not appear to have seriously injured any of the vital organs or larger arteries. The unfortunate

man lingered until the 11th of May. On arriving at the hospital, Blewitt, with some difficulty, made the following statement :

"I am 26 years of age, and reside at 18, White Horse-yard, Drury Lane. I am a lithographic printer, and work at Messrs. Graff and Sorry's, in Oxford Market. About half-past eight o'clock this evening I was walking down Drury Lane, towards home, and when near the cook shop at the corner of Princes Street I felt a blow, and at the same time saw a flash as if it came from the cook shop. I heard the report of a gun or pistol. I also felt that I was wounded and cried out. I saw no one at the time, and I have no reason to suspect any one of the deed."

The perpetrator of this act had well-nigh passed undetected. On every Saturday evening the immediate scene of the catastrophe is densely crowded with persons chiefly of the lower orders; and although the report of the pistol, and the subsequent fall of the wounded man, necessarily created much alarm among the bystanders, no individual seems to have observed the perpetrator immediately after the occurrence, and had it not been for the praiseworthy conduct of a young man named Fisher, who met the person in question at a distance of some 30 or 40 yards and followed him, the great probability is that he would have altogether escaped. When the wounded man cried out, a crowd instantly collected around him. No one seems to have fixed their eye on the author of the mischief, possibly from the impression that the unfortunate man had shot himself. Immedi

ately after the shot was fired, police-constable 32 F, having observed a crowd at the corner of Princes Street, was hastening down Drury Lane, when he met a young man, and inquired of him what was the matter. The youth replied, somewhat nervously, Oh, it is a man shot by accident!" The policeman, not at all suspecting his informant, hurried on to the spot. Immediately afterwards the assassin took to his heels and ran up Drury Lane towards Great Queen Street. This circumstance was observed by the young man John Fisher, above alluded to, who had himself heard the pistol fired, but who, from being at some distance from the wounded man, had not had his attention occupied by him. Suspecting something wrong he immediately ran after the youth, pursuing him the whole length of Great Queen Street, to the corner of Little Queen Street. When opposite the picture shop at the corner of the latter thoroughfare, the youth, who was not aware that he was pursued, stopped to recover his breath. He was overtaken by Fisher at the same instant, who asked him whether he was aware what he had been doing? The young man replied by asking Fisher whether he had harmed any person? Fisher said it was no matter whether he had or not, but he must accompany him back to Drury Lane. The assassin then implored Fisher to let him go, remarking that if he did not he should be in trouble all his life. Anticipating resistance Fisher caught hold of his arm, when the young man once again begged that he would release him. Fisher said he could not do so, and proceeded to conduct him back along Great Queen Street. In their progress

Fisher observed that his prisoner kept one of his hands in his left coat pocket. Acting on impulse, Fisher caught hold of his hand, and asked what he had there. The assassin coolly replied that it was only a pistol-the one, he added, which he had just let off in Drury Lane. Fisher took the pistol from him, and delivered him into the custody of the police. The prisoner proved to be John Graham, clerk to a solicitor. An inquest was held on the body, when evidence to the above effect was given; other evidence was also produced showing that the prisoner had been in the habit of carrying fire-arms about the streets.

Louisa Cook, a servant girl, stated that she was walking near Princes Street, Drury Lane, on Saturday night, April 25, between 8 and 9 o'clock, when she met a lad and accidentally stumbled against him. He turned reproachfully towards her, and, calling her a b— w—, asked what she did that for? She rejoined, "Can you prove me one, you puppy?" and walked down Princes Street. He presently followed her, and striking her on the shoulder, said, "You called me a puppy, did you?" She said, " And you called me a w!" He then said, He then said, "If it wasn't for one thing, I'd do for you to-night.' As she at the same

moment observed the butt-end of a pistol projecting from his coat pocket, she became alarmed, and said she would call for a policeman and give him into custody for threatening her life. He then walked away in the direction of Drury Lane. Shortly afterwards she heard the report of fire-arms, and followed a number of people who were going towards the Bow Street police-station. She told a

policeman what had occurred to her, and, on being taken into the station-house, immediately identi fied Graham, who had been apprehended, as the youth who had threatened her life only a few minutes previously.

Constable F 83 said, on seeing the prisoner in company with the young man Fisher, who had followed and overtaken him, he went to apprehend him. He said, "Policeman, is the man hurt? It was quite an accident." Witness searched him at the station, and found five leaden bullets and a powder flask in his pockets. Fisher had taken possession of his pistol. The prisoner added that he was going to the shooting gallery in Drury Lane.

William Pocock, F 14, (an officer of the detective force,) deposed that on Saturday evening, the 25th ult., he heard the prisoner Graham give his address as "No. 1, Harrison Street, Gray's Inn-road," to which place he then proceeded, between 9 and 10 o'clock. On reaching the house he was shown into a small back room at the top of the stairs, which was represented to him as that of the prisoner. He there found two guns, one powder-flask, containing six ounces and a half of gunpowder, a shot-bag and belt containing small shot hanging over the mantel-piece, a small box containing three small cannons, a bullet-mould, and 20 leaden balls, with several pieces of metal; also a small screw-driver and a variety of other articles connected with firearms, such as a powder-canister, &c. He also found one book, upon the elements of chemistry.

The father of the prisoner stated, that he had always evinced a great taste for fire-arms and for playing with gunpowder, and being his

eldest and favourite son, he had unfortunately allowed him to indulge it. It further appeared that the prisoner was in the habit of going out into the suburbs shooting birds on Sunday mornings occasionally. The Jury returned a verdict of "Manslaughter" against John Graham, who was tried on the 18th June, and found "Not Guilty.'

ERUPTIONS OF MOUNT HECLA. -This volcano has been in a continued state of activity for some time past. Besides the destruction caused by the eruptions, they have been followed by another visitation; a fatal malady having attacked the cattle, from eating herbage which had been covered by the volcanic ashes.

"These ashes act more particularly on the bones of the animals which have swallowed them. Thus, on the bones of the feet there are formed, in less than twenty-four hours, osseous excrescences of an oblong form, which gradually assume so formidable a development that they prevent the beasts from walking; the same phenomenon is then manifested in the lower jaw, which is, at the same time, enlarged, and extends in all directions, so considerably that it eventually splits in several places; whilst on the teeth of the upper jaw there is formed a species of osseous needles, very long and pointed, which take root in the lower jaw, and even traverse it-a phase of the malady which always determines a fatal issue. As high winds had prevailed for some time, the volcanic ashes were scattered throughout the island; and a great number of cattle, especially oxen, cows, and sheep, had perished. If the eruption of Hecla is prolonged for two months more, all the rural proprietors who

have not enough hay to keep their herds-and the majority are in this situation-will be obliged either to slaughter their cattle, or to abandon them to certain death on the pastures thus poisoned by the volcanic ashes. The eruption of Mount Hecla was extremely violent. The flames which issued from the three great craters attained a height of 14,400 feet; and their breadth exceeded the greatest breadth of the river Picersen, the most considerable river in Iceland. The lava had already formed lofty mountains; and amongst the masses of pumice-stone vomited by the volcano, and which have been found at a distance of three-fourths of a mile, there were some which weighed half a ton. By the eruption of Hecla, the enormous quantities of snow and ice which had accumulated for several years on the sides of that mountain have melted, and partly fallen into the river Rangen, which has overflowed its banks several times. The waters of that river, which runs almost at the foot of Mount Hecla, and which receives a large portion of the burning lava, were so hot that every day they cast upon the banks numbers of dead trout, almost half-baked. Every night vivid streaks of the aurora borealis illumined the sky.

MAY.

1. FALKIRK ELECTION. The Earl of Lincoln, whose recent defeat for Notts is recorded in our Chronicle, p, 35, achieved a somewhat unexpected victory in the Falkirk district of burghs. A large part of these places are the property of the Duke of Hamilton, father-in-law to the noble Earl; and although the general tendency

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Majority ILLEGAL MARRIAGES.-Dublin.-An important judgment was given in the Court of Queen's Bench, in the case of the Queen v. the Rev. Richard Taggart, a Roman Catholic clergyman, brought before the Court on a special verdict found at the Downpatrick Assizes. The indictment against the traverser was founded on the late marriage Act, the 7th and 8th Victoria, cap. 81, sec. 45; and he was tried for a felony in celebrating a marriage between two Protestants. There were several counts in the indictment; but the special verdict had been found on the second, third, fourth, and fifth counts in the indictment, and which rested on the provisions of the 45th section of the statute. This raised an exception in the application of the Act as to the case of Roman Catholic priests celebrating marriages which might then be lawfully celebrated, and it was upon this exception that the traverser's counsel relied.

The Chief Justice pronounced the judgment of the full Court. The indictment, as far as it had been brought before them was founded on the 45th section of the 7th and 8th Victoria, chap. 81. There were several counts in the indictment, and the especial verdict depended on the construction to be

given to the 45th section of the Act. The charge against the prisoner was, that he had solemnized a marriage in a certain unlicensed place, between two members of a different persuasion, and there was no forced construction, no straining of words to show that his case came within the terms of the Act of Parliament. The words were clear and explicit -he was within its express terms, and the only question was, had he celebrated a marriage that was not within the operation of the statute? He (the Chief Justice) would repeat it, that the present was not a case in which the Court was spelling out the intention of the Legislature; their meaning was so clear and explicit as to leave no doubt. Coming now to the exception in the Act, the argument for the Crown is this

originally, the marriage between two persons who were Protestants, or between a Protestant and a Roman Catholic, by a Roman Catholic clergyman, was valid. Then came an Act of Parliament by which Roman Catholic priests were made subject to severe penalties, death, and afterwards a fine of 500l., for solemnizing such marriages, and then the 19 George II. provided that the marriage itself should also be null and void. This was the state of the law until the passing of the 3rd and 4th William IV., chap. 102, and by that Act all the penalties for the performance of such ceremonies were repealed, but the marriage itself remained invalid as it was before. Such being the state of things after 1833, until the passing of the 7th and 8th Victoria, chap. 81, the Court had to consider the exemption contained in that Act, and that exemption was never intended to be a personal privilege. It was not meant to extend the power or authority of

the priest in the celebration of marriages, but to uphold the validity of the ceremony when performed between members of his own communion. It left free and untouched the rights of that clergy where the marriage would have been previously legal; their rights were to remain in that respect as before the passing of the statute; but the marriage celebrated by a Roman Catholic priest between Protestants was absolutely null and void. The relation of man and wife did not arise; there was no relation but that of concubinage between the parties, and the issue were bastardized; and what the Court had now to consider was, were those who celebrated marriages invalidated by the law to be protected by the Act of Parliament in question? The exception as to the Roman Catholic clergy from penalties was in relation to marriages that may now be lawfully celebrated"-the exemption did not extend to excuse them from the general words of the Act, where they celebrated illegal marriages, and, like the clergymen of other persuasions, they then came within the penalties prescribed by the statute. There should, therefore, be judgment for the Crown.

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2. A MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE PREVENTED. This morning, just as the Rev. M. D. Ffrench was about to commence the morning service at St. George's Hanover Square, a license for marriage was presented by a lady and gentleman. Upon the document being read, the reverend gentleman was much surprised to find that it authorized the performance of the ceremony for parties no less distinguished than the Lady Anna Eliza Mary Temple Nugent Brydges Chandos Grenville, daughter of Richard Plantagenet, Duke and Marquis of Buck

ingham and Chandos, and Gore Langton, Esq., son of Colonel Gore Langton. The late hour at which the proposed bride and bridegroom reached the church rendered it impossible for the ceremony to be performed previous to the morning service. Mr. Ffrench, in the meantime, seeing that the bride and bridegroom were not accompanied by any of their friends, and fearing that the proposed marriage was a clandestine one, sent a messenger to the Duke of Buckingham to inform him that a marriage in which he was so deeply interested was about to take place. After a pause of incredulous amazement, the Duke hastened to St. George's Church. In the meantime the morning service had been completed, and the preliminaries had been duly performed in the vestry, and the parties had proceeded to the altar to have their union completed. The clergyman had just commenced, when the Duke of Buckingham arrived, and warmly expressed his decided objection to the performance of the ceremony. On the other hand, Mr. Gore Langton and the lady claimed as a matter of right that the ceremony should proceed immediately. Mr. Ffrench calmly stated that his duty did not afford any option; the parties were, it appeared, of mature age, the license was in all respects sufficient, and he was bound to perform the ceremony without further delay. A scene of painful excitement ensued; but finally the clergyman declined to perform the ceremony, and the lady retired with her father. It was stated that the objection of the noble parents of the bride were not so much directed against the person of the bridegroom, (although much surprised at the discovery of the attachment,) as to the clan.