The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-09 00:00:00

FLANDERS MAIL.

BRUSSELS, JAN. 6.—The Government has received
from the Charge d'Affaires ofßelgium, at Turin, a report
which contains interesting information respecting ti,,,
commerce of the island of Sardinia. This report i.
accompanied-1. Byavie w ofthe import and export trade
of the island for ten years-1826 to 1837. 2. A table,
showing the number of ships that arrived in and left
the port of the island in 1843. 3. An estimate of the
English goods imported into the island in 1843.
4. A table of the weights and measures in use in
the island, compared with the national system.
His Majesty gave an audience, on the 4th of this
month, at noon, to the Marquis de Reimegrez, Am-
bassador of his Majesty the King of the French, who
delivered a letter from his Sovereign, notifying the
marriage of his Royal Highness the Duke d'Aumale
to the Princess Maria Caroline Augusta of Salerno.
The King has also received a letter from his Ma-
jesty the King of the Two Sicilies, on the occasion of ,
this marriage.
. _

The navigation of our canals, which has been in-
terrupted fur more than a month. will probably be
resumed this week, if we should not have any returi,
of the frost.

We (the Courrier Beige) have just received a
letter from Berlin, which states positively that thf
Prussian Cabinet understands the 19th article of it:
treaty of the Ist of September, relative to the impor.
tation of our iron into the State of the Zollverein, a.s
it is understood in Belgium. On this point, there
fore, the two parties are agreed, but at the same tim(
it has been thought proper to take the opinion of the
other States on this question.

A SHARK STORY. BY THE LATE
WILLIAM P. HAWES, ESQ.

(From a New York Paper.)

" Heartless villiain 1" I shrieked out, in the torture
of my disappointment, "may reward your in-
humanity." The crew answered my prayer with a
coarse, low laugh ; and the cook asked me through a
speaking-trumpet, "If I wasn't afraid of catching
cold"—the black rascal!

It was now time to strip ; for my knees felt the
cool tide, and the wind dying away, left a heavy
swell, that swayed and shook the box upon which I
was mounted, so that I had occasionally to stoop and
paddle with my hands against the water, in order to
preserve my perpendicular. The setting sun sent
his almost horizontal streams of fire across the dark
waters, making them gloomy and terrific by the con-
trast of his amber and purple glories.
Something glided by me in the water, and then
made a sudden halt. I looked upon the black mass,
and as my eyes ran along its dark outline I saw with
horror that it was a shark—the identical monster out
of whose mouth I had just broken my hook. He was
fishing now for me, and was evidently only waiting
for the tides to rise high enough above the rock to
glut at once his hunger and revenge. As the water
continued to mount above my knees, he seemed to grow
more hungry and familiar. At last he made a desperate
dash, and approached within an inch of my legs, turned
upon his hack, and opened his huge jaws for an at-
tack.- With desperate strength I thrust the end of my
rod violently at his mouth ; and the brass head, ring-
ing against his teeth, threw him back into the deep
current, and I lost sight of him entirely. This, how-
ever, was but a momentary repulse ; for in the next
minute he was close behind my back, and pulling at
the skirts of my fustian coat, which hung dipping
into the water. I leaned forward hastily, and endea-
voured to extricate myself from the dangerous grasp;
but the monster's teeth were too firmly set, and hiz,
immense strength nearly drew me over. So down
flew my rod, and off went my jacket, devoted peace-
offerings to my voracious visitor.
In an instant the waves all around me were lashed

nto froth and foam. No sooner was my poor old
sporting friend drawn under the surface, than it was
fought for by a dozen enormous combatants! The
battle raged upon every side. High black fins rushed
now here, now there, and long strong tails scattered
sleet and froth, and the brine was thrown up in jets,
and eddied, and curled, and fell, and swelled, like a
whirlpool in Hellgate.
Of no long duration, however, was this fishy tour-
ney. It seemed soon to be discovered that the prize
contended for contained nothing edible but cheese
and crackers, and no flesh ; and as its mutilated frag-
ments came to the surface the waves subsided into
their former smooth condition. Not till then did 1
experience the real terrors of my situation. As I
looked around me to see what had become of the rob.
bers, I counted one, two, three—yes, up to twelve
successively—of the largest sharks I ever saw, float-
ing in a circle around me, like divergent rays, all
mathematically equi-distant from the rock, and from
each other ; each perfectly motionless, and with
gloating, fiery eye, fixed full and fierce upon me.
Basilisks and rattle-snakes, how the fire of their
steady eyes entered into my heart ! I was the centre
of a circle, whose radii were sharks! I was the un-
sprung, or rather unchewed game, at which a pack of
hunting sea-dogs were making a dead point.
There was one fellow that kept within the circum-
' ference of the circle. He seemed to be a sort of cap.
tain or leader of the band, or rather he acted as the
coroner for the other twelve of the inquisition that
were summoned to sit on and eat up my body. He
glided round and about, and every now and then
would stop and touch his nose against some one
of his comrades, to consult or give instructions as to
the time and mode of operations. Occasionally he
would scull himself towards me, and examine the con-
dition of my flesh, and then again glide back and re-
join the troop, and flap his tail and have another con-
fabulation. The old rascal had, no doubt, been out in
the highways and byways, and collected this com-
pany of his friends and kin-fish, and invited them to
supper. I must confess that, horribly as I felt, I
could not help but think of a tea-party of demure old
maids, sitting in a solemn circle, with their skinny
hands in their laps, licking their expecting lips, while
their hostess bustles about in the important functions
of her preparations. With what an eye have I seen
such appurtenances of humanity survey the location
and adjustment of some especial condiment, which is
about to be submitted to criticism and consumption.
My sensations began to be now exquisite indeed ;
bat I will not attempt to describe them. I was nei-
ther hot nor cold, frightened nor composed • but I
had a combination of all kinds of feeling and emo-
tions. The present, past, future, heaven, earth, my
father and mother, a little girl I knew once, and the
sharks, were all confusedly mixed up together, and
swelled my crazy brain almost to bursting. I cried
and laughed, and shouted and screamed for Tim Titus.
In a fit of most wise madness, I opened my broad-
bladed fishing-knife, and waved it around my head
with an air of defiance. As the tide continued to
rise, my extravagance of madness mounted. At one
time I became persuaded that my tide-waiters were
reasonable beings, who might be talked into mercy
and humanity, if a body could only hit upon the right
text. So I bowed and gesticulated, and threw out
my hands, and talked to them as friends and brothers,
members of my family, cousins, uncles, aunts, people
waiting to have their bills paid. I scolded them as
my servants ; I abused them as duns ; I implored
them as jurymen, sitting on the question of my life ;
I congratulated and flattered them as my comrades
upon some glorious enterprise ; I sang and ranted to
them, now as an actor in a playhouse, and now as an
elder in a camp meeting, in one moment roaring—
" On the cold flinty rock I will lay down my head"—
and in the next, giving out to my, attentive hearers,
for singing, a hymn of Dr. Watts s, admirably appro-
priate to the occasion:—
" On slippery rocks I see them stand,
While fiery billows roll below."
What said I—what did I not say ?—Prose and
poetry, Scripture and drama, romance and ratiocina-
tion—out it came—Quamdiu, Catalina, nostra pa-
tientia abutereY—l sung out to the old captain to begin
with—" My brave associates, partners of my toil"—
so ran the strain. " On which side soever I turn my
eyes"—" Gentlemen of the jury"—" I come here not
to steal away your hearts"—" You are not wood, you
are not stone, but"—Hoh !—" Begin, ye tormentors,
your tortures are vain"—" Good friends, sweet friends,
let me not stir you up to any sudden flood"—" The
angry flood which lashed her groaning sides"—
" Ladies and gentlemen"—My very noble and ap-
proved good masters"—" Avaunt! and quit my sight ;
let the earth hide ye"—Lie lightly on his bed, 0,
earth !"—" Oh, heaven and earth, that it should ,-orne
to this"—" The torrent roared, and we did buffet it
with lusty sinews, stemming it aside, and oaring it with
hearts of controversy"—" Give me some drink, Ti-
tania"—" Drink, boys, drink, and drown dull sorrowl,.
—" For liquor it doth roll such comfort to the sou
-"
Romans countrymen, and lovers, hear, me for my
cause, and be silent that you may hear Fellow-
citizens, assembled as we are upon this interesting
Tslie et pqrueavlaiite3 briorf,
occasion, impressed with the truth and beauty'
,
`ni`
elrscleyoifs
notbea usttyra,infaerde„_th,lagna v erita
well"—"
—"
Truth is potent, and"—" Most potent, grave, and
reverend seigniors"—
" Oh, now you weep, and I perceive you feel
The dint of pity ; these are gracious drops.
Kind souls, what, weep you when you behold
Our Ca.sar's vesture wounded ?"
Ha! ha! ha !—and I broke out in a fit of most
horrible laughter, as I thought of the mincemeat par-
ticles of my lacerated jacket.
In the meantime the water had got well up towards
my shoulders, and while I was shaking and vibrating
upon my uncertain foothold, I felt the cold nose of
the captain of the band snubbing against my side.
Desperately, and without any definite object, I struck
at one of his eyes, and, by some singular fortune,
cut it out clean from the socket. The shark darted
back and halted. In an instant hope and reason came
to my relief, and it occurred to me that if I could
only blind the monster I might yet escape. Accord-
ingly I stood ready for the next attack. The loss of
an eye did not seem to affect him much, for, after
shaking his head once ar twice, he came up to me
and again when he was about half an inch off,

turned upon his back. This was the critics
moment. With more unaccountable presence of
mind, I laid hold of his nose with my left
hand and with my right I scooped out
h7s remaining organ of vision. He opened his
big mouth, and champed his long teeth at me in
despair. But it was all over with him. 1 raised my
right foot and gave him a hard shove, and he gli(lod
off into the deep water, and went to the bottom.
Well, gentlemen I suppose you'd think it a hard
story, but it's none the le-s a fact, that I served every
remaining one of those nineteen sharks in the same
fashion. They all came up to me, one by one, regu-
larly and in order, and I scooped their eyes out and
gave them a shove, and they went off into deep water,
just like so many lambs. By the time I had scooped
out and blinded a couple of dozen of them, they began
to seem so scarce, that I thougl:t I would swinifcr
the island, and fight the rest for fun on the w:.y ; but
just then Tim Titus hove in sight, and it had got to
be almost dark, and I concluded to get on board an d
rest myself.

INCENDIARISM.— A man named William Cat•kett,
who has been in custody several days, under remand,
was brought up for final examination on Monday, before
Sir R. Frederick, Mr. Roberts, and other magistrates at
Kingston, on a charge of tiring a rick of barley at Wal-
ton-on-Thames. the pr,iperty of a farmer named
Tubbs. It appeared from the depositions of numerous
witnesses that the fire took place between ten and
eleven at night, on the 25th ut' December. On
an alarm being given, one of the police-constables
attached to the V divi,ion hastened towards the fire
and when he had got near Mr. Tubb's premises he
met the prisoner corning away. He asked him some
questions. and oventualty the prisoner accompanied him
hack to the fire, and assisted to work the engines.
Some suspicion was entertained of him at this time,
and on his being questioned he denied that he had
had any lucifer mstehc•s in his possession on that
day. Ho was scarchol, but nothing suspicious being
found upon him, he was eventually allowed to depart ;
but, from what after wards transpired, he was taken
into custody a day or two :afterwards. It was now
proved that on the night of the fire the prisoner was in a
public-house at Walton, and that be had a number of
boxes of lucifer matches in his possession, which ho
offered for sale, and in the course of the evening he gave
one of them to a person in the tap-room. He left the
house, which is only a short distance from Mr. Tubbs'
farm, shortly after ten o'clock, and in a very brief period
the fire broke out. Almost immediately afterwards the
prisoner was seen by a person named White running is a
direction away from the fire, and he remarked that his
face was very black. A box of inciters was found in Mr.
Tubb's yard, which was proved to be of exactly the same
description as those which the prisoner bad been seen
offering for sale in the public-house at Walton. There
did not appear to be any motive for the commission of
the act by the prisoner, but from the above facts and
other circumstances that came out in evidence, a casr of
suspicion appeared to be made out against him. The
magistrates committed the prisoner for trial at the next
spring assizes.

DEATHS OF CHILDREN BY FlRE.—Yesterday Mr.
Baker held two inquests at the London Hospital, on the
bodies of two children, destroyed by fire. The first
was en the body of Henrietta Bagster, aged five,
whose parents reside at No. 2, George-yard, White-
chapel. It appeased that on the 12th ult., whilst
lighting in play a piece of paper at the fire, she
ignited her clothes, and was in consequence so severely
burned that she was removed to this hospital, in which
place she died of exhaustion, arising from her burns,
on the sth inst. The second inquest was on the
body of Edward Stevens, aged four, whose parents live
in Prince's-court, Birdcage. walk, Bethnal-green. Whilst
sitting, three weeks ago, on a little stool before the fire,
a spark flew into his; lap, and instantly his dress was
in flames. He expired on Tuesday. The Coroner re-
marked that mortality amongst childr..ll, the result of
fire, was at present remarkably great, and that within a
few days he had held eight inquests on bodies so de-
stroyed. Fire-guards would prevent such calamities ;
but no advice or reasoning could, it appeared, induce
poor parents to make general use of them. Verdict,
in both cases, "Accidental death."

CRICKET MATCH IN SKATES.-013 Thursday, the
26th ult., the Sheffield Skating Cia;), by permission of
Mr. Paxton, played a game at cricket on the ice in skates
at Chatsworth Park, the seat of the Duke of Devonshire
(Scottish Pond, Swiss Cottage). At the commencement
of the game several loads of wood were brought to the
pond side for the purpose of making a large tire, which
had a very animated appearance, and at the conclusion
of the first innings refreshments were ordered by Mr.
Paxton to the pond side for the members of the Skating
Club, which were kindly accepted. After lunch the
game was resumed, and the scene had a more pleasing
appearance, in consequence of several ladies skating on
the pond. When the game was over, the members com-
menced some excellent figurative skating, which was
carried on for some time, after which the ladies in skates
and members of the club danced Payne's Qudrilles, which
concluded the day's amusement.
FATAL RAILWAY ACClDENT.—Yesterday (Tues.
(lay), at the Manchester Infirmary, an inquest was held
on view of the body of Nathaniel Horst:ill, labourer,
thirty-three years of age. The deceased had been in
the employment of the Manchester, Bury, and Rossen-
dale Railway Company, and in the afternoon of Satur-
day, the 28th ult., whilst disengaging a horse which was
drawing three waggons loaded with earth, he fell across
one of the rails, and a wheel of the first waggon caught
his right arm. In that state he was pushed about four
yards along an inclined plane, and received a compound
fracture of the arm, and contusion of the neck and chest.
lie was conveyed to the infirmary, where amputation
was performed, but he died on Saturday morning last.
A verdict of Accidental Death was returned.--Man-
cheater Guardian.

TROOPS FOR VAN DIEMAN'S LAND.--CHATHAM,
JAN. B,—The Commandant of this garrison, Sir Thomas
Wiltshire, K.C.8., issued yesterday garrison orders,
commanding detachments from the 31st, 38th, 96th, and
99th Regiments to hold themselves in readiness for em-
barkation to New South Wales and Van Dieraan's
Land. The troops were inspected this (lay in heavy
marching order. The 51st King's Own Light Infantry
furnishes 22 men ; the 58th, 196 men ; 96th, 18 inen ;
and 99th, 45 men ; making a total of 281 men. These
troops are to march from this garrison on Friday, the
10th instant, en route for Gravesend, when they are to
embark in boats from the Customs-quay on board the
freight-ship Ann, of 800 tons burden. The troops are
to be under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Robert
Henry Wynyard, of the 58th, with the following officers
of the same regiment :—Captain Joseph Henry Laye,
Ensign George Henry Wynyurd, and Assistant-Surgeon
Thomas Moore Philson. Assistant-Surgeon William
M'Andrew, of the 96th Regiment, also embarks with
the above. The 58th leaves behind a detachment at this
garrison of 5 sergeants, 5 corporals, 1 drummer, and 53
privates, under command of Captain George Ponsonby
Hume and Lieutenant Petley.
ANOTHER DEATH IN THE MILLDAM( PRISON.—
Yesterday Mr. Higgs held an inquest in the Millbauk
Prison, on the body of Harris Nash, aged 22, a prisoner.
It appeared from the evidence of Captain Grove, the g,
vernor, and Dr. Baily, physician of the prison, that de-
ceased was received into it on the 9th October last, front
the Model Prison, Pentonville, having been convicted on
the sth January, 1843, at the St. Alban's Quarter Ses-
sions, and sentenced to ten years' transportation. When
admitted to the Millbank prison, he was in good health,
though somewhat emaciated, and went on well until the
Ist instant, when he was seized w ith violent inflamma-
tion of the bowels, accompanied by a loss of appetite.
He was immediately removed to the infirmary, treated
therein carefully, and appeared to recover, until Sunday
last, when he had a violent relapse, causing such ex-
haustion that he died on Tuesday. A post rnortem
examination showed inflammation and incipient mortifi-
cation of the intestines to be the cause of death. Verdict
—" Natural death."

APPREHENSION, ESCAPE, AND RECAPTURE.—WE
stated last week that John Gillespie had been appre-
hended in Carlisle, on a charge of breaking into the shoe
of Mr. Grindel, of Wigton. On Saturday he was take,.
to Wigton, and a dear case made out against him.
prisoner was then conveyed to :the lock-up by 11,ithc.
rington, the officer, to wait the departure of the train fi!:
Carlisle. In the meantime Hetherington went to obtain
some refreshment, leaving the prisoner, with a pair c,
leg-irons on, in the charge of two of the Wigton police-
men. On his return, great was his astonishment to fins'
that the bird had flown. Some kind friends outside. . .
taking advantage of the watchmen's dozing propensities.
had, almost under Dogberry's very nose, applied a crow-
bar to the door of the lock-up, and set the prisoner free.
A reward of 5/. was offered for his apprehension, but
without effect until Tuesday night, when he surrendered
himself in Carlisle.— Tyne Mercury.
CURIOSITIES OF POLICE.—A great book is yet tc
he written on our police-courts. We believe that 9011le
genius—heaven-appointed for the work—will one day
arise in the mean time, and awaiting that luminary,
we can only gather. up materials for the opus magnum:
leelrekberanwteedll,l‘r
Elizabeth
Greenwood,abethl'hilhps was arraigned before
charged with having
stolen the watch of a tradesman, in Sadler's Well:
Theatre. It was proved that the police knew nothing tc
theAt Cc
her prejudice, and that she had lived with her father it
the same place for seven years. The girl herself, in e
passion of tears, exclaimed—" Why, my God ! severe
people will come forward to prove I was at home al
Friday evening. At the time this gentleman and lad%
speak of, I was fetching a pint of beer for my father
from the Swan public-house in lieato-street. Send far
Mr. Fryer, the landlord. Oh, do pray, Sir, do, for lan.
innocent." And the innocence of the girl was prove'
beyond doubt. She had, however, been taken into cut
tody at Sadler's Wells the night after the complainar
had lost his watch, she having been at home on tt.
Friday. Whereupon, what did and what said the sai
sagacious Magistrate ? Why—" Mr. Greenwood di
charged the girl, telling her to be cautious how
visited theatres in future." And wherefore ? Th
accuser might have made the like mistake as to person
identity, had he been robbed in a church ; yet wou
Mr. Greenwood have then advised the girl "to be cat.-
tious how she visited churches in future ?"—Punch.

WHITEHAVEN AND FURNESS RAILWAY.—Tht
share list in this undertaking is rapidly filling up.. &cc
bids fair to be soon completed. Up to the Ist ir•st.
application in Whitehaven alone amount d to the srior
of 114,580/., independent of the shares which migut
have been taken in London, Liverpool, Manchester, &. •
The projectors feel sanguine that they will obtain no.
Act early in the ensuing session, without any difficult)
—Tyne Mercury.
At a meeting of the Directors of the Whitehavoi
Junction Railway, held at the Company's office inWhitt—
haven, on Monday, the stumbling block which itzli
hitherto retarded the work, was completely and 'Hans
factorily removed, so that we may now look for imme
diate end active steps being taken fur commep
.sing the
undertaking.—Curnberland Pacquet.

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