LEGEND OF THE TICHBOURNE FAMILY.

West Coast Times, Issue 614, 12 September 1867, Page 3

LEGEND OF THE TICHBOURNE FAMILY.

The London correspondent of the " Sydney Morning Herald" recounts a legend of the Tichboumc family, whose affairs have been so romantically brought before the publtc. It happens, however, that a fuller and more accurate version of the same legend appeared in "The Australasian" of 7th October, 1865, communicated by Mr James Carton, of Ballarat. The affair is brought under our notice by the gentleman who discovered the claimant to the title and estates, and who promises shortly a history of the steps by which the heir was ultimately identified. The legend, which includes a genuine prophecy that came true, was thus related in our columns by aMr Carton :—": — " Many a smile has been caused by the old story of the Tichbourne dole ; and some fifty years ago, many a song and many a ditty used to appear in the Hampshire newspapers, some consoling the lady for '■ the ioss of the holiday they used to nave on distribution day 5 others advising that any lady who should insist on her husband believing in the story of the origin of the dole, should, as a penance be obliged to go round on her bare knees so many acres of ground in a certain time. All, however, knew the old Hampshire story — how, in the reign of one of the early Henrys, the De Tichbourne of Tichbonrne, married Mabel, sole heiress of the Lord of the Isle of Wight, a lady of great piety and benevolence, and that in her last illness she could not die happy unless her lord gave as much ground to the poor for ever as she could go round on her knees while a certain faggot that she had husbanded for some time was burning. Her request being granted she was taken into the park and the faggots lighted, when, to tbe surprise of all, she goes round ten acres of fine ground, such as you may see it marked out in Tichbourne Park at the present day. Mabel being then taken back to the house, after piously receiving the rights of the Church, died that night, but previous to her death foretold a long reign to the Tichbournes ; they would have heirs male longer than any other family in England, they would be true to their religion and loyal to their king, but at length one wicked Tichbourne. would come who would do away with her dole — that he, with all his pride, should have seven sons, they would be succeeded by seven daughters, the house would fall down, and the name of Tichbourne die for ever." As already stated, the prophecy was fulfilled, but only up to a certain point, and the lately discovered Sir Roger Charles may falsify the latter portion. Meanwhile, we await with some interest our correspondent's promised history of his adventures in search of a baronet — " Australasian."

Measueing the Velocity op Lightning. — In the course of the physical researches necessary for ascertaining, by the passage of electricity through the Atlantic cable, thodifference of lougitude between America and England, it has been found that the time required for a signal to pass through the Atlantic Cable, is 31-100ths of a second. This is equal to a velocity of 6020 miles a second considerably less than the speed of the electric fluid through, land lines.