The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-13 00:00:00

MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT TO MISS SPANKIE.—Last
night, soon after eleven o'clock, much alarm was occasioned
in the vicinity of Russell-square by the sudden appearance of
fire in the residence of Mrs. Spankie, widow of the late
Mr. Sergeant Spankie. It appears that Miss Spankie, in
ascending the staircase for the purpose of going to bed, set
fire to her dress, in consequence of a lighted candle having
been left by one of the servants on the middle landing. The
young lady shouted " Fire!" and then ran into the dmilr-,
ing-room, the flames at the time mounting over her head,
In passing round the room the muslin window-curtains also
became ignited, and for some time it was feared that the
building would have been destroyed. The butler promptly
rushed into the apartment, threw his young mistress down,
and rolled her in the hearth rug, fortunately extinguishing
the fire. It is needless to state that Miss Spankie was
severely burnt. She was put to bed, and a medical gentle-
man sent for. The fire in the drawing-room was extinguished

by the servants.
MEETING OF IRONMASTERS AT DITDLEY.--DUDLEY,
SATURDAY.—This evening the last of the quarterly meetings
of masters in this district took place at Smith's Hotel, in this
town, at which the prices agreed to at Birmingham were
confirmed. The iron trade of this district is now in a very
prosperous state, and is likely to continue so for some length
of time. Many heavy orders have been given during the.
week at the various meetings, which have been held for iron,
particularly for pig, for which kind alone orders were received
for about 25,000 tons. Under these circumstances no reduc-
tion may be expected for the present.
ratheer47l ,
ingBU last,P P O
aS EgpirlialltPuiEt MURDEReighteen years
llindmarch, was found at the foot of the cliff mile.
o f- age,O n n
aSniuneaday
Catherine
Banks, on the river Wear, near Sunderland. S
insensible state, and was removed to the Infirmary; ,here.
peraon
she lingered until Monday. It would appear that her
She was in an '
had been violated, and it is conjectured that she had after,.
wards been thrown over the rock. A man employed at thet
Dement Iron Works was seen last in her company at a late
hour the previous night. An inquest was held on the body
during Friday and Saturday, and a great deal of evidence
was gone into ; but notwithstanding the grounds for sus-
picion, the crime could not be traced with certainty t.O any
particular party. The jury found a verdict of " Wilful Mur-
der against some person or persona unknown."
FATAL PUGILISTIC ENCOUNTER.-On Saturday Mr.
Bedford held an inquest at St. George's Hospital, on the body
of James Bennett, aged 56, a labourer, living at Fulham.
Sarah Bennett, wife of deceased. stated, that at eight o'clock
on the morning of the 17th ult. she was called by a police-
man to her husband, who was then lying in a garden by the
road- side, in Crown-lane, Fulham ; he complained of a pai'
in the lower part of the stomach, and, on being taken home,
he was seen by a surgeon, and removed to the hospital ott
the following day, when he said he had received the injury-
from a man who was coming out of the Crown. He thought
it would end in death, but seemed quite resigned. Jereiniall.
Plaster, labourer, was next examined. He knew a matt
named Gibbs, and had worked with him. Was. present ont
the right in question, and heard the deceased cry out; " Hai
has kicked me." Gibbs was an experienced tighter, and bad •
a peculiar knack of butting with his head, which be did re-,
peatedly against the deceased's belly. Police-constable 89, of .
the V division, gave confirmatory evidence, and said that the.,
man Gibbs d absconded, and nothing whatever could be •
beard of him.ha The jury at length returned a verdict of Malbt.
slaughter against John Gibbs. -
NTWERL
FLIGHT OF PIGEONS FROM HULL TO .A
-On Saturday morning last the fancy ofnurneroauis ornate
ar fled in the
of that useful bird, the carrier pigeon,
those feathered messengers fr t of that hßaluon
highest degree by the beautiful flight of
deck wnisso r st
steamer at this port. The birds,. which are the
several fanciers at Antwerp, were brought over in the Mo-
march for - the purpose of, .deciding deciding by their return flight the
e4a7rcuttf
distribution of certain prizes as arranged by the association of
proprietors. The birds were let out of the baskets, in which
they bad been carefully tended, precisely at seven o'clock,
and immediately rose nearly perpendicularly to a considerable
elevation, when, after taking their customary circuits of
observation, they Went off in an apparent direction for their
native Boil. The Monarch, which proceeded soon afterwards,
for Antwerp, returned yesterday (Thursday),
kindness of Captain Main we have beenhfiarvteo
following results of the aerial voyage. T and by
the
eunr e
of the birds
the same day, having
reached Antwerp at two o'Clock l' iles. in seven hours.
o'clock on Sunda
Twenty-seven e traversedatye
eave
a distancereach
reached
df
thei °rn
city2Bo ie;OvQe
am.
.3,8 U
same afternoon. The extreme heat of the weather •t ... P• morning, and the whole of the remainder arrive.l safe on the
posed to have caused the stragglers to alight on reach:az
terra firma, or the probability is that all would ha'N'
their respective cotes on Saturday. The principal priz: 190
gained by M. Vanden Brook.-Hull Packet.
THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.-The last fete and
flower show of the Horticultural Society tookplace, '
• or
their garden at Turnham-green, on Saturday.. In addition to
the promenade in the grounds of the Society, the company-
were permitted, by the kindness of his Grace the Duke of
Devonshire, to extend their perambulations through , the
splendid walks and conservatories of the garden and park'
of Chiswick House. The assemblage of persons •of rank
and fashion was very numerous, including almost all the
rank and beauty of the families now in the metropolis. The
Duke of Devonshire received his Highness Ibrahim Pachs
in his grounds shortly after five o'clock ; the Egyptiam
Prince was plainly attired, and came in a very private manner,
accompanied by only one member of his suit. He ap-a
peared highly delighted with the gay scene around him,.
and put many questions to the members of the council. A.
splendid tent, in the oriental style, purposely manufactured
for the occasion by Mr. B. Edgington, of the Borough, was*
erected in the gardens for the accommodation of the illustri-
ous visitor, and in it was arranged ottomans, Sc., in the
eastern manner. The flowers, plants, and fruits were ar-
ranged beneath tents, sent from the same manufactory ;
they were extremely fine, and for the time of year unsur-
passable; the pines, in particular, were of the highest order
and the best cultivation. There were some extremely rare
plants from South America, an almost endless variety of roses
and Cape heaths, and, in short, a collection matchless for beauty
and rarity. Five military bands were in attendance. The band
of the Ist Regiment of Life Guards, the band of the Horse
Guards, the band of the Coldstream Guards, the bands of the
Artillery, and the band of the Sappers and Miners. These
played alternately selections of music from the great masters;
two being placed in the gardens of the Duke of Devonshire,
and three in the gardens of the Society The arrangements
were altogether excellent, and it will be proper to commend
the activity and efficacy of the police, who performed their
ioniewhat arduous task with-good temper and firmness
united. The competition was a showy one, and it was with
some difficulty that the judges came to their conclusion as
to respective merits. .. ' "
REPEAL OF THE CORN LAWS.—In spite of tho7mopal..,
of the corn-laws, the :estotes of the late Philip Dykes, 'tael.4,--:
at Roydon and Bressiogham, were sold by auction at Disi,
on Friday last by Mr. Rix. rut thirty-four years' purchase, Oa-
full annual rental.- Suffolk Chroni;le. for
Mr. Hedwort4Laubt94,,sizi has pft taws 1374
4104' Wiglit. _ -i - •:- -•-, -