be enormous. The carriage traffic of the twelve hours of the night would probably equal the total daily traffic of the largest continental cities-especially when it is considered that the whole influx of the carts which bring into the city its daily supply of meat, vegetables, hay, straw, and other articles of consumption, occurs, and the vehicles have for the most part returned, long before the hour when this account begins.

AUGUST.

2. MURDER BY POISONING.Ipswich.-Maria Gage, 50, of short stature, and rather sullen appearance, was arraigned for the wilful murder of her husband, James Gage, by administering to him a certain quantity of arsenic.

This murder appears to have resulted from the same disregard of all morality which disgraced the parties in the case recently tried at Nottingham. The deceased Gage was an agricultural labourer, and, at the time of his death, lived with his wife at Stonham Aspal, a small village a few miles from Ipswich. They had a family of seventeen children, but one of them, now a lad of twenty years of age, was not the result of marriage. The deceased was imprisoned for twelve months for some offence, and during his incarceration the prisoner cohabited with another man, and the result was the birth of the boy. He, however, was brought up with the other children, no difference being made. Her unfaithfulness did not end there, for during the last eighteen months she left her home more than three times, and ran away with her paramour. Her husband happened to meet her in the streets with her companion,

and assaulted her, for which he was punished. Altogether the parties led a very dissolute and depraved life, and, as a natural consequence, the quarrels between the woman and her husband were frequent and violent. On one occasion she left home with a paramour, accompanied by her daughter, sixteen years of age, and a man by whom the girl had been debauched, and with whom she cohabited.

About three weeks before the deceased died he was taken suddenly ill while working in the fields. He went home; had the violent vomiting and burning of the stomach attending the administration of arsenic; and after suffering excruciating tortures for a fortnight, he died. Preparations for burying him were made in great haste; and although from previous circumstances suspicions of poisoning were very strong, no one interfered; and in fact the funeral procession was in the very act of leaving the cottage for the parish churchyard, and the bell was tolling, when the clergyman, in consequence of rumours which reached him respecting the character of the deceased's death, caused the body to be taken back for further inquiry. An inquest was called, and according to the testimony of Mr. Image, an eminent chemist of Bury, it was clear that the unfortunate man had died from the effects of arsenic. It then transpired that the prisoner had on more than one occasion procured that description of poison. The deceased died on the night of the 22nd March. While he was ill, and a few days before his demise, the prisoner called upon a Mrs. Lambert, a widow, at Debenham, and stated that her husband

was very ill. After staying with her about an hour, Mrs. Lambert accompanied her on her way home, when she asked the widow to fetch her a pennyworth of stuff for the rats and mice, for her daughter. Mrs. Lambert at first declined, desiring her to go herself. She eventually yielded. The prisoner gave her a penny, and she went to Mr. Smith, a chemist, of Debenham, got the stuff, and gave it to the prisoner. Mr. Smith stated that the stuff consisted of a compound of linseed and arsenic, sufficient to poison six men.

The daughter was examined, and deposed that she never ordered her mother to procure the stuff for her.

Considerable evidence was gone into as to the deceased's state, and it was shown that she had wished that God would take him. In one instance, when she was spoken to as to what would become of her if she lost her husband, she remarked that it would matter little, as she had t'other man near. The cottage in which the deceased lived belonged to him. A strong and conclusive chain of facts was given, although it did not appear quite satisfactory as to how the poison was administered, but the inference was that it was mixed in his food.

The prisoner was found "Guilty" and executed on the 19th instant. It is very much feared that this was not the only murder perpetrated by this wretched woman. About six years ago five of her children died within the space of a fortnight. Suspicions were raised; one of the bodies was exhumed ; but no analysis of the stomach was made, and the jury returned a verdict of "Natural death."

THE JUDGES' SALARIES.-By a statute passed last session (14th

and 15th of Victoria, chap. 41) the salaries of the Chief Justices of the Queen's Bench and Common Pleas are regulated. Under the 2nd and 3rd of William IV., chap. 116, the salary of the former was 10,000l., and of the latter 8000l. a year. From the death of Lord Tenterden, the chief of the Queen's Bench has accepted 80007. a year, and the chief of the other Court has been paid 7000l. for some time. The salaries are now declared to be to the Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench, 80001., and to the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, 70007. a year.

The salaries of the Judges of the Equity Courts have also been settled by the 14th and 15th Vict. c. 83. The Lord Chancellor is in future to receive 10,000l. per annum ; the Master of the Rolls 6000l.; the Lords Justices 60001. each. The Vice-Chancellors receive 50007. each.

John

THE PENSIONS ON THE CIVIL LIST.-By a Parliamentary Return it appears that pensions on the Civil List have, during the present year, been granted to the following persons: - To Payne Collier, for literary merits, 100l.; Hon. Dulcibella Maria Eden, and Hon. Caroline Courtenay Boyle, for services to the Queen Dowager, 100l. each; Mary Maclear, for the discoveries of her husband, Astronomer Royal at the Cape of Good Hope, 1007.; James Baily, literary merits, 1007.; Dr. Kitto, biblical literature, 1001.; George Petrie, archæological literature, especially of Ireland, in addition to former pension of the same amount, 1007.; Harriott Waghorn, widow of Lieutenant Waghorn, in addition to pension of 40l., 60l.; John Poole, literary merits, 100l.; Christina Liston,

widow of Robert Liston, surgeon, 1007.; Sarah Belzoni, widow of the African traveller, 1007.; Mary Sturgeon, in consideration of the scientific attainments of her late husband, William Sturgeon, 50l. ; Sarah M'Carthy, in consideration of the military services of her late father, Captain Edward M'Carthy, 501.; Anna Maria Caroline Moylan, in consideration of the gallant services of her late brother, Captain C. Moylan, who died from over-exertion during a pestilence at Barbados, 40l.; total, 12007.

witness 4s. 8d. for the nursing. She did not take any of its clothes but those that were on it. It was a very fine, fat, strong, healthy, promising child.

Martha and Mary Evans, daughters of the above Mrs. Evans, walked with the prisoner on this occasion, assisting her to carry the child, and parted with her at a lane leading to the pool where the child was afterwards found. Witnesses were returning in the evening; the prisoner overtook them about half a mile from their

The prisoner was a servant in the house of a farmer named Lucas, near Church Stretton. In December last her mistress noticed to her that she was with child, and she confessed it. Up to that time she had borne an excellent character. In consequence of her good conduct in other respects, she was retained in her master's service till the time of her accouchement, when she went to the house of a Mrs. Evans, who lived about three miles off, at Roundhouse. There, on the night of the 19th of May, she was delivered of a male child. The infant was put out to nurse with Mrs. Holmes, and prisoner frequently went to see it. On the 24th of July she visited the child, and took it from Mrs. Holmes, saying, "I am going a little way, and I will take it with me." Witness did not want her to take it, and said she had better leave it with her, but the prisoner answered, "I must take it; I had a letter yesterday, and I must take it." She then took it, and paid

with them about 8 o'clock. She then had no child with her. When asked by Mrs. Evans where it was, she said she had left it behind. Her manner was the

same as usual.

66

Isaiah Lindoff, a farmer at Winston, in the parish of Cardigan, proved that as he was, according to his custom, going the round of his farm about half-past 7 o'clock on the evening of the 24th of June, he came near the dam of a pool called the Jane Yells Pool," in a remote hollow, surrounded by a few trees, and there had his attention attracted by a stick in the water, the small end of which was in the water against the plug of a boat or sluice, and the large end against the dam. The boat is a structure of two upright posts, with a cap made for the purpose of letting the water out, and pounding it up again. The boat was two yards from the dam. One end of the stick was under water, about a yard and a half from the dam. Thinking there was a line or net attached to it for the purpose of taking fish, he pulled up the stick, and a child immediately floated to the surface on its back with its legs down.

The end of the stick, which had been under water, formed a natural fork, and the other end was so placed and bent against the pool dam that it could not fly back. The stick was about seven feet long. There was no road or pathway near that pool, which was called the upper pool; but there was a road over the lower pool dam, about 100 yards off. These pools were about two and a half miles from Church Stretton. When he moved the stick, the child came at once to the top of the water.

The surgeon who made a post mortem examination proved that the child was a perfectly healthy one, and that drowning was the cause of death. There was no mark whatever of external injury or internal disease. He was of opinion that the child never rose to the surface after it was first put in till it died; for if it had risen it would have swallowed some water, and none was found in the stomach.

The jury found the prisoner "Guilty," and she was sentenced to death; but the punishment was commuted.

5. DEATHS BY LIGHTNING.Yorkshire. The town of Keighley experienced a severe storm of thunder and lightning, accompanied by torrents of rain. In a cottage, called the Old Borhouse, at Hawkcliffe Wood, near Keighley, was a man named Blakeborough with his wife and four children, together with other children, not his own. These little ones were all playing at one side of the house, when the lightning struck an ash tree which overhangs the cottage, then pierced through the wall, struck down three of the children, and passed through a window on the

One

opposite side of the room. of the children was mortally injured. The child least hurt had an exact representation of the ash tree which the lightning had struck upon its back with the branches and leaves complete, as if it had been burnt on with an iron stamp.

During a thunder storm in North Nottinghamshire, an elderly man who was pulling apples at Scaftworth was struck dead by the lightning.

INUNDATION ON THE CONTINENT.-Great storms which occurred in the early part of this month have caused the European rivers flowing westward and southward from the Alpine range to overflow their banks, and inflict extensive injuries to property and life.

In Baden, Bavaria, and Wurtemberg, the lowlands remained under water till the ripening crops were destroyed. Much damage has been done to the fortifications of Rastadt; the lower casemates of which are under water. In Baden-Baden the waters rose to within very few feet of the large hall. A newly-built Swiss cottage, inhabited by an English family, was carried away so rapidly that the inhabitants had barely time to save their lives.

In Savoy, the Arve overflowed its banks, and caused a frightful inundation. All the country around Bonneville and Thyez was under water; the potato harvest was entirely spoiled, the corn washed away, and a large number of small farmers ruined.

A letter from Padua states that the storms had destroyed about ten houses and 30 huts at Mestrino and Lissaro, in the province of Padua ; Valstragna, in the province of Vicenza, had a similar visitation. Many lives had been lost, and a great

number of houses, farms, &c., destroyed by the consequent inundation of the Brenta.

In the Canton of Berne the damage done by the inundations is estimated at 2,400,000 francs. In Styria the largest bridges have been carried away. The rushing masses of water as they passed through Mahrburg carried with them gigantic trees, which were torn up by the roots, fragments of houses, mills, carriages, timber, utensils, boats, and numerous animals. The inundation which caused these fearful disasters appears to have been caused by the bursting of a water-spout in Carinthia. Many places in Carinthia are quite destroyed, churches and hospitals were broken down by the fury of the water, and were speedily reduced to a mass of ruins. Many corpses have been found in the Tyrol.

Great injury was also done by inundations in the valleys of the great French rivers; and in the neighbourhood of Brussels.

6. THE FRIMLEY MURDERERSTHE KIRDFORD BURGLARY. Croydon. John Isaacs, 25, hawker, and Samuel Harwood, 25, labourer, were indicted for burglariously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Harriet Stoner, and stealing seven sovereigns, some silver money, and other articles, her property.

This case created a great deal of interest, from the fact of the prisoners being the remaining members of the desperate gang of burglars who for so long a period infested the counties of Surrey and Sussex, and of which Isaacs was the captain. The prisoner Samuel Harwood was tried for the murder of the Rev. Mr. Hollest at Frimley, at the last assizes for

Surrey, and upon that occasion he was acquitted, his two companions being convicted and executed. (See TRIALS.)

James Hamilton, an accomplice -the same worthy upon whose evidence the Uckfield burglars were convicted (see Jan. 2)—was examined. He said-I have known the prisoner Isaacs for ten or twelve years. I have only known the other prisoner some twelve months ago last spring. I remember the burglary being committed at Mrs. Stoner's, at Kirdford, on the 3rd of June, 1850. About a month before I was encamped in a tent on Farnham Common, and Isaacs came there to me and planned the robbery; he told me he should go to Guildford to get two other men to join in it, and I was to take his old clothes and a dark lantern to a place called Hydensball, where we were all to meet. A man named John Holmes, or Smith, accompanied Isaacs Isaacs to Guildford. I went to Hydensball, as it had been arranged, and Isaacs came there accompanied by the prisoner Samuel Harwood, Levi Harwood, and Jones. (The two latter were executed for the Frimley murder.) Our party at this time consisted of six persons

myself, the two Harwoods, Holmes, Jones, and Isaacs. The place where Mrs. Stoner lived was ten miles from Hydens-ball, and we arranged to go there by twos, and Samuel Harwood and I went together. We were all to meet in a wood not far from Kirdford, and we did so, and all six went to a lonely barn by the side of the road, and about 50 yards from Mrs. Stoner's. Isaacs and Holmes then went to look at the house, and see if all was quiet, and when they returned we stripped and