amined; and stated that he believed the pistol was not loaded with anything but powder: he heard no missile, though the pistol was fired point-blank at him -for he was in the line of Her Majesty's person at the moment of the shot; and the report was like that of a blank charge.

On Sunday, a formal investigation was made at the Home Office in Downing Street, before Mr. Hall, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate; Sir George Grey attending, and Sir John Jervis appearing for the Crown. The residence and previous history of the prisoner had been discovered, and was now stated by witnesses. He came over from Ireland five years ago as a bricklayer's labourer; two years ago, last summer, he went to France and worked on the Nantes Railway; he returned in November of the same year; and subsequently he has obtained a precarious and scanty livelihood by casual jobs. He lived at the house of a countryman in Pimlico, and had got in debt to him some few pounds for lodging; and the wife of this countryman, with another young woman, have mainly supported him by broken victuals collected at the houses of their milk-customers. On Saturday afternoon he was seen making a sort of firework instrument, or mock pistol, out of the spout of a teakettle and a piece of wood; his object, as professed to his landlord's son, being to make " a sight in the air among the trees." His landlady lent him an old rusty pistol," of no account," belonging to her husband; he cleaned this, and sent the boy for a ha'p'orth of gunpowder; and he was heard to fire the pistol in the garden. He is next found in the Green Park,

awaiting among the crowd of spectators the passing of the Queen's carriage, and inquiring of two or three persons when it would come. A number of witnesses proved the presenting of the pistol at the carriage, and its explosion.

The prisoner did not put any questions; and at the end of the proofs he was committed for trial under the 5th and 6th Victoria, cap. 41.

The stolid brute was arraigned at the Central Criminal Court on the 14th June, when he pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to be transported for seven years.

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22. EPSOM RACES.-The two great races of this meeting, the Derby" and " Oaks," drew a prodigious multitude of visitors, the means of access having been greatly increased by the opening of the branch line of the SouthEastern Railway to the town of Epsom. The Craven stakes ended in a dead heat between Sir G. Heathcote's Black Eagle and Lord Exeter's Sword-Player. The Woodcote stakes were won by Mr. Gratwicke's Countess; the Derby stakes (237 subscribers) by Lord Eglinton's Flying Dutchman; the Oaks stakes (172 subscribers), by Lord Chesterfield's Sister-to-Arkwright.

Great efforts were made to save his life; the King's refusal of mercy is said to have been dictated by fear of popular opinion, which classed Ramorino among the traitors who would betray Italy to Austria, and which would have placed the King among his accomplices if he had swerved from "stern justice." The King is reported to be dangerously ill from the mental and moral contest with himself regarding General Ramorino's fate.

26. ANNEXATION OF THE PUNJAUB.-The Bombay mail of the 17th April brought despatches of great military interest and great political moment, announcing that the war in Lahore was completely finished, and also of the annexation of the Punjaub.

:

The military events are comprised in the brief statement that Sir Walter Gilbert continued his pursuit of Dost Mahommed as far as Peshawur the Affghan gained distance in the retreat, his destitute condition as an enemy facilitating the movements of his flight. In the race from Attock to Peshawur, he gained some twenty hours' march on our force, and, leaving Peshawur on the 19th March, he gained the mouth of the Khyber Pass on the 21st, about the moment Sir Walter's force could have left Peshawur in pursuit. The

hill tribes were favourable to him; he entered the defile and traversed it unmolested; and so he became safe from further pursuit.

31. FATAL ACCIDENT AT CAMBRIDGE.-A coroner's inquest was held at Fulbourne, on the body of John Nichol Luxmoore, a student of St. John's College, Cambridge, and a son of the Very Reverend the Dean of St. Asaph, who met his death under the following cir

cumstances:-The deceased and a fellow student started the evening before for a ride, and proceeded in the direction of Abington. At Babraham they turned off, and again on reaching the old Roman road leading to Cambridge. Here Mr. Luxmoore's companion proposed a race, and the horses were put into a gallop. Mr. Stuart took the lead, and, after proceeding a short distance, missed the sounds of his friend's horse; he looked round, and saw Mr. Luxmoore lying on his back on the ground; he returned to his aid, and found him unconscious. Mr. Stuart then summoned help, and on its arrival went for medical assistance, but the unfortunate young gentleman died within a few minutes of Mr. Stuart's departure. Evidence was adduced to show that the road at the spot where the race began was smooth and safe, but that it became dangerous as it proceeded, and was full of ruts where the accident occurred; into one of these the horse stepped and fell, and Mr. Luxmoore was thrown upon his head. The deceased was about 18 years of age.

INUNDATION AT NEW ORLEANS.-The fate predicted to this great and flourishing city, that of being swept away in some tremendous overflow of the mighty Mississippi, has well-nigh been accomplished during the present year. New Orleans, it is well known, is built on a mud deposit of that river, from whose encroachments it is protected by a series of embankments termed levées, works of immense extent, and requiring prodigious labour as well as incessant care in keeping them entire. Similar levees have been raised on other parts of the river's banks, and it frequently happens that the

mighty stream breaks through these impediments, and often its natural banks, overwhelming the surrounding country for hundreds of miles, sweeping away every impediment of nature and art, and changing the whole features of the country. These crevasses, as the fractures are called, are enlarged in the course of a single day to the width of miles. During the spring of the present year, the waters of the Mississippi had been observed to be greatly increased in volume. In the beginning of this month a crevasse was formed in the levée above New Orleans, through which the flood poured in awful majesty. The city was speedily flooded in all parts, in some to the depth of many feet; the houses began to crumble away under the effects of the flood; all attempts to close the gap proved ineffectual, and the destruction of the city seemed imminent. What the hand of man was altogether ineffectual to avert, the mercy of Providence arrested; the waters of the river gradually subsided, the inundation abated, and the city was spared.

Among the unexpected consequences of the flood, was a plague of poisonous snakes, which were driven by the waters from their retirements, and swarmed into the houses and caused many deaths by their venomous attacks.

Should at any time a violent south wind prevail to stop the descent of the waters during a period of great flood, and the overflow assume the character of a torrent through the city instead of an inundation over it, it is the opinion of the best informed observers that the fate of New Orleans is sealed.

28. FIRE AND STRANGE DISCOVERY.-After extinguishing a fire which broke out on Monday, upon

the premises belonging to Mr. George Freeman, in Blenheim Street, Oxford Street, a startling discovery was made. On the men entering, by means of a small window, a kind of lumber-room parallel with the first floor leads, their attention was directed to what appeared to be the remains of two or three persons who had been burned to death. Upon making a closer inspection, it was ascertained that the substances found were the remains of two, if not three, human beings, which had not been divested of the flesh, as is the case when the bones are formed into skeletons, but, on the contrary, the flesh still covered the limbs, and was so hard and dry from long exposure to the air, as not to be easily removed. Various rumours were afloat in the neighbourhood respecting the bodies, but it was quite clear that they had been used for anatomical purposes, from the fact of many of the bones having been sawed through, and were probably some portion of the collection of the late celebrated anatomist, Joshua Brookes, who resided in Blenheim Street.

29. DREADFUL FIRE.-One of the most extensive fires that has occurred on the Surrey side of the river for some time past, broke out in the morning, shortly before two o'clock, in Willow Walk, Bermondsey. The flames commenced in the premises belonging to Mr. Clapham, a tanner and leatherdresser, whose property covered an immense area of ground, the tanning and drying houses being on one side, whilst the lofty stores and warehouses stood opposite. The engines of the London Brigade, West of England Company, and of the parish, were quickly at the spot, as well as the fire escapes.

As

soon as water could be procured, the whole of the engines were set to work, but in spite of the endeavours of the firemen the flames crossed the carriage road, and fired the works of Mr. Hugman. These latter buildings were equally as extensive as the former, and when the two were fully alight the scene was such as can with difficulty be described. At one moment the falling of the roofs made a noise like the discharge of heavy artillery; the next, myriads of sparks flew upwards, falling upon the surrounding houses, to the danger of the inmates.

The greater portion of Mr. Clapham's property was destroyed, and the foreman's house adjoining considerably damaged by fire. The

bark houses, mills, and leather houses of Mr. Hugman were also "all but destroyed;" and the Fellmongers' Arms Tavern, on the opposite side of the road, the property of Mr. C. Head, seriously damaged.

JUNE.

2. SALE OF MR. O'CONNELL'S LIBRARY.-The sale of the late Mr. O'Connell's library took place in Dublin, and the result gave a fresh proof how completely the magic of the great Liberator's name has faded away. The prices given were almost invariably mean; even books containing his autograph and notes brought sums "not beyond the intrinsic value of each lot, apart from all associations connected with them." A Dublin journal says"Were the sale to have been transmitted to one of the great northern provincial towns, a much larger sum would have been realized."

5. ASCOT RACES. Beautiful weather, and the presence of the Queen, Prince Albert, and their elder children, with many of the nobility, contributed to make this meeting unusually attractive. The gold vase was won by Lord Exeter's Glenalvon; the Ascot stakes by the Duke of Richmond's Vampyre; the Emperor of Russia's plate by the Earl of Eglinton's Van Tromp. - FATAL ACCIDENT AT POULTON, NEAR FLEETWOOD. - An inquest was held on the bodies of four women, who lost their lives under the following circumstances. A widow, named Kirkham, with four daughters and two nieces, occupied a shop in Church Street, near the marketplace. Between two and three o'clock in the morning, one of the daughters, perceiving a smell of burning, went down stairs to ascertain the cause, when she found that flames were issuing from an unoccupied room on the second story. She immediately alarmed the family, and some of the neighbours were attracted to the spot by her cries. Before a ladder could be raised to the house, she threw herself from the window on the third story, and being caught by a man below, happily escaped with but little injury. The premises were entered with as little delay as possible, when one of the daughters and two nieces were found quite dead, having been suffocated whilst endeavouring to escape from the flames. Another daughter expired in the course of the day.

a number of men descended at the usual time, between four and five in the morning. About half-past six an explosion took place in what is termed the A pit, which destroyed 32 men and boys. Of all who were in that part of the workings at the time, only one, a young man 27 years of age, was left alive. About 100 were in the pit altogether, but the rest were in a different part of it. The cause of the accident could not be known, but it is supposed to have originated on the ignition of the explosive gases, which, being lighter than atmospheric air, had accumulated in the upper cavities of the workings, beyond the reach of the ven. tilating currents.

An explosion occurred on the 23rd instant, at the Laffak Coalpit, St. Helens, by which five persons were killed and 22 seriously injured.

8. MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT.-A melancholy accident has deprived Dublin of one of the most distinguished ornaments of the medical profession, surgeon Richard Carmichael, who lost his life last night under the following afflicting circumstances:-The lamented gentleman was proceeding on horseback to his country residence at Sutton, near Howth, and on arriving at a part of the strand where a stream or inlet of the sea flowed in over the sandy beach, he asked some persons who were at hand if it would be safe to cross there, and being answered in the affirmative, he ventured across; but when more than half way, the horse got out of his depth, and after swimming for a little, leaned over and fell on his side, when the rider lost his seat, and became submerged in the tide.

9. SALES OF PICTURES.-A small

but beautiful collection of Italian pictures, the property of Mr. W. Coningham, was sold by Messrs. Christie and Manson. The highestclass paintings brought very great prices. "The Holy Family," by Sebastiano Frate del Piombo, realized 1800 guineas. "The Infant Christ on the Lap of the Virgin," by Carlo Crivelli, 920 guineas. "Christ Praying on the Mount of Olives," by Raffaelle, 750 guineas. "Sextus Tarquinius and Lucretia," by Titian, 520 guineas. This celebrated picture formed part of the Whitehall gallery of Charles I. "The Death of Procris," by Paolo Veronese, 500 guineas. "The Portrait of Martin Looten," by Rembrandt, 710 guineas. "Christ Praying on the Mount of Olives," by Andrea Mantegna, 400 guineas.

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The Martyrdom of St. Placido," by Raffaelle, from the Borghese collection, 310 guineas. The collection, which consisted of no more than 61 pictures, produced 11,000 guineas.

The collection of Mr. W. W. Hope, consisting chiefly of paintings of the Dutch School, has also been disposed of. The following produced the highest prices:-A. Van de Velde, "A Shepherd and Shepherdess and Landscape," 400 guineas. Murillo, "The Virgin and Infant Christ," 580 guineas; bought for the Marquis of Hertford. Ruysdael, "A Rustic Landscape," 175 guineas. W. Van de Velde, "A Calm, with a Dutch Man-of-War," &c., 340 guineas. J. Ostade, "The Bowl Players," 250 guineas. P. Potter, Three Oxen," bought for the Marquis of Hertford, 560 guineas. Teniers, "The Three Smokers," 520 guineas. Van der Heyden, "An Open Place in a German Town," 370 guineas. J. Steen, "The

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