less than forty-two days, they fell in with a party of men,
explorers, in the service of a Mr. Geary, of Cape Town;
and for the following thirty-two days, no vessel touching
at the island, these people generously shared with the
sufferers their stock of food. They were at last
conveyed to the Cape, by a vessel that had brought a supply
of provisions to the island.

A merchant schooner, the "Mary," of Dartmouth,
bringing palm-oil from the coast of Africa, was Wrecked
on the morning of the 28th of December, on the coast of
Cornwall, between Manacle Rock and Pendennis Castle.
Her crew were seven in number, of whom two were
blacks. They had been fourteen days without any
provisions, except an allowance of two table-spoonfuls of
flour daily, and it had been agreed to kill the dog on
board for sustenance, unless relieved. She was driven
into the bay by a violent gale, and the exhausted crew
were unable to keep her off the shore, upon which she
was stranded, the waves dashing over her at each return,
and the crew clinging to the lee side, making earnest
gestures for assistance. At length the expedient was
adopted of throwing the log-line from the ship, as a
primary means of establishing communication. The
vessel lay under the cliff, above which is the house of
the Reverend Mr. Coope, the rector of Falmouth. The
rector, having a great knowledge of the footing on the
cliff, attempted to catch the line, for which purpose he
waded into the water some feet, and was nearly carried
off by a sea. To the log-line a large rope was attached,
and to it a hemp cable; the end of the cable was fixed
round a bridge in Mr. Coope's walk, near the bathing-
place. The first who ventured and succeeded in reaching
the shore by the cable was the mate. It was a
passage of much hazard, he being some seconds
suspended midway, owing to the rope not traversing the
cable, and by every lurch of the vessel dashed into the
surf on the rocks. The remainder of the crew got on
shore one by one in a barrel, hung by a hank to the
cable. As they landed they were most kindly received
by the rector and his family. Soup, brandy and water,
coffee, and a joint of meat, were placed before them;
the greatest care being taken to guard against the
danger to be apprehended from the incautious feeding
of long-famished men. To those who were inclined to
take rest, beds were offered, of which three of the men
took advantage, including an African, who appeared
quite exhausted. Mr. Coope, throughout the entire
day, remained in the vicinity of the wreck, offering
every assistance in his power. The vessel did not go to
pieces for several days, during which time a considerable
portion of the cargo was saved.

Madame Sontag, the celebrated singer, has been
nearly Lost in the Snow in the Highlands of Scotland,
where she has been giving concerts. On Friday morning
the 28th of December, she left Glasgow with her
party for Aberdeen, to attend the morning concert on
the following day. At Middleton Bridge, near Laurencekirk,
the engine ran into a cutting filled with snow to
the depth of six feet and then became completely
immovable. At this time, five in the afternoon, the blast
was most fierce and cutting, carrying the drift from the
fields into the hollow of the railway, and rapidly burying
the carriages. A consultation having been held with
the guard and driver, a gentleman of the party
determined to leave the train, and endeavour to reach
Laurencekirk on foot. This, with the assistance of two
guides, he happily accomplished, although the strength
of the wind and the depth of the snow brought them
several times to a stand-still. Aid having been procured,
and a basket of provisions got ready, the party again
started for the embedded train. The wind being now
in their faces, the task became more difficult as well as
dangerous; but, by avoiding the road and taking through
the fields, from which the snow had been partially
dislodged, the train was once more reached, at half-past
seven. The question was now, whether it was possible
to remove the ladies from the carriages, and gain the
summit of the cutting. Madame Sontag, with
undaunted energy, at once determined to attempt it, and
descended from the carriage. The men were sent on
before to make a track; and Madame Sontag, after great
exertion and several falls, reached the level ground.
There the blast became quite blinding; but Madame
Sontag, having covered her head with a cloak, was soon
supported through the fields and over the fences to the
house of Mr. Wilson, a most hospitable farmer; where,
with Count Rossi, Mr. F. Lablache, Signor Calzolari,
and Signor Piatti, she remained all night. Mr. Wood,
with some others of the party, again faced the blast,
and reached Laurencekirk in safety, although much
worn out. Next morning, the snow had so completely
filled the cutting as to bury the carriages.

On New Year's Eve Mary Ann Weed, the wife of a
lighterman at Bankside, Drowned Herself in the
Thames. She was confined with a daughter, and
progressed very well until the night of the 5th, when
symptoms of delirium came on. She was frequently
seen by Mr. Caudle, surgeon, of Great Guildford-street,
who gave the nurse particular orders not to leave her for
a moment, nor to let her go from her sight. She became
so much worse that a relation went for Mr. Caudle, who
attended, and found her so alarmingly altered that he
questioned the nurse as to what she had been giving her,
when she admitted that she had allowed the deceased to
drink a glass of beer. Having remonstrated with the
nurse he left the room, and shortly after his departure
she got out of bed and asked the nurse to let her go
below to see her husband, who was asleep in the parlour,
which was acceded to. She had not been gone more than
two minutes when the nurse went in search of her, and,
to her astonishment, found the street door open, and her
charge missing with only her night-dress on. An alarm
was raised, and every search made for her, and although
every possible effort was made, the deceased was not
discovered till Wednesday the 24th, when she was found
in the river, off the centre arch of London-bridge, by a
waterman. At the inquest, the jury in strong terms
condemned the conduct of the nurse, and ultimately a
verdict of "Temporary Insanity" was recorded.

Three lives were lost at the Maghull station on the
East Lancashire Railway, on the 1st of January. A
train left Preston for Liverpool with only one carriage
attached; at the Ormskirk station there was an accession
of passengers, for whom there was no adequate room.
When the train arrived at the Maghull station there was
a spare carriage on the siding, and to get hold of this
the train was moved to the other line of rails.
Meanwhile another train was heard approaching; knowing
they were on the wrong rails the passengers grew
alarmed, and several jumped out; three of them got on
to the other rails, were caught by the engine, and
killed on the spot. At the inquest it was shown that
the train, a luggage one, was following the passenger
train at a speed of more than forty miles an hour,
contrary to the regulations of the company. The driver
was given into custody.

A melancholy case of Death from Starvation, has
occurred at Southampton. Elizabeth Biggs, a delicate
young woman, whose poverty had made her a constant
recipient of parish relief for some months past, applied
one day, towards the end of last month, to the parish
doctor for medical relief. He saw that she was more in
need of nourishment and shelter than of medicines, and
he gave her an order for immediate admission to the
workhouse. Her brother accompanied her thither, and
she obtained admission; but it would seem that she
remained only a short time. Too delicate to endure the
severe cold of the lodging in the "tramp-house," where
casual paupers are given shelter for the night on a bed of
straw, with the covering of one quilt, she complained of
illness, and, on her own request, was let out of the
workhouse. She was found by her sister in the afternoon,
sitting on the ground in the street, with her child of two
years old at her side; she seemed too weak to go on to
the lodging-house on which she had a poor-law order
for a night's sleep. Her sister took her to this lodging-
house for the night. Next day her sister found her very
ill indeed, from sheer starvation; and asked why she
had not applied to the workhouse people for a loaf.
"A tall man, a doctor," she said, "told the relieving-
officer not to do so; and bade her go to her own parish,
for her parish would not do so for them." Her sister
persuaded her to go once more to the workhouse; but
the porter refused admittance, on the ground that she
had no order for that day. The sister took her to
lodgings, and paid for a bed for one more night. Next