The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-02 00:00:00

BIRTHS IN THE WEEK.

Males
Females

Total ...

... 707
... 689

... 1,396

CONFLICT WITH BURGLARS.

A most daring and severe conflict took place on
Thursday morning in the back green of a gentleman's
house in Moray-place, between one of the servants and
two burglars, who had invaded the premises for the
purpose of pillage.
It appears that about half-past one o'clock in the
morning the butler, William Clarke, while proceeding
down stairs to his bed-room, heard a peculiar noise, as
if created by the scraping and wrenching of iron bars.
He immediately proceeded to his room, and having
armed himself with the spear of a sword-staff, he
opened the back-door to the green behind the house.
All was quiet; but observing the door of a water-closet,
which is on the outside, shut, as it seldom was, he sus-
pected something was wrong. On pushing it up, a man
sprung from within, and aimed a blow at him. Clarke,
in return, plunged the spear into the fellow's thigh.
The blackguard then drew a pistol, and fired it at his
antagonist ; but Clarke, nothing daunted, made a se-
cond thrust with the spear, which, however, struck the
wall, and snapped. The combatants then closed. Clarke
seized the man with his right hand, and the burglar
grasped him by the throat. In the struggle the butler
drew a clasp-knife from his pocket, and cut the villain
across the arm; he then threw him down, and standing
over him, was proceeding to bind his victim with his
braces, when an accomplice leaped from the roof of the
water-closet on Clarke's back. Though he still retained
his hold, yet the shock was so great that the fellow be-
neath him was enabled to get up, and the two ran across
the back green together. Clarke followed, but had not
advanced far when the discharge of a second pistol
show how well prepared the ruffians were for any
deadly encounter. Fortunately, like the previous dis-
charge, the shot did not take effect. The alarm hav-
ing been raised, several policemen were speedily on the
spot; and on examining the premises some blood was
observed on the walls and floor of the water-closet, and
the knife which Clarke held in his hand was nearly
covered with the same substance. Blood marks were also
observed in a hen-house at the place of the wall where
the burglars had escaped ; but, notwithstanding the most
minute search, no trace has been discovered of the point
of the spear, so that there is little doubt that when the
burglar who fought so stoutly decamped, he carried two
or three inches of the weapon sticking in his limb. The
part of the spear which was snapped in the wall was found
along with the pistol first discharged. Clarke has
escaped unhurt, except with a contusion in the forehead,
and his side slightly bruised with gunpowder. The
wadding of the shot was found in his coat side-pocket ;
but although a ball has also been found, it is not sup-
posed to be the one discharged from the pistol. The
most active measures have been taken by the police to
discover the daring thieves. All the members of the
medical profession have been communicated with, and
placards have been posted with the view of making the
event known, in order that the depredators may be dis-
covered.—Edinburgh Advertiser.

SUSPENSION BRIDGE at NIAGARA I
FALLS.
It is contemplated to have the foot bridge at the Falls
ready for crossing on the 4th of July. This will be a
great curiosity, and many will avail themselves of tho
adventure. The following is to be the composition of
the railroad bridge:—Number of cables for bridge, 16;
number of strands in each cable, 600; ultimate tension,
6,500 tons ; capacity of the bridge, 500 tens ; number
of strands in the ferry cable, 37; diameter of the cable,
i inch; height of stone tower 68 feet 1 inch; height of
wood tower or ferry, 50 feet; base of the tower, 90
square feet; size at the top, l 1 square feet; span of the
bridge, 800 feet; whole weight of the bridge, 650 tons;
height from the water, 230 feet; depth of water under
the bridge, 250 feet. This suspension bridge is the most
sublime work of art on the continent. It makes the head
dizzy to look at it, and yet it is traversed with as much
entire looked
width.
slatetya.'
security as any other bridge of tathesdem.Nsvai
were present while the workmen were enlgtaged inhalngle-
kti.rst cord was
hang-
ing
itch
of
pplearintsbouyteirtthe was fearful aprrtic chasm.
It is im-
possible an accident has happened since thea
:he
grandeur
carried atcoc rgoisyse thehe river
reader at
athcoletaari l i ofd e
800 a
of t
tteh.e
230 feet, over a vast
inw.ortkh.e
air,lmaagtin thea
heightfoot bridgeofloifunthgefeet in leugth,
body of water rushing through
rate of 30 miles an hour. It you gong© at the
ar
like a strip of paper suspended by aeeob _web. When the
below it, it looks
wind is strong the frail, gossaer.i
tn
sways to and fro as if ready to start fromking structure
and it shakes from extremity to centre its fastenings,
under the firm
i
tread of the pedestrian. But there s no danger. Men
pass over it with perfect safety, while the head of the

timid looker-on swims with apprehension. We saw the
first person pass over it—Mr. Ellet, the builder. His
courageous wife soon followed him, and for two days
hundreds, attracted by the novelty of the thing, took
the fearful journey. It is worth a trip to the Falls to
see this great work, although it is not probable that 1 in
20 will have the nerve to cross upon it. For, strange as
it may seem, there were those who had no hesitation to
slide over the awful chasm in a basket, upon a single
wire cable, who could not be induced to walk over the
bridge. And this aerial excursion is thrillingly exciting.
A seat on a locomotive, travelling at the rate of 60 miles
an hour, is nothing to it. When you find yourself sus-
pended in the air, with the roaring, rushing, boiling
Niagara 250 feet below you, if your heart don't flutter
you will have nerve enough to swing over Vesuvius!
And yet the sensation is not altogether unpleasant. The
ride itself, as the old lady said about skinning eels, "is
nothing when you get used to it." Another new attrac-
tion at the Falls is the excursion from the site of the
suspension bridge, to within a few rods of the Horse-
shoe Falls in the little steamer Maid of the Mist. In
no other mode can the visitor obtain so grand a view of
the great Cataract. Every one makes the trip, and all
express the same sentiment, that the Falls are not seen
in all their sublimity and grandeur, except from the dock
of the Maid of the Mist. The run is made with perfect
safety.--Albany Journal.