The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-18 00:00:00

Walla End.

Acorn Close ---
17 6
Eden ....17 6
South Itetton 18 0
Hough Hall 17 9
Stewart's 19 0
Framwellgate l6 6
Ships at mark(

PERILOUS WALK OF A SOMNAMBULIST.—Tho
Detroit Free Press describes a fearful scone which was wit-
nessed in that city at half•past two o'clock on the morning
of the 25th ult. A servant girl in a family, 18 years old
was discovered in her long night dress walking noiselessly
along tho narrow ridge of the steep roof of the houre. The
spectral form paced slowly to and fro on the narrow ridge-
board which covered the apex of the roof, approaching
in fearful proximity of the abrupt termination at the ends,
and calmly turning about to retrace the distance. Tho
house was a high one, and a misstep, or a step too far,
would have plunged the night walker down to certain
destruction. The walker occasionally raised her hand
to her head, as though engaged in thought or
troubled with pain. The head always maintained
the same position. A chimney stood directly in the
middle of the roof around which she passed with ease,
placing one hand upon its top, and walking down the slop-
ing roof to got around. Once in this spectral walk she
paused at the edge of the roof, and looked straight ahead.
A waving movement of the right hand accompanied the act,
when the walk was again renewed. The same spot was
reached again, a few moments after, when the figure again
paused, and again gazed out into the darkness, and then,
with a slow motion, stretched out a hand, and with out-
spread fingers clutched at something which had no existence
except in the fevered mind of the sleeper. The other hand
was then extended in like manner, and the body bent for-
ward in such a way that the upper portion hung over the
abyss, while the fingers reached out until there was no fur-
ther reaching, and then clutched again with a quick con-
vulsive snatch, and were withdrawn. The form wail
mo-
tionless a moment, and then commenced its walk again,
continuing as far as the middle of the roof, when it turned
towards the rear of the house, and moving down the slope
of the roof, descended through a skylight to her own room.
Her master, having aroused his wife, went with her to the
girl's room, and found her sitting on the side of the hod,
wide awake, and in a state of mind bordering on distraction,
She had no knowledge of the occurrence, but had been
awakened by the noise of her employer entering the room,
and found herself standing in the middle of her room, in
the condition described. The girl had been suffering from
a brain fever, from which she was gradually recovering.
SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.—Just at this time Sir
John Franklin was heard to say that he considered the
post to be his birthright as the senior Arctic explorer in
England. He had recently returned from his post as Go-
vernor of Van Diemen's land : his sensitive and generous
spirit chafed under tho unmerited treatment ho had expe-
rienced from the then Secretary of State for the Colonies,
and sick of civil employment, he naturally turned again to
his profession, as a better field for the ability and devotion
ho had wasted on a thankless office. Sanguine of success, for-
getful of past suffering, ho claimed his right to command the
latest, as he had led the earliest, of modern Arctic expeditions.
Directly it was known he would go if asked, the Admiralty
were of course only too glad to avail themselves of the expe-
rience of Franklin ; but Lord Haddington, then First Lord,
with that kindness which ever distinguished him, suggested
that Franklin might well rest at home on his laurels. " I
might find a good excuse for not letting you go, Sir John,"
said the peer, in the tell-tale record which informs me that
you are sixty years of ago." " No, no, my lord," was
Franklin's rejoinder; "I am only fifty-nine 1" Before
such earnestness all scruples yielded—the offer was officially
made and accepted—to Sir John Franklin was confided the
Arctic Expedition, consisting of H.M.S. Erebus, in which
he hoisted his pendant, and H.M.S. Terror, commanded by
Captain Crozier, who had recently accompanied Sir James
Ross in his wonderful voyage to the Antarctic seas.—Once
a Week.