1830.] 



Leicestershire, Herts, Gloucestershire, &jc. 



135 



part of the building is erected. The whole, when 

 completely finished, will occupy an area of two 

 acres, with four entrances to the principal streets. 



LEICESTERSHIRE. We have to congratulate 

 the public on the opening of the Bagworth colliery, 

 which took place on Thursday. The coal is of an 

 excellent quality, and is likely to prove very bene- 

 ficial to the neighbouihood when the new railway 

 (which will pass near Bagworth) is finished. A 

 beautiful steam-engine of 130-horse power has been 

 erected at the colliery. Leicester Paper. 



HERTS. A Savings' Bank at Hertford, which, 

 12 months ago, had invested in Government securi- 

 ties upwards of 12.000/., has, at this moment, only a 

 balance in hand of a little more than 240?. ! It is 

 computed, that out of 490 labourers and artisans, 

 who, at the period we are alluding to, were getting 

 a living, and " laying by for a rainy day in the 

 Savings' Bank at Hertford," more than four-fifths 

 are now reduced to a state of pauperism ! ! ! 



GLOUCESTERSHIRE. The pulpits of our se- 

 veral churches were on Sunday last most success- 

 fully devoted to the cause of that excellent institu- 

 tion, the Female Orphan Asylum. The result of 

 the collections was as follows : St. Mary's Church, 

 66?. 5s. 7d.; Trinity Church, 501. 15s. 6d.; St. John's 

 Church, 411. 6s. 7d. We believe the rules of this 

 charity are well known ; but, for the information of 

 strangers, it may be just added, that Candidates are 

 eligible from all parts of the kingdom, and that 

 children deprived of either father or mother are ad- 

 mitted to the benefits of the establishment. Chel- 

 tenham Chronicle, June 17. 



WILTSJune 9, the farmers of the parish of 

 Oaksey, agreed to reduce the wages of the Female 

 Haymakers from tenpence to ninepence per day, 

 which caused general dissatisfaction among them ; 

 some of whom assembled next morning at the bel- 

 fry, and tolled the bell ! Their numbers soon in- 

 creased to between 60 and 70 ; when a " resolution 

 was passed," that they would not return to their work 

 till the old price of tenpence per day should be ob- 

 tained from their employers ! 



BUCKS We have to record another instance of 

 the fatal effects of the abominable system of prize- 

 fighting, which, to the eternal disgrace of the Le- 

 gislature, has so long been permitted. A great fight 

 took place near the village of Hanslope in Buck- 

 inghamshire, for 200?. a side, between Simon Byrne, 

 an Irishman, and Alexander M'Kay, a Scotchman. 

 The latter, who lost the fight, was most cruelly 

 beaten. He received many heavy blows about the 

 left temple ; and his face was so frightfully cut and 

 disfigured, that the features were lost in a confused 

 mass of gore and bruises ! He was bled in the ring, 

 but was totally insensible ; and he died the next 

 day ! Byrne is in custody.* 



* Another young man named King has also been 

 killed in " a pitched battle." To this murderous 

 catalogue is also to be added a third fatal termi- 

 nation of one of these brutal encounters, which 

 took place at Apperley (Gloucestershire) between 

 W. Palmer and T. Wintle, which ended in the 

 death of the latter. When will these diabolical 

 atrocities be put an end to ? When will the opulent 

 persons (noblemen ! and gentlemen !) who disgrace 

 the character of the nation by being present at these 

 fights be apprehended and made examples of? Mr. 

 Chambers, the magistrate of Union Hall, in refer- 

 ence to the late fatal battle between the Irish and 

 Scotch Champions, expressed himself disposed to 

 send some of these wealthy patrons of boxing to the 

 treadmill ! ! } 



OXFORDSHIRE.June 2, the Oxfordshire 

 Agricultural Society held their Anniversary for 

 distribution of Prizes, &c. on the premises of Mr. 

 Davey at Dorchester. Colonel Tilson (the Pre- 

 sident), the two County Members, and other gen- 

 tlemen of the county were present ; and about 100 

 dined in Mr. Davey's large barn,* whiclvwas neatly 

 fitted up for the occasion. The day passed with 

 great conviviality, several good songs were sung, 

 and some interesting speeches on agricultural sub- 

 jects were spoken by different members on their 

 healths being drank. At the dinner it was sug- 

 gested that the anniversary meeting should be held 

 alternately at Dorchester, Woodstock, Banbury, 

 and Witney, in future. 



WORCESTERSHIRE. A valuable stratum of 

 rock salt has been recently discovered at Stoke Prior, 

 within a few miles of Droitwich, where brine-pits 

 have been worked for many centuries. The process 

 of boring for brine was going on in an enclosure of 

 about six acres, the property of Mr. Farden. When 

 at the depth of 100 yards, the workmen unexpect- 

 edly met with several veins of rock salt, and, after 

 penetrating a few yards lower, they came to a con- 

 tinuous stratum of that valuable mineral. The 

 stratum has been bored to the extent of ten yards, 

 and so far it is ascertained to be solid ; and it is 

 imagined that the rock is of a much greater depth, 

 and spreads over a wide field. The quality of the 

 rock is excellent. 



WAR WICKS HIRE.The Dissenters of Bir- 

 mingham have had a meeting on that part of the 

 bill for regulating the Birmingham Free Grammar 

 School which enacts that " no person shall be 

 elected a governor who is not a member of the Es- 

 tablished Church of England." They determined 

 to oppose this obnoxious clause, and it has been 

 done with effect, for it has since been taken out of 

 the Bill ; and in consequence of a subsequent meet- 

 ing of the Inhabitants, a petition to Parliament has 

 been voted, specifying, " That it seems highly ex- 

 pedient that the Bill should be withdrawn for the 

 present session" and the House of Lords have ad- 

 journed its consideration. 



SHROPSHIRE. By the abstract of the accounts 

 of the trustees of the Srewsbury streets, it appears 

 that the sum of 23,128?. "is. 8d. has been paid from 

 June, 1821 , to August, 1829, for improving, lighting, 

 watching, &c. the streets of that town. 



NORFOLK. On opening a bridge recently, con- 

 nected with the stupendous undertaking which is 

 now going on in this county, Colonel Harvey said, 

 " they had met to open a bridge which would re- 

 main for ages a splendid monument of the skill and 

 judgment of their engineer, exceeding in magnitude, 

 by several feet, not only the span of that at St. Ca- 

 tharine's Dock, but of any in the kingdom." We 

 are further told, in the detail of the proceedings of 

 the day, that in less than two short months, a lock 

 capable of receiving the largest class of His Majes- 

 ty's frigates will be finished, and in less than six 

 months the communication with the sea will be 

 completed ! 



MONMOUTHSHIRE. The extensive tract of 



* That a barn should have been chosen for such 

 a dinner as this, and for such a place as Oxford, 

 has, it seems, surprised many of its friends and 

 supporters ; who have hinted the propriety of hold- 

 ing the anniversary meeting, and the distribution 

 of prizes and the dinner to take place in the Town, 

 Hall. 



