Frank Bennetts, senior clerk in the Hastings Bank, dislocated a shoulder in being thrown by a horse.
Hurt and Unhurt. — On the 25th of December, George Stanford, a carpenter, sustained a broken leg by being pushed into the road by a crowd; and on the next day, two flies collided in George street, and the driver of one was thrown into the road, but not injured.
Rarities
An Eagle.— Mr. Bissenden, of St. Leonards, had the work to do of stuffing an eagle, which a man shot under the cliff near Pett, and sold to Mr. Tong of Battle. It weighed 8½ lbs, was 3 ft. in length, and 6½ feet in the spread of its wings.
A handsome hen-pheasant, with the plumage of a male pheasant, was in the possession of Mr. Carswell, of the Swan Hotel.
A Fox and several varieties of birds, were presented to the museum of the Hastings Mechanics’ Institution by Capt. Bird, who had recently returned from the Arctic regions, whither he went with Capt. Ross, in the Investigator in search of Sir John Franklin.
A gigantic hog was killed for Mr. Parks, of the South Colonnade, on the 14th of January. It weighed 85 stone, 3lbs., and measured 8½ feet in length and 6½ feet in girth. It was only 15 months old, and two of its kindred were still in Mr. Parks’ possession.
A six feet refracting a telescope, with excellent lenses, all made by “Crazy” Tom Richardson, of Brede, being raffled for, was won by Mr. W. Ginner, of High-street, with a throw of 91 out of a possible number of 105.
A rare feat of Equestrianism. A horse was ridden by Mr. Paul Tolhurst, up steps into the Royal Oak Hotel, through a passage and down a steep and winding flight of stairs into the lower bar, much to the astonishment of the host and numerous customers at that time assembled. When there, the animal refused to move until a glass of ale had been given to it. After that, it quietly walked out and discharged its rider by tipping him on to the pavement.
Ten feet longer. If not a rarity, it certainly was a work of ingenuity to cut a schooner asunder at midships, draw the two portions apart, and insert additional ribs, keel and timbers to the addition of ten feet. This was done on the Hastings stade to a vessel belonging to Burfield Brothers.
Old pennies. It came to the knowledge of Hastings people that the wife of a respectable farmer at Goudhurst, saved 16,200 penny-pieces of the old coinage, which she had taken in payment of farm-house commodities. The weight was 1,011½ lbs. One can imagine that this rare accumulation was by dint of solicitation rather than by the ordinary mode of commercial exchange.
