The Illustrated Usk Observer and Raglan Herald

THE NEWS BUDGET. i Coal Exports.-The following return shows the quantity of coal exported from the port of Great Grimsby during the month of December, 1864 :-To France, 5,199 tons; Hanseatio Towns, 1,644 tons; Italy, 1,373 tons; Spain, 1,158 tons; Denmark, 905 tons; Meoklenburg-Sohwerin, 845 tons; Prussia, 833 tons; Cuba, 419 tons; Algeria, 345 tons; Norway, 242 tons; Sweden, 169 tons; total to foreign ports for December, 1864, 13,132 tons; corresponding month, 1863, 7,858 tons. Coastwise, December, 1864, 1,905 tons; corresponding month, 1863, 2,001 tons. Total for December, 1864, 15,037 tons; corresponding month, 1863, 9,859 tons. Increase, 1864, 5,178 tons. The Fisheries.—At the commencement of the month several hundred hogsheads of herrings, mostly large and of excellent quality, and about 50 hogs- heads of mackerel, were taken on the Devon and Cornish coasts, and ready sales were effected at good prices. Nearly all the boats are now laid up. This year, taken altogether, has been the most profitable for the Cornish fishermen that is remembered, and fortune has by no means been absent from the Devon coast. The Cornish cellars are now cleared and closed, the last two cargoes of pilchards having been des- patched to Mediterranean ports last week. Death by a Blow with a Whip-handle.-An investigation took place at Douglas, Isle of Man, last week, into the charge against Patrick Gallagher, a publican, of that town, of having caused the death of one Edwin Willmott, by striking him on the head with the butt-end of a whip on the 10th of December. The coroner's jury brought in a verdict of Wilful Murder" against Gallagher; but the, present jury, after occupying three days in the investigation, com- mitted him to take his trial for the offence of man- slaughter only. A Girl Killed by Machinery.-Mary Jane Roberts, aged 14 years, an operative, employed at the manufactory of Messrs. George Crosland and Sons, Lockwood, near Huddersfield, has been killed in a most shocking manner. The deceased and three other girls went to the back of the mill to watch something which had attracted their attention, but instead of proceeding, the deceased stayed by a shaft which runs with considerafile velocity in journals placed about five inches from the outside wall of the mill, and began to amuse herself by placing her hands upon it. By some means her dress became entangled, and she was dragged between the wall and the shaft and instantly killed. The engine was stopped and her remains removed. Iron Leaf.-The iron letter sent from Pennsyl- vania (says the Birmingham, Post) as the thinnest sheet of iron yet rolled in the world," has elicited numerous competitors in this country, and has at last been signally beaten. The sheet in question was the 1,000th part of an inch in thickness. Messrs. James, of Bilston, have rolled some considerably thinner, and some rolled by Messrs. R. Williams and Co., of Swan Village, Westbromwich, is 1,015th part, of an inch J thick, and is very tough. But that which at present bears away the palm is some rolled by Messrs. Nevill, Everitt, and Co., of the Marshfield Iron Works, Llanelly, and is the 1,400th part of an inch in thick- ness. Gunshot Injury to the Eye. -A short time since a person of the name Packham was ac- cidentally shot in the right eye at a pigeon shooting match, at Upper Raynham, Kent. The sight of the eye was immediately lost, and violent inflammation following upon the accident, it was found necessary to remove the eye-ball altogether from the socket, when the shot was found buried at the back of the globe. The operation was performed by Mr. Woolcott, founder and late surgeon of the Kent County Optfhal- mic Hospital, and we are glad to hear that the patient is going on well. Rat and Sparrow Club.-The members of the Maiden Bradley Rat and Sparrow Society held their fifth annual meeting the other day. From the report of the honorary secretary it appears that 4,462 rats and 1,067 sparrows have been killed by the members for the past year. Mr. W. Jefferys took "doable first-class honours," having killed 1,557 rats and 244 sparrows, and consequently won both premiums. Since the formation of the society, five years ago, it has accounted for no fewer than 17,689 rats. The members dined together. The entertainment was a good one, and a pleasant evening was spent. Shocking Boat Accldent.-Aninquest was recently held in Cardiff on the body of Richard Dyer, first mate of the barque George, of London, lying in the Penarth Roads. It appeared that on the previous day the deceased and four seamen were returning from Cardiff to their vessel in a small boat, when they attached it by means of a rope to a trawl which was being tugged along by a steamer. From some c&use or other the boat upset, and the five men were pre- cipitated into the water. Dyer floated upon an oar until picked up, but it was found impossible to restore animation. Another man, named Lehure, sank to the bottom at once, and was not seen again. In the case ,of Dyer a verdict of Accidental Death was returned. Tasmanian Gold Fields.—Mr. C. TriptEee, writing to the Hobart Town Mercury from Mangana, says:—"I am fully convinced that a remunerative .gold field will yet be found here. Here is one fact. Three men now working in the gully I am working in obtained in six days 2toz. of gold, which was purchased by Mr. Robert Carter, at Fingal. I myself have been engaged at other work this week three days, but have managed to get enough of the coveted metal to find rations for the week. It only wants patience and perseverence." Death of Lady Brougham.—Lady Brougham has just died at Brighton. Her ladyship had been staying at that place since August, and up to a few days before her death was in her usual health, so much so that she intended to leave Brighton for her London residence. However, her ladyship was at- tacked with bronchitis, and died very suddenly. Lady Brougham was the eldest daughter of Mr. Thomas Eden (uncle of the late Earl of Auckland and Lord Henley). The lamented lady was twice married, first to Mr. John Spalding, of Holms, N.B. and secondly, on April 1,1819, to Lord Brougham, then Mr. Henry Brougham. Her ladyship, who was in her seventy- seventh year, had issue by Lord Brougham two daughters, one born in 1820, and who died in 1821; and the Hon. Eleanor Louisa Brougham, who died in the bloom of youth in 1839. The intelligence of her lady- ship's death was immediately transmitted to the noble and learned lord, who is staying at his residence at Cannes. The Master and the Maid.-The Dublin cor- respondent of the Morning Post has the following:— I some time ago sent you a report of a ease in which a girl, named Catherine Caffertry, was prosecuted by her master (a farmer in the county of Mayo) for leaving his service without warning, and before the expiration of the time for which sbe was hired. The priest of the parish stated in the witness box that he desired her to leave in order to preserve her virtue. She was then fined £ 5, and an appeal was lodged against the decision, which was heard at Balina Quarter Sessions. It appeared, however, upon the further hearing of the ease, that she had been for three years in the employment of her master, and had no reason whatever to charge him with any impropriety towards her, and that she left his service reluctantly, because her spiritual adviser had prohibited her from remaining. Her master was severely examined as to his moral conduct for the past 13 years, and the Rev. Mr. Malone was unable to substantiate any of the improprieties attributed to him by public report, on the faith of which he had ordered the girl to leave her situation. The magistrates canfirmed the decision with costs. Cambridge Asylum for Soldiers' Widows. -On old Christmas Day, the widowed inmates of this asylum were regaled with their annual dinner, given by her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, who was present, attended by Lady Geraldme Somer- set and Colonel Home Purves. Turkeys and pium- puddings, with all requisite adjuncts, gladdened the eyes and satisfied the appetites of the inmates; and many Waterloo, Peninsular, and other medals brought from their sanctums were worn for the occasion by the female veterans in memory of the past, while grateful feelings and sentiments were expressed by them for tlfe blessings they enjoyed as inmates of this noble asylum. Amongst the lady visitors present on the occasion, and to whom the asylum owes many of its advantages, were Lady Emily Ponsonby, Lady Caro- line Murray, Lady Gomm, the Hon. Miss Sugdeti, the Hon. Lucy Kerr, Mrs. Eyres, Mrs. Roots, and Miss Hardy. The beneficent intention of the late Duke of Cambridge in the grant of land for the building has been earnestly and admirably carried out by the Duchess of Cambridge, the present .Duke of Cam- bridge, and the Princess Mary, A Bad Spec. ibr Blondin.—A case of some interest was heard in the Bankruptcy Court last week. A Mr. Coleman appeared on his own petition, and it appeared that among his creditors was the celebrated Blondin, to whom he had acted as treasurer, and whose money to the extent of £ 12,000 had been invested in the business. An attempt was made by some of the other creditors to prove that Blondin was really a partner with Coleman, but the proof failed, and the rope-dancer was admitted as a creditor on the estate. Church Living for Sale.—The vicarage of Beckford, with Ashton.under-Hill, Gloucestershire, is to be sold, under somewhat singular circumstances. It is held by the venerable John Tunbrill, D.D., Arch- deacon of Gloucester, who is the patron, and conse- quently the vendor. The reverend gentleman is described as being ninety-four years of age, so that a nomination, in the ordinary course of events, cannot be long distant. He also holds the rectory of Dursley, which is annexed to the archdeaconry. New Cathedral in Ireland.-The Lord Bishop of Cork, says the Irish Times, laid the first stone of the new cathedral of St. Finn Barr recently. The old cathedral has no pretension to architectural style, and has long since been condemned as wholly unworthy of the city of .Cork, of the age, and of the sacred pur- pose to which it was dedicated. The new cathedral will be grand and spacious, and its architecture will be in strict conformity with ecclesiastical rule. The erection of the building will cost £ 40,000, a consider- able portion of which sum has been collected. The Bishop of Cork placed on the stone which he had c. well and truly laid," a donation of < £ 1,000 to forward the work so well and happily begun. The Yelverton Case again.—The action of libel brought by Miss Longworth against the pro- prietors of the Saturday Review came before the Outer House of the Court of Sessions on Thursday, for debate on the question whether, by the arrestment of certain funds in the hands of publishers in Edin- burgh the defendeis had been made amenable to the jurisdiction of the Court of Session. The Solicitor General, for the defenders, proposed that the record should be made up and closed before the question of j arisdiotion was discussed; and the Lord Ordinary a, joordingly appointed parties to revise their pleadings. A Lunatic at Windsor Castle.—For the last two or. three days a man of somewhat foreign ap- pearance, wearing a long dark coat almost reaching to his heels, and a sort of billy-cock hat, has been occasionally wandering about the precincts of Windsor Castle. On Tuesday the stranger made his way, it is said, to one of the castle entrances, but, as he did not speak English, could not make himself understood to the attendants. A gentleman, ho.vever, as tho story goes, who spoke the" language of the inquirer (which is said to have been German), managed to ascertain that the poor fellow was labouring under a delusion. The man, it seems, had asked to see the Queen, and on being informed that her Majesty was now residing at Osborne, declared that he was the husband of the Queen, who had gone away from him. He was gently conducted from the casjtle. On Wednesday, it is stated, the stranger visited St. George's Chapel, and on Friday he contrived to enter the back door of King Henry the Third's Tower, the residence of Colonel Sir C. B. Phipps, when he was immediately ejected. Death of the Princess Caraboo."—Such of our readers as are interested in the history ff £ impos- tors will remember that many years since a person who styled herself the Princess Caraboo created a sensation in the literary and fashionable circles at Bath and other places, which lasted till it was dis- covered that the whole affair was a romanoe cleverly sustained and acted out by a young and prepossessing girl. On being deposed from the honours which had been accorded to her, the "Princess" accepted the situation, retired into comparatively humble life, and married. There was a kind of grim humour in the occupation which she subsequently followed—that of an importer of leeches; but she conducted her opera- tions with much judgment and a,bility, and carried on her trade with credit to herself and satisfaction to her customers. The quondam "Prinoess" died re- cently at Bristol, leaving a daughter, who, like bar mother, is said to be possessed of considerable per- sonal attractions. Labourers' Wages.—The Government report on this subject gives a detail of more than five hundred uasea taken from every county in England, and from the best samples that could be found of the peasantry. In the south-western counties the rate or wages wa,i 9s. a week in the midland, from 12s. to 14s. in York- shire it was 15s.; and in the northern counties it was as high as 17s. and 18s. But it is well known that the greatest difference prevailed in the different localities as to the amount and kind of food taken, a.nd also as to the amount of wages too. The labourers had fre- quently large families, and every child over ten years was contributing to the family means. On the ques- tion as to the best drink for the labourers, whether strong tea, or weak tea, or strong drink, Professor Rolleston was of opinion that for real hard physical work strong tea was about the best thing that could betaken. Redpath in Fault Ag-ain.-The Perth (Aus tralia) Inquirer reports 'that the notorious Redpath, who for a length of time has enjoyed a tidket of leave, has been returned to the convict establishment for twelve months, in consequence of insolence to the Rev. Mr. Bostock; and he richly deserves the punish- ment. This fellow, who is constantly referred to in all discussions relative to the convict system in Western Australia, as having been treated with undue lenieney, seems never to have fully appreciated his proper position, but has feehaved in all respects as if he were a free man of unblemished character, without a past to deplore or a future to achieve. The case which resulted in his punishment was a very flagrant one. Mr. Bostock had interested himself in the formation of a Working Man's Association at Free- mantle, of which society he was president, and it was in connection with its affairs that the circumstances arose which eventually led to the receipt, by the rev. gentleman, of a highly insulting message from Red- path, who was one of the members. The resident magistrate at Free mantle recommended that some notice should be taken of the matter, and his recom- mendation was backed by the comptroller general, the result being that the governor ordered Redpath's re- turn to the penal establishment for a year, as a hard labour prisoner. The Shocking Fatality on a Railway.—An inquest was recently held at the Swan Inn, Wilmslow, on the remains of Mr. J. V. Hibbert, cloth agent, who was run over by a railway train. Dr. Clarke, of Wilmslow, gave evidence of the complaint under which he laboured, and for which he had prescribed an opium pill, for the purpose of inducing rest; but the patient having been roused, in consequence of a disturbance, about one o'clock in the morning, close to his house, the opium would have the effect of increas- ing instead of subduing the nervous complaint under which he laboured, and would exert such confusion in his mind as thoroughly to account for his wandering about at such a time. The driver of a luggage train which passed about five o'clock in the morning gave evidence that the wheels of the tender of his engine were in a state that left no doubt about it being the train he had been driving that had passed over and killed the deceased. Other evidence was given, and a letter which had been written by the deceased the day before the fatality was put in and read, which showed that he was in a perfectly rational state at that time. The jury immediately returned a verdict of Found killed by a Railway Train. Atlantic and Great Western Railway.- The remarkable progress in the traffic on this railway will be apparent from the increase of returns during the last twelve months. In January there were 322 miles open, and 38,615 dollars taken for passengers and mails 168,683 dollars for freight; making a total of 207,298 dollars for the month; averaging 160 dollars per mile per week. In June, the total receipts in the month were 314,521 dollars, averaging 245 dollars per mile per week; whilst in September, although the length of line remained the same, the total receipts of the month were 446,044 dollars, averaging 346 dollars per mile per week. This is exclusive of Erie bonus and mileage of cars, and engines due to the company. Marrying a Rich Widow. — William James Murphy, Church-street, Deptford, was summoned before the magistrate at Greenwich to pay a certain sum alleged to be due on a promissory note given on a loan from a Friend of Labour Society. The loan had been made to one William Annam, since dead, whose widow was now married to the defendant. The de- ceased had left a shop and fixtures, which were in the possession of the defendant, and as the deceased had made no will his widow was entitled to all his goods, and was consequently liable^ to pay his debts. The1 society had applied to the widow for payment before 'her second marriage, but she refused to pay, and the defendant now -objected to pay the dead man's debts. The magistrate told defendant that as he had married a rich widow he was liable for the debts of her de- ceased husband to the extent of the property which had come into possession of the widow. Anorderwas made for payment of the amount due. A Volcano Expected.—The Italie of Turin publishes a letter from San Nicandro, near Lake Lesina, in the province of Capitanata, on the Adriatic, stating that, for the last seven months, shocks of earthquake have been daily felt there, that all the houses are in a ruinous condition, that several have fallen in, and that the people are gradually emigrating from the town. To these phenomena are now added subterranean noises, and there is a general conviction in the place that a, volcano is about to burst into existence there, as these phenomena bear a strong re- semblance to those which precede an eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Out Shopping.—One Mr. Wilson, a shoemaker at Mahurangi, New Zealand (the north island), sends to the Southern Cross a letter stating that on the 5th of November two natives came into his shop and asked to see some boots. One of them fitted himself with a pair, and said he would take them. He added that lie did not intend to pay for them; and, says the shoemaker, as one had a double-barrelled gun and the other a tomahawk, and I and the boys were un- armed, I could only threaten him with the law. He laughed, and said he did not care for that. I believe they are two of the prisoners that lately escaped." Death of Sir A. D. Croft.- W e have to record the death of Sir Archer Denman Croft, Bart., one of the masters of the Court of Queen's Bench. The deceased was the second son of the sixth baronet by the daughter of the late Dr. Thomas Denman, and was born in Old Burlington-street in 1801. He was called to the bar in 1839, and was appointed to his mastership by Lord Denman. He is succeeded in his baronetcy by his son, Herbert George Denman, who was born in 1838. The mastership in the Court of Queen's Bench, which becomes vacant by his death,'is in the hands of Sir Alexander Cockburn, Bart., the Lord Chief-Justice. Settlement of North Australia.-The South Australian Government have dispatched a second party of men, forty in number, to assist Mr. Finniss in the work of surveying the new country. It has been determined also to ask the Home Government for the services of a small force of infantry, who could be sent to North Australia from India, the terms o payment being arranged in accordance with the regu- lations lately enforced by the War Office. This would be a great protection to the young settlement, and would probably do mmh towards its establishment by causing strangers to go there from the adjacent islands. In connection with .this subject, suggestions have been started to the effect that a Creole emigration from the Isle of Bourbon to North Australia should be brought about by those who are interested in the new colony. It is said that there is a useful population quite ready to move from the one country to the other. r The Pattern and Sample Post.—Among the patterns and samples sent from the country to London by the post in one month of the year 1864-the first complete year of the inland pattern post system-; were 136 packages of tea, 178 of sugar, 907 of alpaca and stuffs, 525 of cloth, 820 of silks, 189 of corn, and smaller numbers of samples of buttons, .pipeclay, cil- cake, ladies' dresses, hair, drugs, glue, stays, belts, caps, boots and shoes, beans, candles, shawls, flour, china, bricks, slippers, pincers, a cribbage-board, potatoes, feathers, lozenges, hay, tallow, gasfittings, eardrops, and a host of other curious and useful articles, too many to be "told. Robbing the Post-office. — Robert Goodwin Tryon, an auxiliary letter-carrier and sorter in the E.C. district office, was charged at Bow-street with stealing several parcels which had passed through the post. The prisoner had been suspected, and was consequently watched while preparing letters for -stamping. He was seen to secrete a parcel in his sleeve, and was taken to the comptroller's room, and accused of the theft. He then produced the parcel, which contained three gold rings, and was addressed to a watchmaker. He was afterwards searched, and a number of letters containing valuable articles were found upon him and in his uniform coat. The prisoner, it seems, was very well connected, but dissipation had lost him the coun- te-nance of his friends. He then served in the army of the United States, and returned wounded. He had since been employed as an auxiliary letter-carrier. His only defence was poverty. He was committed for tl'iul. Compensation for a Railway Accident.— In the Court of Common Pleas the case of Foy v. the London and Brighton 'Railway Company has been heard. This was an action brought under these cir- cum-,tane(i s:Mrs. Foy was a passenger from Croydon I' to London, and when the train arrived in London the station was full of traffic, and the carriages could not get to the platform. A porter told her to alight, when the carriage stopped, and a gentleman "having volunteered assistance, she took hold of his hand and urcped to the line. Damages were asked upon the ground that Mrs. Foy had suffered special injury through the jump. At the court at Guildford the jury found a verdict for the plaintiff—damages, £500. Mr. Bovill now moved for a rule to enter a verdict for the defendant, on the ground that the injury sustained by Mrs. Foy resulted from her own conduct-as there was no necessity for her to jump from the carriage on to the line. The Court, however, held that it was a question for the jury, and refused the rule. The Fall of a Warehouse.—-An alarming ac- cident, involving great loss of property, occurred a few days ago at Batler's-wbarf, belonging to Messrs. Brandon Brothers, wharfingers, at the Waterside, Horsleydown, by the falling of a newly erected bonded warehouse, five storeys high. The building has jusj been completed by Mr. Diekers, builder, and bore every ,.appearanca of great solidity and strength, the floors being supported by iron pillars and girders. Owing to the influx of business the firm were com- pelled to warehouse cargoes of vessels before the building was actually completed. Indeed, there were masons and bricklayers engaged in the place at the time of the accident. Fortunately there was sufficient warning to enable jthe people to escape. A loud cracking was heard in the river frontage wall, and on the men looking upwards they witnessed the floors bulging downwards, and they succeeded in getting into the street, when the whole fabric fronting the river fell into the water, bringing with it several thousand bags of rice. The land side of the structure remains intact. There were several extraordinary escapes. The prevailing opinion as to the cause of the accident is that it was occasioned by the excessive weight ware- housed on the floors. Assault on a Female.-John Cox, a powerful young man, said to be from Nottingham, was charged at Marlborough-street with a violent assault on a young woman, named Caroline Sireas. The com- plainant said she went into Barnes's public-house, in the Haymarket, on the previous night, to have some refreshment, accompanied by her sister, and while speaking to her the prisoner came up, and without the slightest provocation knocked her down senseless. This statement was confirmed by the complainant's sister. The prisoner said the complainant asked him to treat her, and when he refused to do so some one knocked off his hat.-Mr. Knox: And then you knocked this young woman down.—Prisoner: Of eourse, I did.—Mr. Knox told him he was a dastardly and ruffianly fellow, and that he should be committed for a month, without the option of a fino. Another Phase in Compensation Cases.— At the Sheriffs' Court, Red Lion-square, before Mr. Humphreys and a special jury, a compensation case, Coates v. The Metropolitan Railway Company," was recently heard. Mr. Day and the Ron. Mr. Leeson were for the claimant; and Mr. Lloyd, with whom was Mr. Hollway, for the company. The premises were at the corner of Tottenham-court-road, in the Euston-road, where Mr. Coates carried on a large business as a cheesemonger and provision dealer. He claimed .£500 for losses sustained in 1861 by the works, of the company. Mr. Lloyd denied, that the company was liable. The house was not in the same line as the railway, and if bricks had been^ placed opposite the house the remedy was by action against the con- tractor, and not against the company. The case would be taken before the superior court. Mr. Coates, in 1862, received A50 for structural damage, and no claim was made for compensation until three years after the loss, when some attorney, who had had numerous cases, had whispered into his ear. The learned Assessor laid it down to the jury that, if the claimant had been obstructed by bricks or otherwise, it was by the works of the company) an,d could recover i if he had sustained loss. The Jury retired for some time, and assessed the compensation at .£50.. ] Attempted Murder in London Streets.- Johil Bruce, aged 44, of Waverley-road, Harrow-read i general dealer, was charged at Marylebone Police- court with cutting and wounding Edward Houghton I i with a razor. Prosecutor said he was a traveller, and resided at Portland-road, Notting-hill. The prisoner had that morning followed him from where he had left some goods. He walked on to avoid him, but he overtook and talked to him. All at once he took out a razor and made a desperate blow with it at the back of his neck, but the blow failed at his neck and cut him right across the back of his head. He staggered forward, and the prisoner ran off, but was afterwards captured. The prisoner put questions to the prose- cutor as to where he had lately lived, but which had no reference to the charge. The prosecutor had been taken to St. Mary's Hospital, where the wound was dressed. It was six or seven inches long, and a great quantity of blood flowed from it. < There is still danger of erysipelas setting in. The prisoner was remanded. Painful Fate of a Lady.-Nearly a fortnight ago Miss Mary Baldwin Corbett left her home at Camden-place, near Stourport, and up to Sunday nothing could be heard of her. Miss Corbett was a niece of Mr. Stanley Baldwin, whose name is asso- ciated with extensive works in Worcestershire and Staffordshire, and she had for some time resided under his roef. It appears that she had for a con- siderablE, period been in an unsound state of mind, and a watch was consequently kept upon her actions. Owing to a supposed improvement in her condition of late the restraint on her motions was relaxed, and availing herself of her liberty, she left bar uncle's house between nine and ten o'clock on the night of the 28th of December, and did not return. Every means were taken to discover what had be- come of her, and most of the pools in the neighbour- hood were examined in the fear that she was drowned. Nothing, however, was found out tending to throw any light on her disappearance till about noon on Sunday, when a waterman named Rowley, who was on the Severn, between Bewclley and Stourport, saw a human figure in the water. It was got out, and proved to be the body of Miss Corbett. She had on a garden bonnet, which she had taken with her on leaving Mr. Baldwin's house, and her ordinary articles of clothing. The body was taken to the Swan Hotel, Stourport, to await the inquest. The deceased lady was about thirty years of age. Gale at Portsmoath.- On Saturday morning there was a strong gale blowing at Portsmouth. The danger flag was hoisted, all boats being prohibited from leaving ships. Old sailors state that, during the past twenty-five years, the harbour has never been so rough and disturbed. A rumour reached the above port that no less than three vessels were stranded on theWoolmers, near Langston Harbour. One vessel, a brigantine, was seen in great distress, and we are informed that she foundered with all hands on board. Several men were seen clinging to her masts just before she sank. The Comet, steam-tug, with a party of dockyard riggers, went out to assist the vessel in question, but nothing could be seen of her. Particu- lars as to this wreck are not as yet known. During the week the gale has existed, and much anxiety has been felt for the fate of ships. The part of the coast where this ship foundered is, perhaps, the most dan- gerous aloEg the extreme southern shore. Horse Warranty.-An action was brought in the Superior Court, by Mr. Percival against Mr. Oldacre, for an alleged breach of warranty of a horse. It ap- peared that the plaintiff and the defendant are horse dealers at the west end of the town, and in the early part of the year 1863 the plaintiff purchased a grey horse, the property of the defendant, for £ 65, the defendant describing the horse as "a good harness horse," and that it was sold because it could not be matched to suit Baron Rothschild. It turned out, however, that when the horse was put into harness, although he was a good stepper and looked well, he kicked violently, and that he broke a buggy to pieces, and committed other acts of violence whenever he was placed in harness. Thereupon the plaintiff wrote to the defendant, calling upon him to take the horse back, as the representation respecting it was incor- rect. The defendant made no reply to this letter, whereupon the plaintiff sent the horse to Aldridge's Repository, where it was sold for .£40, and then the present action was brought. There was no intention to charge the defendant with having made a fraudulent representation of the horse but the plaintiff's ground of action was, that as the defendant's representation that the horse was a good horse in harness was not correct, he was bound to return the plaintiff the money which was paid for the animal. The evidence given in support of the plaintiff's case fully bore out the facts stated, and the jury found a verdict for the plaintiff-damages, ..£25. New South Wales Bushrangers.-On the 16th of November the Gundagai mail was stuck up," says the Sidney Herald, by Hall, Gilbert, and Dunn. The mail coach was under the escort of Sub-Inspector O'Neill and Sergeant Parry, who saw the bushrangers on the top of a hill near Black Springs, between Jugiong and Gundagai. The police approached the bushrangers, who retreated, then suddenly turned round and fired on the police. Shots were exchanged until Parry had discharged his revolvers, when Gilbert called upon him to surrender. Parry said he would die first, and was takiEg off his rifle to fire when Gilbert shot him dead, the ball entering his right and massing out of his left side. Sub-Inspector O'Neill, after firing all his ammunition, struck Hall with his empty weapon. A constable, who was armed and in a coach, bolted, it is said, in a most cowardly manner. The bushrangers had a number of teamsters and others bailed up, and those who had the opportunity of witnessing the affray say-that O'Neill and Parry acted most courageously, and the bushrangers, who were literally belted with revolvers, fought desperately, and eventually took every valuable enclosure from the mail bags. Locusts.—Advices which are anything but satis- factory have been received from Senegal to the 18th December:—In addition to the scarcity which during a part of the year depopulated Cayor and Saloum, other scourges have fallen on the colony. A disease prevails throughout the country among the cattle and horses, and what is still more terrible the locusts have invaded Lower Senegal in greater numbers than was ever before remembered. The crop3 of millet and other productions on which the natives principally depend for food have been almost entirely destroyed. The cotton crops have also suffered severely, the loss being estimated at about three-fifths. In order to give an idea of the innumerable quantity of these in- sects, one fact is mentioned. The steamer Archimede, having General Faidherbe, the governor, on board, was lying in the river, when a cloud of locusts pro- ceeding inland made their appearance, and were so thick that they prevented the shore from being seen from the vessel. From the morning until near sun- set they kept passing, and the column must have been atleast fifteen leagues in length. The black farmers are in despair at this visitation, but the Moors, who attend little to agricultural occupations, pay less at- tention to the destruction done by the locusts, as they kill an immense quantity of them and prepare them as a food, of which they are fond.