MACHINE-BREAKING.—At Coventry, on Saturday/three men-

Burbury, Sparks, and Toogood—were found guilty of breaking into and destroying the power-loom-mill of Mr. Beck, of that town. Bur- bury and Sparks were condemned; but against Toogood, on account of his youth, sentence of death was merely recorded.

John Connor, a framework-knitter, and a preacher of the sect of Ranters, was capitally convicted, at Leicester, on Friday the 24th, of an assault on a child only eight years old, at Ashby-de-la-Zoucli, in January last.

MURDER.—In the month of March last year, the body of a man named Walter Carwardine was found in the river Wye, near Hereford, under circumstances that left no doubt that he had been first murdered and then thrown into the river. Carwardine was seen by his brother on the evening of the 24th March, in a public-house in Hereford : he was then intoxicated. He had left home that morning, and had earned with him some silver and a five-pound note. The body was found on the 12th April. A woman named Connop, living in Quaker's Lane, to whOse house the deceased had been traced, was charged with the mur- der; but the proof broke down. In August last, a girl named Williams, who bad given evidence on the first trial, was seized with a severe ill- ness; mid supposed herself dying; and the facts of the murder weighing on her'mind, she was induced to make a full disclosure of them to the Mayor of Hereford. On her affidavit, three men, named Pugh, Mat- thews, and Williams, were taken into custody; and on Saturday last they were tried. Williams's affidavit ran thus- " On Thursday night in the Assize week, in March last, between the hours of eleven and twelve o'clock, I went into Joseph Pugh's house, in Quaker's Lane ; and there saw Susan•Connop. Sarah Coley, Susan Reignart, Mr. Webb the butcher, and Walter Car- wardine. Atter drinking with them, I left the house with Mr. Webb ; I walked as far

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as the King's Head Inn, in Broad Street. I returned by the way of Eign Street, to the end of Quaker's Lane, by Eign Gate turnpike. I went along the street as far as the gate of Mr. Thomas, the coachmaker's meadow. I there saw Joseph Pugh, William Williams, a man of the name of Matthews, and Sarah Coley. I heard Mr. Carwardine's voice very plain : he said, • For God's sake don't murder me.' I heard Coley say, • I have got his blunt, and if you will keep secret I'll treat.' Williams said, • We will soon put him out of the way.' I then heard a dreadful blow, and Mr. Carwardine fell on the ground on his back. I distinctly heard two long deep groans, as if he was dying. I did not hear him speak after. At that moment, Williams saw me : he ran to me, and forced me into the turnpike-road to the Red Lion Inn. I turned up Town-ditch Lane, into the Cross Lane, but noon was there. I went into Quaker's Lane, by the end of the barn, and listened. I heard Pugh, Williams, Matthews, and Coley, about Mr. Thomas's house, the carpenter, three parts down the lane towards the tan-yard. I dis- tinctly heard Pugh curse his eyes and limbs, and say • Go on ;' Coley said, • Don't talk so loud; don't be in a hurry."•

Nothing contradictory was elicited on her cross-examination, and the principal facts were fully corroborated by other witnesses. The Jury „found all three prisoners guilty. They were executed on Monday. They all protested their innocence. Matthew's, up to a very recent - period, bore a respectable character, the other two were very bad cha- racters. Williams bad had a brother hanged last year, and another bro- ther mid sister transported. A third brother is at present in gaol for desertion.

Another case of murder was tried at Leicester on Friday. The per- son accused was a female, named Smith ; the murdered party was also a female, about sixteen or seventeen years of age, named Wood. She- died at Mountsorrel, near Leicester, on the 15th December last. The. case was a peculiarly atrocious one. It appeared that Smith had Oren the deceased girl—who was residing with her by her own invitation, and unwell at the time—repeated doses of laudanum, with a view to poison her ; and on the 15th December, she gave her a large dose of` arsenic, which she had purchased on the ordinary pretence of killing rats with it. There was no distinct motive made out, except that Wood was about to be married to the brother-in-law of Smith, and that the latter disapproved of the match. She was found guilty, and was executed on Monday. At Exeter Assizes, on the 23rd, a woman named Mary Kellaway ivas convicted of murdering her infant child, on the 12th November last, at Devonport. The case was very clearly established, by the evidence of two married women, who lodged in the same house with the prisoner.. She was delivered during the night. The infant was afterwards foimd wrapped in a flannel petticoat, with a bit of tape tied tight round its neck. When discovered, Kellaway snatched a pair of scissors from one of her fellow-lodgers, and cut the tape from the child's neck.. From the external and internal marks, there was no reasonable doubt that it had been born alive, and had died of strangulation. A Mr. Bone stated,—and the statement, though not strictly evidence, was received by the Judge,—that Kellaway had bewailed the death of the baby in. the most affectionate language. The Jury found her guilty, accom- panying the verdict with this emphatic addition—" If there is any- power in the world by which her life can be spared, we humbly pray your Lordship that it may be exerted." The Judge did not concur in the merciful views of the Jury, and the wretched woman was accord- ingly hanged on Monday. She made a full confession of her guilt previous to her execution.

A man named Matthews was tried at Launceston, on Wednesday, for the murder of an old woman named Grace Andrews, at Calenicki in. the parish of Kea, in January 1830. A bill was preferred against him. a short time after the murder, and thrown out by the Grand Jury. The trial of Wednesday was very long. One witness, named Skewes, swore positively to Matthews having confessed to !um that he com- mitted the crime. The Jury, however, acquitted the prisoner.

A middle-aged man, named Williams, was tried at Monmouth, on Monday, for setting fire to the poor-house there in December last. It appeared that Williams had asked for work of the overseer, and had been offered work at one shilling per day ; which, the overseer said, -

was.- the wages given in Bristol.. man Watkins swore very hard against theprisoner ; but his testimony was amply met by less sus- pected witnesses. The Jury, in consequence, acquitted the prisoner.

At Lincoln Assizes, a woman named Jane Harrison was found guilty of falsely swearing a bastard child to a farmer, named Mkt. She had a child in May 1830, while servant to Mr. lillet be forced her to go before the Magistrates to swear to the father of the child. She was so enraged with him for compelling her to do this„ that she swore the child to him. He is a man, seventy-six years of age, and the grandfather of many children, the youngest of whom is twenty. She afterwards admitted, that a man named Francis was the father. She was sentenced to transportation for seven years.

A trial for trim. con. took place at Shrewsbury last week, which excited much interest. The injured party was a T. Boughton Strey,. Esq. ; the aggressor, J. Offley Crewe, Esq. The principal fact put. forward in proof of the guilt of the parties, was the introduction, by Mrs. Strey, of Mr. Crewe into Mr. Strey's house and her own bed- room, during the absence of her husband, who was passing the night at Skil:eh, in the house of a mutual friend of Mr. Strey and Mr. Crewe,. where both had dined, preparatory to an intended hunting-match.. The servants, who suspected the improper conduct of the wife and friend of Mr. Strey, watched during the night in question, some on the leads, and others in the shrubbery, until they saw Mr. Crewe enter the house. They then proceeded to Sleitch, to inform Mr. Strey; but

be had retired for the night. Next morning, he was informed of his wife's conduct; and she was compelled to leave the house a few days after, without having seen him.. It was proved, that Mr. Strey and his wife had previously lived on the most affectionate terms. The crime of Mr. Crewe, her seducer, was aggravated by the fact, that he had 'all. along professed the utmost friendship for Mr. Strey, who had been his companion at school and college. He was, moreover, a husband and father, and the ladies visited. Mrs. Strey had six children, the youngest only about a year old : the plaintiff's counsel hinted, that there was reason for ascribing its paternity to Mr. Crewe. The Jury found without hesitation for the plaintiff—damages 5,000/.

An attorney named James Barnaby Mills, residing in Hatton Gar-

den, had 100/. damages awarded against him at Kingston Assizes yester- day, for criminal conversation with the wife of a Mr. Corner, a former client, who is at present in the King's Bench on a detainer lodged bT Mr. Mills. There were no witnesses for the defence.

On Saturday last, J. Addington, eighteen years of age, was execute& at Bedford, for arson. He was convicted at the late Assizes of having set fire to premises occupied by one of the overseers named Dines, in the village of Willshed. Somewhat more than twelve months past, he was acquitted of a similar charge. After his condemnation, be confessed that be set fire to the premises in both instances.

We mentioned, in our last number, the execution of a man named. Heaton, for the murder of Radcliffe, near Warrington. Circumstances have been discovered, which tend to implicate Radcliffe's wife in the murder; and she has, in consequence, been committed to Lancaster gao/.

A poor old man, named Simmonds, was discovered murdered a fear days since, in a wood between Battle and Robertsbridge. He had gone from the poor-house at Robertsbridge to Hastings, the previous week, to procure two watches for repair ; on his return he was stopped.

and robbed on the road. He knew the robbers, and on the following Friday proceeded to Battle to procure warrants for their apprehension ; he, however, never returned. Two men are in custody.—Sussex Advertiser.

On Wednesday sennight, a man named Carr, a collier, at Working- ton, killed one of his fellow-workmen with a pick-axe. Carr had made a proposition to work in a certain part of the pit, at threepence per ton below what was paid to the other colliers. ''hose who were opposed to the reduction, assembled in the pit, early on Wednesday morning, and proceeding to where Carr was at work, began throwing pieces of coal at him. One of Carr's fellow-workmen had his head slightly grazed by a piece of coal ; when Carr, seizing hold of his pick, sallied out, threatening death to any one that should molest him ; and coming in contact with Hines, he struck him a fatal blow with his pick, the point of it entering his right shoulder, and penetrating to the heart. A person named Houchen committed suicide, in Norwich gaol, on Monday night ; he was a butcher, and had been convicted of sheep- stealing that day, but not sentenced. On going into his cell on Tues- day morning, the gaoler found him attached to the grate of the window by his neck-handkerchief, and his knees touching the ground, but quite dead. The Inquest Jury found a verdict offelo de se. It seems to be the practice of Juries, whenever a prisoner, more especially a convicted one, commits suicide, to give him credit for that full possession of his understanding and, spontaneity, which in ordinary cases they deny.

On Thursday evening last week, Sarah, the wife of Mr. Webster Gibson, of Emscote, left home with her niece, to purchase some candles. When they got part of the way, she said to the girl, " You can go faster than I can ; take my purse and pay for the candles, and keep the rest of the money yourself." The girl complied with her request ; but when she returned, her aunt was nowhere to be found. Next day, the body was found in the canal, between that place and the drawbridge. —Leamington Courier.

A rick of valuable wheat, the property of Mr. Hewitt, of Hill-field farm, Tamworth, was entirely consumed by fire on Tuesday night. There is no house within four hundred yards of the spot. A man named Carpenter, of Bicester, in Oxfordshire, drowned him- self lately, to be revenged of one Aldworth, who held an annuity of 301. on his life !— True Sun.

A few mornings since, the Rector of a parish in Northampton was surprised by a visit from a stranger, who drove up to his door in a post- chaise, and announced himself as a clergyman to whom the Chancellor had just presented that living. The Rector expressed his astonish- ment, and said that as he was alive, and had not been made a Bishop, he knew of no reason why he should resign the living. The stranger said he was perhaps the most unfortunate man breathing : he had been presented with a living by the Lord Chancellor, who was an old friend of his father : he had travelled upwards of one hundred and forty miles to take possession ; previous to which he had spent much time and ex- pense in ascertaining the value of the living. The Rector condoled with him on his misfortune. The poor clergyman's grief was almost beyond expression. He exclaimed, " When will my troubles end? The Chancellor soon after he entered into office offered me a living.

I went to see it, and found the residence so bad that I could not accept it. Another was offered, and my name was in the papers. k was con- gratulated by my friends, but, alas ! after all, the living was not vacant. This, the third, was offered. I've come all the way with my wife to view it, and now it is not vacant. You, Sir, are not dead."—Northamp- ton Herald.

As a finale to some equestrian performances at Bolsover, on Satur- day last, it was intended to send up a fire-balloon. The weather being unfavourable, the exhibitors felt averse from fulfilling their promise ; the spectators became angry, and said that it was " all a bite." The balloon was at length sent up ; and, in descending, set fire to a rick of corn, belonging to Mr. James Handley. From this the flames spread to two other ricks, and with the utmost difficulty were prevented ex- tending to the adjacent buildings and corn.

The celebrated improvisatore, Pistrucci, was upset the other day, while travelling in a four-wheeled open carriage, from Chichester to the Earl of Egremont's seat, at Petworth : his thigh was broken. He was taken back to Chichester, and great hopes are entertained of his doing well. [The provincial narrator of this accident adds, as a curious coincidence—" This gentleman had been employed for the last fort- night in making a drawing from Mr. Carew's statue, in the Cathedral, of the late Mr. Huskisson ; that lamented statesman having died of a fractured thigh." Now, by the proper rule of coincidences, Mr. Carew should have got the broken thigh—a broken leg would have sufficed for Signor Pistrucci. This would have made the coincidence still more curious, for poor Huskisson had both leg and thigh broken.]