OXFORD

LIBRARY

JANUARY.

filled, and ran a different way; in consequence of which, fourteen

12, 1815.

E had a dreadful fire here

W a few days ago, which con

sumed a large convent for women; and I am sorry to relate, seven unhappy victims felt the fury of the unrelenting flames. The scene for some hours was dreadful. It was first discovered about ten o'clock at night: all the nuns were in bed, and it was some time before they could be made acquainted with their danger. The few that escaped were obliged to leave the convent naked, as they never sleep in their clothes. Those that were burnt were seen at the windows, till the flames consumed them. There were no means of saving them, as the windows were strongly grated with iron, and only one door that they could get out of, which was entirely enveloped in flames. The fire was occasioned by a nun making sweetmeats: she had placed her fire on a table, in a small earthen stove, and left it unextinguished; the heat of the stove made the rosin in the wood to fry out: it is supposed a cinder had fallen, and the convent being built of the same kind of wood as the table, it was soon in a blaze. The next night we had a tremendous fall of rain; the water courses were VOL. LVIII.

houses.

There is now, or was very recently, living in Constantinople, a very extraordinary man, upwards of 100 years of age, generally known under the name of "Soliman, the eater of sublimate." This man, when young, was accustomed, as the Turks do, to swallow opium; but having taken by degrees a large quantity, without producing the desired effect, he adopted the use of sublimate, and, for upwards of thirty years, has taken a drachm, or sixty grains, a day. He would sometimes go to the shop of a Turkish Jew and call for a drachm of sublimate, which he mixed in a glass of water, and drank it up immediately. The first time the apothecary was very much alarmed, for fear he should be charged with poisoning the Turk; but he was struck with amazement when he saw the same man again on the next day, who called for another dose. Lord Elgin, Mr. Smith, and several gentlemen now in England, have met this extraordinary man, and have heard him say, that the sensation he experienced after having drank that extremely active poison, was the most delicious he ever enjoyed. Such is the force of habit! It is generally

B

2. An inquest was taken at the Guildhall, Newport, Isle of Wight, before Thomas Sewell, esq. coroner of the island, and a respectable jury, on the body of Charles Cavendish, serjeant of the 75th regiment. It appeared in evidence, that the soldiers of the 75th, quartered in Newport, agreed to dine together with their wives and families at the Castle-inn, on New-year's day: they made a subscription for the purpose, and engaged a room to themselves, where they all, to the number of 25, assembled at dinner at four o'clock about half-past nine, a man of the 36th, named James M'Kean, opened the door and intruded himself into the room, and said he wanted beer; he was civilly told, that if he wanted beer he must go to the tap-room, and serjeant Grant put him gently into the passage, saying he would show him to the tap-room.— M'Kean immediately drew his bayonet, stabbed serjeant Grant, and then ran away. Serjeant Cavendish was coming out of the kitchen as M'Kean ran by; he caught at him, but instantly fell back, crying "I am murdered." -M'Kean had at this instant his bayonet uplifted, as if in the act of stabbing. Cavendish expired in a few minutes. M'Kean was pursued and taken about a quarter of a mile from Newport, on the Carisbrooke road, with his bayonet drawn, with which he attempted to stab his pursuers. The jury returned a verdict of Wilful Murder against M'Kean, who was immediately committed to take his trial at the ensuing assizes. M'Kean is further detained, under Lord Ellenborough's Act, on a charge

of maliciously stabbing serjeant Donald Grant, who, it is hopedt will recover.

3. The Venus de Medicis has made its solemn re-entry into Florence; it arrived on this day, preceded by a brilliant suite; the principal pictures of the Italian school, the chef d'œuvres of Raphael, Michael Angelo, Guido, Salvator Rosa, Andrea del Sarto, and Julio Romano, served for the escort. All the population went out to meet it.

Mr. Dumbreck, supervisor of excise, accompanied by several officers, discovered near Tumbowis, in the parish of New Kilpatrick, Scotland, an illicit diştillery of great extent. The house was of rude construction, consisting of branches of trees interwoven with leaves and straw, supported partly by a steep bank and partly by some fine elm trees which formed its walls. The working utensils, however, were of a superior kind. They consisted of a still and boiler, placed upon convenient furnaces capable of containing the one 70, and the other 300 gallons, a new wooden mash tun and cooler, ten fermenting tuns, and various other smaller utensils, amounting in all to more than twenty vessels. At the time of the discovery, the smugglers were actively employed; one mash of malt had been finished during the night and a second was in operation, eight of the fermenting tuns were filled with worts, and a hogshead with some smaller casks were filled with low wines newly distilled. An establishment such as this, on a moderate calculation, would prepare more than fifty gallons

of spirits a-day. Mr. Dumbreck having caused the utensils to be overturned and emptied, lodged the most valuable in a neighbouring malt barn. It is certain that the landlord on whose property this work was discovered knew nothing of its existence. He possesses great influence in the country, which he lately strenuously exerted for the suppression of illicit distillation.

Paris, Jan. 5. On the 29th ult. a deputation from the Highland Society of London, consisting of the Right Hon. Lord Saltoun, lieutenant colonel of the Grenadier Guards, C. B. K. M. T. and St. G.; lieutenant colonel James Macdonnel, of the Coldstream Guards, C. B. K. M. T. and St. W.; lieutenant colonel Daniel Mackinnon of the Coldstream Guards; and James Hamilton, esq. the secretary, had the honour of presenting, at the palace of the Tuilleries, to his majesty Louis XVIII., a copy of the Poems of Ossian, in the original Gaelic.

The preliminary arrangements having been made by the British Ambassador, his Excellency the Right Hon. Sir Charles Stuart, G. C. B., the deputation, after passing through the hall of the Marshals, and the superb suit of apartments on that side, were introduced by the Duke de Duras, First Gentleman of the Chamber, and received in the private closet by his Majesty, in the most gracious manner. Lord Saltoun, one of the Presidents of the Society, addressed the King in French as follows: :

present to your Majesty a copy the Poems of the immortal Ossian, in the original Gaelic. We consider it hardly necessary to recall to your Majesty's remembrance the ancient friendship which existed for so many ages betwist Scotland and your Majesty's illus trious ancestors; but, in the name of the Society, we beg to offer to your Majesty our sincere congratulations on the happy termination of the late contest, which, in restoring to France her legitimate Sovereign, will, we doubt not, unite her to Great Britain in the strongest bonds of amity.

"In presenting, Sire, to your Majesty the Poems of our illus trious bard, we request your Majesty's acceptance of a work, every sentiment of which is founded on the exalted principles of the most fervent patriotism and of the most devoted loyalty to the Sovereign: principles which, we are proud to say, have ever been predominant in the breast of the Highlander."

rendered by them to my ancestors on the most trying occasions; but however great those sentiments of esteem and respect are, they are not exceeded by those of gratitude for the kind and hospitable reception given in Caledonia to my family in the day of distress. I request that my thanks may be conveyed to your illustrious President, his Royal Highness the Duke of York, and to the other members of the Highland Society."

It being a grand court day, the palace was crowded with persons of distinction, and the deputation created no small interest. The noble Vice President, and the Lieutenant Colonels, wore the uniforms of their respective regiments, with the insignia of the different orders conferred on them for their distinguished services. The Secretary of the Society appeared in the full Highland garb. The Deputation had it also in charge to present a copy of Ossian in the original Gaelic language to Marshal Macdonald, Duc de Tarente, a member of the Highland Society; but his grace having been detained at Bourges by the important inission entrusted to him by his Sovereign, it was at his request delivered to his daughter, the Duchess of Massa, who gave a grand rout on the occasion to all the beauty and fashion of Paris.

5. The governor of the province of Antwerp has addressed a circular letter to the mayors, on the subject of the donation made by the King to the city of Antwerp of the magnificent basins constructed there by the French government—a present which will

be of the highest advantage to the whole province. These basins were begun in 1805, and the plan being successively extended, contained, in 1813, 21 ships of the line, 7 frigates, three brigs, and five corvettes, carrying 1,994

cannon.

His Majesty, adds the governor, might have doubtless made use of these basins for the advantage of the public treasury; but, says he, the city and province of Antwerp are dear to the heart of the King, and he has not hesitated to make a present to the subjects of a superb establishment which cost nine years of the most astonishing labour, and 13 or 14 millions of money (francs) to the state.

6. The Carlisle Patriot contains long details of the damage done by floods over the whole of the North of England and South of Scotland. The rivers Caldew, Eden, Peterill, Line, Irthing, &c. &c. have overflown or burst their banks. Two or three benighted travellers have lost their lives, some cattle have been swept away and drowned, whole districts inundated, and in many places the inhabitants of houses near the waters were compelled to save themselves by taking refuge in while the upper apartments, those below were completely flooded.

8. Five men, members of a committee of cloth-dressers in Leeds, were convicted last week of combining illegally to prevent a fellow workman from following his trade, until he had paid 51. to them for permission to work, as a punishment for having been employed in Ireland on a species

of