the officer to his victim, the payment of 1000 francesconi (about 2407.) by the Tuscan Government to Mr. Mather as compensation for the injury, and the surrender of two young Englishmen named Stratford, who had been found guilty of a political crime in Tuscany, and sentenced to death.

1852.

JANUARY.

PRESERVED MEATS FOR THE NAVY. A discovery of great importance has been made in examining the naval stores. Some years ago, a method of preserving meats for any number of years, in closed tin canisters, was announced; and our Government entered into an extensive contract with a Mr. Goldner for a supply for the use of the navy, and a large quantity was received into store. Doubts having arisen as to the preservation of the meat thus supplied, a board of examination was ordered. The results of their investigation created great indignation and disgust. Upon the canisters (containing 10 lbs. each) being opened, the contents were found not only to be putrid, but composed of the most horrible and loathsome materials pieces of heart, roots of tongues, palates, coagulated blood, ligaments of throats, intestines, filth and indescribable garbage-all in a state of putrescence and corruption. Of 643 canisters opened on the first day, 573 were found unfit for human food, their contents being masses of putrefaction. Of 779, 734 were condemned; of 791, 744 condemned; of 494, 459 condemned-out of 2707 opened on

the first four days, only 197 were fit for use. The Board were then so overcome by the horrible appearance of the masses of corrup tion and the fearful stench, that they were compelled to adjourn their horrid task. The putrid masses were taken out to sea and submerged. Of about 10,000 canisters in store, the quantity found endurable was scarce 10 per cent. At the Victualling Yard, Deptford, a similar examination took place, when, of some thousand canisters, only 8 per cent. were found eatable.

The

Sir John Franklin's squadron was supplied with preserved meat, but by another contractor. horrible situation of that unhappy expedition may be imagined, should their stores have been found in this state in the hour of need.

2. EXTENSIVE FIRES IN LONDON.-Several extensive fires have occurred almost simultaneously, by which great loss has been sustained.

On the 2nd instant, a fire was discovered on the premises of Mr. Sparks, a builder, in Glasshouse Street, near the St. Katherine Docks. From the imflammable nature of the stock the fire burnt furiously, and spread to the premises of Mr. Trittner, scum-boiler, and to some adjoining houses. The exertions of the firemen saved the latter from total destruction, but the tenements of Mr. Sparks and Mr. Trittner were burnt down, with all their contents.

On the 4th instant, an extensive conflagration occurred in Gravel Lane, Southwark, in the timberyards of Mr. Tipper. Immense piles of valuable timber were burning at the same time, and, from the nature of the stacks, the flames spread unchecked by the volumes

of water thrown upon them. Immense flakes of burning timber were thrown high into the air, and fell upon the neighbouring houses, and upon the persons who had assembled in great crowds to view the scene. The flames spread to an adjoining timber-yard, and destroyed much of the stock; and thence caught a large pile of timber in the yard of a firewood cutter, which was entirely consumed. The fire continued to spread through the piles of timber, and was not subdued until the following evening. Many private houses adjoining were much damaged.

en

While the engines were gaged in Gravel Lane, intelligence arrived that a fire had broken out in the Westminster Bridge Road. Four private houses were burnt or much injured.

3. FATAL GAS-LAMP EXPLOSION. -A young man named Edwards, articled clerk to a solicitor, met his death under the somewhat singular circumstances detailed in the evidence before a coroner's jury.

Mr. F. Gostling Foster, residing at Highgate College, where the accident happened, said he was a law student, and had known the deceased for three days previously. The occurrence took place in his sitting-room, and they two were the only persons present. Mr. Edwards was sitting a little way from the table, near the fire, and remarked that the lamp was going out. He said that he would trim it, and having taken the burner and fittings off, he poured in from a can about a cupful of mineral spirit. He was replacing the fittings, and had given the screw about one turn, when the explosion took place. It broke five

panes of glass, burst open the shutters, and filled the room with flame. He retreated to the door, calling on the deceased to follow. On looking round he found he was not behind him, and went back, when he saw him behind the door all on fire. Witness took hold of his arm, got him to the front door onto the grass, and desired him to throw himself down. He did so, and witness rolled over him. The lamp belonged to witness, and he bought it at Mr. Holliday's, 128, Holborn Hill. He had had it about six weeks previously, and had used it for that time. He always trimmed it himself. The mineral spirit was also purchased by him at Mr. Holliday's. He had received a paper which contained the following caution, "Never permit a light or fire to be near the spirit when replenishing the lamp." He had received the paper as an advertisement, not as a caution, and had not read it. Mr. Holliday's foreman had told him not to light the lamp when the top was burning, and witness observed, jokingly, "I suppose it won't go off," to which the shopman replied, "No, no!" He promised to send witness instructions with the key, but had not done so. The lamp had been burning that evening from about a quarter past 4 till about 8 o'clock.

Mr. Holliday, a manufacturing chymist and lampmaker, said that the lamp in question and the spirit were sold at his shop, 128, High Holborn. Since the accident happened, he had tried many experiments, and did not admit that the spirit was explosive. The can being empty was full of vapour, and if held to a light would explode. The appearance of it seemed to indicate that it had. He called

Dr. Scoffern said he had examined the general properties of these lamps, at the request of the family of the deceased. The lamp was intended to burn certain compounds of gas called hydro-carbon, which were not of themselves explosive unless mixed with a certain proportion of atmospheric air, when it would become what was popularly know as fire-damp. The chances of such an explosion increased as the spirit diminished.

The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental Death."

4. DESTRUCTION OF THE "AMAZON" BY FIRE.-FEARFUL CATASTROPHES.-The history of navigation has presented many scenes of horror and suffering, which it seemed impossible to exceed; nevertheless, the destruction by fire, on the morning of the 4th of January, within two days' sail of port, of the West India Mail steamer the Amazon, accompanied by the horrible deaths of the greater part of her passengers and crew, greatly surpasses in frightful interest all that has hitherto been recorded.

The present year has been marked by a succession of calamities, by which large numbers of lives have been lost, an immense amount of property destroyed, and the general feelings greatly excited. As any adequate narrative of these frightful events would greatly exceed the limits assigned to this part of the ANNUAL REGISTER, which is assigned to the Chronicle of Occurrences, it has been judged more satisfactory to detail. at greater length the destruction of the Amazon; of the troop ship Birkenhead, at the Cape; the Holmfirth catastrophe; and the

Gardiner, at Picton Island, in the APPENDIX TO THE CHRONICLE.

GAROTTE ROBBERIES.-The horrible system of robbery by means of strangulation continues to prevail. At Nottingham, Mr. King, a lace-manufacturer, was walking with a young lady along Trent Lane, a rather lonely pathway a mile from the town. A man of suspicious appearance passed them, and gave a whistle: three men armed with bludgeons immediately sprang from the hedges, and, with the aid of the first man, assailed the lady and gentleman. former was beaten till she became insensible; the offers of Mr. King to give up all he had about him, if the robbers would refrain from violence, being unheeded. Finding but a small sum of money on Mr. King, they struck him a violent blow on the head, which laid open his skull. The villains then decamped.

The

When the sufferers were discovered they were in a pitiable state.

About the same time, two robberies took place in Edinburgh, by tightening a noose round the body and arms, and then rifling the pockets. Both assaults were committed about midnight, the one on the footpath through Bruntsfield Links, and the other on the public road near Merchiston Castle. In the one case a watch was stolen, and in the other some money.

THE SULOO PIRATES.-Intelligence has been received by the Indian Mail of an attack upon the trading schooner Dolphin, by a band of Sooloo pirates. The schooner, in the course of a trading voyage, had anchored in the Bay of Maladu, 600 miles north of the Sarebas River, when she was

suddenly boarded by the pirates, and the captain Mr. Robertson, Mr. Burns the supercargo, grandson of the poet, and a part of the crew, massacred. The vessel was recaptured by a friendly Borneo chief.

A squadron, consisting of H.M. ship Cleopatra, and the East India Company's steam frigates Semiramis and Pluto, was dispatched to punish the marauders. The head-quarters of the Suloo, Lanun and Illanun, piratical prahus, which scour the Indian Archipelago, have frequently been pointed out; but it was not until this outrage that the English authorities adopted steps to punish the pirates in their strongholds, and on the present occasion they were completely unsuccessful. With much difficulty the Cleopatra, having Sir James Brooke, the Rajah of Sarawak, on board, was taken through the Malawalli passage, and at length reached Tungku, the principal quarters of the Suloo pirates. Having anchored below the river, an expedition was formed of sixteen boats in two divisions, the light boats being under the direction of Captain Burbank of the Pluto, and the heavy boats under Captain Stephens of the Semiramis. Captain Massie, accompanied by the acting Commissioner, Mr. St. John, proceeded in the Cleopatra's gig. White flags were hoisted in most of the boats, and after two hours' pulling they reached the chief's house, and on the top of the room they placed a white flag in token of a peaceful visit, and to induce the inhabitants to approach; not one, however, appeared, they having fled before the boats reached the place. Whilst they were meditating on the

step next to be taken, they were suddenly saluted with a shower of balls, or rather shots, issuing from the jungle, which killed one of our men and wounded two others. Hostilities having been thus commenced, Captain Massie immediately directed preparation to be made for acting on the offensive. A smart fire was returned from the marines, firing in the direction whence the smoke was observed, but without any effect. The boats then returned to the shipping. On the 17th the flotilla proceeded to the place, with the view of inflicting a severe punishment for firing upon the flag of truce. The small-arms men were placed on one side of the river, and the marines on the other. The stockades were reached, but the guns had been removed. Scouring parties went in all directions, but not a man was visible. Some of the pirates, however, advanced stealthily through the jungle to the stockades, and fired; and a party of them fired on the boats, wounding three men, one mortally. Yet not a soul was observable. Whenever smoke was seen to issue from the jungle, the place was immediately invested, but the daring Lanuns managed to escape. Finding this mode of warfare very discouraging, orders were given to destroy all the buildings,-made of bamboo and cadjan, and soon replaced,-together with large granaries of rice, which being accomplished, the flotilla returned, with the loss of several men killed and wounded, without the satisfaction of knowing they had even wounded a single Lanun. From the absence of their prahus it is believed the pirates were absent on a piratical expedition; but it is equally

probable that their prahus and themselves were concealed up some of the numerous and to us unknown rivers abounding in that quarter.

15. ACCIDENT AT MATLOCK.— Mr. Cumming, a surgeon of Buxton, was drowned with his son, a boy of twelve, in the river Derwent, at Matlock, under very distressing circumstances. Mr. Cumming was on a visit to the place; in the afternoon he hired a boat to indulge his son with a row. The stream was much swollen by floods. Mr. Cumming approached too near a weir, and the current carried the boat over; but it descended safely, and grounded below. The people of the vicinity were alarmed, and hastened with ropes to render aïd. Unfortunately, Mr. Cumming got out of the boat, and, with his son in his arms, attempted to wade to land, but the current was too powerful; oftener than once, after having lost his footing, he managed to regain it, but eventually he was overpowered; and father and son. perished in the sight of those who were unable, from the great width of the stream, to rescue them. The bodies were found, fourteen days afterwards, a little below the spot where the accident occurred. The unfortunate father and son were still locked in each other's

arms. A very large sum was subscribed for the relief of Mr. Cumming's widow and family.

21. STATE OF IRELAND.-AsSASSINATION OF MR. CHAMBRE.The Irish newspapers continue to give appalling accounts of the state of that unhappy country.

In Leitrim, three men armed entered the dwelling-house of a poor man named John Curran, residing at Corduff; and having placed him on his knees, one of

them discharged the contents of a loaded gun through his heart, leaving him a lifeless corpse on his own floor! They quietly departed; and although there were two of the deceased man's daughters present at the time, one of whom was a married woman, neither of them as much as raised the cry of murder, or endeavoured by any means to obstruct the escape of the assassins. This murder was perpetrated for the purpose of preventing the old man from marrying a neighbouring widow! The jury, in returning a verdict of “Wilful murder," dared not name particular persons as the murderers.

In Armagh, a bailiff of Lord Charlemont was nearly beaten to death, within hearing of several respectable farmers, not one of whom came to his assistance.

On the 21st, a deliberate attempt was made to assassinate Mr. Meredyth Chambre, a gentleman and magistrate of large property in Armagh, which had very nearly succeeded. Mr. Chambre was universally beloved by his tenantry, but he had infringed some of the secret laws of the Riband Association. He was, therefore, doomed to death; and having received some intimation of his fate, always carried arms, and never went out alone.

On last Tuesday Mr. Chambre attended the Forkhill Petty Sessions. sions. Returning about dusk to his residence at Hawthorn Hill, between Forkill and Newry, on his car, and accompanied by his brother, Mr. Hunt Chambre, and his butler, David Cole, two shots were fired at him. This diabolical attempt at assassination took place in the townland of Diimatee, in the Meigh district of Killeavy parish, in the middle, longitudinally, of the road, in which is a sharp