of the most curious and interesting portraits in the English series, sold for 6l. 178. 6d. The triumphal arch of the Emperor Maximilian, in a series of 36 wood engravings, and portrait by Albert Durer, sold for 261. 10s. Sir Thomas Challoner, ambassador from the Court of Spain, "Etatis suæ, 28 a. 1548," after Holbein, by Hollar: this is one of the rarest portraits in the English series, and is esteemed the most scarce of all Hollar's productions; it sold for 15l. 10s.

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6. Queen Mary holding the supplication of Thomas Hongar, a fine impression of a rare print by Delaram, 111. 58. Of the 93 portraits of Queen Elizabeth, one, representing a three-quarter figure, holding the orb and sceptre, of the greatest rarity and in the finest possible state, sold for 201.; Elizabetha Regina," another three-quarter portrait, representing the queen holding in her right hand a fan of feathers, and surrounded by a cloud, an extremely rare portrait, by Delaram, sold for 91. 15s.; another rare portrait, oval, representing the Queen holding the orb and sceptre, the royal arms being above, and three lines of Latin beneath, sold for 10l. 58. A most brilliant impression of the rare and interesting portrait by Crispin de Passe, representing the Queen habited in the magnificent dress she went to St. Paul's in to return thanks for the victory over the Spanish Armada, sold for 7 guineas. The other portraits of the queen sold well. The Most Excellent Princesse Marie, Queene of Scotland, Mother to our Sovereigne Lord King James; also, the Most Illustrious Prince, Henry, Lord Darnley, King of Scotland;" this exceedingly curious print, engraved by R. Elstracke, represents the

Queen and Darnley standing side by side, with the arms of France and Scotland beneath them. The print, formerly in the collection of Sir M. M. Sykes, is considered unique; it sold for 33l. 10s. Vera Totius Expeditionis Nautica Descriptio, Franc. Draci;" this very rare, stated to be unique, foldingsheet, by Hondius, contains a map of the world, tracing the memorable voyages of discovery made in 1577 and 1586 by Sir Francis Drake and Thomas Candysh, whose portraits are given. The competition for this curious lot was very great; it was knocked down for 271.

8. Two rare prints of Sir Thomas Overbury, by Droeshout and Elstracke, the first having allusion to his murder, and the other representing Sir Thomas seated at his desk, with his head resting on his left hand, contemplating his own epitaph, which he is writing, sold for 201. 78. "Frederick the Fifth, Count Palatine, and the Most Excellent Princesse Elizabeth," a brilliant and almost unique engraving, by Elstracke, from the Sykes collection, sold for 15l. Charles I. sitting in Parliament, with the officers of state, nobility, &c., an engraving almost unique, published soon after this monarch ascended the throne, engraved by Renold Elstracke, sold for 181. 10s.

9. "Robert, Earle of Warwick, Lord High Admiral," by R. Van Voerst, extremely rare, sold for 131. 66 Mountague Bartie, Earle of Lindsey, Lord Great Chamberlaine of England," a very rare portrait after Vandyke, by Faithorne, from the collection of Sir M. M. Sykes, sold for 147. 14s.

11. A large emblematical engraving by Faithorne, representing Oliver Cromwell in full armour, standing between two pillars. In

but strychnine is a deadly poison. It was evident that on the occasion in question Mr. Jones had taken down the wrong bottle, and unfortunately had not looked at the label, and had used strychnine in the medicine instead of salacine. The medicine having been prepared, the maid took it home. Mr. Jones then told his apprentice to let the bottle he had so taken from the shelf remain on the counter or desk, in order that he might be reminded to write to London for some more of the drug it contained. On the following morning Mrs. Smith took some of the medicine, and in less than half an hour she had ceased to live. The manservant was instantly sent for Mr. Taylor, a surgeon at Romsey. The man rode past Mr. Jones's shop in great haste. The apprentice asked Mr. Jones if he had seen Captain Smith's servant ride past in such haste and Mr. Taylor shortly return with him. Mr. Jones replied he had not, but he hoped Mrs. Smith was not worse; and turning to his desk, where the bottle was standing, he looked at the bottle, and exclaimed, "Oh, my God! I have made a mistake, and have put up the wrong drug." He instantly sent for a horse and gig, and drove off to Captain Smith's. He met Mr. Taylor near the house, and asked how Mrs. Smith was? Mr. Taylor said she was dead. Mr. Jones, who was almost frantic, said it was a mistake he had made in the medicine, and that he had mixed up strychnine instead of salacine. It was nearly dusk when the medicine was made up. The apprentice saw Mr. Jones take down the bottle from the shelf, and had not the least doubt but Mr. Jones had the salacine bottle in his hand. Mr. Jones was a

very careful, cautious, respectable man, and extremely attentive to his business. Half a grain of strychnine would kill the strongest man, and nine grains were put in the mixture.

Many medical gentlemen gave Mr. Jones the highest character for care and caution, and spoke of his consciousness of the responsi bility attached to his profession.

Mr. Justice Williams summed up, and explained to the jury the distinction to be drawn, and the degree of culpability arising from different degrees of negligence. The jury returned a verdict of 'Not Guilty."

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8.

DESPERATE

BURGLARY

Chelmsford. - William Tansley, 35, gardener, Samuel Crow, 26, groom, and William Ellis, 28, labourer, were indicted for the capital offence of burglariously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of James Finch, and stealing 27. in money, and a quantity of pork and other articles; the indictment alleging, also, that at the time of committing the offence the prisoners beat and struck the prosecutor, and feloniously attempted to hang him, and also struck and beat one Elizabeth Wright, and feloniously attempted to burn her to death. Two other prisoners, named William French, 34, publican, and John Crow, 16, ostler, were also included in the indictment; the charge against them being that they feloniously received, harboured, and maintained the other prisoners, knowing them to have committed the felony imputed to them.

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The first-named prisoners were part of a gang known as the Coggeshall Burglars," who have been the terror of the country for some time; they were now in cus

tody, charged upon no less than twelve indictments for different burglaries, in most instances accompanied by brutal acts of violence; in one case the house, after it had been plundered, had been set fire to and burned to the ground by the ruffians.

The following account of the transaction on which they were now charged, given by William Wade, an accomplice, and which was corroborated in every particular by the victims, will give some idea of the atrocious villainy of these desperadoes.

William Wade, after stating the arrangement made by the gang for robbing the prosecutor, said, "We all went up to the house together, and Tansley kept watch outside while we went round to the back. Crow then took a plough coulter and broke in the door with it, and upon hearing some one inside we all rushed in. I then saw the prosecutor and his housekeeper, Elizabeth Wright, standing in the passage, and Crow said that we wanted money. Master Finch said that he had not got any, and his housekeeper then went away to her own room, and Crow followed after her. He had a pistol in his hand. Master Finch then went up stairs, and I and Ellis followed him, and soon afterwards Crow also came up, and he wanted to know if the old man had told us where he kept his money, and we replied that he had not. Crow then said he knew he had got money, and insisted upon having it, and he then took up the prosecutor's trousers, which were on his bed, and shook his pockets, and two half-crowns fell out, which Crow put in his pocket; and he then laid hold of the man by the collar, and insisted on knowing where his money was.

The prosecutor appeared very much frightened, and pointed to a beam in his bedroom; Crow went there and took down a canvas bag, and emptied the contents into his hand; and he saw a sovereign, a half-sovereign, and some halfcrowns. Crow then said he knew that he had more money, and Ellis added that if the prosecutor did not tell them where it was they would hang him. The prosecutor said he hoped they would not do that; and they seized him immediately and dragged him into another room where a beam went across.

When they had got the prosecutor into this room Crow produced a rope, and he made a noose and put it over the prosecutor's neck, and threw the other end over the beam. I told them not to hurt the old man; but one of them lifted him up and the other pulled the rope, and they kept him suspended. He was hanging a short time, and then they let him down; the prosecutor at this time had nothing but his shirt on. While all this was going on, Tansley remained outside the house. After the old man had been served in this manner we went down to the housekeeper's room, and found her sitting on the bed, partly dressed. We asked her for money, and she said she had not got any, she was only the housekeeper. Crow said he knew that she had, and if she did not tell him where it was he would put her on the fire. She replied that she could not help it if they did; she had not got any money, and could not give them any. Crow and Ellis then put a quantity of straw into the firegrate and set fire to it with a candle; and when it was in a blaze they put the woman upon the fire, and

her gown was in a flame almost immediately. I said to them, 'Don't do that,' and tried to put out the fire; and Crow said that I was a fool, and that I ought not to interfere. The woman was then allowed to go away, and she went to her bedroom. The prosecutor was standing by while she was put on the fire; and when she was gone Crow and Ellis laid hold of him, and said they would serve him the same if he did not tell them where his money was. He repeated the answer he gave before, and they immediately laid hold of him and put him on the fire. He again said that he had no more money, but if they looked in the chimney they would find some hams and pigs' chaps, and they might have them if they pleased; and they then let the old man go. We then had some bread and cheese and beer; and afterwards a sack was procured, and the hams and chaps were placed in it, and we took them away with us. We were in the house altogether between two and three hours, and on our way home we hid the sack and its contents."

Samuel and John Crow and French were found "Guilty;" the other two prisoners were acquitted.

13. BOLD ATTEMPT AT ROBBERY. -Clerkenwell. A well-dressed, portly-looking woman, who refused to give her name and address, was put to the bar, charged with steal ing a banker's parcel, containing upwards of 3001. in gold and silver

money.

The parcel in question was addressed to a banker at Luton, and was deposited by the Luton coachman in the bar of the Cross Keys, in St. John's Street, for safe custody, until his coach should start.

Mrs. Mary Ann Griffin, the

landlady of the Cross Keys, said that on Monday afternoon she first saw the prisoner, who applied to be accommodated with a seat until the departure of the Luton coach, as she had a young friend who was coming to proceed with that conveyance as far as St. Alban's. She invited her to take a seat in the coffee-room, to which she objected on the ground of gentlemen being there, and, on being offered a private sitting-room upstairs, she urged that it would be too lonely, and went away. In about five minutes afterwards she again presented herself at the bar, when, as a matter of courtesy, she was asked to take a seat in the bar parlour— an offer she readily accepted, and in a very short time the last witness left the banker's parcel in the same apartment on a desk, two yards from the spot where the prisoner was sitting. Not long after this a 'gentleman," who had for several weeks past been in the habit of visiting her establishment, and leaving in her care his greatcoat, presented himself in a hurried manner, and, after saying "Oh, you have a lady here waiting for me," pushed rudely by her, notwithstanding she objected, and entered the bar parlour to the prisoner, who instantly recognised him, and said something about his wife; at the same time the man called out for a glass of sherry, with which she served him, and received a shilling in payment. She retreated towards the bar to procure him change, when seeing, from the reflection on the glass door, the prisoner receive from her friend a paper parcel (produced) with red seals, and exchange it for that of the banker, she ran up to the desk where the first one was placed, and, at once perceiving that

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