After a lengthened address from the coroner, who clearly defined the law with reference to the case, the jury consulted for some time, and then returned a verdict of "Natural death, brought on by the want of mother's milk."

26. WESTMINSTER AND ETON ROWING MATCH.-This match between the Westminster scholars and those of Eton College, which had been for some time much talked of, came off this day. The distance rowed was nearly five miles and a half, and was in that part of the river which lies between Barker's-rails and Putney-bridge, the start being from the first-mentioned place, and the winning point the bridge. The river was crowded with steamers, and the boats of the different clubs-viz.: the Leander, the Guards Club, &c., and presented an animated appear ance; the bridges, and those parts of the banks from which a view of the match could be commanded, were covered with spectators; and at Putney the scene was peculiarly cheering. The Etonians were the favourites, as they were a stronger crew than their opponents; nevertheless, those who were good judges, considered the Westminster crew as the best rowers; and it was also something in their favour, that they were better accustomed to the water to be rowed through than the Etonians; and therefore, there were not wanting those who took the odds against them freely. The boats were both built on the re cently improved system; that of the Westminster crew was built by Mr. Roberts. The colour of the Westminster crew was pink; that of the Eton boat blue. The start took place precisely at five minutes past seven o'clock, and

both crews went to their work in gallant style. The lead was taken by the Westminster boat almost immediately, and off Barnes Terrace she began to show her superiority: she gradually got away from her opponent; and, before the distance of two miles had been rowed, was three boats' length in advance. The pace was very good, assisted by the running down of the tide ; the boats cut through the water with a rapidity which has seldom been surpassed; and at twentyseven minutes to eight o'clock, the Westminster boat reached Putney-bridge, and was the winner, the Etonians being about 120 yards behind her. The winners were greeted with the most tumultuous cheering from the steamers, the shores of the river, the numerous boats there, and the people on the bridge. They rowed in beautiful style, and well deserved the honours with which they were received. The Etonians also rowed well. The match was, altogether, one of the best of the present

season.

TRIAL FOR POISONING. NOTTINGHAM.-CROWN COURT. — Benjamin Hurd, and Hannah Hurd his wife, were indicted upon the coroner's inquisition, held at Radford, on the 7th of March last, for the wilful murder at Nottingham of Thomas Robinson. The trial had been postponed from the last assizes, in consequence of the inability of a material witness to give evidence. Mr. Mellor conducted the prosecution; the prisoners were defended by Mr. Wildman. The trial excited much interest, both from the novelty of the case itself; and, it being the prevailing opinion that the woman, if found guilty of the murder, would be left for execution. The charge

was, that the woman administered laudanum or other narcotic poison, to the deceased, with the design of robbing him, and by so doing, caused his death; and that the man counselled, aided, and abetted her in so doing, as an accessory before the fact. Mr. Wildman was so powerfully affected at the outset of his speech, by his sense of the responsibility of the anxious duty that devolved upon him, as to be almost checked for a time in the progress of his address.

It appeared that the prisoners kept a brothel at Nottingham; that the deceased was a coal-higler, living a short distance from Nottingham, and had been accustomed to visit there; that he went there on the day when this was done, and was in liquor; that the female prisoner "hocussed" him (as it is called there), by administering to him three-pennyworth of laudanum, and picked his pocket while soundly sleeping from the effects of it; that he was picked up in a state of insensibility in the yard on the same day; that he was placed in a stable upon some straw; that whilst there frothy matter issued from his nose and mouth, and the stable was rendered most offensive by an excremental smell; that he was lifted into a cart the following afternoon, and taken home, and there put to bed; that he never, after he was first picked up, uttered more than two short sentences; and that the frothy matter continued issuing from his mouth and nose until a quarter past twelve o'clock on the same night, when he expired.

The evidence as to what preceded and attended the administration of the laudanum, and the subsequent robbery, is not very fit for publication; nor is the material VOL. LXXXIV.

part of that which followed. The evidence of the surgeon as to the cause of death, left little or no doubt about it, but was purely of a technical description, though very lengthy, as to the state in which he found the poor old man, when first called in to him on the

8th March; that which supervened until he died, the result of the examination of the contents of the stomach, and of the post mortem examination of the body, and the ordinary appearances attending death resulting from the taking of laudanum, or other narcotic poison, as distinguished from those to be perceived in persons dying of apoplexy, intemperance, or the taking of mineral poison.

The jury found the female prisoner Guilty of manslaughter only," by necessary legal consequence acquitting the male prisoner; and, after a feeling exhortation, she was sentenced to be transported for the term of her natural life.

28. RUGBY SCHOOL. ELECTION OF A HEAD MASTER.-At a meeting of the honourable the trustees yesterday, present the Earls of Denbigh and Aylesford, Earl Howe, Sir G. Skipwith, Sir F. Lawley, Sir H. Halford, Sir G. Crewe, Mr. W. S. Dugdale, M. P., Mr. E. J. Shirley, M. P., and Mr. Holbeche, the Rev. Archibald Campbell Tait, Fellow and Tutor of Balliol-college, Oxford, was elected Head Master of Rugby School.

RECEIPTS OF RELIGIOUS AND BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS FOR THE PAST YEAR,

Sunday School Union Suppression of Intem

908 15 0 perance Trinitarian Bible. 2,201 14 0 Wesleyan Missionary 101,618 2 4

28. AWFUL THUNDER STORM.

One of the most terrific storms of thunder and lightning, accom. panied by torrents of rain, that has occurred for a great many years, broke over the metropolis about twelve o'clock, on the night of the 27th, and continued with an intermission of about four hours, until six o'clock the following morning. During the whole of the preceding day, the atmosphere was particularly sultry, and the heat exceedingly oppressive. Towards evening the sky was overcast, but shortly afterwards it became clear and bright, and so continued till about eleven o'clock, when symptoms of a coming storm again showed themselves, and in less than an hour it burst forth with appalling violence. The lightning was of the most vivid description, and the flashes followed in such quick succession, that the atmosphere presented almost a continued glare of light. The thunder, too, was the loudest that has been heard for many years; each peal followed the preceding flash with a scarcely perceptible interval. The storm appeared to rise in the south-east, and spread towards the north, shortly extending in all directions till it seemed to have embraced the metropolis and suburbs for several miles round. It was most severely felt at Camberwell, Newington, Vauxhall, Hammersmith, and Westminster, at all of which places more or less damage has been done. Woolwich also slightly suffered. The church of St. Mar tin-in-the-fields suffered severely

from this awful visitation. The spire, which has always been so much admired, received such serious injury as to render it quite unsafe. The lightning entered the clock-house and forced open the door of the clock, and also that of a box standing near it; it then entered an aperture of the floor, and tore up the massive board two or three inches above the level; after which it passed out of the circular window above, with such tremendous force that the two side stones of the niche were dislodged from their places and fell on the roof of the church. The key-stone was also removed several inches outwards. The west angle was split from the bottom upwards, and the figures on the north and west sides of the dial plates were turned black. The stone which composed the northeast corner was shattered to pieces, and the spire thrown out of the perpendicular. The electric fluid was distinctly seen to pass over the gates of the Golden Crossyard, when it struck against the ground and expended itself in a momentary blaze. On its passage a policeman of the A division was forced with such violence against the rails as to be completely stunned, and was removed to the station-house happily without further injury. Upon a survey it was found necessary to take down the tower as far as the flag-staff. Many other houses and buildings in the metropolis also suffered severely from the storm and several per sons were struck by the electric fluid and seriously injured. Some of the suburban districts, especially to the north of London felt the violence of the storm in an unusual degree. Considerable damage was done to some few fields

of corn within a short distance of town. The effect of the lightning on the railways was described as magnificent and alarming. The flitting and dancing upon the rails, as if it would for a time light the way for the engine, and then suddenly exhausting itself in the earth, was a scene that cannot well be described. Throughout the provinces the storm appears to have been pretty general, although some places were partially and some wholly free from the awful visitation; among these may be enumerated the town of Southampton, where, although a few flashes of lightning were to be perceived, those terrific peals of thunder were not heard which were so distinctly audible in the metropolis, and not a drop of rain fell. At Norwich the rain fell copiously, and some lightning was observed, but no thunder was heard. Uxbridge also was but partially visited by the storm. At Melton Mowbray and parts adjacent, on the Brighton. Hastings, and Dover lines of road, the tempest raged with great fury; the horses of the mails in some instances became almost unmanageable, and it was with the greatest difficulty they could be induced to face the vivid flashes of lightning. The fine old steeple of Devizes church was rent in twain by the electric fluid, the works of the clock destroyed, part of the metal being melted, some of the bells injured, and part of the roof destroyed by some fragments of the steeple falling thereon. The damage was supposed to amount to upwards of 1,000l.

29. TRIAL FOR DUELLING.GALWAY ASSIZES. Mr. Owen Lynch, the principal in a duel which terminated in the death of Mr. Malachi Kelly, was placed at

the bar before Mr. Justice Torrens, at Galway, to take his trial for the offence. The first witness examined for the prosecution was Mr. Luke Dillon, who acted as second to the gentleman who lost his life in the transaction, Mr. Malachi Kelly.

Mr. Dillon at once objected to give his testimony, on the ground that although he had been previously acquitted as a principal, he was still liable to an indictment as an accessory before the fact.

Mr. Fitzgibbon, Queen's counsel, supported the witness's view of the case; and

Justice Torrens ruled that Mr. Dillon should answer all questions bearing on the actual duel, but that he need not reply to anything having reference to previous transactions.

Messrs. Dillon, Michell (the second to Mr. Lynch), and Dr. Colohan, were then examined as to the fact of the duel having taken place.

Mr. Fitzgibbon spoke for the defence, but called no witnesses. The learned counsel dwelt at great length upon the absence of any proof of malice, and contended that the prisoner was constrained to act as he did by the laws of society, however imperfect those laws were; besides, he was but a tool in the hands of his friend, when once he placed the matter under his direction, and no other course was left open to him but the one he was unfortunately compelled to take, more especially as a verbal apology had been tendered to Mr. Kelly's friend, which was refused, and a written one demanded. Mr. Fitzgibbon concluded by calling the attention of the jury to the strong opinions entertained in favour of the practice

of duelling by the county of Gal

way.

The learned Judge, in summing up the evidence, coincided with the prisoner's counsel as to the want of malice appearing, for although the fact itself might lead to an inference of malice implied, there was no proof of any expressed. He thanked God the inhuman system of duelling was gradually' losing ground, but he was sorry to remark that if there was any corner in which it lurked more tenaciously than in another it was in the county of Galway. He implored all fathers present to inculcate in their children a spirit of peace and a horror of the pernicious practice of duelling, and to the young he would recall the words of Scripture, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The charge of the learned judge was, upon the whole, favourable to the pri

soner.

The jury, after an hour's consultation, brought in a verdict of "Not Guilty." There were some manifestations of applause, which were instantly checked.

AUGUST.

1. The Thames Tunnel was opened for the first time on the Wapping side of the River, and upwards of 500 visitors of all nations passed through the tunnel as far as the shaft on the Rotherhithe shore. The Middlesex shaft is about ninety feet in height, and is surmounted with a handsome dome, which is glazed, and light and air admitted. There are two staircases, one terminating close to the western arch, and the other leading to the eastern arch. The