village, one of which was taken and fixed on the top of the roundhouse, or village prison, and there left as a public spectacle, which was seen by many.

These things are done almost in the face of eight officers from Bow-street, and immense local police, and three regiments of sol

diers.

The last mentioned night 26 frames were demolished at Cotgrave, a village six miles south of the Trent; and the depredators again escaped across the water without detection: and, notwithstanding the number of men who have been taken up, it is the general opinion, that not one real frame-breaker has been taken; nor, from the best information that can be obtained, has any thing like correct evidence been drawn from any of the prisoners.

Four prisoners were yesterday brought in, with great parade, by three several parties of military and civil officers; two of whom are persons who have had frames broken in their own houses, and another is a well-known maniac of the name of Waplington, who is at the present time a pauper of St. Mary's parish, in this town, and who has for years been in the habit of wandering about. It excited much laughter to see a Bowstreet officer, with this poor creature confined in a cart by his side, driving furiously along the streets, and guarded by about half a score of Hussars. It is supposed the maniac has been caught in one of his wandering excursions; and, as usual, refused to give an account of himself.

27. On Saturday week the shock of an earthquake was felt in many

places in Oxfordshire. In Tetsworth, Islip, Blechingdon, Radley, and Wolvercott, the windows were much shaken. It was accompanied by a deep rumbling noise, similar to the sound of a distant discharge of heavy ordnance.

On Monday last, that ancient edifice, the tower of Christ Church, Oxford, which contains Great Tom, was in imminent danger of being destroyed by fire. A room adjoining this venerable structure, the hearth-stone of which was laid on a large oak beam, it is conjectured, had taken fire, and been secretly burning for two or three days bcfore it was discovered. Alarm was given, and assistance procured in time to prevent the consequences that must otherwise have ensued.

Considerable discussion took place at Lincoln, on Thursday, at a meeting for the adoption of the system of national education, on an amendment moved by Sir R. Heron, "That the plan of edu"cation adopted by the meeting, "should be such as not to exclude "the children of christian dissent"ers from the advantage of the "education proposed; and that "those children should be per"mitted to attend divine service "at the respective places of their "religious worship." A debate arose on the principle, that it militated against the fundamental object of the society. The speakers were, in support of Sir Robert Heron's motion, Mr. Langton, Mr. Mawer, and Mr. Draper. In support of the original proposition, the Lord Lieutenant, the Dean of Lincoln, Sir J. W. Gordon, the Rev. S. Turner, Col. Ellison, the Rev. Mr. Hett, Mr. Turner, Mr. Dalton, Mr. Cholmeley, Mr. Hare, Mr. F.

Chaplin,

Chaplin, and Mr. Massingberd. The amendment was negatived, and the original resolutions carried. Leeds Sessions. The Tolera

tion Act. Mr. Robert Wood, a preacher in the methodist connection, presented himself before the magistrates, and requested that the oaths might be administered to him, that he might make the declaration required by the Toleration Act, to qualify him to officiate as a dissenting teacher.

The Bench inquired, if he was appointed a teacher to any specific congregation?

The Rev. Mr. Wood, sen. who is also a travelling preacher in the same connection, replied, that his son was to preach at Bramley.

Recorder." Suffer the young man to answer the question himself."

Mr. Robert Wood." It is intended that I should preach at Bramley, Armley, and other villages in the vicinity."

The Recorder, after some conversation with the bench and the counsel near him, resumed :— "From a report of a case just pub"lished, it appears, that the Court of King's Bench have decided, "that a protestant dissenter, who "states himself as one who preaches "to several congregations, without "shewing that he has a separate "congregation attached to him, is not entitled to take the oaths "and make the declaration required by the Toleration Act. "It will, therefore, be necessary "for you to prove your appointment to preach to a separate congregation, before you can be "entitled to take the oaths."

66

Mr. Maude here observed, that though the Court of King's Bench

did not, in the case cited, think proper to issue a mandamus to compel the magistrates to administer the oaths, it did not fol low that the oaths might not be administered as heretofore, without requiring those new conditions which were never before heard of.

Mr. Hainsworth, in reply, said the Magistrates could only administer the oaths agreeably to the provisions of the Toleration Act; and if that act required certain previous conditions, it was not in the power of that bench, or any other, to dispense with them; for if the magistrates, in the case alluded to, had required any thing to be done which the law had not made necessary, the Court of King's Bench would have issued a mandamus to compel them to administer the oaths.

In these observations the court coincided, and refused to adminis ter the oaths.

Before the court adjourned, Mr. Holtby, a student under the tuition of the Rev. Mr. Steadman, a dissenting minister at Bradford, preseated himself for the same purpose, and his application was rejected on the same grounds; but it

appeared that this gentleman had made application to an improper sessions, the court having no jurisdiction out of this borough; and he was advised to make application to the sessions for the riding. On this the applicant expressed some surprise at the new provisions which, after the lapse of a century, had been discovered in the Toleration Act, and that magistrates had been uniformly in the practice of administering the oaths, without any reference to these conditions

which the Court of King's Bench had decided to be necessary.

We insert this article as exemplifying that ambiguity in the Toleration Act which produced the bill for its amendment, passed with general concurrence in the present session.

The Manilla frigate, Captain Joyce, was unfortunately wrecked on the Haak sand, off the Texel, on the 20th January. She remained on the sand-bank for two days, during which time the Dutch fishing and pilot-boats, under the direction of Admiral De Winter, made considerable exertions to save the crew; of whom, about 180 were preserved, including the captain. The frigate was completely water-logged, and could not be brought off. She had been sent to the Texel to ascertain the fate of the Hero and Grasshopper.

30. A man named John Bunton, was lately committed to the city gaol, at Norwich, for burglariously entering the premises of Messrs. Aggs, in the night, and stealing some twist cotton. The conductor of the manufactory has a daughter who superintends the department performed by women, and sleeps in a room adjoining. She was awakened by a noise, when, slipping on a great-coat that lay in her room, she ran to her father's chamber, who not being dressed with sufficient speed, she snatched up a large hammer, and went alone in the dark into the manufactory, where she perceived Bunton taking the twist cotton from a loom. She instantly struck him on the back of the head with the hammer, and on his turning about repeated the blow upon his forehead with such effect, as to bring him to the ground co

vered with blood. Apprehending he might have accomplices, she shrieked, which brought her father to her assistance, and they secured the robber.

31, Some uneasiness was last week excited at Glasgow, originating in the distresses which have for a considerable time been experienced by the operative weavers in that city and neighbourhood.

For about a year past the weavers have been without full employment; and those who have been able to procure work have had their wages so much reduced, that few of them have been able to earn more than seven shillings per week, though many of them have large families.

About ten days ago, delegates from these men waited upon the magistrates of Glasgow, to represent to them their distressed state, and to solicit their attention to the misery of their families. What was the result of this application we have not learnt; but in a day or two after, circular notices were sent to all the operative weavers for many miles round Glasgow, inviting them to assemble at the public Green, as on Thursday last. The magistrates, alarmed for the possible consequences, invited the delegates to a conference; repre- · sented to them the dangers that might be apprehended from so large an assemblage, and induced them to circulate new notices, prohibiting the proposed meeting."

The magistrates, we understand, have paid particular attention to the representations of these men; and we have no doubt, from the decorum which has been exhibited, that public order will be maintained.

The

The master manufacturers have been required by the magistrates to have a meeting upon the business, and we doubt not, that they will see the propriety of giving an increase of wages to those they employ. It cannot be denied that it is an extreme hardship to workmen, whenever there is a scarcity of employment, to experience at the same time a great reduction in the price of their labour.

- A fine racoon was last week taken in the woods at Lord Grosvenor's seat at Eaton. It was discovered in the cleft of an aged oak, by a groom, who quickly started it, and with the assistance of dogs had it secured. It is supposed that this native of the forests had made its escape from the menagerie of some travelling showman.

FEBRUARY.

transported to the foot of Mount Etna, that they might examine more closely the course of the lava vomited from the crater.

The town of Sargans, consisting of about 400 houses, was reduced to a heap of ashes on the night of the 8th of December. There were a number of storehouses filled with grain, which were likewise destroyed. Fourteen of the inhabitants perished in the flames.

British Naval Force. The following is extracted from the official returns of the force of Great Britain, up to the 1st inst.: At sea, 80 of the line, 9 fifties, 129 frigates, 97 sloops, 5 bombs, 123 brigs, 30 cutters, 59 schooners-total 522. In port and fitting, 43 of the line, 7 fifties, 30 frigates, 38 sloops, 1 bomb, 29 brigs, 6 cutters, 17 schoonerstotal 171. Guard-ships, 4 of the line, 1 fifty, 4 frigates, 5 sloopstotal 14. Hospital ships, &c. 34 of the line, 4 fifties, 2 frigates

total 40. Total in commission, 161 of the line, 21 fifties, 165 frigates, 130 sloops, 6 bombs, 152 brigs, 36 cutters, 70 schoonerstotal 747. In ordinary and-repairing for service, 69 of the line, 13 fifties, 56 frigates, 37 sloops, o bombs, 10 brigs, 2 schoonerstotal 193. Building, 32 of the line, 2 fifties, 13 frigates, 5 sloops

total 52-Grand total, 202 of the line, 36 fifties, 234 frigates, 172 sloops, 12 bombs, 162 brigs, 36 cutters, 78 schooners-in the whole, 992 vessels of war. Of the varied force of the British navy, there are, in the Mediter ranean, 87 vessels; 32 of the line, Off

the coast of Spain and Portugal, 72; 15 of the line.

In the English Channel, 82; 14 of the line.

2. An alligator was shot through the head at Ghazepoore by an officer of the 67th regiment, which was 29 feet in length and seven in circumference. In the stomach were found several half-digested human limbs, the heads of two children, and more than twenty stones - probably swallowed in order to assist digestion.

A melancholy accident happened lately at Bergen, in Norway. In consequence of the heavy rains, an enormous stone was detached from the mountain, and falling upon some buildings, crushed 49 persons to death.

A silk weaver, named John Urssulak, died lately at Lemburg, in Prussia, at the age of 116 years. He had had six wives. The last, who survives him, brought him a son twelve months ago. He was extremely healthy and active, and walked six miles the day before his death.

3. For some time past, Osterley-park, the residence of the Earl of Jersey, and its neighbourhood about Brentford, have been infested with numerous poachers. On Wednesday night, between eleven and twelve, George Wood, the gamekeeper, with three men, went in pursuit of poachers; and when they came to a field close under a wood belonging to the noble earl, they heard a noise, which, they had no doubt, was the report of an air gun. They made towards the part whence the report came, and heard four more similar reports. When they came near the spot, they heard the breaking of bushes, and a large dog bark, who flew at them, and en

deavoured to seize them; but they kept him off, and ran forward towards the bushes, where they observed a man going from them and running away. They ran after him, and coming near him, he turned about and presented a gun at them: however, they pursued him courageously, when the man turned his gun and endeavoured to knock the gamekeeper down with the but-end of it; but failing in that, he set off again. The gamekeeper followed closely, and he threw his gun into the bushes: the gamekeeper at length seized him by the collar, when a man of the name of John Goodfellow, rushed from a cover and struck the gamekeeper a violent blow with an iron instrument; be repeated the blow which knocked the gamekeeper down before be could recover himself, and enabled the man whom he had secured, and who had the gun, to escape. At this juncture Shepherd and Fletcher, two of the men who were out with the gamekeeper to . assist him, came up and secured Goodfellow. A light was then procured, and the iron instrument proved to be an air-pump belonging to an air-gun, which was thrown into the bushes by the man who escaped. The air-pump was found about a yard off the spot where the gamekeeper received the blows. On the same spot was found a bag, containing leaden bullets, and another containing a hare and a pheasant, which appeared to have been killed by bullets. The air-gun was found in the bushes where the man threw it when he was pursued. Goodfellow was conveyed to the Public Office, Bow-street, on Thursday after

noon,