The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-03 00:00:00

ESCAPE FROM DROWNING.

COLMONELL, Nov. 21.—Our amiable and esteemed
pastor, Mr. Blair, had a very narrow escape from
drowning on Tuesday last. When in his study,
about three o'clock in the afternoon, he observed two
little girls, each with a burden of sticks, attempting
to cross the Stinchar, which was considerably swollen
at the time. In a minute or so they disappeared ; on
observing which, Mr. Blair, unknown to any •f his
family, ran out to their assistance. The manse being
three or four hundred yards from the river, Mr.
Blair, with great presence of mind, instead of running
directly to the place at which he had lost sight of
them, to save time ran along the bank, and plunged
into the river below where they would most likely
appear. By this time the girls had lost hold of each
other—the one he observed making towards the side
from which they had entered, while the other was
floating in the middle of the stream. B 7 great dex-
terity he seized the latter by the arm. The sudden-
ness, however, of the effort made him lose his balance,
and, in an instant, he was seen floating with the ob-
ject his humanity had prompted him to save. Fortu-
nately Mr. Blair's usual presence of mind did not
here forsake him, for he retained his hold, with the
one hand, and buoyed himself up with the other.
Hitherto he felt conscious that by swimming he could
save himself; but to drop his hold of the girl—who,
by this time, from exhaustion, was making but little
or no exertion, and who, if let go, must have sunk to
rise no more—was repugnant to his feelings. In a
short time they were out of the strictest of the river,
but his own strength was fast giving way. At this
critical moment, Miss Jane Findlay, of Craigneil
Mill, attracted to the spot by the motions and cries of
another, who had seen the strugglers at a distance,
Grace Darling-like plunged into the water, and was
the happy means of saving both, to all appearance,
from a watery grave, Mr. Blair having now become
too much exhausted and benumbed with the cold to
make further exertions. From Mr. Findlay and
family they received every possible attention, and they
were soon so far restored as to be able to be conveyed
to their respective homes. Mr. Blair, we are happy
to state, is now completely recovered; and it is the
sincere wish of all who know him, that he may be long
s 'aced to manifest, as he has hitherto invariably done,
the best feelings of our nature.—Ayrshire Observer.

PATENT DETECTOR LOCK.—On Monday a report
of fire-arms was heard in the barracks of Brussels. On
examination it appeared that the box of one of the men
had been forced open by some person, and that a pistol,
placed by him so as to be discharged when force was
employed, had gone off. The question then arose, had
the thief been hit ? That at first remained unknown ;
but some hours afterwards one of his comrades, who had
been at the investigation without testifying the slightest
emotion, presented himself at the hospital to get a ball
extracted. This was effected, though not without great
difficulty. This man had the almost incredible fortitude
to remain without giving the slightest manifestation of
pain whilst in the presence of his comrades, hoping that
he might perhaps eventually conceal what he had done.
lle survived the extraction of the ball but a few hours.

SHOOTING EXTRAORDINARY.—On Thursday last
as a young gentleman, son of Mr. Thomas Lawrence of
this city, was out amusing himself with a gun, he ob-
served something floundering in the narrow gut of water
which was at the Blackrock side of the slob. Conceiv-
ing it to be an otter, he fired at and wounded the object,
Erne. then boldly stripped off and entered the water for
the purpose of securing his prize. This, with some little
difficulty, he effected, when to his own astonishment as well
as that of several persons (amongst them some ladies) who
were spectators of the amusing scene, he brought to shore
a very fine hake, weighing nearly a dozen pounds 1 The
questionorign, arises, does such sporting, such unnatural
sptzrarniner tnvolvo a breach of the game-laws ?—Cork