At the Manchester Court for the Relief of Insolvent Debtors,
on the 7th instant, Sir Thomas Champneys, whose debts amounted to 150,000/., wits discharged, after making some amendment to his schedule.
At the Croydon Assizes, on Monday, the holder of a promissory note of Mr. Warren, son of the late Chief Justice of Chester, and nephew of Admiral Warren, brought an action for 4351., the amount of the note, against that gentleman. It appeared from the evidence, that Mr. Warren gave the note to a dancing-master named Brown, but really for the use of Higginbottom, the keeper of Lisbon Hotel, Dover Street, at whose house be had lived for a month at the rate of 17/. a day, and had got into debt to the amount of 500/. It was proved that Higginbottom had actually discounted the bill for Brown, and passed the bill to the plaintiff in the present action. Judge Littledale told the Jury, that they must determine upon the evidence laid before them ; and, they must, be thought (unless they believed the witnesses who had proved the defendant's signature, and that consideration was given for the note, to be perjured), find a verdict for the plaintiff. Verdict for the plaintiff—damages 435/. John Morley was committed on the 4th instant, on the verdict of a Coroner's Jury, to York Castle, to be tried for the murder of Thomas Robinson, gamekeeper to Mr. Beilby Thompson. Since Thursday last week, a good deal of excitement has pre- vailed among the inhabitants of Wanstead, Essex, the Forest.gate, and the Surrounding neighbourhood, in consequence of part of the com- mon close to the forest and adjoining the Wanstead property .being on fire. It appears that, nearly three weeks ago, the fire originated, through perhaps the burning ashes of a tobacco-pipe being dropped upon the earth ; and the soil being of a peaty substance, it spread with almost incredible rapidity. No attention, however, was paid to it, as it . ss moo osed by the inhabitai is tint it would exhaust itself, or that a few hours of la.,1 would effecttary extinguish it. On Thursday, it presented a semswhat alarming appearance; and it was then found that upwards of twenty-five acres was one mass of fire, and that in many places it descended to a depth of two feet from the surface. Finding, then, that it was still rapidly increasing, the inhabitants pro- cured a number of watering-carts belonging to the Essex turnpike trust, and employed them during the whole of Friday, Saturday, and part of Sunday, in carrying water from a pond with the view of extin- guishing the fire. Owing, however, to the distance from which the water had to be conveyed, and the diffisulty of putting the water on the parts burning, as the horses could not walk over the burning sur- face, it was found quite impracticable, for while at one place they were stopping the progress of the tire for a few yards, in another it was making rapid progress ; and on Sunday night it had spread itself' over a surface of at least thirty acres. The inhabitants being unable check its progress, recommended Mr. Spirring, the deputy of Mr. Long Wellesley, who is steward of the forest and lord of the manor, to com- municate the circumstance to Government, and to apply for a sufficient number of sappers and miners to dig a trench of sufficient extent around the part burning, so as to confine it within that space, and prevent it extending further. This was done ; and a number of sappers and miners arrived on Monday from Woolwich, and, assisted by other workmen, commenced digging the trench. By Tuesday night, a trench five feet wide, and from six to eight feet deep, was completed; but the fire still continued to burn in the inclosed space.
As an elderly and very stout lady from Manchester was passing the bonded warehouse, Bath Street, Liverpool, the other day, she put her foot in the noose of the hoisting-rope ; which being suddenly set in motion, the noose took a tight grasp of her leg, and she was drawn up, head downwards, to the head of three or four stories. The vociferous calls of the spectators below at length induced the labourers at the winch to reverse their motion ; and the lady was released from her very disagreeable and dangerous situation, without sustaining any other injury than that arising from the stricture of the rope, and the agita- tion incident to so sudden and unexpected an elevation.—Manchester Guardian.
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