subsequently the medical men decided that the death was caused by strangulation. Under the bed a piece of clothes-line was found, and a paper envelope marked "Poison." The police also found some letters. The first, dated November 3rd, was from the prisoner to his sergeant-major, as follows: "Sir,--I presume in sending you these few lines, as I know you are always a good friend. I send you this as a favour. I hope you will accept the same for me, as I am about to take my departure from this world, and I hope you will take care of yourself as regards company, as it has brought me to this ruin. But I give no blame to them. I conclude, with best respects to all the sergeants. "JOSEPH MAHAIG." Another letter purported to be from the deceased to her mother, but there was some evidence that it was in the prisoner's handwriting. It was as follows: "Guildford, Nov. 3. "My dear Mother, I think it rather strange your not answering my last letter which I sent. I think it very unkind in you not doing so. In a short time you will send to me a long farewell, as I am going with Joseph Mahaig, of the 3rd Regiment, at Aldershott. I think my time will be very short in this world, as I am very much attached to him. I blush when I intimate this to you; but, as a mother, you must know what youth is. So I have made up my mind, rather than part with him, to take some deadly draught. But do not blame him for this, as you will see both our names in the newspapers. Very likely he will get the blame of this; but I hope, as it regards my declaration, you will contradict it. Dear Mother, I now kindly bid you all farewell; and, as we will not meet in this world, I hope we shall in the world to come. My boxes is at Guildford station; there is two of them. Good evening, with my best respects to all inquiring friends. May God, in his infinite mercy, direct you all, is the wish of your ever loving and affectionate daughter, "ELIZABETH WATERER." Another letter, addressed to the coroner : "I do not know what to write what you may ask for. Shall I put this day the 26th of the month? Where am I going after that? I may let you know that we both partook of the poison at the same time; but the poison that I took, that she gave me, she bought at another shop. It had a blue cover. Half an hour afterwards she was dead. I think it was the night of the 3rd. We both said, as she would not leave me, we would die together. She died in my arms. On the Tuesday evening she had a rope cord round her neck when I came upstairs. At night we both took the poison in some gin about 5.30 p.m. We both sent, at least left, a letter to both our mothers on the table. I don't wish any one to see this. Dear friends, I don't care. I wish to God I had went with her. "6 JOSEPH MAHAIG.” The following (partially burnt) was also found, addressed "To all concerned this night:" 6 "Guildford, Nov. 4, 1863. "So now, dear Elizabeth, she lies by my side. May the Lord have mercy upon our souls. . . She lived-did the same. I hope our bodies in one grave. Three this morning the draught she did take. Although I partook of it was not quite safe twenty minutes after. She did then expire, and I was left weeping here in her cold arms. She said, Are you coming?' as we both drunk together. I hope we will meet in the next world together. [Here the letter is illegible.] But in place of cold-that she did give me something-although she is cold her spirit is near. have watched and caressed her all this long day; but now dear Elizabeth is fit for the clay, and shortly after now we will both soon part." [The rest of the letter was illegible.] I When the prisoner was before the coroner he made the following statement:: "Sir,-On the evening of the 3rd the young girl spoken of seemed to be in trouble about the time of 5.30. I went downstairs for some ale, and when I came up I found a rope cord round her neck. I took it off, and before going to bed we both partook of some poison. She afterwards died in my arms. That's all, sir. "JOSEPH MAHAIG." All the witnesses concurred in stating that the prisoner and the deceased appeared to be on the most friendly terms. It was also proved that on the morning of the 3rd ult. the deceased bought a threepenny packet of Butler's vermin powder (which contained two grains of strychnine) at a chemist's shop in Guildford.-Messrs. Phillips and Sells, medical practitioners, made the post-mortem examination, and in consequence of finding no traces of strychnine, they concluded that death was caused by strangulation. But Dr. Taylor was of opinion that death was caused by strychnine; that all the appearances negatived strangulation, and that the nondiscovery of any traces of strychnine did not negative the conclusion as to death by strychnine, as when the quantity taken was barely sufficient to cause death, it was absorbed, leaving no trace behind. -Mr. Oppenheim having addressed the jury for the defence, Baron Pigott summed up, and said if they believed that strangulation caused the death, the prisoner must be found guilty of murder; but if they believed that the parties mutually agreed to take poison, and that strangulation was not the cause of death, then the prisoner would be guilty of aiding and assisting in the murder. Verdict"Guilty, as an accessory before the fact, to the commission of the murder, and they recommended the prisoner to mercy on the ground of his good character." Sentence of death was then passed, and the Judge said he would forward the recommendation to the proper quarter. The sentence was afterwards commuted to that of penal servitude for life. 18. Loss OF AN EMIGRANT SHIP.-Intelligence was received in Glasgow that the fine emigrant ship" Grasmere," Captain Turner, from the Clyde to Southland, New Zealand, with a general cargo, had been driven on the Ship Rock, near Ballyferries, about eight miles south of the entrance to Belfast Lough, and there remained full of water. All the passengers, who numbered 125, as well as the crew, were landed in safety. The "Grasmere" left the river on the 14th; but in consequence of the severe gales was obliged to take refuge in Lamlash Bay, where she remained till the 17th, when she left in company with the large outward-bound fleet. GREAT FIRE IN THE CITY.-A fire broke out at night in a part of the City densely crowded with warehouses, which in a few hours destroyed property and merchandise variously estimated in the whole at from 100,000l. to 150,0007. The property of one firm alone which was consumed was insured at nearly 40,000., and others have suffered to a greater or less extent. The fire occurred in a block of buildings used exclusively for warehousing purposes, and situated between Wood-street and Milk-street in one direction, and between Clement's-court and Feathers-alley in another. The locality abuts upon what used to be the site of the old City Compter, and some of the property which perished in the conflagration is said to have been once used as a residence by Judge Jeffreys. It was chiefly occupied by Messrs. Grant, umbrella and parasol manufacturers, Messrs. J. and R. Morley, as a shirt factory, Mr. A. S. Henry and Co., Mr. William Gibson, and Mr. J. F. Bunting, warehousemen. The various places were mostly divided by thin party walls, which in modern times had been run up for purposes of business or convenience, and which would not be tolerated under the stringent building regulations of the present day. Brick walls of great thickness, which appear to have most withstood the rage of the fire and prevented its spreading, were left standing, and some of them were said to have survived the Fire of London. On the ground floor Mr. Bunting had a small office, or warehouse, and there the fire originated, according to the prevailing opinion. His warehouse, and the far more extensive one of Messrs. Morley, which was also on the ground floor, were divided by a slender partition wall, which the fire soon destroyed, and then spread in other directions. The upper part of the premises over those of Messrs. Morley was occupied by Messrs. Grant, and had an entrance from Clement's-court, which was also common to the warehouses of Mr. Bunting, Messrs. Henry, and Mr. Gibson. The first symptoms of the fire were discovered by Peter Grant, a young man in the service of Messrs. Grant. On the 18th he and two women servants were left in charge of the premises of Messrs. Grant at night, and about half-past ten p.m. he came downstairs, as was his custom, to fasten the street door. On the way he felt a strong smell of fire, and on reaching the passage on the basement, finding it filled with smoke, he called in a policeman. A message brought Inspector Foulger forthwith from the Bow-lane police-station, and a fireman from the head-quarters of the London Fire Brigade in Watlingstreet. Smoke was then seen oozing from crevices in the door of Mr. Bunting, and the fireman jocosely said if he had a bucket of water he would put out the fire wherever it was. The door was broken in, and, though the place was found full of smoke, the inspector and the fireman at first searched it in vain for fire. While they were so engaged the heated smoke seemed to break into flame spontaneously, and the whole place was speedily in a blaze. The fire spread first into the warehouses of Messrs. Morley, and then into the premises above. By the aid of the telegraph thirteen engines, six of which were steam fire-engines, including that of Mr. Hodges, were brought to the spot. There was an abundant supply of water, and they played upon the burning mass both from Milk street and Wood-street. The current of air in Clement's-court and Feathers-alley served to fan the flame, but by about two o'clock the engines had obtained the mastery over the fire, though it was not wholly quenched until some hours afterwards. One after another the floors and parts of the burning roof fell with a noise resembling a discharge of artillery, and alarming the whole neighbourhood. A great crowd collected about the spot, and a strong body of police was present to keep order. Fortunately no lives were lost, though the two women-servants of Messrs. Grant had a narrow escape. 24. ROYAL BOUNTY.-On Christmas Eve, by Her Majesty's command, the children of the workmen and labourers on the Osborne estate assembled in the servants' hall at Osborne, where a Christmas tree with gifts was arranged. At half-past four o'clock the Queen, accompanied by the members of the Royal Family, proceeded to the hall, and, assisted by the Princes and Princesses, distributed the presents to the children, which consisted of articles of wearing apparel, books, toys, &c. The Queen subsequently, in the same manner, gave the labouring men and women great-coats, blankets, and other articles. The ladies and gentlemen of the household and the Rev. G. Prothero and Mrs. Prothero were present. N OBITUARY OF EMINENT PERSONS DECEASED IN 1863. FIELD-MARSHAL LORD CLYDE. THIS celebrated soldier, whose recently acquired title has not obliterated the more familiar name of Colin Campbell, under which he first won his way to the respect and affection of his countrymen, was born at Glasgow, on the 20th of October, 1792. His father was a Highlander of the name of M'Liver, and he died only a few years ago, supported in his latter days by the bounty of his distinguished son. Mrs. M'Liver was a Miss Campbell; and family circumstances led to their son, the youthful Colin, being brought up by his mother's sisters, who were living in a respectable condition in life in Glasgow; and this circumstance led to the adoption of the maternal name. At the age of 16 he entered the army as an ensign in the 9th Foot. It was in the summer of 1808 that young Colin Campbell found himself gazetted to an ensigncy in that regiment, of which the late Sir Robert Brownrigg, Bart., G.C.B., was then colonel; and it was not long before he took an active share in the hardships and glories of the British army. He first saw service in the Peninsula. He fought gallantly at Vimeira, and was present at the advance and subsequent retreat of the army under Sir John Moore, at Corunna, and after that engagement returned on leave to England. Scarce landed from the transport which carried him from the shores of Spain, he was ordered off to participate in the suffering and disasters of the Walcheren expedition in 1809. The fever struck into his body so keenly that, until he went to China thirty years afterwards, “Walcheren,” as he said, "was with me every season." From Walcheren he returned to Spain in 1810, where, with better fortune and guidance, he shared in the battle of Barossa in March, 1811, and the defence of Tarifa on Jan. 5, 1812; and in 1812 he was transferred to a corps of the Spanish army, with which he was actively employed against the French in a long series of harassing skirmishes and operations, which are known to the Spaniards, but not to us, as important actions. In this year he also took part in the unsuccessful movement against the French at Tarragona. In 1813 he joined the Duke of Wellington's army again, and plunged into the thickest of the hard fighting which took place in that memorable year. He had in his first year's service reached the grade of lieutenant; and now, at the age of 21, he had made a name for activity, courage, and determi nation which began to be heard throughout the army. He passed unscathed through Vittoria, the greatest of our victories, after Waterloo, in that quarter of the century; but in the breach of St. Sebastian he was not so fortunate. He led a forlorn hope which rushed to the aid of the neglected stormers, and he received two wounds in that desperate encounter. On the 9th of November, 1813, he became a captain by brevet, and in that position remained for twelve long years. Captain Campbell had no command of the means which, well employed, might then have secured him a juster reward for his services; but he had ample opportunity of testing every variety of climate and of seeing all kinds of service. In 1823 he served as Brigade-Major of |