notice to the patrole, and desired the child to return with him, singing "Black is not white." Upon passing a wood which skirted the road, six robbers rushed out, and, after an unavailing struggle with the patrole, were conveyed to prison.

At the Lyceum, at Pau, a new system of artificial memory is taught, dif. ferent from all preceding ones, and which, it is pretended, enables students, in three lessons of two hours each, to undergo examinations in the most difficult and abstract sciences.

A chaise-driver, in the service of Mr Loftus, at Newcastle, having got intoxicated while driving a party on the Shields road, his master, who was in company, ordered him off the dickey, and desired him to walk home. Instead of so doing, however, the man, unknown to any one, got up the back part of the chaise while it was going, and having stumbled, the spikes caught hold of the handkerchief round his neck; and being without the power of making his situation known, he was dragged two miles in this state, his knee joints being rubbed off by the friction of the road.

AGRICULTURAL REPORT.-In the sound and dry grounds, bean-planting is nearly finished, and some oats and peas got into the earth; in less favoured situations, and where tillage has been backward, this branch of husbandry will not be complete until nearly the middle of next month. The wheats in general have improved in their appearance, except upon wet and poachy soils, where they still look yellow and unhealthy. Mr Kemp's practice of putting in spring corn, without the aid of the plough, has been tried by several experimental farmers with beans and oats, and report speaks well of the state of those lands. From the late rains, tillage has been difficult, and is backward in low and undrained soils,

a difficulty which will be felt on such throughout the spring. The common turnips have suffered from wet upon unfavourable soils; but the rutabaga is a certain dependence wherever cultivated, and its culture, as it ought, increases every year throughout the island. From the nature of last year's crops, straw must become very scarce towards the latter end of the season; and from the dearness of hay, those stock farmers who have not provided themselves amply with green crops, will be reduced to great difficulty. Some losses of sheep by the rot, in the midland counties, were spoken of in the past months; but nothing on that head is repeated, nor much yet respecting the lambs. Little alteration in the country since last month in the cattlemarkets, or the farm-yards. The cornmarkets have had an ample supply, yet the general opinion is, that wheat must be dearer; it must, however, be noted, that never before was so great a breadth of wheat sown in England and Scotland, as during the last seed season, and much land is yet reserved for spring wheat, the culture of which has been abundantly successful for many years, and increases in consequence.

In Smithfield market, beef fetches from 5s. to 6s. per. stone of 8lb.; mutton, from 5s. 4d. to 6s. 4d.; veal, 63. to 8s. 4d.; pork, 5s. 4d. to 8s.

FASHIONS. Walking Dress.-A pelisse of scarlet Merino cloth, buttoned down the front and up the arm with small gold buttons; the collar and cuffs of purple velvet; but during the morning, of black, striped with scarlet; an ermine tippet pointed in the back, and muff of the same. A bonnet of scarlet cloth, turned up with velvet, and formed to come over the face; the veil passed through the front and brought round the neck. Boots of scarlet cloth, trimmed with velvet.-Evening Full Dress.A round dress of white satin, sloped up in front, with small train, ornamented round the bot

tom with velvet in a scroll pattern, vandyked round the edges, and dotted with black chenille; the velvet during the morning should be grey or scarlet; the bosom, girdle, and sleeves of this dress, are ornamented to correspond. A turban cap of white satin, looped with pearls, and edged with velvet; the hair combed full over the face, curled in thick flat curls, divided on the forehead. Necklace, ear-rings, and bracelets of gold and pearls blended. White kid shoes and gloves; fan of white crape and gold.-Observation.In respect to the fashion for jewellery, all ornaments, whetherrings, necklaces, ear-rings, broaches, buckles, &c. are worn much smaller.

MARCH.

1st.-Sentence was passed on Tuesday morning, in Frankfort barracks, Plymouth, on Keeling, Smith, and Marshall, of the Nottingham militia, for allowing French prisoners to escape from Dartmoor, while they were doing duty there. They were sentenced to receive 900 lashes each; but the two latter were forgiven their punishment; and Keeling, who procured fire-arms for the Frenchmen, received 450 lashes in presence of the picquets from every regiment in this garrison.

The frequent escape of French prisoners from Plymouth and other seaports, has called forth a measure from government, which will tend to prevent such occurrences in future. All the French prisoners in our possession, who belonged to the navy, are marching to the depots inland; while those belonging to the army are in future to be confined on board prison-ships, and in the vicinity of sea-ports.

Agreeably to the predictions of the French philosophers, the tide rose, at

Leith, to an unusual height on Sunday week; the depth of water, on the bar, was 16 feet, 5 inches, to which may be added, two feet and a half of dead water in the harbour, making the total rise of the tide 18 feet 11 inches: had the wind been in the northwest, it would have probably risen two feet more. A vast crowd of spectators were on the pier, among whom were several eminent literary characters. The depth of water on Monday was 15 feet and a half.

Yesterday morning, at six o'clock, Mr Sheward, stable-keeper, of Parklane, drove a break and four horses, for a wager, on the road from Piccadilly to Staines. The wager was, that he would drive four in hand fifteen miles in fifty minutes. He lost three minutes of his time in the first seven miles, and lost the wager by four mi

nutes,

A gentleman of the name of Span, late of Bristol, was unfortunately killed in a duel, in January last, with an officer of the garrison of Trinidad. *

Tuesday night, about nine o'clock, an unfortunate female, whose appearance spoke the capacity of respectable servitude, was found hanging to the iron-rails of Devonshire-place, Paddington. A gentleman who was returning home, first saw and cut her down, and after three hours exertion, assisted by an apothecary in the neighbourhood, succeeded in restoring animation. Yesterday morning she was quite sensible, and assigns for a reason her extreme poverty; she had journeyed from Hereford on foot, without money, and on that day had walked 19 miles without subsistence.

A few days since, the porter of a shop, in Paternoster-row, threw himself off the top of his master's house. He survived about half an hour, and was taken to the hospital, where he expired. The cause of his committing the act, is attributed to having lost in

the lottery, and having been plundered of all he was worth by insuring in the Little Goes.

A fine peacock, belonging to Mr Henwood, of Cardinham, near Bodmin, was lately attacked by a ferocious hog, and literally torn to pieces. It was above ninety years of age, and a very old man now living in Warleggan, has remembered it more than eighty years. Its appearance made it probable that it would have lived many years longer. It was lively and active, and its plumage as perfect and beautiful as in early life.

COURT OF KING'S BENCH.-Harris v. Cohen.—This was an action to recover 561., the amount of an attorney's bill, for defending the defendant in a charge of stealing silver spoons from the butler's pantry of Mrs Martin, of which offence the defendant had been acquitted; and the question was, whether the defendant had made himself liable to the demand, or his mother-in-law, who had absconded, for fear of being charged with the felony. Many witnesses were called on each side, who, as well as both parties, were all Jews, and contradicted each other most mainly. It appeared probable, however, that the plaintiff had received 231. on account, for which it was certain he had not given credit; but it was agreed to refer the amount of the bill, subject to the decision of the jury, who, however, found for the defendant. The defendant was a minor, but Lord Ellenborough held that no defence; his acquittal from a capital charge being a necessary.

FORGERY. Last week, a forgery was practised on a very respectable, banking house in the city, under the following very singular circumstances, by which they were defrauded of two thousand and ninety pounds, and hitherto the parties have avoided the vigilance of the police. A few days ago, a person called at a house in Francis

street, Fitzroy-square, a part of which was to let, to engage it for, as he said, a gentleman of the first respectability; and having agreed to terms, &c., the better to prevent enquiry, he offered to pay for three months in advance; and for which purpose presented for change a one hundred pound note, having several other notes in his hand at the same time, none of them, he said, for a smaller sum. This manœuvre had the success that was wished; the lady who had the lodgings to let, could not give change, but the sight of the mo ney lulled her into security, and the gentleman was allowed to take possession on the following day. The financier thus seated in fashionable lodgings, sets about raising the ways and means, and commenced by answering an advertisement from " a young man from the country in want of a situation," who was desired to call in Francis-street, Fitzroy-square; where, if he answered the description of the advertisement, he might hear of a situation likely to suit him. The young man accordingly presented himself, and being interrogated as to what he could do, &c., he was asked for his town references, which he gave, and was desired to call on the following day, at twelve, for his answer.

He did so, and was informed that the enquiries respecting his character and connections were satisfactory, and his salary being settled, he was to enter on his employment the next morning. However, as he was taking his leave, his intended master asked what way he was going, or if he was particularly engaged that afternoon; if not, he would get him to do a little business in the city for him. The youth eagerly expressed his wish to go anywhere, when his master, taking out a small red pocket book, and from it a cheque for 20901., desired him to get cash for it at the banking-house; observing at the time, that as bankers, clerks were

not over accommodating, he was to take two notes of 10001. each, and the other 901. any way; and then to go to the Bank of England to get notes of 501. and 301. for the two 10001. notes, and to meet him at the Moorgate Coffee-house, Fore-street. The cheque was paid by the banker without suspicion, and the large notes having been changed at the bank in the manner desired, the young man went to the coffee-house, but no master had come to meet him. After waiting for two hours in great anxiety, he set off for Francis-street, and was there informed that his master had gone out soon after him, and had not returned. The young man went a second time to the Moorgate Coffee-house; still no master, but he found a note had been left for him during his absence. On opening it, it was from his employer, dated the White Hart Tavern, Holborn, corner of Warwick-court, whither he was desired immediately to repair, where his master was waiting for him. On his way to Holborn, he was joined by a man who forced his conversation on him, and to whom he related where he was going, and what he had been about. They parted at the door of the tavern, and the clerk went in to ask for his master; still no master was or had been there. The young man having been permitted to remain long enough in the tavern for those outside to ascertain that he was not followed by any person from the banking house, or Bank of England, the person whom he had the conversation with in the street, came into the house, and told him that his master was crossing the way. The young man looking out, saw his master, to whom he went up, and was most graciously received, and relieved from any further trouble respecting his charge; and the master, to save trouble, taking the youth's pocket-book, in which were the 20901., promising to return it in

the morning when he came to business but this trouble was spared him, by a note which he received the same evening, inclosed in a parcel, in which was his pocket-book, and two 11. notes. The note expressed, that unexpected business had called the master suddenly from town to Liverpool; that the two pounds were for the trou ble he had had; but that his further services would for the present be dispensed with. This strange proceeding awakened suspicion in the young man's mind, and the following day, by the advice of some friends, he went to the banking-house, when they first discovered that the cheque was a forgery. It is hardly necessary to state, that the parties never returned to their lodgings in Francis-street.

A cannon-ball, weighing ninety-six pounds, and measuring upwards of 30 inches in circumference, has, within these few days, been dug out of the ruins of the old castle in Berwick. According to Fuller, in the year 1405, a conspiracy was formed in Berwick against Henry IV., in which the Earl of Northumberland and several others were the principal leaders. The earl held possession of the castle at that time, when hearing that Henry was bringing against him 37,000 men, with engineers and artillery properly fitted for a siege, he retired into Scotland. The royal army advanced to Berwick with some engines of destruction which had never before been brought against it; and which were on this occasion for the first time employed in Britain. The first discharge from one of these cannons of a large bore demolishing one of the principal towers of the castle, the garrison was thrown into such consternation, that it made an instant surrender. From this account it is probable that this is the identical ball which, four hundred and six years ago, occasioned the surrender of Berwick to the English arms.

A most horrid attempt was made by a man who resides near Dockhead, on Friday last, to poison his wife and three children. He took a leg of mutton home, and ordered it to be roasted for dinner. His wife accordingly roasted it, and got it ready by the time he appointed. He did not come home to dinner, and his wife and children made their dinners from some provisions that were in the house, and did not eat of the leg of mutton. The husband did not arrive till suppertime, and made an excuse for not coming to dinner. His wife offered him some of the leg of mutton for his supper, but he declined it, saying he had brought home some fish, which he wished to have fried. His wife fried them with the dripping produced from the roasting of the leg of mutton, and he ate heartily of the fish. In the night he was taken extremely ill, and has continued in the most excruciating torture ever since. He enquired how the fish had been cooked, and being informed, and also that none of his family had partaken of the mutton, he acknowledged his guilt by saying, the deadly and diabolical scheme he had laid of poisoning the whole of them had fallen upon himself; having laid the leg of mutton in a quantity of arsenic for a considerable time, and also having rubbed it into the meat. The miserable wretch is languishing in the greatest torture of body and mind.

RICHARD ARMITAGE.-This celebrated character, of whom so much has been heard respecting his transactions with Roberts in forgeries upon the Bank of England, in which establishment he was a clerk, was taken, on Tuesday morning, at an inn about three miles from Ipswich, in a cross country road, by John Foy, accompanied by two gentlemen from the bank, a reward of 300 guineas having been offered for his apprehension, as long since as the 11th of August. The

prisoner went by the name of Barclay at the inn, and he represented himself as a private gentleman, who wished to reside secluded from the gaieties and pleasures of the metropolis. He spent his time in the association of the gentlemen yeomen in the country, with whom he used to take the sports of the field, and his wife, who had just gone through an accouchement, was the only person who knew his situa tion. The prisoner was surprised in bed, first by the hostess of the inn, who informed him three gentlemen wished to see him, and after one of the gen tlemen had been introduced, Foy followed and took him, and conveyed him to London in a chaise and four. He was taken to Marlborough-street office, and after having been identified, and some other necessary forms gone through, he was committed to New Prison, Clerkenwell, for examination on a future day, where he now remains doubly ironed.

YORKSHIRE ASSIZES.--Trial of James Whitehead, for attempting to murder Ann Ockleton. The prisoner, on being arraigned, pleaded guilty, which plea he persisted in for a considerable time; but, by the advice of the court, and the repeated entreaties of his counsel and friends, he reluctantly withdrew his plea, and pleaded not guilty. The prisoner, who was a good looking young man, seemed greatly affected during the whole of his trial.

Mr Tindall stated, that this was a prosecution under what is called Lord Ellenborough's Act. The prisoner lived servant with a Mr Brown of Hedon, at the same time that Ann Ockleton, the prosecutrix in this indictment, lived there as a domestic, and a considerable degree of attachment existed. between them at that time. After Ann Ockleton left the service of Mr Brown, their intercourse with each other was necessarily less frequent, asad her father having expressed some dis