Court.We suppose you are as much joined together as any other married people are.

Prisoner. My family are now no more to me than any other persons.

Court. The laws of your country require that you should maintain your family, and if you neglect or refuse to do it, you become liable to a serious punishment.

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Prisoner.-I am willing to suffer you think proper to inflict; I expect to suffer persecution, for the Scripture says, Those that will live godly in Jesus Christ, must endure persecution. I regard the laws of God only, and do not regard any other laws.

Court.-You seem to have read the Scriptures to very little profit, or you would not have failed in so plain a duty as that of providing for your own household.

Prisoner. The Scripture commands me to love my neighbour as myself, and I cannot do that if I suffer him to want when I have the power to relieve him. My wife and children have all changes of raiment, but I see many others that are half naked. Should I not, therefore, clothe these rather than expend my money on my family?

Court. But your family cannot live upon their raiment; they require also victuals.

Prisoner. They are able to provide for their own maintenance, and the gospel requires me to forsake father and mother, wife and children. Indeed it was contrary to the gospel for me to take a wife, and I sinned in so doing. Court.-Have you any friends here? Prisoner. I have only one friend, who is above.

Court. Is there any person here who knows you?

Prisoner.Mr Banks knows me. Mr Banks being called upon, stated that he should suppose, from the recent conduct of the prisoner, that his

mind was not in a sane state. For

merly he was an industrious man; of late, he understood that he had read the Bible with uncommon assiduity and fervency. He would absent himself whole days together, and retire into woods and fields for the purpose of reading it. After some time spent in this manner, he went away from his family, and refused to contribute to their support. His family contrived to carry on the business, and he bought of them what pieces they made. He understood that what the prisoner had said of giving away his earnings to objects of distress was correct.

The court made another attempt to convince this deluded man of the impropriety of his conduct, but without the least effect; he replied to all their reasonings by quoting appropriated texts of Scripture. Nor would he even promise to permit his employer to pay to his family the small sum of five shillings weekly. He dared not, he said, make any promises or engagements of any kind. Nor was the attempt to work upon his feelings more successful; his fanaticism had apparently rooted from his heart all the tender charities of domestic life. When it was intimated to him that one of his children was in a decline, he seemed perfectly unmoved; nor did the tears of his wife, who implored him only to assist in paying the debts before he went away, in the least affect him. He coldly replied, that the landlord might distress for the rent.

The court asked some questions of the overseers as to the affairs of the family, the answers to which the writer of this did not hear ; but they confirmed what Mr Banks had said as to the manner in which he disposed of his surplus earnings, and expressed an opinion that no benefit was likely to result from, sending him again to the House of Correction. After some consultation with the bench, the Re

corder addressed him to the following effect :

John Burnley, the court are disposed to deal leniently with you, in hopes that better consideration will remove the delusion you labour under. For this purpose I would advise you to read your Bible with still greater attention, and ask the advice of some intelligent friends, particularly the minister you attend upon. I would also beg of you seriously to consider, that all the rest of the world think it their duty to provide, in the first place, for their families; and you surely cannot suppose that they are all neglecting the care of their souls, and in the road to eternal destruction. This consideration should induce you to distrust your own judgment, and if you have any humility, and humility is a christian virtue, you would conclude that it is more probable that you should be mistaken than that all the rest of mankind should be wrong. Your wife has already expressed her wish that no se verity should be used towards you. Influenced by these considerations, the court has ordered that you should be discharged.

Prisoner. The Scripture saith, that darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people. And again, in another place, that the whole world lieth in wickedness. I know that the way of duty is in the path of suffering; but it is the path which our Leader trod, and we must follow his steps.

A Jamaica paper mentions the extraordinary fact of a cow, the property of Mr Ashmead, of Memmell Ridge, St Ann's, having brought forth three calves at one birth, all of which have lived and thriven.

CURIOUS ROBBERY.A few days ago, the house of a widow woman, at Coulton Common, near Whitkirk, was entered in the day, while she and all the family were in the fields cutting beans, and robbed to the amount of

81. in notes, and 7s. 6d. in silver.—On her return home, and discovering the theft, she proclaimed aloud through the village her intention of applying to a neighbouring caster or conjurer, in order to mark the offender in the cheek with the figure of the devil. The terrified wretch, dreading the ef fects of this threat, returned all the notes, and 6s. of the silver, in the night, and placed it on a short post before the door, where the poor woman found it in the morning, to her great satis faction.

The person who robbed and murdered Mr Wylde was taken on Sunday morning in the Mint, in the Borough; he was afterwards taken to Westerham, and is to be examined before John Ward, Esq. He is sup. posed to be the same person that robbed and murdered Mr Humphries, of Hiver Castle, about two years since, as he was returning from Westerham market. He wore an oil-case over his hat, and had on the same clothes when he was taken. He left his place in the neighbourhood of Westerham the morning of the day he committed the horrid deed, and told his mistress he had no money or victuals, and she gave him two shillings, his master having gone to Croydon fair. When he arrived at Westerham, about two o'clock yesterday, in the custody of two Bowstreet officers, the son of the deceased was returning from the funeral of his father, and was shewn into the room of the George Inn, and identified him as the man who shot his father.

On Tuesday the 19th ultimo, a spire of a new construction was erected upon the church of Edgeworthstone, Ireland. It is 50 feet high, made of iron and slate, and pointed and sanded, so as perfectly to resemble Portland stone, and was put together withinside of the tower, by which means the expence and danger of external scaffolding were avoided. All the nobility and gentry

for many miles round, who had been invited on the occasion, expressed great gratification in seeing this beautifullyproportioned spire gradually raised by machinery, and placed without effort on its destined base. It was only eighteen minutes in its ascent, and after it had been secured in its new situation, the pedestal, to which it had been attached during its elevation, descended to the ground with the workmen who had concluded the operation. The spire is secured from lightning by a copper conductor, and has been exposed ever since its ascent to the equinoctial gales, by which it has not been in the least affected.

24th. -DREADFUL ACCIDENT.On Saturday night last, about seven o'clock, the ferry boat which passes from South Lynn to Lynn Regis, started with eleven passengers and the ferryman. They being principally working men, were anxious to get home, and although the boat was small and only intended for occasional use, they persisted in getting in to the above number. The tide coming rapidly up, and the wind being full against them, made such a rough sea, that the boat upset, and every one on board perished. A boy, in the service of Mr T. Fawcett, of Gate, Westmoreland, having accompanied his master in shooting all day upon the moors, was desired by him in the evening to make the best of his way home. The boy proceeded on foot, but being much fatigued, sat down and fell asleep. How long he remained in that situation is uncertain, as, when found, he was in his own bed asleep; and a neighbour passing on the road early next morning, found his clothes scattered in various directions nearly a mile off. The account he gave was, that he dreamed he had been at a neighbour's house, at a good supper; after which he supposed he went to bed there. It appears that he ac

tually walked three miles, during which he stripped off his clothes, walked home naked, passed the gate, and went up stairs to bed, the whole of the time being in a profound sleep.

Last week an inquisition was taken near Scarborough, on view of the body of Ann Viler, of Foxholes, aged 18 years. This unfortunate woman had been seduced by a young man in the neighbourhood, by whom she was pregnant. Meeting him lately, she earnestly requested to know his inten tion towards her, when he left her without replying. This seems to havė preyed so much upon her mind, as to induce her to take a quantity of white arsenic in some beer. She soon bécame sick, and continued to grow worse; and on the following day, in a convulsive fit, she was delivered of a dead female child, and the next day put an end to her extreme torture. After a long investigation, the jury returned a verdict-Died by poison, taken in a fit of lunacy.

A large oak tree has recently been discovered in the Clyde, about half a mile below Thankerton bridge, on the property of the Earl of Hyndford. It is nearly 30 feet long, and upwards of 12 feet in circumference. It seems to be pretty solid; but as it lies three feet below the surface of the water, and mostly covered with the channel of the river, any attempts that have been made to remove it have proved ineffectual. There is a tale, so old as to be nearly traditionary, that some very large oak trees formerly grew at Lamington, the purchaser of which endeavoured to float them down the river, but owing to the gravity of oak timber being nearly équal to water, some of them were lost. It is well known, that the vast extent of wood from which Selkirkshire still retains the name of the Forest, stretched westward into this country; and some of the fruitful and well

sheltered dells of Coulter or Lamington, may justly claim the merit of having fostered this noble proof of the ancient grandeur of Scottish timber.

Bow-STREET.--An extraordinary discovery of property took place on Monday, by Mr Young, the watch maker, in the Strand, who had taken an account of his stock last May, when he missed a gold watch of the value of fifty guineas, which Mr Young was confident he had not sold, as he always booked every watch that was disposed of; but how it had been lost he could not account for. On Monday morning two men went to his shop, and asked him if he would purchase a watch; he replied he was not in the habit of purchasing watches from strangers, however, he would look at it; and on examining the watch, it proved to be the valuable watch which had been missed. He asked where they had got it; one of them answered, from his wife, and she told him she had got it from Newgate; the other man said he had merely accompanied his friend to sell the watch, and had advised him to take it to the maker, as no doubt he would give more for it than any body else. Mr Young conceiving it to be a very plausible tale, and that they would not have taken the watch to him for sale if they had stolen it, did not attempt to detain them, only took their names and address; but said, he should keep the watch, except they could make a good title to it, and for this purpose appointed them to attend at the above office on Tuesday evening, which they accordingly did, and also one of their wives, who acknowledged that she gave the watch to her husband to sell, having received it from a young man of the name of Simpkin, who was under sentence of transportation in Newgate. No other title being offered by the parties to the watch, Mr

Young was justified in detaining it as his property.

AGRICULTURAL REPORT.The harvest in the northern counties, and in Scotland, though unusually late, has closed favourably, from the continuance of fine weather so long after Michaelmas. Their wheats, though not affording plump samples in general, have been injured much less by blight than those of the south. The wheat lands throughout England have worked so well for the seed that little remains in any district to be sown. The early plants shew luxuriantly from the late rains. The potatoe crops are likely to prove large in produce, but those remaining in strong soils are likely to suffer if the rains continue. The clover seed cut late has been much injured by the wet weather; but that which came forward is expected to turn out well. The later turnips, from the rapidity and continuance of their growth, promise to become abundant, even in the remote districts not much accustomed to the growth of green crops. The continuing growth of grass keeps the hay-market station. ary at last month's prices. Although the graziers complain of the present prices at Smithfield for most kinds of meat, the butchers take care that the public shall profit but little from the cause of their discontent. We have little or no variation to note in the value of lean stock. Good draught horses are dearer than we before remember. The wool market remains dull, at prices which few but the necessitous grower seems disposed to accept.

FASHIONS.Evening Dress.-A sea-green crape dress, vandyked round the petticoat, and ornamented with large beads; a full drapery over the shoulders, and confined into the back

with a pearl band, ornamented round the neck and down the back with beads. A full turban fillet tapered, worn on the head.-Pearl necklace, white kid gloves and shoes.

Ball Dress.-A fancy dress of undressed white crape, worn over a satin slip; the waist of the dress in the boddice form, scolloped and bound with pink satin ribband; the bottom of the dress scolloped in a similar manner, and caught up with small bunches of artificial flowers, the centre bunch of an increased size. The hem of the petticoat trimmed with twisted satin and beads. Short Spanish sleeves composed of satin and lace; the back and shoulders of the dress trimmed with vandyke lace; a bouquet of artificial flowers worn much on one side. The hair ornamented with a fillet of twisted satin and pearls, placed twice round the head, and left to fall in a tassel, finished with beads. Pearl necklaces and ear-rings. White kid gloves and shoes, with small pink and silver roses.

NOVEMBER.

1st.-On Friday night, the quantity of rain which fell in Edinburgh was immense. On Saturday morning, the Meadows presented, from the one end to the other, almost a complete sheet of water. Owing to the high tides and great fresh in the harbour of Leith, several houses on the shore were under water. The river Esk rose to a greater height than ever remembered, and a number of articles were carried by the force of the water into the sea at Musselburgh. It is also said that the late high tides have done considerable injury to North Berwick harbour, and to several other places on both sides of the Forth. In the south of Scotland, the rains have also been

excessive; and in the low part of the town of Dumfries, several of the houses have been inundated, and about two hundred people, in consequence, obliged to remove their habitations. At the isle near Dalswinton, a farmer lost upwards of fifty sheep. The Clyde, near its source, it is said, flowed into the Tweed; and both rivers have overflowed their banks to a greater extent than has been known for thirty years back,

A young man, named John M'Isaac, of Corphine, in Kintyre, in Scotland, made oath, on examination, at Campbeltown, before the sheriff-substitute of Kintyre, that he saw, on the afternoon of the 13th of October, on a black rock on the sea-coast, an animal, of the particulars of which he gives a long and curious detail, answering in general to the description commonly given of the supposed amphibious animal, called a mermaid. He states, that the upper half of it was white, and of the shape of a human body; the other half, towards the tail, of a brindled or reddish grey colour, apparently covered with scales; but the extremity of the tail itself was of a greenish red shining colour; that the head was covered with long hair at times it would put back the hair on both sides of its head, it would also spread its tail like a fan, and while so extended, the tail continued in tremulous motion, and when drawn together again, it remained motionless, and appeared to the deponent to be about twelve or fourteen inches broad; that the hair was long and light brown; that the animal was between four and five feet long. The minister of Campbeltown, and the chamberlain of Mull, attest his examination, and declare they know no reason why his veracity should be questioned.

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A dreadful explosion took place yesterday morning, about 11 o'clock, at the powder mills at Waltham Ab