16. A trial was made, to ascer. lain what a horse could draw on the iron rail-way, from the harbour of Ayr to Newton coal-pits. Six waggons were loaded with three tons cach; the six waggons exceeded two tons, making in all 20 tons. A car. horse was yoked; but in starting, the chain which bound the fifth waggon to the fourth gave way, and the horse proceeded with the four waggons with ease; thus pulling a load of nearly 14 tons weight.

17. At the Middlesex sessions, three men, one a cordwainer, the other a brush-maker, and the third a sailor, severally applied to the court, in order that the oaths might be administered to them to qualify them to preach the Gospel. C. Robinson, esq. the chairman, vcry properly asked these candidates for ecclesiastical fame, whether any of them had received the necessary education at either of the universitics. Oxford or Cambridge, or at any public school, or whether they were deeply read in theology? They replied in the negative to these interrogations. The chairman observed, they must necessarily entertain very wild and extravagant ideas in regard to religion, and he wished

to learn the inducements they had to become preachers?

They replied, that they had ne objects of lucre or gain in view, but were actuated by a strange and vehement inclination to promulgate the Gospel of God, for the purpose of contributing, as far as in them lay, to the salvation of souls. They intended to exercise their holy functions entirely within the county of Middlesex. The chairman granted their applications, and they withdrew to the office of the clerk of the peace. Similar applications have of late been frequent.

An indictment against W. Midhurst, charged the prisoner with an assault on a girl 13 years of age, with intent to commit a rape.

The defendant was a hair-dresser, who resided in the neighbourhood of Spital-fields, ad the prosecutrix was the daughter of a respectable tradesman in that neighbourhood. On the 7th of November, according to the statement of the girl, she went to the shop of the defendant to have her hair cut; when he took her into a back parlour, and made the assault con. plained of. He was alarmed by his servant maid coming down stairs, and also by an old lady coming into the shop with a child, to have its hair cut. The prosecutrix communicated what had happened, to her father's servant when she got home.

The girl underwent a cross-examination by Mr. Alley; from which it appeared, that after the assault she remained in the shop without disclosing to the old lady what had taken place. She accounted for this, by stating that the defendant prevented her from running out, and the old lady

was a stranger. It afterwards turn ed out, that the prosecutrix had sent a letter to the defendant of a very improper nature, contain. ing two lines of poetry, which were not suffered to be read or shewn to the jury.

Mr. Gurney gave up the case for the prosecution. The defendant conducted himself with great levity during the evidence.

The chairman observed, that the child had been very imprudent; but the defendant, notwithstanding that fact, should not be suffered to leave the court with an air of triumph. He was the most abandon ed profligate, a monster of the most enormous depravity.

18. The officers of justice have had a strange chace after Mr. Ludlam. [See Vol. XLVIII. p. 460.] The Bow-street people went on Friday se'nnight, fortified by the lord-chancellor's warrant, to a house in Tenterden-street, Hanover-square, to which they were conducted by his brother's solicitor. The answer from within was, that Mr. L. was not to be spoken with. Several men, on the officers attempting to break in, sprung a rattle; and the latter must have slept in the watch-house, but that the indoor gentry would not come out to make good their charge. -This scene was repeated on Saturday se'nnight. The officers, backed by the lord-mayor's warrant, were again refused admittance. They were told that Mr. Ludlam was safe in the custody of two of Dr. Munroe's people. The house, which was well fortified, underwent

a

warm siege. The assailants, partly by stratagem, and partly by force, obtained an entrée. They found two strait waistcoats, an

aired shirt, and boots, &c. but no Mr. Ludlam. It was evident that hehad escaped from the roof, and a gutter-chace followed of more than an hour. Mr. L. was not found. Mrs. Ludlam ridiculed the officers, and put them at defiance to find Mr. L. Pearkes observed to her, that he was only a few mi nutes too late, on the night Mr. L. shot at Mr. Peacock, in the Londoǹ Tavern, to secure him. Mrs. Ludlam replied, she knew what the consequence would have been, he would have had his head blown off. As the officers were about to leave the house, an officer from Marl borough-street office entered the house, to take Mrs. Ludlam into custody, to answer a charge made against her at that office; she, in consequence, set off in her carriage to Marlborough-street.

The charge against Mrs. Ludlam was for an assault, preferred against her by a dress-maker. The magistrates recommended the parties to adjust their differences; which advice was complied with.

A petition on the behalf of Mr. James Ludlam, from the committee of this unhappy gentleman, was last Thursday heard before the lord chancellor, praying that his lordship would order Mr. Vandercombe, the agent of Mr. Ludlam, to deliver him over to the legal custody of his said committee.

Mr. Perceval, in support of the petition, stated the several acts of insanity committed by this gentleman; in consequence of which, and the certificate of Dr. Warbur ton, his lordship some time since was pleased to order, that he should be delivered over to the custody of his committec-But, instead of obeying his lordship's

order,

order, Mr. Vandercombe and the other persons who were about his person, had secreted him, and prevented that order from being enforced. He adverted to the circumstances which took place at Mr. Ludlam's house in Tenterden street; and represented to his lordship how very dangerous it was to the public, that a person labouring under so violent a distemper, should be at large; and upon these grounds he trusted his lordship would make the order now sought.

Mr. Cooke on the same side ani. madverted with much severity on the conduct of Mr. Vandercombe; whom he considered as doubly culpable, not only in disobeying his lordship's order, but in acting as the agent and friend of Mr. Ludlam, and endeavouring to screen him from public justice; when it was his duty, as one of the under-sheriffs of the city of London, through whose hands the warrant of the lord-mayor, for the apprehension of Mr. Ludlam upon a charge of felony, passed, if Mr. Ludlam was in his senses, to have delivered him over to public justice; but, if he was in a state of insanity, he should have obeyed his lordship's order, and delivered him over to his committee.

The solicitor-ge eral, on behalf of Mr. Vandercombe, and the other persons in whose power Mr. Ludlam was supposed to have been, entered into a full vindication of Mr. Vandercombe's conduct. He stated, that his lordship's original order was issued at a time when Mr. Ludlam had absconded, after the transactions at the London Tavern, when nobody belonging to him could tell what had become of him. When

Mr. Ludlam next appeared, he was perfectly restored to his senses, and had ever since continued a rational man, never having committed the slightest extravagance; but so far Mr. Vandercombe had complied with his lordship's order, that when he discovered Mr. Ludlam, he had him removed to his own house, and Dr. Young at first attended him, but afterwards declined continuing so to do; upon which one of Dr. Willis's men was engaged to attend him, and afterwards two of Dr. Munro's men, and one of Dr. Warburton's, who were provided with two strait waistcoats, lest he should again relapse into a state of insanity. Dreading the idea of being confined in a mad-house, as had happened to this unfortunate gentleman about five years ago, and apprehensive that the Bow-street officers, with their warrant, was only a pretext to get possession of his person, in rder to throw him into a receptacle for lunatics, while the officers were breaking in, Mr. Ludlam, attended by one of the men, in whose care he then was, made his escape through the roof, along the tops of the houses, and leaped down a considerable depth, at the hazard of his life, and where the man was not able to follow him, and made his escape. From the several affidavits it appeared, that Mr. Ludlam had not been heard of since, and to this effect Mr. Vandercombe had positively sworn. Under all these circumstances, therefore, he trusted his lordship would be of opinion that Mr. Vandercombe, at least, was not to blame in this transaction; but had, as far as he was concerned, acted to the best of his judgment.

The lord chancellor thought that, for the security of this gentleman's person and property, and for the safety of the public, it was but right that he should be taken care of. At the same time that he made the order for Mr. Ludlam to be delivered over to the legal custody of his committee, he desired it should be understood, that he was to be kept in his own house, and by no means to be sent to a receptacle for lunatics. The following recorded instances of the mildness of the season, are not a little extraordinary :

There is now in the garden of Mr. Diack, nurseryman at Aberdeen. a great number of beautiful carnations in full blow.

On the evening of Christmas day a hedge-sparrow's nest was taken at Doveridge, Derbyshire, with four eggs in it.-On the same morning, a green lianet's nest was taken out of a bush near Warwick, with two eggs in it. In en exposed part of the shrubbery of. sir Gabriel Powell, of Heathfield, near Swansea, there is a rose in full bloom.-On Saturday afternoon, was observed at Higham, Derbyshire, a gardenbean in full blow, and a hive-bee labouring to cull honey from it, as in the month of June. A gen tleman of Wellesbourne had a dish of green peas brought to his table on Christmas-day, which had been gathered the same morning in an open field in that parish. Strawberries were also gathered, on the same day; and just as a matter of curiosity, a nosegay was made up of roses, Woodbines, and violets.On the common borders, in the garden of Nicholas Grimshaw, of Wincklyplace, Preston, esq, are the fol. lowing flowers: Carnations of several kinds, the double yellow and double purple primrose, pansies,

It is worthy of remark, that the heat of the weather was exactly the same the 24th of June last as the 24th of December; on both those days the thermometer being nearly 60.

19. About twelve o'clock at night the duke of Cumberland's apart. ments,in St. James's palace, were discovered to be on fire. The discovery was made by a servant of Mr. Gordon, who resides in the apartments adjoining to his royal highness's, by the body of smoke and smell of fire that had got into the rooms. He gave the alarm; and it was found to proceed from the very large fires in the stoves, used to cook the dinner. Notice was immediately given to the labourer in trust of the palace, who, with a number of men, always sits up all night on the celebration of the birth-days. He brought the pa lace-engine in a few minutes, and after ripping up some boards in Mr. Gordon's apartments, and get. ting the engine to play, he got it under in a short time without doing much damage.

DREADFUL EXPLOSION OF A VESSEL IN HOLLAND.

Schiedam, Jan. 20. It is our melancholy task to advert to a dismal catastrophe which occurred at Leyden, on Monday the 12th inst. and to confess that no pen can exaggerate the horrors of that mournful scene. We are credibly informed, by eye-witnesses, that scarcely a single house or building has escaped without damage; and that on the Rapenburg, where the deplorable

deplorable event occurred, the houses, to a large extent, are level led with the ground. At the aw. ful moment many families were sitting at dinner with their friends, and were thus precipitated into eternity: fathers, mothers, children, servants, all were rapidly hurried to one promiscuous grave. Husbands have lost their consorts and their off. spring, and the latter their husbands and their sires. Of the number of the dead, various conjectures have been formed; many respectable persons have been dug out, and others are known to lie still in the ruins. Among the dead are several of the most respectable families in the city, and many strangers then on visits. Property to a large amount has been lost, great part of it irrecoverably; and many of the necessaries of life have been spoiled by the showers of broken glass which filled the shops and apartments.

It seems, that a vessel laden with 10,000 lbs. weight of gunpowder, from Amsterdam, destined for Delft, and then lying in the Rapenburg canal, by some means took fire, and instantaneously blew up. Of the vessel, on board of which were the owner's two sons and a servant, not an atom is visible.,

Close to the vessel which blew up lay a yatcht, on board of which were from 15 to 20 persons, not a vestige of whom was to be found.

Two professors of the university are stated to have been killed, and several other persons in that cele: brated seminary. Fortunately, it being vacation, great numbers of the students were absent; and those who were present are said to bave escaped.

The king, with that peculiar

goodness which characterizes him, repaired for the second time to Leyden on Friday last visited the wounded and maimed, ascended the ruins, mixed with the la bourers there, and encouraged them to persevere in their unwearied diligence. On receiving the thanks of the magistrates and clergy, he returned them the most friendly answer, asked after individual losses, and left them with these words:- The dead I cannot restore to you; that is above human power; but all that I can I will do for your city." His majesty made an offer of the Palace in the Wood to such respectable persous as had been depri. ved of their habitations, or which were rendered uninhabitable — an offer which has likewise been accepted with gratitude

His majesty has empowered the magistrates of this unfortunate city to make a general collection throughout the whole kingdom; and ordered that 100,000 guilders out of the treasury, be left to the disposition of the minister of the home-department, for relievipg the most pressing. necessities of the poor, and those who have lost their all.

Several persons have been taken out alive from under the ruins ; but some expired almost immediately afterwards. Great numbers still lie buried, the rubbish still forming such vast heaps, that a considerable time will be required to clear them.

After the explosion, which was awful in the extreme, several fires broke out by the scattering of the lighted turf and coal in the hearths; and this calamity unfor tunately drew off, for a while,

the