EXTRACTS FROM THE ENGLISH PAPERS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 5, 9 March 1866, Page 3

EXTRACTS FROM THE ENGLISH PAPERS.

A Female Sailok. — Captain Lane, of the' Expedient,' now lying in the Victoria Dock, Hartlepool, furnishes the following facts relative to the eccentrii cities and waywardness of a female who had abandoned home for the roving life of a sailor. Her statement, made at Palermo, is as follows: — "My name is Charlotte Petrie, born at Aberdeen, in 1846. After the death of my grandfather I went to reside | at Newcastle with my uncle, but shortly afterwards j returned to Aberdeen, where I resided as servant in i two or three places. The mate of the ship ' Mary Gardiner,' of Cape Town, named David Roberts, took me from a factory where I was working, and placed me aboard a vessel, which sailed for Newcas- | tie, dressed in boy's apparel, and shipped me as cook's mate. On arriving at Newcastle I left the vessel, and worked as a boy in Haggie and Co.'s establishment, under the name of William Bruce. After this I lived for three weeks in a shoe establishment, with Mr. Pilburn, late Collinson. I then shipped aboard the ' Mary Ann,' of Berwick, bound for Dundee and back to Newcastle. I then shipped aboard the ' Expedient,' of Poole, Captain Lane, as ordinary seaman, at 40s. per month, and cashed my advance note at j Palermo on the 17th August. During the passage I performed my duties as an ordinary seaman, not the least suspicion having arisen amongst my mates during the whole voyage ; but when in harbor during the heat of the night, my sex was discovered, and the captain kindly took me to the British consul, to whom I made the same statement. I expressed my ! urgent wish to perform the voyage according to the ship's articles, which was sanctioned by the British consul. I then proceeded to Alicante (?) to load sulphur, thence to London, where I was paid off." Such is the episode of the life of Charlotte Petrie. Captain Lane says he still takes a deep interest in the future of his brave boy. That gentleman has been recently infqrmed that William Bruce is at the present working in a lead factory near Newcastle. Surely the ladies of Newcastle, after being made acquainted with these facts, will no longer suifer one of their sex (though her hands be horned with hard and honest toil, and her complexion not that of the fairest) to continue in so hurtful an occupation. — Daily News, .December 5. Dreadful, Fire atsd Loss of Life. — This morning a very alarming and calamitous fire took place in ' the premises belonging to Mr. Whitment, tailor, situate at No. 20, Tabernacle-walk, St. Luke's. The fire was first discovered by a police-constable of the G division, who at once raised an alarm. The inmates, with the exception of a child 11 years of age, managed to effect their escape, but unfortunately the fiames made such fearful progress that no one was able to get to the room in which the child was sleeping. The conductors quickly attended with three of the Royal Society's escapes, and the engines of the parish and London Brigade, with several land steamers, followed in rapid succession, but by that time the building, from the base to the roof, was enveloped hi one sheet of flame, thereby preventing the firemen or conductors from entering in search of the unfortunate girl. Plenty of the New River Company's water having been procured, the firemen, under the direction of their superior officers, went to work in their usual intrepid manner, but they were unable to get the conflagration extinguished until the entire range of premises and the contents were completely destroyed, and the adjoining tobacconist's shop consumed. The poor girl was afterwards found burnt to death. The charred body was removed for an inquest to be held on it. The origin of the catastrophe r is unknown. — Evening Star, Nov. 25. Fatal Termination of a Quarkel.— On Saturday night, about 12 o'clock, a sad occurrence took place in Railway-street, Scotswood-road, which resulted in the death of an old man, 75 years of age. The deceased resided at No. 40, in the street just named, with his niece and her husband, Robert Milburn, a man named John Clark, a 6toker on the Newcastle and Carlisle branch of the North Eastern Railway, being a lodger with them. It appears from a statement made by Clark, that Milburn came home, rather the worse for drink, about midnight on Saturday. The old man finding fault with him for so doing, a quarrel ensued, in the course of which Milburn struck him a blow, though not a severe one,' upon the breast. The deceased then sat down and rested his head on the table, but beyond asking once for his niece, he never spoke afterwards. Dr. May was immediately sent for, but his services were of no avail, as the old man expired shortly after his arrival. It appears that the deceased had been complaining for some time past of a complaint of the chest, but whether this had contributed to his death, or it had resulted altogether from the blow inflicted a 8 stated

above, will no doubt be clearly shown at the inquest which will be held on the body to-day.— Newcastle Chronicle. The Toronto Globe tells the following story:— James McCarthy, an idiot, while sitting upon the track of the Lake Shore Railroad, near Dunkirk a day or two since, his head bent upon bis knees, and fast asleep, was struck by a passing train and thrown a distance of forty feet. The train was immediately backed to the scene of disaster, when, imagine the surprise of the passengers at discovering the simpleton standing near the track, apparently unharmed ; the only signs of injury manifested by him being exhibited in a vigorous friction of his back.