The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-08-22 00:00:00

CROWN !I IDE.

Thomas Swift, alias: Boorman, alien Farley. was ia-
dicted for stealing. 100 half crowns, ttO shillings, and
20 sixpences, the property of James Parks, en the lnth
of March, in the parish of Ticelinrst.
Mr. BCREPIS condocted the pro wcution.
The prosecutor, a poor cottager, after 20 years say-
ing, had amassed the money mentioned in the indict-1
meet, which he had locked up in his box. The pri- '
loner, a youth of 17, bad been admitted into his cot-
tage as a lodger. Previous to that time be had been
receiving money from the parish as• a pauper, and in a
few days he was found flush of cash, treating diXerent
people at the public•huuse, and offering to change
notes to any amount. These circumstances induced
the prosecutor to search his treasury, when he found
that every sixpence of his hoard was gone. He caned
the prisoner to be apprehended, and on his person was
found some money which he knew to be his own from
marks upon it.
The Jury found the prisoner, Guilty—Death.

IMPORTANT DISCOVER V.—The gentleman from whom
a petition was lately received by the House of Commons
relative to the improvement of public roads, has recent-
ly visited all the principal miaes in (treat Britain, in the
coarse of which Mr. Lester has discovered a simple me-
thod for letting the liplrogen gas out cusl mines be-
fore it becomes explosive. He asserts that all coal strata
produce this gas when exposed to atmospheric air; that
he has visited many mines that are not liable to explo-
sion, which arises irons their peculiar situation in the
earth. He has found that all coal mines, whose entrance
is betwixt the horizontal hue, and the angle of 43 de-
grees, are not liable to the accumulation of hydrogen,
the cause of which he proves from-a law of nature in the
gravitation of fluids. The explosion of hydrogen in a
coal mine, he calls the ferocious rage of a fiery dragon
' —the safety-lamp, a inozee to the dragon, which too
often leads the miner to his destruction, as it induces
him to work where the hydrogen has accumulated. The
lamp not affording him sufficient light to show the fis-
sures of the falling coat, tempts him to remove the
gauze, by which, not only himself, but his fellow-work-
men,
are immolated in a moment. Mr. Lester further
asserts, that his discovery will annihilate for ever, and
drive this fiery dragon out of his Majesty's dominions;'
that he ought to have taken his flight from the earth in
the balloon at the very moment the crown was placed
upon the head of our most gracious Sovereign King
George the Fourth ; and further, that he will show to
the world, that the very incident which gave birth to
the idea of the safety lamp, proves that the enemy would
have made his escape to the atmosphere harmless, had
he been guided by t1,,--han.l of science from the spot;
that the motion of the hydrogen when ignited, would
have furnished the idea that safety lamps would not be
wanted. as the necessary arrangement to be introduced.
from that effect would cause the hydrogen to floss* oat
of the mine. as it was forced by the incumbent pressure
of the atmospheric air out of the strata before it could
accumulate to become explosiie.
An extensive moss behind the Mice of Athol's
plantations on Craik Ven7an, near Dunkeld, in Scot-
land, took fire last wee!:, and burnt for two days, when

it exhausted itself. It is supposed to have originated
from some of the I tsourers haviug lighted a fire
to dress their victuals. and not having afterwards
carefully extinguished it. Had the wind been high,
the whole of the plactation would probably have been
consumed.


Yesterday evenirg an inquisition was taken at the
King's Arms, Queen!tithe Dock, Upper Thames-street,
before Mr. Shelton, coroner, on the body of Oeorge
Nicholls, a lad aged abort 8 years, sou to a waterman.
He bad been playing with a lad of his owe age on the
barges in the dock, about eight o'clock on Saturday
night, when in attempting to step from that in which
be was standing, to another alongside, be unfortunately
missed his forting, and fell between the barges into the
river. His playmate was so frightened at the acci-
dent, that he ran off boom without giving any alarm,
leaving the deceased struggling in the water. Nothing
was beard of tbeeircarhstaace until about 2 hours after-
wards, when the affrighted lad, after having a sowed
sleep at home, communicated the matter to his panels
‘
who instantly hastened to the fatal spot. The hotly of
the drowsed was searched for, and picked up ; but oil
the means used to restore nuiluatio:i proved iaeffectua4
Verdict—Accidental Leath.