balloon was also seen rising rapidly and floating away.
It is supposed that on the young woman attempting to
effect her descent, the anchor caught in the tree, and
the rope then breaking, gave such a shock to the wicker-
work basket in which she was sitting, that she lost
her balance and fell out.

During the Field Operations of the Troops Encamped
at Chobham, on the 27th of July, an accident occurred
in crossing a pontoon bridge which had been thrown
over the Thames. The leading horses of one of the
nine-pounders of Capt. Shakespeare's battery becoming
restive, went off the bridge into the water, dragging
with them the remaining four horses, the limber and
gun, with the driver and seven of the Sappers who
were standing on the bridge at the time. The struggles
of the six horses in the water, borne down by the
weight of the gun, and the exertions of the men to
save themselves, for a few moments excited the greatest
anxiety. At length the whole of the men were got
safely out of the water without much injury, with the
exception of one of the Sappers, who, getting entangled
with the horses, was nearly drowned, but upon being
wrapped up in blankets and carefully attended to
he gradually recovered. By cutting the traces of the
horses four of them were also landed, though in a
sad condition. The two wheelers were shortly after
pulled out, both of them, however, dead. After an
immense amount of exertion, the gun and limber were
got out of the nine feet of water in which they had
sunk, but which by the struggles of the horses had
been drawn some twenty yards from the bridge.

A Frightful Accident occurred to a labourer named
Clarke, in the employment of Mr. Mechi, at Tiptree-
Hall, Essex. He was feeding a chaff-cutting machine,
worked by steam power, his hand was caught in the
roller; and the limb was cut into pieces before the
engine could be stopped. The screams of the poor
sufferer all the time were heart-rending. Surgical
assistance was immediately obtained, and the remaining
portion of the arm was amputated; but the poor man
died on the following day.

Messrs. Kirkman and Co.'s pianoforte manufactory in
Golden Square, was Destroyed by Fire on the night of
the 10th inst. The fire broke out about midnight, and
was not perceived until the flames had gained such
ground that the firemen could not prevent the greater
portion of the premises from being surrounded. Five
hours of unflagging exertion elapsed before the firemen
could master the flames. By that time the warehouses
of Messrs. Kirkman, on the Dufour's-place side, were
destroyed, with the valuable stock of instruments, tools,
&c.; and the other portions of the premises were much
injured, both by fire and water. The adjoining house
of Messrs. Sibley, silversmiths, was entirely consumed,
and much property lost. Mr. Geary, tailor, was also a
great sufferer. Both were uninsured. Seven other
houses were injured, and their contents more or less
damaged by fire, water, and removal. Three of the
firemen were struck by the falling of a wall, and were
carried away much hurt.

The last accounts from India mention the death
of Dr. Wray of the 87th Fusiliers, in Cashmere. He
Perished by the Fall of an Avalanche. He and
Lieutenant Peyton of the same regiment had obtained leave
to proceed into the snowy ranges beyond Cashmere on a
shooting excursion, and when the frightful event
occurred, they were sitting on a blanket in the snow,
waiting for the morning light, to enable them to get a
shot at some ibex in their vicinity. In an instant, an
avalanche rushed over them, and Lieutenant Peyton
found himself alone, Dr. Wray, his servants, guns, &c.,
having been swept away under the mass of snow. This
event had thrown a gloom over Ferzopore, where the
regiment was stationed, the two young officers being much
beloved by their comrades.

On the evening of the 11th instant, after the review
of the fleet, a Singular and Fatal Accident occurred at
the George Hotel in Portsmouth. Mr. Powell, a
gentleman of Chichester, had recklessly deposited a
loaded double-barrelled gun in a case, with percussion-
caps on the nipples. He dined at the George.
Suddenly he ascertained that unless he made great
haste he would be too late for the train: he seized the
gun-case, and was hurrying away, when some person
came into contact with him; the case which hung
down at one end—fell from his hand, and the loaded
gun went off. William White, the head waiter, was
shot dead, and several other persons were wounded.
At the inquest, Mr. Powell stated that he had no idea
there was any possibility of the gun exploding when
locked in the case; if he had, he should not have
exposed himself to danger by putting away the gun
loaded. The jury pronounced the death "Accidental,"
but censured Mr. Powell for carrying about a loaded and
capped gun.

A Destructive Fire broke out at Dover on the evening
of Sunday, the 14th instant. Messrs. Walker and Co.,
oil-merchants and seed crushers, had very extensive
premises, covering three-quarters of an acre, situate
under the cliffs not far from the railway terminus.
The fire is supposed to have arisen from spontaneous
combustion of linseed; and some children said they
saw a light in the mill during the afternoon. The
engines of the district, manned by the troops, were
speedily set to work. The tide was ebbing, but the
flood-gates were shut, and thus plenty of water was
obtained from the inner harbour. A telegraphic
message was sent to London, and in three hours Mr.
Braidwood arrived at Dover with two engines and a
body of the brigade. The inflammable nature of the
stock baffled the attempts to save any considerable
portion of Messrs. Walker's premises, and great
exertions were needed to prevent the fire from spreading
to other buildings. While the fire was racing a new
disaster occurred—the heat caused an immense mass of
cliff to fall, probably weighing 1500 tons. People were
working beneath the cliff; it was seen to be moving,
and an alarm was raised; some persons had a narrow
escape, and several men are supposed to be buried
under the chalk. The firemen at length conquered
the flames. The loss is estimated at above £40,000.
The engines at the mill supplied part of the town
with water.

A Lamentable Accident occurred at the Crystal
Palace at Sydenham, on the 15th inst. While seventeen
workmen were engaged on the scaffolding at the
north end of the middle transept, constructing
additional trusses for the erection of the iron ribs, the
scaffolding, a great height from the ground, suddenly
gave way, precipitating the men to the floor of the
building. Ten of them were taken up dead, and two
more died soon after they had been received at Guy's
Hospital. The other five were taken to the hospital,
three in a pitiable condition from fractures and wounds.
Two horses attached to a cart were crushed to death;
the driver escaped. The central transept at the Sydenham
Palace is to be 208 feet high, 120 wide, and 384
feet long: the transept at Hyde Park was 102 feet high,
and 72 wide. To raise and fix the iron ribs forming the
roof of this vast transept, was of course a difficult task.
It was proposed to effect it by constructing " trusses"
of timber and iron resting on the galleries of the
transept, at 102 feet from the floor. The first attempt
failed, a violent gale having blown down the unfinished
scaffolding. A new one was forthwith commenced,
and the plan answered to such an extent that two
of the great ribs were already fixed. On the day
above-mentioned the seventeen workmen were engaged
in finishing the third of three trusses that were entirely
unloaded except with their own materials: these three
trusses fell, hurling their occupants down more than
a hundred feet. The falling materials snapped some of
the iron-work in the lower part of the building, but did
no serious damage in weakening the general structure.
The inquest on the bodies lying at Sydenham was
commenced on the 17th. George Williams, a carpenter in
the service of Messrs. Fox and Henderson, stated that
the scaffoldings were erected under his orders. Three
of the trusses fell together, the men being on the top of
them. He had been employed in the construction of
the building in Hyde Park, and thus had a knowledge
of the nature of the work in progress. Some of the
trusses had been taken from Hyde Park. None of the
columns on which they stood had given way. The
trusses that remained appeared perfectly secure. He
could not form any opinion why the three trusses had