tion with another person, inflicted wounds upon the person of Sir Francis Hopkins, with intent to kill and murder him. You have had the benefit of a full and patient investigation of your case. You have been well and ably defended by the counsel to whom your defence was entrusted. The jury have considered and pondered, as they were bound to do, before they came to a conclusion that you were guilty; and whether I consider the facts that were sworn against you, or the conclusions to be drawn from those facts, the jury did not exceed their duty. I mention this not to justify or defend anything which needs no justification or defence, namely, the verdict of the jury, but lest your mind, or the minds of others, might unhappily have been misled that there is one part of your case which has not been justly and properly dealt with, or that any conclusion or inference was drawn or could have been drawn which was not the legitimate, and I might almost say the inevitable conclusion which any rational mind must have drawn from the evidence. When I come to think of the crime with which you have been charged I am appalled at the contemplation of it. You, who had received benefits at the hands of the man against whose life your arm was raised, against whom you had no cause of animosity or anger-the man of whom, I might say, he was the person to whom you might, as you had done before, have always looked up as a protector and friend. Without a motive or cause that human eye can discover, you proceeded to the place of that gentleman, and with deliberate hand levelled at him a deadly weapon, which, had it taken effect, would have consigned him to a premature

grave. It was the interposition of Providence upon that occasion that saved him from that shocking death; but you were not content with that; the attempt was repeated when you were involved in a struggle with him, and that attempt was, as every body must feel it to be, a continuation of that first determination upon your part to take the life of your benefactor. It is a fearful--it is a sad case; sad in all its features, whether we regard the consequences to yourself, or the consequences to the country. A gentleman enjoying the possession of a large property, and devoting himself to the service of the public, living amongst his tenantry, and dealing with his estate in a way that was calculated to make it beneficial to all around him. He is marked for assassination. No one can tell why; and shocking it is to say yours was the hand that was found willing and ready to accomplish that dreadful work; and you have been brought to justice for the crime. I will not

I

I cannot-I dare not add to the horror of your condition by dilating further upon your criminality. feel that you are in a very brief period about to undergo that change which we must all sooner or later expect to meet. I therefore pray and implore of you to devote the interval which has been left to you to reflection upon what you have done, repentance for your crimes, and those consolations from religion to which I trust you will find yourself capable of attending, and which will prove the comfort and blessing of your last moments. I cannot say more: the sentence of the law is, that you, Bryan Seery, be taken, upon a day to be hereafter named, to the common place of execution, and there hung till you be dead,

The most extraordinary exertions were made to save the life of this criminal, and the most exaggerated statements were put forth, tending to charge Sir F. Hopkins with having deliberately sworn away his life. The authorities, however, were inexorable, and the convict was executed; on the scaffold the convict declared, raising the crucifix, and in a calm, loud, and steady tone, "I declare before my God that I had neither act, hand, part or knowledge in the crime for which I am going to die here." His funeral was attended by many thousands (some of the Irish newspapers say 50 or 60,000) of the populace, who considered him a victim to the oppression of the Saxon law, and he was even spoken of as "the martyred Seery." It is, however, proper to add that, apart from the excitement in his own neighbourhood, few rational persons doubted that the convict met his just doom.

24. RIO DE LA PLATA.-H. M.'s steam frigate Cyclops brings intelligence of a decisive action in which the combined English and French fleets were engaged with the batteries of Rosas.

On the evening of the 18th November, the position occupied by Rosas's forces on the Parana was reconnoitred, and found to be exceedingly strong. Four batteries, mounted with twenty four cannon of heavy calibre, stood on the right bank of the river: the river itself was barred by a stockade formed with twenty-four vessels, bound together by three iron chains. Ten fire-ships were in readiness; and the brig Republicano, well armed, was placed in a position to enfilade the opposing vessels. About nine

the combined fleet advanced in three divisions. The first, under the command of Captain Sullivan, was composed of the Philomel, the Expeditive, the Fanny, and Procida: the second consisted of the St. Martin, the Comus, the Pandore, the Dolphin, and the Fulton (steamer); Captain Trehouart being the commander; the third division, under the orders of Captain Hotham, was composed of the Gorgon and Firebrand steamers. At half-past ten o'clock the action became general; the men in the batteries displaying much obstinacy, and some skill in the management of their guns. The Republicano was set on fire by a bomb-shell; while the fire-ships, although set adrift, proved harmless. The attack and defence were continued with much spirit for several hours; the enemy doing his utmost, and the English and French crews vying with each other in acts of daring. By a dashing exploit on the part of Captain Hope of the Firebrand, the chains which bound the stockade were broken; which enabled the Fulton to pass through and take up an advantageous position. Towards four o'clock the enemy's fire began to slacken; and the signal was made for the troops to land. This was effected by six o'clock. The first English detachment under the command of Captain Sullivan, sustained a heavy fire of musketry from a party lying in ambush: but effective assistance was rendered by another detachment, commanded by Lieutenant Hindle; and Captain Trehouart having joined the attacking party, the enemy were put to flight, and the batteries taken possession of. On the following day, the guns were destroyed, with the exception

tion with another person, inflicted wounds upon the person of Sir Francis Hopkins, with intent to kill and murder him. You have had the benefit of a full and patient investigation of your case. You have been well and ably defended by the counsel to whom your defence was entrusted. The jury have considered and pondered, as they were bound to do, before they came to a conclusion that you were guilty; and whether I consider the facts that were sworn against you, or the conclusions to be drawn from those facts, the jury did not exceed their duty. I mention this not to justify or defend anything which needs no justification or defence, namely, the verdict of the jury, but lest your mind, or the minds of others, might unhappily have been misled that there is one part of your case which has not been justly and properly dealt with, or that any conclusion or inference was drawn or could have been drawn which was not the legitimate, and I might almost say the inevitable conclusion which any rational mind must have drawn from the evidence. When I come to think of the crime with which you have been charged I am appalled at the contemplation of it. You, who had received benefits at the hands of the man against whose life your arm was raised, against whom you had no cause of animosity or anger-the man of whom, I might say, he was the person to whom you might, as you had done before, have always looked up as a protector and friend. Without a motive or cause that human eye can discover, you proceeded to the place of that gentleman, and with deliberate hand levelled at him a deadly weapon, which, had it taken effect, would have consigned him to a premature

grave. It was the interposition of Providence upon that occasion that saved him from that shocking death; but you were not content with that; the attempt was repeated when you were involved in a struggle with him, and that attempt was, as every body must feel it to be, a continuation of that first determination upon your part to take the life of your benefactor. It is a fearful--it is a sad case; sad in all its features, whether we regard the consequences to yourself, or the consequences to the country. A gentleman enjoying the possession of a large property, and devoting himself to the service of the public, living amongst his tenantry, and dealing with his estate in a way that was calculated to make it beneficial to all around him.

He is marked for assassination. No one can tell why; and shocking it is to say yours was the hand that was found willing and ready to accomplish that dreadful work; and you have been brought to justice for the crime. I will not

I cannot-I dare not add to the horror of your condition by dilating further upon your criminality. I feel that you are in a very brief period about to undergo that change which we must all sooner or later expect to meet. I therefore pray and implore of you to devote the interval which has been left to you to reflection upon what you have done, repentance for your crimes, and those consolations from religion to which I trust you will find yourself capable of attending, and which will prove the comfort and blessing of your last moments. I cannot say more the sentence of the law is, that you, Bryan Seery, be taken, upon a day to be hereafter named, to the common place of execution, and there hung till you be dead,

and the Lord have mercy on your soul."

The most extraordinary exertions were made to save the life of this criminal, and the most exaggerated statements were put forth, tending to charge Sir F. Hopkins with having deliberately sworn away his life. The authorities, however, were inexorable, and the convict was executed; on the scaffold the convict declared, raising the crucifix, and in a calm, loud, and steady tone, "I declare before my God that I had neither act, hand, part or knowledge in the crime for which I am going to die here." His funeral was attended by many thousands (some of the Irish newspapers say 50 or 60,000) of the populace, who considered him a victim to the oppression of the Saxon law, and he was even spoken of as "the martyred Seery." It is, however, proper to add that, apart from the excitement in his own neighbourhood, few rational persons doubted that the convict met his just doom.

24. RIO DE LA PLATA.-H. M.'s steam frigate Cyclops brings intelligence of a decisive action in which the combined English and French fleets were engaged with the batteries of Rosas.

On the evening of the 18th November, the position occupied by Rosas's forces on the Parana was reconnoitred, and found to be exceedingly strong. Four batteries, mounted with twenty four cannon of heavy calibre, stood on the right bank of the river: the river itself was barred by a stockade formed with twenty-four vessels, bound together by three iron chains. Ten fire-ships were in readiness; and the brig Republicano, well armed, was placed in a position to enfilade the opposing vessels. About nine

o'clock on the following morning, the combined fleet advanced in three divisions. The first, under the command of Captain Sullivan, was composed of the Philomel, the Expeditive, the Fanny, and Procida: the second consisted of the St. Martin, the Comus, the Pandore, the Dolphin, and the Fulton (steamer); Captain Trehouart being the commander; the third division, under the orders of Captain Hotham, was composed of the Gorgon and Firebrand steamers. At half-past ten o'clock the action became general; the men in the batteries displaying much obstinacy, and some skill in the management of their guns. The Republicano was set on fire by a bomb-shell; while the fire-ships, although set adrift, proved harmless. The attack and defence were continued with much spirit for several hours; the enemy doing his utmost, and the English and French crews vying with each other in acts of daring. By a dashing exploit on the part of Captain Hope of the Firebrand, the chains which bound the stockade were broken; which enabled the Fulton to pass through and take up an advantageous position. Towards four o'clock the enemy's fire began to slacken; and the signal was made for the troops to land. This was effected by six o'clock. The first English detachment under the command of Captain Sullivan, sustained a heavy fire of musketry from a party lying in ambush: but effective assistance was rendered by another detachment, commanded by Lieutenant Hindle; and Captain Trehouart having joined the attacking party, the enemy were put to flight, and the batteries taken possession of. On the following day, the guns were destroyed, with the exception

of ten bronze cannon, which were shipped on board the squadron. In the English fleet, ten officers and men were killed and twenty-five wounded: among the former were, Lieutenants Brickdale of the Firebrand and Andrews of the Dolphin. Of the French, eighteen were killed and seventy wounded: M. Michaud, one of the officers of the St. Martin, being among the killed. Of the enemy, four hundred dead bodies were found in the batteries; but it is believed that many more were carried away. In the very heat of the engagement, Captain Hotham wrote to Captain Trehouart this note-" Si le titre de brave a jamais été merité, c'est par vous et vos équipages.'

30. FATAL FIRE-WORK EXPLOSION.

A fatal accident occurred at the house No. 14, King Street, Lambeth Walk, by which two young men were instantly deprived of life, and four other persons severely injured. It appears that William Kenyon, aged 19 years, had been in the employment of Mr. Darby, the firework-maker in Regent Street, Lambeth, and that his master not having sufficient space on his premises to perform his work, had allowed him to take about two hundred-weight of com. position home with him to manufacture into " "stars." While occupied in drying some composition in a cellar, it took fire. Kenyon and a young man named Holmes were killed instantly; two other youths, a young woman and a child were fearfully injured, all the unfortunate sufferers being burnt in a horrible manner. These latter had gone into the cellar for the purpose of seeing Kenyon at his work. There was nearly two hundred-weight of composition, consisting of sulphur, saltpetre, and

antimony, in the apartment, the whole of which exploded.

FLUCTUATIONS OF THE FUNDS. -During the course of a century the English funds have undergone a strange variety of fluctuation. From 1730 till the rebellion of 1745, the Three per Cents. were never under 89, and were once in 1737, as high as 107. During the rebellion they sank to 76; but in 1749 rose again to 100. In the interval between the peace of Paris in 1763 and the breaking out of the American war, they averaged from 80 to 90, but towards the close of the war they sunk to 54. In 1792 they were at one time as high as 96, but within five years from that time, namely, in 1797, Consols fell to the unprecedentedly low price of 44g. This great change was the consequence of the success of the French, with whom we were at war; the mutiny at the Nore; and the general distress and bankruptcy which then prevailed. The highest price of Consols in 1797 was only 56. On the conclusion of the peace signed at Amiens, in 1802, they advanced to 79; but, hostilities immediately commencing, they sunk again to 50 in 1803. In 1806 they reached 66, in 1808 they were at 70, and in 1810 at 72. The fate of the American war in 1812 brought them down again to 55; and although they rose to 73 on the abdication of Bonaparte in 1814, they were again at 55 on his escaping from Elba in 1815. The battle of Waterloo, however, caused an immediate reaction, and in the year 1817 they rose to 84. At the period of the Queen's trial, in 1820, Consols sank to 65, but in 1824 had again ascended to 97. The panic of 1825 brought them down to 74, but, with the exception of another sudden fall,