The Sun.
London, England, 1804-02-29 00:00:00

AMERICA.

NORFOLK, JAN. I.O.—The following
.extra'} of
a letter was ltamfed• us vesterdae, by a Gen:leMan.
of this place, dated Murfrees Borough, (N. C.)
December 29.
" I have opened my letter to relate an accident
.that happened about twenty
,miles.from this place,
on the iztli inst. ,During the time Capt. SMITH'S
ijes.so. 14y the, river, a tornado cache on whiCh
lasted about five minutes, .and Jipser
_mate and three seamen in the cabin at the time.
Mr, BRADLEY'S litAlle was carried 4oixdistance,
his.desk and. other arniture dispersed'. nearly. 400
yardsliom the house, and his cash and goods pew-
ed,in various direc,tiqns.—a horse, and bull carried
some distance, the former killed, as well as all die
poultry, hogs, &c. The frees adjoining torn up
by the roots--bricks, SccAew-about, some nearly a
quarter of-d mile ; and many other unfortunate dis-
asters took place. The vessel was !righted again
yesterday, and three of the men were found'dead,
linked' together in'the Cabin. -

The following horrible transadion, which is men-;
tioned by Mr.,CARR in his-late tour in Prance, has
mit..been noticed before, in any accounts of that, most_
woeful-of events,. the.-.Freoch,l2.cvqu.tion.,, It
affords a striking proof. of „what w,e might expect if
the Gallic Monsters were to obtain a tootirig;in this
•Country •
"1 Am vigst those who suffered was the hzatififul.
young ,Bißms.„ said to be one of the
loveliest wo%nen of,tl.:e:Frencyp,?tirt. Her „fate was
singular and horrible, One morn n', tWo Of the, a•-
sistant exzt:lttioners:,c,t roe. ji1;0 que.9ftllej()?rps, and
t..m(Jri the .f.,r11...de tb..c 1,1%.
*Ward, meaning tae 0:1 n,„,esse.l)E'Bt P. )1, ;110
thu, who was her... irunl:ired with her daughter ;
,;sorne_bnesaid, 'of th.:in do yoU require ?'
The hell.hOunds replied, ' Our Order was tat. one
only, but, .as there ire two, we will have both; that,
there may be no error.' ' The niother aradanghter
Were taken away, locked senseless In'each ,oilers
arm's:- :Whitt the c-art.whiCh.Carried them -at'tived
'at, the -foot of the: scaffnl4 the chief .executioner
looked at his paper,• which contained a list. of his
vikii,ms,. and sa.v the.,natne only of one .Bt rtorr ;: t 1 e
a'ssiso ants in (or nlet.l It int .that they, found' tWO 'of t
name in the convent, and, to pre vent mistake, they
bad brought bpth.. The principal, with petfed sang
said it was all; well, wrote with a pencil the
les,' before the name B RON, to which he
added an s, and imtu•ediately .bekacled.both ! !

FMB/IDLY SOCIETIES.--A case of very' great
importance to all Annuity and other Societies was
lately heard in the Court of Fotchequer ;: and .aitfe
objeet of the suit, and its ultimate event, involve
theinterests of many thousands in these islands, we
think it an ad 'of kindness to these- useful institu-
tn state as'foiloWs :
The original Annuity Society, formed in Wor-
cester, had . agreed to :pay the widows Of deceased
Members!26l, per annum hand the. Members- them-
selver, 201. when they attained the age of. 6o years.
The Society in the early outset were-unfortunate
in losing several mc,mbets ; the annuities of 261.
per,annum paid I,) thcir yvid)ws, made a.grea in-
road into their fund,, so that they were under.the
disagresilble necessity, of reducing the widows' an-
nuitie:s to 201. per annum.
The demands upon them still increasing, and per-
ceiving that a long list of aged- tnembers-were in a
short pee.riod'to upon. them, which it
•wis'imossible for the fund of the Society to dis.
etarge without .touching npon.Aits capital stock,
thereby endangering that. fabric 'which had proved
the:asylum:of -so :many widows and orphans (which
hat fOrn-Atis. provident i“sti ttit ion Jiiigh.rhave wan-
dered upon; the world. for proteaion)
,thsy, cat Re to
ihe_resolution,- and made such a la w.. in, their. books,
that
,ntrard menthershould receive inure than, 'of.
for his annuity, ..ancl,.,that for obyious reasons—be-
cause vilit.lows were,thefirstobjeCt of the institOtion,
the„ aged members secondary;_ and ,as 'the' oldest
member. of the. Society had not paid in the 'whole,4ol.
to .the funds thereof; this regUlatidn 'waS. Oct. ap-
.prOVO of by the firs,t. aged ite:niber,
.whey by, sent'rit
y _became., ,accot ding to the original delis ies,,.en.
titled to, zol.,per 1101.1UiD; he therefore filed a l&1 in
His Majesty's Court- of ExChequer.to syl the
payment of that sum to him.
That cause has been lately heard beroie the Barons
Of the Exchecrie'r, on4'svhich the 'Plaintiff:derived.ld'
every advantage that the most- able Counsel—co:o
deVi-se; but, alter a minute investigation -of the..'dif--;
ferent `rights of the' present widows, the ensiling-.
aged -niernbers, -and the younger -branchee .of -the. So..'
ciety, the Court weie onatiituonSlylof opinion, 'that'.
such had a claim upon- th:ir protratOn'; that in thciel
self-crfaied sOcieties;,the moldiity. Must at .all•titnes:
bind. the rt. in'ority ot; in otheT words, those bodies
'Who make laws for the regulation Of their affairs',
,luny amend those =laws far their better 'welfare in'
'future. •
It 'would he' indeed an extreme hard case, if a So-
ciety set out -in trror, 'that:they may. not have'liber.
ty,to correct their unfortunate outset, however. good
their original intention ; but it is, hoped, that this
opinion of.tire-court will, put this .question at rest
for ever : '
'' Whether or not the majority of a Society shall
bind: the. minority;" whicht by ;the above, seems
decided in the affirmative.