88 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1S12. 



has been introduced, enacting — 

 that if an}' person or persons shall 

 ride upon any causeway or foot- 

 paths, or shall drive any horse, 

 cattle, swine, cart, or carriage 

 thereon, or shall wilfully cause any 

 damage whatever to be done, he 

 or they shall for every such offence, 

 be liable to a fine of 20,?. half to 

 go to the informer, and the other 

 half to be applied to the purposes 

 of the act : and the collector of 

 the tolls for the time being, must 

 affix on a board, in legible cha- 

 racters, his christian and surname 

 over his door, under a penalty of 

 10/. 



A singular phenomenon was 

 witnessed at Marseilles. On a 

 sudden a rush of water from the 

 sea came into the port, forming a 

 current so rapid, that it drew every 

 thing with it through the gullet. 

 The chain was shut to keep in the 

 vessels, the alarm guns fired, and 

 the generale beat. Tiie sea then 

 retired all at once, leaving the 

 harbour drj', and ail the vessels 

 aground. Almost at the same in- 

 stant the sea returned by leaps and 

 bounds, with extraordinary impe- 

 tuosity, filling again the harbour, 

 placing afloat the vessels, and in- 

 undating the quays. Afterwards, 

 every thing returned to its usual 

 state. It was first believed that it 

 was the ei^ect of a water-spout, 

 which, having pumped the water 

 from the sea a short distance from 

 the harbour, had occasioned the 

 current which left it dry, and then 

 having let fall rapidly the column 

 of water which it kept suspended, 

 produced the mass of water which 

 inundated the quays : but the same 

 phenomenon occurring again in 

 the course of the day, and the 

 water in the harbour flowing and 



ebbing without ceasing, being in a 

 continual state of oscillation, the 

 idea of attributing it to a water- 

 spout was given up. It is now 

 supposed to have been produced 

 by a distant earthquake, and it is 

 recollected that a similar event 

 happened in that port in 1756, 

 during the earthquake at Lisbon. 



25. Huddersjield. — Last Mon- 

 day, about midnight, a great num- 

 ber of armed men, with their 

 faces disfigured by broad black 

 marks down each cheek and over 

 the forehead, assembled near the 

 dwelling-house of Mr. Fisher, a 

 shopkeeper at Briestwistle, and 

 after firing two guns or pistols, 

 demanded admittance into Mr. 

 F.'s house, which he refused. 

 They then broke open the door, 

 and two of them rushing into the 

 house, seized Mr. F. who had just 

 got out of bed ; they each present- 

 ed a pistol to his breast, and threat^ 

 ened htm with instant death if 

 he stirred a foot. Not intimidated 

 by this threat, Mr. F. rushed from 

 them towards the door, when hi; 

 was seized by other six men, who 

 placing a sheet over his head, face, 

 and arms, kept hiui in that situa- 

 tion while their comrades ransack- 

 ed the house, and took from his 

 pocket-book bills to the amount of 

 116/. besides 20^. in notes, andsome 

 cash out of a drawer, but to what 

 amount Mr. F. does not exactly 

 know. When the depredation was 

 completed, the leader cried out to 

 the guard placed over Mr. F. 

 "Let him go: don't hurt him; 

 we have got what we wanted, and 

 we will bring it back in three 

 months,'' and immediately made off. 



The committee appointed to 

 inquire into the causes which re- 

 tard the decision of suits in Chan-^ 



eery, 



