The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-26 00:00:00

NARROW ESCAPE FROM BURNING TO DEATH.-

On Tuesday morning a black woman, named Jackson,
nearly eighty years of age, who, for many years past,
has resided in Butcher-row, Deptford, nearly opposite to
the Pier, and who has carried on the lucrative business
of a diviner of future events, was nearly burned to death,
caused by a spark having flown from the fire, whilst
lighting it, on to her dress, and of which she was not
aware at the time. Having lighted her fire, she was
proceeding along the passage to the back part of the
premises, when, coming in contact with the air, her
clothes suddenly burst out into a blaze. Her cries
reached a man named Freshwater, who, with his wife,
resided in one of the upper rooms in the same house, but
who was so alarmed that, instead of endeavouring to
put out the flames, he called to his wife to bring him
down a knife for the purpose of cutting her clothes off
her back. The woman, however, with more presence of
mind than her husband, snatched up his great coat, and
throwingc, it over the sufferer, extinguished the flames,
but not before the wretched creature was burned in a
most dreadful manner.

DENSE FOG IN GLASGOW.—On Friday we were
visited by one of the densest fogs we have had for many
years. During the week the weather was rather broken,
till Thursday night, when the frost set in with great in.
tensity, and on the day following the city was enveloped
in a fog so dense that it was scarcely possible to see
across some of the streets, and lights had to be used in
all places of business. In the evening the fog became
thicker. The traffic on the river was entirely sus
pended—only one steamer, the Invincible, Captain
M'Kellar, was able to make way up, after a deten-
tion of nearly fire hours. Several vessels, including two
Irish, one Stranraer, and three or four river steamers,
left the Broomielaw in the morning, but none of them,
we believe, were able to make much progress. The
larger vessels are aground near Govan, only two miles
down the river, while two or three of the others found
their way to Renfrew, only a few miles farther, where
they deemed it prudent to remain. We regret to state
that three men were drowned at Port Dundas during the
fog. About six o'clock, as Alexander Buntine, master
of the Christian, belonging to Dumbarton, was proceed-
ing to his vessel, after having been in the city on busi-
ness during the day, he unfortunately- fell into the
canal directly opposite the Track Boat station. Imme-
diately on the accident becoming known, a vigorous
search was made, and in about 15 minutes the-body wasgot
out and taken to the collector's office, where Dr. Adams
shortly afterwards arrived, and tried every effort to
restore animation, but most unfortunately without effect.
The deceased has left a wife and two children to lament
his loss. He was long known about the port as a most
respectable and industrious man, and his death is much
regretted. On the same evening, shortly after six
o'clock, as Robert Maitland and Colin Campbell, who
were in the employment of Messrs. M. Macfarlane and
Co., distillers, Port Dundee, were leaving their work,
they had not proceeded many yards from the distillery
when they stumbled and fell into the canal, and were
drowned. The bodies of the two unfortunate men were
brought up linked together, rather in a stooping posture,
showing that they had been cautiously walking toge-
ther, endeavouring to avoid the very danger into which
they so suddenly fell. Maitland has left a wife and two
children. Colin Campbell was unmarried.—Glasgow
Journal.
THE RlVER.—Tuesday the surface of the Thames
at flood and ebb tide was partially covered with floating
ice, but not such as to cause any material obstruction to
the navigation. The docks are still clear of ice, but the
canals are partly frozen. Owing to the prevailing
easterly winds, which have now lasted upwards of three
weeks, there are no fewer than 120 sail of vessels, out-
ward bound, detained in various parts of the river.

JUVENILE DEPRAVITY.

On Tuesday afternoon a fire was discovered rl
st"
ceeding from a stable in the occupation of and
widow, named Gaisford, at Bulkington, about
miles from Devizes, and the flames communicatil,
the dwelling-house adjoining, the whole waswr
sumed in the course of two hours. It mano
membered that some alarm was excited in this
about a year and a half ago, in consequence of the,,
molition of nearly the whole of the windows of T,
Gaisford's house, and of a great portion of. ft",
crockery, apiarently without hands. Mri. Gslslo
—good easy woman—and her husband (0%41
living at the time) could not be persuaded but t'o,
proceeded from some supernatural power—that It 001
in fact, the freaks of a ghost. Upon no other Perstol
mind, however, was there the slightest doubt but 0
it was the act of the grandson of the old people, 0,;
artful urchin, then only about nine years of age;fo
circumstances have transpired to confirm the 00
The boy has since gone by the name of bee
Bulkington Ghost." After the flames had
quelled on Tuesday, suspicions were excited t,o,
" the Bulkington Ghost " had been to work sAglito
Superintendent Haines, who had been attracted
the spot from Potterne, by the light which the
produced, discovered upon inquiry that the bo.f,lei;
day or two previously purchased some lucifer Tnal,
and as the stable communicated with the de'elP,ht.tlpge
house, and there being no other persons in tvt
house at the time than the boy and his grandm°.te
—the boy having been absent about five minutes
fore the fire was discovered—he felt it his dutt.t°
prehend him. H v
His suspicions were strengthened is 4
fact that the door of the stable, which fronts the 1, the
was fastened at the time—clearly showing thslot
fire must proceed from some one in the house. 3,
boy, at about twelve at night, was taken to the °'be",
house, but he had not been there long before helod
came greatly alarmed, and entreated to be abomble
to go to his grandmother. The 00n5,700
who had charge 'of him said he must .54,
something of the fire"-`sfaxst. The boy t%'. ty
whether, if he confessed, he should be let op et'
'Without any promise being made to him, he
tters
wards confessed—that he had taken the cows foi,,si
and that on his return he went into the stabil:el
the yard ; that he then fastened the door, aPPI,,',,
match to the straw in the rack, and seeing it 'ibis
went into the kitchen and sat down by the sidec''.
grandmother, as if nothing had happened ; Inft,
that he did not think of setting the house on
op
About five minutes afterwards, a person seeing 6°4
issuing from the stable, went and endeaf°,'4Ae
to open the door, but finding it fastened, :rfe,
it open, when the flames broke forth with 0.0
doubled fury. The following morning the boi
taken before Mr. Ludlow Bruges and the Bev' pot
Crawley, when, in the most hardened manner, I'6ot
only denied committing the act, but also said thtios
did not even know upon what charge he was ~3bl
up. Mr. Superintendent Haines said he had n°"7
A'o3•
that the boy had made the confesion in the bile
house under the impression that it would be o
means of liberating him. From this circult0c
of
and taking into consideration the very tender 7,0
the boy, the magistrates did not feel ju't' et
in committing him ; he was therefore se tbe
liberty. He readily acknowledged to uro
superintendent that it was he who 'lO
all the windows and the crockery in his St is
mother's house. He stated, among other .n4t,
that his grandmother had put him to bed one olnae
and he had lain just long enough for her to stiPp,
that he was asleep, when he jumped out of the ty
ran into her room, dashed his hands throughbed'
window, and was back into his own room, in beu',lll3
again apparently asleep, before the old woman -04
come up stairs and see what had happened. -4" jor
depraved young rascal was never heard of, his oft
guage is shocking, and although now a little
than ten years of age, he is the terror of the Villsg*
Devizes Gazette.

STATISTICS OF PARIS•

Count Rambuteau, the Prefect of the Seine, °,`FS
called on Saturday to preside at the election
members of the Chamber of Commerce of psi,
availed himself of that opportunity to present ~tri°oo
, electors an exposé of the situation of the ref'l,-,011,
trade, manufactures, savings'-banks, hospitals, se" ot
embellishments, &c., of that capital duringsithe Y 165
about to expire. The tolls had produced 3°,--„°ti'4l2 u'
or 738,268 f. less than in 1843. The consumiLlseal
butchers' meat during the eleven months °fa.,;-: Ebel?!
—oxen, 69,951; cows, 14,522 ; calves, 71,' 'ea wit°,
401,044 ; showing an increase, as enonfa- n
the corresponding period-.of 1843, of 2,'„°nlcle 6,50 v
5,716 calves, and a decrease OT--1,418 Cows— ors re'
sheep. The ordinary and extraordinary exPe`7,l,oo
gistered at the Custom-house of Paris, during rlte
eleven months, amounted to 138,972,194 f.; °Pn:
Ist of December, 1843, they were only 117,469,,,,4,#'
—increase in 1844, 21,502,792 f. The trade of Pr
py
it appears, was more extensive with the United S:l'm
than with any other nation, and had augmenteanii
10,000,0001. The investments in the savings'-bi4ii,
on the Ist January, 1844, amounted to 104,780761
During the last 11 months the deposits had excetTlep
the reimbursements by 3,479,990 f. The Prearenda it ns
proceeded to describe the improvements sna- a been
executed in several of the hospitals ; a earn'
ed
purchased, in which 400 insane were ernPV fowl.
moderate labour with complete success; and is
dation of a new hospital would be laid in those
the Fauboure; Poissonniere. The expenses —fur
hospitals amounted to upwards of 14,000,000 f. ben
tio
establishments of primary instruction had 844;
finished at a cost of .500.000 f., and opened in 1 Le
the expense incurred for the maintenance of to':
e'ldre4"
schools, which were frequented by 39,678 c..1184j,
had been 968.967 f. or 40.000 f. more than in re
Several new streets had been opened, 5q,,,100
laid out, 4,000 metres of sewers and l" tbe
of flagways constructed; the water 0` tbs
artesian well of Grenelle had been conveyed Owl
reservoirs of the Pantheon ; additional fountsiast. 1,0
been erected ; the works of the new prison,°
neA
Force, of the barrack of the Celestins, and of r.".
market of Beauveau St. Antoine were carried latdirigo
such activity that it was expected those buP, the
would be completed in the course of next year'a to
church of St. Vincent de Paule had been opene
Catholic worship, and the city put in possesttflY6
the old church of Panthemont, which isi°T,-001
shortly converted into a Protestant temple• slog
admirable institutions," said the Prefect in ennej'efo'
"and, above all, the genius of the King, whog.4.,,ce,
longed reign proves so great a blessing to -rh-efit,
unceasingly develop that great national more 0
and in a few years the prosperity of Paris, as wen
that of France will repose on a basis too str°—
be shaken."

pro"

THE FROST AT A URG H.---We learn frail PrFilis
sources that on the 17th inst., the London made :1114
Gth, 10th, and 13th insts., had not reached 111011,:,eoV
in consequence of which, in addition to the Ice
struction of the navigation on the river Elbe by it
e the
business in general was exceedingly dull. V.f/disii'
16th the intensity of the frost was much thee,
mometer '
nished, and on the following day—viz., the 17th, we
of Raumur exhibited one der!
frool
warmth. Rain had fallen on that deg fed
morning to evening, but there were indications °f fob'
early renewal of frost. The execution of Tsic,is(
at Spandau, for his attempted assassination of ta...",
of Prussia, was known it Hamburgh, and had C"-tli
no sensation whatever. 'fhe Turkish Governmen:, of
nominated a consul at Hainbnrgh, in the pers°,,;4o'
Portuguese gentleman, who already represents t"„ofill'
yernment of his own country in the capacity of evecer‘l
general, and he had Rot felt himself at liberty if lel
the appointment without referring first for perralfs;toes'
the authorities at Lisbon. This ia the first apP°'n","
of the kind which the Turkish Government
in the north of Europe, and it is an indication
to extend the commercial relations of the empire,,.
cannot fail to be interesting to the mercantile pubi-m.pic
The lake of the gardens of the Royal 13° anal
Society is covered with ice of an excellent quslitres
many of the fellows of the Society avail thenise
the opportunity of skating thereon.