86 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1SI4. 



tion, a small quantity of warm 

 water-gruel : — but it was not till 

 about three o'clock on Friday, that 

 they could clear all the rubbish 

 from about his head ; nor until the 

 poor man had expired about half 

 an hour ; so that twelve hours had 

 elapsed from the time that they 

 gave food to the unfortunate suffer- 

 er before they could clear the rub- 

 bish from his head. 



In the neighbourhood of Ux- 

 bridge, an engine was tried against 

 some fir trees. The experiments 

 were curious. It is intended to be 

 used against ships; one discharge 

 will cripple any vessel under weigh, 

 by instantly burning the ropes, 

 sails, &c. Two globes of fire were 

 shot at a tall tree at several hundred 

 yards distance, to which they clung, 

 and burnt with great fury ; on the 

 8th discharge, the bursting of the 

 engine delayed the completion of 

 the experiments. 



It is stated in an Irish paper, 

 that on the Courtne)' estates, which 

 have been recently much improved, 

 a reduction is directed to be made 

 of 25 per cent, on the rents of such 

 farms as have been let within the 

 last four or five years, 



20. An inquest was held last 

 week, at Stonehouse, on the body 

 of Thomas Cowans, a seaman on 

 board the Salvador, who had made 

 a bet he would go up and stand on 

 the truck at the main-top-royal- 

 mast-head, which he had effected 

 about half-past seven o'clock in the 

 evening; but on attempting to come 

 down, by holding on only with his 

 hands on a rope called the top-gal- 

 lant back-stay, he came down so 

 swiftly that lie could not keep his 

 hold, and fell from just under the 

 iiiain-to|> on the larboard side of 

 the deck, on his face, quite insensi- 



ble ; the blood gushed out from his 

 mouth and ears, and one of his thighs 

 was fractured : he languished till 

 about one o'clock in the morning, 

 when he died. — Verdict, Acciden- 

 tal Death. 



An unfortunate accident hap- 

 pened to a river sloop, called the 

 Commerce of Boston, laden with 

 121 packs of wool from Spalding to 

 Leeds or Wakefield, while lying 

 at anchor upon Thorp's Sand, ia 

 the river Humber. The crew were 

 all asleep on board, when they were 

 alarmed about five in the morning, 

 by some fishermen calling out that 

 the vessel was on fire; and it was 

 with much difficulty that the men 

 escaped with their lives, as they 

 had to pass through the flames 

 wrapped up in blankets : the mas- 

 ter was much burned, buthkely to 

 recover ; the others were slightly 

 injured. The ship was burned to 

 the water's edge : only a small part 

 of the cargo was saved. The loss 

 is estimated at 3,0001. 



22. An information was exhi- 

 bited by Patrick Fitzsimmons and 

 another custom house officer, 

 against two dress-makers, in the 

 neighbourhood of St. James's- 

 street, for knowingly having in 

 possession two pieces of silk crape 

 Bandanna handkerchiefs, being fo- 

 reign manufacture, and prohibited 

 within this kingdom, and seized on 

 the 13th inst. The facts being prov- 

 ed, the solicitor for the ladies stated, 

 that the articles had been sent them 

 to make up by ladies of the Jirst 

 distinction, and that they had nei- 

 ther the power nor opportunity at 

 all times to refuse receiving them. 

 The Magistrate said, he must con- 

 vict in treble the value of the goods, 

 besides their forfeiture; but he ad- 

 vised the young ladit>> to placie the 



