The Sun. — 1844-02-28 (London, England)

MISCELLANEOUS. There has been another extraordinary change in the weather within a few hours. On Monday at noon the thermometer stood at 51 degrees, in the course of the night it fell to 25, and at noon yesterday was only one degree above freezing. ThO gales of wind which blew heavily during the whole of Friday night and Saturday morning from S.S.W., were, we regret to state, productive of the most fearful results along the coast. At Scarborough it was severely felt, and the calamity that was witnessed will long be borne in recollection by the inhabitants. Three fishing yawls were lost at the mouth of the harbour, and fourteen persons were drowned. The members of the Journeymen Tailors' Benevolent Asylum, on Monday, held their seventh anniversary meeting at the Freemasons' Tavern, Mr. W. Harrison presiding. The capital invested in the Bank of England amounts to 11,1261., being an increase for the past year of 221/. The number of the society's members now amounts to nearly 1,700. During the day an election into the asylum of five additional pensioners took place, making the total number to amount to 44. Some of the new shops in Hungerford market, it is said, will vie in appearance with those of Covent-garden market, and besides being appropriated for the sale of choice fruits and vegetables, there will be some of them fitted for what is  ermed—the "fancy" portion of butchers' and cheesemongers' :rades.  'We have reason to believe, says the Court Circular, that there is little truth in the report of the immense wealth said to be left by the late reigning Duke of Saxe Gotha, and that Prince Albert is not likely to have an increase to his fortune by any large bequest from that quarter.  r ATROCIOUS MURDER IN FRANCE ' A threefold attempt at murder, fatal, however, in one instance only, was made on Sunday morning last, about five o'clock, at Perigueux, in the Loire. M. Desplat, who kept a public- house in the town, had sold his house and good-will, and was believed to have received a day or two before B,ooof. or 10,000 f in part of the purchase money. This tempted the avidity of some villains, who determined to obtain it at any sacrifice of life. Having armed themselves with a pick-axe, which they procured from the yard of a neighbouring house, by scaling the wall, they in like manner, got into the back premises of Desplat's house, which they entered by the yard door. Their first object was to silence a young man named Regnaud, the only lodger in the house, and prevent his coming to the assistance of Desplat and his wife. They entered Regnaud's room on the second floor, and, finding him asleep, struck him on the forehead with the pickaxe, and opened his skull. The poor youth was killed at once, without uttering a cry; but, to make assurance doubly sure, they cut his throat with his own razor. Desplat and his wife slept together on the first floor, and, to execute their project with greater security, they enticed the husband up stairs, by imitating the voice of Regnaud, as if in pain, calling for a light. Desplat got up and came out of his room, but had not ascended more than three or four stairs when he was felled by two violent blows on the head, which stunned him, and covered him with blood. Believing him to be dead, the assassins went into the room, and attacked the wife ; • but her cries brought Desplat's senses back, and, rallying all his powers, he went to her rescue, calling out for assistance. Hearing this, the murderers took the alarm, and fled with no other booty than the watch of the unfortunate Regnaud, and, even if they had fully accomplished their murderous design, they would have gained but little more, for M. Desplat had not received any part, of the sum they expected to find. Some neighbours came in at the crisis, and brought the guard. They found the house deluged with blood. Desplat and his wife were both dreadfully wounded, but are not in absolute danger ; the body of Regnaud, with the head nearly severed from it, had been covered with his own mattress and bedclothes. It was taken to the hospital to be submitted to an autopsy under the eye of justice, in order to obtain and preserve legal evidence of the cause of his death. Several persons have been arrested on suspicion, and every hope is entertained by the magistrates of bringing the perpetrators of this brutal crime to condign punishment.— Ga. zette des Tribunaux.  Tim