The National Register.
London, England, 1822-05-27 00:00:00

DREADFUL MENDER STORY.--On Monday last
Birmingham and its seighboothood was visited by one of the
moat violent thunder storms we ever witnessed. It commeseed
about half-past one, awl contined till nearly three o'clock. after
having deluged the town, and left behind it many furred tome*
of its devastating power. The thunder-cloud seemed for some
time to be stationary over the teem The court of reeoests is
the High-street was struck twice by the lightning—is the Rest
instance the Said passed down the chimney, menacing some
bricks wear the top where an iron cramp entered the brick-
werk—in the second, it passed through en open window close
over the bead of a person who was writing et a desk, and darting
info an adjoining room. in which were some females and •child,
II broke through the window into the court. The child was
scorched, but not seriously, and acme of the other persons wire
injured at all. In Hishopsgate-street the lightning first fell
upon a chimney, a considerable part of which it knocked down.
About ten minutes alter this the electric bolt fell upon seedier
house, about fifty yards distant, by which a young girl eight
years old was instantaneously struck dead, and the mother and
two other children woe seriously burnt. The electric fluid
seems to have entered the window of the upper room, and.
striking 'gains( the opposite wall, to have passed down it into
a clock in the kitchen below, from whence it traversed the(
back of the mother, who was sitting with her chair touching, os
nearly close to the clock, from thence to the breast of a child
who was lying with her head on her mother's lap, then to a
second child who was leaning on the first, and then to the other
children. There were in the room at the time of the fatal acci-
deut the mother and four of her own, and one of the neighbour's
children, and two roes. One of the children was in its mother's
arms and was nut hurt, but the bark and left side of the mother
was severely scorched, and she was insensible for some time.--
The child lying on the mother's lap was killed ; the one leaning
on her lost her senses and sight for some bourn, but has now
recorerel them, and was also severely burnt, as well as the
third child. The neighbour's child was also slightly burnt. It
is remarkable that the Mamie is lower that. the other hostas a
close to it. 'rite lightning also appears to have struck Mr.
Harris's lions., in Broad-street, twice; io the first instance it
passed down the chimney, disturbing the chimney boards, but
doing no serious damage in the other ; it seems to have barn
ratraoted by the bell-wires.—Hirmnrykron Paper.
SHIP LAUNCII.—The fineness of the day attracted
thousands of spectators to Deptford, on Wednesday last, to
see the launch of the Raised, a 74 gun ship, from the King's
Yard. Several stages were erected for the accommodation of
the spectators, which were crowded several hours before the
*hip went off the rocks. There was a military guard at the
entrance gates, besides a number of persons who were sworn
es special con.stablea, and were stationed in several parts of
the dock-yard to preserve order. Previous to her being
launched several persons of respectability, tastiest and gentle-
men, were perinitted to go on hoard to view her ; she is a
very fine ship, her head is adorned with a full length figure of
Admiral Russell, who caminanded at La Hogue, finely carved
and painted. It is impossible for any figure of the kind td sit
better on the cutwater ; the rake is perfectly suitable to that of
the stern; she is constructed between the ports on Sir K.
Sepping's plan, and the decks are laid diagonally ; her stern
gallery and windows are remarkably neat and plain ; and the
quarter galleries are formed in a style of workrnattahip that
adds considerably lo her grandeur. All the *hips on the river
displayed the fangs of Ohl England, and the colours of all na-
tions; anal the seamen vied with each other in the arrangement
of their yards and the neatness of their vessels ; the river
presented a spectacle truly picturesque. As soon se the tide
began to approaeh the slip, the dock-yard-men began to re-
move the shores which supported the ship, and when the water
bad flowed nearly high enough, the usual signal was given. the
remaining shores were taken away, aid she went off the slips
in the most majestic manner possible, amidst the acelaniatioas
of several thousand persons. The bands of music, at the time
she went off, struck up Risk Brironisin." The grandeur of
the scene oould not be surprised, The company on board of
her then came on shore, and sails were hoisted oa her Jury-
masts, and she dropped down to Woolwich with a fine breeze.
VICTUALLERS LICENCES —lt appears, according
to returns made to the House of Commons, that in Middlesex,
1821, in Tower division, there were issued. 930 licences, of
which 11 were fur bowies not licensed the preceding year, and
and one had been refused ; in Finsbury division, 383 had beets
issued, of which, one was for a house nut lioensed the preceding
year, and one had been refused ; is Holborn division, 747 bed
been issued, of which 12 were for houses not licensed Hie pre-
ceding year, and foam had been refused ; in St. George, Hano-
ver-square, 179 bad been issued, of which one had been for a
house never licensed before, and two had been refused; in St.
Margaret and St. John the Evangelist, 136 houses had been
granted, of which two had been for houses not licensed before's-
and one had been refused ; and i• ENO Brixton and Sontbseatit
the number of houses licensed had' beeo•Plie, of whiois time
had not been licensed the preceding year, end sin lleonces had
been refused.--From these returns it appears that the whole
number of licensed houses in these sin divisions was is HMI.
3,173, and that in 1817 the number was 3,190.
Last Saturday morning, a wild duck was shot in
the marshes nearYartuot.th, and immediately sent as
a present to an inhabitant. On drawing the entrails,
which was effected with more than usual difficulty,
a rat was discovered in the poke (so called by the
country people) with its nose close to the heart of
the duck. The rat was nearly eight inches long
frotn tie nose to the rump, and the tail was curled
up very closely : it weighed 74 ounces.
Tile approaching Ascot Races are expected to be
the most interesting and best that have taken place
on that course. The new stand is finished, and is
not only extremely convenient for the reception of
company, Lut pit:sent' a fine specimen of the best
architecture.
Ae,eal Navigation
,front Bombay to London f--It
appears by a certificate, publisliA in the Bombay
Ga:cite E.itraordinaly, by Mr. Warden, Chief Se-
cretary, that a Mr. I'. Boyce had made application
to the Governer of Bombay to be allowed to carry
the mails, St.% from Bombay to London, by meat.%
of a balloon, he professing to have discovered a nit-
thod of giving horizontal motion in areonautics.—
The Governor referred Mr. Bocce to the Philoso-
phical Society of Bombay. A Mr. Hudson has also
put in his claim to aeronautic fame ; and another
competitor has appeared in the Calcutta Inernal of
Sept. 10, where the made or operation is explain&
at consi:lerable length !!