70 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



again, and proceeded to a scrutiny 

 of the votes given in the different 

 parishes in the island ; when it ap- 

 pearing that Charles Le Maistre, 

 Esq. Lord of the Manor of St. 

 Owen's, had a considerable majo- 

 rity of votes, and no objection be- 

 ing made to him by tlie King's 

 Procureur General, he was imme- 

 diately sworn in by the Court to 

 the office of jurat, in the room of 

 Francis Janvrin, Esq. deceased. 



Near four years since, the house 

 of Mr. Smith, of Bridgewater- 

 square, was broken open, and a 

 quantity of precious stones, con- 

 sisting of rubies, chrysolites, cor- 

 nelians, and emeralds, worth up- 

 wards of 1,500/. were taken a- 

 way. The strictest search was 

 made at the time for the depreda- 

 tors, but without success; and 

 none of the property was reco- 

 vered. A few days since, how- 

 ever, some men having been em- 

 ployed to clear out a ditch in the 

 Kent-road, near where the house 

 of Mr. Rolies formerly stood, 

 some children who were looking 

 on, perceiving what they supposed 

 to be pieces of glass amongst the 

 mud thrown out, picked them up. 

 They were found, however, to be 

 pieces of chrysolite ; this discovery 

 produced a closer search, when a 

 number of rubies, emeralds, corals, 

 cornelians, and other valuable 

 stones, were found amongst the 

 mud. Goff and Harris, officers 

 belonging to Union-hall, having 

 heard of the circumstance, repair- 

 ed to the spot, and on seeing the 

 stones, it occurred to them that 

 Jthey were part of Mr. Smith's 

 property ; and on some of them 

 being shewn to that gentleman, 

 he was able to swear to their be- 

 ing a pa; t of what he had lost. It 



is probable the thieves, after they 

 bad taken them, being fearful of 

 offering them for sale, lest they 

 should lead to detection, threw 

 them into the ditch, where they 

 have remained ever since. Some 

 of the stones thus fortunately re- 

 covered are of considerable value. 

 21. At the West India Docks, 

 this evening, about six o'clock, the 

 whole surface of five connected 

 roofs, of a large rum warehouse, 

 each 35 feet in the span, and l^'O 

 in length, covering a space of 175 

 feet by liO, fell with a tremendous 

 crash. The erection was of wrought 

 iron, supported at the extremity of 

 each span by stanchions of the 

 same metal, and covered with very 

 large slates. Most fortunately, the 

 accident occurred two hours after 

 the men had left work, or the con- 

 sequence might have been dread- 

 ful, as nearly 100 men had been 

 employed in the warehouse in the 

 course of the day. Whether this 

 accident may be attributed to the 

 ponderous weight of the slates, 

 the great width of the span with- 

 out intermediate supports, or to 

 the insecurity of the metal, is un- 

 certain ; but it is to be hoped an 

 investigation will determine whe- 

 ther the recently introduced plan 

 of substituting iron for timber in 

 the construction of roofs, affords 

 equal security. 



General Zadera, chief of a 

 French squadron, was lately assas- 

 sinated by his confidential domes- 

 tic, Basil Pavinsky, at EIze, in 

 Hanover. He was on his way 

 from France to join the army; and 

 alighted at the postmaster's, where 

 he slept. In the middle of the 

 night, Pavinsky attacked him with 

 his own sabre, and having reduced 

 hitn to a state of insensibility, cut 



