place in a rather unusual manner. The boy's father, in
consequence, cautioned him not to approach the dog, but,
heedless of the advice, he stole out unobserved, and ran
to caress the little favourite, when the animal
immediately leaped upon him and bit him above the eye.
Having told what had taken place, the dog was
immediately killed, and medical aid having been procured,
the wounded part was cut out of the boy's brow, and
other measures taken to prevent the virus from spreading.
The wound healed up, and all seemed well, but
on the 13th symptoms of hydrophobia began to appear,
and although the most eminent of the medical faculty
of both Edinburgh and Leith were consulted, all was
unavailing, and the unfortunate sufferer died two days
afterwards.

On the morning of the 15th, an explosion took place
in a coal-pit at Singing Clough, near Manchester, belonging
to Messrs. Knowles and Stott. Two men were
killed on the spot, and two have been so much injured
that but little hope can be entertained of their recovery.
There were sixteen colliers in the pit, and these had
descended between five and six o'clock on the above
morning. At the bottom they met the underlooker,
who had examined the workings to try the air, and
reported all of them free from danger except the furthest
point of the level, in which he directed that no one
should begin to work. Shortly before seven o'clock,
however, a young man, named Peter Tonge, declared
his intention of going there for a tub of "slack" (small
coal), and persisted in doing so, despite all remonstrance
from the other workmen. Two of his fellow-workmen,
named John Stone and John Lever, went with him, and
so incautious were they, that although provided with
safety lamps, they used a naked candle. On reaching
the end of the bay, Stone is said to have "flashed" the
light up to see if there was any danger, and in an
instant a loud explosion took place. Lever was in the
direct way of the current, which the explosion of course
followed, and his life was sacrificed in an instant, the
top of his skull being blown off, and his brains scattered
about. Tonge was suffocated, and Stone was so fearfully
scorched with the flash of the explosion that his life is
in great danger. The other workmen, with one exception,
were all in bays off the main level or drift way, and
the ventilation of the mine being good they received no
injury.

On the evening of the 15th, a Frightful Collision
took place on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway,
near the Huddersfield Junction. An engine which had
been undergoing repairs in the engine shed, was being
replaced on the line on which it was to be worked, when
it came into violent collision with the passenger train
from Bradford. The shock was so violent as to smash
completely the engine and tender, as well as the engine
belonging to the passenger train, bringing the train
itself to a dead stop. The passengers in alarm jumped
out of the carriages, but had hardly time to become
conscious of their fortunate escape when a goods train
dashed into the standing train, doubling up all the
carriages in a moment and knocking them to shivers. The
scene that presented itself after this second catastrophe
is described as terrible, the entire line being blocked up
with a huge mass of fragments of broken carriages and
engines. It was remarkable that none of the passengers
were killed or injured by the flying splinters. The line
was completely choked up, and men were immediately
set to work to make a temporary line of rails for the
usual traffic. This affair is to be made the subject of
an inquiry.

On the evening of the 21st, an Extensive Fire broke
out in the premises of Mr. Hynam, chemical light
manufacturer, in Prince's Square, Finsbury. The property
formed two sides of the square, and stretched across the
entire length of the public road. The flames were first
perceived bursting through that portion of the building
between the two wings and so high did they rise as to
illuminate the principal portion of the city. The
engines of the London Brigade and West of England
Company speedily attended, but by that period the
principal portion of the manufactory, a building 74 ft.
long by 32 ft. wide, was, with the exception of a fire-
proof apartment, wrapped in a general blaze. The
firemen, however, kept to their work, and by carrying
the hose from the engines on to the roofs of the
surrounding buildings, were enabled to cut off the fire
from the two wings, which contained a vast quantity of
property, and also the steam-engine; and at length the
fire was extinguished: but by that time part of the
works where the fire began was nearly burnt out, and
the adjoining buildings severely damaged. Their
occupiers were poor people, who had the whole of their
humble furniture removed into the street to save it
from the ravages of the flames. None of the property
destroyed was insured.

A young man was Injured by a Lion, while visiting
Wombwell's menagerie, at Durham. He laid his
hand on the lion's paw, which was protruded through
the bars of his cage,—a familiarity which the brute
resented in a fearful manner. With the quickness of
lightning the animal laid hold of the young man's hand,
and, drawing him close against the bars of the cage with
his other paw, he fastened upon his head. The cries of
the lad instantly attracted the attention of the keeper,
who flew to the spot, and, after severely beating the
infuriated brute upon the paws, compelled him to relinquish
his hold. The whole proceeding was the work
of a moment, but the unfortunate lad retains traces of
his fearful rencontre which he will bear with him to the
grave.

An Explosion of Fire-damp has taken place in a coalmine
at Haydock, in Lancashire, by which nine men
were killed and many others severely burnt. Four
ponies were also found dead. Thirteen lives were lost
in the same pit in 1845. At the inquest, it appeared
that the system of supervision in the mine was very
defective. The underlooker said there was great difficulty
in preventing the men from working with unprotected
candles, and ascribed the explosion to their negligence.
But some of the miners stated that they had never been
interdicted the use of candles, and that the underlooker
did not visit the mine for intervals of a fortnight
together. The underlooker admitted that several days
might have passed without his going over the mine.
The Coroner thought it was usual to inspect coal-mines
every morning before the men entered to work. Mr.
Tremenheere. the Government Inspector, was present; he
questioned the witnesses, assisting to elicit information
on the defective management of the colliery, and made
some observations before the jury gave their verdict.
Their finding was "Accidental death." The owner of
the mine, Mr. Evans, was then sent for, and the Coroner
advised him to adopt an improved system.

Houghton Pit, near Newbottle, in Durham, the
property of the Earl of Durham, has been the scene of a
Similar Accident, still more fatal. The colliery is said
to have been considered in a good general condition.
On the 11th, while one hundred and fifty miners were
in the workings, a very violent explosion of fire-damp
occurred; many of the people were blown to pieces or
destroyed by the flames, but the great majority were in
a safe spot. They occupied a position where the air was
respirable, while they were hemmed in on all sides by
the fatal choke-damp. Some who attempted to gain the
shaft perished by suffocation, and others with difficulty
regained their refuge. Here one hundred and twenty
persons remained for hours in utter darkness, and
momentarily expecting to be suffocated by the foul air.
Fortunately a communication was at length opened, and
all the living miners were got to the shaft. It was found
that no fewer than twenty-six men and boys had been
killed.

A fearful Explosion of Naphtha has occurred at the
Roman Catholic school and reading-room at Seacombe
in Cheshire. Mr. Johnson, the schoolmaster, was filling
a lamp from a can of the liquid, six of the boys standing
around, one holding a lighted candle; Mr. Johnson
poured too much naphtha into the lamp, and it ran over,
caught fire at the candle, and then the whole quantity
exploded with a report like that of a cannon. Mr. Johnson
and the boys were enveloped in flames, and were all
much burnt; one boy died next day, and others were
thought to be in danger. The people in the reading-
room above were so much alarmed by the explosion that
several of them jumped from the window. A number of
accidents have lately happened from the incautious use
of this dangerous substance.