PerwonTn Sessams.—Mark Wells, toll-keeperof Shoreham Bridge, brought an action against
Lieutenant Courtenay of the navy for an assault. The Lieutenant and two men were passing along the bridge without paying the customary toll of one half-penny ; and the assault was committed by the Lieutenant in attempting to relieve one of them who was refused leave to pass till the halfpence were paid. The Lieutenant had been fined in another count for refusing to pay the toll, rand obstructing the Collector. The assault was proved, and a verdict of guilty given ; when the Chairman, who was of opinion that the charge ought not to have gone to a Jury, told the defendant that he was discharged. Mr. Long, the counsel for the prosecution, then said that he should apply to the Secretary of State ; and another legal gentleman observed, that it was imperative on the Court to award some penalty. The Chairman altered his award to a fine of one shilling. Lieutenant Courtenay then rose, and presenting a paper to Mr. Long, demanded satisfaction as a gentlemen for some offensive expressions used in his pleadings. The Chair- man immediately ordered the Lieutenant to find large securities to keep the peace towards Mr. Long and all other persons for one year. The offender, however, made an apology, and the order for securities was withdrawn.
Plass—The utmost alarm was produced in Old Fish-street on Wednesday evening, in consequence of a fire having been discovered in the extensive premises occupied by Messrs. Charles and George Banks, sugar-refiners. The fire began about eleven o'clock, and burnt with uncontrolled fury until about five next morning. The conflagration was rendered the more active by the prevalence of a strong north-easterly wind. The solid manner in which the walls of the sugar-house were built, confined almost entirely the ravages of the flames within them ; and only the premises connected with the sugar- house were materially injured. The church of St. Nicholas opposite the sugar-house was at times in jeopardy, but escaped. On the falling in of the roof, the greater part of the front of the premises which were seven stories high, were carried with it, leaving a stack of chimneys standing in the middle vibrating with each blast of wind. The stock of sugars, raw and refined, was almost wholly destroyed, only about forty hogsheads of the former having been saved. Various causes are assigned for the breaking out of the fire ; hitt it is generally admitted that it arose from one of the coppers, in which sugar was undergoing the progress of refining, boiling over. Through the intensity of the frost, the walls of the houses played upon presented.a com- plete surface of ice, and even the ruins of the sugar-house had icicles in all directions, which glittered with the rays of the flames beneath. The property destroyed is very great. On the same evening, an alarm of fire was given attire Charterhouse, in con- sequence of smoke being seen to issue from the room occupied by one of the pensioners of that institution, a poor infirm old man of the name of Peacock. The door of the room was, after some difficulty, burst open, when the poor old man was found with his head upon the fire, his face and breast burnt to a cinder, and quite dead. The fire itself was soon extinguished.
Another wilful fire occurred last week in Essex. Two stacks of wheat and ore of barley, belonging to the Reverend Mr. Way, at the Brook farm, Great Yeldham, were destroyed on Friday evening ; and it seems no doubt remains of their having been burned by an incendiary. A haulm-stack and a stable have also been wilfully burnt at Blackwater. On Thursday a fire broke out in a sugar refining establishment in Bristol ; which, though confined to a small part of the building, occasioned damage to the extent of 5,000/.
EXPLOSION OF A VESSEL.—A most disastrous event occurred on Wednes- day morning on the Great Canal, a little above Bainsford. A lighter belonging to the Carron Company, laden with London goods, was proceeding on her way to Glasgow, when smoke was observed arising from.one of her hatches. The alarm was given, and one of the men who had the management of the boat ran down to the cabin in order to get a water-bucket; when he fell headlong down, being suffocated with the smoke and flames, which had al- ready made considerable progress below. Every attempt to save his life was in vain, and his body was afterwards found scorched in a most shocking manner. A considerable quantity of cotton and other combustibles being on board, the fire proceeded with great rapidity until it reached a quantity of saltpetre (about five tons) which soon exploded with great force, tearing off a part of the bottom of the vessel. This caused her to fill with water, and the flames were thus extinguished. The damage sustained has been immense, some people say to the amount of 4,000/. or 5,000/. There were fifty-seven chests of tea on board, and a great quantity of silk, and other valuable goods. —Glasgow Free Press.
DEATH BY Buarnwo.—On Monday morning, Mrs. Selina Abrahams, a re- spectable woman of the Jewish persuasion, residing in Euston.street, New-road, was so much burnt by her clothes kindling, that she died next morning.
When the accident happened, she was standing on the hearth-rug, with her back towards the fire, and in the act of stooping to one of her children who was sitting on the floor. She did not discover the flames until her eldest child, a boy about seven years old, called out, "Oh, mamma, your gown is on fire."
Signor Paulo, the celebrated clown of the Adelphi theatre, narrowly es- caped destruction on Saturday. He was returning from Islington in a gig throneh St. John-street, West Smithfield, accompanied by his wife and infant, when a brick cart, driven by a drunken carter, came violently in contact with his vehicle, and so great was the concussion that Mr. Paulo was thrown upon the stones with great force, and fell on the back of his neck. He was placed in the most imminent peril, as a coal.waggon passing at the moment nearly went over him, the wheel actually grazing his arm : when this danger was avoided, and before he could recover himself, the fore-horses of a Hertford coach, proceeding at a quick pace were upon him; • and but
for the activity of the coachman, who directly pulled back, would have been trampled to death. Several persons instantly ran to Signor Paulo's assistance and extricated him from the danger, and he was conveyed in a senseless state to a neighbouring surgeon, suffering much from bruises, where every atten- tion was paid him, and he was soon enabled to drive home. Mrs. Paulo and her infant narrowly escaped unhurt. In the confusion the carter drove off at full speed.—Morning Journal.
On Tuesday last, as n man named Shill was shooting in the neighbourhood of Carlton Kings, the trigger of his gun became entangled in some thorns as he was getting through a hedge, which caused the piece to go off, and the en- tire charge passed through the heart of a fine youth standing near him, who instantly fell a corpse ! The deceased was about fourteen years of age.— Cheltenham Chronicle.
A few days since, as some labourers were digging nigh to a windmill, in the parish of Beeding, they discovered a human skeleton with a sort of dagger, or pointed knife, sticking between the fourth and fifth ribs of the left side. The skeleton was quite perfect, and thought, by professional men who saw it, to be that of some unfortunate female who many years ago had beets murdered by some villain, who had escaped justice.—Susses Advertiser.
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