The National Register. — London, England, 1811-12-01 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. ►IIZAL7'Y SESSIONS. Friday, an adjourned Sitting .of these Sessions was, held at the Old Bailey Court-house before the Right Hon. Sir WIL LIAM SCOTT, Baron GRAHAM, and Mr. Justice )4AILEY. VHARGE OF ASSAUi.T. The first defendant called was Captain Richard Stevenson, who stood indicted for an assault alleged to have been corn- Witted by him on Mrs. Mary Poppkewell, the wife of-Mr. John Popplewell, on the Pith of April; in the 50th year of his Majes ty's reign, upon the high seas, within the jurisdiction of the Ad miralty of England. Mr. Serleatat VAerHAN, Counsel for the defendant, intimated to the Cotirt that there was no evidence againc the prisoner, upon which Baron Graham, in addressing the Jury, observed; that the defendant stood charged with a very serious and aggra vated offence, in support of which, however, no proof was ad duced; and of course it became their duty to relieve hint from the imputation which had been cast upon him, by their verdict of acquittal. The Jury, without hesitation, returned d verdict of Not GI, 10y. Captain WillFant Porter, a man of genteel appearance, was 'next put to the bar, to take hi: trial on an indictment, charging leim with having received and harboured certain deserters from Ihis Maje:tv's ships of war, and with having secreted such de serters, well knowing them to belong to the Royal Navy. The ATTo R N EY-GENER t. stated the case on the part of the prosecution fully, and proved the prisoner's guilt. Wr ScoTT then sentenced the Difendant " To pay a file of .3ifo!. and to he imprisoned twelve calentlar month, in hi,- Majesty's Jail of Newgate"—a sentence which he hope! would operates an example to deter others from the commis sion of a like offence.—The Court then adjourned. LAW REPORT. COURT OF KING'S BENCH. MONDAY, NOY. 25. JUDGMENTS —CONSPIRACIES. TIII KING V. DAVENPORT SEDLEY. The defendant bring brought up for judgment, for a conspir racy to cheat and defraud the Marquis of Headfort of consi derable sums of money, as mentioned in former Papers, presented a petition to the Court, stating that the several letters relating to thi , transaction were now In Court, and requesting their Lordships to compare them, in order to ascertain the truth of some of the facts stated against him; stating also, that he had already been imprisoned nine months; and praying that their Lordships would send him to the King's Bench prison, in pre ference to Newgate. Mr. Jus rice GRoSE then proceeded to pass the judgment of the Court ; and having stated at length the nature of the offence, and the propriety of the verdict, he considered this offence one of the worst misdemeanors in the law; and ore way of obtain ing money under false pretences the more criminal—as, in nego tiating bills of the description on whiff i this prosecution was founded, the innocent and unwary were defrauded. The most aggravated circumstances in this case were, the diabolical means used to compel the Noble Marquis t'> pay these bills, by holding him out to the world as being connect, d with a roan guilty of an unnatural crime. In passing the present sentence, the object of the Court was, that the defendant's name and person should he known to the Public; and, taking all the circumstances into their consideration, the Court ordered and adjudged, that the said Davenport Sediey should be imprisoned in his Majesty's jail of Newgate for the space of two years, and within th at p eriod tb stand once in the pillory, in the front of the Old Eaiiey, for one hour, between the hours of twelve and two in the forenoon. PROVINCIALS. An et,l was sold in this town a few days ago, brought from Lynn, which measured upwards of seven feet, and weighed 841b3.-.4.BVry Post.) An eel, six I-et three inches in length, and weighing upwards of was taken on Friday last, in the Maldun river, near Guldhanger. - - In the evening of the 15th instant, a min went to the house of Major Thompson, at South Shields, and demanded from the woman-servant, who was alone in it, her mast,r's horse, for wllicb he said he was sent by the Major: she refused to let him have it, doubting hi , : authority. The man went away, but re turned in half an hour, and insisted peremptorily upon having the horse, which he said the owner immediately wanted : the prudent servant as; pi rempn.rily refused, without a note in her master's own hand. The villain then struck her a violent blow over the mouth. whili she courageously returned with a knife, on his face,.and he decamped bleeding. The servant imme diately gave the alarm to the n-ighbours, and he was pursued, but without AFect ; though it is to be hoped the wound on the face will Iced to his detection. One evening last week, as the family of a labouring man, named Pollard, Portslade, were regaling ih, , ins.-Ives with a little hot elderberry wine, the man, after his wife had sipped wr portio:i, took his in the same g'ass, and chucked it down as he would do a dram, but soon afterwards complained of a prick ing in %is throat, which brought to his wife's rt. codection, that she had deposited a corni erali!e number of pins in the glass, as stood on the mantle-shelf, and being . tinAbserv,d, when it was brought into use, there rem.uned no d. übt of his having swal lowed them all, in number about twenty. Alarmed at the circumstance, he immediate ly went to Brighton, and stated his caie to a surgeon, who with his probe dislodged the pins that b:::1 stuck by the way, and gave his patient a strong dose of physic, since which he has pertirmed his daily labour without ►llll,..ring the least inconvenience. Friday se'nnight, an inquest was taken at Great ',Word, Bucks, en view of the b dy of a chill about four years old, which hail been imprudently It ft by its mother, together with another child about twelve months oil, in its cabin, while she nt to work in the woad grounds. On her return she found the eldest a shocking spectacle, burnt to death, and the youngest lying by its side, but very little hurt. On Sunday i•vening last, as a chaise was returning into the George Inn y yid, G ran ham, a bull dog seized the led hot•se ab , ve tau k:tee, which caused the horse to break away viith the post-buy and ov-rturn the chaise : fortunately no person was in the carria, , .e it was with gr. at .lilficulty that the dog could tw choked off. We learn that a pro4ecution is cum stwizced against the owner of the dog. -£~~:~ - ' TIIIE. KING 1. 1 . SAMUEL WILLIAM DAVISON, ESQ. This defendant was also hi ought up to receive the judgment of the Court, for a conspiracy to defraud Thomas Jackson of large sums of money, also mentioned in a former Paper. Mr. Justice GROSE, in pronouncing the judgment of the Court, observed, that this not being a case of such lout enormity as the former, the sentence of the Court was—that the defendant be imprisoned in the jail of Newgate fur the space of titteen ca lendar month... THE KING V. POTTINGEII ANT) IVIGHTITIST. Mr. Jeky/ moved the judgment of the Court against these defendants, convicted the last Assizes for Hampshire, ot a con spiracy to cheat and defraud the Barrack Departmeet. The defendant Potti:iger only appeared, and the other de fendant being called, and not answering the Court, ordered his recognizance to be estreated. It appeared, upon the report of the Learned Judge, that Pot tinger was a surveyor and builder, residing at Gosport, and had been employed by Government as Clerk of the Works at Hilsea Barracks, where it was his duty to inspect the Works going on from time to time, to see that they were properly exe cuted, to inspect the workmen, materials, &c. and to certify (among others) the accuracy and charges made in the carpen ters' bills. The other defendant, Bughurst, was the carpenter employed on these works ; and it apFared upon the trial, that in many instances he had used old timber and charged for new, and also had charged for work of greater dimensions than they really were, and that the other &fondant had passed these ac counts as fair and correct, thereby defrauding the Government of considerable sums of money. An affidavit of the defendant Pottinger was then put in and read, stating, that having the utmost confidence in the - integrity and respectability of Bughurst, he had passed his accounts in total igie)rance of the facts, and denying most positively any participation whatever in the emoluments arisirt therefrom, expressing his deep contrition, and praying the mercy of the Court. :Several other affidavits were also put in, among which was one of Major-General Pouter, and w her highly respectable persons, testifying the exemplary character of pottin t; cr far ho nesty and respectabi . ity. Mr. Serjeant Pell, and Mr. Geaseley, addressed the Court on hehalt of the defendant Pottinger, in Mitigation of punish ment. The Attorney-Gereral, for the prosecution, observed, that by this cause the Court would perceive how scandahusly the Pub lic ‘vere imposed upon in these sort of transactions, from the nature of whleli it was invossible to prevent fraud, except by making some signal examples of tho4e detected in the commis sion ot it. From the affijevits to this defendant's ebarae; es, he was 1. d to 'his melancholy conclusion, that there was tele s o rt of morality for toe rubuc, and stuoldler sort of morality fur indis, . _ . '_ Aptr.f." r~