454 



Provincial Occurrences : Hants, Wills, 



[APRIL-, 



HANTS AND SUSSEX. 



A portion of the clilf at Hastings has fallen 

 down by the operation of the frost. 



The Diamond, one of the finest frigates in his 

 Majesty's service, was lately burnt to the water's 

 edge, in Portsmouth harbour. She had lately re- 

 turned from South America, under the command of 

 Lord Napier, had gone through a thorough repair, 

 and was placed in ordinary, fit for immediate ser- 

 vice. Fortunately, no lives were lost. 



Portsmouth, filarch 3. Considerable curiosity 

 having been exdited by an account of the landing 

 at this port of the skeleton of a" real mermaid," 

 I was induced to examine the subject in question. 

 I have no doubt that it is the bony fabric of an 

 animal called the Dugong, a native of the Indian 

 seas, and regarded by many of the natives of the 

 different islands as a Royal nsh ; the peculiar form 

 of the head, more especially the lower jaw, being 

 at once a characteristic mark and also the form, 

 situation, and number of the teeth. There are 

 many other peculiarities, more especially the mode 

 by which the ribs are articulated to the breast 

 bone, and the form of the breast bone itself, which 

 are highly interestingto the comparative anatomist, 

 and which serve to identify the animal. The place 

 of anterior extremities is supplied by fins, and al- 

 though, in the skeleton, the bones are found com- 

 plete, even to the last phalanges of the fingers, in 

 the recent fish the organs are fleshy, and inca- 

 pable, from their shape, size, or form, of assisting 

 the animal out of the water. It feeds on sub- 

 marine plants, browsing like a cow. It is seldom 

 caught above eiglit feet long, though it is said to 

 grow to a very large size. The animal, in its full 

 growth, is furnished with two short tusks, project- 

 ing from the upper jaw, but in the younger ones 

 these defensive weapons are wanting. There are 

 several specimens of this animal in the magnifi- 

 cent collection of the late Sir Stamford Raffles. 

 HENRY SLIGHT, Surgeon. 

 Died.} At Exbury, near Southampton, 84, W. 

 Mittord, esq., author of" The History of Greece," 

 and brother to Lord Redesdale. At Lyndhurst, 

 68, Harriet Elizabeth, Countess of Effingham. 



DORSET AND WILTS. 



At Trowbridge, 3,000, and at Melksbam, 2,000 

 of their inhabitants still submit to the disgraceful 

 humility of receiving parish pay, not through ina- 

 bility to work, nor a principle of idleness, but to 

 avoid that starvation which neither merit, strength, 

 nor honesty can avert. But although those who are 

 in fortunate circumstances can at present contri- 

 bute to relieve such want and misery, can any one 

 entertain the expectation that distress will not ul- 

 timately banish the comforts from their firesides 

 also? 



At the Lent assizes for Wilts, 25 culprits were 

 recorded for death ; 5 were transported, and 18 

 Imprisoned for various periods. A young gentle- 

 man of Wootten- Basset, apparently about ten years 

 of age, was placed at the bar, and arraigned for 

 felony. His genteel address and childhood at- 

 tracted the attention of the court. On examina- 

 tion of the witnesses for the prosecution, it ap- 

 peared that he had taken a rabbit from his master's 

 (with whom he went to school) rabbit-house, be- 

 cause another boy, also at school, liad taken from 

 him a ball of string, value 6d., and had killed the 

 rabbit in revenge. When charged with it he de- 

 nied the fact, and was taken before the magistrate, 



who bound him over to the assizes for felony. The 

 Judge said, "This is no felony ; the boy ought 

 "to have been whipped by the master, hut not 

 "to have been brought here. The magistrate 

 " ought not to have bound him over. Gentlemen 

 "of the jury, this is no felony, you must acquit 

 " him." Upon the expenses being applied for, the 

 Judge said, "No! I shall not allow them in this 

 " case; a mere schoolboy to be indicted for fe- 

 "lony'Mt! 



Died.'] At Sidmouth, Lady Maria Caulfield, 

 eldest daughter of Earl Charlemont. 



DEVON AND SOMERSET. 

 We are sorry to hear, from Frome, that there 

 are upwards of 400 houses at present unoccupied 

 in that town ; and in some instances the amount 

 poor-rates almost equal that of the rents. 



of th 



. 



This distress is generally attributed to the use of 

 machinery ; as it appears there is now as much 

 cloth manufactured as at any former period, al- 

 though there is scarcely half the usual number of 

 hands in full employment I There has been a con- 

 cert for the benefit of the poor there, which enabled 

 its meritorious promoters to distribute 1,200 loaves 

 amongst their distressed neighbours. 



Pursuant to public notice, a meeting of the sub- 

 scribers to the Glastonbury Canal has lately taken 

 place, at the Town Hall; when the Mayor, having 

 taken the chair, informed them that, in conse- 

 quence of the conflicting opinions and interests 

 having been at length reconciled, they should now 

 go to Parliament for their bill without a single 

 opponent. The estimate of the work was .18,000, 

 only .4,000 of which remained to be subscribed. It 

 had been ascertained, that the population within 

 10 miles of the line amounted to 50,000, and it 

 was calculated that 70,000 persons would be bene- 

 fitted by the completion of this canal. 



A public meeting, convened by the Mayor, has 

 been held at Plymouth, for the purpose of memo- 

 rializing the Lords of the Admiralty against the 

 danger of working the quarries at Mount Batten, 

 when the following facts transpired : "That since 

 the year 1812, the isthmus, or narrow neck of 

 ground which joins Mount Batten to the main 

 land, has decreased in width, by the washing of the 

 sea, in some places 35 feet, at other places 28 feet, 

 at another place 25, and at the least 20 feet. 

 That 13,000 tons had been washed from the cliff 

 on the S.W. side, and 2000 tons from the N.E. 

 during the above period." It was further stated 

 by the Mayor, that the base of most of the quar- 

 ries now at work was level with the s?a, and one 

 of them was worked four feet under the level of 

 the sea at high water. 



His Majesty's commissioners for building churches 

 have determined on erecting a chapel of ease at 

 Stonehouse ; it is to contain 1,000 sittings 300 

 to be free. 



Died.} At Wells, Dr. King, Bishop of Roches- 

 ter. At Bath, Admiral Williams; and, 79, J. N 7 or- 

 man, esq. At Prior Park, 75, J. Thomas, esq. 

 At Exeter, 83, Admiral Dilkes ; 85, Mrs. Burrows, 

 aunt to the late Lord Gilford ; Lucy, wife to the 

 Hon. II . B. Arundell. At Great Tbrrinjrton, 75, 

 the Rev. J. Palmer, prebendary of Lincoln. 

 At Dennington, 100, Mr. R.Wheadon. - At 

 Staplegrove, C. Law, esq., formerly of the firm 

 of " Law and Whittaker," booksellers, London. 

 At Bath, 81, Mrs. Hunn, mother of the Right 

 Hon. G. Canning. 94, Mrs. Charlotte Holt, 

 the last branch of Lord Chief Justice Holt's fa- 

 mily. Near Bath, Mrs. H. Maclaiue, daughter of 



