Coaks had usurped that office, and the _quo warranto_ had been properly issued. Mr. Justice Crompton was of the same opinion. Judgment for the Crown. DECEMBER. 11.*—“The long-continued rains have increased the floods in the valleys of the Eastern division of the county. Throughout the valley of the Yare, a large extent of land has been for some time under water, on either side of the river, for a distance of thirty miles.” At Southery and Feltwell about 8,000 acres were flooded, and upwards of one hundred poor families were compelled to leave their habitations. The estimated loss to the district was between £25,000 and £30,000, and a public subscription was opened for the relief of the sufferers. 21.—The Public Library and Museums Act Committee reported to the Norwich Town Council that it was desirable to hire the Museum for the use of the public for two days in the week, and to erect a building for the purposes of a free library, and that, in compliance with the Act, a rate of one halfpenny in the pound be levied, one-third to be devoted to the former object, and two-thirds to the latter. The principle of the rate was affirmed, and its application postponed for further consideration. (_See_ September 13th, 1854.) 24.*—“Died at Reedham, a few days since, at the advanced age of 103, Mr. John Softly. He retained his faculties and was an active man up to the time of his death.” 26.—One of the most terrific storms of wind and rain ever remembered at Norwich occurred on this date. In the rural districts many stacks were blown down and scattered in all directions. 1853. JANUARY. 8.—M. Gompertz’s panorama of the invasion of British India by the Sikh Army of the Punjaub was exhibited at the Assembly Rooms, Norwich. One of the scenic attractions was a representation of “the crypt of the Holy Sepulchre, under three distinct aspects,” a dioramic illusion which forms a popular feature in similar entertainments at the present day. 13.—A miraculous escape was recorded at Swaffham. A drunken man named Edward Horsepool went into the yard of the Angel public-house, at three o’clock in the morning, with the intention of lying down in a shed. By mistake he opened the door of the covering of a disused well, and stepping in, fell to the bottom, a depth of 117 feet. A tramp sleeping in the shed was awakened by the man’s cries, and gave an alarm. Mr. William Laxon, collar maker, procured ropes, and Horsepool was rescued uninjured, after having been half an hour in 20 feet of water. He had kept his head above the surface by clinging to the broken sides of the well.