Saturday 12 Dec 1818 (p. 3, col. 1-3) Messrs. WATTS and WETHERELL's Ball will be held at the Coffee House Assembly Room, on Friday the 18th inst.—Vide advt. It will be seen by the advertisement, that the next General Quarter Sessions for the County, will be held at Cockermouth on Tuesday the 12th of Jan. 1819. It is with extreme regret we state that little hope is entertained of the recovery of Lord Ellenborough. The numerous robberies on the property of farmers of late, render it desirable for toll-keepers to examine all persons who pass at an untimely hour, so as to enable them to give information to owners of horses and others which route has been taken. On Monday last, John, Robert, and James GRAHAM, of Blackdyke, and John FORSTER, of Tewfit Green, labourers, were severally convicted before John HEYSHAM, Esq. M. D. one of the Magistrates and Commissioners for Assessed Taxes for this County, in the penalty of £20 each, for being in the search and pursuit of Game, without taking out Game Certificates. On the night of yesterday week, as John THORNTHWAITE, of Low Moor, a very decent young man, was returning with his horses and carts from Gilcrux, where he had been for coals, he fell down dead on a hill called Bullgill-brow, near Allonby, (it is supposed in an apoplectic fit) and was not found till some other persons with carts were returning from the same place, who at first thought him asleep, and attempted to awake him; but to their astonishment they found him a lifeless corpse. It had been erroneously stated that he was killed by the cart going over him; but the above is the purport of the evidence delivered before the coroner's jury. Verdict, Died by the visitation of God. On Tuesday last, a man came to Mr. Robert ARMSTRONG's, Black Bull Inn, Brampton, and offered a bay mare for sale. He first demanded £20 for her, but at length agreed to take £7 10s. although she was apparently worth double that sum. Mr. ARMSTRONG then accused him of having stolen the mare, and sent for a Constable, on hearing which, he started up and ran off. He was pursued by some young men, and overtaken a short distance out of the town, when he confessed having stole the mare out of Yorkshire, and said he would steal another the first opportunity, as he would rather be hanged than starved. The young men not having any Constable with them, they allowed him to go on. The mare remains in Mr. ARMSTRONG's possession. We are happy to announce that the Magistrates of Penrith, have laudably forbidden the practice of the Town-crier calling Cockles and Muscles for sale on the Sabbath; nor are people allowed to sell them at all on that day. Our readers will recollect that this was one of the unseemly practices recently alluded to in our paper. The subject of publicly inviting the inhabitants to funerals is under consideration, and it will be submitted to those concerned, that on the death of a friend or relative, a person should be employed for the purpose of inviting those whom it is wished should attend;—and as this practice has been an emolument to the Town-crier, it might be proper at those times to give him the preference, by which he would still obtain his usual pecuniary reward. Four hats were stolen out of the house of Capt. BUCHANAN, in Penrith, on Sunday Evening last; which circumstance was immediately made public, and notwithstanding a handsome reward offered, the thief has not been discovered. A similar trick was played in the same house some time back, though no notice was then taken of it. The Farmers who frequent the Waggon and Horses Inn, in Penrith, on Market-days, were served with a second crop of Peas, in full growth, on Tuesday last, a circumstance which was never known to have occurred before. A respectable looking man, who left Kendal, on Thursday se'nnight, by the Heavy Coach, for Penrith, on arriving at that place went into the New Crown Inn, and took his seat by the fire, soon after which he was discovered a lifeless corpse. He took his place only for Penrith. His death may perhaps be attributed to the cold of the night, as he was an outside passenger. From letters found on him, it appears his name is FAULDER, and his place of residence near Longtown. William PATTERSON, aged 52 years, a husbandman, was found dead in a place called Warren-House-Lane, Penrith, on Friday se'nnight; an Inquest was held on the body. Verdict, Died by the Visitation of God. Joseph CLARK, yeoman, of Askham, has now in his Garden at Askham, near Penrith, a second crop of Peas from the old stalks. Mr. GILLIBURN, of High Crosby, near this City, has now in his garden, gooseberries which measure half an inch in circumference. Mr. Joseph DALTON, of Low Crosby, has also in his garden, a pear-tree in full bloom. Last week, John LITTLE, a character well known in Whitehaven and neighbourhood, being several years the leader of a juvenile gang of depredators, was committed to take his trial at the ensuing Cockermouth Sessions, charged with having feloniously stolen sundry articles of wearing apparel from a yard in Chapel-street in that town, where they were placed for the purpose of being dried. WHITEHAVEN DEC. 8.—Thursday night, a little after seven o'clock, the Defence, BELL, lying between the North Wall and the Bulwark at this port, was discovered to be on fire. The alarm thereby occasioned was consequently very great, and the more so, as the tide was out. No time was lost in bringing the engines; but there was great difficulty in procuring a sufficient supply of water; however that difficulty was rendered less by the activity and exertions of great numbers of people, who flocked to the spot on the first alarm, and used all the means in their power to prevent the extensive mischief which threatened the North Harbour.—Happily their exertions, after long and frequently hazardous labours, proved so far successful in subduing the flames, as to prevent their being communicated to any other vessel;—but not until all the pumps in the neighbourhood were nearly exhausted of water. Some time ago, the vessel had been hauled up to within a few yards of high-water mark, near the bottom of Duke-street, in order to receive a very considerable repair, which was then almost, if not entirely completed. She was, therefore, fortunately in one respect, at a distance from any other vessel in that part of the harbour. Had it been otherwise, the consequence might have been dreadful;—for it was found impossible to stop the progress of the flames whilst the masts were standing. The foremast was first sawn away; and at the greatest possible risk of those who effected it, ropes were with extreme difficulty thrown over the mainmast, then enveloped in flames, and the whole pulled down, with the shrouds, &c. by the united force of a great number of people.—The scene was truly apalling [sic];—and, since the attempt of Paul JONES, in 1778, the Port of Whitehaven has never been in such imminent danger as it was, for at least two hours, on Thursday.—The damage sustained is very considerable.—Not only the cabin, but all the after-part of the vessel is destroyed; and a cable and several sails are consumed.—The cause of this conflagration is not known. The Inhabitants of Whitehaven, of every description, rendered all the assistance in their power with the greatest alacrity. Murder.—Last week a woman named NIXON was found with her throat cut near Liverpool. The knife with which the deed was perpetrated lay beside her: this was ascertained to belong to a family with whom the woman's husband lodged—and such evidence came out before the Coroner's Jury as to induce them to return a verdict of wilful murder against him. He has been committed. The parties did not live together.