I do not think Mr. Griffith was possessed of such a knife as that produced. These are the pistols which Mr. Griffith took from the counting-house on Monday. I know that of my own knowledge. They are not his pistols. He took them to go the journey with. The pistols were borrowed by me of Mr. Wallis, in consequence of the receipt of the letter. I borrowed the balls at the same time I borrowed the pistols. I believe the flattened bullet to be a smaller bullet than those which belonged to his pistols.

The bullets were here weighed, and the flattened bullet was much lighter than those which were procured for Mr. Griffith's pistols. Henry Gander examined. I am gatekeeper at Terry's Cross Gate, in the parish of Woodmancote. I knew Mr. Griffith. He was in the habit of passing through the gate. About five minutes past nine he passed through the gate in a one-horse gig. Our gate is about a mile and a half from Henfieldturn. We bade each other "Good night." He was driving very stea. dily. He did not pull up, as he had paid the gate in the morning. He was driving at about six miles an hour.

George Tidey examined.-I am a servant in the employ of Mr. Mannington, of Red House Farm, Newtimber. I was in my master's stable last night about half-past 9, when I heard the report of a pistol. I was at the door. The stable door was open. The report appeared to come from the direction where the body was found. I heard that a man had been found this morning about a quarter past 2 o'clock. I was called up by my master in consequence of the body being found. My master's stable

is about a quarter of a mile from the spot where the body was found.

Mrs. Crosskey examined.-I am the wife of John Crosskey, and keep Dale Gate, in the parish of Piecombe; that is about half a mile from the place where the body of deceased was found. I was standing outside of my house about half-past 9 o'clock, when I heard one shriek or halloo. We were expecting Mr. Griffith to return. The shriek came from the West Road. It was the voice of only one person, as if some one had received an injury. The wind was blowing from the south-west. I named it to my husband, but I do not think he heard me. He was in bed. I took no further notice, thinking it might be some boys hallooing. It was a sort of faint halloo.

Richard Pedling examined.-I am a labourer at Newtimber, and live at home with my father. It is about a quarter of a mile from the West Road to the spot where the deceased was found. About a quarter past 10, I heard three or four groans from the direction of the spot where the deceased was found. I had called my father out of his bed previously, and when I heard the groans I mentioned the circumstance to him. The groans were at intervals of half a minute apart. We heard the groans two or three times after we opened the window. We did not go out to see what was the matter. The groans gradually became weaker. I knew it was a quarter past 10, as I had looked at the watch just before.

John Pedling, the father of the last witness, deposed- My son told me of the groans that he had heard. I heard some groans my

self at the same time. There were four, five, or six groans proceeding in a direction from the West Road where the body was found. They lasted about two minutes. I thought they might have proceeded from a tipsy man.

The inquest was adjourned for further evidence, but nothing of importance could be elicited, and the perpetrators of this murder remain hitherto undiscovered.

8. DREADFUL FIRE IN SPITALFIELDS.-A most calamitous fire broke out, shortly before 11 o'clock at night, at the house No. 34, Lamb Street, Spitalfields, when a great quantity of property was destroyed, and the lives of five of the unfortunate occupants sacrificed. The house was occupied conjointly by several persons. The ground and first floors by Mr. D. J. M Kellar, a haberdasher and linendraper; the second floor by Mr. Sutton, a master butcher of Spitalfields-market; the third floor by a Mr. Newland. The premises were, including the basement, five floors high, and, being of ancient construction, contained a vast quantity of timber.

Mr. M'Kellar, who is a Manchester warehouseman in Watling Street, had opened the premises a short time since, and had placed his brother in charge of the place. It was the duty of that person to close the shop and turn off the gas the last thing at night. On the evening that the fire broke out he put up the shutters, but left the gas burning whilst he went out to see a friend living in the neighbourhood. About an hour and a half after, police-constable Blake had his attention directed to the shutters, by seeing smoke issuing through the apertures. The officer sprang his rattle and commenced

knocking violently at the streetdoor. Immediately a man with a child in his arms came down and made his escape into the street. This was Mr. Newland. As soon as he had crossed the road, and given his child to one of the neigh bours, he came back, and inquired whether the policeman had seen a woman descend the stairs, as his wife was following him when he came down. A fire-escape was speedily procured and raised in front of the house, but the conductor had scarcely finished searching the second floor for the woman known to be within some part of the building, when flames in large masses burst through the windows of the third floor, and he was compelled to make a precipitate retreat.

The engines of the fire-brigade rapidly arrived, and by great exertions the flames were subdued, but the house was almost totally destroyed, and those on each side much injured.

Search for the body of Mrs. Newland was made as soon as the state of the ruins would admit; a fireman mounted the scaling ladder, and upon entering the third floor front a fearful spectacle presented itself; for not only was the lifeless body of Mrs. Newland found there, but also the blackened remains of four other persons, which were ascertained to be the bodies of Mr. Henry Sutton, his wife Caroline, and his daughter. The child was firmly clasped in the mother's arms to the breast, her husband was lying near her. Mrs. Newland, who was enceinte, was lying close under the window. The other person was identified by the turncock, who had been called up to turn on the water for the fire, as his sister, servant to Mr. Sutton. 10. ACCIDENT ON THE CALE

own

The train had shortly passed the Rockliffe station on the south side of the Esk, about five miles from Carlisle, when the axle of the first-class carriage broke, and at the same moment the coupling chains gave way. The engine, tender, luggage-van, and the first-class carriage kept on the line, but the second-class carriage, between which and the first the connection had given way, was dashed forward by the impetus acquired by the postoffice van and the heavy horseboxes in the rear, and, having nothing to steady it, it was driven off the line, and thrown over an embankment, 12 feet in height. The ponderous post-office van fell with a dreadful crash on this secondclass carriage and literally smashed it to atoms. Most fortunately, as the post-office van canted over, the coupling chains gave way, and though the carriages behind were partially dragged off the line, they were not thrown over the embankment. The second-class carriage, with the post-office van on the top of it, lay at the bottom of the embankment, broken into a hundred pieces; bloody splinters were mixed with shattered human bodies, and the most agonizing groans proceeded from the wreck.

It was found that four of the passengers had been killed on the spot; a

fifth was insensible; and eight or nine were wounded, some of them dangerously. The engine was immediately reversed and sent back to Carlisle with the dead and wounded, where one of the latter died immediately after his admission to the infirmary, making five deaths in all. One man had his foot literally torn off, and he suffered amputation below the knee. The guard of the post-office van was cut about the head, but the two clerks escaped almost unhurt. The persons killed appeared to be labouring men.

16. SALE OF A CADETSHIP.-Another trial for illegal trafficking with Indian patronage has occupied the Court of Queen's Bench. The prosecutors were the East India Company; the prisoners were Mr. Kendal, Mrs. Binckes, Mrs. Linley, Mr. Bickley, and Mr. William Moore, all persons moving in a respectable sphere of life. Mr. Moore pleaded "Guilty," and gave a history of the whole affair. Mr. Moore is a ship-owner at Plymouth. In 1845, he had a son desirous of entering the Company's military ser vice. A friend of Mr. Moore induced him to come to town, and introduced him to Mrs. Linley, as a person who could procure a cadetship. Mrs. Linley brought in Mr. Kendal, a man of position among the railway directors of 1845, who now acted as Mrs. Linley's business adviser: he said the place could be got-a high lady would get it, a lady who was a cousin of the Queen; but 1000l. would be needed. Mr. Moore agreed, and deposited the halves of two 500l. notes with Mrs. Lin

ley. The "high lady came to Mrs. Linley's, in the shape of Mrs. Binckes; who alighted from a carriage escorted by Mr. Kendal. She

represented herself as the cousin of the Queen, and the intimate friend of Lord Ripon, then President of the Board of Control. Something made Mr. Moore suspicious, and he would go no further; so he stopped payment of his notes his half-notes were returned to him, minus 100%., which he consented to lose: he put his son to a stock-broker, and went home. Before he had been long at home, a letter came from Mrs. Binckes, which induced him to come again to town and reopen negotiations. A "nomination" by the Earl of Ripon was obtained; and Mr. Moore's son was duly appointed a cadet, went to India, and died there. On his appointment both father and son took the usual oaths that no money had been paid or would be paid on account of it. The sum of 8007. was paid to Mrs. Binckes and Mr. Kendal; 50l. to Mrs. Linley, and 150l. to Mr. Lavers, the friend who introduced Mr. Moore to Mrs. Linley; but Mr. Lavers was not prosecuted.

The Earl of Ripon nominated young Mr. Moore on the request of Lady Ripon, with whom Mrs. Binckes was acquainted. It was clear that the Earl and Countess were perfectly ignorant of the use which was made of their friendship.

Soon after the appointment was made, the East India Company got some understanding of the irregular mode in which it was obtained, and appointed a secret committee to investigate the matter. The investigations were pursued with Venetian perseverance and secrecy till they unravelled the whole transaction. The indictment consisted of some twenty counts, laying the offence in various ways suited to meet possible variations in the evidence as final shape

should be given to it under the ordeal of cross-examination. All the prisoners were found guilty of conspiring to sell an office in the East India Company's service, contrary to the statute.

Kendal was sentenced to one year's imprisonment and a fine of 1000l.; Mrs. Binckes, one year's imprisonment; Mrs. Linley, six months' imprisonment; Mr. Bickley one year's imprisonment.

17. FRIGHTFUL CATASTROPHE AT GLASGOW SIXTY FIVE LIVES LOST. A shocking catastrophe occurred at the Theatre Royal, Dunlop Street, Glasgow. In order to give popularity to a new pantomine, the upper gallery had been greatly enlarged, and the price of admission reduced to 3d.; the result was that on Saturday night nearly 500 persons, chiefly lads, were crowded into this spacious loft.

About 8 o'clock, while the company was concluding the first act of the Surrender of Calais," the alarm of fire was given from the upper gallery; in fact, a piece of paper thrown down after lighting a pipe had ignited a slight escape of gas, which was instantly extinguished. At first there was a slight commotion visible throughout the house, but those in the boxes, pit, and lower gallery kept their seats. Many in the gallery did not know, apparently, whether to treat the alarm of fire as a real or false one. Several persons from the stage and other parts of the house came forward and shouted at the top of their voices,

Keep your seats, there is no danger;" and a round or two of cheering was given. But in the midst of this a frantic panic arose, and there was a general and wild rush from the upper gallery towards the stair which led to the street.

The audience rushed down stairs in the terror of some undefined calamity; but most lamentably they were brought to a halt by some of them stumbling at the first landing above the flight of stairs from the street door. They crushed upon each other so rapidly that they soon formed a compact mass, and all chance of escape was gone. Those behind, unaware of the nature of this obstruction, and hearing the shrieks from below, pressed on more furiously than ever, only of course to augment the catastrophe. Independently of the pressure, the staircase soon became a second black hole of Calcutta, from the intensity of the heat and the want of fresh air. The weaker were trampled down by others, who were only to be trampled down in turn by the fresh and furious in the rear. The noise of the stifled cries and groans, and of the struggle for bare life which came from this horrid staircase, were most agonizing; and even those who could not reach it, but were compelled to remain in the spacious gallery, whereby their lives were saved, uttered dreadful yells. This shocking scene lasted for several minutes;-many gentlemen in other parts of the house made efforts to reach the spot; but they were unsuccessful, for the lower staircase was choked by the dead and the dying, and the entrance to the upper gallery was crowded by the frantic mob. The fire-brigade was early on the spot, but, finding the alarm of fire to be false, immediately retired, and were quite unaware that such an awful tragedy was acting near them. They were soon recalled, and a kind of wooden partition, which separated a part of the lower gallery from the stair above it, was hewn down by hatchets, when

a frighful scene presented itself. A mass of bodies was found closely packed together, with the damp sweat of death on many a face. With much difficulty some of these bodies were dragged through the hole, and carried along the lower gallery to the apartments behind the scenes, with which there is a communication. At the same time workmen procured ladders, and mounted to the window by which the stair is lighted from the lane; but, unfortunately, this was protected or shut in by strong iron stancheons, and these had to be torn away by crowbars, from the solid stonework. When once opened the air was admitted, but the aperture was too small to allow of any of the bodies being removed by it. A kind of bulkhead, which joins the main stairs leading to the street from the upper and lower galleries respectively, was next cleared away. Few of those were saved on the lower staircase, but a vast number were restored by Mr. Alexander, the manager, and others, entering the gallery from the side doors and dragging the people up the stairs and back again, into the place they had left. All those who remained were safely passed to the street by stage modes of exit.

When all who had not been crushed into this inanimate mass had been rescued, it was found that no fewer than 61 corpses remained in the small space between the gallery and the money-taker's box; four other persons died immediately after their removal; in all 65 lives were sacrificed to a foolish panic.

28. ATTEMPTED FRAUD.-Central Criminal Court.-Robert Duncan, aged 47, staymaker, Mary Duncan, his wife, who surrendered to take her trial, and Pierce Wall O'Brien,