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CHRONICLE.

JANUARY.

ACCIDENT. This day, be

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tween the hours of twelve and one o'clock, the Augustinean Friary Chapel, at Callan, County of Kilkenny, being crowded to excess, some women and children began to groan, and complain of intense pressure. A sudden panic seized the congregation, when a cry (perfectly unfounded) that "the gallery was giving way" resounded through the chapel. A rush towards the only door common to the floor and gallery took place. Women and children were instantly crushed to death, or suffocated outside the door, where they fell; so that a pile of the dead, dying, and half-suffocated, was soon accumulated. A cry that the kitchen (which is under the chapel) was on fire, added to the terror of the people. A rush towards the altar broke down the railings of the sanctuary. Some were killed in the fall from the windows. A young woman bore a neighbour's child over the pile, and instantly remembering that her own sister was within, she attempted to return, but met her fate at the door. A mother of nine children is among the persons consigned to the grave. Two children were crushed to death behind the door, belonging to country people, who have not yet heard of their fate. Fourteen persons are already dead. The number of those who have suffered by broken legs, arms, ribs, &c. and VOL. LXVIII,

are now under the hands of the surgeons, amounts to one hundred.

3. WHITEHAVEN.-An occurrence took place this morning in the mine William Pit, by which nine persons perished. One of the engines under ground in that pit had been worked several hours, when the men in attendance discovered the space about the engine to be enveloped in flames, which, having the effect of igniting the coal, and also the wood-work, soon produced an immense body of fire. The air passing through this body, and thus rendered unfit for respiration, had to travel a distance at least of two miles, before it reached the upcast shaft; at this place two men, who had the charge of the furnaces, were suffocated. The remaining seven went in search of the two sufferers, and shared the same fate. The direct road through which they had to pass, leading to the upcast shaft, has a ventilation distinct from the William Pit; but, in consequence of the furnaces at this place having become extinguished, the current of air was reversed, and the road was impregnated with the impure air from the William Pit.

NEW LONDON BRIDGE.-The first stone of the land-abutment on the Southwark side was laid on Saturday last. The bridge is in a state of great forwardness, the masonry on that side, to the centre arch, being nearly level with highwater mark,

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4. POISONING IN CORSICA.-A man, named Tolomeo di Pavano, has been tried at Ajaccio, for having caused the death of several individuals, by poisoning a rivulet called Calencone. It appeared in evidence, that in June last five or six persons were seized with violent pains in the bowels, and three of them died in a few days. The surgeon, who examined the bodies, gave it as his opinion, that the deceased had come by their death in consequence of taking some poisoned liquid. The sick persons being questioned, in order to ascertain the cause of their illness, stated, that they supposed it to have arisen from their drinking cold water when in a violent perspiration. One of them, however, was positive, that as far as related to him, this cause could not have produced the malady; for, as he had not been out of his house for a week previous to his indisposition, it was impossible that he could have drunk cold water when his body was heated. A medical man tasted the water of the rivulet, and found that it possessed a peculiar flavour. About fifty yards from the spot where the deceased resided, a considerable quantity of laurel branches, with leaves (Daphne laureola), was discovered at the bottom of the rivulet; where they had been placed by Tolomeo, who, in his defence, said, that he was not aware these leaves were of a poisonous nature. He had, however, been heard to threaten one of the deceased, and the character he received being a very bad one, he was found guilty. As the code does not mention this crime, it became a matter of some difficulty with the judges to award a punishment; but an ordinance was found, dated so far back as 1669,

at the period of the Chambre Ardente, when so many hundred persons were executed, being found guilty of administering poison. The law provides that whoever shall put laurel leaves into small rivulets, with the intention of poisoning the water, and thereby actually occasion death, shall be executed; where no bad intention existed, the court was to be at liberty to punish with imprisonment. Tolomeo was sentenced to three years' confinement, and to be placed during ten years under the surveillance of the police.

5. FIRE. About half-past four o'clock in the afternoon, a part of the metropolis was thrown into considerable alarm by the appearance of flames at a great height, proceeding from the manufactory of Messrs. Walker and Parker, the patent-shot-manufacturers, on the south side of the Thames, opposite to Surrey-street. The proprietors of the premises could not account for the accident; for no fire had been in the place since Wednesday afternoon, and the fire broke out in the upper part of the building. No workmen were in the building, nor was business of any sort going on, when the fire appeared.

After the breaking out of the fire at the top of the building, the wind being high, and the ventilation from the bottom upwards very strong, the fire soon descended from one floor to another, until the whole pile, about 130 feet high, was in one blaze. The upper tower, fell in with a tremendous crash; and the lead in a liquid state falling down, partly outwards, in nearly a constant stream, was so frightful, and the heat proceeding from the manufactory so intense, that none of the firemen could

approach the place: their efforts were therefore directed to the adjoining premises, which, with the immense property on the ground, was of the first importance, as a number of timber-yards surround the premises of Messrs. Walker and Parker. They fortunately succeeded in allaying any apprehensions for the safety of the neighbourhood. But the wind blowing easterly, the flakes of fire fell so heavily in a large timberyard, situated immediately westward, that it was necessary to employ upwards of 200 men in protecting from the fire the large piles of valuable wood which filled the yard.

10. The public-house called the Elephant, in Fenchurch-street, supposed to be one of the oldest in London, is at last condemned to be pulled down. It was here that Hogarth enjoyed many of his convivial meetings: and on the walls of the tap-room are two paintings from his hand of convivial meetings, which may probably contain portraits not only of himself, but of characters well known in his day. These paintings, of which the subjects are Midnight Conversation," and the "Hudson's Bay Ticket Porters," have since been very successfully transferred to canvas by Mr. Hall, a patron of the arts, who purchased them unconditionally of the landlady. For some time the attempt was considered impracticable, the paint having become incorporated with the surface of the wall, and nearly as hard as marble.

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11. CATASTROPHE ON THE CANAL IN ST. JAMES'S PARK.Owing to the severity of the frost for the last day or two, the Canal in the Park was frozen over, and vast numbers of persons of every

denomination were assembled during the day, skating, sliding, and practising other sports. Many parts of the ice were deemed by the men belonging to the Royal Humane Society to be unsafe, and to point out these places to the skaters, a rope was thrown across the Canal. About a quarter past

two, a shout from the men, and the shrieking of the females who were assembled on the green on either side of the Canal, attracted the crowd to one particular spot, where the ice had given way, and no less than nine unfortunate individuals were in the water. Before any effort could be made to extricate any one, the ice, from their exertions to escape, cracked and separated for a considerable distance around them, and four or five clung to one strong man, who was endeavouring to get away by swimming, and drew him down, and the whole sunk together, but immediately rose to the surface, and separated. The bystanders by this time had procured ropes, which were cast to the struggling persons, and four were drawn out. There were still five persons in the water, mostly in an exhausted state, and clinging to one another; two of these were dragged out, but the ropes breaking, the fate of the others seemed inevitable. One of them, raising his arms, shrieked out, "Oh, God, save me! my poor mother! my mother!" and sunk below the ice. This distressing ejaculation seemed to stimulate to renewed exertion, and several persons ran to the brink of the broken ice, and grasped at the drowning men, but, the ice again breaking, they themselves were immersed, and with difficulty escaped. However, ropes being fastened around three young men,

they plunged in, seized the struggling persons, and rescued one youth, who was taken ashore in a state of insensibility. The attention of the throng was at this instant attracted to an elderly gentleman, who, at great personal risk, saved the lives of two, but in his third effort the ice gave way, and he sank beneath it. Ropes were thrown to him, but the danger was so apparent, that none would approach to his rescue, and he appeared likely to share the fate of the remaining two; however, the ice being broken to the bank, several persons locked their hands, and, advancing into the water, dragged him to the side. This

was followed instantaneously by the convulsive cry of the two young men, who had grasped a firm hold of each other, as they sunk to rise no more. Some watermen, in a few minutes, came up with a boat and drags, and in about twenty minutes succeeded in bringing the bodies up. Some persons stripped them, and proceeded to use the means recommended by the Humane Society for the resuscitation of drowned persons; they were rolled and rubbed, and the usual remedies were used for above an hour; but reanimation could not be produced.

12. JUBILEE AT ROME.-The jubilee year terminated on the 24th of December, when the closing of what is called the holy gate at St. Peter's took place, with the following ceremonies :

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the throne which had been prepared for him, and the assistants took their respective places. The two steps of granite leading to the holy gate had been previously removed, and two of wood substituted. Several trays, containing bricks, mortar, and stucco, destined for walling up the sacred aperture, had been placed near the steps. Every thing being ready, the two wooden steps were taken away, the pope quitted his throne, with mitre on head and candle in hand, to bless the bricks and mortar. This being performed, one of the masters of the ceremonies girded him with an apron. Kneeling upon a cushion placed in front of the doorway, he received a trowel from a cardinal, and took with it some mortar, which he spread upon the threshold, reciting at the same time a form of prayer. Upon this he placed in the centre and at the side three bricks, which were gilt, and embossed with his arms and those of the cathedral. During this and subsequent operations, the choir sung the hymn "Cœlestis urbs Jerusalem." Next came the cardinal chief penitentiary, who also placed his bricks and mortar. His eminence was followed in a like process by the four senior penitentiaries (confessors) belonging to the church. As the most workmanlike arrangement of about 18 bricks could not close this entrance, the workmen, in order to effect the semblance of completion, lowered over the aperture a canvass painted to represent a gate. His holiness having returned to his seat, all the candles that had been borne by those who had composed the procession were now extinguished; the Te Deum was performed by the choristers; and the solemnity concluded with a

publication by two cardinals of a plenary indulgence in favour of all present. Similar ceremonies were performed at the churches of St. John di Laterano, St. Maria Maggiore, and St. Maria in Trastevere, where the Jubilee gates were shut by cardinals especially delegated to those offices.

13. OLD BAILEY.-Mary Cain, aged 44, was capitally indicted for the wilful murder of Maurice Fitzgerald on the 26th of December last, by wounding him in the left breast with a knife, so as to cut the artery near the heart, and produce death by the effusion of blood. The prisoner, an Irishwoman in the lowest ranks of life, had been quarrelling with her husband, and stabbed the deceased, while he endeavoured to pacify them.

Mary Casey stated, that she lived in Horn's-alley, opposite the prisoner's house. On the evening of the 26th of December, as she was going home, she observed the prisoner and her husband going towards their own house, quarrelling and beating one another. Witness went to bed, and heard the prisoner say to Fitzgerald, "What brought you to my place? I'll let you know you have no business in my place." Witness then got up and went to the window, when she saw the body of a man carried away on a shutter by the prisoner's husband and three other men. She followed the body for a short time, and then returned to the prisoner, to whom she said, "What a pity, to murder the poor man." The prisoner answered, "If there's a row be tween me and my husband, what's that to you? What right have you here?"

Hannah Lucklan was standing

at the window overlooking the yard, about eight o'clock in the evening of the 26th of December, and, by the gas-light, which was close to her window, could see what was done. There was no light in the prisoner's yard; the gate was shut, but she could see over it. She observed the deceased in the yard with the prisoner, her husband, and daughter. The prisoner said to the deceased-" Maurice Fitzgerald, you vagabond, I'll let you know you have no business in my place." The prisoner and her daughter then got hold of Fitzgerald between them, and he immediately fell. Somebody here screamed out "murder !" After the body was taken away, the prisoner came out and shut the yard door, and afterwards washed the stones.

Bridget Riley lodged in the same house as the prisoner-she lodged up stairs, where the deceased had been sitting with her for some time on the evening in ques tion. She heard the prisoner and her husband quarrelling below, and was going down, but Fitzgerald prevented her, and went himself to make peace between them. In about five minutes afterwards the prisoner's daughter called out to witness to come down stairs, as the man was killed. She found Fitzgerald sitting on the threshold, and the prisoner's daughter supporting his head. She observed a wound on Fitzgerald's left breast, from which a great deal of blood flowed, which the daughter was endeavouring to staunch. Fitzgerald was speechless. Witness clasped her hands, exclaiming, "Who killed the man?" No answer was made. Witness then left the daughter taking care of Fitzgerald, while she went for a

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