| 566 ] 
(Jan. I, 
INCIDENTS, MARRIAGES, ann DEATHS, 1x anv near LONDON, &c, 
With Biographical Memoirs of distinguished | Characters recently deceased. 
—<——— 
OVEMBER 20,—The case of Henry 
Fauntleroy, banker, of Berner’s Street, 
who had been found guilty of having forged 
a power of attorney; and having uttered the 
same, was argued at the grand jury room 
at Westminster before the twelve judges, 
in consequence! of the existence of doubt, 
whether the power of attorney came within 
the meaning of the act, for the punishment 
of forgery. The hearing was adjourned till 
the following day, at the conclusion of 
which judgment was not publicly given; 
but it'was soon understood that the judges 
unanimously held the conviction just. 
—22.—A tremendous storm, which 
lasted several days, and which it seems in- 
vaded all Europe, committed dreadful ra- 
vages in all parts of the kingdom ; all the 
provincial seaport papers teem with melan- 
choly details of shipwrecks, and numerous 
deyvastations occasioned by encroachments 
of the sea. | Houses have been swept away, 
and the inmates carried with them ; sheep 
and cattle, horses, pigs, hay, and farming 
implements, have sustained a fearful wreck; 
—and the whole coast from Falmouth to 
Yarmouth in Norfolk, bears evidence of the 
extent of the mischief, both at sea and on 
land. Lyme, in Dorsetshire, has suffered 
a loss of 30,000L ; a man on the Southamp- 
ton coach, was blown. off and killed on the 
spot; coaches have. been overturned, and 
others unable to proceed from the depth of 
accumulating water: in fine, desolation 
stalked abroad, and marked his course with 
indiscriminating and_ unrelenting fury. 
Amongst other places, besides those aboye- 
mentioned, the following have suffered in a 
very great degree: Exeter, Dawlish, Teign- 
mouth, Topsham, Axminster, Yeovil, Wa- 
terham, Blandford, Christchurch, South- 
ampton, Hastings, Yarmouth (Isle of 
Wight), Brighton, Shoreham, Margate, &c. 
&c. The metropolis felt the effects of the 
tempest in only a partial manner, and but 
little injury has been done beyond it to the 
north and east. Some inland places, how- 
ever, felt its effects, and several lives have 
been lost. 
In Ireland and Scotland the storms and 
tempests have also been most disastrous ; 
but our limits. prescribe us from entering 
into any detail of their effects. 
— 24.—Several of the principal inhabi- 
tants of St. Bride’s, Fleet Street, met to 
adopt measures to prevent, if possible, the 
rebuilding of the houses lately destroyed by 
fire,. which obstructed the view of that 
noble edifice St. Bride’s Church, one of 
the finest of Sir C. Wren’s works.. A com- 
mittee was appointed, who have our hearty 
wishes for their success. 
— 28.—The inauguration of the officers 
of the London Chemical society, took place 
at the City of London Tavern, in the pre- 
sence of a large assemblage of ladies and 
gentlemen. The chairman informed them 
the labours, of the committee for the forma- 
tion of the institution had: terminated... Dr. 
Birkbeck then took the chair, and)delivered 
an eloquent introductory lecture, explana- 
tory of the objects of the society, and of'the 
general principle of chemistry. 
— 30.—Henry Fauntleroy, late partner 
in the house of Marsh, Stracey, Fauntleroy 
and Graham, underwent the dreadful sen- 
tence of the law ; an unusual ¢oncourse of 
people attended to witness his execution. 
December 2.—The parishes of St. Bo- 
tolph Bishopsgate, of St. Gregory, by St. 
Paul, of St. Giles, Cripplegate, and St. 
Olaves Hart Street, have held meetings 
for the purpose of petitioning Parliament 
to amend the statute of 37th of Henry 
VIII., under which the claim of 2s. 9d. 
is made for tithes. 
— 3.—A meeting of the Christian Eyi- 
dence Society took place at the Crown and 
Anchor, for the purpose of discussing reli- 
gious topics. 
—9.—A new mining company is esta- 
tablished under the name of the Imperial 
Brazilian Mining Association, capital one 
million sterling. 
—9.—A new Gas Company haye issued 
their prospectus, under the title of the Im- 
perial Foreign Gas Company, capital two 
millions sterling. 
—10.—A meeting was held at Messrs. 
Stewarts, Abingdon Street, for the relief of 
the suffering inhabitants of the Island of 
Portland, at which a committee was ap- 
pointed for conducting the subscriptions in 
London, and to co-operate with the com- 
mittees of Portland and Weymouth, 
Dissenters Marriages. —On the 5th of 
December at Sf. Stephen, Coleman-street, 
Mr. W. Wood, to Miss Sophia Hodges ; 
this was the first instance of presenting’ a 
protest against the marriage ceremony of 
the church, since the rejection of the’ Mar- 
quis of Lansdown’s Bill for! the ‘relief of 
Protestant Dissenters. The) profest is 
grounded on the circumstance of the parties 
being Protestant Dissenters, commonly 
known by the name of Free-thinking’ Chris- 
tians, who, though the marriage ceremony, 
as contained in the book of Common 
Prayer, is contrary to’their belief, are’com- 
pelled to submit to it as the only means of 
obtaining a legal marriage. It denies }. 
The. Scripture, authority of the Church of 
England to ‘impose’ rites and’ ceremonies: 
on those who dissent from her community ; 
2. The spiritual authority of the mlnister by 
whom the marriage ceremony is performed, 
believing 
