The National Register.
London, England, 1822-11-18 00:00:00

SMOCKING ACCIDENT.

On Tuesday afternoon the neighbourhood of Nlaryie-
bone, was 11110W11 into the greatest slate of alarm, in
consequence of an explosion taking place at the house of
Mr. lint!, a gunsmith, of Upper Mary lehone-street. It
appeared that Mr. Hall is a maker of the priming for
pt lellb3loll gulls, and eat-lied on buck business 111 the
tippet pat t of his house in the atassve street, and two
youths, of the age of 10 and 11, were engnged in pie-
paring bi.CII Cunivosilioll. Mr. Hall being Isom home,
had lett the two youths and his soil at work 111 Making
the priming, which is cant posed of potash, chat eonl, and
sulphur. Mr. 11411, jossior, went down stars from the
woo ksliop, and was In the set of returning when the ex-
plosion took place. On his return into the room, he
found the beforementioned boys lying on the door, in a
111004 of blood; every pane of glass, and writ of the sashes
had been blown out ; the explosion, at this time, hail ex-
tended itself round the tooth, tearing down the stone fire
place, and actually faking the doors off the hiages ; the
force of it was so great, that the whole of the ceiling of
the room underneath bell, and pal t of the windows on
the staircase was blown uuf. On examining the boys,
rese was 11,111111 to be dead, and the oilier injured in so
easltill a manner, th•t in the eve ghe also died
1 here had been about five ounces of the priming in the
loom, and it is supposed that one o!. the boys was 8110 W.
1.,g the other the (pommy he had node that day, when
the :milk of Ille Candle accidentally on ii, instantly
it to blow tip, there being at the tole two ounces
I. other part of the room. A coroner's inquest sat 011
odes on Wednesday evening in the 'sagely of Jlid•
Hospital, before Mr. Stirling. The first citation'
Ir. Hall, who staled that the two buys, who were
ill., 1114.1 e in his —that he ss.is absent
of 'Tuesday, and un his return at six in the even-
((mini a crowd at 01111f1 WS door, and was informed
log in of the ass lid eatitstioplie. The boys hail been
/Id in the composition of percussion powder into
This kind of gunpowder is equally as iitthimina-
cciiiitioti gunpowder with a smut( ; they had hecu
cats in this bleach of the busiite:). This powder •


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is Intended to go off by a blow, or a spark. The room
where they worked was nut at any time locked against
the boys or the workmen, but the boys were not generally
allowed to he in the room only when the men were there •
the boys always left off work at dusk ; the day's work;
was given out in the morning, and then taken. He em-
ploys two girls, one his daughter, and they are only aged
IS and 16—he believes it a common practice in the trade
to employ children at such work. He is, however, of
opinion, that less caution had been used than generally is.
Collinson Hall, jam stated, lie resided with his lather
is Upper Marylel -street ; was in the workroom about
20 minutes before the accident. 'riffle was about eight
ounces of infiammalde matter in the room. Finding a
candle, he had a right to suppose one or both them must
have taken it there. The candle was on a table' and ap-
peared not all affected by the explosion. The deceased
boys weer lying only a short distance from the table—
they weir nearly together, and he is of opinion that they
were both looking at it when It went—lie catmot say how
it became ignited—they had infolmed him that the work
had been finished, and it was pot away—he told them to
put it in a drawer. One of the deceased boys was out of
on errand, the other boy was at his tea in the kitchen.—
Thes all went down to tea at a quarter past tire u'ehick ;
heard the explosion about 20 minutes after lie left the
room; but cannot state how it occurred, only by conjec.
tore. lie went np immediately, but could not enter the
room for the smoke. He brought one of diem down
stairs. They were both alive—the youngest deceased
was a very lively boy, and trout the dreadful injuries, /be.
his body displayed, the witness believes gut out the
powder.
'f he servant girl proved, that the youngest boy came
tip stairs ys Mums his candle, and she left a candle slur had
with biro. She then quitted the room, and immediately
alter she hearth the explosion. They work at that part
of the business which is not dangerous by candle light.
The Coroner, then, addseatting the Jae y, remarked that
the melancholy death of the bop was canard by accident,
:toil none could have the slightest hesitation in saying
that a great deal of incaution was displayed iii admitting
such children to pet form such work. tie cuusidesed such
conduct as l,i 11culpable.
Mr. Thomas Wood, house-surgeon of Hok,
pilaf, was then called. lie stated they were brought
into the hospital a little before six ; they were dreadfully
burned; their deaths were canard by the accident.—
Alexander lived one hour, awl John about two hours.
No questions were asked them. They n ere us tiered to be
kept quiet. But faint hopes were entertained of their re-
covery—at tit st it was thought the youngest would live.
The Jury alien retired to view the bodies, ahicb pre-
sented a most shocking spectacle. On the return of the
Jury,
'f he Coroner again addressed the Jury, and said, he
earnestly hoped that from this awful circumstance no
parents would ever employ cliildien for the future in so
dangerous a business.
'flue Foreman observed that Ire wished to retire with
the Jury for 10 minutes. The Jury accordingly a etired,
and on retititig, the Foreman s-ti I that they had decided
on flu it verdict, %%hick was 1.,1411 tile deceased's•deatlia
were caused by the explosion of filiminatitig gunpowder."
Deodand 51.

The Coroner immediately observed that they, lie nor
'frail coatd not levy a deodand; there was nutbieg to
levy' on : the gunpowder NaA ilk° exploded, Witt by law
they cut Id not levy on any thing but that which (Attired
the death tr.' the Part'''.
The Fol entail said they only wi.lted it as a eantion—
bnt on the law beis;tl virally laid down, they gave their
verdict, leaving out the deodand.

M YSTERIOUS OCCUR RENCII.-011 Friday evening, a
girl, who h.td the care of an infant, at Ripley, in Surrey,
gave an alarm that a Man had liken the child out of her
arms, and cut his throat. She described his person par.
ticularly, and stated that he sa'd if he could not revenge
himself on the mother, he would on the child. The
poor little infant appeared to be dangerously womitleil in
the neck. Pursuit was instantly made in every dir,-ction
without success; and suspicion being excited as to this
story, the girl, on fresh ii to confessed the
whole to be a fabrication, and 111,,l she had accidentally
let the child fall on a broken glass bott.e, which inflicted
the wound. The child is not dead. We have since
learned that the infamous girl has chifessed she attempted
to emits throat with a knife, which was found in the
next gaol ui.
A lady, residing at ("min, lately received from a friend
in the parish of Batmeriito a cps:runty of hen eggs, a mond
which there was (me of more loan ordhiary size. It was
boiled and opened, and found to cuait;iti, besides its
proper contents, a second erg, entered Wilt) a shell, well
shaped, solid, and natural. Toe lady retains it as a
curiosity.
Ott Wednesday last, between ftye and six o'clock, as
two genteel girls, residents in the vtcittity of Sloane-
' street, Chelsea, were passim under the ,1% 411 on the
Knightsbridge side of Hyde Park Comer, on their re-
turn from town, they were accosted by a titan apparently
about 40 years of age, of rather gentlemanly exterior.
They paid nu Attention to him. At last, however, he
made overtures of such a tendency as to excite their in-
dignation, and led them to threaten if lie dud not leave
them, to appeal to sonic of the passengers. He, how-
ever, persisted, till they reached the Cullom Brewery.
whets Miss ‘V. was AVM( to realize their threat, which
the villain perceiving, instantly drew a clasp k ode. and
made a lunge at tier; fortunately, hawk.% er, she only
received a slight graze in the fleshy part of her left arm.
The shriek of her companion soon collected a number
of persons, some of wii.sin pursined the 1111herraut, but
we have not leartu•l that any were so iortuiraie as to
overtake hint.

A dreadful accident ha ppent d between two bro,hers
of the 'tame of I)vvestport last week, in a field near Ll'O.
lIIIIIS.L r, in Herefordshire. They were engaged in spread-
ing the dung on the land. and the younger one having
greatly provoked and aggravated the other, he in an tot-
guarded women', took up a shovel that was close by hint,
.m 4 struck with it at his in other's head, winch knocked
hint down and woinitled the head severely; he nas On-
inediately conveyed to L-ouinisier„ and great doubts are
cirierwiried of his recovery. The aggressor was alter-
wards cosntnitted to prisatt to wait the result of his bro-
th:A': Lac.

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G• MESTER* APPRMIENDED.-Oti Nl•olday night the
Mayor of Newcastle-upon-Tyne WAS in"ortned that a
gaining-house hail been opened in Pilgrim-street, under
the direction of two or three strangers, he ace.^stlingly
despatched Ale. Scott,. he 'fowl! Sergeant, and assist:nits.
to the !dace. When they arrived, there were severzi
persous in the room, all of whom, along with the cots.
doctors of the gaming table, were taken into custody.—
There were found on the table too rivereigne and lOU
half crowns, all which were secured. Tile foreigners
were commiyed to prison ; the gamesters were obliged to
give bail for their appearance, and the owner of the
house was hued 101. This example, wehope, will be
followed all over the kingdom, till those pests to society
are extinguished for ever.
Ott Friday se'nnight, l‘lr.T Thacker Saxton, book-
seller, of Bolton, Lancashire, was apprehended at that
place, on a charge of exciting a breach of the peace. Oa
he following (lay he WAS brought to the New Bailey, at
Manchester, and on Monday was admitted to bail, on
gii hag sureties to keel) the neace, himself in 4411., and
two sureties in eui. each. The charge against Mr. Sax.
ion was, •• having his hat bedecked with ribatitls, and
vociferatin,.., With Stentorian Il:lli;Stitint and lib,rty."
—Our readers in ly perhaps wonder whit legal offence
there could be in this; but their surprise will cease when
they recollect that the transaction took place witnin
the tut isdiction of the Matichever magistrates.
Erraatortot NA It FOOTPAD.-01i Thursday evettln2
last about dusk, a yinitig Mall named 'Dios. Bickerstaff
was rowing aloou the Vatixliall.road towards the bridge,
when he saw a fellow dressed in the garb of a beggar,
with a wallet before and auother twhilad him, coining
its the same direction. They walked on to the end of
the New.road, where Mr. B hail occasion to call at a
friend's house, but only waited about ten minutes and
returned IVheti he proceeded out the road about
twenty p tees, he saw the same fellow sittine upon a
sunlit... lIV hid Mtn good Mein, and WAS procertlieitt oil
when the kr.v heeeed a few hal filettee of hint to en.
able him to stet a lodging for the night, saying that he
came from litriiiiiigliam, in; hopes of procuring work
in London. Mr. B. observed, he could more readily
act work in the country, end offered him fourpence,
being all the half pence lie had about his p..rsote• The
beggar looked Lim full in the face, and in a menacing
manlier Said, be must have more money—this demand
he uttered with an oath; but Mr. B. sai.l lie hail nu
more, and was proceeding on Ms journey, when the
fellow in an instant felled him to the grown' with a
bludgeon, which lie had not previously observed, and
declared he would instantly cleave his head in two if he
made the least noise. Mr. B. thus completely in his
power, was obliged to submit, and allow himself to be
robbed. Ile took front him four half-crowns, three
sinele shillin2s, a knife, a silver watch, and hit bawl.
kerchief and hat. He then ran oft with lull speed on
the high mail, but not having passed over the bridge, it
is supposed he tinned afterwards in through the fields
to avoid detection.

ACCIDENT.-03 Fsiday afternoon, about half-pasr
three o'clock, a gentleman went inns a coach-maker's
shop its Great Queen-street. Uncohi's Inn Fields, Ira,.
tug his horse aid chJise sianshog at the door in the care

of a boy; the animal taking frig-lit at something ►an off
at full speed to the great horror of those going along the
street ; tan pers, it could situp him until he ran against
tue shop wiitilow of Mr. Walker's, feather-bed ware-
house, in Drury-lane, facing Great Queen-street ; lie
shattc.ed the sash to pieces, aad received h damage.
Ile was then secured and brought back to the owner, •
the chaise receiving no tojury.
SINOULAR ATTEMPT AT SELF DESTRUETIPM.OIII
Monday afternoon last, a decent elderly woman was
observed walking in a melancholy reuniter almut the
wharf of Mr Whitbread, near the Canal-h:idge, Cam-
den Town ; alter cautiously looking round to see if she
was observed, she knelt down and r!emed to pray in A
lervent manner, and shortly after plunged herself into '
the water, a depth of five or six feet, ou•which Mr. -
Coombs, a gentleman who observed her actions, Ito-
inattely jitinp..il in, and at the ri-k of personal safety
succeeded in saving her front her desperate resolution.---.-
She was immediately taken 111 the house of Mr. Early,
the Oxford Arms, near the bridge, awl through the he.
nevoktit and praiseworthy exertions of Mrs. Early, the
landlady and others, she was short'y restored. She seems
a well-untainted intelligent V,N)iiimi, and says that al•: •
WaS provoked to the conittaissiou of the rash act in con-
sequence of the treatment of her daughter, who turned
hit out of doors, and or !wish officers refusing to relieve
her distresses. In the course 01 the evening she was
removed to Pancras workhouse, where she was kindly
received by the master, and comfortably provided for;
she arr fuses to tell where her daughter resides, or what

parish site belongs to ; and in reply to questions put to
her no the billowing mowing by some gentlemen who
visited her, she only excl3ims--" On, my daughter, my
cruel daughter, shall never know WWI hrcomes of
luel"

Last week a servant of Mr. &with, of Tonstal, York-
shire, svhd,t ',l m:Mug a field near that place. turned
up a 'lumber of saver coins to the amount of SO, of a
%,ry tally date, but iu a high reservation. We have
ot our itosst shim) at tows tilor three of them, one of
which has evidently 1):•ets cowed at York. The other
two have ucen struck in London. E twarJus Rex is on

rite riiii of all three, and the probability is, that they are
productions of the reign of S Issaril 1.

A NOVEL CIRCUMITANCE.-ILoptized at Leaiinrham
church on Thursday, Nov. 7,182 e, by the Rev. jr'.
Gunnis, rector, tot oiymte chi klreit, all of whom, except
one, were from the paper-mill, Lestsnigham.toorir, and
sevvtiteen of them or two lattithes--vit., nine of Mr.
Cooper's. the eldest )CJI'S ot age; and eight of Mr.
Clark's, the eldest 15. Mr. Robinson, of Sleatortl, dilli
Mr. Clerk, of the paper-ullll, Imposed mnna themselves
an itnportatit duty as sponstris tor the %%note twenty.tme.
—A large rum-muse of people Irmo the neighbourtog
villages attended to witness the ceremony. The bt..l:t
sung merrily throo&tout the day.

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