On the evening of the 14th a Robbery was committed
at Mallow Cottage, near Abbotskerswell, in Devonshire.
The proprietor was absent, and had left the care of the
house to his three daughters; who had just retired to
bed when they heard a noise below, as of some persons
breaking into the house. The eldest of them, about
fourteen years of age, jumped out of bed, struck a light,
which she gave to her sisters, and, arming herself with
two pistols, walked down over the stairs, followed by
her sisters. On entering the parlour, they found
everything in confusion, papers lying about, and the desk
rifled. The burglars fled on the entrance of the girl;
and the young lady with the pistols jumped from the
parlour-window on to the lawn, and fired both after
them. The thieves had stolen some money, papers,
and plate; but being eager to get off, they dropped
some plate on the lawn, which was recovered in the
morning.

Numerous Burglaries have been committed this month
in various parts of the country. They are all very
similar in their circumstances. The thieves generally
effected an entrance through a window insufficiently
secured. On one occasion a house-dog, which had been
relied on, entirely failed to do his duty. In most cases
the criminals were detected, and a number of them have
been committed for trial at different assizes.

Mr. and Mrs. Coplestone, the landlord and landlady
of the Queen Square Tavern, at Bath, were Assaulted
and dreadfully wounded with a Razor, on the 17th, by
a person named Ogle Wallis, who lodged in their house.
He was leaving the house, with his portmanteau, when,
his rent being in arrear, the landlord insisted that he
should pay it before carrying off his goods. Wallis flew
on the landlord, and attacked him with a razor; and
Mrs. Coplestone, coming to his assistance, was attacked
in the same manner. Both were cut in the hands and
face, and the husband so much injured that for some
time his life was in danger. Wallis then tried to escape
from the house, but was seized in the vicinity. He was
brought before the magistrates, and Mrs. Coplestone
and others were examined; but, as Mr. Coplestone was
unable to attend, the prisoner was remanded.

On the 19th, the master and crew of the Lowestoft
steamer, were Assaulted by a body of Wreckers, while
giving assistance to a vessel stranded in the vicinity of
Lowestoft harbour. The owners of the stranded vessel
had contracted with the Harbour Company, who had
undertaken to bring the vessel into port by means of
their steamer; but a number of the beachmen, resolving
to secure the salvage to themselves, proceeded to the
wreck in boats loaded with stones, and commenced a
violent attack on the crew of the steamer with stones
and boat-hooks, wounding several of them severely, and
driving them from their employment. Two of the
ringleaders were brought before the chairman of the
quarter sessions; one was fined £4, which was immediately
paid by his comrades; and the other was discharged
unpunished, the magistrate at the same time addressing
the men upon the illegality and disgraceful nature of
their proceedings.

At the Central Criminal Court on the 23rd, Elizabeth
Gilday, a decent, careworn looking woman, with an
infant in her arms, surrendered to take her trial for
Bigamy. The evidence proved that in June, 1835, the
prisoner was married to her first husband, who turned
out to be an habitual felon, and she suffered brutal ill-
treatment at his hands. Subsequently he was
transported for seven years, leaving her with one child quite
destitute, whom it appeared she had honestly brought
up by hard labour, and her conduct had been most
exemplary. Once during her husband's period of
transportation he had written to her, and hearing no more of
him she married again in August, 1847, John Fletcher,
with whom she still lived, and had two children. Her
second husband was a most respectable man and much
attached to her, and they lived comfortably until the
return of the first husband from transportation about
three months ago. The jury found her guilty, but
recommended her to mercy, and she was sentenced to one
month's imprisonment.

At the last Surrey quarter sessions, the subject of
Enormous Increase of Crime in the county, and the
deficiency in the police arrangements, was introduced
by Mr. Austen, who moved for a committee to report
upon the means of adopting a rural police. The motion
was agreed to without opposition; but Colonel Chaloner
remarked, that though the neighbouring county of
Essex was paying £16,000 a-year for their constabulary,
this did not prevent the recent commission of a most
dreadful murder. Captain Mangles in supporting the
motion said, that the utmost terror prevailed in the
county, and a general feeling of insecurity existed in
the minds of the inhabitants, which was very much
increased by the dreadful occurrence that had recently
taken place. For his own part, his own house had been
armed for a long time, and he never went to bed without
having a six-barrelled revolving pistol under his pillow.

An inquest has been held at Guy's Hospital on the
body of a lad named Robert Minton, an apprentice to a
tailor in the city, who, it was alleged, had Died from
Neglect. It appeared that he worked from six o'clock
in the morning till ten and eleven at night, and on
Saturdays still later; that his bed was dirty, his sheets
not having been washed for three years. His mother
stated that his master's wife treated him unkindly. He
had come home some days before, and said he was very
bad; he was crying, and said, "Oh, God has heard my
prayer." He begged of witness to take him away from
his place. The mother went to the mistress, and asked
her to let the deceased have a basin of gruel, as he was
very ill. The reply was, "Gruel indeed; what next?"
The jury found that the lad had died of typhus fever,
and gave their opinion that he had been very unkindly
treated.

Several men have died from Drinking Spirits to
Excess. A large body were employed at Liverpool in
repairing an embankment, when a puncheon of rum
was washed ashore from a wrecked vessel. They
immediately seized the prize, disputing and fighting for
its contents. In every direction the men were to be seen
prostrate from the effects of their immoderate draughts,
and it is matter of astonishment that many did not
perish in endeavouring to reach their homes through an
adjoining marsh. Two or three were taken up dead,
and several others in a dangerous state. One of the
dead was a strong young man of twenty-five, who has
left a widow and family.

A Number of cases of Crime have occurred during
this month, the details of which it has been found
impossible to give; but they have been briefly noticed
in the Summary.

NARRATIVE OF ACCIDENT AND
DISASTER.

Accounts have been received of the Shipwreck of the
Mary Florence, a vessel which left England in February
last with a supply of coals for the Peninsular and
Oriental Steam Navigation Company at Aden. This
disaster was attended with most melancholy
circumstances. The master, Captain Christopher Short, had a
small share in the vessel. He was accompanied by his wife,
and the crew, consisting of first and second officers,
carpenter, steward, and twelve seamen. The ship, as he
states, came in sight of the Comoro Islands in the
Mozambique Channel on the 25th of May, and Cape
Guardafi, on the 3rd of June. The latter is a
headland, forming the extreme eastern portion of the African
coast, a few hundred miles S.E. of the port of Aden
and the entrance of the Red Sea. It was about four
o'clock in the afternoon when the Cape, as the master
supposed it to be, was sighted—though, from what has
since transpired, it is evident he was mistaken, and that
he had taken the tops of high mountains inland for the
headland of the point. This mistake proved fatal, for
in the course of the night the ship ran ashore. An
unsuccessful attempt was made next day to get her off
with the assistance of the natives, who affected to be
friendly, and it was determined to land the ship's stores
and other valuables on the beach. On the afternoon of
the second day, as the weather was becoming boisterous,
it was determined to effect a passage for Mrs. Short, but
this was no sooner done than the natives seized her, and
drove the sailors who accompanied her into the sea.
Captain Short believing, it would seem, that any