The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette. — 1862-08-19 (Dorchester, Dorset, England)

NOTES OF THE WEEK.  Among the casualties which have taken place during the peat week, there are two or throe that call forth a passing remark. Ever since Blondin performed his daring feat of crossing the Niagara on a tight rope, the world has been full of Blending and spurious Blondins, Leotards and sham Leotards, acrobats, tumblers, posture masters and contortionists, male and female. On Thursday last one of those persona, who risk their lives for the amusement of a Christian public' met with an horrible accident at that place of resort known as Highbury Barn. On the day referred to, a fête was given in the gardens, and to give additional eclat to the entertainment, a Miss Young, the female Bloudin, who created so groat a sensation at Cremorne Gardens last year, and who performed the daring feat of crossing the Thames, was engaged. About ten o'clock at night she ascended the stages connected with the rope, which is about 60 or 70 feet high, and by the aid of blue fires, and attired in a suit of armour, proceeded on her perilous voyage in mid-air. She reached the eastern stage in safety, and again returned, performing the feat of wheeling the barrow a third time. She crossed the rope covered with a sack, and then commenced her final tour to the starting point in the midst of fireworks discharged from each end of the balancing pole she carried in her hands. She arrived within about 20 feet of the western stage, when the Catharine wheels at each end of the polo had reached their greatest velocity, and at which moment reporte were heard, and stars of various hues were emitted. At this instant it was plainly observable that there was a fearful oscillation of the pole, as well as of the unfortunate performer. A general cry was raised that she was falling, and the pole fell from her grasp, and she toppled over. For a moment or two she hung to the rope either by her hands or legs, and then, amidst the horrors and shrieks of the spectators, fell heavily, headforemost, to the ground. It seems a miracle that she was not killed on the spot; but she still lives, although in a very precarious state. Hitherto, two of the most renowned mountebanks known—Blondin and Leotard—have been fortunate enough not to break their necks; but to learn on any day that such a catastrophe had occurred would surprise but few. The tumble-down period would appear now to have arrived. On the very night Miss Young met with her accident, the circumstance was communicated to Leotard, while performing in the Great Hall at Highbury Barn, and so much affected him that he turned pale, missed the handles of the centre trapeze, and came down on the platform beneath, fortunately, safely on his feet. A few nights since another trapeze-performer "missed his tip" at Canterbury Ball, and was precipitated on to the chandelier and horribly injured. We pride ourselves in the progress we have made of late yean in intellectual progress and civilization. We have established homes for homeless dogs, passed laws for the prevention of cruelty to animals, and can affect to regard with horror and disgust the taste of the Queen of Spain who can look with complacency and delight on a bull fight. Our tastes are more refined than those of our forefathers, or even of our continental friends, but we. in order to afford "amusements for the people" at a shilling a head, encourage constructive suicide, by bribing a fellow creature to undertake some break-neck feat on a hempen cord, !whereby he or she is rendered liable at any moment to be ushered into eternity. _ . .  A fire, which was unfortunately attended with the loss of three lives, broke out in ODO of the stately mansions of Cumberland-street, near Hyde Park, on Thursday last, about an hour after the whole of the inmates had retired to rest. A policeman on the beat seeing a glare of light in the lower part of the building, but before he could arouse the inmates the fire had seized on the staircase, and ant off all means of escape except by the upper windows. Two fireescapes were speedily on the spot, and the terrified and screaming servants and some other inmates were fortunately rescued. Mrs. Barnett, an invalid, was taken from her bed; but Mr. Barnett, the proprietor of the mansion, who went in search of two of his daughters, was, with them, unfortunately lost. The house itself was completely gutted, and the furniture, pictures, and works of virtu, worth many thousand pounds, were destroyed. When the flames were extinguished, the bodies of Mr. Barnett and his daughters were found, shockingly burnt, and, of course, quite dead. Shortly after this occurrence another fire broke out in the house of a tobacconist, in Old Kent Road. Mr. Burgess was aroused by a parrot belonging to him, crying out, " Master l master I" The inmates were fortunately saved; but the parrot, which was probably the means of their salvation, was burnt to death. Poor Poll deserved a better fate.  The Garibaldian movement still goes on at Turin, Naples, and other parts of Italy, and it is said the South of France has caught the infection. Two ticket porters of Nice have been arrested for crying "Viva Garibaldi." At Marseilles the Garibaldi hymn has lately been sung in the casinos and public gardens; but by a sort of understanding with the authorities, the words being changed. The refrain of that national song is, "Out with the Foreigner," and, of course, as long as the Emperor is pleased to stick to Rome, it will not do to sing the words in France.  Our readers will rejoice to learn that Sir George Grey, after investigating the case of the convict Flood, has been enabled to advise Her Majesty to extend her royal mercy to the unhappy culprit, and that his sentence has accordingly been commuted to penal servitude for life. The circumstances of his case were melancholy and pitiable. Be was a man of good character, and honoured with a badge of it, and probably on account of that very good conduct he was marked out for punishment by comrades of a different stamp. The mail he shot bore a very indifferent character—a bully, who seems to have marked out Flood especially for annoyance.  There was in the regiment, the 18th Hussars, an abominable mockery of justice in the shape of mock court-martial. Flood had more than once suffered the pain and degr.idation of these unauthorised punishments, and the stripes his comrades bestowed on him Mere given for his not falling iuto their bad ways.