100 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. [Oct. 



hill, where they kindled bonfires. 

 On the 19th, most of the students 

 ' took the sacrament of the Holy 

 Supper. During' the whole of this 

 festival it was remarked what a 

 deep impression was made on the 

 noble minds of the youth — an im- 

 pression never to be effaced. 

 SO. The spring tide, as calcu- 

 * lated, was extremely high on many 

 ' j)arls of the coast, both on Satur- 

 " day and Sunday, but more par- 

 ticularly in the aftei-noon of the 

 latter day. Its natural height on 

 the north-eastern coast was con- 

 siderably augmented by a strong 

 wind from several points in succes- 

 sion from the westward to the east- 

 ward of JS'orth, and the effect was 

 a tremendously heavy sea, which 

 broke with raging violence against 

 the cliR's, and over the embank- 

 ments, uniting, in many places 

 \mopposed to its fun', its whitened 

 surge with the very verge of the 

 ■ land. The waters of the Thames 

 aijid Medway \vere also much in- 

 creased from the impulse of the 

 above winds, which, sweeping over 

 the great northern ocean, brings 

 such a body of water, that the 

 narrowness of the straits of Dover, 

 with the head of sea kept up in 

 the channel below by the incli- 

 nation of the wind to the west, will 

 not permit its efllux; it conse- 

 quently spreads along the north - 

 cast coast, and influences the 

 height of the tide. 



20. Another dreadful murder 

 was committed near Wells, in the 

 county of Norfolk, on Saturday 

 week, in open day. The unfor- 

 tunate victim of this atrocious 

 crime is Mr. Robert Baker, sen., 

 a glover and breeches- maker, re- 

 sident in the above tOM n^ a niiui 



of most respectable character. It 

 appears that Mr. Baker had, on 

 the morning of the day above- 

 mentioned, gone out on foot for 

 the purpose of collecting the 

 amount of some bills due to him 

 by persons in the neighbourhood ; 

 and that on his return to Wells, 

 between the hours of three and 

 four in the afternoon, he was rob- 

 bed, and afterwards murdered in 

 the most barbarous manner, by 

 two or more villains, hitherto un- 

 discovered, within 200 yards from 

 the town, in a |)lace called Market- 

 lane. The deceased was not dis- 

 covered till about eight o'clock on 

 the Monday morning. A man 

 named Doye, who was looking for 

 his donky, accidentally observed 

 the body lying by the side of the 

 hedge, and immediately commu- 

 nicated the circumstaiice to two 

 peisons, who were passing through 

 the lane, and who, with Doye, 

 \\ent up to the body. On exa- 

 mination, they discovered, by the 

 dress, that it was Mr. Robert 

 Baker: it was impossible to recog- 

 nize the features of the deceased, 

 on account of ihcir mangled state. 

 The remains presented a most 

 dreadful spectacle : the back part 

 of the skull was completely beaten 

 in, and the throat cut. Two sticks 

 of singular form, sui)posed to be- 

 long to the murderers, were found 

 near the spot, where, from the 

 appearance of the ground, it is 

 concluded their bloody purpose 

 was effected : oiie of them was 

 broken in two. The deceased's 

 walking-stick was also found there, 

 covered with clots of blood, brain.?, 

 and hair, The body seemed to 

 have been dragged some way by 

 the cape of the great coat, which 



enve- 



