The National Register. — London, England, 1819-03-14 00:00:00

MARC!! 1 . 1. torn-tutor, of Merit-lane, which he read, and fr o m its contents he was convinced the deceased had made Away with himself. The letter is in the possession of Mr. Hewettson. Mr. Shallartl, nssistant-surgeon to Messrs. Can dell, in the Minories, stated, that he attended the deceased on the Sunday before he left home ; he was labouring under the effects of laudanum which he bad taken ; he called iq Dr. Ramsbottom, and he prescribed an aperient medicine, which relieved the deceased ; he thought the deceased was not at times in his sound mind ; he talked confused and incoherent. The Coroner said, that it was for the Jury to say, in the first place, whether the deceased drowned ' himself ; as he had not any business to transact by the water, lie thought they might safely say that he did: the remaining question to consider was. whe ther the deceased aas in such a state of mind at the time as to be accountable for his conduct, or whether he was insane and a lunatic ? The Foreman returned a verdict—" That the deceased drowned himself, being at the time in a state of great irritation of mind." Coroner.—" Do you mean to say that he was only irritated; because a man may commit an act in a state of the greatest irritation, and yet be answer. able to the laws for the offence ; for instance, if one man shoots another, he may be excessively irri tated and yet be sane at the time." Foreman (after some consultation with his bro ther Jurors).--" We are of opinion, he was so far insane as not to be accountable for what he did." Coroner.—" Then your verdict is, " The de ceased drowned himself, being at the time in a state er insanity." Foreman.—" Yes, that is our opinion." In consequence of the great fall in the market for raw cotton, expresses have been sent from Liver lerpool, over land to Calcutta, in order to counter mand, as speedily as possible, any further shipments of that article. An absolute engagement is said to have been entered into by the persons bearing the expresses, to deliver them, allowing for' accidents to hfe or limb, in three mouths from the date of leav- ing England. Advices from Jamaica to the 29th January state the arrival at Kingston of the schooner Juliana from Angustura; the captain of which reported, that just I.ctore he sailed a report had reached that place, of the Royalists having been detbated, and Cumana captured, on the 28th of December; and that a great number of troops bad deserted, and repaired to the standard of the Independents. To-morrow we shall hear that the Patriots have not a man left in South America, and so on, alternately ! POlitt. ..... GUILDHALL Robbery ea lans.—On Friday Bartholemew Brongh too, the naval officer, whose examination was postponed ou Wednesday lasi, in consequence of his attempt to destroy himself, by taking a large dose of laudanum, was again brought up before the Sitting Mag'strate, Mr. Mderman Christopher Smith. The prisoner has been attended-since NVeditesday by Mr. Hoz, the apothecary to the litsour-street Conti/ter, and, although recover ed from the effects of the poison, was still in a weak state, and was therefore allowed a chair at the bar, during the examination. Th: first witness called Was Taylor, the head waiter at he White Horse Inn, Fetter-lane, who deposed, that the prisoner had a bed at their house a few nights before Christuist-day, and again on the night of the 31st of December ; that on each of those nights, gentlemen who slept in the house were robbed ; that the prisoner was I therefore suspected; and on his coming again on the loth of Feln tsar'', he was recognized, and taken into custody. George Shufflcbottons, of Macclesfield, arrived at the White Hone tun, on the 27th of December last, and remained there till the Bth of January following; at his ruing on the is,. of January, he discovered that he had been roW,ed, during the night, of upwards of 2001. consisting of one 100/. note, and several la, and IL notes: the times were stolen front out his pocket case; which was in his. coat pocket, on a chair near his bed; the chamber door was not locked, but be heard the utaid-servant shut it after her when she took away the candle. The itxd. mite ha had received from his brother. Thomas Shufftehottorn, of Exeter, lin emdraper, broth er to the last witness, paid his brother It/01. on the evening of the 31st of December, ainoug which was a IOU!. note he bait received at Messrs. Itankey and Co.'s, Fen rhurch-street, in payment on a letter of credit in his favour, from Messrs. Williams, Cross, and Co., bankers, kiceter. lie k 's the note produced is the one he paid las brother, because he 11.1 d taken the numbers 01 the two notes of iOO/. each, which he had received from Messrs. Hankey, and he had the other in his pos lehsloo ill the morning when he beard of the robbery. Williani Wright, eleik at. liankey's, paid the last witness the notes for Messrs. Willianis's check t they eahluted of two . notes, 1001. several bl. and 11. now' THE NAIIONAL REGISTER. The note produced, No. 19,151, for Mi. dated Deeem - ' ber 11, 1818; is one of the notes he so paid. John Kimbell, shopman at Mr. Herge's, mathema tical instrument-maker, 199, Piccadilly, said the pri soner came to their shop, on the Ist of January, about twelve o'clock at noon, and purchased a sextant, for sixteen guineas. Witness told him it would take about an hour to adjust the instrument, and asked where he should send it to; the prisoner then gave his name and address, " Capt. Wishart, Hatchett's Hotel." He then tendered a hundred pound note in payment; there nat being sufficient in the till to give change, he (witness) ap plied to his master, liorn whom he received a 40/. note, a 251. and a 20!. w hichl he gave to the prisoner, who gave him the difference, and then went away. The prisoner called again in a hackney-coach, before the sextant was adjusted, said he was going off directly, and could not wait, but must have the instrument as it was, and it was accordingly delivered to him. Mr. Berge made a memorandum of the 100/. note, when he received it from the List witness, on the Ist of January, and identified the note produced as the one he had so received ; the 401. note he gave in change was No. 5,272, dated 21st October, 1818. Charles Edward Waller, clerk in the pay-office at the Bank, proved that the 401. note so dated, and numbered, was paid into the Bank on the Ist of January, by s ome persuu, who described himself as Mr. Lyney, Ne. 1, Cowper's-court, Corithill, who received iii payment Int ty I!. notes, numbered front 1.i,469 to 15,508 inclusive, ail dated Bth December, in t 8. Edward Farev, keeper of the pnblic house, the sign of the Marquis of Cornwallis, Warren -street, Fitzroy square, proved the receipt of two I!. notes, dated Decent -- ber Bt h, 1818, and . numbered 15,500 and 15,506, from the Captain Broughton, who resided at that time at Nu. 46, Warren-street. Mr. G. Shuffiebottom being further questioned, said that the thief took all the notes that were in his pocket case, but left several bills of exchange, which were in the same pocket of the case with the notes. The prisoner, by the advice of Mr. Harmer, his solici tor, declined making any defence ; and after some con sultation as to the form of the commitment, was fully committed to Newgate, both for the burglary, and also for steaiine, itt•the dwelling-house to the amount of above aus. MARLI;OROUGN P STREET. A Beadtc outwitted —John Kendrick, a beadle of St. Giles's in the Fieals, brought to this office a gentleman charged with riding one of Johnson's hobby-horses along the footway pavement of Great Quecn-street, in the said palish. The gentleman was convicted in the penalty of a. under the Nletro;,olis Paving Act. The gentleman then laid an information against Kendrick, for running the same through Queen's-court, (a paved one) in the said parish, oft tile way in the watch-house, which was proved by a witness.—We need not inlorm our readers that he was himself likes% ire very justly convicted in the penalty of 21. which he was inhumed by the worthy Magistrate (Mr. Elnan,) he umst pay, amidst the laugh ter of a very crowded office. INSOLVENT DEBTORS' ACT. [room The Norwich Courier.] Oti Tuesday hat, a Meeting seas held at the Hall in the Nlatket, to petition Parliame..t on the subject t r the Insol vent Debtors' Acts. Alderman Broome was called to the Chrtr, who opened the business, by stating, that the grievance under which i.e raercantile and trading part of the community laboured. in emesequeuce of the present In•o`vent Debtors' Acts, had lid to the present Meeting, and that it seemed to he the most proper time now to address the Leg:Ordure on the sub ject, as the term for which those Acts had pawed was draw lug to a cl o se. Alderman Hawker said, he believed the Chairman was in possession of a Petition, which he requested he would read. The Chairman having read the Petition, Alderman /boars said, that though he approved of many parts of it, he thou4ht its language was scarcely stro n g th to be address, d to the I louse on the present orcasbia. Ile should, therefore, request Mr. Adam Taylor to read one. a hich he tl ght would more fully embrace the object of dfar Meeting. I Mr. A. Taylor having read it, Mr. E. Ta y ior said, he rose to give the measure his cor dial support. - There was tin doubt but the Legislature, in piesing Acts fur the Relief of Insolverit Debtors, had been actuated by mo tives of humanity ; and as comparatively few Member., even of the Lower House, were practically conversant is ith mercantile transactions. it was not to be wondered at that they had been led by their feelings to attired, w hat they regarded us a necessary protection for the unfuttonate debtor. against the cruelty and hard-hearted-' tress of obstinate and merciless creditors; hut the practical operation of this d law had beet' to afford a legal NMI lion to a t lass of persons of the most worthless sham.deserip- Every man at all extensively concerned in trade, knew that creditors in g , netal were very far front being meta id SS ; rhea when au honest disposition was evinced on the ' r a re au debtor, it woa:d be difficult indeed to she W an instance in which it had not been met by a corresponding lenity on the part of his creditors. Ile believed, where oat balance of a merciless me ditor existed, there would bo found to be tin hundred fraudulent debtors: yet for these persons the law had interposed; for us bitterer might be the intention of its flamers, thews/gnat erred was to dept ire creditors of their just demands. Under the commission sit tit% in London to execute the Acts, caw, involving pro perty to the amount of more t4llll a 111111101/ Of motley had been disposed of, while the average dividend fur the creditor had not exceeded a farthiag in the pound and he be lieved, that of all the debtors who had been liberated under the At t in the County of Norfolk and the City of Norwich, nothing had in any case been received by the creditors. It am therefore deur, that if the or igin of .ischi nu Act was hotuality, the effect will injustice. It had Dap attempted to revise and amend the first Art; and we were led to ex pert, that the obnoxious parts which it contaiued would be ameoded, but no change to any extent bad taken place— the same system of fraud and perjury went on, and be feared that nothing short of a total change would pruducesellicieLt protection to the fair trader. Alderman Bolingbroke said, that one principal defect in the insolvent Acts, was the time allow ed to debtors before they were called upon to give op their effects to their credi tors. As the taw now stood, a fraudulent debitsr had every facility for making away with his creditor's property, be fore he was called upon to deliver it up. lie thought if the Insolvent Acts could be in 'lbis respect amended, the con sequences would be highly beneficial. It was from the vac rims suggestions which petitions on this subject from dif. ferent parts of the kingdom would contatiOthot the Legi-• lature would derive information as to the °purloin of intr. collide men. Mr. Moore said, that in more than 60 cases In which insolvent debtors had beea discharged under his own knowledge, iii not more than two, had any money been paid into the receiver's hauls, and even of those, nothing had ever been received by the creditors. Mr. Robert Browne said, that he differed in opinion with those gentlemen who had spoken, ns to the principle of the law. Ile thought it not ouly founded in humanity, but jus tice. The power of' imprisonment for on unlimited time was too much to place in the hands of individuals, wl a might, and who certainly had (as tippei.red by the ceteris before the Legislature, at the time of the passieg the r t Insolvent Act) abused it for the purposes of oppress' aid revenge. Nothiog could be more fair and equitable than the principle of a remit boeorom. If a creditor obtain ed the property of his debtor, if he got all that he was possessed of, what noire ought he to ask) Gentlemen had dwelt op. n the evils attendanntpon the Acts in question; but he w ould ask, had there been no compensating advantages w iloubtedly there had. In inlet • cases property had Leen di. aided among creditors. though he admitted such instances were rare. But it should he remembered, that of the per sons who had participated In the benefit of the Acts, many were of a description 110 laW could reach, such as gamblers and swindlers; these men under the old law would equally have cheated their creditors. It was alleged that these species of crimes had increased. T o this it might be illi swered, so had e • is of all kinds, and we ought not, there fore, to be suiprised that fraudulent • debtors had increased in a considerable degree. lie admitted that the law might be beneticially rceisel ; b u t still he conceived the princip l e on which it was founded, was perfectly equitable Mr. E. Tailor :aid, it was hoot the operation of the luvr they must form their conclusions: there had been evident e abtindatitly stelicient to prise, that it had pt oduced most unjust efferts. Ile thou2lit, without giving any o,iiiiion as to \I hat anietultnettl! thotilil he in rile in the La, the appli. cation to Parliament sitoald consist of u state:two! of facts, leaving to the Legislate; e to provide a remedy fur the grievance etimplaine:l of Mr. Eitoter bald, that the prayer of the Petition was ; too sweepiog a nature to me. t with his approbation—it went to the boot repeal of all the Ili,solveot Debtors' Acts. This pettier, of course, if granted, would leave us subject to all the acknowledged !tad hips nod evils attendant upon the old law. It had been !argued, as if roguery en the t of debtors hod been occasioned by these Acts ; the contrary was notoriously the fact. Untler the old law the same per jury not fraud were practised I in dishonest debtor could equally waste his creditor's property in gaol. Ile mould recommend, therefore, an alter:dim' in the prayer of the Petition. so as to recogn i ze the principle on w h can the pre sent Arts were passed, and yet to ask , for such alterations as experience had proved to he necessary. It was of I.re:it intim, nonce that a creditor should have early and i tttt possession of an insolvent debtor's efli•cts $ and he 0w.A1,1 .% as secured, the evils nitendnut on the present Act would removed, and its beneficial intentions secured. An amendment to this eilect wos tacit mote to the pros rr of the Petition, and read by Mr. A. Taylor; after wlrtcis 3 was unamit:lnsly adopted by the Meeting, At Om General Meeting of the PM, ing Commissioners, 1.. 'd nn Tuesday last, the Won log Report was received ftoin the Committee appointed at the preceding meeting, to take consideration the best means of eat ins into ct the It esolotiou of the Commissioners I-espy:ling the lightinc part of the city with gass anti generally revising the act.—•' I ha in consequence of a letter received hoot Mr. Dortinvott, one of the l'arliamentary Agents, it is expedient to delay -.try application to *Purlinment fur an amendment of the present act ti , l the ne.l:l Session." 1 t appeared the general sentiment of the Meeting. ;:tat it *mild, under sill eirr !.tances, be hitter to defer any application for the pre- ekt, as by the nest year the .utiject in geic.ral aould undergo ts more mature cansidcration, the etreet of the new valuation he more ,Trtainly knou u, and the future pants of the Com missioners he more correctly ascertained. On Wednesday se'nnitht a fire broke out in the charoilin;,noffice •f Mr. Barber, of Hempnall, which threatened the destruction of several thatched dwellings adjoining, hot by the activity of the neighbours, and th.: wind lying in a favourable direction, the devouring tic. meet was gat under without further damage than the demolition of the premises in which it commenced. Last week a Granary belonging to Mr. It. Decker, of Walsinghatn, was broken into, and fifteen Coombs of oats stolen therefrom ; a very liberal reward has been of fered, but the offenders still remain undiscovered. Os Friday last Richard Holliday, of Walsingham, a boy about seven years of age, being left by his mother in charge of two others %ottncer than himself, was its the actor putting some potatoes in the boiler, his cluailts caught fire, and be was so dreadfully burnt. that be lan guished in excruciating pain till the evening, %hen he expired. Sir Win. Windham nailing, Bart. High Sheriff of Norfolk, has appointed James Taylor Margitson, Esq. his Under-Sheriff. The business will be irausacted as heretofore in this city. At l)ownham Market fair, on Wednesday se'nnight, there was the largest chew of hogses ever remembered, though little business was done, except its prime stock which 'nought eausurdivary hioh pica! • ...oil