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water by persons who are particularly conversant with the track, though, at the best, it is a hazardous undertaking. In the present instance, it proved fatally disastrous to the whole party. Whether they were actually surrounded by the tide, or, missing their proper direction, had inadvertently suddenly plunged into deep water, we are not precisely informed; but the man, woman, and child, with the horse, were all drowned. When the Flint boat passed up to Chester, on Friday morning, the horse was seen floating on the water; the body of the infant was found in the course of the day, but we have not heard whether the bodies of the parents have been discovered.

22. The officers of the customs seized in our harbour, having contraband goods on board, the Dutch dogger, Nieu Hoop, Gysbert Ver Does, commander, from Rotterdam, of sixty tons burden, and eleven men. She came in here a few days before for the purpose of being caulked; and the discovery was made by the custom-house boatmen, who, in patrolling the quay early in the morning, observed a boat astern of the vessel, with two men, putting casks into her, which turned out to be geneva. The vessel was immediately seized, and her crew marched to prison. She was then found to have on board eight herring barrels, and four half barrels of tobacco; four barrels and two half barrels of tea; four bags of tobacco; and five jars and twenty-two tubs of geneva. In order to land these contraband goods, the vessel was on Wednesday brought up to the custom-house, when Mr. Wilson, 1821.

the tide surveyor, and the crew of the custom-house boat, discovered upwards of 100 more tubs of geneva, artfully concealed under the ceiling, and in various parts of the vessel; indeed, it was so fitted for this illicit traffic, that, notwithstanding the strictness of their search, they found they had next morning still further discoveries to make, as they then brought great part of the seizure from places they never suspected, to the number of other 200 tubs nearly; so that the quantity of goods taken on the whole was 322 half, and thirty-one whole ankers or tubs of geneva, about 500lb. of tobacco, and 250lb. of tea--Aberdeen Chronicle.

Same day, an instance of the predilection of rats for strong ale occurred to an inn-keeper of this place. He had, about six weeks ago, placed on the floor of an old malt kiln a thirty pint cask of ale, to bring it to a fit state for bottling. To his astonishment, on going to the cask, he found it nearly empty, and was at no loss to discover the depredators, for the cork was nibbled away to a small shell, which only remained in the cask. The inn-keeper, on going into an adjoining granary, had frequently seen the rats in merry groups, frisking and gamboling about, but never dreamt that they had made themselves groggy with his nappy ale. They had the sagacity to make a small hole at first, and to enlarge it as required, for it did not appear as if any of the ale had dropped on the floor.-Stirling Journal.

24. A barbarous murder was perpetrated this morning at Highgate. The victim was an old man, eighty-two years of age, named (1) Edward

Edward Sell, who had been many years a private watchman to Thomas Hale, esq. a gentleman residing in Hornsey-lane, Highgate. He was found about six o'clock on Friday morning, lying with his face on the ground, in the toolhouse in Mr. Hale's yard, the place in which he sat to watch during the night. His head was beaten with a blunt and also a sharp cutting instrument. There were eight mortal wounds on his head, neck, and face, and every one of his ribs had been broken. One of his ears was cut to shreds. His jaw bone was broken.

Same day at midnight, a most awful fire broke out in the factory of Messrs. Humphries and son, opposite the south parade, Frome. Upon the first alarm the inhabitants assembled in great numbers, and notwithstanding their exertions with four engines, the whole building, with all its machinery and stock within, was totally destroyed. The body of fire that issued from the premises, which were situate on an eminence, was so great as to throw an intense light on every house in the town, and to be seen at Newbury, in Berkshire, a distance of fifty miles. The heat was to that degree, that the leaves and fruit on the trees exposed to it, for nearly 100 yards in front, were partly dried up. Not more than 8001. of the property was insured; and about 200 industrious hands are deprived of employment. Some suspicion having arisen that it was wilfully set on fire, a general meeting of the inhabitants has been since held, and a reward of of 2001. offered, besides 501. by Messrs. Humphries, and 601. by the workmen in the employ of

Messrs. Sheppard, in that town, for the discovery of the incendiary. We learn that three men were apprehended on suspicion, and underwent a long examination before the magistrates, on Wednesday evening; they were ordered to be brought up again to-day.

25.-The following remarkable occurrence took place near Tockington, Glocestershire. A heavy fall of small shells, of the snail species, was observed, which covered the surface of a field of about three acres, to the depth of nearly an inch. The shells are streaked, and about the size of a pea.

27.-A fire of a very singular but alarming description was occasioned at Canewdon, Essex, from the following circumstance: A person who held in his hand a burning glass, directed a child to put a piece of paper against a barn, upon which he brought the sun's rays to bear in a manner which set the paper on fire, when that part of the barn being much covered with moss, the blaze was communicated to the thatch; and the barn, with a stable adjoining, were thus totally consumed. The Rochford engine arrived on the spot shortly after, but owing to some defect, it was rendered useless.

The inhabitants of Whitechapel have, within the last day or two been thrown into the greatest dismay and alarm, on account of a Mr. Edward Wild, clerk to Messrs. J. and E. Cohen, merchants, Great St. Helen's, having been waylaid and most inhumanly murdered on Friday night last. The particulars are these:-Mr. Wild was in the habit of carrying considerable sums of money about him, and generally left the counting-house at St. Helen's about

eight o'clock at night, to go home to his house in Union-crescent, opposite Sion chapel, where he has resided for many years. On Friday night last he left at the usual hour, and proceeded homewards. On his arrival in Unioncrescent, which was at about halfpast eight o'clock, he passed a man who was standing on the curb-stone, about the distance of twenty yards from his house. Mr. Wild had no sooner passed him than he received a tremendous blow on the back of the head, either with a bludgeon or some other weapon, from which Mr. Wild fell to the ground quite insensible. On recovering his senses, he found himself surrounded by three men, who offered their services to assist him home, which they did, and then left him. Mr. Wild complained of his head, and related the above particulars of the atrocious affair to his wife. He was put to bed, and several professional persons were sent for, and notwithstanding the utmost medical care, he died about two hours after. It was evident the murderers were alarmed, as the pockets of the unfortunate gentleman were untouched. Information was given at the police-office in Lambethstreet, and Miller, Freeman, and Foster, were despatched in search of the perpetrators. Mr. Wild has left a wife and three young children to bewail his loss.

A short time since, as Mr. and Mrs. Stephens, of Cirencester, were walking on the banks of the canal, the former accosted a labourer, with whom he entered into conversation, whilst his wife walked forward. He afterwards followed her, and his grief and as

tonishment may be easily imagined on reaching a point of the canal, where he expected to join her, to find some labouring men actually dragging out of the water a corpse, the beloved partner of his age. It is supposed that Mrs. Stephens had left the path to look at the plan of a swing bridge, which is to be placed over the canal at this spot, and being seized with sudden giddiness, had fallen on her head into the water-and life became instantly extinct.

A curious and beautiful plant, Cactus Hexagonus, or six angled Torch Thistle, was in full bloom during the night, recently, in the green-house, at Chapel-house near Bury; its corolla began to expand at six o'clock in the evening, and gradually closed at the same hour on the following morning; it is a native of Surinam, and is seldom known to flower in this country; but experience has shown it may be greatly accelerated by a free exposure to the sun and air during hot and dry weather: the present plant is seven feet high, and supposed to be about thirty years growth.

That very rare and beautiful bird, the cross-bill (loxia curvi rostra) has been seen at West Felton, Shropshire, during the last month, in a flight of about eighteen to twenty, alighting on the tops of pine trees and larch; the cone of which it opens with adroit neatness, holding it in one claw, like a parrot, and picking out the seeds. They are of various colours, brown, green, yellow, and crimson, and some entirely of the most lovely rose colour; hanging and climbing in fanciful attitudes, and much resembling a group of small paroquets. Their unusual note first (I 2) attracted

attracted attention somewhat like the quick chirp of linnets, but much louder. The observer had repeated opportunities of viewing them with the greatest facility and advantage, by means of a small telescope. They also eat excrescent knobs, or the insects therein formed by the cynips, at the ends of the young spruce branches. These birds are natives of Germany and the Pyrenees; and are very rarely seen in England.

An occurrence of rather a curious nature has lately taken place at Dormont, in the parish of Dalton, Scotland. A chicken, about three weeks ago, was missing, and for several days could not be found. It was at length discovered in the company of two partridges, who, it appears, not having any brood of their own, have taken the little wanderer under their protection. The foster parents seem to have all the affection for the nursling they could have had for their own offspring; for when any one goes too near them, they are observed to flutter, scream, and practice all the other arts of deceit to elude pursuit.

The extraordinary and accomplished Polish dwarf, Count Bouwlaski, is still living; and is now in the 82d year of his age. He resides in a neat cottage near Durham, for which he is indebted to the prince bishop of that diocess, enjoys an annuity of about 3001. a year, and is frequently a promenader through the streets of that city.

The royal academicians have liberally determined to form a collection of the finest works of the old masters, which are to be placed in the painting room of the royal academy for the improvement of the students.

FRANCE.

An interesting report on the state of the French navy has been presented by the minister of marine to the chamber of deputies. From this document it appears, that seventy-six vessels have been armed, and stationed in different parts of the world, for the protection of commerce, the abolition of the traffic in slaves, and for the prevention of contraband trade. They have a naval force in the Antilles, in the Gulph of Mexico, at Cayenne, Newfoundland, the coast of Africa, at the Isle of Bourbon, in the Levant, and the Mediterranean, as well to keep up their communications with Corsica, the states of Italy, and the coast of Barbary, as for the coral fishery. Other vessels cruise near the coast of America, in both oceans. These seventy-six vessels employ 10,000 seamen, and carry 1029 guns. They consist of three ships of the line, eleven frigates, and vessels of smaller classes.

The French papers bring accounts from Madrid, one of which mentions that the king and queen had returned to that capital on the 3rd inst.; that his majesty had published an order of the day, declaring how pleased he was with the acclamation of long live the "constitutional king;" and that a sort of infernal machine had exploded while the royal carriage was passing along the street, but had been contrived so awkwardly as to do no mischief. Two men were taken up on the presumption of being implicated in this criminal enterprise.

19. A melancholy catastrophe has carried desolation into the family of the marshal prince d'Eckmuhl.

d'Eckmuhl. His eldest daughter, who last year married M. Vigier, jun. proprietor of the baths on the Seine, was happily delivered of a son, eight days ago, at the chateau de Savigny, department of the Seine and Oise. Her health was in a very favourable state, and there was every reason to hope for her prompt recovery. On Sunday, the 19th instant, her young sister swallowed a pin, which after long and painful efforts, was extracted. In the mean time, an imprudent person ran with a countenance betraying great terror, and informed madame Vigier of the disaster, which caused so sudden and violent a revulsion of nature, that in two hours, notwithstanding every professional aid, she expired. She had not attained the age of eighteen.Paris paper.

GERMANY.

nounce provisionally for six years, their right to a special verification of all cargoes on board of vessels which have passed either of the Prussian offices of verification at Muhlberg or at Wittenberg. Points remaining to be settled will undergo discussion by another commission which is to sit at Hamburgh in the year 1823.

ITALY.

The king of Naples, by a royal decree, has re-established the order of the jesuits in the kingdom of Naples. The order had previously been restored to Sicily, and intrusted with the education of the island. The fate of this order is as singular within these few years as it was when possessing more power, it excited more attention. It was established in Russia within these few years by the imperial Alexander, and again proscribed. In Naples it was proscribed by a usurper, and restored by a legitimate king.

SWEDEN.

Gottenburgh, Aug. 15.

"In the night between the 12th and the 13th, a fire broke out in an eating-house of the suburb Masthuget, and the surrounding houses being built of wood, it spread with so much fury and rapidity, that within eight hours eighty-one dwellings were destroyed, and 849 persons deprived of shelter. The heat of the conflagration rendered assistance almost impossible, yet the efforts to save the great magazine of timber have been successful: the misfortune would otherwise have been incalculable. Some houses surrounded by trees have escaped, though in the midst of the flames."

According to the letters from Hamburgh of the 17th instant, the commission appointed to prepare the new regulations for the navigation of the Elbe, which has been for three years sitting at Dresden, has terminated its labours. Its resolutions have not been published, but they are understood to recommend, that the number of custom-houses on that river be reduced from twenty-seven to sixteen. The city of Magdeburgh is to be deprived of its stapleright. Hanover will be allowed to retain the custom-house at Stadt or Brunshausen, on the ground that it is a sea and not a river establishment; but that state has given a pledge never to raise the duties there, and also to suppress the other custom-house at Hilzacker. Saxony, Hanover, The restrictions imposed on the Denmark, and Mecklenburg, re- press in Prussia are of the most

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