WEST BRITON AND CORNWALL ADVERTISER 18 JULY 1851 LOCAL INTELLIGENCE THE CRYSTAL PALACE - On Tuesday last, a special meeting of the Truro Local Committee, in aid of the Great Exhibition, CAPT. WARD in the chair, was held in the Justice's room, at the Truro Town-hall when the subject of retaining the Crystal Palace as a winter garden and promenade, as proposed by Mr. PAXTON, was taken into consideration; and it was unanimously resolved that the committee highly approves of Mr. Paxton's proposition, and adopts his form of petition to parliament for carrying the object into effect. The petition to the Lords was desired to be sent to the Duke of Northumberland for presentation, and that to the Commons to the Members for the borough, with a request that they would be pleased to support the prayer of the petitions. The petitions have since, we understand, been numerously and respectably signed by the inhabitants of the town. ANNIVERSARIES On Tuesday last Port Isaac Chapel Anniversary was held, when a sermon of a deeply impressive kind was preached by the Rev. J. BRANWELL, of Bodmin. Tea was laid out in an avenue in Rose Cottage Gardens, near the chapel, the place being tastefully decorated with flags, and an awning being formed that perfectly screened the company from the sun. A goodly number partook of tea; the gardens were thrown open to all who chose to avail themselves of the privilege, and the company appeared delighted with their kind reception. At half-past six o'clock a public meeting was held, the chair being ably filled by Mr. THOMAS PEARSE, of Bodmin, and addresses were delivered by the Rev. J. FISHER, the Rev. E. BRANSTOM, the Rev. J. BRANWELL, and another friend. The speeches were listened to with the deepest attention and delight; at the conclusion those parties who came from a distance, were invited to partake of refreshments in the gardens, where tea had been provided, and all then departed highly pleased with the day's proceedings. The annual tea drinking in connection with the Gunnislake school, took place on Monday last, at the Wesleyan chapel at that place, when a vast number of children, with twenty-six teachers, bearing flags, perambulated the streets, returning to the chapel accompanied by many of the respectable inhabitants, who purchased tickets in aid of the school. After tea the Rev. Mr. RYAN, superintendent of the district, preached a sermon on the occasion to a crowded congregation, and at the close a collection was made for books, &c., required for the school. The children returned to their respective homes well pleased with the day's entertainment. POST OFFICE APPOINTMENT - Mr. E. PHILP, bookseller, has been appointed Postmaster of Callington. BUDE - The hay harvest in this locality is nearly finished, with an abundant crop, and saved in fine condition. The potatoes in gardens are touched slightly with the disease, but the root is fine at present. The field culture has not as yet exhibited the blight. The turnip and other green crops are wanting more moisture. EARLY HARVEST - Mr. RICHARD STEPHENS, of Pentire, in Crantock, commenced harvest by cutting both barley and oats on the 17th instant, being, as usual, the first in that locality, and in fine condition. On Tuesday last, Mr. LAWRY, of Broads in Helland, near Bodmin, cut a very fine field of oats about three acres; and on the same day, Mr. HENRY HOOPER, of Penhargard, in Heland, cut a field of oats. Mr. PETER W. CLEAVE, of Lower Croan, in the parish of Egloshayle, commenced cutting wheat on Tuesday last. The wheat generally in the above parish is rapidly progressing to maturity, and in many places the sickle will soon be in requisition. The prospects at present in the parishes in this neighbourhood are cheering, and should the weather continue favourable, a plentiful harvest may be fairly calculated on. REDUCTION OF RENT The Rev. PETER F. HONY, L.L.D., at his audit, held at Menheniot on the 14th instant, made his usual deduction of 15 per cent, on his rents. PROBUS FAIR This fair on Monday last, was very large, but the sales were heavy. The demand for plough oxen and steers was limited, there being few dealers from the eastern counties, the price was 10s. per head less than at Grampound fair. Of fat beef there was plenty, but the sale was dull at about late prices; fat sheep out of their wool fetched 4 1/2 d. per lb. The lean cows were a very poor lot. CONCERT SIGNOR JACOBOWITCH, a vocalist, assisted by Madame Jacobowitch, who presided at the harp, and by VON HARTMAN, the violinist, gave a concert at the Town-hall, St. Austell, on Wednesday evening, the 9th instant. Signor Jacobowitch has vocal powers of no ordinary description, and his performance was quite unique and highly entertaining. Von Hartman performed some pieces on the violin in a masterly style. The attendance was but limited. TRURO POLICE ELIZABETH KERNICK was committed on Saturday last, to Bodmin for ten days hard labour for breaking a pane of glass in the Devon and Cornwall Bank, Truro. CATHERINE BOASE was also committed for fourteen days, ELIZABETH WILLOUGHBY for twenty-one days, and ELIZABETH CARPENTER for one month, for being concerned with Kernick in the breaking. All the delinquents belonged to Redruth. FIRE On Friday night, about twelve o'clock at noon, a fire broke out in a dwelling-house at Carvath, St. Austell. The house (a double one) had a thatch roof and the flames spread rapidly, and in about an hour and a half there was nothing left but the bare walls. The town engines were soon on the spot, but the want of a sufficient supply of water paralyzed their efforts, and they could do little more than prevent the fire from extending to the adjoining houses. The fire was caused by a child of one of the tenants taking a light into a back house and kindling some reed, which immediately communicated to the thatch roof. The house, we believe, was not insured, but it was of no great value. Fortunately the weather was very calm or the consequences would in all probability have been much more disastrous. ACCIDENT On Thursday last, as the seven o'clock mail was entering the town of St. Austell, a little boy three years of age, son of Mr. B. J. NOTT, was playing on the side of the road, when on the approach of the mail, he ran across towards his home. One of the leaders knocked him down, but the coachman pulled up at once, and the child was taken out with no other damage than one of his arms having been badly bruised. CORONER'S INQUEST On the 14th instant, an inquest was held at Little Petherick, before Mr. HAMLEY, county coroner, on JOHN HENWOOD, aged 76. He had been at a neighbour's house, and on returning to his own , a woman saw him holding by his door. On going up to him he asked her what was the matter; she looked down and saw a pool of blood on the ground. She got assistance; he was placed in a chair, and died almost immediately. It appeared that a large blood vessel had burst in his leg, which caused his death. Verdict accordingly. STATISTICS OF CORNWALL - NO 30 To the EDITOR of the WEST BRITON SIR - I shall now beg to turn the attention of your readers to the numerous ancient fortifications and other earth works in Cornwall, which probably have been constructed by the ancient Cornish or some of their invaders, Romans, Saxons, or Danes. Many of the forts are on the summits of hills or on other commanding situations; some are well preserved, while others are nearly obliterated, principally by the operations of the husbandman, and are of various sizes; the greater number are circular or elliptical, some are square and others are irregular in their form; some are surrounded by three ramparts or banks and three trenches, some by two banks and trenches and many have only one bank and trench; some of the smaller circular forts appear to have been a central station or keep to an extensive area, which area is protected by a bank and ditch. Many of the promontories or headlands have been fortified by ditches and banks extending from sea to sea. Of these ancient forts, I have examined about one hundred and thirty in the western geographical division of the county, that is, west of Fowey and Camel rivers, and a few in the eastern division, and there are many more that I have not seen. The ancient barrows are numerous; I believe that I have seen about four hundred in the western division; there are also many ancient stones fixed upright and some stone circles. The barrows appear to be ancient burying places, in which it is probable that the remains of eminent chiefs are deposited. In some of them many earthen urns have been found, containing ashes and bones. Some antiquarians consider that the barrows are the most ancient of sepulchral monuments. Those in Cornwall are some of them constructed of earth and others of stones. On opening them, it is often found that the central part at the base is surrounded by a circle of stones fixe upright. Where there are three, four, or more together, they may probably have been intended by a victorious party to commemorate a battle, as well as for the interment of the remains of their fallen chiefs. At a place called "Twelve Barrows" in Perranzabuloe, there were eighteen of them in a row; parts of some of which have been carried away. Many of the barrows having been dug into and examined; there may probably be among your readers persons who can describe what may have been found in them. Such information would be generally acceptable, and I hope that some of those who can furnish such particulars, will be so kind as to do so. I shall begin my description of such of the ancient works as I have examined in the hundred of Penwith, and proceed eastward from the Land's End, arranging my several observations in the several parishes as they succeed each other in local situation. SENNEN - I am not aware that I have examined any thing in this parish. St. LEVAN - CASTLE TREREEN is a fortified promontory, having been protected by four ditches and banks, all of which extend from sea to sea; the inner ditch and bank (which bank is described by Borlase, nearly one hundred years ago, as being a stone wall) being at the narrow isthmus which connects the rocky promontory with the main land. This rocky promontory of rugged granite masses of rock is the more notable for having on the top of one of the ranges, the famed "Logging Rock," the history of which, with its overthrow and re-establishment, is too well known to need relation here. In Pryce's vocabulary of the ancient Cornish language, it is said that "Trereen" means fortified or fighting place. BURYAN - At BOLEIGH there are two granite stones fixed upright, one of them twelve feet and the other fourteen feet high; they are about fifty fathoms asunder, and a little more than a quarter of a mile south west is another such high stone. A quarter of a mile south west of Boleigh, by the side of the road to St. Levan, is an ancient stone cross. A little further south in an enclosure, there is an ancient circle of nineteen upright stones, some of which are fallen down. Borlase, in his "Antiquities," shows a much larger stone in the centre, which had fallen to an inclined position. A public path leads through this circle. About eighty fathoms from the circle towards Boleigh, is a barrow. Near Trewoof are the remains of an entrenchment, extending about two hundred fathoms, nearly straight. PAUL - Near TREBASIL are the remains of a circular entrenchment, occupying about one acre. Near its eastern part, just within the bank are two high posts, which may probably mark the entrance. Outside of the ditch, distant about sixty-five feet, is a circular fence, surrounding the entrenchment, where probably a second bank and ditch may once have encompassed the inner work. At KERRIS, is an elliptical enclosure, called the "Roundago," about half-an-acre, surrounded by a stone fence, with no ditch; at its southern part are two high posts, where probably was the entrance; the ground in the enclosure is higher than what is outside. Borlase, shows by a drawing, that there were four posts or pillars, about eight feet high, and there appeared to have fallen some stones which had probably been laid over the pillars, and that the whole had formed a sort of portal, eighteen feet long by eleven wide. I am, sir, your obedient servant RICHARD THOMAS Falmouth, 11th July, 1851 P.S. - In my last letter (No. 29) in describing the length of road of the Halworthy Trust, which is travelled over at Blue Anchor, and for which a full toll is paid, it is stated to be about a mile; whereas it is only about half a mile. .......................... OTHER HEADLINES "Fatal Orange Riot at Liverpool" - 2000 to 3000 persons in an Orange Club marched in Liverpool , where they were opposed by an Irish contingent, and 3 lives were lost (a policeman, a marcher, and an Irishman.) Quite a few in hospital, and some of those not expected to live. "The Late Fatal Collision on the Midland Railway" - acquittal of JOHN THOMPSON, guard, for not warning a following train that his train was stopped ahead, which might have avoided the ensuing collision and loss of life. "Queen Attends Dinner in The City" - after visiting the Crystal Palace, of course.