5.--A great part of the premises erected on the site of the old
alms-houses, adjoining the Friends' Meeting House, Goat Lane, Norwich,
fell with a tremendous crash.
11.*--"Mr. W. Wilkins has received another testimony to his ability as an
architect in the preference given to his design for the London
University."
--Died at Brundall, aged 72, Mr. Elisha De Hague, Town Clerk of Norwich,
to which office he was elected on August 8th, 1792, on the death of his
father.
18.*--"An intelligent mercantile gentleman from Russia, who landed at
Yarmouth, with whom we had some conversation on the subject of the free
admission of foreign corn into this country, gave it as his opinion that
the fears entertained here by the landed interest of excessive
importations, at least for some time to come, are quite groundless. He
admitted, however, that in eight or ten years, from the encouragement we
shall have given to the foreign grower by our free trade system, if it
should be extended to corn, abundant supplies may be expected. What will
_then_ be the state of the agriculture of _this_ country by no means too
flourishing _now_ may be easily imagined."
21.--At a special assembly of the Corporation of Norwich, Mr. William
Simpson, for 34 years Chamberlain, was elected Town Clerk and Clerk of
the Peace, and steward of the several manors belonging to the
Corporation, in the room of Mr. Elisha De Hague, deceased.
25.--A county meeting was held at the Shirehall, Norwich, for the twofold
purpose of opposing the Bill presented to Parliament for the appointment
of district surveyors of highways, and of expressing dissent from the
practice which prevailed at the Shirehall of conducting county business
with closed doors. With regard to the first subject a resolution was
passed stating that the county-rate had increased from 7,200 to 20,400
pounds in twenty years, and that it was undesirable to increase it by
making the proposed appointments. It was decided to take counsel's
opinion upon the other matter. (_See_ January 12th, 1827.)
27.--The Rev. William Whitear, rector of Starston, met with his death
under singular circumstances. He had gone out with a party to apprehend
poachers; the party divided themselves into two bodies, and on proceeding
to the place where it had been agreed upon to reassemble, Mr. Whitear was
mistaken for a poacher and shot in the right side by another of the
party, a young man named Thomas Pallant. He died from the effects of the
wound on December 10th, and Pallant was committed for trial on the charge
of manslaughter. The case was tried at the Norfolk Assizes at Thetford
before Mr. Justice Gaselee, on March 26th, 1827, when the accused was
acquitted. "He was so seriously affected during the trial that before
its conclusion he became quite insensible, and was taken home in that
state."