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parish of Wolverhampton, belong ing to Lord Anson, between the hours of six in the evening and seven in the morning of the 29th of November last, armed, with intent to kill game.

The singular circumstance of an aged female forming one of a small party on a night-watch for poachers -her intrepidity on the occasion the brutal conduct of the poachers -and the very narrow escape of one of their victims, gave to this case a degree of greater importance and deeper interest than usually belong to such transactions.

Mary Pinnett, a woman ad vanced in years, deposed as follows: I remember going with my hus band, Nicholas Pinnett, who is a wood-ranger at Bentley, and my son-in-law, James Boulton, to watch for poachers, on the evening of Monday, the 28th of November last. We went out about ten, and returned at eleven; after waiting about ten minutes we started again, and went round the covers belong ing to Lord Anson. Soon after wards, we heard the report of a gun in Herbert's Coppice, and on proceeding in the direction from whence the sound came, we met a man in a field adjoining the coppice. I collared him and asked what he was doing at that time of night. He said he was going;" he then said, "loose me, woman, are you going to rob me?" I said, no, man ;" and asked him for his name, which he said was Emery; this was about two o'clock. I kept the man collar'd, and sent my son-in-law to the constable's. Soon after, the man whom I held called out, as if to some companions, "D-n and b-t your eyes, if you don't come over I'll confess;" upon which Robert Wood and another man

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jumped over the hedge out of the coppice, and knocked my husband down; they then beat my husband with Robert Wood's gun until they broke it, and afterwards with his own gun till they broke that too; they then jumped upon him; upon which I went to his assistance. They then turned from him to me, and knocked me down with a hedge-stake. I got up, and was beaten and knocked down again several times. Before going away, they gave my husband a heavy blow on the head with the broken gun. They took my husband's broken gun with them, and left their own behind. Directly after they ran away, I went up to my husband, and found he was not quite dead, but covered all over with blood. My husband has been compelled ever since that time, until last Sunday, to keep his bed; he is quite incapacitated for attending here, in consequence of the severe wounds he received that night. I know the prisoners at the bar to be two of the three men who committed the offence. (Witness's husband had several of his ribs broken, and was otherwise much injured.) This statement, and the identity of the prisoners, being established by three other witnesses, they were found guilty, and sentenced to transportation for seven years.

ASTORGA LIBRARY. The Astorga Library, recently purchased for the Faculty of Advocates at Edinburgh, is supposed to be the most curious collection of Spanish books existing anywhere out of Spain. It consists of about 8000 vols. and was sold for 3000l. The Bodleian also had an agent in town to treat with Mr. Thorpe's creditors. The collection is unrivalled (in so far as England

is concerned) as to Romance, Chronicles, and Law. There is also a great deal of the old poetry -volumes that would have fetched their weight in gold when the Roxburgh mania was in its vigour. A contemporary prose history of the Crusades is considered unique. Certainly no mention of the work is to be found in any catalogue that has reached this country. The Marquis Astorga, who founded the library, was viceroy of Portugal, under the administration of Õlivarez. He married that great statesman's daughter; and many volumes in this collection have the leaves between the clasps blazoned with the arms of the Count-Duke. The possession of this collection will, of course, confer new distinction on the magnificent and truly liberal establishment of which it is about to form a part. The same body purchased only last year a very fine Danish library entire, at Copenhagen.

27. COURT OF COMMON PLEAS. -Tooth, demandant v. Bagwell, tenant. This was a writ of right to try the right to certain lands which had been nearly sixty years in the possession of the tenant. The proceeding is one of extremely rare occurrence, and has nearly fallen into desuetude. The present action was to have been tried last term before the four judges and a grand assize, consisting of four knights and twelve freeholders chosen by them. It was then put off for default of appearance of some of the knights, and after several adjournments, came on for trial this day. Thirteen only of the knights and freeholders of the grand assize made their appearance. Of the knights, sir George Alderson could not attend. His physician was examined, and deposed,

that not only was sir George unable at present, but in all probability never would be able, to attend. The sheriff had also made a return to the same effect.

Serjeants Bosanquet and Taddy, suggested to the court, either to discharge the present grand assize, and commence the proceedings de novo, or summon another knight in the room of sir George Alderson, and so proceed to trial.

Serjeants Vaughan and Wilde, for the tenant, opposed both of these, contending that the court had no power to adopt either of them; there was only one case on record, in which a knight had been added to complete the grand assize, and that was a case not of the illness, but of the death of the knight originally summoned. The present, they said, was a most vexatious proceeding, after the tenant had been so long in possession, and they would, therefore seize every obstacle which they could to throw in the way of it.

The court said, that in a case where they had no precedent, they must resort to general principles and common sense, in order that no injustice might be done. Here was no laches on the part of the demandant, and it would be hard therefore to deprive him of his right to take the benefit of this proceeding. They should therefore order a rule to summon another knight in the room of sir George Alderson, and they did this the more readily, because if there was any error it could be remedied by an appeal to the highest court in the country.

THE VATICAN Mss. The most valuable of all Monsignor Mai's discoveries are unpublished. They consist of ample extracts from Polybius, Diodorus, Dio Cassius, Ennius, Menander the his

torian, and Persius, preserved in those hitherto lost volumes of the eclogue of Constantinus Porphyrogenitus, of which the fortunate librarian found large remnants in the Vatican. These fragments are said to be invaluable for ancient history, as much so as, or more than, those published by Fulvius Ursinus, and Henricus Valesius. The extracts from Polybius contain the details of the destruction of the Achæans, and Corinth; those from Diodorus appear to give a circumstantial narration of the beginning, at least, of the social war; the contents of the latter historians are quite new. It should appear that whoever is possessed of such a literary treasure would be eager to give it to the world; but it happens, most unfortunately, that the Roman government requires that Mai should publish at Rome; and printing at Rome at his own expense, without extraordinary assistance, exposes him to a certain loss, as nobody out of Italy would purchase an edition extravagantly dear and very incorrectly executed, if a cheaper and more correct edition might be had, as would be the case, within a few weeks after a copy had reached Germany. Thus M. Mai may either allow or refuse us the enjoyment of these precious relics.

The celebrated Niebuhr has very warmly interested himself to obtain subscriptions for the ingenious Italian. Hitherto his success has been limited to a subscription for a number of fifty copies from the Dutch Institute of Letters and Sciences. The work is actually ready for the press, and any subscriptions will be publicly acknowledged by the learned conservator of the Vatican MSS.

EXCAVATIONS IN DALMATIA.Since the year 1818, when the emperor of Austria visited this province, the search for antiquities has been carried on here with great activity. Those on the site of Salona have proved very productive; the columns of the palace of Diocletian are yet standing, and the workmen employed under Dr. Lanza, have discovered various interesting antiquities. The excavations at Pola have been still more successful: two of the arches of the amphitheatre, which were in danger of falling, have been repaired, and the two beautiful temples, and triumphal arch, are now entirely exposed, the mean buildings that disfigured them having been taken down.

28. CHAMOIS.-Four live specimens of the beautiful Antelope rupicapra, or the Chamois from the Alps of Switzerland, were shipped at Leith, for the king. They were sent from Switzerland to the earl of Fife, who has presented them to his majesty, and they will be naturalized in Windsor Park. They are the first of these beautiful animals, it is believed, which have reached this country alive. There are two females, a buck, and a kid. They are nearly of the size of the fallow deer, or common goat, but elegantly formed, with horns slightly bent back, and curved at the apex. The extreme shyness, and amazing agility of the Chamois render this animal very difficult to be procured alive; though the Chamois hunters of the Alps are the most adventurous of men.

30. OPENING OF THE MENAI SUSPENSION BRIDGE.—This stupendous structure was opened for general intercourse at half past one in the morning.

Mr. W. A. Provis, the resident engineer, was despatched to meet the London (via Shrewsbury) mail, and take charge of it across the bridge. He having mounted the box with the coachman, the mail proceeded, and on its way to the bridge took up as many as could either be crammed in, or find a place to hang by. Thus loaded, amidst the blaze of lamps, the cheers of those assembled, and the roaring of a heavy gale of wind, the gates were thrown open, and the mail passed triumphantly

across.

About nine o'clock, sir H. Parnell, and the chief engineer, Mr. Telford, passed over in the carriage of the latter. Throughout the remainder of the day the number of carriages, as well as horses and persons that passed over, was im

mense.

The extreme length of the chains from the fastenings in the rocks, is about 1600 feet. The height of the road-way from highwater line, is 100 feet. Each of the seven small piers, from highwater line to the spring of the arches, is 65 feet. The span of each arch is 50 feet. Each of the two suspending piers is 52 feet above the road. The road on the bridge consists of two carriageways (one way for going, and the other for returning) of 12 feet each, with a foot-path of 4 feet between these two carriage-ways. The carriage-roads pass through two arches, in the suspending piers, of the width of 9 feet, by 15 feet in height to the spring of the arches. To counteract the contraction and expansion of the iron, from the effect of the change of the atmosphere in winter and summer, rollers are placed under castiron saddles, on the tops of the

suspending piers, where the chains rest. The vertical rods, an inch square, suspended from the chains, support the slippers for the flooring of the road-way, the rods being placed five feet from each other. The chains, sixteen in number, contain five bars each; the length of each bar is 9 feet 9 inches, the width 3 inches by 1 inch square, with six connecting lengths at each joint, 1 foot 6 inches, by 10 inches, and 1 inch square, secured by two bolts at each joint, each bolt weighing about 65 pounds: the total number of bars, in the cross section of the chains, is eighty.

The whole is suspended from four lines of iron cables by perpendicular iron rods, placed five feet apart, and these rods support the road-way framing. The suspending power is calculated at 2016 tons, and the weight to be suspended, exclusive of the cables, is 342 tons, leaving a disposable power of 1674 tons. The weight of the whole bridge between the points of suspension is 489 tons. It is calculated that the contraction and expansion of the iron cables may occasion a rise or fall to the extent of 4 or 5 inches; but the variations of the temperature of the atmosphere will not derange the bridge.

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The abutments consist of masonry-work; four additional arches are on the Anglesea side; each of the two piers is 60 feet, by 42 wide at high-water mark, having a foundation of rock. These piers are connected with the whole of the remainder of the masonry, and form a mass constructed with blocks of hard lime-stone, of much greater weight than is necessary for supporting a bridge of this kind. This bridge is, perhaps, (with the single exception of the Simplon road), the

most stupendous monument of human art in the world. The sea rushes in a dark and turbulent confusion of currents between the precipitous shores of Anglesea and the main land; many small rocks, partly hidden, except at low water, augment the perplexity and danger of the passage; the winds blow furiously down the ravine, and produce, even when the weather is moderate elsewhere, a perfect tempest of spray. Altogether, except in the very finest season of the year, the Menai ferry was a sufficient trial for not the weakest of nerves. The narrowest part of the strait is 500 feet in width, and here it is now crossed by a convenient bridge 30 feet in breadth, suspended 100 feet above the surface of the water from enormous stone buttresses, 152 feet in height. This magnificent bridge, Mr. Telford's road across Anglesea, and the establishment of steam-packets at Holyhead, have perfected the communication between this country and Dublin; and, taking it merely in a political point of view, the completion of this great plan is a matter of high importance.

31. CHAPTER OF THE GARTER. - Yesterday his majesty commanded a court for various public procedures, to be held at his Royal Castle at Windsor.

Arrangements having been made for holding a chapter of the order of the garter, a procession was formed in the private room of the most noble order of the garter, in order to confer the ribband vacant by the death of the late earl of Carlisle, knight companion of the order.

The knights companions and officers having proceeded from the private apartment into the chapter room, and taken their respec

tive places; the officer of the order signified his majesty's command for filling the vacant stall. His grace the duke of Dorset, the king's master of the horse, was introduced into the presence of the chapter, and received the honour of knighthood from the king, and his grace then retired.

The suffrages were then collected from the different knights forming the chapter. His grace the duke of Dorset was declared duly elected. His grace was then received at the door of the chapter room by the two junior knights present, attended by the garter principal king of arms, bearing the ensigns of the order, and his being introduced to the king, he was graciously pleased to invest the duke therewith. The officers of the order pronounced the usual admonition to the newly-elected member of the order, who received the congratulations of all the members present.

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The chapter being ended, garter king of arms called over the knight's companions, and the procession returned in the order in which it had been made in the chapter room.

FEBRUARY.

STEAM NAVIGATION. A few days ago, the steam-boat Liberator left Liverpool, destined for the river Orinoco, (in the Republic of Colombia,) where she is to be employed. She will not use her engine on crossing the Atlantic, but will stop at Grenada to set it up, whence she will proceed and get into the Orinoco in perhaps twentyfour hours after her departure from Grenada. In about six months another steam-boat will leave Liverpool for the same destination.

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