Star. — London, England, 1821-12-07 00:00:00

JAMES PERRY, ESQ. This respectable Gentleman, who has long been known as the Eltor and, Proprietor of the Morning Cironide, eironiek, died on Tuesday morning; at his house at . Brighton, in the 65th year of his age. He was a man of a strong, discriminating mind, and in the private relations of life highly esteemed as a father and a M en d. Althoagh far advanced in years, his consti tution promised a much greater length of days; but it hid been for some time gradually yielding to a severs internal disease, which baffled all human skill. As our .Readers will naturally feel an interest in being made acquainted with the principal incidents in the life of one who has been so long distinguished as a public Journalist, of the very highest character for independence and political consistency, we present them with the following biographical sketch: Mr. JAstes PERRY was a native of Aberdeen: he was born on the 30th of. October, 1756, and received the first rudiments of education at Chapel of Garloch, of which parish the Roy. W. FARQUHAR. father of Sir WALTER FARQUHAR ' was Minister, and where, along with the youngest brother of Sir. WALTER, he received from that venerable and lurned Divine the most assiduous instruction. The Rev. Dr. TACT, who has since risen to a dignified station in the Church of England, was then Master of the School of Chapel, and gave it celebrity by his erudition and abilities. From this Mr. PERRY was removed to the High School of Aberdeen, which he went through, with credit to himself, under the Messrs. DUNN, then its principal Masters. In the year 1771, he was entered of Karachi.' College, in the University of Aberdeen, and was afterwards placed under Dr. ARTHUR DINGWALL FORDYCE, Advocate, to qualify him for the profassio - n. of the Scots Law; but his father, who was an eminent builder, having engaged in some unsuccessful specu lations of his business, the young man left Aberdeen in 1774, and proceeded to Edinburgh, in the hope of obtaining a situation in some Professional Gentle man's chambers, where he might at once pursue his studies and obtain a livelihood: but, after long and ineffectual attempts to gain employment, be came to England, and was for two years engaged in Man chester, as Clerk to Mr. DINwIDDIE, a respectable manufacturer. In this situation he cultivated his mind by the study of the best authors, and gained the friendship and protection of the principal Gentle men of the town, by the talents he displayed in a So ciety which was then established by them, for philo sophical and moral discussions, and by several literary essays, which obtained their approbation. In the beginning of 1777, lie brought with him recommen dations from all the principal manufacturers to their correspondents; but they all failed of procuring him any suitable introduction: it was, however, the acci dental effect of one of them that threw him into the line of life which, from that period, he persevered in with su c h invariable constancy. There was at that time an Opposition Journal, published under the title of the General Advertiser, and being a new concern, it was the practice of the proprietors to exhibit the whole contents of it upon boards, at different shop-windows and doors, in the same manner as we now see the the:dileal placards displayed. Mr. PERRY, being unemployed, amused himself with writing essays and scraps of poetry for this Paper, which he flung into the letter-box of the printing-house, and which were always inserted.— Calling one day at the shop of Messrs. RICHARDSON and URQUIIA RT. booksellers, to whom he bad letters of reco.ornendation, he ft , and the latter busily en gaged in reading, and apparently enjoying, an article in the General Advertiser. After Mr. URQUHART had finished the perusal, Mr. PERRY put the usual ques tion to him, whether he had heard of any situation that would suit hiM ? to which he replied in the ne gative—at the same time holding out the Paper, he said, " If you could write such articles as this, I could give you immediate employment." It hap pened to be a humorous essay, written by Mr. PERRY himself. This he instantly intimated to Mr. Ult• QUI! A nr, and gave him another article in the same ' band-writing, which he had proposed to drop into the letter-box. Mr. URQUHART expressed great saris faction at the discovery, and informed him that. he was one of the principal proprietors of the Paper; that they wanted just such a person; and as there was to be a meeting of the proprietors that same evening, he would propose Mr. PERRY as a writer. He did so, and die next day be was-engaged at a salary of one guinea per week, and in additional half guinea for assistance to the London Evening Post, then printed by the same person. Such was the incident that threw Mr. PERRY into ;he profession of a Journalist. He was most assi duous in his exertions for the General Advertiser; and, during the memorable trials of Admirals KEP PELL and PALLisEn, he. for six weeks together, by his individual efforts, sent up daily from . Portsmouth eight columns of the trials, taken by him in Court., which, from the interest they excited, raised the Pa per to a sale of several thousands per day. At this time Mr. Penny wrote and published several politi cal pamphlets and poems; and in 1782 he formed the plan, and was the first editor of die European Dfagazine, upon the design of combining, in one monthly publication, the usual miscellaneous con tents of such a work, with a review of new books.L. He conducted it, however, only for the first twelve months, as, on the death of a Mr. WALL, he was chosen by the Proprietors of the Gazetteer to be the Editor of that Paper, the Proprietors of which con sisted of the principal Booksellers in London—Mr. THOMAS PAYNE, Mr. WHITE, • Mr. NICOL, Mr. L. DAVIE.% Mr. PAULVAILLANT With Sir NATHANIEL CONANT, Mr. ELMELEY, &c. Mr. PERRY undertook the Editorship of the Paper at a salary of four guineas vs. week, on the express condition that ht was to be' Left to the free exercise of his political opinions, which were those asserted by Mr. Fox—opinions which, from their liberality in the cause of freedom, justice, and humanity, had'made, on his first entering the gallery of the House of Commons, an impression that could not be effaced from his mind. On his commencing Editor of the Gazetteer, he suggested to the Proprietors the plan of employing several Reporters to facilitate the publication of the debates in Parliament. Up to that time each Paper lad but one Reporter in each House of Parliament • pad the predecessor of Mr. PERRY in the Gamma; had been in the hgbit of villain& out the terms debates for weela, and even months, after the Session 'had closed; while Mr. WOODEALL, in the Morning Chionick, used to bring out his hasty sketch of th debate in the evening of 'the following day ; Mr. Praav's plan was adopted; and by a succession of Reporters, the Gazetteer was published in the morn ing with as long a'debate as Mr.Woonvara. brought out in the eventag, and sometimes at midnight. It happened that, in the years 1780. 1781, and '1782, there were numerous Debating Societies in every part of the metropolis, where many persons who have since been conspicuous in Parliament, in the Pulpit, and on the Bench, distinguished them selves as public speakers. Mr. Psalm was a speaker in these Societies, and is mentioned with great praise in the History Vase Westminster Forum. Mr. PITT used to attend these Societies, although he never spoke at any of them ; and it is not perhaps generally known, that the Lyceum was fitted up and received that title, expressly for a superior School of Oratory, by JOHN SHERIDAN, Esq. a Barrister, with the view of enabling such young Gentlemen as were designed for the Senate and Bar to practice public speaking before a genteel auditory. It was opened for a few nights at five shillings, as the price of admittance. — Mr. Purr and several of his friends frequented it, but the enterprise fell to the ground. It is positively stated, that afterwards, when Mr. PITT came to be Chakellor of the Exchequer, having had frequent opportunities of witnessing Mr. PERRY'S talent in public speaking, and particularly in reply, caused a proposal to be made to him of coming into Parlia ment, which would have probably led on to high fortune. Mr. PERRY, however, thought proper to reject it, as he did afterwards an offer of the same kind from the Earl of Suet.aunsie ; and he uniformly maintained the principles with which he first set out in his political course. Mr. PERRY was for several years Editor of De bretes Parliamentary Debates, to the exclusion of ad vertisements and other extraneous matter. This work ' had fallen into disrepute, and the proprietors set it 'up to public sale. In the meanwhile, Mr. WOOO - undertook another Paper, under t he title of the Diary, and Mr. PERRY bought the Morning Chroni cle. lie announced himself, in conjunction with his friend Mr. GRAY, as joint Proprietor and Editor, and declared he would be responsible for .its contents. From that time to the present day, it his continued to be the organ of genuine Whig principles, uniformly asserting the doctrines that placed the illustrious House of Brunswick upon the Throne of the United Kingdom, and equally deprecating all violent changes, whether attempted by Jacobins on one side or Ultra Royalists on the other. The consequence was that of his having been assailed and reviled by both extremes of party, while the great constitutional body of the - Whigs, and of the friends of freedom, considered the Chronicle as the true vehicle of sound constitutional doctrines. It is but justice here to re mark, what is truly creditable to Mr. PERRY, that he never suffered his Paper to be degraded by private personalities or scandal, and that he never was sus pected of venality. Twice in the course of forty years lie was prosecuted by ex-ofrio informations, and was as often honourably acquitted. • In the first instance he was most ably defended by his Noble Friend Lord ERSKINE, and in the second he took his defence upon himself.—in private life, Mr. PEit ItY bad the happi ness to maintain his aged parents in comfort, nod to bring up the orphan Wilily of his sister by her first marriage. She was afterwards married, for the second time, to the celebrated Professor Ponsus:, and died in 1796. In 1;98, Mr. Penny was married to Miss ANNE Hell , a young Lady of the most amiable accom plishments—with whom, for many years, he lived in the most perfect state of connubial felicity. She bi ought him eight children, one of whom died young; and the eldest, a daughter, of the most promising talents, was carried off at the age of fourteen, by the rupture of a blood-vessel, in the arms of her mother, which gave a shock to that Lady's constitution which she never recovered. She sunk into a decline, and took a voyage to Lisbon in hopes of restoration by a milder climate; on her return she was taken prisoner by an Algerine frigate, and after suffering much in the voyage, she sunk under her complaint soon after she was landed at Bourdeaux. The industry and talent of Mr. PERRY, as a Jour nalist, cannot be more fully exemplified than by the unprecedented success which he experienced shortly after he took the then obscure and almost expiring Paper, the Morning Chronicle, into his hands. It is said of Tit EmisTmLes, the ramous Athenian States man, that, on being reproached for his want of polite accomplishments, he made this reply—" It is true I never touched the lute, or learned to play on the harp; but if you will commit to my charge a city ever so obscure and inconsiderable, I can make it great and flourishing." By a similar exercise of judg ment and persevering attention, did the subject of these memoirs raise an obscure ournal to be the most distinguished and respectable that perhaps ever before appeared in the world ; for it was looked up to, not only throughout the British Empire, but all over the Continent of Europe, not only for the talent it dis played, but for the uniform independence, consistency, and firmness, with which it advocated the genuine principles of political liberty. Even those who dif fered from Mr. Panny's political opinions, always acknowledged the sincerity with which he adopted, and the candour and simplicity With which he main tained them. But this was not all : in the conduct of his Journal he at all times evinced a high sense of moral propriety and decorum ; he not only never suffered it, according to the fashion of the time when he began his literary career to become a vehicle for private slander, but he carefully excluded such articles as might hurt ;.he feelings of private individuals, even when the publication of them could not have sub jected him to any legal process. As the celebrated WILLIAM WOODEALL was the first who gave a new feature of correctness to the reports of Parliamentary Debates, so was Mr. Pam the first who contributed by his example to give a respectability to English Newspapers, which they never possessed before ; and in all the violent party conflicts in which he happened to be engaged; his ad versaries were obliged to confess that his hostility was carried on with honour, as well lb talent. He was beloved and respected by his numerous friends— he was generous and liberal to all who stood in need of his bosinty, while he exercised the, greatest discri-I minatiuu with regard to those who Wen worthy of •- it ; and, while Ile took etre tbst the dude, belonging to his extensive establishment were Punctually ful filled, he had the rare quality of securing the attach ment, as well as the esteem, of all those who were in his employ. OLD BAILEY SESSIONS. - Yesterday, two young lads, of the names of and Burton, were capitally indicted forburglariously breaking and entering the dwelling-House of John Draper. The two boys could not either of them be more than 14 or 15 years old, but the evidence ad duced on the trial 'hewed that they were, although ID young, adepts at the art of stealing. The prosecutor, who is a shoemaker, living in Air street, Piccadilly, stated, that on the evening of the 6th November, he was working in his shop very near ' the window, and a little before nine the sash was piished up, and a pair of shoes taken away. He' hastened to the door, and found it tied with some thing, which prevented him at the moment from opening it. He, however, gave it a jerk and broke the string. He saw two boys running both together; he ran after them, and caught the prisoner Burton. He took him back to the shop, and finding nothing upon him, let him go. A pawbroker's man proved, that on the 7th of No vember (the day after the robbery) the prisoner Hall came to his master's shop, and pawned a pair of shoes for Is. 6d. No inquiries were made of the lad as to the manner in which he came into possession of the' goods, as he had been in the habit, at different times, of pledging various articles for his master, Jo-. sepir Overy, a weaver, to whom he was apprenticed. Joseph Overy stated, that Hall was his apprentice,' and he used to send him of messages. Oa the 6th of November he went out, and stayed a considerable time, and afterwards he confessed that he had lifted up a sash. One time Hall came home, and brought a rabbit with him. Being questioned where he got k? he at last said that helsought it with the money he got for a silk handkerchief he had stolen. The wit ness was here shewn the piece of string or cord by which the prosecutor's door had been fastened. It matched another piece which he bad in his posses sion, from which a part had been taken. James Overy, brother of the last witness, a lad a little older than the prisoner, said, that on the night of the 6th of November, he was going along Air street, and he saw Hall with two other boys; witness asked him if he was not coming home ? and Hall's reply was, " No, I have something to come very easy, and I must not leave it until I can get it." Witness then saw the prisoner Hall lift up the sash and take a pair of shoes out. The witness was cross-examined by Hall very closely. He asked the boy—" Didn't you tie the door?"—" No." Didn't you say it was a good scheme r No." " Didn't you throw up the win dow ?"—" No." " Didn't you take them out, and didn't I receive them from you ?"" To all these ques lions the only answer was " No. The prosecutor being recalled, said, that one of the boys who ran away was about the size of James Overy ; but he never saw his face. In his defence, Hall said that James Overy knew all about the matter, and helped him to commit the robbery. Burton had nothing to do with the matter. The prisoner Burton professed his innocence. Two witnesses were called to the character of Hall. Mr. Justice BAYLRY, in summing up, observed, that it was most distressing to see two such young lads standing at that bar upon a capital charge. He then recapitulated the evidence, and said, that if the Jury believed the evidence, there could be no doubt that a burglary had been committed. Hall, indeed, had clearly confessed his guilt. The Jury consulted for a few minutes, and the Foreman said that he had doubts as to whi ch was the hand that threw up the sash. Mr. Justice BAYLEY said, that that made no dif ference whatever in the crime committed. If one hand did it, and the other were standing by acces sory to the fact, they were all guilty of the burglary. With respect to the boy Overy, it mattered not what opinion the Jury entertained of him. It could not make the guilt of the two other lads the less. The Jury found Hall Guilty, and acquitted Burton. John Chester was indicted for assaulting Anna Emma Grey on the highway, and taking from her person a reticule, containing a handkerchief and six or seven shillings. The prosecutriz was walking, about seven o'clock in the evening, down Brick-lane, in company with a Gentleman of the name of Johnstone, and when she arrived at the corner of Thomas-street she saw three persons standing against a wall, and two others against a post. One of the two near the post cried I out as she passed, " Now," and then two of the three against the wall seized her reticule. She held it fast, and endeavoured to pull it away. The prisoner then gave her a violent blow on the hand, and the string of the reticule broke. Four of the men then ran away, and as the prisoner was making off, Mr. Johnstone struck him on the head with a stick so violently as to make him reel. He was then secured. The prisoner declared that the evidence against him was false, and called witnesses who spoke highly of his character.—The Jury found him—Guilty. The prosecutriz and the Jury both recommended him to mercy. The former had made inquiries, and had found that up to the time of the robbery the pri soner had been an industrious young man. Mr. Baron GARROW said, the recommendation should be forwarded to the Crown, in the precise terms in which it was given. This was all that was in the power of himself or any other Judge to do. He said this, because some erroneous impressions had been produced ; and it was imagined, that what a Judge said a recommendation should be attended to, it was a promise that mercy would be granted. Any such promise would be exceeding the bounds of the duty of a Judge, and trespassing on the prerogatives r of the Crown. It will be recollected that, last Sessions, two-per sons, of the names of Wilkinson and Jos 9h Marsden, were convicted of stealing a quantity of - nue voinica, the property of Marsh and Co. -The facts were fully stated in our Report, and it is therefore unnecessary here to repeat them. There were then two points reserved for the consideration of the Judges :—lst, Whether this could be considered tole a robbery, when William Marsden, who was the real owner of 'the goods„ bad concu rred ita the ml conduct of the 'prisoners with tele:quo to 64 tebbety ; and 2417, Wbethet cbis Wag a robbers !fillet% the intentio n It i s not so much to cheat and defraud Marsh and Co. t ot to cheat and defraud the King ? . Mr. Justice BAYS IT now, in the prese nce o f the prisoners (who were called up to the Bar), 44 44 the opinion of the majority of the Judges, that thi s was a larceny. A person, it was declared, ro o t have a temporary and special ownership in partied" property. One man might be the general, a il d other the special owner ; and if the general own er ade from the special owner, that was held to be e ro b h z The prisoners will, therefore, at the end of theif sions receive sentence with the rest of the • QUIEN-SQUA as.— William Allem, alias ba r p bertox, alias Richard Smith, was brought beforell' the Magistrates, A. Wilma and E. blanxtatiu, L in charged with obtaining . money under fal se pre' ' and committing the crime of perjury repeatedi-,2 enlisting into various regiments under th e e; taking the bounty, and then delOrting. The tr in whose custody the prisoner was brought up, Ana that in consequence of the numerous f rau d s practised by men enlisting, and desertin g a f ter AZ had taken the bounty, whereby the Gov ernment 7 1 1 put to an expense of several thousands per annoy, the Commander-in-Chief has resolved, that o f fenders in future should be punished with the ntro t t r rigour of the law. It appeared from the eviden rei a serjeant in tlf 70th regiment, that the pr4 ouri .} 4 enlisted in various regiments tender different assi nar i names. He came to his party, who were recruiti ng , on Monday last, and enlisted t he was sworn i n , re .' ceived the bounty, and at the time of his attestatial he swore that he did not belong to any of his Ih, jesty's regiments of the line or the militia. Th e pi, soner deserted and enlisted in another regimmt foreign service, and on being taken before the lip geoir for examination, a corporal of the 17th lo dragoons rectignixed him to be a person whoa, listed a few days before in that regiment with tn other men, all of whom deserted front it as sona r they had received the bounty—the last-mentino offence was committed at Croydon. The filagiii ne , were of opinion that a case like the present desal t to be prosecuted with the utmost severity, and 0 11 witted the prisoner to Horsertionger-Isne jail, "de' rected the officer to indict him at the nest Asia for the fraud and perjury. Woasitte-sTREET.---Yesterday this Office v crowded to excess by persons, particularly 'Mal; to hear the examination of a female named Reitz Mortram, apparently about 2.5 years of age, ids was brought up by the parish officers of St Mar, Islington, charged with inhumanly exposin g sea serting her new born infant, about seven °clock it the evening of the 12th of November last: it nu found in the street, lying quite naked on the ad pavement, in Cross -street, Islington, apparently having come into the world but a few moments , _ From private information, the parish officers wet to the prisoner's lodging, in Alleu-street, Gnarl street, on the 14th of November, and chard kr with the fact, when she confessed that she had kkbr place of service to go to the workhouse, a:ldeas her way there when she became ill, lost her smin, and was delivered in the street. She knee murk* she did, and went to Mrs. Slater's, in Alleostreet. The prisoner was then removed to the worthoustt- Mrs. Slater, and Dr. Simms, the parish %argent?, gave evidence as to the symptoms indicative nt Rost delivery. On being now called on for her dew, she repeated what she had said to the parish Aces on her apprehension. The Magistrate repaired her conduct in severe terms, and said be waseeep, mined she should be made an exampleef,a4 le should order her to give such bail as be pod she could not do, in order that she might bust once to prison, viz. herself in and twits keepers in 1:9; each, and to give twitity-faerlue notice. The Overseers said, they had no viii prosecute, and begged earnestly that she eigith given up to them again ; but the Magistrate tab moveable. The prisoner tenderly embractele offspring, (which was in the arms of the numb longing to the workhouse) before she was take the bar, which drew tears from several Imlap sent, who could not but pity the unhappy craw situation. A TTON•GARDLIGi-4.rOhli Andersox was ORO with breaking into the house of Mr. Read, d street. Mr. Jackson, who occupied the 6istfi said, he retired to rest about one o'clock indite , ing, and shortly afterwards beard a noise, sack door open, and a man put his head in. Heissail gave an alarm, and the robber made off throogki back kitchen window. The prisoner was peto and found in the attic of an adjoining hook chimney of . which he had endeavoured so aurae Nothing had been carried off the premises; WI pair of candlesticks having been removed with ti lonious intent from a room to the kitchen 'taint* prisoner was committed. MARRIED. At Exeter, on the 4th blatant, after Mr. Robert Ms William, of London, to 1 Andrew Blair, Esq. latc of Rio Janeiro. mony, the happy pair set off for London, bride's father, in a handsome new -- occasion. Nov. 29, at St.:Anne's Church, Westminster. Harris, R.N. C.B. to Anna Maria. Woodcock, Req. of Fern-Acres, Baca DIED. Nov.2B,atGainaford, Elizabeth, wife June 13, in camp, near Venkettagnrry cholera, Lieutenant G. Heath, Adjutant giment Native Infantry. Dec. I. at the Rectory, How Caple, Maria, daughter of the Rev. H. A. P PRICE OF FOREIGN STOCKS Fterch S per Cents. - - Exchange, one month Ditto, two months . - Spanish S per Cents. Securities Prussian S . per Cents. - Danish 5 per Cent. *midi - Neapolitan 5 per Cetus. Securities Columbian Bends MAILS sun DAT.--ans; s. Dublin 1 - 0 Waterford 0 4 Guernsey and lersey. 0 2 Holland 0 S. Flanders 0 1I Malta 0 0 I Lisbon I I France I • Hambarab . • 0 Gottenburgi_ . Leeward hails • Jamaica iiIG H- WATER st LON DO] Morning Afternoon ITI -tf WGCTO-Mi P " . 540 14 . 11116 1 se- ; Piloted and publislied by LEVA gllft 3 / 1 " place, Temp ifter seven years radii " ,to Dorothy, rek 4614 Cc Wm. Soon site de ado!, =menial by tut carriage, !nodal • 6 Pri 'esti:sinner, CO GeV , eldest &wean et . 6 ; rkinghane. ik of the Reallfill. 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