Rather more than half the number of persons convicted have been, in most of the years, sentenced to imprisonment for six months, with or without fine, hard labour, or whipping.

By the statement returned to the Secretary of State on the 1st inst., by the gaoler of Marlboroughstreet office, it appears, that the number of prisoners committed to the different gaols, from that office alone, amounted, up to the 31st of December, to 3,103, being an increase on the return made on the 1st of January, 1826, of 1,676. Comparing this statement with the return made by him for the year 1813, the advance of crime appears to be out of all proportion to the increase of population.

The following is an extract from the official returns from that office for the last fourteen years:-1813, 789; 1814, 902; 1815, 919; 1816, 1,496; 1817, 1,615; 1818, 1,738; 1819, 1823; 1820, 1,416; 1821, 1,268; 1822, 1,503; 1825, 2,010; 1824, 1,903; 1825, 2,425; 1826, 3,103.

1824 1825 .... 1,539

....

1,522

....

1826 179,020 Of these, for the last year 601 were above 100 tons, and their total tonnage was 134,488 tons, and a similar proportion as to the vessels above and below 100 tons prevails for the other years. It appears also that 178 vessels of above 100 tons, and measuring 49,040 tons, and 205 below 100 tons, and measuring 9,446 tons, were built in the British plantations.

The number of steam-vessels built in the United Kingdom during the last year was 72, measuring 8,638 tons, or about three times the number and tonnage built in any preceding year. The total number built since the year 1814, inclusive, is 228, measuring 26,198 tons.

The number of ships, their tonnage, and the number of men and boys navigating them, that belonged to the several ports of the British empire, were, in the year—

37,137 men. The several countries from which these foreign ships entered, and the proportions of trade which they severally obtained will appear from the following table:

Ships. Tons. Men.

13..

Italy

3..

Foreign West

840.. 71,174..3,464 ..1,194.. 52,426..7,873 14.. 1,696.. 121 1,223.. 113 886.. 47

Foreign Continental Colonies

139.. 9

440..147,741..6,547

2. EARTHQUAKE IN FRANCE. -A shock of an earthquake was felt at Mortayne (Orne). It continued for not more than a second; but if it had lasted longer, the town must have been destroyed. A great noise was heard; a number of squares of glass were broken; dishes and glasses upset on the tables; the windows and doors were thrown open, and lookingglasses were broken by the shock; yet no severe accident took place. The neighbourhood suffered greatly, especially Lemerle-sur-Sarthe, five leagues off, in which three chimnies were thrown down; and the slating of a new house was in a great part torn off. A child was thrown into the fire by the shock. The earthquake was felt as far as Alençon.

EXTRAORDINARY MURDER. Dijon. An extraordinary trial for murder took place here two days ago. A gamekeeper, named Barnarvon, was found on the 16th of August, wounded in the most shocking manner; he had received eight stabs in different parts of the

Audran from behind a sprang hedge, and felled me to the earth with a bludgeon. While I was lying senseless upon the ground, he took out his knife, and stabbed me in the bosom; the pain caused by the second blow brought me to my senses, and rising on my knees, I said, 'Audran, take pity on my poor family, and do not kill me.' My prayer was unheeded; he inflicted several stabs, and left me in the state in which I was found." Audran was of course arrested, and brought into the presence of the dying man, who repeated the above evidence. "But where did I commit the crime ?” said Audran. “Near the wall of a garden belonging to M. Louis," was the reply. Immediately after uttering these words, the wounded man expired. The police repaired to the place mentioned; no marks, nor the smallest traces of blood were to be found; but the confusion of Barnarvon, added to the circumstance of a coat which Audran wore on the day of the murder not being discovered, was deemed sufficient evidence; the jury found the prisoner guilty, and he was sentenced to death. Although the prisoner had denied most solemnly knowing any thing about the crime, he admitted, when brought back to the condemned cell, that he killed Barnarvon, not on the spot

indicated by the latter, but in his (Audran's) own garden, where a quantity of blood would be seen; which proved to be the fact. He added, that Barnarvon had entered the garden for the purpose of committing robbery, when a struggle took place between them, and Barnarvon, who was a powerful man, fought in so determined a manner, that, notwithstanding the different stabs inflicted, had not the blow upon the head been given with a heavy piece of wood, which happened to be near the place of combat, he, the prisoner, would have been murdered. This statement reached the jury on the following day, and they requested the judge who had passed the sentence of death to recal several witnesses. They were re-examined by the jury, and the account given by the prisoner was found to accord with the facts. However, the trial being over, and the man, who ought to have been acquitted, being under sentence of death, all that could be done was to recommend him to the royal mercy.

CORONER'S INQUEST.-An inquest was held in D'Oyley-street, Sloane-square, Chelsea, on the body

of an infant found in a chest where it had been deposited by its mother, and had lain upwards of three weeks.

Mr. Thomas Gasgell, surgeon. -This morning I was called to view the body of an infant, and found it in a box at No. 9, Southstreet; it was wrapped up in a cotton rag petticoat; I examined the body, and found it to be a fullgrown child. The body was in a very putrid state; at first sight there appeared great discolouration, but on minute inspection that was occasioned by putrefaction. There was no external mark of violence;

proper care seemed not to have been taken of the infant from its birth, but, owing to the putrid condition itwas in, I cannot say whether the strings were forced or torn asunder. After carefully examining the chest and lungs, the latter, believe, had never been inflated, and, in my opinion, the child had never breathed.

Mrs. Catherine Watson.-The mother of the deceased lived servant with me for one year and seven months. She left my service on the 30th of October; I had no reason to suspect her then ; she complained of being unwell; a few days after she left my service, she admitted being pregnant. I called upon her several times afterwards; and on Sunday, three or four weeks back, she visited me, and said she had been brought to bed about ten days. I asked her the motive she had for leaving a child so young, when she replied, that her landlady's daughter had been delivered of a dead child, and had taken her's to suckle, in order to retain her milk until she obtained a wet-nurse's place. A few days since, being anxious to know where she lived, I called at her former lodging; she was at first denied to me, but at last I saw her: I said, "Martha, what have you done with the baby?" she declined answering at first, but afterwards admitted that she had locked it in a box. I became alarmed, and sent for a neighbour. box was then opened, and the infant discovered in a state of decomposition: this was last Saturday. On one occasion when I called, I found her working at some flannel, which she said was for the baby.

The

Coroner. Did she say the child was born dead or alive?

Elizabeth Clarke sworn. Martha Wells has lodged with me for nine weeks past. I did not know she was pregnant till about three weeks since, when she admitted that she was pregnant. I never saw any alteration in her person until Saturday last, when I said "Martha, you do not look so big as you did." The same day her mistress called. To my knowledge I never missed her more than two days. I was present when the box was opened. Martha told me, that the child had cried; this was on Saturday evening last. She did not say any thing about its birth; but had bought some baby linen of me. She also said that she left it lying where it was born.

Martha Wells the mother, was examined, after being cautioned by the coroner, that she was not bound to answer any questions, tending to criminate herself. Her account was, that she had acknowledged her pregnancy to her mistress, and her landlady; that she had not expected to be delivered for three weeks or a month longer, but had provided linen for the infant; that it was born about three weeks ago: the labour came on suddenly, and she was insensible. She knew that she had gone to sleep; and when she came to herself the child was born, and quite dead: she had no friends or means to bury it, and, not knowing what to do with it, she had put it into the box.

The verdict of the jury was, "that the child died in its birth, there being no marks of violence on the body."

3. EXECUTION.-This morning the sentence of the law was ex

*

White, aged 23, for arson, and Amelia Roberts, aged 30, convicted of robbing her master, of property of the value of 400l. and upwards.

About a quarter before eight the sheriffs and under sheriffs proceeded to the lower condemned room, into which White was conducted by his reverend attendant. After a short conversation with the sheriffs, the officers commenced tying his wrists: at his own request, his arms were bound with two silk handkerchiefs, instead of a cord. During the time this operation was performing, a bystander remarked that White bulged himself out as much as possible, so that, after the handkerchiefs were tied, his arms might have more play; and it was observed that he was not securely bound. The sequel proved the truth of this conjecture. He was then conducted towards the front of the prison. On his way he was joined by his female fellowsufferer. When they reached the debtors'-door, White ascended the scaffold with a firm step, and looked earnestly upon the dense crowd by whom he was surrounded. He stood as if listening attentively to the clergyman while the executioners were performing their duty; but no sooner had they left him, than by a violent effort, the want of tightness in the handkerchiefs enabled him to regain the use of his arms, and he instantly pulled off his cap and threw it down. The bandage having fallen to his elbows, the officers were forced to bind him again, during which time the populace uttered the most discordant yells, directed to the executioners. During this delay, the female continued in the

See Ann. Reg. Vol, lxviii. p. 43*,