90 ANNUAL REGISTER, 18!5. 
neighbourhood of Cosely, where 
a great number of miners and 
others had collected, who assailed 
them with showers of brickbats 
and stones; but although several 
of them were hit, we are happy to 
say none received any serious in- 
jury. They charged the mob 
twice, but from the nature of the 
ground they could only secure 
one of the most active. All was 
quiet when our account left, but 
there were a great many ill-dis- 
posed persons about. A troop of 
the 2nd dragoonguards, andabody 
of the Middlesex militia, marched 
early this morning from Birming- 
ham barracks for the above neigh- 
bourhood. 
«: Oudenarde, Nov. 16. 
*‘ A dreadful crime was com- 
mitted on the 14th of this month, 
at Onkerzeele, near Grammont: 
a woman of fifty years of age, en- 
joying a decent fortune, the mo- 
ther of seven children, has been 
burnt alive on suspicion of sor 
cery. A farmer had a daughter 
twenty years of age, who was 
seized with a lingering disorder ; 
instead of applying for medical 
aid, he doubtless applied to sooth- 
sayers, and persuaded himself that 
his daughter was charmed. The 
question was, to discover the sor- 
ceress; his suspicions fell on a 
female neighbour, whom he en- 
ticed into his house, where she 
had never before set foot. He im- 
mediately shut the doors and the 
windows, and in concert with his 
wife and his sick daughter, after 
loading this) unfortunate woman 
with maledictions, and after hav- 
ing used the most urgent importu- 
nities to make her confess her pre- 
tended crime, and reverse the 
charm, these barbarous wretches, 
without regard to her oaths of in- 
nocence, and to her tears, bound 
her hand and foot, struck her se- 
veral blows with a sabre, which 
wounded her body and arms, and 
threatened her with the most hor- 
rible death: they immediately 
lighted a fire, which they renew- 
ed thrice, and on which they 
placed her several times, so that 
her feet legs, and thighs, were 
consumed by a slow fire. This 
unhappy woman was thus tors 
tured for above three hours, with- 
out being able to call for help, 
because her assassins stopped her 
mouth. It was nottill the mur- 
derers saw her dying, and begging 
for the priest to attend her in her 
last moments, that they left her 
to fetch the ecclesiastic, by which 
means this horrible work was 
discovered. The criminals are 
arrested; they express neither 
fear nor repentance ; they believe 
they have acted by a supernatural 
inspiration, and remain full of 
confidence. During the dreadful 
execution of this crime, the se- 
cond daughter and the servant 
maid, whom the accused had cau- 
sed toretire into an adjoining room, 
fled, by going up to the garret, 
and escaping over the roof. The 
victim was not dead the following 
day, but her recovery was de- 
spaired of. 
16.— Yesterday morning, about 
half-past ten o’clock, a dreadful 
explosion took place in the exten- 
sive premises of Messrs. Constadt 
and Co. sugar-refiners of Well- 
street, Well-close-square, which 
was attended with the most fatal 
consequences. A variety of re- 
ports were in circulation as to the 
causes of this shocking catastro- 
phe; but the following may be 
