Star.
London, England, 1826-10-26 00:00:00

SIGNS OF A SEVERE WINTER.

HAwits.—Tuesday se'nnight, the London of Dundee
encountered a severe gale on her voyage up, when off
:the Dogger Bank ; her rigging was almost covered with
hawks, so much weakened, that Captain Wishart sue
!eeeded in catching 25. One of them was large, and of
'a bluish colour; the others were of the common kind.

Qtratut.—A bevy of ten in number of these beauti-
ful little, and very rare birds, was bred this year in the
manor of Billingham, in a barley held near Wolviston,
belonging to the Rev. L. C. Clarke,.of that place. It is
remarkable that the bevy in question was invariably
met with eitfer in the stubble in which they had been
hatched, or in the one immediately adjoining, so much
did the birds seem attached to the place where they
were bred ; and on the approach of the staunch and
wary pointer, they laid so close, generally within two
or three feet of his nose, that they were almost trodden
upon before they took wing, so that their flight was
easily intercepted by the ruthless gun. The first time
they were seen was hr the latter end of July, among.the
barley, when they were mistaken for a very late brood
of newly hatched partridges.
PARTRlDWlL—Partridges seem to increase in the
towns in proportion as the sportsmen follow their avoca•
Lion on the moors. On Sunday se'nnight, a number of
these birds were seen running upon the ground in the
neighbourhood of New Bridge-street, Newcastle. Tues-
day one was caught in Major Anderson's yard, in
Pilgrim•street ; and on Friday last, another *as taken
by a Gentleman in Vie Spital.
Thursday morning, during a thick fog, ten partridges
were caught by scullermen, at North Shields, floating
in the river. Another covey of twelve were drowned
at the same time, one of which was only picked up—the
rest were carried out by the ebb tide. A few days be-
fore, eight of these birds were caught in Tynemouth.
Saturday sennight, at South Shields, four partridges
were taken in the dock of Messrs. Laing, adjoining the
Tyne, one in the yard of Mr. Walker, of Thrift•stteet,
and no less than eighteen in a small close, contiguous to
one of the most public thoroughfares. lii the same field,
on Monday, four brace were shot, and several were
seen in different parts of the town. Those that were
caught, appeared to be in an almost inanimate state, as
if they were lab luring under stupefaction. Monday
se'nnight, a fine partridge was seen flying from one ship
to another lying in Sunderland harbour, and was caught
at length by a sailor boy on board a ship. On Thurs-
day evening, a little after dark, a partridge alighted in
the shop of Mr. Robert Dixon, butcher, in Sadler-street,
Durham, and was captured, as it was flying out again,
by a young man standing outside. It was a fine bird,
and appeared to be an old one. Another bird of the
same species, walked into the shop of Mr. Fenwick,
grocer, at the bead of El vet Br idge,where it was secured.
A covey of 19 partridges mistaking, from mist, water for land,
were found drowned in Windermere and picked up by some fisher-
men one morning last week.
Monday se'roight, a covey of partridges were sprung
in Moray-place, Edinburgh. Leith Links has this sea
son been visited by partridges. On Saturday a hare
made its appearance in Leith, when chase was imme-
diately given by the boys; and puss, in endeavouring to
.escape into an inclosure near the riew.bridge,was caught.
As Mr. Henry Sladen, surveyor of his Majesty's
Customs, Faversham, was proceeding down the Creek
in his boat, he observed a covey of partridges, which he
supposed to be pursued by a hawk, making towards
hem, when three of them fell into the water, which he
picked up in an exhausted state,

The Countess of Liverpool Cinque Parts pilot cutter
sailed horn Dover on Friday morning, with twelve Do-
ver pilots on board, for the purpose of surveying the
Thames and Medway, by order of the Lord Warden,

Between five and six months ago, a boy between six
and seven years of age, who lived with his grandfather in
Leith, was missing. Minute search. was made, but no
trace of him could be found till Friday-list, when some
of the workmen,who are occasionally employed in pump.
ing water from a well at the foot of the Bonnington
road, near Leith, found something interrupting the
wa:er. A person was in consequence sent for to clear
the pump, when the head of a young boy was found to
bt the cause of the stoppage! The remaining pins of
the body were found, but in a eel! mutilated state,
-from the length of time it had remained in the water.
The mother of the above boy went and claimed the
body, which she identified merely from the buttons on
his clothes.- The boy's grandfather and grandmother
were so much attached to him, that the grandmother
died in a few weeks after missing him, and th• grand-
father in about two weeks, both of a broken heart, for
the loss of a beloved grandchild.
Saturday se'nnight, the teading room of the Mecha-
nics' Institute, in Hull, was crowded to witness the ex-
hibition of a model of a steam carriage to run on com-
mon roads. This machine weighs 82 oz. is eleven incites
in length, has three wheels, and is guided by a lever in
the float. Tne boiler and engine are placed in the
hinder part of the carriage ; the steam cylinder is ball
an inch bore; and the stroke of the piston is seven
eighths of an inch. The eighth part of a pint of water
being put into the boiler (which is heated by a tallow
lamp), causes it to go for the space of half an hour.
It will turn in a circle, the diameter of which is only
'twice the 'length of the carriage, and the inner wheel
will form the centre of its motion. It is capable of
being backed in a moment with the greatest ease, and
Iwhen allowed to run in a straight direction, at its
greatest speed, will proceed at the rate of upwards•of
five miles per hour. The youthful inventor is a clerk,
and the machine is the production of his leisure hours.
On the evening of the 16th instant Mr. JOHN Quick,
master of the schooner Tantivyr of St. Ives, landed
from his vessel, then at anchor in the bay, from a fo-
reign voyage, intending to see his wife and children
before going round the Land's End, to the place of his
destination. Having reached the house of a relative,
about one hundred yards from his own, he there found
c.tveral of his children, and after the usual salutations,
Ihe walked, accompanied by them, towards his own
lh >use, eagerly anticipating a meeting with his wife
and the rest of his family: He had not proceeded
above half way from the house abovementioned, when
he said " My head is light!" and falling upon one
knee, he was caught by his children, and carried
senseless to his home. Medical aid was instantly pro-
cured, but in vain, as life was extinct.
It was formerly the custom of persons to close the
shutters of their houses onany death occurring in them.
A practice, however, has of late years arisen, of doing
so on the death of any relation anywhere.
A countryman was present at a recent Musical Fes-
tival in a small country town, when a young Lady was executing
I rather iminferently. " 0 had Jubars lyre r-" Od rabbit it," ex-
claimed the astonished rustle with great simplicity, " 1 'bow%
summit wur wrong; if yell just let on knew wheur it is, I'll gre
k ye, Miss."

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUFIX
A woman complained_of the conduct of a respectable tradesman
towards her daughter.
The complainant stated, that her daughter was in the service of
this Gentleman as a maid-servant, and that some of his daughters
had, by shamming a ghost, frightened her int, fits. After her re-
covery from the fit, she remained in a state of stupor, which ended
in absolute insanity. lie had turned her out of the house in that
condition, and she was now taken to the Hospital, where no hopes
were held out of her recovery, and she would be expelled, unless
security were given for her maintenance. The manlier declared she
bad no means of supporting her, and she applied to have the trades-
man compelled to do something in providing for the consequences
of the calamity which his family had occasioned.
The tradesman attended, and declared that the calamity had not
been occasioned in the manner represented, but was the effect of
accident, upon a girl who was extremely nervous and weakbeaded.
She was about 14 years of age, and was subject to fits, and on that
account she was not suffered to go to bed without care being taken
afterward, to fetch the candle. His daughter was sent to fetch the
candle, after the girl had gone to bed. It was very cold, and his
daughter, who had drawn her frock over her bead and neck,
entered the bed-room in this condition, when the girl, turning
round- suddenly, took fright, and went into a fit. 'ilsere was not,
be was assured, the slightest intention to frighten her—the conse-
quences were as stated. He had done all that humanity could
direct; he had medical aid, and the girl was attended to assiduously
for several days, when, as she did not recover, she was sent to the
Hospital—more he could not do; it could hardly be expected of
him that he should be at the expense of supporting the unfortunate
lunatic. She had been predisposed to it ;as her father, who was a
respectable 'butcher, must be well aware.—The complaint was
dismissed.