will be universally created in exact proportion to the amount of . security guaranteed by the protecting statute . A really good system of poor laws might itself be made a tolerably efficient instrument Of agricultural " protection , " if ourrulera and our legislators had public honesty sufficient to prompt its adoption . For this purpose , it would be necessary only to establish the English law of settlement—to re-enact the former clause , imposing a check upon rack-renting as compared with a stan . dard valuation based upon equitable principles , and then to make every landlord ' a separate estate chargeable with the maintenance of its own local

      poor . Were these simple provisions adopted , really good landlords would enjoy the advantages of their own generosity , while men of another stamp would be forced ^ to the practice of virtue in self-defence , or elstf—just to take the consequences . All accounts concur in stating that the Protectionist agitation has been productive of the worst state of feeling amongst the tenantry in various parts of the country , especially in the northern province ; and incendiary outrages afford lamentable evidence of the commencement , in that hitherto tranquil province , of that alienation between the owners and occupiers oi the land which led to such a deplorable system of crime in the southern counties . As yet , fortunately , this pernicious spirit has made little perceptible progress in Ulster ; nnd there is no likelihood that it can spread to any serious extent , unless through the ' most gross mismanagement and infatuation on the part of the landlords themselves ..

      The Lord Mator ' s Case . — -A meeting of the friends or' the Lord Mayor was held at the Mansion llouse , on Monday , for the purpose of considering what course should be adopted by his lordship in consequence of the recent decision of the Court of Queen ' s Bench . Resolutions were passed to the effect that the proceeding ! which have resulted in the removal of his lordship ' s name from the burgess-roll I'had their origin in private pique and enmity , and in that fell spirit of bigotry and sectarian partisanship ; which , from time to time , ha * entailed so many miseries on this country , " and that they were determined to aid his lordship by every ligitimate means to overcome the " unprecedented and malevolent

      attempt' now making , to oppress andembarrass him . Upwards of £ 250 were collected at the meeting . , Repeal Association , —The usually weekly meeting of the association was held at Conciliation Hall on Monday , Mr . S . Law presided . Mr . John OConnell addressed the meeting at great length upon a variety of topics . In allusion to the Queen's Speech , he said ' not a word occurs in it , or in the speeches of Ministers , from which we can augur good for this' country . " In announcing the rent for the week , which was £ 7 . 10 s . 8 d . Mr . O'Connell said"It is very Iowj and I confess I am rather glad that it should , at this early period of the year ,. he low , in order that it may catch the attention of the people , and rouse them to the necessity of exertion .

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      Destruction op Books . — The destruction of books at various times exceeds all calculation . The earliest fact , of record is related by Berosus : Nabonassav , who becamoking of Babylon 747 years beforethie Christian era , caused all the histories of the kings , his predecessors , to be destroyed ; five hundred years later , Chioang Ti , Emperor of China , ordered , all the books in tho empire to be burnt , excepting only those which treated of the history of his family , of astrology and of medicine . In the infancy of Christianity . manjf libraries were annihilated in various parts of the Roman empire ; Pagans and Christians being equally unscrupulous iH destroying thok respective : books . . In 890 the

      magnificent library contained in the temple of Scrajpis was , pillaged and , entirely dispevsed . Myriads of books have been burnt in' the frequent conflagrations- of Constantinople ; and when the Turkish troops took possession of Cairo , in the eleventh century , the books in the , library of the . Caliphs . ( 1 , 600 , 000 / volumes ) , were . distributed among the soldiers , instead of pay "At a pvice , " says ' the historian , ' . " far below their value . " Thousands ' of the volumes were torn to pieces and abandoned'On the : outskirts of the-city , piled in large heaps ; - The ? sand of ,,, the ¦ ' , Desert ^ having been drifted o a these heaps , ^ hey , retained , their position for many years , - and . were known as " the i ' Ula ' of books , ¦ ¦ .. t ..

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      ® t ) e proninccz . Another Savings Bask Robbery . —The Hull Savings Bank appears to have been in the bands of a dishonest ncutuary , and the accounts are now in course of examination . So far , as that examination has been conducted from the present' time , to the year 1 S 39 , the inquiry has revealed fraudulent entrie ? amounting , we are informed , to £ 2 , 580 . This is the whole extent of ftaudulent entries yet ascertained , but it appears from the published accounts , that the claims of the depositors amount to £ 351 , 56616 s . lid .

      The Bank ' s investment in government securities is £ 346 , 166 3 s . 10 d ., and the cash in its treasurer's hands £ 1 , 780 , making a total of £ 347 , 946 3 s . lOd . The actual deficiency therefore appears to be £ 3 , 620 13 s . id . very fortunately the bank has a surplus fund of £ 3 , 450 , and holds security from the late actuary for £ 2 , 000 , and therefore thefundsof the bank are more than sufficient to cover the liabilities . But nevertheless it does appear extraordinary that defalcations to these large amounts can have been going on year after year without detection . To say the least , there must have been great laxity in the management . —Yorkshire Gazette . "

      Send them to ; the Ragged School . —Last week J . Gilmore and M . Mattimore , two . ragged boys , were charged before the magistrates , at Sunderland , vith having been found begging . Ordered to be sent to the Ragged School . Mr . Can dish , secretary to the Ragged School , who was present , addressed the bench to the effeet that the committee , being of opinion that juvenile mendicancy was productive of great moral evil , would be glad to receive all the children found begging . in town into , the Ragged School . The magistrates concurred in the opinion , and the police were ordered to send all children found begging for the future to the Ragged School . Cholera siili . continues to infest some bf the colliery villages in South Durham . Seven deaths occurred in South Church last week from tlu ' 3 disease , and three or four in Bishop Auckland . ' .

      Supposed iHcKNDiARr Fire , near KoVston . — A dreadful fire occurred on Saturday last at Ash well , near Baldock , supposed to be the act of an incendiary . Several farms were burnt down and a number of cottages ; and damage down , to the amount of £ 10 , 000 and upwards . A high wind added much to the conflagation , which it was painful in the extreme to behold . People seem at a loss to account for the act of the villain , as there is not a single able-bodied man in the union , nor has there been during the winter , all the labourers Laving been well employed .

      Game Latv Vengeance . —At the ; Ashendon petty sessions on the 1 st instant , Jesse Andrews , a labourer of Westcott , who was brought . up by warrant , wa * charged , by George Griffin , gamekeeper for the Rev . George'tlhetwode , of Chil ton-house , before Messrs . . Bernard and Martyn , with having on . the morning of the 22 nd ult . been armed and in pursuit of game , in Grove-wood , Wotton , the property of the . Marquis of Chandos . The prisoner was defended b y Mr . Jones , solicitor , Aylesbury . Joseph -King and ; Robert : and Thomas .: liine ,: watchers for , the ? above reverend gentleman , provedthe charge . Itiappeared' the accused wbb found with a gun and a pheasant ; on him . The magistrates committed him to Aylesbury Gaol

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      for- three months' impr isonment in the . House of Correction , and ' retired him at the . expiration of that time to enter into his cosurety in £ 10 , and to find twosureties . in , £ 10 each , or one in jS 20 , for hi 8 good conduct for twelve months , and in . default , of his so doing . to be imprisoned for a further term of six months . . . . ' .. ' . ^ Aylesbury Savings Bank Robbery . — The defalcations of the savings bank may now be said to have reached a sum approaching to £ 1 , 000 .. The examination of the books exhibited an utter want of caro on the part of those who it is supposed would

      have paid greater attention to their own business . In some instances blank cheques must have been signed by patties withdrawing a part of their deposits ; and gome who supposed their amount at the bank to have been reduced by withdrawing a sum of £ 5 ., find , to their disappointment , that the cheques they have signed have been filled up for £ 45 , the lager amount having been-withheld and apppro priated by Stratton , who on many occasions must have had narrow escapesof detection , as the purloining of bank deposits by him may be traced as far back as the year 1 S 45 ,

      Mcbdkb of Two Children by their Mother - —Exeter , Monday . —Yesterday morning , public attention and horror was excited by the rumour that a woman had murdered two of her children by throwing them into the canal , and had attempted the life of a third in : the same way . From inquiries instituted this movning the following information relative to the sad affair has been obtained : —The prisoner , Elizabeth Bradford , is the wife of a carpenter arid joiner , living in Wood ' s-court , Summerland-street . On Saturday afternoon , Mrs . Curry , a friend of the family , which consisted of the prisoner , her husband , and three children , called and took the children with her to her apartments in Gastle-street . They were aged respectively about eight , six , nnd four years ,

      the youngest being a boy , called James , and the two elder ones the deceased , named Elizabeth and Harriett . Between six and seven in the evening the prisoner came and took them away . She did not remain more than a minute or two , but Mrs . Curry observed that she looked very much agitated , and therefore iffered to accompany her home . ; . Mrs . Bradford refused , saying , " I know , you are very poorly and you shan'tcome with me . " AfewmibuLes before eighth person named Edmund Palmer , an assistant to Mr . George Cooper , Fore-street , who lives on the Haven Banks , was returning home from his wort , and when he had arrived at the first drawbridge on the canal , lie heard a splash in the water , lie proceeded onto the drawbridge and then heard the cry of a child . He called out for assistance , and a woman came up , apparently from the bank , which

      is lower than the bridge , and said , " that is my dear child—myponr Jemmy . " Palmer obtained a light , from a neighbouring house , and returned to the spot . The child was still floating . He held out his umbrella , ' and told the child to catch holdof . it , which the little fellow did , and was thereby saved . Mr , Lyddon , a surgeon , attended upon him , and he soon recovered . The mother was taken into custody on the spot ; but , upon the recommendation of Mr . Lyddon , she was taken home . It was not then known that she IM three children with her ; but as soon as the police ascertained that the two girls were missing , they proceeded early yesterday morning to drag the river and can » l . Inspector Stuckes discovered the body of the youngest girl '' floating very

      near the drawbridge , on the canal side , and the body of the other was found in the basin , or wet dock ; so that it seems probable the eldest girl was pushed or fell into the water at a different spot . It is said that the poor woman had been in a great deal of trouble . The house , in "Wood ' s-court , had been left to her by her father , and she came with _ her husband from London a short time ago ; but since their residence in Exeter he had little or no work , in consequence of which they had suffered great privations . ' The house was agreed to be sold to her brother , whose name is Gandy , a letter carrier in the Exeter Post-office . After the deeds were drawn some dispute had arisen ,

      and proceedings were threatened . On the way to the station house , the prisoner frequently-exclaimed against her brother , "Oh , my tre&cherous brother , and that wretch" ( meaning her brother ' s wife . ) Yesterday she said the bailiffs were coming to take all her things , and it was owing to distress that she did it . There seems little d'ubt of her being quite insane , and the precaution of keeping a female turnkey always with her has been very properly adopted . At eleven o ' clock this morning this case was brought before the Exeter magistrates by Mr . Steele , the superintendent of police , and it was decided to hand it over to the magistrates of the county , as the bodies were found in the county .

      Proposed Third Trial on one Ciiabge . —The Shropshire Conservative says : — " Mercy Newton still continues an inmate of our county gaol , under the charge of having murdered her mother , at Bridgnorth , in 1348 . A memorial has , however , been presented to the Secretary of State for the Home Department , praying that the prisoner who has been twice tried at our assizes for the supposed offence , Ehould not again bo put upon her trial , the coroner ' s juries and two crown juries haying been discharged without finding her guilty . The memorial has been signed by no le ? s than 220 of the most ^ respectable residents in , and near , Bridgnorth . It is signed by the mayor , and the whole of the council ( with the exception of Mr . Newall , the eximayor , and one

      other ;) by two , out of three , of the committing magistrates , and many others of the magistracy ; by the whole of the medical profession ( except those who were witnesses for the prosecution ;) by the whole legal profession ( except the solicitor for the prosecution and magistrates clerk ;) and indeed by almost every person of note and standing in the town . The result of this application is not yet known , but we do hope this poor creature will not be suffered to undergo a third trial , she has already been tortured enough , and her long imprisonment has been sufficient punishment lor any unfilial acts of her past life . We do not see why Mercy Newton should be written to the scaffold when such an eminent work as Taylor's Medical Jurisprudence is opposed to the judgment of Dr . Wright and

      another , who never saw the body of the deceased , and when riot one of the medical witnesses had ever seen a body burnt after death . As doctors differ , it would be rather a stretch of fancy to strangle a woman on the scaffold merely to give a triumph to , the medical men on one side or the other . With tlie fact on itcoid of the coroner's jury and two crown juries not having convicted , we think it very unlikely that a third or fourth jury can be found to consign a woman to death on such verj weak circumstantial evidence as was produced by the prosecution at both trials . If there is a grain of suspicion as to her guilt , there is a mountain of circumstances to proclaim her innocence . God and the prisoner only know the truth ; there is no evidence on which it would be safe to convict . " :

      Destruction of the Village of . Ashwell by Fibe . —A correspondent of the Standard writes : — A circumstance more direful in its results than any which has transpired in this locality during my recollection occurred about midnight on Saturday last . About one-third of the neighbouring village ( Ashwell , Herts , ) is reduced to ashes ( supposed to be the work of an incendiary ) , and hundreds of its rural inhabitants are rendered houseless , and turned adrift upon the world . The fire commenced upon the premises of Mr . Thomas Chapman , a highly respectable farmer ; but owing t © the wind blowing

      strongly , it spread with astonishing rapidity for more than a quarter of a mile , until there was nothing more in that direction to feed it . A few houses only are left standing on the south side of the main street , and from thence to the back street nothing appears but a mass of ruins . Six or seven farm premises are burnt , as also the Independent meeting and the minister ' s residence . We are happy to find that the school , in the erection of which the vicar and his amiable daughters took such an interest , was preserved . The damage is estimated , at the very lowest , at £ 10 , 000 .

      Suicide and Infanticide . —Great excitement has been created at Bath by the death of a man named Edmund Francis Hunt , who destroyed his own life and that of his child , a little girl two years and a half old . The unfortunate man was a plasterer , about thirty-seven years of age , living in Cornwallterrace , "Walcot-street , and his house abuts upon the river Avon . He-was a steady , industrious man , and had been in the service of his master upwards of twenty years . ' His wife , however , had several times been convicted of shoplifting , and the poor fellow in consequence has undergone much mental suffeiing . Upon the last occasion of his wife ' s delinquency becoming known , three or four months ago , lie declared tnat if ever she so disgraced him again he should be induced to destroy himself . On Saturday

      night last , as the deceased was returning home , he was informed by a neighbour that his wife was again apprehended for shoplifting . He hastened home , took his favourite child out of bod , and wns seen no more alive . On the Sunday morning tho river was dragged , and the body of tbe unfortunate man was pulled up about fifty yards below his own house . His arms were folded over his chest as if embracing something . The wator was vory flush at the time , and the child must have been swilled out of her father ' s arms , the body being on Monday discovered in the river eighteen miles , below the spot where the sad catastrophe happoned . The jury returned a verdict '' That tho deceased drowned himself whilst labouring under temporary insanity . " The wife has been committed-on the Charge oi shoplifting , ; ¦ . ¦ ¦

      Murder op a . Gamekeeper at Horncastlb . '—In the nei g hbourhood of Itoughtbn , a short distance from this place , Richard Taskor , a ' gamewatcher , in theserviceof of the Rev . J . Dymoke , was murdered by a gang of poachers early on the morning of Saturday last . Neither the deceased , ! nor bis two companions' who were with him , ' were able to recognise any of the party . The police , however ] are on the ' alert , and ifris believed they have obtained some trace" of them . ' ""' , ' " ] ' . ; , ¦•¦ ;; ¦ ¦ '; . •' ¦ Providential .. Escape . —On Tuesday ' morning , about six o ' clock , the inmates of the Craven Arms Hotel , Coventry , were alarmed by tho cry of " Fire , "

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      - „ ' . THE yjQRg mMyWHSfAR SHT ' •' . . ; FiBBciBT ^ 18 gQ .

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Feb. 9, 1850, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1560/page/6/