The National Register.
London, England, 1820-12-24 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

GUERNSEY.—Last summer a pedlar, known by
the name of Welsh Tom, while strolling on this
island picked up a piece of native copper ore; the
casualty led to inquiry, and the result is, a discovery
of a productive mine of this valuable metal. The
piece of ore was left. at a pot-house at St. l'ietre, by
the wretched pedlar, who had fortunately scratched
on it, in ill-formed characters, the words " Thomas
Roberts. The metal has been examined by a very
able chemist, who pronounces its specific gravity,
8.9)99 to 1.0000, almost equal to Japan copper,and
when treated with the sulphuric acid, he finds 100
parts of the sulphate of copper produced, to contain
80 parts of copper, 32 of acid, and 28 parts of water
of crystalization.
Caurtox.—A fellow is travelling the country
defrauding tradesmen, innkeepers, and others, under
the ful lo ing eircumstances:—llc takes lodgings (or,
if near the metroplis, visits the town) for about a
weck,during which time he makes himself acquainted
with those he may have a design on by purchasing
goods, exchanging country bank notes, Ste. and when
he supposes the parties suffieiently satisfied as to his
respectability, he ()dims them a check on the house of
Whitmore iand Co. drawn by a man of the name of
Edward Smith B. It is his method to get abort
half the change, with which he decamps, the check
not [king worth a farthing. The above rascal is
about 5 feet 7 inches very stout, Mir com-
plexion, about 30 years of age ; wears a blue Cod,
yellow waistcoat, drab coloured pantaloons; calls
himself Mr. Fox, and pmends to be connected with
the house of Junes, Fox, and Co. bankers, Manehes-
er. lie is charged with felony. E. Smith, the
drawer of the cheek, :s supposed to live at Oxford.
High price of Butchers' heat complaints
are wade in the metropolis of the price of butcher's
meat, which is stated to be nearly as high as it was
five years ago, although the price of cattle, &c. has
been must materially reduced. The same complaints
are made with great reason in many parts of the
country. It is plain that the public are very little
benelitted by the fall in cattle; some graziers arc
actually slaughtering their own beasts.
Film—Wednesday morning, about two o'clock,
a fire broke out in one of the houses adjacent to
Kensington Palace, adjoining to that in which Mr.
Sieard resi.les ; the flames were got. under by the
arrival of the engines from London; but the roofs
of two houses, that of Mr. Sicard's and the one
adjoining„ were completely destroyed.
A map ha; been received at the Ailm:rahy of the
Coast of the Island disJivered by the Captain and
crew of a vessel driven in by a tremendous storm
to tl:c South olCupe Horn. An immense nunwer
of seals and porpoises lined the shores, but the mari-
ners did not land, and the vessel sulibred much in
the gale. Intelligence having been communicated
to Admiral Hardy o 1 the haa, he dispatched an
intelligent Lieutenant with a schcouer, to make fur-
ther discoveries,whose report is waited for with much
anxiety, as it is not known whether this newly dis-
covered island is inhabited or not.

On Friday last, Mr. Joseph AlJenson, who died in
the 7(ith year of his age, in the Goldsmiths Com-
pany's alms houses at Acton, was buried in Acton
chinch yard; he was tiillowed to the grave by his
son :Loci five daughters, and their husbands. On their
return home from the funeral they found his wife
(about the same age), who was in good health when
ti:ey %Vela out, lying on 11,:r bed, and she died the
same night.
Such has been the peculiar mildness of the season
sonte time past in the neighbourhood of Plymouth,
that primroses nerd violets in wally places may Lc
seen ready to 'past into flower.
Sir E. B. Sandys, Bart. iligh Sherlll. of Giou-
cestershice, has refused to call a County Meeting to
consider the propriety of addres..ing the King on the
illegal and unconstitutional measures pursued by his
Majesty's minister,, in the late Parliamentary pro-
ceedings. The requisition was nuukaously and
most respectably signed. Lords Dacia and Sher-
bourne were at the head of the list of signatures.—
Tha High Sheriff of Berks has also refu.scil to call a
county fleeting for the like purpose. Eleven acting
magistrates in the county, including Lard Folle-
stoue, have invited the nobility, gentry, clergy,
freeholders, and other inhabitants of the said county,
to meat them at the Crown Inn, Beading, on Mon-
thly, the Bth day of January next, to consider of the
ohjetts specified in the requisition to the High
Sherill; and also of an address of congratulation to
the Queen.

The Cantacon, Capt. Mingay, sailed from Wool-
wich on Tuesday, with a precious cargo on board,
consisting of Madame Dumont, soi-di.vunt Countess
of Colombia, 'Theodore Alajoeci, and several other
foreigners of the same rank and character. The
Canalton pr. ceeds to the Ilediterranean, and will
land the cargo on the coast of hilly. Thus these
wretches have a King's ship to curry them home,
while the Queen of England was lett to make her
way to Eii,ltuul in a common packet-boat ! The
Cumloos was one of the little squadron attendant
upon the lllut, utl his late aquatic. tl•iU3ithl.