The Sun.
London, England, 1847-11-26 00:00:00

HORRIBLE DEATH.

We have this week to record one of the most fear-
ful occurrences which has taken iplace in this city
within our recollection. The wretched subject of this
narrative was named Joseph Cobley, a man of the age
of seventy years, who, with his wife, kept a dis-
reputable house in Moor-street. It seems that the
deceased was in the almost constant habit of drinking
to excess, and when in a state of drunkenness he would
not go to bed, but sat and slept in his arm-chair in the
kitchen. On Saturday night last he was in his usual
state of inebriation, and at a late hour his wile left
him in his chair, having first hid a bottle of gin under
some chips in the cellar, so that he should not find it.
Deceased's wife, thinking he was a long time below,
came down stairs twice, the last time about three in
the morning; on both occasions she found him asleep
in his chair, and not daring to disturb him, she again
went to bed and slept. The deceased, however, it would
appear, subsequently found his way into the cellar
with the candle, and drank the entire bottle of gin,
which, with an empty bottle, wherein some brandy
had been left the night before, was found on the
cellar floor, together with the deceased's cap and
the candlestick, which it is supposed he
might have dropped while staggering about in
a state of extreme drunkenness. How the
premises escaped destruction by fire seems almost
miraculous, with this miserable wretch, staggering
about with a naked candle in his hand in a place
thickly strewn with chips and other combustibles.
He afterwards ascended to the kitchen, and it is
supposed that in his effort to reach his chair he struck
his head violently against the corner of a table near
to the chair, which rendering him insensible, he fell
between the chair and the table, with his back to the
wall, and the candle falling out of his hand, set fire to
his clothes. About seven o'clock in the morning the
unhappy man was found by his wife in a sitting
position, with all his clothes, except his shoes and
I stockings, entirely burnt, and his body all over
literally roasted to a dark brown.—[So awful an
object it has never before been our lot to behold.]
It is needless to add that he was quite dead and cold,
—Worcestershire Chronicle.

SHIPS' STORES FOR SAILORS.-A correspondent
has sent us two pieces of what had been served out as
salted provisions to the crew of the ship Europe, on her
last voyage from London to Quebec, Several respect-
able fleshers who have examined it, say it is horse flesh,
but it has more the appearance of Scotch fir wood than
any animal substance. It is quite hard, and the sailors
who brought it home have cut out a small boat, with
mast, yard, and all from one of the pieces. The only
remedy for this species of imposition, whether it lies with
the Ship-owner or the ship-store merchant, will be by le-
gislative interference, whichis certainly loudly called for,
as this flagrant instance shows. The inspectors of the
food of emigrants should inspect that of the sailors of
merchant vessels also; and when this is done, we ven-
ture to say, there will be less desertion among the sea-
men, and more (compelled) honesty among co,rtain ship-
owners or ships' provision merchants.—Scotch Reformers'
Gazette.

DISTRESSING AND FATAL OCCURRENCE.—We re-
gret to have to record an occurrence attended with much
suffering to several of the members and dependence of a
highly esteemed family in the neighbourhood, and un-
happily involving the death of one of the former. On
Thursday afternoon, about 4 o'clock, the parties referred
to, Mr. and Mrs. Campbell, of Blythswood, and their
third son, a fine boy of six years of age, were returning
home in their carriage from the residence of J. Campbell
Douglas, Esq. of Mains, where they had gone on a visit
in the early part of the day. On their way they had to
cross the Forth and Clyde Canal by a drawbridge which
is thrown over directly above one of the locks, near Gar-
seube. While on this bridge the horses became restive,
and by their plunging brought the carriage in contact
with the rail of the bridge, which gave way, and the
vehicle and horses with the whole of the party, including
the driver and footman, were in a moment precipitated
into the water beneath. A more dreadfully pezilous
situation can scarcely be conceived than that in which
the sufferers were thus placed, being immersed in a con-
siderable depth of water, with the walls of the lock above
them to the height of from twenty to thirty feet on either
side: and sad as the consequences were in the loss of one
of their number, it must be considered a matter of thank-
fulness and surprise that the occurrence did not prove
more extensively fate]. The alarm having reached the
people in the neighbourhood, they haste ned to the spot
with ropes, and used every endeavour for the relief of the
sufferers that the difficulties of the case would admit.
The carriage being a close one, it would appear that the
occupants had either been thrown out by the concussion,
or had been enabled to leave it while in the water, as Mr.
Campbell was seen using his best exertions to sustain
his lady and child above the water, whilst means were
being used for their rescue. To accomplish this, it was
promptly resolved by the people on the banks to open
the lock at one end, so us to admit a large body of water
with the view of buoying up the sufferers to near the
level of the bank, and thus bring them more within
reach. By this means the whole were rescued, with
the exception of the boy, who, we regret exceedingly to
say, was drowned. The horses were killed, probably by
the violent shock of the fall. Although the parties res-
cued, including the driver and footman, must have suf-
fered very considerably in their persons from the joint
effects of the concussion and immersion, we are glad to
say that no further serious consequences are anticipated
to any of them. This melancholy accident, we need
scarcely say, has occasioned the most lively feelings of
sympathy and regret throughout every circle of society
in which the parties are known.—Glasgow Argus.
DEAL.--A frightful accident happened here on
Monday morning, as the half-past seven o'clock train
was taking its departure for Ramsgate. It appears the
man in charge of the gate (a short distance from the
terminus), observing his favourite dog on the rail while
the engine was rapidly approaching, rashly attempted to
preserve the animal by crossing the line for that pur-
pose. The poor fellow, blinded by attachment to his
dog, had no doubt miscalculated his distance from the
train, and the consequence was, the dog was speedily
crushed, while the man, more fortunate, having fallen
on his 'back, was caught by the guard-iron, which
,p/iniglied its way to a considerable extent in the groin ;
this way he was borne along a distance more
'than 90 yards. The endeavours to stop the engine were
most prompt and praiseworthy. Surgical attendance
was promptly obtained, but in the course of the day it
was deemed expedient to remove the sufferer to the Can-
terbury Hospital.—Maidstone Gazette.
EARTHQUAKE.—A smart shock of earthquake was
felt on Wednesday forenoon last in the parishes of
Torthowald and Mousewald. The following at atement
has been furnished us, and may be relied on:—I was
sitting, a little after eleven o'clock, A. 51., on the 17th
instant, in the farmhouse of Riggheads, parish of Tor-
thorwald, when I was startled by a shack. The motion
seemed to be from east to west, and continued for two or
three seconds. My seat shook below me, the furniture
rattled, and the whole house quivered. A loud, hollow,
rumbling sound accompanied the vibration, similar to
what would be produced by a ponderous train of large
waggons rushing through a tunnel, not over rails, but
loose stones. The shock was felt at Rockhall-house,
' where the servants ran to the door to see what was the
matter, under the impression that a cavalcade of car-
riages were unexpectedly driving up the avenue at a
furious rate. The gardener declared that the ground
" dirled" beneath his feet in the garden where he was
working. The earthquake was also distinctly felt in
the village of 'toucan; the furniture in the houses
shook, and crockeryware rattled. The shock appears,
however, to have had a narrow range; for, little more
than half a mile from Riggheads no concussion was no-
ticed. The locality of the earthquake forms a portion of a
range of greywacke hills, which, moderately elevated,
divide the sandstone basins of the Nith and Annan
valleys.—Dumfries Courier.
RETURN TO FIRST PRINCIPLES.—In another part
of the paper it is noticed that the Midland Counties
Herald of last week contained a couple of advertisements,
one offering to barter, or, as Jonathan would say,
" swop" leasehold premises for a steam-engine, and the
other " piano-!ortes for nails, ironmongery, or carpets."
In Herepath's Journal of Saturday last there is an ad-
vertisement offering "a highly valuable freehold pro-
perty in exchange for shares in any good line or lines of
railway." This speaks even more strongly of the scar-
city of money than discounts at 9 per cent, or railway
companies borrowing money at 10. Worcestershire
Chronicle. 25 Lieu-
ROYAL ARTILLERY, WOOLWICH, NOV. .
Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Walker joined headquarters here
to-
day, from Quebec, having been in ew! a
on d_ at_ that sta-
tion irom July, 1842, to the early tof the present
month, when he was relieved by Lieutenant-Colonel
Higgins.