48 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1815. 



tions. Mr. Rutherford was found, 

 (then covered by the snow,) car- 

 ried to a neighbouring public- 

 house, and, after five hours' ex- 

 ertion, life was restored, and he 

 is now quite well. 



3. Thomas Thompson, a gun- 

 ner in the East India Company's 

 service, and living at No. 4, Iron- 

 inongcr-row. St. Luke's, appeared 

 to a summons, on an informa- 

 tion laid against him by John 

 Oliver Bow, an officer of the 

 Customs, for having unlawfully 

 and knowingly in his possession 

 one Bandana silk, and live China 

 silk handkerchiefs, fourteen ells 

 of valuable silk, a piece of rich 

 velvet, and one pound of sew ing 

 silk, being all foreign and prolii- 

 bited goods, with intent to de- 

 fraud the revenue. The object 

 of the board, it was stated, was 

 not so much to reco\ er the pe- 

 nalty as to make an example, and 

 to put a stop, if possible, to this 

 growing evil, as the depression in 

 our own silk trade was very 

 great at present, because this 

 traffic was now carried on with 

 much ease, and to such an extent, 

 that there aie at present upwards 

 of 6,000 silk weavers starving for 

 -want of employ. He then pro- 

 ceeded to state, that having re- 

 ceived information that the de- 

 fendant had some prohibited silks 

 in his possession, he went on the 

 1 4th oi February last, and searched 

 his lodgings at 4, Iionmonger- 

 row, St Luke's; and in a box, 

 in the back-room on the first 

 floor, he found the articles men- 

 tioned in the information, and 

 now produced, which were valued 

 at (Jl. 10s. The penalty by act 

 of parliament was the forfeiture 

 «jf the goods, an<l three times 



their value ; but on account of 

 the defendant being a servant in 

 the Company's service, and hav- 

 ing a wife and family, he did not 

 press for the whole of the penalty, 

 but the board were determined to 

 make examples. Daniel Mac- 

 plierson, another officer of the 

 customs, proved that the above 

 goods were foreign and prohi- 

 bited : the defendant admitted 

 their being foreign, but he had no 

 intention of defrauding the reve- 

 nue, as the articles were not in- 

 tended for sale, but solely for 

 his own use. This plea nut being 

 admitted, he was convicted in the 

 mitigated penalty and costs, in 

 the sum of ten guineas, and the 

 foifeiture of the goods, which he 

 paid down, and was discliargcd. 



Extract of a Letter from Mons, 

 April 5. — A tragical scene has 

 just thrown our town into terror 

 and consternation. The day be- 

 fore yesterday, about eight o'clock 

 in the evening, Mrs.Papillon, the 

 mother of a family enjoying a de- 

 cent conspetence, connnitted an 

 act of despair or madness, to 

 wliich the annals of the human 

 mind scarcely furnish a paiallel. 

 Being followed by her three chil- 

 dren, a boy of two years of age, 

 and two girls,, one eight and the 

 other five years old, she dragged 

 them to the well ; then seizing 

 the two youngest, she threw them 

 in : the eldest girl struggled a- 

 long time in her luother's arms, 

 utteiing agonizing but fruitless 

 cries; the barbarous mother, vio- 

 lently seizing her, threw her into 

 the well; into which she at last 

 threw herself. 



These four, herself also, un- 

 happy victims, have been taken 

 out dead, and all the assistance 



of 



