The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-10 00:00:00

A FLOOD IN THE FENS.

A day of disaster came—eight days of disaster,
which seemed like a doom in rebuke of pride. On
the morrow of St. Martin, 1236, there was a gale
which seemed as if it never would subside. The
longer it blew the higher rose the sea, till the popu-
lation was all on the watch to see where it would
break in first. It rolled in a long way before it
made a breach, and then it surged over into Wis-
beach, and on and on, till there was no escape for
many of the people, or for their cattle. Bodies of
men, women and children floated to and fro amidst
the carcases of oxen and horses, and boats were
driven hither and thither, out of reach when most
wanted. For eight, days and nights the gale con-
tinued; and when wind and water calmed down
the people were ruined. Great efforts were made
to repair the breaches and drain the lands ; and
all seemed safe again when, in 1253, the same
misfortune happened again. The king then com-
manded that the repairs should be well executed
and it is probable that the inhabitants did as well
as anybody then knew how ; but the case of the
shifting soil, the peat, now swelling and now sink-
ing, the incalculable pressure of the water when
changes were made, far or near, was too hard for
the knowledge and skill of the time and the people.
For centuries there was a succession of inundations
at very unequal intervals, and invariably a new
settlement between, with fresh hopes that the em-
bankments were at last secure. There were strifes
also among the inhabitants when, from time to
time, some great man threw water over upon a
neighbour's land to drain his own. The courts
decided, now for one side and now for the other ;
and there was a pulling down of dykes, and
obliteration of new channels and restoration of old
ones. We have plenty of evidence of the mischief
done, and of the wonderful energy of the people in
returning to lice on lands so often drowned. In
digging, we find here the floor of a house, there
trunks of large trees ; and again, a churchyard, or
a stackyard, or a bit of paved street or causeway,
or a group of boats, sunk in the silt. A smith's
forge has been found in one place, and a line of
tan-pits in another ; and a cart-wheel, and articles
of human dress, distinctive of several reigns.—
Once a Week.

MURDER AT BRIGHTON.

The inhabitants of Brighton were shocked on
Sunday night by a rumour that a murder had been
committed in Church-street, and which proved too
true, for the sentry on guard at the infantry bar-
racks' had shot one of his comrades dead as he
a at mh
eey troop
joinedin
ftrhoemlB t h
entered the gates. Both the deceased and his
assassin are young Irishmen, of about the same age,
Hussars,
23 years, awndhibehelonregAtehnet
c dohs
tsothaahrapee.
.e
rrh
conclusive, for it is not often that the commission
of the offence in crimes of murder is witnessed, as inn
yi namejriomehsan
into
tohoteah former
motive,.fias
amnednforrithe above regiment
pee
ahTo
rtihnht ehae other,
martinis upon eachhave indulged
to Y have done. This, of
petty
secal: Antrim
adtt
:hhnenie,/ungn
dgei Militia.
utfwi
rat
thh.
other for various
known
lis melancholy result of to which thethereisoffinocedrosu,
course, was not kn
brought to light b—doubt
andit wwaisllo only
prac-
tical joking,
a termination. Flood, who bears a high character
in the regiment,
and wears a good-conduct stripe,
has been subjected to annoyances, and has been
once tried by one of these mock tribunals and sen-
tenced to and
_unday was threatened by the compelledde-
ceased to take a " dozen and a
half," and on S
with another trial. He had on the previous
day used O'Dea, s saddle, and neglected to clean it
afterwards, and at noon on Sunday when they met
they
had a few angry words about it, ending *in
O'Dea telling him that on Monday he would bring
him before a court-martial and charge him with
leaving the saddle dirty. Flood was one of the
guard for Sunday, but O'Dea was off duty, and they
saw no more of each other till nine o'clock on Sun-
men. day night, when the latter returned to barracks
with two or three others, just after the guard had
Penshanger Park possesses all the natural beau- been relieved, and Flood was sentry at the gates.
ties which are to be desired in a country seat. It
boasts of hills and dales : it s well wooded, and it It was quite dark, and as O'Dea passed through,
i
Flood, who was talking to the others, called out,
has spacious greenswards. It has, moreover, a "Is that you, Jack ?" O'Dea turned round andsaid,
lake and islands ; and a laterally broad t 1 t • tle
said, " Yes ;" and Flood pushed the others a little
lake one side, levelled his carbine at O'Dea,
s ream e
runs through the domain
which would at —all of which are features The ball entered the centre of his chest, passed out
once suggest to the military mind at the back, went through the side of a ladder, and
considerable capabilities for trying the skill of a was picked up flattened at the foot knockedte barrack
and fired.
commander and the discipline of his men in the wall. One of the men immediately
the sergeant
event of the park ever becoming the arena of a real down, but it was too late, and but for .
would, c Flood
in all proba-
conflict. Lord Ranelaghof the guard a second murder
wisely availed himself of
bility, have been committed,
them to give the corps present a valuable lesson in enraged and excited that
it was for the
with thmen e greatest
were SO
the art of war. Th
ss
edrer„aeda,
natndanwdasmtaoldde
described d-h H thethere
The programme may be roughly difficulty they were kept from the murderer, who
as an attempt on the part of the forces was at once taken
under the noble lord's command to force a passage
that he could live only a minute or two longer,
asked the sergeantiof
along a footpath across the park, which was sup-
whereupon he rushed .
posed to represent the road to London. Lord an attempt to dra (upPoneatwhea
b ''b
•
w his sword, butbeing much the
Cowper's army, on the other hand, represented the smaller man of the two he was quietly put back,
handed over to the custody of Superintendent
army of the invaded country, and it undertook to and
of the borough police,l'
Bornden, who had by this
arrest the march of the ruthless invader. Lord Cow-He then feigned drunkenness,-
time arrived. stating
per accordingly took up a position on the south or that beer had been smuggled into him, but this was
Penshanger side of the river, and established strong not believed, and when he was taken to the
l an emetic was
police-
outposts about the only bridge in the nighbour- stet . given, and the chief officer,
Mr. White, asked him if hey knew
hood. The invaders, marching as from Hertford, e what he was
charged with, namely, " shooting
commenced the attack by attempting to force spas- O'Dea," for the oeting and killing John
poor fellow died in a very few
sage on the defenders' right, and after a sharp con- minutes after he was shot. Flood, with calmness
flict they succeed in effecting a lodgment on an and deliberation, said he
feint knew very well, and ho
island there. This attack, however, is a mere only wished that another man who, he said, tad
also .
to induce the patriots to withdraw reinforce.bantered him, had been with O'Dea, at the
manta from their left, and an attack is then made
had he he shot them both he could her:, for he had told them what he w
mounted the
oul'a do, and
in force on the bridge. In the meantime the engi-
scaffold with pleasure. He seemed to care nothing
nears are preparing to throw pontoons across, ready
forwhat and in less than an hour
after for a flank march in case the assault on the bridge had happened,
he was locked up he was sound asleep. Every
should fail, or to aid in turning the defenders' left. h 10 rounds of ball
man it appears is served with
The attack on the bridge is at first repulsed; then caztridge; which he has with him when on guard.