138 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



quarter-deck of the Fantome, ob- 

 serving the accident, instantly 

 leaped among the unfortunate per- 

 sons, and seizing one man by the 

 collar of his coat, bore his head 

 above water, till a boat came, and 

 saved all but the poor waterman. 

 The noble animal, after delivering 

 his charge in safety, made a wide cir- 

 cuit round the ship as in search of 

 another sufferer, but finding no- 

 thing except an oar, he seized it, 

 and was welcomed on board by the 

 acclamations of the admiring crew. 



As some labourers were lately 

 digging gravel at Stoke Ash, Suf- 

 folk, they discovered, at about ten 

 feet below the surface of the earth, 

 some animal bones, of a magni- 

 tude considerably greater than any 

 quadrupeds they had ever seen ; 

 on their taking them up, and ex- 

 posing them to the rays of the sun, 

 they crumbled away, except six 

 portions of a firmer texture, which 

 remain in nearly a perfect state ; 

 these prove to be two grinders 

 and four of the cutting teeth of an 

 elephant ; they are quite in a mi- 

 neralised state, and were found 

 with their masticating surfaces in 

 contact parallel with each other, 

 as if the upper and lower jaw-bones 

 had mouldered and fallen away 

 from them ; the grinders are very 

 massy, one weighing 6 lb. the 

 other 4^ lb. These mineralised re- 

 mains are now in the possession of 

 two gentlemen of Eye ; with one 

 there is a lamina of a third grinder 

 preserved. 



10. About ten o'clock, one of 

 the iron pipes for the conveyance 

 of water, at the bottom of St. Mar- 

 tin's lane, burst wth a tremendous 

 explosion, like the discharge of a 

 piece of ordnance. The water, in 

 au immense body, rose consider- 



ably higher than the tops of tlie 

 adjoining houses. In less than a 

 quarter of an hour the greater part 

 of Charing-cross was completely 

 inundated, to the great inconveni- 

 ence of passengers. 



11. Eight French officers lately 

 broke their parole of honour, and 

 escaped from Andover. The fol- 

 lowing particulars of their escape 

 and detection have since transpired. 

 They went off in the night, saddle 

 horses being provided for them ; 

 six of them rode double horses, 

 preceded by two other horses, on 

 each of which was mounted an 

 officer, accompanied by two Eng- 

 lish conductors, who were to re- 

 ceive 600/. to cover all expenses. 

 They arrived on the coast near 

 Christchurch, opposite the Needles, 

 on the 2nd of October, where there 

 was a smuggler's vessel from Wey- 

 mouth, in waiting for them ; but 

 the wind was so completely con- 

 trary, and blew such a hurricane at 

 the time, that it was deemed im- 

 proper to go on board. They, in 

 consequence, prevailed on a cot- 

 tager to take them in, imposing 

 the French officers on the cottager 

 for Guernsey merchants, who were 

 pursued by the revenue officers. 

 They remained concealed in the 

 cottage till the 5th of October. At 

 eleven o'clock that night, they 

 went on board the vessel, the wind 

 being fair for the coast of France ; 

 however, they had been to sea but 

 a very short time, when a violent 

 storm arose, which drove them 

 back to the same place where they 

 got on board. The vessel was not 

 able to put tliem ashore ; some of 

 them were in consequence nearly 

 drowned, not being able to swim, 

 and the sea being up to their necks. 

 At this time it was about three 



o'clock. 



