58t 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. [July. 



because he thought he could see 

 better with a candle. The poor 

 fellow whom he relieved remon- 

 strated strongly against the light- 

 ing of the candle, stating that the 

 overman's orders were peremp- 

 tory, and he even put the candle 

 out by force. The infatuated 

 victim^ however, persisted, and 

 lighted liis candle again, when 

 the other left him working with 

 it. On his way out to the shaft 

 he met with one of the deputy 

 overmen, and told him what had 

 occurred, who went with the in- 

 tention of compelling the delin- 

 (juent to do what was light, or to 

 punish him ; but whether he 

 reached his destination or not we 

 cannot tell, ;is the explosion took 

 place in a few minutes afterwards, 

 just as my informant, and a com- 

 panion, who can also make affida- 

 vit of the fact, got out of the pit. 

 We do not yet know the number 

 killed, as I cannot get a correct 

 list of the men at work, and the 

 bodies arc not all got out, but 1 

 fear it wiU, not be less than 34 or 

 35 individuals. I do not think 

 that more than four or five will 

 survive out of 39 or 40. We have 

 aheady got upwards of 20 dead 

 out. The explosion was very 

 strong, as the pit is 82 fathoms 

 deep. 



We are sorry to learn the addi- 

 tional misfortune, that on the fol- 

 lowing day, some pitmen havin.g 

 descended into the pit in order 

 to ascertain all the mischief done, 

 eight of thcni wen sufibcated, in 

 consequence of the very impure 

 state of the air. 



The Imperial Ukase, by which 

 the Bisliopric of Abo has been 

 raised to an Arclibishopric in 

 honour of the secular festival of 



the Lutheran church, is as fol- 

 lows : — 



We, Alexander I. by the Grace ^ 

 of God, Emp.eror and Autocrat of 

 all the Russias, Grand Duke of 

 Finland, &c., make known by 

 these presents, that as the Swedish 

 Lutheran church, to which also 

 Finland belonged, has had from 

 old times one common supreme 

 head, whose office it was to pre- 

 side over the clergy, and to ma- 

 nage their deliberations and con- 

 cerns in the assemblies, but that 

 since the union of Finland with 

 the rest of our dominions, the 

 clergy have be^n without such a 

 supreme head j we, thereforcj 

 constantly fiiendly to institutions 

 which, by their antiquity and their 

 value, have gained the esteem of 

 the nation, induced by the re- 

 markable event so important to 

 the Protestant church, the memo- 

 ry of which will be this year cele- 

 brated by a general festival^ have 

 been graciously pleased to ordain 

 that the present Bishopric of Abo 

 shall henceforward bear the name 

 of the Archbishopric of the Grand 

 Duchy of Finland ; and that the 

 person who tills that see shall, in 

 his quality of Archbishop, be the 

 supreme head of the clergy in this 

 grand Duchy. In testimony where- 

 of we have signed these presents 

 with our own hand. Done at 

 Czarsko Selo the Sth (20th) of 

 July, ISI7. Alexander. 



9. All the accounts from the 

 eastern part of Switzerland an- 

 nounce the terror and the damage 

 caused by the late inundations. 

 The storms have carried desola- 

 tion into the lowerpartsof the can- 

 ton of Claris. The Linth has 

 broken its dikes in three places. 

 The bridges of Glavis and Helstal 



have 



