Star.
London, England, 1826-08-09 00:00:00

PROVINCIAL PORTABLE GAS COMPANY.

The Shareholders of this Company were called toge-
ther yesterday, for the purpose of receiving a proposi-
tion from the Directors, with a view to enable them to
proceed more effectually in the assuagement of the' Cam
pany's concerns.
Mr. Rouyn, one of the Directors, tdhk the Chair, and
submitted a Resolution to the Proprietors, that the
holders of shares upon which 11. and 41..h0l been paid,
should be allowed to be Proprietors of so many shares
as the advances made by them would Cover at the rate
of 61. per share, exclusive of the call of 11. due on the
Ist of July, provided that the remainder of such shares
should be extinguished ; and further provided that such
shareholders should pay the said call of 11. per share,
and execute the Deed of Settlement on or before the
22d of August.
After some conversation, in the course of which the
CHAIRMAN repeated his assurance of the good promise
of the Company, and stated that there was little doubt
of its producing twenty per cent. or more, in the Course
of two years,

The Resolution was carried with a few dihsentients.
Thanks were voted to the Chairman aad the Directors, and the
Meeting adjourned.

DREADFUL CATASYROPHE AT LIVERPOOL.

LIVERPOOL, Ave. 7.

A dreadful catattrophe has this day occurred in
Suffolk-street. A new warehouse, bonded, and full rf
pods of various descriptions, being six stories high
above ground, with two tiers of vaults, fell in with A
tremendous crash, about one o'clock. One man has
been got out of the ruins, so much bruised that his re-
covery is very doubtful. He states that another man,
a woman; and a child, were also near hint, and yet re-
main under the ruins. They were digging a founds.
tion adjoining for two vaults, and it is supposed that
the weight on the arches of the warehouse pressed the
wall outwards, and thus the whole carne down, and
caused a loss rilife, as well as property to a law
amount. The number of persons who may have been
thus plunged into eternity is quite uncertain, as many
may have been buried at the moment of pasting along
the street. ANOTtillt AMOUNT.

Monday, a most distressing occurrence took place in
this town. A large warehouse, eight stories high, built
only twelve months ago, situated in Suffolk-street, at
one o'clock this day cause in one moment (and without
any previous cracks or indications having been per-
seised) level with the ground. A foundation was dig.
ging for another warehouse adjoining it, and the la-
bourers had had their dinners brought them, which they
had taken, and were resting themselves on the ((mode-
Sion, when ten of them were instantly buried. Two have
been taken uut with very taint hopes of recovery.
Suff ilk-street is a great thoroughfate, and which
street with the others are filled with the materials of
the warehouse and its contents, for every room was
full of goods, cotton, etc. It was a boarded warehouse-
At the time it fell the distress was dreadful, for no one
knew who might be buried under the ruins in some a'
the streets, and all the neighbourhood were seeking is
every direction that part of the 4 families who were ab-
sent. Under all circumstances, the less of life isinuck
less than could possibly have been expected.

It is repotted that the Emperor of BRA= is going
to give to Portugal two millions sterling, for the Independence of
the Brands; and that the last loan raised in this country was far
that purpose. It is also said, that during the late severe &pre"
aim of Brazilian Stock, Government, through their Agenu,
bought up between six ant seven hundred thousand.
The gig and horse with which the swindler 'hewed
off, who hooouted Mr. Ellis, of Joho-street, with an
order for some plate, as mentioned yesterday, had been
hired by him in the Curtain-road, for the express pur-
pose, no doubt, of levying contributions Om various
tradesmen in a gentlemanly style.
The neighbourhood of Colchebter-street,Whitechapel,
was thrown into great consternation on Sunday morn-
ing at half-past one, by the falling of part of a house
with a tremendous crash. The watchman, in calling the
hour, had a narrow escape. At ten, the remaining part
of the house fell ; at the time a number of persons were
passing, and a number of children were assembled:
The screams of the parents of the children were dread-
ful, supposing they were under the nuns: fortunatelr,
no lives were lost. The above house adjoined two which
fell down about five years since. In the same street are
a number of houses in st ruinous state.

Friday evening, as a little boy named Loder was
bathing is the Thames is the neighbourhood of Bank-
side, Southwark, he stumbled over a dead body, whichturned out to be a carpenter of the name of Sktinetr,
whose absence from his family occasioned them•to feat
that something fatal had happened. An Inquest sat nn
the body on Monday. Verdict—. Found Drowned.
In the daisies of Gloacestershire, the quantity of
cheese made has been very shit. Id' very few farms
have they exceeded three.fourthk of the usual make of
tt!
cheese. Butter is also much ab ve the usual Frice, And
Proportionably scarce. The h 4 crop has been eicceu-
ingly scanty; but the crops of term lAath plownise ell.
more particulatly ou the 10 'ltsed. , vu the b.snks of
the Severn.

Assag INTELIeIGEKE.
__LANCASTER, Avant it.
FROM OUR OWN REPORTER. RECEIVED IN TOWN
TUIS MORNING.
The Assizes for this County commence on Wednes-

day (this day), and from the very peculiar and interest-
ing the calendar, their approach is regarded
with hutch' interest. The inhabitants of this ancient city
of.rthe.,County Palatine have been completely on the
Wit% and consequently any description of decent
lodging is charged at a most enlr mons rate, the usual
'price befnx trebled, and in many instances quadrupled.
lathe Citendar Mr. Edward Gibbon Wakefield is
styled Gentleman, and the terms of the charge upon
.which he is detained are given thus Having against
ghe peace &c. feloniously carried away Ellen Turner,,
•
..kiuster, and afterwards unlawfully, against her will
IDK Reid consent, married the said spinster, Ellen Turner."
• This prises or will most certainly be tried early in the en-
mity; week, and not before, as the trials of the prisoners
for tne Hundred of Salford always stand first in order,
and Ur. Wakefield's offence occurred within the West
Derby. and Leyland Hundreds. With respect to the
• Thinly rumours which have busied the public mind in
this case, it would be too tedious to notice them, or the
motives of parties in circulating them, but upon one,
we cannot help observing, as it was mischievously meant
ti wound the already harrassed feelings of Mr. Turner
and his family, and obviously (although possibly the
s'lly inventor never thought of any such thing) calculated
to throw the accused off his guard, and relax his efforts
of defence i we allude to the report that the proceed.
ings had dropped. So far from there being the least
intention for any thing of the kind, a very eminent At-
- torney has been busily employed for several weeks in
preparing the evidence and case, and last week sent the
usual notice of retainer for the prosecution to the
Attorney-General, Mr. John Williams, a very distin-
guished leader on this circuit, the Attorney-General
(Se .rlett) for the Duchy of Lancaster, Mr. Sergeant
Cross, and one or two others. The prisoner had sent a
number of subecenas to witnesses:, who had, upon read-
ing the mischievous report alluded to, actually returned
them, under the impression that their presence would
not be required ; consequently Mr. Wakefield's agent
was obliged to resort to the tedious process of serving
them over again. His defence, it is said, will be very
complete; and the case, it is expected, if not stopped by
the immense roll of objections which are already con-
templated, will occupy one entire day.
The objections, upon each of which great argument
will arise, are intended to be made first upon the pleas ;
nest upon the indictment and declaration; thirdly, the
array and jurisdiction of the Court ; and finally upon the
ground that the Act of Parliament does not recognise
the offence as indictable, unless force be used. We
would not notice any of the probable proceedings upon
the day of Mr. Wakefield's trial, but we ate aware that
his case cannot be injured by any such notice, and we
only give that which is the conversation of the library
and reading rooms, which are the resorts of the respec-
tability, of this city. The rumours as to the result of
the trial are as various as they possibly ca .be, and no
settled opinion appears to have been formed. There are
those who are always anziousao turn the ready penny,
and have betted considerably upon the event; and it is
hinted that a certain very fashionalee house in London
has forwarded some of itsfinny tribe to fish or speculate
upon the occasion.
The case is undoubtedly considered a very interesting
one, as involving a very important question at law,
whether a marriage, under such circumstances, be or
be not legal ? and as there is no similar case upon re-
cord, the decision, upon general ground, will be of very
great importance. it is said (we may also mention the
rumour), that if any difficulty arise, it will be left for
the comideration, if necessary, of the t aelve Judges.
Tile only case approaching anything like the present
occurred in I:eland about twenty years ago; it was the
abduction of Miss Ptke (the sister of the banker, who
died some months ince),. of Cork, by Sir Henry HAW
The abduction was the result of a manoeuvre, accom-
panied by force. However, no legal marriage took
place, and the lady was recovered by her friends; and at
a subsequent period, Sir Henry Hase was apprehended,
tried, convicted, and received sentence of death, which
sentence was commuted to fourteen years' transporta.
tion, which term was served by Sir Henry, and he has
returned to his native country. Mr. Wakefield lives
very retired in the Castle, and is busily occupied pre-
paring his defence.
The two men, Alexander and Michael M'Keand,
charged with the dreadful murder at Burton-upon-
Irwen, have since their confinement continually devoted
themselves to prayer, in anticipation of the dteadful
fate that awaits them.

MAIDSTONE, Auo.
Joseph Fin* was indicted for feloniously sending a
letter to George Gregory, Esq. at Willesborough, on
the Bth of June, demanding 20 sovereigns, and threaten-
ing to murder him unless he complied. The indictment
charged the prisoner with sending tl the same party
another letter of the same import, dated 11th of June.
On the application of the prisoner's counsel, the counsel
for the Clown were desired to confine their proof to the
first count, on the ground that two distinct felonies
could not be charged in the same indictment.
It appeared in evidence that the prosecutor, a Gentle-
man of fortune, lately returned from India, had taken
up his abode at VVillesborough, near Ashford. On the
Bth of Jtine he received by the'Geneial Plist the follow.
:ne anonymous letter, which, for orthography, presents
a singular specimen of epistolary composition ;
" 1 have wrote a Few lines to you, and i im in great distress all
throe you, for you have a time back angered me of all my pro-
perty; and now, if not by good will, I must by bad, have 20 suf-
ferens of you, and you must put them at a private place for me,
for if you dont, i will be the death of you in some way or other;
if i cant do it slyly, I will de it in the middle of the day, or in the
night, or the first upertunety ; sad if you say anney thing
about this, i will mender you the same 'as if you dpnt put it
there: look down aside your front wall and door post, and move
the durt, you will find a small purse ; put the syfferens in it, suture
it again at the Same place: if you wish to live, 46 it ; for if you dont,
prepare for death; for your time will be short ; for hear is four of
us, and if you put it there, and say nothing about it, fear not: As
.00n as you receive the letter, put it there, and dont let me hear of
it again; for if i do, i will not go back of my words; so do it, and
then 1 will never interfear with you ; but if you dont, you may de-
tend upon it i will be the death of you now. Dont you disappoint
me, for 1 dam it you wont rue."
The piesecutor took no steps to comply with the de-
"ind thus expressed. On the 11th of June he received,
the following communication, in the same hand-writing, •
end through the like channel :
* I have wrote to you and more for 20 sufferent,nntl you may de-
pend on it that i will murder you if you dont put it there, so dont
Omer your self. fur I mean to do it. i wrote to you once hefore,
and told you that to look down aside your new wall door post at
the front of your bogie, arid take the dont away there you will hint
a small Purse, put the sufferers in it, and secure it again at the
same plate. &if you duet k ant be dant) 1 dmit y ,u,
4'4 if I 1"w oh it again I wil; murder you the J.IIIIV. LICUSC n:y