a communication she had received from her son, the Prince Regent, stating the necessity of his presence at her court, and that he desired it might be understood, for reasons of which he alone could be the judge, to be his fixed and unalterable determination not to meet the Princess of Wales upon any occasion, either public or private. Her Majesty was therefore under the painful necessity of intimating to the Princess the impossibility of receiving her Royal Highness at her drawing-rooms. A correspondence between the two illustrious personages was the result, which the Princess desired the Speaker of the House of Commans to lay before that assembly, and which was productive of a debate reported in our summary of parliamentary proceedings. The jetters themselves will be found among the State Papers. A motion for an increase of the allow ance of her Royal Highness occasioned other parliamentary discussions, which we have also reported. In conclusion, the Princess finding, doubtless, her situation in this country uncomfortable, (for influence had been used to prevent her from receiving even the slightest mark of respect from the great strangers), she asked and obtained permission to make a tour to the continent, and first visited her brother at the court of Brunswick. She then proceeded to Italy, every where receiving the honours due to her rank; and fixed herself for the winter at Naples. Of her return to England there are at present no indications.

The Princess Charlotte of Wales became in this year a subject of that interest to the public which

must necessarily attend any extraordinary occurrence relative to the presumptive heiress of the crown. It was expected that her union with the hereditary Prince of Orange, to which his father bad alluded as a determined measure, in a public address to his States, would have been declared, and perhaps brought to effect; but for some reason, of which the public are left in ignorance, the negociation for that purpose was entirely broken off. Whether or not this circumstance was connected with what followed, is matter of conjecture; but it appears that the Prince Regent, accompanied by the Bishop of Salisbury, repaired to Warwick House, his daughter's residence, on July 12th, and announced the dismission of all her attendants, and his intention of taking her with him to Carlton House. This declaration, probably joined with paternal reproof, had such an effect on the young lady's feelings, that requesting leave to retire, she took the opportunity of escaping by the back stair-case, and rushing into the street, where she got into a hackney coach, and drove to Connaught House, her mother's residence. The Princess of Wales, much embarrassed by this unexpected visit, immediately drove to the parliament house to consult her friends what was proper to be done on the occasion. The result was, that the Princess Charlotte was persuaded to accompany her uncle, the Duke of York, to Carlton House. After remaining there some time, she was removed to Cranbourn Lodge in Windsor Forest, where she was placed under the care of her new attendants. A complaint in one of her knees

having produced from the faculty a declaration of the expediency of a course of sea-bathing, her Royal Highness in autumn went to Wey. mouth for that purpose, whence she returned at the latter end of the year. Since that time she has continued in her residence near Windsor, and nothing farther has occurred particularly to excite the public solicitude on her account.

The introduction into parliament, in the early part of the session, of bills for the purpose of making a great alteration in the corn laws, and especially of fixing a much higher scale for the liberty of free importation, excited a very extensive alarm among the manufacturing part of the community, and was the cause of a great number of meetings for petitioning against such changes. Their effect was to defeat the proposed measure, ministers not choosing to hazard the consequences of such a general impression. As the harvest frustrated the expectations that had been formed of a plentiful crop, it is probable that any check given to the large importations of grain, which have since taken place, would have raised that necessary of life to an inordinate price. In the mean time, the farmers, pressed upon by high rents and wages, and burdensome taxes, have not been able to indem

nify themselves by the existing low prices of their commodities, and in many instances have been reduced to considerable difficulty; so that it seems the general opinion that some modifications must be made in their favour.

The restoration of peace on the continent has proved less advantageous to the commercial interests of the country than might have been expected; and there is reason to apprehend a powerful rivalry to our manufactures in the improved skill, and much lighter expense of workmanship, by which those of our neighbours are favoured. The German fairs are said to have afforded evidence of this successful competition. Meanwhile the opening of the longclosed interior of Europe has produced a vast exportation of English tourists, who, whatever returns they may bring of amusement or instruction, will certainly not improve the balance of trade. Nor are the eniigrants few, whom the comparative cheapness of living has drawn to the continent rather as sojourners than visitants. On the whole, the close of the year has not gratified the country with those anticipations of increased prosperity, which a state of general peace might have been hoped to justify.

Y

JANUARY.

Naples, Dec. 26. ESTERDAY, at five in the evening, commenced one of the most formidable eruptions of which there is any record in the history of Vesuvius. Happily, though it presented a terrific spectacle, it caused no great damage. The explosion began by a shower of volcanic gravel, which was followed by a violent eruption of lava. This ignited matter having divided itself into two torrents, flowed over the ancient lavas towards the Torre del Greco. At ten in the evening, the first torrent stopped; but the second continued to proceed towards Bosco Reale and Bosco-Tre-Case.

This morning the apparent calm of the volcano was followed by an explosion, resembling a violent discharge of cannon. A column of volcanic ashes rose in the air, and obscured the horizon. At the moment we are writing, the eruptions still continue. Redoubled shocks make the houses of the city shake, but have as yet done no damage. We do not know the direction of the lava.

The government has taken every necessary measure to afford assist ance to those who may have need of it. Yesterday the king sent one of his equerries to inform himself of the state of things, and to-day VOL, LVI.

the monarch came out himself to observe the eruption. When arrived in the neighbourhood. of the fiery torrent, he spoke to every person with that affability which characterises him, and pointed out to those who appeared terrified, that the direction of the lava secured us from any danger.

P. S. It is two o'clock; the eruption appears to have entirely ceased.

Jan. 1.-A shocking murder occurred at Camborne, Cornwall, which was not discovered until late the following day. James Rule, a lunatic, who had been confined in Camborne poor-house for several years, found means to destroy a female pauper who attended him, and lived in the satne apartment where he was chained. It is supposed that he strangled the poor woman, as there was no blood found about the room, nor any noise heard during the night that created alarm. A smoke was ob served in the house on Sunday morning, and a bad smell, which at length led to a discovery. At four in the afternoon his room was broken into, and the lunatic was found at large and alone. Upon being questioned about the woman, he said she was gone into Devonshire; but on examining the fire-place, no doubt remained of his having burnt the body, from the smell and half consumed particles of hu

man bones that remained. When pressed more closely on the subject, he confessed, that" she was gone to ashes." He was committed for trial.

5. Between ten and eleven o'clock at night the watchman going his rounds in Troy Town, Rochester, was alarmed by the cries of a female, which proceeded from the house of Mr. G. Peeke. The man endeavoured to procure admission, but was not able to succeed; he at length obtained the assistance of some of the neighbours, and forced the door on entering the room from whence the cries proceeded, a most shocking spectacle presented itself; they discovered Mrs. Pecke lying on the floor, her clothes all consumed to tinder, and her flesh burnt to a state of blackness. She expired in a few minutes. Mrs. P. was sitting up for her husband, and, it is conjectured, had fallen asleep whilst sitting by the fire, when a spark caught her clothes, and produced the fatal accident.

6. About half past two o'clock in the afternoon, a dreadful fire broke out at the paper-mills of Mr. Thomas Horo, at Buckland, near Dover, which burnt with such fury, that by six the whole of the mills were burnt down, the dwell ing house was in flames, and the roof had fallen in the furniture bad previously been removed, and no lives were lost. It was feared that other houses would also catch fire, as large flakes of burning paper were flying in all directions. Every possible assistance was given by the military and town's-people, but without much effect.

7. On the evening of the 5th, the wife of Mr. Mann, who keeps the Marquis of Granby publichouse in Gray's-Inn-lane, left her

home, telling her husband that she had got an order to admit two to the Sans Pareil theatre, and was going to take a female friend with her. She went off accordingly, and between ten and eleven o'clock a journeyman baker, whom the husband knew, called upon him, and told him that his wife had been taken extremely ill, and was at an apothecary's in Fleet-street. He acknowledged that Mrs. Mann did not take a female friend with her to the theatre, as she told him, but had taken him, agreeably to a promise, that the first order she got for a theatre she would take him thither. The husband hastened to the apothecary's, and found his wife in a senseless state It was the opinion of the medical gentlemen attending her, that she had either voluntarily taken something improper, or that it had been administered to her by some other person. The account given to Mr. Mann of the way in which his wife came there, was very different from that stated by the journeyman baker; and was, that she had been brought to the shop from a house of ill fame by three men, but that she refused to tell where the house was, or who the men were. There being no appearance of her recovery, her husband took her home in a hackney-coach. Yesterday morning the journeyman baker called in Gray's-Inn-lane, and inquired of Mr. Mann how his wife did. He replied, she was happy, having died at three o'clock. The body was afterwards examined, and some very severe bruises appeared on various parts of it.

Mr. Mann attended yesterday morning at Bow-street, and stated these mysterious circumstances to Mr. Birnie, the magistrate, who

sent