Mr. John Poingdestre, a merchant, late of Guildford Street, Russell
Square, went on Tuesday to the Pistol Shooting Ground at Tivoli Gardens ; and, after having fired six shots at the target, he advanced with the seventh pistol in his hand, to about the middle of the ground, and then, instead of tiring at the mark, he turned the pistol towards his mouth, and shot himself through the head. He survived only about half an hour, although the ball was extracted almost immediately. No cause has yet been assigned for the commission of the deed.— Galiynani.
By a Police ordonnance, the price of the 411os. loaf', best quality, is continued at 111 sous for the remainder of the present month.— French Paper. [This is about half the price of the best bread in London.]
Odillon Barrot was a member of the secret society called Carbonari. In the revolution of July, he was the first to take the uniform of the National Guard, and to go to the Hotel de Ville, where he assisted Lafayette in the quality of secretary. Sent with Arno and Lafitte to stop the effusion of blood during the troubles of June, the King dis. tingu. shed him ; and whtm he said—" Your Majesty may have confi- d •nec in us, for we arc influenced r nly by our attachment to France and your aiajssty ; I am ready to sign with my blood a declaration that I do not wish for any place under your Government,"-1 ouis
Philippe, striking him on the shoulder, said, " I will never aecept such a declaration, M. Barrot..—L'Abeile de Londres.
It is remarked that the present French Chamber of Deputies con. tains only SO out of the 221 of compte-rendu celebrity.
One of the new Deputies, a rude and rustic personage, known by the name of Pire Martineau, or Ours Martineau, dined at the Tuileries. Ever and anon a dapper domestic presented him with a plateful ; and the good Deputy, deeming himself bound in politeness to swallow all, ate till he could hold no longer. At the next plateful he turned, and addressed the servant—" Monsieur Mignon, I never eat but of one dish at my dinner, yet you are not contented with forcing me to swallow a hundred." The reply caused much amusement at theroyal table.— Paris Paper.
A balloon which was to start on Sunday from the Champ de Mars for London, to set down no fewer than seventeen passengers in Hyde Park, after an aerial voyage of three or four hours, met with an accident which prevent its ascension ; to the great disappointment of several thousand persons, who had collected to the spot to witness its dept. ture ; but more especially of the seventeen passengers themselves, who had bespoken and paid for places to perform the voyage. The balloon burst soon after it had begun to fill ; but it is said that its constructors will lose no time in preparing a new one, upon the most improved principle, in which they hope to effect their oirginal purpose of landing a cargo of passengers in the very centre of our Hyde Park.
There is a probability of the French steam-packets being removed from Calais to Boulogne. For the purpose of expediting the Paris
mails Oil their route to this countty, it has been proposed to the official authorities, that they shall be embarked in future at Boulogne ; thereby saving the time occupied in the land conveyance from that port to
Calais, which it is calculated would bring the mails to Dover at least three hours sootier than they arrive at present. This arrangement would not involve any change in the station of our packets. The English mail will be conveyed from Dover to Calais as usual.—Dover 7'elegraph.
The number of volumes annually exported from France to England amounts to near 400,000,—that is, one volume for every A. inhabitants. France receives from England 80,000 volumes,—or one for every 4410 inhabitants. It is afflicting that the interchange of knowledge between the two first civilized countries should be so limited—kingdoms whose mutual interests require a greater intellectual acquaintance. Even China, situated at the other extremity of the globe, with a despotic and illiterate Government and a language of 800 letters, exports a large number of books.--Paris Advertiser.
At the fair of Argeritan, in Calvados, on the 9th instant, some jeg- glers exhibited a variety of feats of strength and agility to the wondering rustics; one of' which, however, produced a most horrid catastrophe. 111 order to show the strength and courage of one of the females of the troop, she was laid upon her back upon the ground, and a ponderous wheel, the es se of which was only hollowed out to about half its depth, was played on her chest : the cavity was filled with gunpowder, which was In ke discharged while in this position as if it were a mortar. However—whether from the men employed to charge the machine being druids, and putting in too much powder--or from the wheel being damaged by former explosions—or from any other cause—when the match was put to the powder, the wheel burst iiito innumerable fragments killed two of the persons assembled around it, wounded sixty-three others, and left the body of the unfortunate young woman upon whom it was placed a niost horrible spectacle, the limbs having been scattered io v.:Hoes directions and part of the head thrown up into the branches a tree, where it hung suspended by the hair.—French Paper.
The Portuguese have an unconquerable propensity to hoard. Thus, when Felix Marquim de Costa, an old miser, died a few years ago, 300,000 golden joss (pecas), a coin wont h :16s., were found among his effects that had not seen daylight for upwards of 20 years. Even Englislinen residing hoe have cieleht the contagion, and the late Mr. Stephens and Mr. But tley have left several plums, each under similar circumstances, in gold coin, fresh from the mint, that had never been in circulation.
A destructive fire broke out at Moscow on the 11th of last month. It began in a private house, and taking the direction of the wind, com- municated to three hundred others, which, being built of wood, were speedily consumed. Some buildings in stone were also destroyed. 1 he damage is valued at several millions of rubles.
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