"TIIE CHILD'S THE FATHER OF THE MAV."—A story is going the round," from which we learn that Sir Robert Peel, when a lad at school, was expert in the use of the chisel. The squires and the farmers say that he is so still: that he has chiselled them in grand style. HORRIBLE DI:rRA*iTY.—Dorcr, Aug. 11.—" Sir I read with great pleasure your article upon Father Mat- thew, concluding with the injunction—' Swear not at all.' It is my own custom only to swear at those who oflcnd me but what is to be said to a set of fellows that are daily and hourly blasting the rocks in every direction Yours respectfully, TWIG."—Punch. MUSICAL TASTE.—A little fellow was taken to church the other day, by his mamma; and when the organ began j to play, the rogue looked up too the organ-loft, and called t fur -1 Jim Crow T" I DREADFUL CASE OF PARRICIDE.-Since Tuesday morning the beautiful seat of the Earl of Darnley, at Cobham-park, near GravesSnd, in Kent, its village, and the surrounding subtirbs, have been the sccne of much excitement, in consequence of the perpetration of a mur- der, attended with circumstances of a truly distressing character, the unhappy victim having perished by the hand of his son, who as yet has eluded the utmost vigi- lance of the police. The particulars of this melancholy event are as follows:—On Tuesday mornirig, as Mr. Charies Lester, butcher at Rochester, was proceeding along the main road near the village in a g?g with his uncle, he saw the body of a man lying on his face, and on approaching the person he had supposed to be a.: sleep, found he was quite dead. The unfortunate gen' tleman's face and chest was covered with coagulated blood, so much that the features could not be recogni- sed nor the Wound whence the blood had issued disco-, vered. The first suspicious fact that attracted their at- tention, after noticing several severe gashes in the throat of the corpse, was the finding of a large knife, covered with blood, on the grass, between twelve and fourteen yards from the spot where the corpse lay. It is what is termed a rigger's knife, the blade, which opens with a spring, being nearly eight inches lemg, with a broad curved point, and has a heavy buckhorn handle. Ii the opposite direction was lying a man's hat, completely crushed, and the grass around the body showed evident- ly that a severe struggle meet have takwafilace, foot' marks of two persons being clearly im oft the soil, which was torn up in several parts. Under the body was also found an open razor, of more than the usual size, which had likewise been used in the con- flict, and was besmeared all over with blood. As soon as possible a hurdle was procured from a neighbourkvg sheep-pen, and the body was removed to a shed adjoining the Ship Tavern at Cobham. On the corpse being dtF posited at the inn, the waiter recognised the unfortunate man as the same who had stopped at the imi with Iiilr son, his name being Charles DodtL 5-5 years of age, ar person who a fe w years ago carried on a most extensive business at Rochester as chemist and druggist. tIe had latterly, however, retired, and had gone to London, where he had since resided, in Suffolk-street, Pall-mall- east, and gained some notoriety by the manufacture cf an improved oil for artists. It has since been ascer- tained, and that, we regret to say, beyond a doubt, that the murderer of the unfortunate gentleman is- no, other than his third son, Richard Dodd, a fine young maay 2$ years of age, and that he committed the act while la*" bouring under an aberration of intellect. He waS an artist of some celebrity, and has gained several prises at the Royal Academy. A year or two ago--thiv unfor-- tunate youth accompanied Sir Thomas Phillips, the late Mayor of Newport, on a tour through Italy, Swit- zerland, and Germany, &c., for the purpose of impro- ving himself in his art. Owing to, his arduous studies and constant exposure to the sun, his brain became af-- fected to such a melancholy extent as to produce inea-- nity. He returned to England three months isince, and hopes were entertained that ahange of climate would restore his health. Such, however, was not the case, as his disease became more serious. He was visited by most of our eminent physicians, and only-so late as last Saturday Dr. Sutherland was called in by the unfortu- nate deceased parent, and recommended that the ut- most caution should be observed in watching his move- ments, as he did not consider him to be safe at largft; This advice was strictly attended to, he never being allowed to go out of sight. A change- of scene being considered necessary, Mr. Dodd took. his unfortunate son into Kent, and reached the Ship T,-ti-eni -at,Cobham, as before mentioned, on Monday evening. There they had tea, and Mr. Dodd requested that beds should be provided for them both. The son was noticc-dto behave in a very sullen manner, and partook of a pint* of per- ter in preference to tea, and at about half-past nine o'clock they left the house, as they stated for a walk. It is needless to state, the dreadful eattistrophe must have quickly followed. At present, no trace has been obtained of the unfortunate murderer. On Tkutsd^y morning the inquest on the bodv of the- deceased was commenced by Mr. Hinde, the- coroner, at' the Ship Inn, Cobham, when a great number of' witnesses were examined, and their evidence went to :,tonfii-m the facts above stated. The jury returned a verdiet of Wilful murder against some person or;pe»3ottsii;> unknown. EXTRAORDINARY ATTEMPT AT MURDER.—A volun- tary statement of attempt at murder has bc -made at Derby, of a very extraordinary kind, by a lad vfhbsc hor- rible propensity we have read of, but never before ttifet"' with in real life. The following is his confession to the policeman into whose hands he surrendered himself :^— He stated his name to be Joseph Growcock, and that "fie is about seventeen years of age. He kept a school »t Leicester about nine months, at the expiration of which x period he suddenly decamped, in consequence of a charge hanging over him of having stolen some books. From Leicester he went to Nottingham, where his father, a pen- sioner of the East India Company, resided, and with whom he remained until the 25th ult. During his stay at Nottingham he was frequently haunted with a fien- dish desire to murder somebody," and that he had made several attempts to decoy children into secluded spots for the purpose of gratifying this extraordinary propen- sity. On Friday week he had so far succcedad in his desire as to entice a little girl into a corner of the park, and he was just in the act of raising his arm to strike the child down with a bludgeon, when his father's voice was heard a short distance from him. It would seem that the father had been watching the movements of his son, and that when lie saw him on the point of striking the child, shouted to him to desist, at least it so appears from the youth's statement. Finding that he was discovered, Growcock ran away, and proceeded towards Derby, his desire for a horrid deed leaving him for a time. On ar- riving at Borrowash, midway between Nottingham and Derby, he met some boys and a girl (the latter about sixteen years old) who had been gleaning. He asked the boys to give him some corn, and then he says his fiendish passion came over him again, and became irre- sistible. He enteiedinto conversation with the girl, re- presenting himself as a looker-over of a mill at Derby, and promised her good wages if she would accompany him. With this and other persuasious he prevailed upon the girl to accompany him; and they set off towards Derby, where they arrived in the evening as the people were leaving the factories. His intention was to murder his companion at Derby, but a thought suddenly struck him, that it was not a good place for such a job," and lie persuaded the poor girl to proceed beyond Derby. On arriving in a secluded lane in the neighbourhood of Lord Harrington's seat, at Evaston, the girl was so fati- gued that she laid down under a tree and went to sleep. Grow cock laid himself down by her side, but did not compose himself to sleep, his mind, he says, being ocou- picd with projects for committing the murder. At length between one and two o'clock in the morning, he got up, took off one stocking, which he crammed into the poor girl's mouth (she crying all the while, Oh, man, what are you ? Dont, kill me don't kill me !") Having succeeded in gagging his victim, he then took from. his coat-pocket a small hammer and struck her over the head repeatedly, making the blood flow profusely. The hep-d of the hammer at length came off, and he beat her with his fists, jumped upon her, and left her for dead. He then returned to Derby with the intention of giving him- self into custody, and concluded his confession by saying that his motive for committing the horrid deed was to obtain transportation or to get hanged. Havrag des- cribed the spot where he left the body, police-officers were despatched, and found that the statement was too true. The poor girl was not dead, but dreadfully wound. ed about the head, and the blood covered the spot-where she lay. She was conveyed to the infirmary, where every attention was paid to her, but at present it is im- possible to say whether she will recover. Growcock, who is a stout healthly-looking youth, shabbily dressed, was taken before the magistrate the following morning, and, in the coolest manner imaginable, repeated the statement he had previously given, and seemed quite indifferent to the consequences. There was a restless rolling of the eyes which indicated insanity; but there was nothing further in his conduct to warrant the con-- clusion that he is insane. He was remanded for further, examination. THE HEREFORD FESTI VAL.—It is most gratifying to observe the anxious spirit which is awake, both in the city and country, for the success of the Triennial Festival. We anticipate a very brilliant and successful meeting and shdl, in our next publication, give a cir- cumstantial and faithful report of it.-fle)-efo)-d Times. REBECCA WANTED IN CORN-IVALL.-It happened a few weeks since to a gentleman in his travels through Cornwall in his gig to stop at a turnpike gate, the toll- keeper of which was a pare11:11cnt-face dame of the most ancient kind, with all the peculiar shrewdness known to that order, and the Act of Parliament at her fingers' ends. On pulling up with "What's to pay?""8d," was the reply. How's this ?" said the traveller, 2d more at this gate than at any other in the county-wh) what makes this difference ?" E'es 'tis so, and that's enuff! 'tis Gd. for four-wlieei vehicles, and 2d. more for two." Why that's strange," was the reply,—" E'es, but that's the law look above to the board and there ye'll see 'tis painted up." Such, on looking at it, was found to he the case, and after some further parley the reason was inquired, when our dame eyeing our infor- mant with much acutencss, and in her own quaint style, replied-" That the only thing 'twas made so for our two justices that live nigh drive four-wheeled gigs, and that was the particular clause that tlicy should not be charged more than Gd. and the 6d.to gigs was made 8d. and .the 8d. to four-wheels were made Gd."—Exeter r"pc.¡-

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