The most extraordinary exertions were made to save the life of this criminal, and the most exaggerated statements were put forth, tending to charge Sir F. Hopkins with having deliberately sworn away his life. The authorities, however, were inexorable, and the convict was executed; on the scaffold the convict declared, raising the crucifix, and in a calm, loud, and steady tone, "I declare before my God that I had neither act, hand, part or knowledge in the crime for which I am going to die here." His funeral was attended by many thousands (some of the Irish newspapers say 50 or 60,000) of the populace, who considered him a victim to the oppression of the Saxon law, and he was even spoken of as "the martyred Seery." It is, however, proper to add that, apart from the excitement in his own neighbourhood, few rational persons doubted that the convict met his just doom.

24. RIO DE LA PLATA.-H. M.'s steam frigate Cyclops brings intelligence of a decisive action in which the combined English and French fleets were engaged with the batteries of Rosas.

On the evening of the 18th November, the position occupied by Rosas's forces on the Parana was reconnoitred, and found to be exceedingly strong. Four batteries, mounted with twenty four cannon of heavy calibre, stood on the right bank of the river: the river itself was barred by a stockade formed with twenty-four vessels, bound together by three iron chains. Ten fire-ships were in readiness; and the brig Republicano, well armed, was placed in a position to enfilade the opposing vessels. About nine

the combined fleet advanced in three divisions. The first, under the command of Captain Sullivan, was composed of the Philomel, the Expeditive, the Fanny, and Procida: the second consisted of the St. Martin, the Comus, the Pandore, the Dolphin, and the Fulton (steamer); Captain Trehouart being the commander; the third division, under the orders of Captain Hotham, was composed of the Gorgon and Firebrand steamers. At half-past ten o'clock the action became general; the men in the batteries displaying much obstinacy, and some skill in the management of their guns. The Republicano was set on fire by a bomb-shell; while the fire-ships, although set adrift, proved harmless. The attack and defence were continued with much spirit for several hours; the enemy doing his utmost, and the English and French crews vying with each other in acts of daring. By a dashing exploit on the part of Captain Hope of the Firebrand, the chains which bound the stockade were broken; which enabled the Fulton to pass through and take up an advantageous position. Towards four o'clock the enemy's fire began to slacken; and the signal was made for the troops to land. This was effected by six o'clock. The first English detachment under the command of Captain Sullivan, sustained a heavy fire of musketry from a party lying in ambush: but effective assistance was rendered by another detachment, commanded by Lieutenant Hindle; and Captain Trehouart having joined the attacking party, the enemy were put to flight, and the batteries taken possession of. On the following day, the guns were destroyed, with the exception

of ten bronze cannon, which were shipped on board the squadron. In the English fleet, ten officers and men were killed and twenty-five wounded: among the former were, Lieutenants Brickdale of the Firebrand and Andrews of the Dolphin. Of the French, eighteen were killed and seventy wounded: M. Michaud, one of the officers of the St. Martin, being among the killed. Of the enemy, four hundred dead bodies were found in the batteries; but it is believed that many more were carried away. In the very heat of the engagement, Captain Hotham wrote to Captain Trehouart this note-"Si le titre de brave a jamais été merité, c'est par vous et vos équipages.'

a

30. FATAL FIRE-WORK EXPLOSION. A fatal accident occurred at the house No. 14, King Street, Lambeth Walk, by which two young men were instantly deprived of life, and four other persons severely injured. It appears that William Kenyon, aged 19 years, had been in the employment of Mr. Darby, the firework-maker in Regent Street, Lambeth, and that his master not having sufficient space on his premises to perform his work, had allowed him to take about two hundred-weight of com position home with him to manufacture into "stars." While occupied in drying some composition in a cellar, it took fire. Kenyon and a young man named Holmes were killed instantly; two other youths, a young woman and a child were fearfully injured, all the unfortunate sufferers being burnt in a horrible manner. These latter had gone into the cellar for the purpose of seeing Kenyon at his work. There was nearly two undred-weight of composition, conting of sulphur, saltpetre, and

antimony, in the apartment, the whole of which exploded.

FLUCTUATIONS OF THE FUNDS.

During the course of a century the English funds have undergone a strange variety of fluctuation. From 1730 till the rebellion of 1745, the Three per Cents. were never under 89, and were once in 1737, as high as 107. During the rebellion they sank to 76; but in 1749 rose again to 100. In the interval between the peace of Paris in 1763 and the breaking out of the American war, they averaged from 80 to 90, but towards the close of the war they sunk to 54. In 1792 they were at one time as high as 96, but within five years from that time, namely, in 1797, Consols fell to the unprecedentedly low price of 448. This great change was the consequence of the success of the French, with whom we were at war; the mutiny at the Nore; and the general distress and bankruptcy which then prevailed. The highest price of Consols in 1797 was only 56. On the conclusion of the peace signed at Amiens, in 1802, they advanced to 79; but, hostilities immediately commencing, they sunk again to 50 in 1803. In 1806 they reached 66, in 1808 they were at 70, and in 1810 at 72. The fate of the American war in 1812 brought them down again to 55; and although they rose to 73 on the abdication of Bonaparte in 1814, they were again at 55 on his escaping from Elba in 1815. The battle of Waterloo, however, caused an immediate reaction, and in the year 1817 they rose to 84. At the period of the Queen's trial, in 1820, Consols sank to 65, but in 1824 had again ascended to 97. The panic of 1825 brought them down to 74, but, with the exception of another sudden fall,

in consequence of public distress in 1831, which, however, was of very slight duration, the funds have continued steadily to advance, and during the year 1845 reached 100g, fluctuating during the twelve months from 94% to 100%.

FEBRUARY.

3. THEATRICAL ENGAGEMENTS. -In the Court of Exchequer, Miss Grant, a singer, sued Mr. Maddox, the proprietor and manager of the Princess's Theatre in Oxford Street, for 941. as balance of salary. The case turned upon the meaning to be attached to the terms of an agreement. A written contract had been drawn up, stipulating that the engagement was to continue for three " years, and that the salary was to be 51. per week for the first year," 61. for the second, and 77. for the third. The salary was regularly paid while the theatre was open; but when it closed for the season, Mr. Maddox, refused to pay anything during the recess; alleging that an engagement for three " years meant simply an engagement for three seasons. Miss Grant was willing to accept this construction, provided Mr. Maddox would pay the increased salary of 61. per week for the second season, and 71. for the third season; but Mr. Maddox refused. The sum sued for consisted of the unpaid arrears. For the defence, evidence was adduced to show that the understanding in theatrical life is that an engagement for a year at a weekly salary only entitles a performer to be paid during such part of the year as the theatre is open. The Lord Chief

with some hesitation, returned a verdict for Mr. Maddox.

-THE ELECTRIC GIRL.-Among the numerous impostures by which this vaunted intellectual age has been duped, that of the Electric Girl has had an extraordinary though brief success. It was affirmed that a physician of the little town of La Perrière, in Normandy, had brought to Paris a young girl who was stated to present extraordinary electro-magnetic phenomena. Mademoiselle Cotti made all bodies that approached her, and with which she was put into communication by means of a conductor, or by the mere end of one of her garments, experience a movement of repulsion that displaced and sometimes even violently subverted them. At the same time, she herself experienced an instantaneous and irresistible attraction towards the objects that fly from her. The electricity manifested itself by what may be called fits and starts, fading at intervals. It seemed to partake of the nature of some nervous diseases, and to be attended by an appearance of much agitation; though the girl's health was generally good. M. Arago witnessed several of the phenomena, and has reported them to the Academy of Sciences at Paris; which thought it worth while to appoint a committee to investigate them.

The result may very readily be imagined: after having imposed upon many whose scientific acquirements should have protected them from such deception, as well as a vast crowd of the ignorant, a rigid investigation rendered the successful performance of the tricks impracticable, and loaded her dupes with ridicule.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne, at the locomotive-engine manufactory of Messrs. Hawthorn. About four o'clock, Mosscrop, a joiner, was admitted by the watchman of the establishment, to finish some work. The man was provided with a lantern, with which he went into the joiner's shop; soon afterwards, the shop was on fire; and though the alarm was immediately given, and engines and other assistance were quickly obtained, a large pile of buildings was utterly destroyed in an hour. The conflagration was augmented for a time by the burning of the gas, which was turned on; the pipes having melted, and the stop-cock being out of reach. An immense number of models, portions of locomotives, seven engines in an advanced state, three finished, and a corresponding number of tenders, were consumed or rendered worthless. The damage was then estimated at something between 16,000l. and 20,000l. Messrs. Hawthorn were partially insured.

After the fire had been got under a search was made for Mosscrop: he was found at his house. He was taken before the magistrates, apparently to be charged with wilfully causing the fire; but the evidence only pointed to him as the probable cause by some carelessness with his lantern, and he was liberated; the magistrates considering that the evidence was insufficient to prove a felonious in

tent.

5. THE OVERLAND MAIL.-The public were thrown into a state of great excitement and exultation by the receipt of intelligence from India, announcing in one breath two great victories. The following summary of the contents of the overland mail was given by the Times, which by great expense and

exertion expressed the news riá Trieste, many days in advance of the regular mail viá Marseilles.

"The advanced guard of the British army was attacked, on the evening of the 18th of December, by the Sikh troops. The enemy was repulsed, and driven back for upwards of three miles, with the loss of seventeen pieces of cannon. This affair occurred at Moodkee, a place about twenty-two miles to the north-east of Ferozepore. The next day the British troops advanced towards Ferozepore; and having opened a communication with Sir John Littler, who commanded at that post, and having been joined by the corps under that officer, attacked the enemy's intrenched position, at four o'clock in the afternoon of the 21st. The first line of intrenchments was carried; but the night was so dark that further operations were suspended. At daylight on the 22nd, the second line of intrenchments was attacked, and all the enemy's defences were, in a half an hour, taken in reverse, and the guns captured. On the afternoon of the 22nd the enemy advanced with their infantry, and hordes of camels carrying swivels, for the purpose of retaking the guns they had previously lost. All the attacks, however, which they made were repulsed; and after a cannonade which had no result, they withdrew, and retired to a place called Sultankhanwalla, about ten miles from Ferozepore, where they had still some heavy artillery. The British army would be joined by two battalions of Native infantry, which were not in the previous actions; and the enemy's position at Sultankhanwalla was to be attacked on the 24th. No accounts have been received of the specific loss

on either side, nor is the name of any officer mentioned. The captured guns amounted to sixtyfive counted, and there were some more in a village on the British right."

DREADFUL SHIPWRECK AND Loss OF LIFE.-Letters were this morning received at Lloyd's, announcing the loss of the emigrant ship Cataraqui, when nearly the whole of her passengers and crew, exceeding 400 persons, perished.

The Cataraqui, Captain C. W. Finlay, sailed from Liverpool on the 20th of April, with 369 emigrants and a crew of 46 souls. On the 3rd of August, at 7 o'clock in the evening, the ship was hove to, and continued lying to until 3 A.M. of the 4th. At half-past 4, it being quite dark and raining hard, blowing a fearful gale, and the sea running mountains high, the ship struck on a reef situate on the west coast of King's Island, at the entrance of Bass's Straits. Immediately after the ship struck she was sounded, and 4 feet of water was in the hold. The scene of confusion and misery that ensued at this awful period it is impossible to describe. All the passengers attempted to rush upon deck, and many succeeded in doing so, until the ladders were knocked down by the workings of the vessel, when the shrieks of men, women, and children from below calling on the watch on deck to assist them, were terrific. Up to the time the vessel began breaking up, it is supposed that between 200 and 300 were got on deck by the extraordinary exertions of the crew. At this time the sea was breaking over the ship on the larboard side, sweeping the decks, every sea taking away more or fewer of the passengers. The passengers below were now all

drowned, the ship being full of water, and the captain gave those on deck directions to cling to that part of the wreck then above water until daylight, hoping that the spars would be of some service in making a breakwater under the lee, and thus enable the survivors to get on shore in the morning. When day broke the stern of the vessel was washed in, and numerous dead bodies were floating around the ship, and some hanging upon the rocks. Several of the passengers and crew (about 200 altogether) were still holding on to the vessel, the sea breaking over, and every wave washing some of them away. About 4 o'clock in the afternoon the vessel parted amidships, at the fore part of the main-rigging, when immediately between 70 and 100 unfortunates were launched into the tumultuous and remorseless waves. The survivors ran ridge lines along the side of the wreck to enable them to hold on. The remains of the upper deck then began to break up and wash away. A buoy was now made and floated towards the shore, but it could not be got nearer than 20 yards from the shore, owing to its getting entangled with the sea weed on the rocks, and there was no one on shore to catch it and secure it on the sand. The fury of the waves continued unabated, and about 5 o'clock the wreck parted by the forerigging, and so many souls were submerged in the water that only 70 survivors were left crowded on the forecastle, who were then lashed to the wreck. The sea continued breaking over them, the wind raging, and the rain heavy all night, and thus the poor creatures continued. Numbers died and fell overboard, or sank and