The Sun. — 1836-12-13 (London, England)

JAMES'S PARK.-A great deal has lately been said of the vast and various improvements made in St. James's Park for the public convenience, and yet it is a fact that the public thoroughfare there, alcng which hundreds of shoeless wretches are daily compelled to walk is ancle-deep in mud—for several hundred yards an all but impassable morass is presented. The Buckingham-bog, as it is now familiarly designated, is likely to kill off during the present winter a considerable portion of our redundant population. _ _  The old saying, " There is a providence for a drunken man," was never more strikingly exemplified than in an accident which occurred a few nights since at one of the minor theatres, on the Boulevards. A tiler, named Duquesne, who had been sacrificing copiously to the jolly god, took his place, with a party of friends, in the third gallery, and, in striding from bench to bench, made a false step, and fell head-foremost into the pit, but fortunately on a spot unoccupied by any portion of the audience. The spectators of this frightful somerset of course expected to find the unfortunate man lifeless ; but, to their general astonishment, in another moment he was on his legs, and as gay and alert as though he had experienced the most trifling accident. The physician of the theatre, who was immediately called in, declared, after a slight examination of Duquesne, that he had suffered no injury, either internal or external.—Galignanis Messenger. (The same thing occurred a few nights ago at Drury-lane Theatre, from the same cause, aed with an almost equally harmless result. The man, who was supposed to have thrown himself from the two-shillirg gallery into the pit, made the descent quite unintentionally. He was very drunk, and, falling from one seat to ano.her, at last bounded over, and alighted in the pit, with no other injury than putting out the bones of his ankles.) On Saturday last, at Union Hall, the Secretary to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals caused a very brutal fellow, named Josiah Hall, to be imprisoned for the space of 14 days, with hard labour, in Brixton gaol, for having cruelly beaten a poor dog with a heavy cudgel, until the animal expired under his hands. Although the offence took place ten months ago, the warrant for the offender's apprehension had been kept open against him, and on Tuesday last police sergeant P 8 succeeded in capturing him. The Magistrates highly approved of the perseverance with which the savage had been traced and brought to justice. On the same day, and before the same Magistrates, an extraordinary ferociouslooking fellow was convicted in the abominable and revolting offence of skinning cats alive. Police constable L 62 proved that the bodies of several cats were discovered close to the poisoner's dwelling ; and, on making inquiries, four skins, yet warm, were found in his possession, together with the knife stained with the blood of the tortured animals. Mr. Jeremy adverted in very severe terms on the infamy of such a calling, and told the prisoner that the next time he was brought there he might look to be severely whipped, in addition to imprisonment. The offender was then fined in the full penalty of 51., and in default of payment, sentenced to two months' imprisonment, with hard labour, in Kingston gaol. The society are making arrangements for the establishment of agencies in all the principal cities and towns in the United Kingdom, more particularly at Birmingham, Dover, Weymouth, Gravesend, and Brighton. On Thursday afternoon, between three and four o'clock, a dreadful accident happened on board the Montrose and London Shipping Company's smack Eagle, Captain Andrew Mearns, at present lying at Downe's Wharf, Lower East Smithfield. While the crew were busily engaged. in shipping and stowing the downward cargo, a puncheon of yeast was being lowered into the hold of the vessel, in which were employed three of the seamen, immediately under the hatchway, when the tackle suddenly slipped off the winch end, and the heavy puncheon descended quickly, and fell with great violence upon John Hanton, one of the three seamen in the hold stowing the cargo. The unfortunate man was in a stooping position It; the time. of the melancholy occurrence, and the puncheonstruck him on the back part of the head, and literally crushed it to pieces. He was, however, taken out of the hold alive, and a medical gentleman in Burr-street having speedily attended, recommended his immediate removal to the London Hospital, but he died in the hackney-coach before its arrival at that Institution. The other seamen in the hold did not sustain any injury.—Last night a Coroner's Inquest was held on the body at the London Hospital, and the foregoing facts having been sworn to by the witnesses, a verdict of " Accidental Death" was returned. The deceased was about 24 years of age, a native of Montrose, was an excellent seaman, and his premature death is deeply lamented by Captain Mearns and the crew of the Eagle. Saturday evening police Constable Thomas Bates, 106, C division, committed suicide by cutting his throat. The unfortunate man, who was respectably connected, entered the fore pin July, 1835. In consequence of some family differences, which preyed so heavily on his mind that it brought on a fever, he was eight weeks in the hospital. On Monday he resumed duty, but was taken ill again on Thursday ; and last night he was discovered 'n bed with a wound under his right ear, which he had inflicted with a knife. He was conveyed to the hospital, where he expired at nine o'clock,