[list-cumbria] Cumberland Pacquet - 10

[Nev Ramsden]

Whitehaven  - December 22 - 1774. 



Last Saturday night, a country man over hearing two gentleman, who had adjourned to a public house after Mr. Banks lecture was ended, discourse for some time on the properties of air, and gathering from them, that a man of ordinary stature supports about 14 tons of air: left the room with an intension of surprising his wife with the wonderful knowledge he had obtained, but unfortunately meeting with a few acquaintances, he plied the glass to heartily, that before he reached home, his coat had attracted a considerable quantity of clay. His wife received an electric shock on his approach; and next morning enquired the cause the cause of his appearance in so strange a pickle “Why wife says he, I marvel how I got home at all, for I heard last night( whether it is owing to the dullness and heaviness of the weather or not, I cannot tell) – but I heard that everyman of an ordinary size carries no less than fourteen tons of air on his back; no wonder that I was  so bemired, considering the dirty roads I had to travel through” --- Ah! Tummas, replied his spouse, I think little of fourteen tons of air being upon your back, I rather think thou hadst fourteen pints of ale in thy belly.



On Tuesday morning, about half past three o’clock, a man was discovered attempting to break the back yard of Mr. Ostell’s house in Lowther Street; he had got in through a door in Chappel street, which it is supposed had been left open, and communicates with three or four other yards, this serve as a caution to those whose houses are so situated, to be careful in securing such passages every night.



A remarkable affair happened the last week, nigh Buttermere in this county. A boy who was an apprentice to a shoemaker in the country, had been sent on a piece of business about five or six miles from home; on his return, his mistress enquired the reason for his staying so long; the boy told her that he had the greatest difficulty in passing the Bridge of a certain river in the neighbourhood; that he had been almost blown over the side of it, and that he was positive he would have been drowned, had he attempted to cross it again; for which reason he had taken a longer road to avoid it. This he mentioned several times, and seemed very glad that he had escaped it. After he had warmed himself, he was sent up stairs to call his shop mates to dinner, and to change his clothes.   



The family had sat sometime at dinner but the boy not appearing, when repeatedly called upon, one of them ran up to look for him, and found him sitting upon one of the steps, strangled in the crupper of a saddle which hung in the staircase. It appeared, to the Coroner’s inquest, almost unaccountable how he could be suffocated in that posture; but no intention appearing, by the boys conduct, of laying violent hands upon himself, they brought in a verdict of accidental death.



On Monday last, died at Douglas in the Isle of Mann, Mr. Cheyne, master of his Majesty’s cutter the Ferret.



A few days ago, Mr. John Hall steward to Mr. Aglionby of Munnery, returning from Carlisle, was unfortunately thrown from his horse, and laid speechless for two days, his life is in this time despaired of.



Last week a woman nigh Laxey in the Isle of Mann, was committed to Castletown gaol, on suspicion of murdering her bastard child. It appeared upon her trial, which followed a day or two after her commitment, that it was discovered by another child of hers, a girl, telling a neighbouring woman, that her mother had laid the baby in a ditch nigh the house, where, on examination the body of a infant was found. In the course of the trial, the woman was found insane, and no proof appearing that the child was alive when born, she was acquitted.



A few days ago Mr. Stephen Cannon,  an Eminent butcher in Penrith, riding through the river Eamont, with a boy behind him, at a place called Castle Wath; the horse unfortunately fell in the water; luckily for Mr. Cannon, his foot was entangled in the stirrup, by which means he was dragged on shore by the horse. The poor boy was forced a considerable way down [by] the current, and must undoubtedly perished if it had been for a bold young fellow, a farmers servant, who, at the hazard of his own life, jump’d into the river, and brought him to land; the boy lay two hours without any signs of life, but is at present in a hopeful way of recovery.



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Nev.Ramsden
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