completed this morning. It took place between captain Ramsey and Mr. Wellesley, the celebrated runner, for 150 sovereigns a side; the one going by way of Windsor Park, and the other by Maidenhead. This distance was performed a few weeks since by two gentlemen of sporting celebrity, the winner performing the distance in 18 hours. The distance by one road is 39 miles, and that by the forest road 37 miles. The captain was backed at 6 and 7 to 4 to win by the forest road. The start took place at twelve on Saturday morning, and both arrived at Reading in seven hours and a half from the time of starting. They halted one hour, and the captain made a speedy lead, and reached Staines at the rate of six miles an hour. Those interested in the match, on which heavy bets were pending, were crossing the roads by way of regulating their betting books. On entering Hounslow, the captain, at the junction of the two roads, had no sight of his opponent, and he went on at an easy rate. The captain entered Brentford fresh and well, where he received notice that he would be soon overtaken, as his competitor was in view, upon which he made play, and reached his destination at six o'clock in the morning, leaving Mr. Wellesley knocked up at Hammersmith.

21. OPENING OF PARLIAMENT. -This day being appointed for the king going in state to open the first session of the new parliament, the band, with the king's guard, mounted guard in their state uniforms. The novelty of beholding his majesty in public attracted an incalculable number of persons. The balconies and windows of the different streets were filled with

spectators, as well as some of the shops, the goods for sale having been removed to accommodate them. The shops in the narrow parts were shut up. Vehicles of almost every description took stations at the wide parts of the streets, which were filled with persons, great numbers of whom paid to be admitted: every elevated place was filled: a dense body of people were assembled in the streets. A numerous body of the life-guards patrolled the streets to keep the centre clear, for the royal procession to pass.

The state and royal carriages entered the King's Palace-yard, St. James's, at one o'clock, at which time the royal attendants arrived. The field-officer in waiting attended and presented to his majesty the effective staff of the three regiments of foot guards. Exactly at half-past one o'clock, the king entered his state-carriage, wearing his coronation dress, with his black velvet hat, with white feathers; the guard presented arms, and the band played "God save the king." His majesty looked remarkably well. The procession consisted of four carriages each drawn by six horses, which preceded the state carriage drawn, as usual, by eight matchless cream-coloured horses, their harness ornamented with light-blue ribands. His majesty was attended by the master of the horse, and lord Graves as lord in waiting. As soon as the king entered the street, he was received with acclamations and every demonstration of dutiful attachment, and rejoicing, which was continued during the whole line to the House of Peers. The king entered the House at eight minutes before two o'clock, which was announced by the waving of an artillery flag,

from the roof of the House of Peers to the Lambeth shore, where a royal salute was fired from small cannon. His majesty left the House at 20 minutes past two o'clock, which was announced by the firing of another royal salute from the same place.

The princess Carolina of Meiningen was among the spectators in the House of Peers. Prince Esterhazy, the Austrian ambassador; prince Polignac, the French ambassador; and prince Lieven, the Russian ambassador, went in state carriages each: the equipage of prince Esterhazy was very superb.

25. PARISIAN EXPEDIENTS.The tribunal of Correctional Police, at its opening this day, was occupied with some cases, to which the numerous reports of robberies, in the capital of France, had given extraordinary importance. Dr. Demolle, of the rue de Menars; Francis Menage, a mechanic; and Lapotere, the younger, a working jeweller, were accused of circulating false reports of several attacks, by robbers, on their persons and their property, and thereby casting ridicule on the functionaries who were called on to take cognizance of these said attacks. Menage was charged with presenting himself half-naked, and drenched with wet, to the watch, at the barrier of Passy, and pretending that he had been stripped by brigands, in the Champs Elysées, and thrown into the Seine. The following was Menage's curious defence:"Gentlemen, I shall tell you the real truth of the matter. I had been reduced to great distress, and I resolved to end my life by throwing myself into the water. I went, in consequence, to the quay of Passy, where I tied up my clothes

in a bundle, in which I inclosed a a letter to my wife, and laid the bundle on the parapet. As, unfortunately, I am a swimmer, I tied a stone to my leg with a string, and twice I threw myself into the river. And twice the string broke. I therefore allowed myself to get out of the water, and went to the watch, to solicit their hospitality." The doctor's case was next called; it was one of a ladder of ropes, a forcible entry, and the fracture of divers locks. The doctor's defence was nearly as good. He stated that about three years ago, his mother-in-law came to Paris, and gave him in charge, to circulate reports on Change, for the purpose of giving value to the money which she had placed in the French funds. "I am," said he,

a father of a family; I have four extremely interesting daughters; but, alas! I have, not the less for that, allowed myself to be led astray, by inhaling the dangerous air of the Exchange. My first speculations were successful, but were balanced by the losses of those that followed; at length, the unexpected rise in October quite ruined me. I found I must have recourse to my mother-in-law's funds, and to prevail on her to sell out, I made use of the expedient for which I am now charged. My guilt was quite unpremeditated. I set about it with the utmost haste, and three or four times during the night, I was about to draw in the rope-ladder that I had hung to my balcony. I informed the police of this imaginary robbery, but I soon repented, and told my mother-inlaw the truth, and she told it to the commissioner." Lapotere made a much more magnificent tale than the would-be suicide, or the stock-jobbing doctor. He was

stopped in the evening, on the Boulevard Bourdon, by two robbers, six feet high, who attacked him with bodkins sharpened like stilettoes, and would have slain him at once, had it not been for a portfeuille that turned aside the bloody weapons. Lapotere wrestled like a hero with these two gigantic ruffians, and, drawing his knife, killed the one, and mortally wounded the other. He then ran off, but recollecting that he had lost his hat in the engagement, he went back to the field of his glory, where he found one robber dead, and the other expiring. The blood which Lapotere had thus valiantly shed was afterwards discovered to have flowed from a dray-horse which had died on the spot and been bled to render its removal easier. He confessed, at first, that he had invented the story, merely to render himself interesting; but when brought before the court, he stoutly maintained that the original tale was the true one, and that he had signed his recantation in consequence of the seductive arts of M. Vidoc. "He came to me," said Lapotere," and says, why did you put this in the papers?"

66

66

you

Why," says I, "I gave the account of my affair to none but the Constitutionnel-the commissioner himself sent it to the Courier." "Ah, well," says Vidoc, must retract this story, nobody I will believe it." 66 Come," says he, "do you want money?"Money," said I, "I despise it as I do the dirt among my feet." "I give you my honour," says Vidoc, "the matter shall rest between us two-for no one shall ever hear of it." "I then allowed myself to be prevailed on, and signed a writing, in which he VOL. LXVIII

27. THE TWO HOUSES OF CONVOCATION.- -The two houses of Convocation, having come in procession from the Jerusalem Chamber, were received by his majesty, seated on his throne, and surrounded by the great officers of state. The archbishop of Canterbury, with the dean of Peterborough, prolocutor of the lower house, on his left hand, advanced to the foot of the throne, and read the address voted by the two houses, which was received by his majesty with gracious expressions of satisfaction. The king's reply contained assurances of continued favour and protection to the church of England.

The members of the upper house present were the archbishop of Canterbury, the bi- * shops of London, Exeter, and Llandaff: of the lower house, the dean of Peterborough, archdeacon Pott, &c. Afterwards the two houses met at the Jerusalem Chamber, where the king's answer to their address was read to them by the archbishop, and the session was adjourned to the 4th day of June next.

The following is a copy of the address, and of his majesty's an

all times extended to the United Church of England and Ireland, demands our sincerest and warmest acknowledgements. Grateful for the past, we humbly implore a continuance of the same protecting power; for, assuredly, Sir, there never was a period in the history of our reformed church, that more urgently required it; whether we direct our attention to the avowed enemies of Christianity, or to those who, professing the faith of Christ, sedulously labour to disparage and degrade the Church, of which your majesty, under God, is the head, and which, we confidently maintain, is formed upon the model of the earliest and purest ages of Christianity. It is our duty, Sir, to vindicate the establishment in the spirit by which it professes to be governed, with temper, moderation, and firmness, seeking to conciliate those who may be opposed to us, not to exasperate them; to convince, not boastfully to triumph over them. But, Sir, with this understanding of our duty, we cannot dissemble to your majesty the just apprehensions we entertain of the efforts that are now making to arrive at authority and power in the state, dangerous to the existence of the Protestant Constitution of the country, and leading directly to religious disturbance, animosity, and contention. But, Sir, whatever be the danger to which the Established Church may be exposed, we have full confidence in your majesty's protection, and in the wisdom, discretion, and firmness, of your parliament. We pray God to bless and protect your majesty."

"My Lords, and the rest of the Clergy. I receive with great satisfaction this loyal and dutiful address.

The renewed assurances of your affectionate attachment to my person and government are most acceptable to me. I rely, with the utmost confidence upon your zealous exertions to promote true piety and virtue-to reclaim those who are in error by the force of divine truth-and to uphold and extend among my people the preference which is so justly due to the pure doctrine and service of our Established Church. That Church has every claim to my constant support and protection. I will watch over its interests with unwearied solicitude, and confidently trust that I shall be enabled, by the blessing of Divine Providence, to maintain it in the full possession of every legitimate privilege."

MURDER IN FRANCE.-On the 7th of June, in the commune of Baissey, in the arrondissement of Langres, M. Jacob, a vine-grower, and his wife, happened to pass a part of the day with their eldest son in a hemp-field in the neighbourhood of the village. They left at home in bed, in consequence of indisposition, their youngest son, aged thirteen. At one o'clock, the father returned to see how he was, and remained three hours with him. He then returned to his labours, having locked the door behind him. When the family returned, at six o'clock in the evening, they found the door open, and the key in the lock. At first it was thought that the child had gone out, but the mother, who first entered the house, observed that her drawers had been opened, and her linen dispersed. She rushed into the inner room, where the first object that struck her eyes was her son, stretched upon the floor, bathed in his blood. The

father next entered, attracted by her cries: the child was still breathing; but being placed on his bed, he opened his eyes, moved his lips, and then expired. The blood that flowed from his body, and the fractures in his skull, left no doubt of the cause of his death. He had received six blows with a hammer on the head, which had crushed in the bone. The instrument, with which he had been murdered, was found covered with blood and hair near the kitchen fire. The neck of the child bore the prints of nails, evidently show ing that the murderer had held his victim by the throat with one hand, while he struck him with the other. From the state of the furniture, it was evident that robbery had been the motive of this dreadful crime. Justice was for some time at fault in the attempt to discover the perpetrators. At length, in consequence of some pretended discoveries of a family named Vallot, two inhabitants of the commune were arrested, who were afterwards found to be innocent. In the mean time, the singular conduct of the woman Vallot, and of her daughter and daughterin-law, attracted the attention of the authorities. It had been remarked that, on the evening of the 7th June, she did not wear the same clothes as she had done during the day. It was remarked, that the plaits which she had ordinarily upon her shoes, had been taken off. Drops of blood were seen upon her feet, and three drops of blood were noticed upon her apron, which she alleged to be drops of wine. The daughter-inlaw was one day overheard saying to her sister-in-law, "What did my mother mean by that action?" "What need you care," replied the

was,

other, "since it is done, it is done." Several other expressions indicating guilt were overheard by various persons. As soon as these facts reached the ears of justice, Vallot was arrested. In her examination she adopted a system of denial in which she steadily persevered. To all questions her constant answer "I am not guilty, gentlemen; you may do what you please with me." The prosecution was conducted by M. Royer, the king's attorney. The counsel for the defence employed every effort to infuse doubts into the minds of the jury, principally insisting on the fact that no one had seen the prisoner enter or come forth from the house of Jacob. After a lucid and impartial summing up, the following questions were put to the jury by the president:-" Is the woman Vallot guilty of the wilful murder of young Jacob? 2. Was the murder committed with intent to steal?" The answer was affirmative upon the first question, and negative upon the second. The prisoner was in consequence condemned to hard labour for life.

29. ECLIPSE.-There was an eclipse of the sun this morning, the first that has been visible in England since September, 1820. The north-west limb of the sun was obscured by the interposition of the south-east limb of the moon ; at 5 minutes 6 seconds past 10 in the morning, and at 4 minutes 15 seconds past 11, the obscuration was at its greatest, when about the third part of the sun's face was hidden. The eclipse ended at 30 minutes past 11.

FALMOUTH.A new suite of rooms, with a Grecian Doric colonnade, and containing every necessary apartment, has been