The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-02-11 00:00:00

FOREIGN MISCELLANY.

THE FRENCH NAPT.—A.ooording to the report on the
state of the empire, just presented to the Senate and
Corps Legislatiff, the following is the present position
of the Preach steam navy: New ships, 12; mixed, 23 ;
total, 35. Plated frigates, 2. Ordinary frigates; new,
16; miled, 6; total, 21. Corvettes, 7, Advice boats,
36. Total of all kinds, 101. During the year the navy
has been increased by 13 new ships; but, on the other
hand, 5 have been lost at sea, and 11 condemned as old.
There are %float and finishing 1 ship, 4 plated frigates,
3 ordinary frigates, 6 ad noe boats, and 2 floating batte-
ries.

A most dreadful story comes from Lyons. A mis-
creant named Dim°Hard has been prowling about the
country for years in quest of female servants seeking
employ, enticing his victims into secluded bye-lanes for
rape, murder, and robbery. Upwards of fourteen
corpses he had hidden in unblessed graves have turned
up in damning evidence against him, and nothing half
so cool-blooded in the annals of depravity has been
known. On Saturday he was condemned to death by
the tribunal before which he was tried. His wife, who
was an accomplice, wail sentenced to twenty years'
imprisonment. A roxotounication from Bourg, dated
Monday, says: " Ditmollard admits that he accostsd
upwards of one hundred women at Lyons, but that
fortunately for them, all did not consent to
follow him, 'else,' he added, ' my associates would have
caused them to undergo the same fate.' He has signi-
fied his determination to appeal to the Court of
Cessation. A fact which has been little spoken of, but
which is not the less positive, is that within the last
fortnight three other skeletons have been discovered in
the wood of Tramoye, the district where Damollard
was accustomed to get rid of his victims. It is thought
that the death of these persona, all females, must have
occurred about four or five years back. By the side of
one was the skeleton of a child about six years old."
DREADFUL hfirawa ACCIDENT..--A dreadful accident
has junt occurred at the coahnine of Seegraben. near
Leoben (Styria.) A hut erected at the mouth of the pit
caught fire, and the smoke and gas were driven by the
wind into the workings, where a hundred men were
engaged at the time, and twenty-eight of them were
suffocated; the others with difficulty escaped.

HARTLEY COLLIERY AOOIDENT,—The inquest on the
bodies of the poor fellows who met their death in the
New Hartley Colliery was brought to a oonchurion on
Thursday evening. There was but little came out in
the evidence that is not already known to our readers.
The jury returned the following verdict :—" That John
Gallagher, on the 22nd January last, was found killed
in tht workings of the new -Hartley Colliery, having
died therein from inhalation of gas, being shut up in
the yard seam of the said colliery on the 16th of the
said month, when the shaft was closed by the accidental
breaking of the engine beam, which, with other
materials, fell into the working shaft of the pit, and,
there being no exit therefrom, all amen to the deceased
was out off, and he perished from the MIRO above
mentioned. The jury cannot close without expressing
their strong opinion of the imperative necessity of all
working collieries having at least a second shaft
or outlet to afford the workmen the means of escape
should any obstruction take place as occurred at New
Hartley Pit; and that in future beams of colliery
engines should be made of maleable instead of out
metal. They also take occasion to notice with admira-
tion the heroic courage of the miner' and others, was
at the risk of their own lives, for so many nights and
days, devoted their best skill and energies to rescue
the unfortunate men who were lost; and that every-
thing that human ingenuity could ecoontrdich was done
towards this humane object." A similar verdict we.
teken en the we of the ether untoTtunates,"