Feb.] 



CHRONICLE. 



stances of the most barbarous and 

 savage ferocity. Williain Harris, 

 hostler at the New Inn, got up 

 about 4 o'clock in the morning to 

 blew, and was in the act of light- 

 ing a fire, it is supposed, when 

 some villain who had concealed 

 himself unexpectedly rushed upon 

 him, and witli a hatciiet, which he 

 found on the premises, alnmst split 

 his head in two ! It was evident 

 that the wretch must have repeated 

 his bloAvs, and he afterwards cut 

 the throat of the hapless victim 

 fiom ear to ear ! The smock- 

 frock the deceased wore, and a 

 silver watch, maker's name li. Bal- 

 lingford, Liverpool, No. 1818, 

 were taken from his person, and 

 with this booty only the mmdcrer 

 decamped. The body of the poor 

 sufferer was discovered about five 

 o'clock, still warm, with some 

 signs of respiration, but he ex- 

 pired soon afterwards. He was 

 stretched at length on the brew- 

 house fioor, with his feet under tie 

 copper furnace. He was a veiv 

 industrious and careful man, and 

 had the preceding day paid the 

 rent of his mother's house ; and 

 the idea that this money was about 

 his person, it is imagined, Ic-d to 

 the perpetration of the murder. 

 A man was on Friday apprehended 

 in a public-house, at \\'orcester, 

 on suspicion of being concerned 

 in the horrible crime, and con- 

 veyed to Ledbury, where several 

 others aie in custody. 



8. A rare and beautiful ap- 

 pearance of the Aurora Borealis, 

 (<r Northern Lights, was observed 

 in Derby and its neighbourhood. 

 This singular phenomenon took 

 place about eight o'clock, and ccm- 

 tinucd without intermission for a 

 fuM half hour, during the whole 

 of which time the sky was illu- 



minated from the hoiizon to the 

 zenith, extending east and west for 

 a considerable distance. Bioad 

 streaks of light, of various tizes, 

 rose from the horizon in a pyra- 

 niidical undulating form, and shot 

 with great velocity up to the ze- 

 nith ; llicy changed their forms 

 Aery frequently and rapidly, and 

 broke out in places where none 

 were seen before, shooting along 

 the heavens, and then disajjpearmg 

 in an instant. The sky in various 

 })laces was tinged for a consider- 

 able space with a deep purple, and 

 the stars shone very brightly dur- 

 ing the whole time through the 

 clouds which formed tiie Aurora 

 Borealis. A short time after this 

 singular phenomenon had ceased, 

 the rain began to descend, and con- 

 tinued to do so most of the night, 

 though not violently. 



Supplement to the London Gazette. 

 Wednesday, Feb. 12. 



By his Royal Highness the Prince 

 of Wales, Regent of the United 

 Kingdom of Great Britain and 

 lieliiud, in the name and on the 

 behalf of his Majesty. 



A PROCLAMATIOiN. 



George, P. R. 

 Whereas, by an Act passed in 

 the 56th year of his Majesty's 

 reign, intituled " An Act to pro- 

 Aide for a new silver coinage, and 

 to regxilate the currency of the 

 gold and silver coin of this realm," 

 the Master and Worker of his 

 Majesty's Mint in London was au- 

 thorized and empowered to coin, 

 or cause to be coined, silver bul- 

 lion into silver coins, consisting of 

 crowns, half-crowns, shillings, 

 and sixpences, of the standard of 

 11 ounces and 2 pennyweights of 

 fine silver, and 18 pennyweights 

 alley, to the pound troy, and in 



weight 



