what she knows of the conspiracy. By Nero's order, a poisonous draught is presented to her, and she is commanded to confess or drink. She at length, as had been arranged with Flavius, consents to give, through him, the fatal scroll to the emperor. Flavius advances, intending, as he presents the paper, to slay Nero, but is treacherously betrayed by Rufus, and is seized by the guards. Rufus, at the moment of his treachery, falls by the hand of Asper, and Epicharis, seeing her lover about to be led to execution, swallows the poisonous potion, and dies. The deficiency of incident and action caused some of the scenes to pass off heavily. The tragedy was however announced for repetition with the applause of the audience. 16. Loss OF THE DOLPHIN.— The Dolphin, which was a very old store-ship, had been laid down as a convict hulk for above twelve years, and had become somewhat crazy and wall-sided. There had been erections made on the deck, and she was top-heavy. At ebbtide, she was supported by piles, being moored within one hundred and fifty paces of the dock, which was left dry when the tide was out. From the hulk to the shore was affixed a platform, on which two persons could walk abreast. The overseer of the Dolphin, Captain Lloyd, retired to bed with his wife in his cabin, on Thursday night before eleven o'clock, and left the quarter-master in care of the vessel. In consequence of the high tides in the Medway within the last few weeks, a great quantity of mud had settled under the bottom of the ship; and the accident, which ensued, was owing to this circumstance that the bottom of the vessel adhered to the mud by suction, till the water had risen six feet higher on the side of the vessel, than it would have done had the vessel risen with the tide; so that the hold became filled with water, which forced its way through the scuppers. Before any alarm was given, the lower deck was covered with two feet of water, and at that moment two hundred human beings, buried in profound sleep, were locked in, totally unconscious of their perilous situation. There were nearly two hundred more convicts on the second deck, and, in all, the vessel contained nearly five hundred persons. It was precisely one o'clock on Friday morning, when the Dolphin fell upon her beam ends. The cries, groans, and yells of the convicts were terrific; and the inhabitants of the village of Upnor, which is about half-a-mile distant from the part of the river where the Dolphin was lying, were alarmed by the dreadful sounds which had broken their slumbers. In a few minutes the alarm was given that the vessel was sinking; a gun was fired as a signal of distress, the bells of the dock-yard and garrison were rung, and blue lights were hung out at the mast of every vessel on the river. The troops in the garrison, in all about two hundred-were mustered in about twenty minutes on the beach in the dock-yard; and during that period captain Lloyd, the quarter-master, and the boatswain, were actively engaged in using all their efforts to save the lives of the convicts. About one hundred and fifty of the convicts had by that time escaped from the lower deck; many having been pulled through the port-holes (the stanchions of which had been beaten in), and others having es caped up the gang-way. Holes were cut in the top of the decks, and also in the side of the vessel; and through one aperture thirtyfive men were taken out, almost dead. They had kept their heads above water for nearly an hour by holding to the tops of their hammocks. Before two o'clock three hundred and eighty convicts, many of them perfectly naked, and none having more clothing than a shirt were taken from the vessel, and were marched along the beach by the military, to a place about a quarter of a mile distant from the ship, and contiguous to the hospital ship Canada. A convict named Edwards, was seriously wounded by one of the carpenters, who was cutting open a part of the vessel with an axe. As soon as the aperture was sufficiently large for a man to get through it, Edwards was determined to have the first chance of escaping, and struggled with some of his fellow convicts for precedency. He thrust his head through the aperture; at that instant the carpenter, not being aware of his intention, struck a blow with his axe, which cut open the man's skull. Three convicts were drowned. The following is Captain Lloyd's statement of the distressing occurrence: "I retired to bed, with my wife, in my cabin, on Thursday night, before eleven o'clock, and left the vessel in the care of the quarter-master. The tide was rising rapidly at that time, and the vessel appeared to ride well. Shortly before twelve o'clock, I was awoke, and struck with the peculiar position of the ship. I found that she had heeled and was inclining so far towards her beam-ends that it was almost impossible to walk on the floor of the cabin, and the furniture had slided from the larboard to the starboard side of the ship. I leaped out of bed, and requested my wife to follow me to the maindeck. I was in my shirt, and when I got upon deck, I found the vessel had dropped her head on the starboard side. I ran down below, and the boatswain, at my desire, descended into the hold, and having fathomed it, he found six feet of water there. The boatswain slipped off a plank into the water, and with some difficulty was taken out; I got the pumps to work, and continued them for some time, but the water increased in the hold, and rushed in at the scuppers; I went to the quarter-master on the maindeck, and asked him whether the vessel was not hanging by the forepiles; I ran to the lower deck, and found it was up to my knees in water. There were two-hundred convicts on that deck, and they were all quiet, not being aware of the water having rushed in. I kept the pumps at work, and about one o'clock (an hour had elapsed since the first alarm) the vessel gave a sudden lurch, and was thrown upon her starboard broadside. Finding the danger imminent, I broke open the fastenings of all the decks where the convicts were locked in, and called to those on the lower deck to escape as quick as possible." 26. MURDER NEAR HADDINGTON.-In the village of Abbey, about a mile from Haddington, resided a poor widow, named Franks, and her daughter, a girl about fourteen years of age. Their house was about one-hundred or one-hundred and fifty yards distant from the village, and was inclosed within a wall four or five feet high. The last time the inmates of this dwelling were seen alive was on Monday morning. Early on Wed nesday morning, a miller, belonging to the village, was surprised by the piteous squeaking of a pig on the widow's premises. Conjecturing that the woman might be from home, and that the animal might be in want of food, he was induced to investigate the cause of its outcry. Finding no access by the gate, he scaled the wall; when the first object that presented itself, was the body of the widow lying in the pig-stye, with her throat cut, and otherwise dreadfully mangled. The miller immediately alarmed the villagers, several of whom hurried to the scene. On entering the house, they discovered the girl also a corpse, with her head severely bruised, as if by blows from some heavy instrument. It was found on examination that the widow's marriage-ring, which she constanly wore, had disappeared, and that her car-rings had been torn out of her ears. It appeared on investigation, that the elder female had been murdered on the walk in her garden-for traces of blood were discovered on it, over which gravel had been strown. Her head was almost severed from her body, and was besides greatly contused. The husband of Mrs. Franks's sister was committed to prison on the charge of being the murderer, 27. About nine o'clock in the morning, the Albion coach took up, as passengers, twelve convicts from Chester, who had been sentenced to transportation for life, for various offences, and who were to be forwarded to Portsmouth, for which purpose a Portsmouth coach was to meet them at the Bull and Mouth, London. The coach had no other passengers, except the two keepers who had charge of the convicts. About nine in the evening, the coach reached Birmingham, when a new coachman and guard relieved the former ones, and the coach proceeded to Elmedon, where the convicts partook of some refreshments. After having gone on four miles to Meriden, the guard's attention was arrested by hearing one of the convicts filing the chain attached to his handcuffs. Without apparently noticing the noise, he contrived to apprise the keeper of the circumstance; and he then took the guard's situation behind, the guard afterwards riding with the coachman. After this alteration every thing became quiet, and there were no appearances of an attempt at escape. The coach now approached Coventry, through which it passed; and after it had proceeded nine miles, to a sequestered part of the road, where trees extend on either side upwards of six miles, and not a house is near, in an instant four of the convicts seized hold of the coachman and guard, stopped the horses, and succeeded in fastening both of them with cords and straps; while this was going on, they stated that they did not intend to injure them, or rob the coach, but were determined, at every hazard, to regain their liberty. While this scene was going on in the front of the coach, five other convicts seized the keeper behind, secured him, and, rifling his pockets, obtained the keys of the handcuffs. The confusion outside was the signal to the remaining convicts within: instantly the keeper was laid hold of and confined, and, having got possession of his handcuff keys also, they lost no time in manacling him. The convicts then descended and began endeavouring to extricate themselves from their fetters-a work which occupied them some time, and in which, notwithstanding their vio lence and ingenuity, they made very little progress; while thus engaged, they were suddenly alarmed by the noise of a coach approaching; they immediately rushed to the fields, and, as the night was exceedingly dark, they succeeded in making their escape, before the Alliance Liverpool coach came up, by which time the guard and coachman had extricated themselves, and were assisting in unbinding the keepers. Before the convicts were alarmed by the Liverpool coach, they had detached the horses from the coach; probably, if necessary, to make use of them in aiding their flight. Most of them were soon retaken. Lent on Mortgage Cash in hand, and sums receivable 31st December next 4,128,300 0 0 396,000 0 0 1,822,859 13 1 172,410 13 8 £10,410,540 69 There are 8,867 policies existing, upon which there will be due at the deaths of the respective parties for the sums originally assured, and for additions of profit already made thereto, but exclusive of the 3 per cent scale, to be added on the 31st December next, the sum of 14,849,972. 17s. Against these claims the society, besides the assets above stated, is in the receipt of 410,665l. 16s. 6d. per annum for premiums. The value in present money of the premiums, computed according to the expectancy of life, deducted from the value in present money of the sums to be paid at the deaths of the persons assured leaves a balance against the company, of 4,847,9687. 78.; which, it will be seen, is less than half of the amount of assets in hand. The profits of this society have been, and will continue to be, exclusively divided amongst the policies, dated prior to the 1st of January, 1817, until the number of those policies shall be reduced to 5,000, after which the subsequent policies will be admitted into the favoured class, according to seniority of dates, as the old ones expire, but the number of sharing policies is never to exceed 5,000. The following is an account of the policies dated prior to the 1st. Jan. 1817, which were in existence on the 31st December last, classed according to the then ages of the persons assured: 11 112 702 Amount including Additions. £22,478 0 0 90 to 92 £8,000 80 to 89 96,165 177,574 13 0 70 to 79 800,174 1,222,772 9 0 60 to 69 1,484 2,075,430 2,805,050 16 6 50 to 59 1,963 2,963,034 3,753,806 4 6 40 to 49 1,103 1,762,461 2,096,646 17 0 3t o 39 197 280,910 328,623 15 0 20 to 29 37 32,750 39,325 0 0 5,609 8,018,963/10,506,277 5 0 In the year 1810 a distribution of profits took place at the rate of 2 per cent for the number of years the policy had existed, and 2 per cent at the end of each succeeding year up to 1820, when 2 per cent was given upon the past years of the policy, and the like sum annually until 1830. Now it is proposed to add 3 per cent from the date of the policy, and give 3 per cent more at the end of each succeeding year. RENTS. The Marquis of Stafford, who, in 1820, began to regulate 1821 to 18 per ct. 1822 to 36 ditto 1823 to 40 ditto 1824 to 32 | 1825 to 27 per et. 1826 to 18 ditto 1827 to 294 ditto ditto | 1828 to 31 ditto 7. INTERMENT ALIVE.DEATH BY SUFFOCATION.—An officer on half-pay, who resided at Pont à Mousson, fell into a profound lethargy, and was buried at the expiration of only 36 hours, in violation of the regulations which direct that 48 hours should elapse before interment. When the usual prayers were finished, the body was taken to the cemetery; but the mourners had hardly retired, and the grave was but half filled up, when stifled sounds were heard to proceed from the coffin, and the grave-diggers were dreadfully alarmed. One of them, instead of giving immediate assistance, ran to the Commissary of Police, and the wretched victim was left for three quarters of an hour. When the coffin was at length opened, the unfortunate officer was found with one hand at the back of his head, and the blood issuing from his mouth. The medical man who attended endeavoured to bleed him, but only a few drops of blood issued. He then burnt one of his fingers, but this operation did not produce any signs of life, which had evidently been extinguished in the most horrible manner. 9. While the ten bells in the tower of St. Sepulchre's church, Snow-hill, were ringing a merry peal, as the Lord Mayor's procession was passing, the tenor, or great bell, weighing 3,300lb. fell out of its hangings with a most tremendous crash into the pit beneath, to the great alarm of the ringers, who were three floors under. The accident was caused by the gudgeons, by which the bell was suspended, giving way, owing to their having been worn by constant friction for nearly two centuries. The crown and upper part of the bell were completely severed from the remaining part, as if cut with a knife. 10. FATAL TRICK OF A CONJUROR.-At Arnstadt, Linsky, a celebrated legerdemain performer, gave, in the presence of the family of prince Schwartzburgh Sondershauser, a grand exhibition, in which he wished to distinguish himself by an extraordinary display of his art. Six soldiers from the garrison were introduced to fire with ball cartridges at Madame Linsky, the young wife of the conjuror. They were, however, directed, in biting the cartridge, to bite off the ball and keep it in their mouth; and they had been instructed, in a rehearsal, how to practise the feat. Madame Linsky, who had recently lost a child, and was pregnant, was for a long time unwilling to perform the part allotted to her in the trick; but, by the persuasion of her husband, she was induced to consent. The soldiers, who were drawn up before the company, took aim at Madame Linsky and fired. For a moment after the firing, she remained stand |