The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-04-05 00:00:00

DISASTROUS FLOOD AT DERBY

Great devastation of property has been occasioned at Derby
by a sudden and tremendous inundation which occurred on
Friday morning last. Between 1 and 2 o'clock the water
of the brook which runs through the town, owing to the heavy
fall of rain in the night, overflowed its boundary walls, and
ran about one foot deep into the neighbouring streets ;
an alarm was instantly given by the night police, but the
flood swelled so rapidly that they were soon driven ftoin
their stations. The rain came down a complete deluge, and
as the culverts of the brook course in Victoria-street would
not admit one-third of the waters that rushed along them,
all the lower streets were speedily inundated, and two rapid
currents were soon formed by the flood ; one running down
Cheapside, the Wadwick, and Victoria-streets, the other
along Willow-row, Bold-lane, and Saddler-gate ; these
streams met " fast and furious in the Corn-market, where
by 3 o'clock the inundation was at least six feet deep ; it
thence forced its way through Thorntree- lane and every
yard and avenue which led to the river Derwent. About four
the rain abated, and at sunrise the flood was gradually
lowering. As it was market-day and Easthy fair, it was
impossible to describe the confusion which existed among
the inhabitants and the country people who were crowding
to the town with their various wares. It is a melancholy
circumstance that this disaster has been attended with a loss
of human life : a poor woman, named Ingrain, fell into the
flood, at the back of her residence, in Upper Brook-street,
about 6 o'clock ; and iu about half an hour afterwards she
was found quite dead by her husband. Several other persons
have been seriously, but not dangerously, injured. Many
horses, cows, calves, and pigs, have been drowned ; and the
gentlemen and tradesmen residing in the streets visited by
the flood have sustained great damage in their houses and
furniture, &c. Great loss has also been suffered by the shop-
keepers in the Corn-market, whose premises on the ground-
floor were inundated to the height of four feet. The draw-
ing-room of Mr. Joseph Strutt's house among others was
completely flooded. The solid stone bridge near St. John's
church was partly destroyed, and the most compact masonry
seemed unable in some parts of the town to resist the rush of
waters.
In the afternoon business was resumed, and the principal
streets which had been inundated were again passable, No
accurate estimate can yet be formed of the damage sustained,
bnt the amount must be something serious.
It is supposed that, as the flood rose to such a fearful
extent in two or three hours, a water-spout must have burst
over the town.

The following letter, dated Ist of April, has been addressed
by a respestable inhabitant of Derby, to a gentleman in this
town :
" All yesterday it was raining in torrents, and almost in-
cessantly, which, continued, with equal violence until about
three o'clock this morning, when the town bad a most awful
appearance. You will be able to form an idea when I tell
you, that it nearly came in at our shop door, which you are
aware is in a very high situation ; it stood four feet in Mr.
James Strutt's dining-room, and six feet in the Sadler-gate.
The cellars and ground floors of the principal inns have suf-
fered very much ; in fact there is not an inn in the town fit
to go into ; all the shops in the Corn-market are closed, and
have circulated hand-bills, promising to open their shops in
the course of next week, to dispose of their damaged goods.
Messrs. Massey, Mr. Sale, Messrs. Cooke, Mr. Walton,
Mr. Wild, Mr. Hellaby, Mr. Huggins, Mr. Wallis, and se-
veral others, are very considerable losers ; many pigs, and a
great quantity of cattle were swept away. You may thinkall
I
am exaggerating, but upon my soul I thought we were
going together.
" The worst part of the story is yet to be told, that is, the
loss of life. I understand three people were drowned, among
whom was a poor woman, drowned in her own house, in the
Willow-row. There has been a great many accidents also in
Ashbourne, attended with the loss of several lives."

THE BANK OF ENGLAND.—The usual average return
under the old act of the liabilities and assets of the Bunk of
England, embracing the period from the 4th of January to
the 29th of March, both inclusive, which appeared in Friday
night's Gazelle, gives the following results, viz.:—" That
the average of the 13 weeks ending the 29th March, as com-
pared with the average of the 13 weeks ending the 4th of
January, shows
An increase in the circulation of £ 320,000
An increase in the deposits of 709,000
An increase in the stock of bullion of
Wherefore it appears that the increase in the liabilities is
£1,029,000, and this represents the increase in the total
quantity of money in the 13 weeks ending the 29th of March,
as compared with the 13 weeks ending the 4th of January,
in so far as regards the administration of the currency by
the Bank of England. The yearly comparison is as follows:
The average of the 13 weeks ending the 29th of March, 1842,
as compared with the 13 weeks ending the 30th of March,
1841, shows
An increase in the circulation of £ 415,000
An increase in the deposits of 1,445,000
An increase in the stock of bullion of ,
Wherefore it appears that the increase in the liabilities is
£1,869,000, and this represents the increase in the total
quantity of money in the 13 weeks ending the 29th of March,
1842, as compared with the 13 weeks ending the 30th of
currency by the Bank of England."

ANIMAL MA.ONETIONI,

On Yrkfey eveainc a !edam wax given at the ',facia !fall, by
mons, La Fontaine. wio some time ego appeared before the Liver,
pool public, BO very few persons were present amongst them
were several medical gentlemen. We noticed Mr. Nottinehant. Mr.
Brett. Mr. Currie, &c. Mr. La Fontaine delivered his lecture in
the French language, Mr. Le Febre, Mr. Nottingham, and other
gentlemen occasionally interpreting. Mr. La Fontaine stated, that
from the interruptions he bad met with the last time he appeared
in this town, and the misrepresentation he had undergone, he came
forward ou the present occasion, in the hope of setting himself
right on the subject of animal magnetism. He had lately lectured
in Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds, with great success, and
had there been listened to with politeness and attention, and those
who did not believe, at any rate retrained from interrupting. He
had restored the blind to sight at Birmingham—as was stated in the
papers of that town—and at Leeds he had performed several cures.
A young 1 ady was here introduced, upon whom the experi-
ments were to be performed. Mr. La Fontaine, in continuation,
said that animal magnetism was a phenomenon of which we could
not as yet give any explanation ; we could only shew the effects.
and he did so on the present instance that medical men might apply
it to their patients. Mr. La Fontaine now proceeded to mesmerise
the patient, and in the course of a few minutes he placed her in a
state of somnolency. Mr. La Fontaine's mode differed from Mr.
Braid's, although the principle is no doubt the same, both fixing the
patient's eyes on an object—Mr. Braid held up his lancet case—Mr.
La Fontaine kept the patient's eyes rivetted on his own. The lee-
turer said he should divide his lecture into three portions. He
would first experimentalize on the subject before them ; he would
then answer any questions asked ; and thirdly, would perform on
any person present. If any one intended to interrupt him he would
beg them to retire. He begged that the judgment would be sus-
pended until they had seen his examples. At this stage of the pro-
ceedings two or three individuals, who instead of coming to listen,
evidently made their appearance for the purpose of throwing an air
of ridicule over the proceedings, indulged in unseemly and rude
laughter, which the lecturer checked by stating that he was not to
be put down by grimaces. He appealed to the good sense of the
meeting, whether he should not be allowed to go on without inter-
ruption.
Mr. La Fontaine said, that at Birmingham he was listened to
with great attention, and societies had there, as well as in Man-
chester, been formed for the purpose of investigating the subject.
Dr. Levesou and Dr. Elkingtqn lied both been present, who were
sceptics. Dr. Leveson had been sent to sleep under the magnetic
influence. An observation was here made that the patient appeared
sleepy before she came into the room. Mr. La Fontaine said, if
he had previous to the lecture drugged his patients with opium or
other narcotics, how could they speak, act, or walk at his bidding?
Mr. Currie here stepped on the stage and commenced feeling the
patient's pulse. He declared it to be 102. Considerable confusion
took place in consequence of several persons putting questions to
the lecturer, and some unseemly demonstration occurring from
several parties,— •
Mr. NO'TTINGHAM begged the meeting to give Mr. La Fontaine a
fair hearing. He was deserving of it at their hands, not only for
the sake of science but as a foreigner.
The LECTURER said, that while questions were put to him so
thickly, from the left and the right, it was impossible to go qn.
Mr. NorriNeuam suggested that Mr. La Fontaine should meet
them on another evening, and that it should be understood that he
was td be allowed then to go on without interruption.
' ' '

Mr. Currie then stuck pins in the patient's legs, arms, and head,
but no symptoms of pain were exhibited. He also tickled the soles
of her feet, without the slightest indication of annoyance being
felt. She was partly demesmerised, and again magnetised, until
thrown into slight convulsions. She was then demesmerised.' Her
arms and shoulders were then thrown into a cataleptic_ state, whelp
experiments weretried•with a galvanic battery.
A great deal of interruption took place, when the lecturer begged
that on Tuesday (he having previously announced that he would
meet the present company on that day, giving them a free admjssion)
some medical inen would bring the blind, deaf, and dumb, and allow
him to operate upon them. He had that day operated on a man at
the infirmary who had been troubled with the rheumatism, and had
enabled him to lift up his arm. which he had long lost the use of.
The patient, on being tried with the galvanic test, said she felt
the shock in her shoulder, her arms only being mesmerised. Mr
Currie here appeared sceptical as to the administration of the shock
being so forcible as it was supposed, but he contented himself With
the doubt, rather than testing the effect of the shock.
Mr. LA' FONTAINE asked if Mr. Currie had ever galvanised a
corpse. He must be aware that the arms were thrown up in a con.
vulsed state.

A very irregular conversation then ensued, the upshot of which
was, that Mr. La Fontaine selected a gentleman out of the audience
to try his powers upon. Mr. Currie whispered something in the
ears of the party, which Mr. La Fontaine requested might be spoken
up. After some hesitation, the gentleman stated that Mr. Currie
told him not to shut his eyes unless he was asleep. Mr. La Fontaine
said if he succeeded with him he need not fear that, for he should not
take that trouble. After a lapse of fifteen minutes no effect was pro
dated, and Mr. L. said he could not succeed with him. lie could

not succeed with every body.
Mr. CURRIE said he had considered the subject, and that he came
there with an idea that animal magnetism was absurd, and nothing
he had seen that night bad tended to alter his opinion.
A gentleman, who appeared in a great bustle and excitement, at-
tempted to move a resolution, to the effect that the meeting con
sidered the subject a humbug, but it was rejected unanimously,
and an amendment of adjournment proposed.
We may here remark, that the young lady (a native of Man-
chester) held her legs in one position, namely. extended, for 1 hour
and 36 minutes, until they were demeamerised. `Another meeting
will take place this evening.

As public journalists, we have devoted some space to this subject,
but without implying our belief or disbelief in the matter. We
were present at a private meeting at the George Hotel last night,
at which Mr. La Fontaine magnetised one of the servants of the
establishment, and placed her in a somnolent and cataleptic state.
She presented precisely the same appearances as the young lady
at the lecture on Friday evening. Mr. La Fontaine also operated
upon a person who, we believe, is connected with the Apotheca-
ries' Company. He stated that he did not feel any effects, except
a sleepy sensation, and that he could have roused himself at any
time. He, however, preiented all the appearances of a person
in a deep sleep. He described Mr. La Fontaine's action of pass-
ing his hands down his face as if pins were slightly pricking him.
—En. L. S.]