











Sept. 1*> 



^r^rri^r Edgware-road. The other three alighted 

 WBaker-st'rect. On the vehicle reaching the Bank, 

 Reeve made the best of his way to Messrs. Glyn's, when 

 't was discovered that another blue bag had been substi- 

 tuted for that belonging to the Company, and that the 

 former was partly filled with -pieces of lead, and other 

 rubbish of a weighty description. The two Foresters and 

 other officers are actively engaged in investigating the 



transaction. . 



lighting the Metropolis. — The following curious 



statistics, prepared by one of the principal gas companies, 



will gi*e some idea of the means at present employed for 



THE NEWSPAPER. 



[1844. 



*htin 



London and its suburbs : — There are 18 public 



e as-v ks, conducted by 12 companies; their capital 

 amounts to above 2,800,000/., employed in pipes, tanks, &c. 

 The revenue derivable therefrom is estimated at 450,000/. 

 ner annum. There are about 180,000 tons of coals used 

 annually; there are 1,460,000,000 cubic feet of gas 

 made ; 134,300 private lights, 30,400 public lights ; 380 

 lamp-lighters, 1 76 gasometers, several of them double, and 

 capable' of storing 5,500,000 feet; and about 2500 per- 

 sons are employed in various ways. 



Mortality of the Metropolis. — The following is the 

 number of deaths registered in the week ending Sept. 7 : 

 West Districts, 157 ; Northern, 162 ; Central, 148 ; 

 Eastern, 205 ; Southern, 243 ; Total, 915. Weekly 

 average for the last five years, 946. 



Thunder-storms. — The local papers in many of the 

 provincial districts are filled with accounts of severe thun- 

 der-storms which prevailed very generally from Thursday 

 to Sunday last. In Staffordshire, Cheshire, Gloucester- 

 shire, Herefordshire, and the adjacent counties, the 

 storm took place on Thursday afternoon and lasted for 

 several hours, accompanied by heavy rain and hail, which 

 caused great damage to houses and other descriptions of 

 property. The Hereford papers state that at Mynde 

 Park, Much Dewchurch, hail-stones of such large dimen- 

 sions fell that upwards of 300 panes of glass were shat- 

 tered in the hothouses, &c. At Manchester and the 

 neighbourhood the storm commenced on Friday, and at 

 Hazel Grove the overflow of the rivulet which runs near 

 the village extinguished the fires and stopped the ma- 

 chinery in the Wellington cotton-mill. The workmen 

 were nearly drowned in making their escape, and six of 

 them were carried away by the stream and drowned in 

 attempting to cross a bridge near the premises. Ports- 

 mouth and the surrounding country was also visited by 

 the storm of Thursday. For the space of 20 minutes 

 the thunder was incessant ; the rain and hail poured 

 down at intervals in torrents, and in the neighbourhood 

 of Sheet and Liss the hail-stones measured from 3 to 5 

 inches in circumference ; and such was the quantity which 

 fell, that although the temperature was high and the air 

 sultry, whole cart-loads were lying on the ground even 

 on the following morning. The roofs of the greenhouses 

 were literally smashed, scarcely a frame being left un- 

 broken. Some potatoes, which had been dug up in the 

 morning, but left on the ground, in a field near Liss, 

 Jere broken to pieces, and the fragments scattered in all 

 directions. At Dover the storm occurred on Sunday, 

 and was felt with equal violence to the eastward and 

 westward ; the thunder and lightning commenced about 



11 ° °ua and lasted with little intermission till nearly 

 "i with deluges of rain at intervals ; the lightning was of 

 t&e most vivid description, and at least twelve flashes in 

 a minute, and one crash of thunder led the inhabitants 



rL?i UPP u 0S f that the Kee P and Battlements of Dover 



anTri* tum *)led down. At Canterbury, Brighton, 



em n P in the south em districts, the storm was 



qnaiiy severe, and most destructive in its effects. About 



hmM,r * r,ng the storm ' a bal1 offire feU on the 

 unmngs f a f armj called Gu3t0Ut in the parigh of Ash( 



thonirWk h ' the P ro P ert 7 of Mr. Coleman ; and al- 

 tentfor t\ englDeS from Sandwi ch and Canterbury were 

 exceDt tl J armed too late to save any of the property, 

 buildinir, £ rm " nouse > which was detached from the 

 all the o it v. u ° barns filled with corn ' a bean-stack, and 



valuable cS /" WeW Cntirely destr °y ed > with some 

 a ball of fi r 11 woman who witnessed the storm saw 



dari nff th ^ ° n the barn - At Brighton it occurred 

 fright and\h VeninS service » numbers fainted away with 



Bedford tv 8cene altogether was most appalling, 

 alarm has I ng the P ast week a Panful degree of 



tae revival [ f C 5 eated in 80me P arts of Bedfordshire by 

 dismav th* • ose incendiary outrages which spread 



to a destr °? g « the district Iast winter - In addition 

 f °ur others at Dunstable on Wednesday week, 



8t ances wh; & l & j e P orted to have occurred under circum- 



ar« attribut m fc ° f littIe doubt tbat some if not aI1 



fir es have 7 1! X ° desi S n - Tne m ost destructive of these 



Mr - Pone nfi place at a farm in the occupation of 

 Smith, a i pL!J Lower Caldicott, on the premises of Giles 

 Some of th . F ' * ear Bi gS Ieswad e, and at Toddington. 

 recently evi 6 J) 7 nci P al landowners in the county have 

 ^heme that m u* dia P osit ion to adopt any tangible 

 condition of n su &g este d with a view to better the 



are at present a & ricult ural labourers, of whom there 

 Cm ployed an,? lu TJ Con8id e™ble number only partially 

 in cambrance will h- 1S no doubt whatever that the 

 ^ 0n of field i h lmm ensely increased by the cessa- 



bee n nearlv on! •^ as the ha ™est has in many places 

 ^o^nced I H ; « Si A . Amon &st others, Lord St. John has 

 PJan of f ork ' ,nten tion of introducing on his estate the 

 H, 'ghlandand A 8pa , bu8ba ndry, recommended by the 



alre a dt g K nC ^ ltUral Societ y- Hi * Lordship says 

 ' oroken un somp u n( i »;*k fi, Q t^\r an A 



" 1 have 



410 >0 satisfied* 7 >h° K ? n U ^ some * and w ith the fork, and ngncs on ner poop, out mey were 



witu the advantages of the plan that I steamer, as the night was very thick. 



intend forking the whole of the land for fallow crop next 

 year, which will most likely be the double one of turnips 

 and beans, a system I have adopted for two or three 

 years past." 



Buckingham. — The majority of the Marquis of 

 Chandos, eldest son of the Duke of Buckingham, was 

 celebrated at Stowe on Tuesday with almost regal 

 honours. The Lord Chancellor and Lady Lyudhurst, 

 Lord and Lady Braybrooke, the Earl and* Countess of 

 Orkney, Lord and Lady Leigh, and a large number of 

 distinguished guests, were present on the occasion, and 

 no less than from 14,000 to 15,000 persons from all parts 

 of the county assembled in the grounds to share his 

 Grace's hospitality. The mayor and corporation of 

 Buckingham went in procession to Stowe to present 

 addresses to the Duke and Duchess, and to the Marquis 

 of Chandos, and the festivities of the day were closed by 

 dances in the tents and by a fine display of fireworks. 

 It is impossible within our limits to give an outline of 

 the arrangements, but the day seems to have been re- 

 garded as a general holiday throughout the greater part 

 of the county. The rejoicings were continued on 

 Wednesday with equal interest : all business was sus- 

 pended in Buckingham, and the park at Stowe was 

 crowded with farmers, agricultural labourers, and others 

 who took part in the numerous games which were 

 arranged for their amusement. In the evening the 

 Duchess gave a fancy ball, at which about GOO persons 

 were present. On Thursday the Duke gave a dinner to 

 his tenantry in the " Tenant's Hall," where about 300 

 sat down, his Grace presiding. In the evening there w.m 

 a ball for their families and friends, the great pavilion 

 having been granted for the special purpose. Yesterday 

 there was a holiday among the servants on the establish- 

 ment, which concluded the festivities at Stowe. On 

 Monday the noble Duke and family remove to Wotton, 

 where a renewal of the same, and another hospitable 

 course of entertainment will be commenced. 



Deal. — Capt. Bullock, R.N.,has been occupied during 

 the late spring tides in planting Mr. Jas. Steward's 

 "ponderous-footed beacon" on the Goodwin Sands, 

 under the immediate superintendence of the inventor ; 

 but as it could not immediately take root, it fell the next 

 day. It was then raised from the horizontal to the ver- 

 tical position, secured with chains, shrouds, and anchors, 

 and again left in its proper position. On planting the 

 beacon, it was found impossible to make an excavation in 

 the sand sufficiently deep to cover its ponderous foot ; 

 all, therefore, that could be done was to set it up in a 

 hole of the depth of about three feet, and secure it tem- 

 porarily by stays to four anchors, until next spring tides, 

 in the hope that through its own great weight, and the 

 oscillation it would receive, in an upright position, by the 

 action of the sea on its shaft and stays, it would gradually 

 bury its ponderous foot in the sand — an operation which 

 is said to be satisfactorily proceeding. 



Dover. — During the storm on Sunday night, the 

 police were sent for to quell a serious disturbance which 

 had occurred in Paper-alley, Charlton. On their arrival 

 they found the neighbourhood in the utmost alarm, ex- 

 pecting for hours previously that murder would ensue. 

 The house was occupied by sweeps and prizefighters. 

 The police were immediately attacked by the gang, and 

 being only two in number, one of them was soon knocked 

 down, and upon the other, named Couchman, coming to 

 his assistance, he was immediately surrounded and 

 stamped upon. At length one of the ruffians, named 

 Clarke, a prizefighter, from Canterbury, took up the 

 handle of a broom, to which a piece of iron was attached 

 at the end, and struck Crouchman with great fury across 

 the bridge of the nose, which lacerated it and the cheeks 

 in a frightful manner. He never spoke afterwards, and 

 having breathed for a short time, fell dead. Four of the 

 gang concerned in the attack have been taken, but the 

 leader, Clarke, and another, fled, and were seen on the 

 road between Canterbury and Dover. A coroner's 

 inquest has been held on the body, and a verdict of 

 wilful murder returned. 



Ipswich. — The formal investigation relative to the 

 suicides of two of Earl Stradbroke's gamekeepers has 

 terminated without affording any authentic explanation 

 of the motives which induced either of the deceased 

 persons to resort to self-destruction. The affair, there- 

 fore, remains involved in mystery, although report still 

 attributes the death of both of them to their anxiety and 

 dread of meeting their master, fearing his anger that 

 such extensive depredations should have been allowed 

 among his preserves as have lately thinned the number of 

 his pheasants. The jury in the first case returned a 

 verdict of " insanity," and in the other they found that 

 deceased died from a gun-shot wound, but whether from 

 accident or by his own hand, there was not sufficient 

 evidence to show. It is reported that another of the 

 gamekeepers has since these disastrous occurrences been 

 placed under restraint, owing to the excitement which 

 they have created in his mind. It is said that it is not 

 long since another gamekeeper of Lord Stradbroke was 

 murdered by poachers, and that several transportations 

 beyond the seas were the consequence. 



Liverpool. — On Tuesday morning shortly after two 

 o'clock, the Dublin mail iron steam-ship Iron Duke (600 

 tons burthen) came into collision with the brig Parana 

 (200 tons), outward bound from this port for Montreal, 

 about three leagues to the eastward of Point Lynas Light, 

 by which the latter vessel was nearly cut in two ; and so 

 sudden was the accident that six of her crew, including 

 her commander, were drowned. The mate and four sea- 

 men were saved by clinging to the steamer. The brig had 

 lights on her poop, but they were not seen by the 



MancJiestcr. — The following gratifying letter has been 

 received by the honorary secretaries of the committee for 

 forming public parks in this town :— " Whitehall, Sept. 

 7th. — Gentlemen, Although I have no longer any per- 

 sonal connexion with the town of Manchester, by pro- 

 perty or other local tie, yet, considering Manchester to 

 be the metropolis of a district, to the industry of which 

 I and my family are under very deep obligations, and 

 most heartily approving of the wise and benevolent 

 design to provide for those who are doomed to almost 

 incessant toil the means of healthful recreation and 

 harmless enjoyment, I willingly contribute to the fur- 

 therance of that design, and offer my cordial wishes for 

 its success. I request my name may be added to the 

 subscription which has been commenced for this purpose,, 

 for the sum of 1000/. I am. Gentlemen, your obedient 

 servant, Robert Peel. — (To Malcolm Ross, and Ed- 

 ward Watkin, Esqrs.)" A meeting of the committee on 

 public parks was held on Monday, when a resolution 

 was unanimously adopted, expressive of their high appre- 

 ciation of the opinions expressed by Sir Robert Peel, 

 and conveying to him their sincere thanks for his muni- 

 ficent gift and for the gratifying terms in which he had 

 communicated it. 



Portsmouth — It is stated that as the diffen N lately 

 on the eve of causing a rupture between this country and* 

 France are amicably adjusted, it is the intention of our 

 Naval Administration, in order that they may not be 

 caught in so inefficient a predicament on any future occa- 

 sion, quietly to increase our naval strength by commis- 

 sioning six or eight sail-of-the-line and a few 50-gua 

 frigates. Among the ships to be commissioned will be 

 the Neptune for the flag at Portsmouth, the Pembroke 

 for the flag on the West India station ; the Nile, Lon- 

 don, St. George, Superb, Goliah, and Powerful. As 

 there have been many misstatements on the subject, we 

 subjoin a list of the advanced ships at the principal ports : 

 Portsmouth— Neptune, 120; Britannia, 120; Princess 

 Charlotte, 104 ; Rodney, 92 ; Powerful, 84 ; Vengeance, 

 84 ; Bellerophon, 78 ; Hastings, 72 ; Pembroke, 72 ;. 

 President, 50. Plymouth— St. George, 120; Royal 

 Adelaide, 104; Nile, 92; Clarence, 84 ; Bombay, 84;, 

 Calcutta, 84 ; Vanguard, 80 ; Superb, 80 ; Foudroyant, 

 78; Indus, 78; Implacable, 72; Endymion,44; Me- 

 lampus, 42. Sheerness— Howe, 120; Waterloo, 120; 

 Trafalgar, 120 ; London, 90; Monarch, 84 ; Ganges, 

 84 ; Asia, 84 ; Achille, 7G ; Hercules, 72 ; Hawke, 72 ; 

 Russell, 72 ; Boscawen, 70 ; Cornwall, 50 ; Chichtster> 

 50 ; Worcester, 50 ; Conquestador, 50. The commis- 

 sions for the brigs forming the experimental squadron 

 arrived on Saturday morning, and also the commission 

 for that fine steam-frigate the Firebrand. The Colling- 

 wooa, 84, with the flag of Rear-Admiral Sir G. Seymour, 

 received her sailing orders on Friday, and proceeded on. 

 Saturday afternoon to the Pacific. 



Southampton. — The Monarch steam-vessel, which 

 arrived here from Havre on Thursday week, brought 

 over an exceedingly handsome char-a-banc, similar to 

 those used by the Royal Family during the Queen's visit 

 last year to the Chateau d'Eu. It appears that, in the 

 course of the numerous excursions made by King Louis- 

 Philippe and his Royal guests in the neighbourhood of 

 Eu, the Queen often expressed her admiration of those 

 commodious and social vehicles, and the King, imme- 

 diately on his return to Paris, ordered this one to be 

 constructed as a present to Her Majesty. The char-a\ 

 banc was landed at the pier, and immediately left for 

 Windsor, drawn by post horses, the vehicle being too 

 high to be conveyed by railway, as, when placed upon a 

 truck, it would not go under the arches and tunnels. 



Stockport. — Mr. J. K. Winterbottom, formely the 

 most eminent solicitor in this town, and who, about four 

 years ago absconded, charged at that time with various 

 offences, was brought before the magistrates on Friday. 

 A reward of 200/. was offered for his apprehension inr 

 August, 1840, but up to this period he had escaped, 

 having, it is I elieved, been absent from England. His 

 wife and family have been residing in Liverpool ; and it 

 appears that a desire to revisit them has caused hi* 

 return to this country, and led to his detection. He was 

 captured on the 5th inst., and brought over to Stock- 

 port next morning. The proceedings were merely of a 

 formal nature ; and he was remanded for a week in order 

 to give time for the evidence against him to be prepared. 

 The reward for his apprehension was offered by Messrs. 

 Bush and Mullins, on behalf of one of the London in- 

 surance offices, whom he had defrauded, by using the 

 signature of one of his clients ; and it is expected that 

 the charges against him will be numerous as well as 



important. 



Turquay. — On Tuesday morning a very large shark 

 was captured here at the entrance of the bay. Some 

 fishermen who were taking up their herring nets observed 

 a huge fish caught and making desperate struggles to get 

 free. They proceeded cautiously to draw in the net, 

 and had the satisfaction of securing it without materially 

 injuring their net. He was held down in the boat, 

 where he died, after some very strong throes. The men 

 sold him for 1/. to a boatman, who is now exhibiting him 

 from house to house ; his appearance has excited much 

 wonder, not unmixed with alarm, at the fact of his being 

 found so near the town. He measures rather more than 

 eight feet in length, and 2| from point to point of the 

 tail, and is furnished with five openings on each side of 

 the gills. His upper jaw extends eight inches beyond 

 the lower, and both jaws are furnished with a triple row 

 of most formidable teeth, each row turned in a direction 



different from the others. 



Windsor.— An accident occurred in the Waterloo- 

 gallery on Thursday week, which, had it unfortunately 



