of age, city, the court was desirous that the to learn the inducements they had to depravity of the prisoners should become preachers ? be rendered more apparent, and They replied, that they had no the result of their conviction be objects of lucre or gain in view, strictly conformable to the most but were actuated by a strange and rigid notions of justice. It is the vehement inclination to promulgate merciful and uniform practice never' the Gospel of God, for the purpose to hang a mau upon the testimony of contributing, as far as in them of an accomplice, unless he be lay, to the salvation of souls. They twice capitally convicted. The intended to exercise their holy prisoners denied the robbery, and functions entirely within the county Hervey made a second attempt at of Middlesex. The chairman grantan alibi, evidently founded in per- ed their applications, and they withjury. The jury found them both drew to the ofice of the clerk of the guilty-Death. peace. Similar applications have of 16. A trial was made, to ascer. - late been frequent. tain what a horse could draw on the An indictment against W. Midiron rail way, from the harbour of hurst, charged the prisoner with an Ayr to Newton coal-pits. Six wag. assault on a girl 13 years gons were loaded with three tons with intent to commit a rape. each ; the six waggons exceeded two The defendant was a hair-dresser, tons, making in all 20 tons. A car. who resided in the neighbourhood horse was yoked; but in starting, of Spital-fields, and the prosecu. the chain which bound the fifth wag. trix was the daughter of a respectgon to the fourth gave way, and able tradesman in that neighbourthe horse proceeded with the four hood. On the 7th of November, waggons with ease; thus pulling a according to the statement of the load of nearly 14 tons weight. girl, she went to the shop of the 17. At the Middlesex sessions, defendant to have her hair cut; three men, one a 'cordwainer, the when he took her into a back par. other a brush-ınaker, and the third lour, and made the assault com. I sailor, severally applied to the plained of. He was alarmed by court, in order that the oaths his servant maid coming down might be administered to them to stairs, and also by an old lady qualify them to preach the Gospel. coming into the shop with a C. Robinson, esq. the chairman,vc. child, to have its hair cut. The ry properly asked these candidates prosecutrix communicated what. for ecclesiastical lame, whether any had happened, to her father's sere of them had received the necessary vant when she got home. education at either of the universi- The girl underwent a cross-ex• ties, Oxford or Cambridge, or at amination by Mr. Alley ; from any public school, or whether they which it appeared, that after the were deeply read in theology? assault she remained in the shop They replied in the negative to these without disclosing to the old interrogations. The chairman ob- lady what had taken place. She served, they must necessarily enter. accounted for this, by stating that tain very wild and extravagant ideas the defendant prevented her from in regard to religion, and he wished running out, and the old lady A a 3 was was a stranger. It afterwards turned out, that the prosecutrix had sent a letter to the defendant of a very improper nature, contain. ing two lines of poetry, which were not suffered to be read or shewn to the jury. Mr. Gurney gave up the case for the prosecution. The defendant conducted himself with great levity during the evidence. The chairman, observed, that the child had been very imprudent; but the defendant, notwithstanding that fact, should not be suffered to leave the court with an air of triumph. He was the most abandon ed profligate, a monster of the most enormous depravity. 18. The officers of justice have had a strange chace after Mr. Ludlam. [See Vol. XLVIII. p. 460.] The Bow-street people went on Friday se'nnight, fortified by the lord-chancellor's warrant, to a house in Tenterden-street, Hanover-square, to which they were conducted by his brother's solicitor. The answer from within was, that Mr. L. was not to be spoken with. Several men, on the officers attempting to break in, sprung a rattle; and the latter must have slept in the watch-house, but that the indoor gentry would not come out to make good their charge. -This scene was repeated on Saturday se'nnight. The officers, backed by the lord-mayor's warrant, were again refused admittance. They were told that Mr. Ludlam was safe in the custody of two of Dr. Munroe's people. The house, which was well fortified, underwent - warm siege. The assailants, partly by stratagem, and partly by force, obtained an entrée. They found two strait waistcoats, an aired shirt, and boots, &c. but nɔ Mr. Ludlam. It was evident that hehad escaped from the roof, and a gutter-chace followed of more than an hour. Mr. L. was not found. Mrs. Ludlam ridiculed the officers, and put them at defiance to find Mr. L. Pearkes observed to her, that he was only a few mi nutes too late, on the night Mr. L. shot at Mr. Peacock,, in the Loudon Tavern, to secure him. Mrs. Ludlam replied, she knew what the consequence would have been, he "would have had his head blown off. As the officers were about to. leave the house, an officer from Marlborough-street office, entered the house, to take Mrs. Ludlam into custody, to answer a charge made against her at that office; she, in consequence, set off in her carriage to Marlborough-street. The charge against Mrs. Ludlam was for an assault, preferred against her by a dress-maker. The magistrates recommended the parties to adjust their differences; which advice was complied with. A petition on the behalf of Me. James Ludlam, from the committee of this unhappy gentleman, was last Thursday heard before the lord chancellor, praying that his lordship would order Mr. Vandercombe, the agent of Mr. Ludlam, to deliver him over to the legal custody of his said committee. Mr. Perceval, in support of the petition, stated the several acts of insanity committed by this gentleman; in consequence of which, and the certificate of Dr. Warbur ton, his lordship some time since was pleased to order, that he should be delivered over to the custody of his committee-But, instead of obeying his lordship's order, order, Mr. Vandercombe and the other persons who were about his person, had secreted him, and prevented that order from being enforced. He adverted to the circumstances which took place at Mr. Ludlam's house in Tenterdenstreet; and represcuted to his lordship how very dangerous it was to the public, that a person labouring under so violent a distemper, should be at large; and upon these grounds he trusted his lordship would make the order now sought. Mr. Cooke on the same side ani. madverted with much severity on the conduct of Mr. Vandercombe; whom he considered as doubly culpable, not only in disobeying his lordship's order, but in acting as the agent and friend of Mr. Ludlam, and endeavouring to screen him from public justice; when it was his duty, as one of the under-sheriffs of the city of London, through whose hands the warrant of the lord-mayor, for the apprehension of Mr. Ludlam upon a charge of felony, passed, if Mr. Ludlam was in his senses, to have delivered him over to public justice; but, if he was in a state of insanity, he should have obeyed his lordship's order, and delivered him over to his committee. The solicitor-general, on behalf of Mr. Vandercombe, and the other persons in whose power Mr. Ludlam was supposed to have been, entered into a full vindication of Mr. Vandercombe's conduct. He stated, that his lordship's original order was issued at a time when Mr. Ludlam had absconded, after the transactions at the London Tavern, when nobody belonging to him could tell what had become of him. When Mr. Ludlam next appeared, he was perfectly restored to his senses, and had ever since continued a rational man, never having committed the slightest extravagance; but so far Mr. Vandercombe had complied with his lordship's order, that when he discovered Mr. Ludlam, he had him removed to his own house, and Dr. Young at first attended him, but afterwards declined continuing so to do; upon which one of Dr. Willis's men was engaged to attend him, and afterwards two of Dr. Munro's men, and one of Dr. Warburton's, who were provided with two strait waistcoats, lest he should again relapse into a state of insanity. Dreading the idea of being confined in a mad-house, as had happened to this unfortunate gentleman about five years ago, and apprehensive that the Bow-street officers, with their warrant, was only a pretext to get possession of his person, in order to throw him into a receptacle for lunatics, while the officers were breaking in, Mr. Ludlam, attended by one of the men, in whose care he then was, made his escape through the roof, along the tops of the houses, and leaped down a considerable depth, at the hazard of his life, and where the man was not able to follow him, and made his escape. From the several affidavits it appeared, that Mr. Ludlam had not been heard of since, and to this effect Mr. Vandercombe had positively sworn. Under all these circumstances, therefore, he trusted his lordship would be of opinion that Mr. Vandercombe, at least, was not to blame in this transaction; but had, as far as he was con cerned, acted to the best of his judgment. The lord chancellor thought that, the double purple stock, the purfor the security of this gentleman's ple campanula, the rue-leaved co. person and property, and for the ronilla, and the ever-blowing rose, sately of the public, it was but right all in high beauty. -Two mush. that he should be taken care of. rooms were gathered in a field near At the same time that he made the Stoney Knolls, on Wednesday last. order for Mr. Ludlam to be deliver. It is worthy of remark, that ed over to the legal custody of his the heat of the weather was excommittea, he desired it should be acıly the same the 24th of June last understood, that he was to be kept as the 24th of December; on both jn bis own house and by no means to those days the thermometer being be sent to a receptacle for lunatics. nearly 60. The following recorded instances 19. About twelve o'clock at night of the mildness of the season, are the duke of Cumberland's apart. not a liitle extraordinary : ments in St James's palace, were disThere is now in the garden of covered to be on tire. The discovery Mr. Diack, nurseryman at Aber- was made by a servant of Mr. Gor. deen, a great number of beautiful don, who resides in the apartments caruations in full blow. adjoining to his royal highness's, On the evening of Christmas day by the body of Smoke and smell a hedge-sparrow's nest was taken of fire that had got into the rooms. at Doveridge, Derbyshire, with He gave the alarm; and it was four eggs in it. - On the same morn- found to proceed from the very ing, a green li net's nest was taken large fires in the stoves, used to out of a bush near Warwick, with cook the 'dinner. Notice was im. two eggs in it. - In an exposed part mediately given to the labourer in of the shrubbery of sir Gabriel trust of the palace, who, with a Powell, of Heathfield, near Swansea, number of men, always sits up all there is a rose in full bloom.-On night on the celebration of the Saturday afternoon, was observed birth-days. He brought the pa. at Higham, Derbyshire, a garden lace-engine in a few minutes, and bean in full blow, and a hive-bee after ripping up some boards in labouring to cull. honey from it, Mr. Gordon's apartments, and get. as in the mooth of June. A genting the engine to play, he got it tleman of Wellesbourne had a dish of under in a short time without doing green peas brought to his table on much damage. Christmas day, which had been ga. "DREADFUL EXPLOSION OF A VESSEL thered the same morning in an open IN HOLLAND. Geldin that parish. Straw berries were Schiedam, Jan. 20. It is our aiso gathered on the same day; melancholy task to advert to a dis. and just as a matter of curiosity, a mal catastrophe which occurred at nosegay was made up of roses, Leyden, on Monday the 12th inst. woui bines, and violets. On the and to confess that no pen, can comr on borders, in the garden of exaggerate the horrors of that 1 Nicholas Grimshaw, of Winckly- mournful scene. We are credibly place, Preston, esq. are the fol. informed, by eye-witnesses, that lowing flowers : Carnations of se. scarcely a single house or building veral kinds, the double yellow and has escaped without damage ; and double purple primrose, pansies, that on the Rapenburg, where the deplorable an deplorable event occurred, the goodness which characterizes him, houses. to a large extent, are level. repaired for the second time to led with the ground. At the aw. Leyden on Friday last; visited ful moment many families were sit.' the wounded and maimed, ascendting at dinner with their friends, and ed the ruins, mixed with the lawere thus precipitated into eternity: bourers there, and encouraged fathers, mothers, children, servants, them to persevere in their unweaall were rapidly hurried to one pro- ried diligence. On receiving the miscuous grave. Ilusbands have thanks of the magistrates and clerlost their consorts and their off. gy, he returned them the most spring, and the latter their husbands friendly answer, asked after indie and their sires. Of the number of vidual losscs, and left them with the dead, various conjectures have these words:-66 The dead I can. been formed; many respectable not restore to you; that is above persons have been dug out, and human power; but all that I can others are known to lie still in the I will do for your city.” flis ruins. Among the dead are several majesty made an offer of the Pa. of the most respectable families in lace in the Wood to such respecthe city, and many strangers then table persons as had been depri. on ' visits. Property to a Jarge ved of their habitations, or which amount has been lost, great part were rendered uninhabitable of it irrecoverably; and many of offer which has likewise been acthe necessaries of life have been cepted with gratitude. spoiled by the showers of broken His majesty has empowered the glass which filled the shops and magistrates of this unfortunate ciapartments. ty to make a general collection It seems, that a vessel laden with throughout the whole kingdom ; 10,000 lbs. weight of gunpowder, and ordered that 100,000 guilders from Amsterdam, destined for Delft, out of the treasury, be left to and then lying in the Rapenburg the disposition of the minister of canal, by some means took fire, and the home-department, for relie. instantaneously blew up. Of the ving the most pressing necessities vessel, on board of which were of the poor, and those who have the owner's two sons and a servant, lost their all. not an atom is visible. Several persons have been taken Close to the vessel which blew up out alive from under the ruins ; lay a yatcht, on board of which but some expired almost immedi. were from 15 to 20 persons, not a ately afterwards. Great numbers Testige of whom was to be found. stili lie buried, the rubbish still Two professors of the university forming such rast heaps, that a are stated to have been killed, and considerable time will be required several other persons in that cele- to clear them. brated seminary. Fortunately, it After the explosion, which was being vacation, great numbers of awful in the extreme, several the students were absent; and fires broke out by the scattering those who were present are said to. of the lighted turf and coal in the bave escaped. hearths; and this calamity unfor. The king, with that peculiar tunately drew off, for a while, tbe |