Star. — London, England, 1820-05-04 00:00:00

THE NEWS I FROM JOHN TO HIS COUSIN IN THE COUNTRY. [From the Morning Chronicle, May 5.] 4 ' Master, Master I news, .Id news, awl nick news as you never Award of."—Tai. TEM UMW, Act lii. St. Dna Coz—Mhat a fuss against all unrovarion, We've heard from the party that govern the nation; Yet still 'tis approv'd when their taste they would pander, So sauce for the Goose is not sauce for the Gander. Why, novelty, nothing but novelty's seen, A new throne (such a Ming !)—a new King, a new Queen— " A new Queen !" you exclaim, with your wits on the wing— I know what you mean, but I mean no such thing : No, these not the rites, like the rights we live under, And " whom lizav'x has join'd, let no man put asunder You ask for the news, and the picture I'll draw, Mon cher, to k VCILT, et itfast le vouloir. New Members, new Parliaments, now are the go— We hope they'll be better—the last were so, so. • (On Parkantents /mused, no words will I waste — I've tried—and short Commons are not to my taste.) New laws, and new practice, and new prosecutions, New charges, new verdicti, and new executions; New Churches, new Bank-notes—a subject that frets, For this is " a new way of paying old debts:"— Jruietim defying, these notes, as I learn, Will greatly resemble the parent concern. New libels—new lies—they are so : in my youth The same was defended because it was truth. New taxes, new pensions, new friends, and new times, Now faces, new dresses, new courts, and new crimes— IsTete faces, said I? No, I err, I must own, ANI - ro love to old faces • is now quite the ton ! INNOVATIONS enough !—of the good all bereft, We soon shall have nothing worth keeping that's left t. Such Cox ' are the News, and I wish (to be brief) I could add, there's a hope they'll turn o'er a near leaf ! May 2. JOHN BULL • It should be new faces, perhaps, after all; for what sari llarnlet? " I have heard of your painting, too, weU enough.— Coo has given you one face, and you mak* yourselva another;" se that when " the head" of any full-blown rose of quality " is modern, though the trunk's antique," it may very properly be called a new face. t The Anti-Innovators have, in fact, left nothing that is truly old and venerable-, except the N.w River and Netvgate the for !r ct Wittr in o,ene taltsbilis ovum—flows, says the Poet, and will flow to—eternity :—the latter has a channel in the same direction. Sir JOHN SINCLAIR, Baronet, had a very narrow escape, on Saturday last, while fox-hunting, near his seat, Buckland Abbey, Plymouth ; his horse, a beau tiful and valuable animal, having, when at full speed, dropped down dead under him. What makes the escape more providential is, that the feet of the next Gentleman's horse actually grazed the Baronet's head as he lay on the ground. Sir JOHN retived some severe bruises, but, we are happy to sa fe is fast recovering from their effects. The strong N.W. gale of Thursday last, occasioned an extremely high sea, along the northern coast of Kent, and had the tides been at the height of the springs, it is thought it would have been as high as that of the .2d of March. Further portions of the Cliff at various situations, from being previously un dermined, have, in consequence, yielded to the force of the waves; and relics of mortality, consisting of human bones, probably from the old burial-ground at Reculver, have been strewed on the shore at seve ral places. Part of a coffin-lid, upwards of two inches thick, with the ornamental nails, and covering of black cloth yet_ad'aering to it, has also been taken up at Herne Bay, drifted, without doubt, by the tide, after having been engulfed by the sea, during the late falls of the Cliff, at the above place. SINGULAR CIRCUMSTANCE.—The following curi ous affair is the subject of general conversation, at the przsent moment, in the neighbourhood of the Duke of BEDFORD'S estate, at Woburn:—There are tw ponds in tile neighbourhood of the Abbey, called Upper and Low rr Draycra, and some boys who went there to bathe lately, observed some shining sub stances, resembling pieces of gold coin, scattered at tlle bottom of the water, fur a considerable distance al"ng the• shore, extending two or three yards from the bank. S. me of the pieces they picked up, and they proved to be guineas _and half-guineas. the circumstance was soon made :sublic, and numbers of people flocked to the place with all the eagerness such an occurrence was calculated to excite. Con siderable sums, in guineas, half-guineas, and seven shill:rig pieces, were picked up by many persons, and it was said that the borders of both the por.ds above-mentioned were thickly strewed with these precious coins. The crowd increased, by people coming from a distance; the shrubberies were t 2 amp led down, and all the ordinary occupations of the neighbourhood seemed to be suspended. This con tinued for two days ; but on the third, Mr. Salmon, his Grace's Steward, prohibited all further search, and succeeded in repelling the intruders, and placing a guard over the ponds, till the pleasure of the Duke shall be known; but he did not effect this without great difficulty. Since then, four men have kept continual watch, day and night, over the place; and it is supposed that money to :le amount of some hundred pounds has been taken s away; but nothing has transpired to shew how, or by whom it had been so singularly deposited, except the following circum stance :—About three weeks ago there died - at Craw ley (a village in the immediate neighbourhood of .Woburn) an elderly Lady, named Sims. This per son had long lived a very retired life, but was sup posed to have considerable sums of ready money in her house. In her last illness, she refused to have any of her relatives about her, and would suffer no per son to attend upon her but an . old woman, who re sided in a cottage near her house. At her death her relations took possession of her premises and effects, but not an iota of the expected hoard could be found. The old woman above-mentioned was suspected of having conveyed it away, and she was in consequence carried before a Magistrate; but she stoutly denied all knowledge of it, and, after a serious admonition • -from the Magistrate, she was discharged. Since the ffisiovery of the money in the ponds, however, seve ral persons recollect having seen her by the side of these ponds, who, from her motions, supposed her to be in the act clf feeding the swans; and it was recol lected also, that, upon one or two of these occasions' when she perceived she was observed, she endea voured to secrge herself among the bushes on the banks. There has also been found in the grounds of the Abbey an old pocket - book , believed to belong to the deceased Mrs. Sims, and containing a number of Bank-notes. The old woman, however, still persists in protesting her ignorance of the matter, and thus this mysterious affair rests at present. LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF KING'S BENCH, MAT 3. THE KING D. HUNT, JOHNSON, BAMFORD, AND HEALY. Mr. Justice BATLEY this morning, as soon as the Court was full, and the defendants had been called, proceeded with his exposition of the evidence in this case. On coming to the point at which Mr. Hunt had proposed to adduce evidence respecting the con duct of the Manchester Yeomanry, his Lordship said. the grounds on which he had refused to admit it were, that the Yeomanry were not parties before the' Court ; and that such evidence was not necessary to the purposes of the defence ; and that it was, there fore, improper, as it might create a prejudice on some future occasion, when they might be parties to a judicial inquiry.--After his Lordship bad continued leading about two hours, The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE observed, that, in order to prevent exhaustion on the part of Mr. Justice Bayley, it might be convenient to suspend the further reading at present, and after the Bar should have been gone through, it might be resumed. The Court then proceeded to hear *lotions. After the lapse of an hour, Mr. Justice BATLEY resumed his task ; and at three o'clock, the farther hearing of the case was postponed until Friday. MR. THOMAS WEBB. Mr. Thomas Webb, who has several times applied for hearing to their Lordships, appeared upon the floor of the Court, and entered into a very incoherent statement of real or supposed grievances. The ef fect of this Gentleman's address was to impute the crime of perjury to certain individuals of respectable situations in society; and be was informed by the LORD . CHIEF JUSTICE that the Court could not listen to such defamatory matter. After he had been repeatedly desired to state the ' nature of his motion, Mr. Webb put in an affidavit of fearful extent, declaring that he was a ruined man if any accident befel it. Ile subsequently entreated, that the Court would be pleased to assign him pro per Counsel, in order that his case, which was of the highest importance both to himself and to the Bench, might be fully investigated. The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE thought that Counsel had already been requested to look into the matter. He would read the affidavit ; and if there was any thing which the Court could do, and ought to do, that should be done ; but the Court could not listen to defamation. Mr. Webb might apply again in a day or two. . TUE KING V. CHARLES COLLINS, ROBERT WALTERS, MART WALTERS, ELIZABETH BADMAN, MARY GOOSE, AND JOSEPH ROSSETER. Mr. Serjeant PEI.L prayed the judgment of the Court against the defendants, who had been con victed at the last Assizes for the County of Somerset of a riot, and an assault upon the person of Grace Turner. The circumstances of the case were these: The defendant, Robert Walters, had been concerned in a smuggling transaction, and had been convicted in a penalty of £2O; principally upon the evidence of Grace Turner. The parties all reside at Bridge water ; and, on the evening of the sth of April last, immediately after the conviction of Walters, the de fendants assembled in a tumultuous manner, and re venged themselves upon Grace Turner, by beating and ill-treating her. There was another indictment against four of the defendants, arising out of the same original transac ' tion. After Walters had been convicted, the officers proceeded to levy the fine of £2O upon his property; and Collins, Rosseter, Walters, and Mary Walters, obstructed them in the execution of their duty. Mr. Serjeant Pau, would not press for judgment' against Elizabeth 13adman and Mary Goose; and they were, in consequence, discharged, on finding securities for their good behaviour. Mary Walters was sentenced to three months' imprisonment in Ilchester jail. Robert Walters to pay a fine to the King of £lO. Joseph Rosseter was fined £5, and Charles Collins was sentenced to two months' impri sonment in lichester jail. THE KING v. JOIIN SHEAF. Mr. MAItItVATT prayed judgment against this de fendant, who had been convicted upon an indictment for obstructing the Revenue-officers in the perform ance of their ttuty. The defendant was sentenced to four months' imprisonment in Maidstone ja;l. THE KING V. DANIEL NICHOLLS. The prisoner in this case was an Excise-officer in the Cambridge division, and was convicted of having defrauded two poor persons, named Mills and For tescue, each of the sum of 16s. Mills and Fortes cue, as dealers in tea and coffee, were obliged by law to take out an annual license for their trade; to receive the money due for such licenses had been part of the duty of the prisoner; and he had in duced Miils and Fortescue to 'pay him the amount, on the pretence that he had already paid it, upon their account, into the proper office. The prisoner, in his defence, put in a written paper, in which he declared his innocence of the charge upon which he had been convicted ; and stated, that he had actually, in many instances, so paid the license-money in advance. He had been dismissed from his situation, had suffered imprisonment during 131 days, and had a wife and children entirely de pendent upon him. The LoaD CHIEF JUSTICE reminded the prisoner,_ that he should have thought of his wife and children' before he committed the offence of which he had been found guilty. Mr. Justice BAYLEY said, that the crime of the prisoner was aggravated by the circumstance of the confidential situation in which he had been placed ; and the sentence of the Court was, that he should be transported for seven yfArs. COURT OF• COMMON PLEAS, MAY 3. GRAY V. SHILLING. This was an action brought by the owner of two coaches run%ing to Rye, to recover some tolls which he had paid by compulsion to the defendant. It ap peared that the toll had been received by the defendant on the 21st of June, 1819, for some horses drawing one of the plaintiff's coaches, and that on their return with another coach, on the same day, the toll had been demanded, which the plaintiff was obliged to pay to avoid being stop. The question intended to be argued was, whether the same horses, drawing a different coach, were exempted from a second pay ment on the•same day, by the 44th of George This being brought before the Court by a demurrer to the declaration, Mr. Serjeant TADDry for the defendant, first ad. dressed them. He stated, that by the of George 111. some exemptions were allowed as to a second payment, the toll by that Act being due in respect of carriages and not of horses. The 49th of George 111. had been passed, first, to alter the amount of tolls to be demanded ; and secondly, to make the horses and not the carriages liable to the demand. He con tended that the exemptions contained in the 2d of George 111. had not been re-enacted, or, if they had, that they could not apply in this case, as the subjec. matter was entirely different. Mr. Serjeant Bosemturr, for the plaintiff, sub mitted that no Act could impose any duties, unless its words were clear and explicit. In this case the toll for the horses had been paid on a certain day, and on their returning during the same day, with a dif ferent coach (the coach itself not paying any tolls whatever), a second payment was demanded for them. Suppose the toll had been payable in respect of the coach instead of the horses, it was clear, both from principle and authority, the coach would not be liable, although drawn by different horses ; this had been decided in the case of Williams v. Sangar, 10 East's Reports, 66, and the principle which had governed 'that must be recognised in this; he therefore con tended the plaintiff was entitled to recover. Mr. Serjeant TADDY was heard in reply—when The COURT determined that the case cited by the plaintiff's Counsel governed this in principle, and that the exemptions contained in the 2d George HI. had been re-enacted in the 49th, and therefore gave judgment for the plaintiff. OLD BAILEI SESSIONS, MAY t. Louisa Thorn was indicted for feloniously, knowingly, and wittingly having in her possession and custody a forged one pound Bank-note.—The evidence against the prisoner was clear and decisive. In her defence she said, that before she was • placed in this unfortunate situation she had been accustomed to service, and had been lately deprived of her situation. She said, that meet ing with a Gentleman, he gave her the note ; and that when she offered to pass it, she was much surprised to hear that it was a forgery. She never had one before in her possession. She as serted her innocence, and threw herself upon the mercy of the Court.—The Jury, without troubling the Common Serjeant to sum up the evidence, found a verdict—Gstiky, but recommended the prisoner to mercy. The CONDON SERJEAET said, that he had no authority to grant mercy, but it might come from another quarter. At pre sent he could only pass sentence in the usual manner. Sentence of transportation for fourteen years was then passed upon the prisoner. Elizabeth Allßridle, Rosanna Pennington, T. Nicholls, I Baker, W. Earl, and J. Batten, for having forged Bank-notes in their posaeision, were also severally ordered to be transported for fourteen years. 1 "George Greenwood was indicted for feloniously and knowingly disposing of and putting away a forged Xi Bank-note, well know ing it to be a forgery. It appeared that he obtained the note in the house where be lodged. Several respectable witnesses gave the prisoner a good chsracter; and the Jury, without troublingthe JUDGE to sum up, pronounced the prisoner, who is a respectable looking young man, Not Guilty. J. Walianss, indicted for utteang forged lank -Dotes, was also acquitted ; as were G. 4skrw, T. Williams, and G. Davis, but whir remains to be indicted again. Mr. Itirraor.ps congratulated the Jury that the capital prose cutions, at the instance of the lank of England, were, for the present Session, closed. DRURY-LANE THEATRE. Yesterday, pursuant to Act of Parliament, the Annual Assembly of the Proprietors of Drury-Lane Theatre, for the purpoie of electing an Auditor, took place in the Saloon. Mr. CALCRART in the Chair. The SECRETARY then read the official notice of the Meeting, and stated the demise of John Hosier, Esq. the late Auditor. Mr. GEORGE ROBINS then rose to propose Mr. Al derman Wood, as a Gentleman every way qualified to succeed the late Nlr. - Hosier, in the office of Audi tor. He 'observed, that it was a situation probably not very much to be envied, and yet, strange to say, it was a sinecure, though void of any sort of pecu niary emolument, so little time was required to fill it honourably and satisfactorily. In the management of this concern, every other•sort of sinecure was en tirely abolished. • The nomination of the Alderman was then put, and carried without a dissentient voice. The accounts, as audited, were then laid upon the table for the inspection of the Assembly ; but as they could only be made up to the present period, the examination was deferred to the close of the Season. According to the practice of former Assemblies, the CRAIRMAN thought it right to state, that every thing that has been held out to the Proprietors and Subscribers was realising ; that the rent was most punctually paid by Mr. Elliston, and his management was in every respect highly satisfactory ; that the balance of rent due to the Trust of the Alteration Creditors would be discharged in the course of a few days; and that the ground-rent and all outgoings were regularly paid by the Committee ; the rent due at Lady-day last was paid in ten days after it became 'due. The CHAIRMAN embraced the opportunity of ob serving upon the extraordinary success of Mr. Kean, in King Lear,- which was now amply rewarding the management for the taste displayed in bringing it forward, and that the general representation was highly flattering to the talents of the Company. Mr. Rooms could not allow the Meeting to sepa rate without congratulating them on the happy dis tinction that might now be drawn, as compated with the meetings of the last four years. Instead of at tending to condole, as heretofore, the Chairman had nothing but cheering intelligence to communicate.— In lieu of excuses, before indispensable, the creditors of the Theatre were now absolutely required to apply for payment of their claims. As far as Mr. Elliston was concerned, he could add his testimony to that of the Chairman. He had witnessed his hiclefatigable l exertions—he had seen the correctness with which he met all his engagements i and be was therefore most happy to say, the prospect of ultimate and complete success was likely to cr•wn his Herculean efforts.— Before he sat down, he should take the liberty to propose the sincere Thanks of the Assembly to Mr. Calcraft, whose zeal and attention to their interests eminently entitled him to this mark of respect. This was carried unanimously ; and the Meeting separated, with feelings widely different to those which are in the recollection of our Readers. Monday being the Birth-day of Lord BRICLIJOCE, on the completion of his twenty-first year, the Noble Marquis and Marchioness of CaMDZN gave a grand fete iltampdre in celebration thereof, at their seat, the Wilderness, in Kent, to which upwards of 300 of the Nobility aid Gentry were invited. 8110CJITAI OeCURREN CEB. ~~ At the New Bethlem, St. George's-fields, a most horrid circumstance took place on Sunday morning last. A lunatic, named Patrick Walsh, an incurable patient, who has been confined in Bethlem upwards of eight years, by some means obtained possession of the blade of a long knife and One side of a pair of scissars. Walsh had for several months shewn a spirit of enmity towards another incurable patient, named Dennis Leonard, who has been confined in Bethlem for thirteen years : they had frequently quarrelled upon teligious and political subjects, and several times had fought, but were immediately parted by the keepers. About a quarter past eleven on Sunday morning, acsy of " Murder rpmceeded from the airing ground, the place where the lunatics who are not outrageous are allowed, from ten in the morning till six in the evening, to walk for the beue. fit of their health, but always guarded by a keener. One of the keepers, named Robins, who was on the ground, about ten yards from Waltle but who s e back happened to be towards him, turned rcund oa hearing the cry, and saw Walsh cutting and Etai)bing Leonard with a knife. He ran to the spot, and saw Walsh thrust the knife into Leonard's neck, and be fore he could possibly separate them, Leonard had received several other deep wounds, one of ;silica split his nose from the bridge to the end, and down the lip completely into the mouth ; Walsh then ran away with the knife in hishand, and swore that he would kill the first that attempted to take it flora him. Smith and Banks, two other keepers, came up, and in vain attempted to secure him, when another lunatic, named Collins, went behind Walsh, and putting his arms round him, dragged him to the ground, en which one of the keepers took the knife out of his hand, and also the part of a scissars, and finally secured him in his cell. During this tin e Mr. Wright, the Superintendent of the Hospital, had been called to Leonard. He found him in a situa tion dreadful to describe, with no less than serea mortal wounds in various parts of his body, and t! e blood pouring from him like water. One wound on his back was six inches in depth. He was removed to a bed, and expired in about fifteen minutes.—An Inquest was summoned to sit on the body on Tue day night, which met in the Committee-room of the Hospital, and investigated the affair .horoughly.-- The officers of the Establishment, whose chief duty, for their own safety, as well as for that of others, is to prevent dangerous weapons fiorn getting into the hands of lunatics, were completely acquitted of all culpable negligence. It was stated in evidence that there were no knives allowed to the patients, except those made of bone, but that some gravel and rub bish having been given by the Commissioners of the Roads to the establishment of Bethlem, to raise the airing ground, it being previously as low as the water in the river Thames at low water mark, and very damp, a number of articles had been picked out of this soil, and it is believed that Walsh found the knife blade and scissars there. The knife had evi dently been recently sharpened on a stone, it is sup posed by Walsh himself. The Jurymen went to Walsh's cell, where he was lying on a bed of straw, with a blanket over his body ; he was chained, and ironed hands and feet. He was interrogated by Mr. Wright, and his replies convinced the majority of the Jurymen that- he was insane. He" said he was glad that he had killed Leonard, and then talked of his having been burnt to death several times, and had come to life again. He said he was an Algerine, and then an Irishman; he had been born many times and killed many times, &c.—Mr. Wright and three other witnesses deposed that Walsh was insane at the time he inflicted the wound which produced the death of Leonard, and the Jury returned the following ver dict: " The death of Dennis Leonard was produced by his being cut and stabbed in various parts of the body with a knife, by a man named Patrick Walsh, who was insane at the time he committed the act." ' Another dreadful affair, almost unparalleled in this country, took place the 23d of last month, a: Stropsley, near Luton, in Bedfordshire. A man of the name of Bean, by trade a wheelwright, took out his two children, one aged about three years, and the other fourteen months, in a small child's chaise cart, into a lane at a short distance from his house, where, having almost severed their beads from their bodies with a razor, he cut his own throat with the same instrument. The children were found dead by some neighbours a short time afterwards, and near them the wretched father, who unhappily surviveso and is likely to recover. A Coroner's Inquest was held the neat day on the bodies of the infants. when the Verdict returned was—" Killed by their father while in a state of insanity."—No cause has been hitherto assigned for the commission of the act. MATRIMONIAL Faacas.—Yesterday, a very well dressed woman was taken to the watch house, at Somers' Town, charged with having bitten off the end of her husband's little finger ! The offence charged arose out of the following circumstances : the husbar d was at a house where his presence gave offence to his wife, who persuaded him to leave it, and, on finding her entreaties unavailing, threatened to break the windows; this threat enraged her husband to so great a degree, that he beat her about the neck in a most brutal manner, as her appearance shewed ; this treat ment occasioned the woman to bestow some oppro brious names on her husband, to stop which he thrust his hand into her mouth, when, from pain or retalia tion, she bit off the erul of one of his fingers. MARRIED. At Rdinbergh, on the 19th ult. John Gibson Lockhart, Fs. Advocate, to Sophia Charlotte, eldest daughter of Sir Waher Scott, of Abbotsford. Bart. At Clutch on the 20th ult. Lieutenant-Colonel 'Bethune, of Bleb°, to Miu Maria Low, fourth daughter of Robert Low, Esq. of Clam. COAL MA RKET, Skips at Market. Ships Sold. 32i Newcastle 23 14 Sunderland 11 5. Price. 30s Od to 3Os 64 54$ 34 to 40s 64 MAILS Ms DAY.... 41111. ♦*s. wag; _ Dublin 0 0 I Lisbon 0 0 Winerford 1 1 Inee I * Guernsey andJorsey 0 0 Hansitsrib • 1 Holland • 0 Gotteabargh 0 1 Flanders 0 0 Malta 0 0 J a mides 0 0 New -York 0 0 HIGH-WATERat LO NDON BRIDGI TO-MORRO' Morning - rt minutes after 6 Attention - - - SS ........ ...... 7 ICINDONThinted and published by LP'S& kin, 1 ). • Plane, Temple• Bar • to AI frn, • Crl 1 . 6 vii thl at Fg • 1) 13! Bo th to ZJ at sA r vti in 4, • at iu h P ° 4 • P • •