of the bell brought the thunder cloud upon the tower, and the spire was much damaged. The poor schoolmaster was struck by the lightning, and received such a contusion in the arm that he will be lame for life. The prefect of the Moselle, in making known this circumstance to his coadjutors, has renewed his prohibition to ring the bells at the approach of a storm.

16. Extract of a Letter." I am sorry to inform you, that during the night of Saturday last, the village of Lumley, about 6 miles from this place, was visited by a large number of persons, armed and disguised, under the command of the invisible General Ludd, who addressed his forces in a short speech, on the nature of the service they were then employed upon, and then dividing then into small parties, ordered them to their respective posts. They immediately commenced the work of demolishing a number of lace and 2-needle frames, in different parts of the village, belonging to various hosiers in this place. In some of the houses they broke and destroyed every article of furniture, taking away with them knives and forks, and provisions of every description. These night ly depredators went to the house of a person named Needham, who was the prosecutor of Simpson, executed for highway robbery last Lent Assizes, and they told him "they had come to punish him for swearing against Simpson!" The number of frames broken is not exactly ascertained, but certainly they amount to more than 30; and the reason assigned for this outrage is, that the laceVOL. LVIII.

In the latest Memoirs of the Academy of Petersburgh, there appears an analysis of a statistical work, in which are the following statements The revenues of the Russian state amounted in 1811 to 215,000,000 of roubles, and the expenses to 274,000,000. The land forces in 1810 were 621,155 men; the marine in 1813 was 299 sail, with 4,348 pieces of cannon.

The dominant Greek church includes 4 metropolitan churches, 11 archbishoprics, 19 bishoprics, 26,747 churches, and a great number of convents, Tolerance being general, there were in 1811, 3,500,000 Catholics, 1,400,000 Lutherans, 3,800 Reformed, 9,000 Hernhutters, 60,000 Armenians, 3,000,000 Mahometans, 300,000 followers of the Dalaï-Lama, and G00,000 adorers of fetishes. There are in Petersburgh 14 printing-offices, 13 foreign bookshops, and 30 Russian. In 1815 the manufac tories of the Russian empire amounted to 3,253.

17. A new coach was started by some Jews in the Spring to run to Brighton, a distance of 52 miles, in six hours, with a pledge that if they did not accomplish the journey in that time they would carry the passengers gratis; to accomplish which the horses were kept upon a gallop all the way; and notwithstanding this great risk, the coach was always filled with passengers. In M

one

one of the journies the coachman broke three whips. In one week 15 horses died! The coach, however, has never been overturned, and no material accident happened, except overturning a fishcart near Kennington-common, whereby the driver was injured, but not seriously. This was continued for about three months, and excited attention and curiosity all the way on the road: a crowd of persons was daily collected at the Elephant and Castle, to see it start and come in, and it always kept its time within a few minutes. This, however, became alarming, particularly in the populous neighbourhood of Newington, through which it passed; and the parish officers there caused informations to be laid against the drivers for driving furiously on the public road, so as to endanger the lives of his Majesty's subjects, under the Act of Parliament for regulating stage-coaches, &c. This being followed up, the speed was reduced, and the coach is now about three quarters of an hour or an hour longer on the road.

18. This evening, about eleven o'clock, a barn, cow-house, stable, five corn-stacks, and a pea-stack, were discovered to be on fire, at Stour-hall, Ramsey, the property of Anthony Cox, Esq. of Harwich; the whole of which were completely destroyed. The barn contained one hundred coombs of wheat, ready to be delivered the next day, besides a quantity of other grain. There being no doubt as to the premises, &c. being wilfully set on fire, suspicion fell on a farmer at Ramsey, who had been heard to de

clare he would be revenged on Mr. Cox, for having hired a farm which he could no longer hold himself. He was accordingly taken into custody, as were also his two sons; and, after a long and strict investigation before the magistrates at Harwich, sufficient evidence was made out to commit the elder (who is 70 years

of age), to our gaol, to take his trial at the ensuing assizes. The loss is estimated at 20001.-Chelmsford paper.

19. The following law-suit, or rather succession of law-suits, as detailed in a French paper, furnishes a curious specimen of the glorious uncertainty, complexity, and expense of French law: in this respect at least, if not in their liberty, they resemble ourselves :

"The Criminal Section of the Court of Appeal was occupied the day before yesterday with a very serious case, although originating only in a trifling wager of four bottles of wine; but the parties (two Normans) have contrived by their obstinacy, to involve in this law-suit their fortune. their liberty, and their honour. Quetel, one of the parties, passing through Troarn, in Calvados, stopped at the Inn of Valdempierre, the other party, where he slept. After supper he made a bet of four bottles of wine with the servant of the inn; he lost the bet, and refused to pay it. Valdempierre detained as a pledge the horse of Quetel. The latter sets out for Caen, and summonses Valdempierre to restore his horse and his portmanteau, containing a bag of 1,220 francs in gold. Valdempierre offers to give up the horse, but not the bag and portmanteau.

The

The Civil Tribunal decrees that Quetel should have his horse on giving security for the expense.

Quetel accuses Valdempierre in public of having robbed him of a bag, containing 1,220 franes; and the latter institutes a suit against him in the Criminal Court for defamation. On the other hand, Quetel charges him with robbery. This latter charge is rejected, and the Criminal Court declares Quetel guilty of defamation, and sentences him to a year's imprisonment, a fine of 3,000 francs, interdiction from the exercise of civil rights for ten years, and to 15,000 francs damages and costs.

"From this sentence Quetel appeals, and demands that the cause should be sent back to the Civil Tribunal before which it was brought at first. Double proceedings take place, in which two decrees of the Royal Court are obtained against Quetel. Then follows an appeal from each of these decrees, both of which the Supreme Court has confirmed. People acquainted with such proceed ings may calculate the enormous expenses which this singular affair has cost the obstinate Quetel. His fortune, which is considerable, it is said, is scarcely able to sustain it. Eighteen witnesses have been heard, voluniinous memoirs have been printed, the most able advocates retained, and paid, and all this about four bottles of wine!"

On this afternoon a remarkable accident happened in the Haymarket. There were only two houses which were to be pulled down to form the new street left standing. Both adjoined the

Opera House. The one hearest the ruins suddenly fell, about a quarter past four o'clock, with a tremendous crash, carrying with it the party-wall. The house being very old, the dust which arose from the ruins filled the lower part of the Haymarket and Cockspur-street, and entering the shops and houses, proved for some time very annoying to the inhabitants. Two gentlemen, who were walking on the foot-path, very narrowly escaped being buried in the ruins. The house, which had been unoccupied some time, was formerly tenanted by a perfumer and hair-dresser, and the cellar by a basket-maker. A poor aged woman, who got her living by grafting silk stockings, had been permitted to live in the house till it suited the workmen to come mence pulling it down. Shortly after the accident, it occurred to some of the neighbours, that the poor woman was buried in the ruins. This suggestion being quickly circulated, the workmen at the new buildings hastened to the spot, and began to dig their way through the ruins to the parlour, or room behind the shop, where they not only found the old woman, but two other women, and a girl of about five years of age, buried in the rubbish. Most providentially, the wainscot of the room under which they were found, falling on a slant, and lodging on the opposite side of the room, they were preserved alive, hit wounded and bruised, and in terrible alarm: they were all extricated, though not without much difficulty. It is thought, that had not they been rescued so quickly, they must have been sufM 2 focated.

focated. No sooner was the old woman safe, than she became extremely anxious to recover her silk stockings, and some guineapigs, which, to her great joy, the workmen likewise got out. At the time of the accident. it appeared that the old woman was drinking tea with two female acquaintances; and the third sufferer, accompanied by the little girl, had come to inquire after some stockings which had been left to be grafted.

20. The Exeter mail-coach, on its way to London, was attacked on Sunday night at Winterslowhut, seven miles on this side of Salisbury, in a most extraordinary manner. At the moment when the coachman pulled up to deliver his bags, one of the leaders was suddenly seized by a ferocious animal. This produced great confusion and alarm; two passengers who were inside the mail got out, ran into the house, and locked themselves up in a room above stairs; the horses kicked and plunged violently, and it was with difficulty the coachmas could prevent the carriage from being overturned. It was soon perceived by the coachman and guard, by the light of the lamps, phat the animal which had seized the horse was a huge lioness. A large mastiff dog came up, and attacked her fiercely, on which she quitted the horse, and turned upon him. The dog fled, but was pursued and killed by the lioness within about 40 yards of the place. It appears that the beast had escaped from a caravan that was standing on the road side, belonging to the proprietors of a menagerie, on their way to Salisbury fair. An

alarm being given, the keepers pursued and hunted, the lioness into an hovel, under a granary, which served for keeping agricultural implements. About half past eight they had secured her so effectually, by barricading the place, as to prevent her escape. The horse, when first attacked, fought with great spirit, and if at liberty, would probably have beaten down his antagonist with his fore feet, but in plunging he embarrassed himself in the harness. The lioness, it appears, had attacked him in front, and springing at his throat, had fastened the talons of her fore feet on each side of his neck, close to the head, while the talons of her hind feet were forced into his chest. In this situation she hung, while the blood was seen flying, as if a vein had been opened by a lancet. The ferocious animal missed the throat and the jugular vein, but the horse is so dreadfully torn, he is not expected to survive. He was a capital horse, the best in the set. The expression of agony in his tears and moans was most piteous and affecting. A fresh horse having been procured, the mail drove on after having been detained three quarters of an hour by this extraordinary obstruction. horse attacked was the off leader, and as the mail drew up stood exactly abreast of the caravan from which the lioness made the assault. Had the carriage been a little more advanced, she would probably have darted upon the coachman or guard, who in that case would have been more immediately within her eye. The coachman at first proposed to

The

alight and stab the lioness with a knife, but was prevented by the remonstrance of the guard, who observed, that he would expose himself to certain destruction, as the animal, feeling herself attacked, would turn upon him, and tear him to pieces. The prudence of the advice has been clearly proved in the fate of the poor dog. It was the engagement between him and the lioness that offered time for the keepers to rally. Had it not been for that interference the mischief at the mail would have been more considerable.

The lioness, which attacked the horses in the Salisbury mail coach, did not kill the dog, as stated in the former relation of the affair. The Salisbury Gazette says-" The lioness, on finding herself attacked, quitted the horse, and turned upon the dog, which it was expected would very soon become the victim of her fury; but the animal, with more reproach than viciousness, inflicted a slight punishment on it, and on hearing the voice of the keeper, retired underneath a staddle granary, where, soon after, the keeper very deliberately got in, put his arms around her neck, and secured her without any further injury." The owner of the lioness has published a letter saying she broke loose in consequence of some person breaking open the caravan, in expectation of stealing goods going to Salisbury fair.

21. The new Silver Coinage goes on with great rapidity: each press produces per minute sixty pieces, that is, 3,600 per hour. The hours of work are ten daily, making the whole number of

pieces from each press 36,000 ⚫ there are eight presses at work: and of course the whole number daily finished is 288,000. The amount to be issued is to the value of 2,500,000l. in shillings and sixpences, in the proportion of seven of the former to five of the latter.

22. Newport.-In consequence of the depressed state of the iron trade, the proprietors of the Tredegar iron-works gave notice to the workmen on Monday se'nnight, that a further reduction in the price of their work must take place. The workmen, who a few months ago could have subsisted on what they had, in consequence of the rapid advance in the price of the chief article of their provision, were driven almost to despair by this intelligence. They concluded that nothing but misery awaited them, and came to the desperate resolution that it was better to seek redress by tumultuously assembling than to work. Under this delusion they left the works, and proceeded in a body towards Merthyr, with a view of learning the inclination of the men there: the proprietors at Dowlas works, knowing of their coming, instantly swore in a number of men as special constables, armed them with pikes, and placed them in the pass, adjoining the works, near the dwelling of Mr. Guest, who with others, being armed, posted themselves at the window. When the men from Tredegar and Sirhowy came to the place, finding themselves opposed by an armed force, they seized some of the pikes from the men, and broke them in pieces : the constables fled, but during this,