7.*—“The gales that have visited the coast during the last week have been terrific. For days there has been an enormous fleet of southward bound colliers in Yarmouth Roads. With other vessels, the coast, extending from Caister to Corton, a distance of several miles, has been crowded with shipping, and several shipwrecked crews have been landed at the Sailors’ Home.”
9.—Died at Norwich, in his 76th year, Mr. William Stark, F.G.S. He was well-known in his day as an able chemist, and was one of the first dyers of fabrics of Norwich manufacture, “particularly of the colour called Turkey red, the manufacturers in the North sending large quantities of goods for dyeing.” He devoted much of his time to the prosecution of scientific studies, and was a Fellow of the Geological Society. In the days when Dr. Rigby, William Taylor, Dalrymple, Crosse, C. Austrin, Dr. Evans, &c., belonged to the Norwich Philosophical Society, Mr. Stark contributed many papers at its meetings, in which he bore a distinguished part. For many years he had been afflicted by partial loss of sight, and a few months before his death became totally blind.
9.—Mr. Osborn Springfield was elected Mayor, and Mr. Frederick Brown appointed Sheriff of Norwich.
14.—A meeting for the promotion of the East Norfolk Railway was held at the Swan Hotel, St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, under the presidency of Lord Suffield. A resolution emphasising the importance of the scheme was adopted, and the following motion was also unanimously passed: “That the offer of the Great Eastern Railway Company to render substantial help in the formation of lines of railway to North Walsham, Aylsham, and Cromer, and to work the same when made at 50 per cent. upon the gross receipts, should be cordially accepted by the district, as conferring the means of accomplishing public works of the greatest benefit, and which otherwise must have been indefinitely postponed.” (See May 5th, 1864.)
16.—Mr. James Caird, M.P., Mr. G. Shaw Lefevre, M.P., and Professor T. H. Huxley, the Commissioners appointed to enquire into the condition of the sea fisheries of the United Kingdom, attended at the Sailors’ Home, Yarmouth, for the purpose of hearing evidence. The objects of the inquiry were to ascertain (1) whether the supply of fish from the fisheries of the United Kingdom had increased of late years, remained stationary, or diminished; (2) whether any of the methods of catching fish involved the wasteful diminution of fish spawn, and whether legislative interference was required to increase the supply; and (3) whether any existing legislative enactments operated prejudicially against fisheries. The Commissioners afterwards visited King’s Lynn.
22.—The death occurred at Yarmouth, in his 43rd year, of Hales, the Norfolk Giant. He was born at West Somerton, and for some years was engaged in seafaring pursuits, until his enormous height, 7 ft. 6 inches, gained for him such notoriety that he was induced to abandon the sea and exhibit himself. During his nomadic career he visited almost every town in the kingdom, and scarcely a fair was considered complete without the huge yellow caravan which formed his temporary abode. Becoming tired of his wandering life. Hales took up his abode in London, and whilst there had the honour of appearing before the Court and of receiving from the Queen a handsome gold watch and chain. Shortly after his appearance at Court, the fame of the Norfolk Giant reached Barnum, who lost no time in engaging his services. Hales remained with Barnum for some years, in the course of which he visited most of the cities and towns in America. On his return to England he resumed his wanderings, and, in the course of the summer of 1862 came to Yarmouth, where his presence on the Britannia Pier attracted large numbers of visitors. Hales’s parents were conspicuous for their great height, his father being 6 ft 6 ins., and his mother 6 ft. He had five sisters, who averaged 6 ft 6 ins. One of them, Mary, was 7 ft. 2 ins. in height, and for some years travelled with her brother. She died in Guernsey. His four brothers averaged 6 ft 5 inches. A few days before his death, Hales was walking about Norwich, where he attracted great crowds by his immense size.
23.—Died at the Rectory, Long Stratton, Mr. George Birch Jerrard, son of Major-General Jerrard. Born at Bodmin, on November 24th, 1804, he acquired considerable fame as a mathematician, and was the author of “Mathematical Researches” and of “An Essay on the Resolution of Equations.” In his first-named work, “he made a great step in Algebra, and one acknowledged by all mathematicians, namely, the taking away of three terms from equations of any degree. In his latter work he maintains he has solved the great problem of Algebra, namely, the resolution of all equations.” At the time of his death he was engaged in writing a work on “Prophecy,” a subject in which he was greatly interested.
26.—Brother Ignatius, “a clergyman of the English Church, who has the temerity to come before a public audience attired as a Benedictine monk, with bare head and bare feet, carrying a rosary and crucifix, which in this country are regarded as symbolic only of the Romish Church, and calling himself by a name not accorded to him by his godfathers and godmother,” lectured at St. Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, on “Monks and Monasteries for the English Church.” (See February 13th, 1864.)
DECEMBER.
2.—A gale of unusual violence began in the night, and prevailed during the whole of the 3rd. There was hardly a street in Norwich in which the roofs of houses escaped damage. Many vessels were lost off the Norfolk coast. One hundred and forty-four men and boys were drowned, and 68 widows and 105 children were left destitute. A public subscription, to which the Queen contributed £100, was opened at Yarmouth to relieve their distress.