12. RIOT AT OLDHAM.-There has been for several weeks a disagreement between the masters and the operative spinners of Oldham, in consequence of a reduction of wages. Those who were willing to continue their employment, were forced from it by the turn-outs, and the consequence was, a complete cessation of labour in those mills in which the new prices had been introduced. Thus situated, some of the masters engaged spinners from a distance. These new-comers were of course extremely obnoxious to the turn-outs, and the whole neighbourhood has been in a state of turmoil ever since their arrival, and numerous outrages have been committed. The new spinners were lodged in places of security near the mills. On Saturday morning last, one of the new hands in the employment of Messrs. Lees and Sons, received information that his sister who resides in Oldham, about a mile from the factory, was dangerously ill, and wished to see him. As he durst not go so far alone, he prevailed upon Mr. John Lees to accompany him. They were soon surrounded by some hundreds of persons, who used such menacing language, that they deemed it prudent to take shelter in the house of Mr. Chadwick, the deputy constable. They stayed there about an hour, during which time the mob dispersed. They then made their way forward, but had not proceeded many yards, when they were again impeded by the mob. They next attempted to return home. The mob assailed them with stones, and when they reached Mount Pleasant, they closed and began to kick and trample upon Mr. Lees and the workman. Mr. L. finding his life In in danger, drew a pistol from his pocket; this the people endeavoured to wrest from him, but fortunately without success. He finally escaped very severely bruised. the afternoon of Saturday there was an assembly of the turn-outs in the fields and lanes near to Messrs. Lees and Sons' premises; few persons passed them without being very closely questioned as to their business; not a few were severely beaten on suspicion of being related to the newly-arrived spinners. One man a weaver was accused of being a knobstick spinner," and so dreadfully maltreated as to have been under the necessity of keeping his bed for some time. About seven o'clock, the lanes and fields were so completely taken possession of by the disaffected, that no person dared to venture out of his house, every one being threatened with death who stirred out. A man in the employment of Messrs. Collinge and Lancashire was recognized and pursued by about eighty men. He fortunately obtained shelter in a house, and made his escape by a back door. The watchmen of Messrs. C. and Co. were assailed with stones while on their duty: this they bore patiently for some hours; at length one of them fired his blunderbuss about three o'clock on Sunday morning. This was the signal for a general attack, and immense volleys of stones, some of them seven or eight pounds weight, were thrown by the mob. One party destroyed nearly all the windows in the house and warehouse of Messrs. Collinge and Lancashire; while another party demolished most of the windows of Mr. Lees' house at Mount Pleasant, The mob was prevented from committing further depreda 14. SERIOUS ACCIDENT. A part of the extensive premises, situated in Bartholomew-close, in the possession of Mr. Edward Sherman, proprietor of the extensive coach and waggon offices, known as the Bull and Mouth and Oxford Arms Inns were reduced to ruins, by the falling-in of the upper story. The premises were occupied as a depository for waggons and coaches on the ground floor, there being little room at the Bull and Mouth Inn. The basement was fitted up as stables for about fifty or sixty horses, and the three upper stories were used as granaries for the preservation of corn, an immense stock of which was at all times necessary for the support of the very great number of horses on the establishment. About half-past two, the floor of the fourth story gave way, making a tremendous noise, carrying havoc and devastation in its course. The lower floors went with the force of the concussion, and the bearings of the ground-floor instantly gave way with the united weight of three stories, each heavily laden with grain. Thus were buried in confusion several horses, and one waggon, two men, and all the grain. The most prompt assistance was immediately rendered by the whole strength of the united establishments; and, after about four hours incessant labour, during which the persons occupied in clearing the ruins, in order to extricate the horses and men, had first to get out most of the coaches and waggons, they succeeded in rescuing all the horses except three, valued at about sixty pounds each. One of these, at first, showed signs of life, but ultimately expired. The two men escaped without broken bones-one of them, by a miraculous intervention of Providence, scarcely hurt; the other most severely bruised in every part of his limbs and body; so much so, that he was obliged to be carried to Saint Bartholomew's Hospital. 15. PEDESTRIANISM. Mr. G. West started on Saturday to accomplish forty-eight miles in nine hours, the start to take place from the top of Sloane-street, to the Buckinghamshire foot of Maidenhead Bridge, and to return to halfa-mile beyond Hammersmith, on the London side. It was for a bet of 100 sovereigns, and twenty more if it was done in twenty minutes under the given time. The pedestrian reached Slough (twenty miles) inthree hours, and completed half the distance in four hours and ten minutes. He returned back to the Half-way house on the Maidenhead side of Colnbrook, ate a hearty breakfast, and left himself something less than eighteen miles to be done in four hours. He won his match with eleven minutes to spare, and of course lost the second bet. 16. MURDERS NEAR FETCHAM COMMON.-On Friday morning, the neighbourhood of Leatherhead was thrown into a state of excitation, in consequence of the barbarous murder of two aged individuals, who resided on the borders of Fetcham Common.-John Akehurst, a helpless old man, aged 96, and his housekeeper, Elizabeth Haines, aged 74. It was generally rumoured in the neighbour hood, that the old man was possessed of some property, as the house and some acres of land adjoining it were in his possession, and it is supposed that the miscreants were prompted to the commission of the murder, in the expectation of finding money, the produce of the fruit, which had been extremely plentiful this season, in the grounds belonging to the old man. The murder, which was perpetrated either on Thursday night, or early on Friday morning, was first discovered by a man named Brown, who had been recently employed by the deceased to gather in his crop of apples, and who left his home on Friday morning, at six o'clock, for accus the purpose of commencing his once discovered that the house had been entered by taking a small pane of glass out of the window that led into the washhouse, and by removing a very slight iron bar. None of the property below stairs appeared to have been touched. The officers then ascended into the rooms up stairs, in one of those at the head of the stair-case the female slept, at the extreme end of which was a door, leading into that occupied by the old man. On entering this room, the woman was observed lying on her back, with her feet towards the door. There was a pool of blood surrounding her head, the back part of which was fractured in a shocking manner, apparently by a blow from a heavy bludgeon, or some blunt instrument. There were black marks on her neck, as if an attempt had been made to strangle her; and one of her hands was bruised, apparently in consequence of holding it up to avert the blows of her murderer. To the right of the door the body of the old man lay extended on the bed, both the hands were raised over the head, as if defending it from the blows of the assassin. The knuckles and back part of the hands were dreadfully lacerated, and on the right side of his head, a little above the ear, appeared the wound that had caused his death. The bed-clothes were streaming with gore, and his night-cap, which was lying close alongside the pillow, was saturated with blood. As soon as the officers had minutely examined each of the bodies, they proceeded to search the room, to discover whether the murderers had left behind them any clue by which it would be possible to trace them. Nothing, however, was found, to throw the slightest pos sible light on the discovery of the perpetrators. The chests in the upper rooms, occupied by the deceased persons, were found to have been rummaged; but none of the property which they contained, consisting of clothes, together with the will of the old man, bequeathing his little cottage and spot of ground to his daughter, was taken away. On questioning several of the persons who reside in the neighbourhood, and who, it appears, were well acquainted with the deceased, it did not seem that a vestige of property belonging to the old people had been taken off the premises. Indeed there was nothing of any value in the place. Notwithstanding the vigilance of the magistrates, nothing transpired to throw any light on the horrible affair. 17. MELANCHOLY FATALITY.— Lisbon. On Saturday last, a private soldier, belonging to the 6th regiment of the line, and stationed in the barracks in this city, was condemned to be shot for desertion, and for uttering various disloyal and seditious words, with intent to seduce others of his corps from their sworn allegiance. The prisoner, after receiving the last offices of religion, was brought forth, accompanied by two Catholic priests, and escorted by forty soldiers of his own regiment to the place of execution, which was on the Campo Grande, a short distance from the city. His coffin was carried before him, which tended considerably to heighten the solemnity of the scene. He kneeled and prayed frequently on the way, which, in consequence, prolonged the time of going. About ten o'clock he arrived at the fatal spot. At eleven he was ordered to march round the troops to admonish them, the two priests dictating what he said to his comrades; after which, he returned to his former place, where he fell a victim to an overacting on the part of the commanding officer. There were nine picked men ordered to shoot him. He kneeled, and was desired by the officer to pull the cap over his face, which he did; and whilst the officer turned round (to take a reprieve from his pocket) the poor fellow dropped his handkerchief from his hand, which being understood by the men who were to shoot him as a signal to fire, they did so, and six bullets taking effect in different parts of his body, he fell a corpse. The officer had received the reprieve only that morning, privately, but in endeavouring to convey a salutary dread of the crime (which in the existing state of affairs in Lisbon was considered necessary), and to heighten the terror of the scene, ere he produced the pardon, he over-acted his part, and the poor fellow lost his life. FIRE APPARATUS.-Last week, a trial was made of a very ingenious apparatus for aiding the action of fire-engines. The great dis advantage of these machines at present is, that they cannot be employed with much effect against å fire in any apartment more than twenty or thirty feet from the ground. The apparatus which is intended to remedy this defect, consists of two parts-a frame which folds together, and can be carried on the shoulders of four men, and a slender mast fifty feet high, which can be carried by three at a point of eighteen or twenty feet from the ground, like a triangle used for weighing. At the top is an iron ring moving vertically on a joint. The mast is placed nearly horizontally, and pushed through the ring eighteen or twenty feet. It is then brought to a perpendicular position; its foot is placed in a socket below, while the ring confining it above, it is thus kept steady in its upright situation. The nozle of the pipe is then made fast to a small apparatus, that slides on the mast, and has a joint turning vertically. A pulley and rope, passing over the top of the mast, pulls the nozle up to any height. A second pulley levels or points the nozle, so as to send the water either upwards or downwards, and a lever at the bottom, which turns the mast round, enables the firemen to change the direction of the pipe horizontally. The command over the height, position, and direction of the pipe, at any altitude not exceeding fifty feet, is thus complete. It is another advantage of the apparatus, that it can be erected within the narrowest lane. The trial made, on Wednesday morning, was very satisfactory. The inventor is Mr. Robert Brown, architect. MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR.-About two years and a half ago, a fine male infant, about four or five months old, was placed at nurse by a lady and gentleman of apparently great respectability. The gentleman first called to view the situation, and, after making many inquiries, said he was satisfied. This assurance he afterwards repeated by a letter to the nurse, mentioning the day on which the child might be expected. A day or two afterwards, a well-dressed |