on the 21st of October, 1850, for three months; and on
the 4th of March, 1851, all these convictions being
proved against him, he was sentenced to transportation
for seven years. He then went to prison, but after being
there for two years, on the 14th of August, 1854, he was
discharged, and sent back again to the metropolis with
a good character, and a ticket of leave. The learned
Serjeant here read the formal ticket of leave, in which
it was stated that the prisoner was by trade a shoemaker,
whereas his trade was really that of a thief, having been
so from twelve years of age, and his conduct was stated
to be very good. That ticket was signed "George Hall,
Governor of Parkhurst Prison." Yet with all his
antecedents of thievery and roguery, this prisoner was
turned back into London, the most dangerous place in
the world to which he could be sent, with a ticket of
leave in his pocket. With such a history before him,
was he not entitled to ask, in the name of common
sense, if any scheme could possibly be devised by which
a lad of 19 could be made worse than by sending him to
London with such a certificate as that, he having been
a thief since he was twelve years of age, and sentenced
eight times, ending with transportation for seven years?
He (the learned Serjeant) knew how harshly he had
been spoken of for expressing these opinions, but he
considered this ticket-of-leave system false humanity.
He considered they should be sent out to a country not
so overstocked as this, instead of being sent back to the
metropolis, where they had been thieves, and might be
again.—An officer said that the prisoner had served six
months in prison that was not included in the return.—
The Assistant-Judge said he felt bound, with all these
facts before him, to make a public example, for the
purpose of letting others know, if they return to their
thieving practices, that a heavy sentence shall await
them. In the case of this prisoner, he received his
certificate on the 14th of August in the present year,
and in a few days afterwards he was sent back to join
his former associates. At all events, such mercy having
been extended to him, however erroneous it might be,
should not be abused without a heavy punishment
following; and under all the circumstances he felt it to
be his duty to sentence the prisoner to be transported
for 14 years.—There was another illustration of a similar
kind at the Guildhall on the following day; when three
returned convicts under the same system, were brought
before Sir R. W. Carden on the charge of theft.
The Magistrate, in committing them for trial, said
that he was very much opposed to the present
ticket-of-leave system, and whenever cases of this kind
occurred he was always exceedingly glad to have the
opportunity of giving publicity to them, because they
served to strengthen the opinion he expressed on
the subject when the measure was first brought under
discussion.

A Court-martial was held on board the flag ship,
Victory, on the 20th inst., to try a seaman, named Wray,
belonging to the Hornet, 16, screw sloop, on a charge of
having threatened the first lieutenant of that ship with
violence, and having endeavoured to inflict the same by
attempting to wound him with a sword. The charge was
proved, and the prisoner was sentenced to receive fifty
lashes, to undergo two years' imprisonment, with hard
labour, to lose all claims to pay, pension, &c, and to
be turned out of the navy.

NARRATIVE OF ACCIDENT AND
DISASTER.

A LAMENTABLE accident occurred on the 4th inst., by
the Bursting of a Cannon during the Artillery Practice
at Shoeburyness. The gun, a fifty-six pounder, burst
in the act of firing. The gunners who manned it
escaped unhurt, but the explosion had a destructive
effect on the adjoining platform. The largest piece of
the breech of the burst gun, upwards of a ton in weight,
broke down the brickwork in front, and, sweeping along
the platform, jammed Colour-serjeant Rose between it
and the front elevation, tearing his flesh and breaking
both his thighs, and causing such other injuries that he
died within an hour. The same mass of metal struck
Repository-serjeant Lee, breaking both his thighs, and
inflicting such other injuries that he died the same
afternoon, after both thighs had been amputated. Pay-
company-serjeant Williams was also struck by it, and
had one of his thighs broken, which was shortly after
amputated, and it was hoped he would recover, but,
unfortunately, it was found that his left arm was
shattered, and he only survived till next day. The
three serjeants were all remarkably fine-looking and
well-conducted men, and they had all been married and
had families, and two of them have left widows to mourn
their sad loss. Colour-serjeant Rose has left a family,
but no mother to take care of his orphan children, as he
buried his wife about a fortnight before, she having died
of cholera at the Tower, where the serjeant was then
on duty with his company in London.

Gloucester Cathedral has narrowly escaped Destruction
by Fire, On Sunday evening, the 10th inst., some
persons walking in the College-green observed a strong
light in the cathedral, which quickly extended, and
presently every window on the south side was illuminated
by flames. On access being obtained to the building, it
was found that the Bishop's throne, and the seats in
front of it in the choir, were in a blaze, but that the
fire did not extend further. It was soon extinguished;
but had it happened later in the night, it is not improbable
that at least the choir of the cathedral (which is
full of timber, plain and magnificently carved) would
have been destroyed; for, in consequence of the long
drought, the city of Gloucester is at this time totally
unsupplied with water. The cause of the fire is
attributed to the carelessness of some workmen who had
been employed in the day in varnishing the carved work
in the choir, the cathedral service here being suspended
in consequence of the holding of the "Festival of the
three Choirs" at Worcester.

From a parliamentary paper just printed it appears
that there were 100 persons killed and 119 injured by
Accidents on all the Railways in the United Kingdom
during the half year ending June 30, 1854. 22 (3
passengers and 19 railway servants or contractors) met
their death from causes over which they had no control,
and 40 (4 passengers and 36 railway servants) in
consequence of their own misconduct or want of caution. In
like manner, 72 passengers and 19 railway servants were
injured from causes over which they had no control,
while 3 passengers and 44 servants or contractors met
with injuries from their own carelessness or misconduct.
38 trespassers or other persons not passengers or servants
were killed, and 5 injured while crossing or walking on
the railway.

Information has been received at Lloyds of the Loss
of the Lady Nugent, transport ship, together with Four
Hundred Lives. This vessel, of nearly 700 tons, belonged
to Sir George Hodgskinson, of Cornhill, and was
chartered last spring by the government of Madras as a
troopship, for the conveyance of reinforcements to the
British forces at Rangoon. She sailed from Madras on
10th of last May, having previously received the troops,
which comprised 350 rank and file of the 25th Regiment
Madras Light Infantry, twenty women and children,
with the staff officers, among whom were Lieutenant-
colonel Johnstone, Lieutenant and Adjutant Daly,
Lieutenant and Quartermaster King, Lieutenant
Bamford, Assistant-surgeon Simpson, and seven native
commanding staff officers; Captain G. C. Bannerman, first,
second, and third officers, and thirty seamen. Within
a fortnight after her departure a frightful hurricane
swept over the Bay of Bengal, lasting three or four days,
during which several vessels were seen to founder, and
it was ascertained that the Plato steamer, belonging to
the Hon. East India Company's service, with 500 troops
on board, also bound to Rangoon, was by a miracle
saved. There can be no doubt now that the Lady
Nugent foundered in that storm, with every soul on
board. For months hopes have been entertained that
she might have survived the gale, and been blown in a
disabled condition among some of the islands in the bay.
Vessels and steamers having, however, since made the
passage several times between Madras and Rangoon,
without meeting with the least tidings of the ship, all
hope is now fled. It was reported that Brigadier-