cessful, or nearly one-half. In the present year, the cases were 153, and of those 133 were successful, or nearly seven in every eight, a success before unparalleled. The Rev. John Owen, of Fulham, addressed the meeting with great effect in a most impressive and animated speech, in which he traced the origin, the character, and the peculiar merits of the Royal Humane Society. He compared this happy country to a grand Humane Society; and, touching on the degraded state of Europe, hoped that, like this society, Great Britain would apply its resuscitative powers to the restoration of the suspended animation of the world. The noblechairman presented honorary medallions to several medical gentlemen, who had been the happy instruments of restoring life in some remark able cases, as detailed in the Annual Report of the society, which are printed for gratuitous distribution among the governors. On the city of London being toasted, Mr Nichols returned thanks in a neat speech, in which he did justice to the well-known liberality of the corporation, and to the just claims of the Royal Humane Society to its support. The voluntary contributions were considerable, and we trust that the number of annual subscribers to so excellent an institution will increase its funds, and enable it to enlarge its beneficial effects.

By the sentence of a court martial lately held at Lisbon, Lord William Fitzroy, captain of the Macedonian frigate, has been dismissed the service for tyranny and oppression, in putting the master of that vessel in irons. The master was afterwards tried for contempt to Lord William Fitzroy: the charge being proved, he was dismissed his Majesty's service, and rendered incapable of serving again as an officer.

A short time since Robert Richardson, a vagrant, was committed to the

He

House of Correction, Alnwick. was covered with a great quantity of ragged clothes, to excite compassion; but, on being searched, they proved cloth of gold, as 32 guineas and a half, and 221. 158. in silver, were found concealed in them.

A dreadful accident happened last week to a son of William Davis, of Bourn, Lincolnshire. A new threshing-machine, which had been lately erected in the neighbourhood, excited the curiosity of several people to see it work; among others, the above lad (contrary to the injunction of his father) went for that purpose: the father happened to go also; and the boy perceiving him come, crept under part of the machine, in order to conceal himself, when one of the wheels caught his clothes, and drawing him among the works, broke his collarbone, one of his arms in three places, both his thighs, both his legs, and cut his head in a dreadful manner.

18th.-Armitage was conveyed to the felons' side of Newgate, from Marlborough-street Office, on Thursday. The examination previous to the prisoner's committal was short and of a general

nature. The forgery of which he is accused is to the amount of about 20001., and the denial of the handwriting on the part of the person whose name it bore, was all that was entered into. Mrs Roberts, who is a principal witness, is still in confinement at the governor's house, at Coldbath-fields prison.

A female, about three years and a half old, the daughter of Mrs Hindsone, of Berwick-street, was decoyed from the door of her parent at dusk on Wednesday evening, by two elderly women, and she was left in a watchbox near her house, on Thursday night, in a state of nudity; the mother having been kept thirty hours in an agony of distress. A woman was yesterday taken into custody on suspicion.

In the dreadful fire which took place on Saturday morning in Bishopsgatestreet, only two persons escaped, a waiter at the London Tavern and his wife. They had the good fortune to escape with their bed to the window of the first floor, which they threw on the pavement, for the purpose of throw ing themselves upon it. The wife first made a leap, and falling on the bed did not receive the slightest injury; her husband, who instantly followed, was not so fortunate; he came in contact with a hook, which tore his leg in a dreadful manner, but from bruises he suffered no material injury. Of the rest of the family, consisting of a man, his wife, three children, the nurse, a maid servant and a shop boy, nothing was seen; but the populace heard at intervals their cries, and this was but for a short time, for the floor giving way, the whole of this unfortunate family perished in the burning ruins. As soon as day-light appeared, the remains of the unhappy sufferers were searched for in the ruins, and in the course of the day they were all found, except the maid servant and the boy, and conveyed on shutters to Bishops gate workhouse. The youngest child was only a month old, and the nurse who attended Mrs Goullee was one of the unhappy sufferers. It is not known how the fire originated.

CORONER'S INQUEST.-An inquest was held yesterday evening on the bodies of Mr and Mrs Goullee, Peter and William, two of their male children, a female infant only a month old, Martha Courtnay, a nurse, and James Shore, an apprentice to Mr Goullee, who met their death by the fire, the melancholy particulars of which are given above.

The jury having been sworn, proceeded to Bishopsgate workhouse, to examine the bodies, which were disposed in shells for that purpose. A more

dreadful or more harrowing scene was scarcely ever exhibited to a jury. The human form was but barely discernible, and from the contortions to be observed in their mutilated frames, it was evident that some of them had expired in the most poignant agonies. This painful task over, the jury returned to the White Hart, where several witnesses were examined touching the origin of the horrid catastrophe. The only one whose evidence threw any new light upon the subject, was Susannah Creed, the wife of a waiter in the London Tavern, who lodged on the first floor. She stated, that she had supped with Mrs Goullee the night before the fire, and that she and her husband went to bed at half-past ten o'clock. She was awoke about two o'clock by a loud crackling, which she at first conceived to proceed from some persons endeavouring to break into the house. She immediately got up, and opened the chamber door, when, to her consternation, she saw a volume of flame ascending the stairs. She wanted to run up stairs to alarm the family, but her husband prevented her, and throwing a feather bed out of the window, she jumped upon it, and was shortly afterwards followed by her husband. addition to the persons already named, as having fallen victims to this dreadful visitation, she said, there was a servant maid, named Martha Eyron, whose remains have not yet been found. On being questioned as to the probable cause of the fire, she said that the family were in the habit of leaving a large fire in the parlour to dry their clothes, which they generally washed once a week. They also occasionally left a fire under a copper in the washhouse, which was used to boil hams and other meat for sale in the shop. To these sources only could she attribute the origin of the flames.

In

John Shelton, Esq., the coroner,

having summed up the evidence, the jury returned a verdict of-Died by accidental fire.

It is remarkable that from the commencement to the termination of the fire, there was not a single ladder brought by the persons who were attracted to the spot by the alarm.

22d.-Wednesday night, about 11 o'clock, 49 French prisoners, among whom was a captain, (who also contrived to get away his baggage) escaped from the south-west corner of their prison, in Edinburgh Castle. They had cut out a hole through the bottom of the parapet wall, below the place commonly called the Devil's Elbow, and let themselves down by a rope. One of the prisoners, losing his hold, fell from a considerable height, and was so dreadfully bruised, that he is not expected to live. Five of them were retaken next morning, and fourteen were seen on the road to Glasgow. The night being dark, the operations of the prisoners were not observable; but the sentinel, on hearing some noise, became suspicious of the cause, and firing immediately, gave the alarm to the guard; otherwise, it is probable the whole might have effected their escape.

Some of them have since been apprehended near Linlithgow, and brought back to Edinburgh, under escort of part of the local militia of that county. It appears from their confession, that no sooner were they lodged in the castle, than plans were formed for effecting their escape, and, it would seem, carried into execution with the greatest secrecy. They had procured information of the nearest place of embarkation, and being furnished with maps, and that part of the almanack containing the principal roads through the country, they bent their way to Grangemouth, where they were to have gone on board some foreign vessels lying there. At Linlith

gow, where they stopped at night to get some refreshment, they were challenged as prisoners who had made their escape, when they took to their heels, and were found next morning, after a diligent search, by the local militia, in the plantations near Polmont, quite exhausted with hunger.

Sir James Pulteney died on Friday afternoon, at his seat in Norfolk, in consequence of the accident he met with a few days since. (See page 81.) He was a very worthy character, and his loss is severely lamented by all who had an opportunity of being acquainted with his amiable disposition and the goodness of his heart.

MURDER AND CONFESSION.-John Griffith was found guilty at the last Haverfordwest Assizes, upon the most satisfactory testimony, of the wilful murder of Mary Griffith, his late wife, by administering poison to her, and on last Saturday se'nnight suffered the sentence of the law. The following are particulars relative to the case of this criminal.

In a few minutes after the learned judge had passed sentence upon him, on his return to the gaol, he was visited by a reverend clergyman, at his own request, to whom he disclosed the shocking fact, that he was not only guilty of the crime for which he was to suffer, but that he had also murdered his first wife, and had destroyed both by administering arsenic to them. He confessed that he had employed a fellow-servant to purchase the arsenic for him with which he poisoned his first wife, pretending that he wanted to destroy the rats and mice that infested his house. He admitted further, that he purchased a shilling's worth of arsenic himself, for the purpose of destroying his second wife, and that he gave her the first dose in some budram, (oat-mealgruel), on the morning of the 25th of February last :

this not taking immediate effect, and his conscience upbraiding him, he went the next morning to Dr Freeman for advice; but the same evening he gave his unfortunate wife a second dose, in some treacle, which soon deprived her of life. He admitted she was a good woman, and of an excellent temper; and declared he had no object in view in thus destroying his two wives, but that "the devil persuaded him to it." After condemnation the conduct of this wretched man manifested the deepest contrition for the horrible crimes of which he confessed himself guilty. He prayed constantly; expressed his fears that he should not be considered worthy of Divine mercy; but praised God that his offences had been brought to light, as it was fit they should be punished.

On Saturday morning, about eleven o'clock, he was conducted from prison to meet his fate; he appeared en

tirely resigned, and joined in prayer with the clergyman. He next addressed the numerous spectators in English and Welsh, exhorting them to take warning by his miserable situation, and confessed thus publicly that he had poisoned both his wives, to which he had been tempted by the devil. After bidding his numerous hearers an eternal farewell, he was turned off the ladder, and died without a struggle.

This wretched criminal was only twenty-six years of age; he was born in the parish of Mote, Pembrokeshire; his parents being poor, he received no education, and could neither read nor write.

LORD NELSON.-The statue erected in Guildhall to this distinguished commander was exposed on Saturday for the first time to public view. The following inscription appears on the tablet; it is from the pen of Mr Sheridan :