his occupations, all unconscious of the mischief he had done. He was committed to take his trial for manslaughter. The deceased has left a widow and two children.

17. FATAL SEWER ACCIDENT AT ISLINGTON.-An accident occurred in a sewer in process of formation in Lower Road, Islington, by which two lives were lost. The Commissioners of Sewers having determined to form a branch sewer from Church Street to Cross Street, had successfully carried on their operations at a depth of 24 feet, passing under the New River Tunnel, which is at the depth of 12 feet, near the King's Head public-house. Mr. Cox, the landlord, being desirous to open a drain from his premises into the new sewer, had a shaft sunk in his cellar, and a heading driven forward near the New River Tunnel. There the water began to ooze through, and flooded the cellar, which made him more desirous to have the drain completed into the sewer. The leave of the Commissioners being requisite for this, the necessary application was made and refused. The workman, however, commenced driving a heading from the sewer under the New River to meet the drain on the other side, and had penetrated seven feet inwards, when he used a boring instrument, called "searcher," to ascertain where he was going. The searcher penetrated the tunnel of the New River, and immediately the water, rushing through the heading, filled the sewer like a tide. There were six men in it at the time: two got up the shaft with comparative ease, two more had a very narrow escape, being swept off their legs by the force of the current; but a labourer and a bricklayer were carried away and drowned. Such

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was the force of the current, that the bodies of the unfortunate men were swept down the sewers into the Thames, at London Bridge, where the Islington sewer discharges itself. The whole current of the New River turned aside into the opening, and all that part of London which is supplied with water from that source was left dry, until, by throwing in a great quantity of bags of clay, the opening into the new sewer was completely stopped.

22. FIRE IN LITTLE BRITAIN.— About 7 A.M. a fire of a very destructive character broke out in the spacious premises belonging to Mr. Robert Whitaker, playing-card and pasteboard manufacturer, in Little Britain. The building was five floors in height, the front consisting of two large houses in the public thoroughfare, whilst the main factory was a building in the rear, of the same height, and very extensive, separated from the front buildings by a space of 40 feet. An apprentice, sleeping in the front premises, had his attention suddenly attracted by a loud noise as if occasioned by the snapping of burning wood, and looking round he saw that the ground floor and first story of the factory were in flames. This building contained property of considerable value, for besides the immense stock of manufactured goods therein, the principal machinery used in the business was worked in the different floors. Alarm being given, the engines speedily arrived; but before sufficient time had elapsed to get them fairly to work, the flames had communicated with every floor in the factory, and were rushing forth from the 26 windows in front, completely extending across the open yard, and rolling into the

back windows of the two front houses. At the same time hundreds of sheets of card-board and paper, in a state of combustion, were blown through the top of the premises when the roof gave way, and were carried a long distance over the surrounding houses, threatening devastation to the entire neighbourhood. The top floors of one of the front houses, and the back rooms of the other, caught fire; but by the strenuous exertions of the firemen this part of the fire was extinguished, and the destruction was confined to the factory premises. The adjoining houses were much injured, and from the closeness of this ancient neighbourhood a very extensive conflagration was imminent.

27. GREAT FIRE IN HOUNDSDITCH. A fire of serious magnitude, involving a very heavy loss of property, occurred in Houndsditch. The site of the conflagration was the long range of premises belonging to Messrs. Bousfield and Sons, wholesale clothiers and outfitters, the front buildings being numbered 126 and 127, Houndsditch. The business was one of the largest at the east end of London, upwards of 1500 hands being employed by the firm. The property comprised three warehouses extending backwards to a considerable extent. Those front ing the main street had been formed out of two capacious houses. In a line with the front part of the premises, and adjoining, ran two lofty buildings, one 120 feet in length, and the other about 50, both four stories high, which had been erected about two years ago, at a cost of 7000l. The three buildings communicated with each other on every floor, iron screens or doors closing up the apertures

at night. Each warehouse contained a very heavy stock, principally garments (slops) which had been made up for exportation, and a considerable amount of woollen and other goods in the piece. On Saturday evening, about 7 o'clock, the premises were closed in the regular course of business. The doors were locked, and the warehouses remained closed the whole of Sunday; but shortly after 5 o'clock on Monday morning an alarm of fire was given by some parties residing in houses close by. One of these had been aroused by the reflection of a great glare of light in her room, and on going to the window, discovered the opposite building to be on fire. Flames were issuing from the countinghouse windows at the western part of the establishment. No time was lost in arousing those residing on the premises, and giving the alarm. Before the engines could arrive the flames had extended along the whole basement floor of the centre warehouse, and, rushing up the principal staircase, had fired the upper stories. The tremendous glare of the flames speedily brought the whole force of the fire-brigade to the spot, and by their great exertions the destruction was confined to the main central building; but this was utterly consumed, with its contents, to the value of 30,000l. One of the firemen was knocked down by some burning timbers, and impaled on the iron railings below. He was carried to the hospital with very little hope of life.

AMERICAN STEAM-BOAT DISASTERS.-American journals contain accounts of two fearful disasters, such as too frequently occur in the navigation of their inland waters. The first recorded is the loss of the steamer John Adams,

on the Mississippi, on the morning of the 27th. The vessel was bound for Cincinnati with a heavy freight and a large number of passengers, and when near the head of Island 82, struck a snag or stump and sunk in two minutes. The cabin parted from the hull, and the latter went down in about 60 feet of water. She had about 90 or 100 deck passengers, a few of whom only were saved. The cabin, in breaking from the hull, separated in the middle, which doubtless was the cause of many of the cabin passengers saving their lives. The ladies in the cabin

were all saved. After suffering many hours in the water, they were enabled to get ashore at the plantation of a Mr. Carter. The forward portion of the cabin, including the fixtures, floated down to the head of Island 83, where it grounded. The number was as follows:-Cabin passengers, 100; deck, 87; officers, 11; crew, firemen, and hands, 32; total, 230. The number saved was-Cabin passengers, 84; deck, 5; officers, 11; crew, firemen, and hands, 7; total, 107: lost, 123.

The second catastrophe occurred on March 2, and apparently near the same spot. The steamer Oregon, bound down from Louisville, while passing through the shute of Island No. 82, at 1 P.M. on the 2nd inst., burst her boiler, with a tremendous report, carrying away the forward cabin and upper deck, and killing and wounding 60 persons. She was heavily laden, and had from 80 to 100 passengers, who had just finished dinner, and were mostly collected in the hall and on the forward guards at the time. She took fire after the explosion, and burnt to the water's edge, and being in the channel and under

weigh, would have consumed all those on board but for the assistance of the Iroquois, which was wooding within a mile of the Oregon. Upon seeing the explosion, Captain Lee, of the Iroquois, gave orders to go to the relief of the Oregon. But few minutes elapsed before she was alongside the Oregon. The flames had just burst through the hurricane roof. Men, women, and children were collected together on the afterpart of the boat, without the means of getting away but by jumping into the river. The shrieks of the women, the frenzy of the men, ready to leap overboard to avoid the more horrible death by fire, the groans of the scalded and dying, and the piteous lowing of the cattle, baffle description. By great exertion the survivors of the passengers and crew were got on board the Iroquois, some of them so seriously scalded that eleven died before reaching Memphis, where such as were yet living were taken to the hospital. The waiters in the cabin were at dinner, and all were killed except the steward; eight white firemen were killed. It is impossible to give a correct idea of the loss of life, nothing having been left whereby to ascertain names. The Oregon was scuttled, but it proved useless, as the burning of the upper works caused her to rise faster than the holes could allow the introduction of water to sink her.

FEBRUARY.

1. THE ANNUITY OF THE LATE QUEEN DOWAGER.-The Court of Queen's Bench gave judgment in the case of Lord Brougham, executor of the late Queen Dowager,

v. the Lords of the Treasury. The plaintiff had applied for a mandamus commanding the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury to show cause why they should not give the proper warrant for the payment of that quarter of the late Queen's annuity of 100,000l. which fell due on the quarter-day after her Majesty's death. The annuity was made payable out of the Consolidated Fund under the Act 1 and 2 William IV., cap. 11, entitled "An Act for enabling His Majesty to make provision for supporting the royal dignity of the Queen, in case she shall survive His Majesty." It was "to take effect immediately from and after the decease of His Majesty, and continue thence during the natural life of Her Majesty ;" and it was to be "payable at the four quarterdays" of the 31st March, 30th June, 30th September, and 31st December. The late King died on the 20th June, 1837, and the Queen Dowager died on the 2nd December, 1849. Her Majesty received a full quarter's annuity on the 30th June, 1837, only ten days from the King's death; and her executors now claimed also the full quarter which would have been payable without doubt if she had lived to the 31st December, 1849. The Lords of the Treasury felt bound to reject this claim; and contended that, under the general law, there could be no apportionment of this annuity; and suggested that in equity there would be no hardship, as the full quarter received for the ten days after the King's death compensated for the quarter not receivable on account of the 63 days after the Queen's death. There was no doubt that they rested on principles of law acknowledged with re

gard to annuities generally; but the executor of the late Queen Dowager urged that this was a case not only of construction but of intention, The express object of the Act was to enable the late Queen to maintain her dignity, and it could not but be supposed the Legislature knew that Her Majesty would be at great cost on this head during the currency of the quarter in which she died. As to the full payment made after the King's death, that would be proper on account of outfit, and the taking possession of the residences appointed for Her Majesty's use, one of which residences, Marlborough House, was unfurnished. Both parties consented to abide by the decision of the Court of Queen's Bench, whose judgment was now delivered. The Court held that there was nothing special in the wording of the Act of Parliament granting the late Queen's annuity, and nothing therefore which distinguished the case from the ordinary annuity cases; and about the general law of such cases there was no reason for raising a doubt. When an annuity is granted, it is in the power of the draftsman to say that the payments shall be apportionable, or to leave the case to events, letting the annuitant run his chance of benefit or loss. In the present case, the estate of the annuitant gained by the events; the late Queen obtained the quarter's payment for ten days after the King's death, and her representatives lost the quarter's payment for the 63 days between the last payment and the day of her death: blending the times, her estate gained a quarter's payment for a term less than a quarter by nineteen days. After dealing with the points urged on

behalf of the executors, Lord Campbell touched with some severity upon the topic of the "exalted rank" of the deceased. "We are at a loss to know how this should influence the construction of the language by which provision is made for her. We might as well be told of her exemplary virtues while living, and of her saint-like death, which will ever make her memory cherished with affection and reverence by the English nation. These we are most ready to acknowledge; but we sit here merely as judges to interpret an Act of Parliament; and, according to the just interpretation of this Act of Parliament, we are all clearly of opinion, that in the event which has happened no arrears of annuity can be claimed subsequently to the 30th of September, 1849."

4. OPENING OF THE PARLIAMENT. The fourth session of the present Parliament was opened this day by Her Majesty in person. The appearance of Her Majesty among the people in state, and upon an occasion of national importance, never fails to attract, even in the most ordinary times, a numerous concourse of spectators: on this occasion it was invested with unusual interest, owing to the recent aggression of the Pope on Her Majesty's prerogatives and the civil rights of the kingdom. Every portion of the route from Buckingham Palace to the House of Parliament was crowded with unwonted multitudes, all seemingly anxious to add truthfulness and reality to the vast number of written assurances of continued attachment to her crown and person recently addressed to Her Majesty, by the loud huzzas of her people. The Queen, with her accustomed punctuality, left Buckingham Palace precisely at

1 o'clock, and the enthusiastic greetings which accompanied every step of the royal progress, must have made it evident to Her Majesty, although so long accustomed to receive the hearty tribute of her people's affectionate loyalty, that a deeper feeling than ordinary now moved the mass of her subjects around her, and that Her Majesty might rely upon the affection and loyalty of her people in repelling the encroachments and resenting the insults of any foreign poten

tate.

DREADFUL COLLISION IN THE CLYDE.-Severe gales have prevailed in the north, during which some terrible disasters occurred in the Clyde. The Thistle steamer left Glasgow for Londonderry at 7 P.M. The night was dark and stormy. Between 10 and 11 o'clock, as she was off Pladda light, she came into collision with a vessel with such violence as to sink her almost instantaneously. Not a cry was heard from the sinking vessel, nor was it for some time known what she was; but by the wreck floating about the frith, and by the captain's desk and papers, which were washed ashore, it was found that she was the Laurel of Greenock, inward bound from Demerara, with a cargo of sugar and molasses, valued at 8000l. Her crew consisted of fourteen or fifteen hands, who, with one passenger, all perished.

The same night, the Vanguard steamer ran down the schooner Eleanor, when the captain and three men were drowned.

5. STEAM-BOAT EXPLOSION.— Glasgow.-About 7 o'clock in the morning a fearful explosion took place on board the steamer Plover, lying at the wharf, Broomielaw, preparatory to her departure for