The Statesman. — London, England, 1820-12-02 00:00:00

LITIM.47I 7 RE AND PUGILISM. IFOOM GOLD AND NOITOO7II I =XDON 'MAGAZINE ►OR Till PR as It? MOWN.] ON THE INCONSISTINCT AND INIPRDPRIETY or CON. mamma LITERATURE WITII PUGILISM.. " Ills own mad hand the die hath east." l% has been long a source of great vexation to ns, to rerceive the attempts made by several periodical oblications, to combine the disgraceful science of tgtlism with literature. To ns it appears wonderful, that buy man of talent, of honor, of humanity, ran be the ,Avorate of the disgusting and disgracefnl pugi- What ! shall a man, who ran calmly and deli hrrately set-to, and mutilate anti disfigure his fellow man to emcee a throng of titled blackguards and illi terate brutes, be held up to the world as worthy of uni versal patronage and protection? Shall a Randall, a Reynolds, a Belcher, a " Nonpareil," he transmitted to future ages by the side of Byron, Scott, Shelly, and ~lilluan? Shall the ferocious passions of the human heart be fostered and nourished by the peaceful hand of literature, that it may, in time, like the grey mildew on the ripening corn, blight it, anti cause it to perish timelessly ? We hope not ; but the evil is daily in creasing, and if not checked. may like a malignant fever, in time, carry off its victim. We have lung seriously considered the impropriety of thus amalgamating literature anti pugilism. In the Ist place, we think that men of liberal education ought to discourage, by every means in their power, every thing tending to urge or increase the brutal passions. 2illy,that as periodical works are perused by the fairer species of creation, whose nature, sensibility, and innate deli cacy, recoils front every recital of repulsive brutality, Pottle little attention ought to be paid to their feelings. Thirdly, we consider the advocating of such roger taionacots (for so they are thought) synonymous with branding the name of any publication with disgrace. Peter Corcoran made, we are happy to say. an abor tive attempt to inflict his poetical panegyric upon the " manly science" un the world ; but now, whoever speaks of the " Fancy," notwithstanding the puffing of it, but in terms of aversion? Even Tom Crib's Me morial to Congress sleeps in the " t b of all the Captilets," though the author of it is one of the most popular poets of the present day. This seems some thing like public feel*, and we hope shortly to see this feeding evinced more fully. We are, we confess, decidedly hostile to the pugilistic profession. We can find no ilniusement in seeing a fellow-creature bruised and beaten. We never did experience any delight in joining hosts of pick-pockets at Moulsey Hurst; nor in subscribing for a purse for a boxer, when many a widow is in distress, and an orphan pleads for a pit tance to prevent his perishing. But the human mind is of varied texture : the brutal passions too often pre dominate, and the gentler sensations of the soul are left to wither like autumnal flowers, when a inter gales commence. _ _ _ To as a prize-fighter is a despicable being—not far removed from a murderer; the latter does the deed effectually at once, the former maims and mangles for the sport of others. Pause, ye patrons of brutality ; ye who would bewail the lameness of a hound, or the fousderings of a banter, and say whether ye bare the feelings of men, that ye can behold with pleasure such cruel combats! If the storms of Heaven rage around ye, ye can feel for yourselves, bat for the pains, of others re have no compassion—they are your sport—your delight. Literature certainly ought not to be made subservi ent to the caprice of any set of persons. Like the etar in the heavens.-it ought to shine forth with undimi nished and unsullied lustre. !en of laming have a sacred duty to perform : they are, in fact, the g►uar e!:ans of the public morals. To them the unlettered portion of the community look up for an example; and if they sanction the disgraceful practice of prize-light ing, their humble imitators see nothing wrong in doing the same. We would ask Mr. IVilson, to whom report ascribes the boxing articles which appear in the principal periodical work in the sister kingdom, whe ther he bas ever seriously reflected on the evil tendency of the principles be thus promulgates. How he can connect poetry, pugilism, and philosophy, and be at since the advocate of morality and of a sparring exhi bition, is to us a paradox. Sven Peter Corcoran, in his lest poem, seems to bewail the infatuation that led /s;as forward ; that estranged him from Isis family aid his friends, when he says of his companions, " 1 only wish they now could look, Upon my life's despoiled book." It might not, pe...aps, he a difficult task to trace the ruin of many young men, born for nobler ends, to a sad predilection for this disgraceful science. -Led on by the example of their associates, they have termed acquaintances with the patrons and lovers of this low delight; and their wild and wretched choice has been the beacon to light them on to ruin, to infamy and to, death. Per the present, we will not suffer ourselves to pur sue this unpleasant subject much further. If tlmuu is. as has been asserted, " a great deal ,of lite,rattire is and sport the ring at present," we can only express our sorrow for it. If the age of chivalry is no more, fur Owl's sake let us not be annoyed and insulted by the relation of battles, which bear no more resem blance to it " than Ito Hercules." If brutality con- Clines to flourish, we may expect in a few years to k,ar of a wan beidg tied to a stake, and baited with dogs like a bull. We sincerely wish some of oar Se nators would bring the matter before the House ; and we now appeal to Mr. Wilberforce, u the professed! advocate of humanity, to make some elation for the removal of a national disgrace. Why do not the So ciety for the Suppression of Vice, who can fief a poor mat for selling the necessaries of life on the Sabbath day, exert their influence tpabelish the Fives-Court ? Ate they, too, become the patrons of the desperate and dissolute, prize-figters? Or Itemise it is the resort of peers, dare they net interfere? At any rate, they are either timid or negligeat, and are most shamefully maim in the duty they owe to the country and tit. themselves. At a future period, we shall again take up the salom jert, and featlesslY expose the patroui of this despl. cable amusement. Whether there be Peers, Princes, or Magistrates among the number, we care not. We have some concern fur the character of our country, end some regard for its morals. This is but a hasty aid imperfect prettpeetus of oar intentions, and we shall treat the subject' more fully at our leisure. Ja• LAW lATELLIGENCS. ROLL'S COURT, Disc. 1. TAX UNION ■INEVIT seetarr. This case came before the Court no the Petition of certain of the Members of the above Society, against the Secretarfand other Members and Trustees, praying that lie, the Secretary, might be ordered to deliver up to persons to be named by the majority of the Society, all books, accounts, and monies in bis hands; and that the other defendants might be directed to transfer all stock, Scc. standing in their names, in like manner. On the part of the defendants, a readiness was evinced to do what was required; but the payment of the costs was opposed' on the ground that they bad not been required to do what WAS now prayed by regular notice. Mier hearing Counsel, the Master of the Rolls noticed the sonsent of the defendants to comply, and the fact of their not being regularly served with no tice, and suggested the propriety of saving the ex pcnce of a reference to the Master, by now delivering up the books, and making the transfer; and in con clu‘ion, directed that should be immediately done; that each party should ;lay their own costs; and in the event of the order not being complied with imme diately, applies*w should be again made to the Court, when the parties would be dealt with accord ingly. COURT OF KINO's BENCH, Dsc. I. TRISPALE r. STUART •:tl/ OMENS. This was an ::etion against the Proprietors of The t at Richmond-green. to the amount of 401 /. wide!' she Centric, - newspaper tor publishing a libel in that pa- j was to pay by instalisuents; but not being paid, be ar per imputing to the plaintiff, a constable of the reefed her. parish of St. Pancras, improper conduct respecting off. hlr ;i PoLLor n e igi st i sk t e•l the uwittnoesha;mifailni the e ily r lasist, foran the disposal of a dead body which hail been taken from the possession of certain persons appre!sentled the 'r g ..n a :ra n i ot hedefi l ; o uf g lL e sse i lf and the c redi t k o rs ? Ile sai.l ;here was a talk about it, hut the thing was not by the plaintiff, and brought before a Ma g istrate on a alone. tier father seemed inclined to he her sernrity ; cliar.:e of nulawfully stealing the same, for the pnr- ' hut when a warrant of attorney was presented to bites. pose of selling it for surgical diasection. The libel- I lie said he would rather put a rope about his neck than lons matter set forth in the declaration charged the' sign it.—(A loud laugh.) very right in saying laintiff with having grossly misconducted himself in en; ir li . t:t 'i ro ( t ) l:l .— vo ' n ' w asP l er a l : 3 e P ;a l k w en the furniture for' Ike: carrying the body about to different places for the beelit of yourself and the other creditorar - -" 1 woule piir e ose of being paid a price fur it, and particularly gladly_ have taken the furniture on toy own account, for to Surgeons' Hall.—The defendant pleaded the gr.- the'paytnent of my own debt.'' The witness stated, that neral issue, not guilty. Miss Slarldrake'a father was now &prisoner, nail intend- The plaintiff'. ease was conducted by M r , G urn ey ed to he brought up in a day or two to pet bits iliacisarge 1 and Mr. Chitty, and the defendants' by Mr. Scsrlett. The Commissioner asked the insolvent, what becatto goods at last? She sail' Pier were seized by her libel for which the This, it is ill be recollected, was prewisely the same o la f or t l i l l o e rd for rent, a nd sold for tal/. She intended Is. plaintiff brought an action, a short bar- ;I prolitdolir establishment, but it failed. time since, against the proprietar of Tar Oberreer, and I William Jackson. an ironmonger, at Richmond, for which he recovered damages to the amount of I said he supplird the insolvent with goods to the amount SOL The same evidence given in that cause was pro-; of 59/. 0 11 whirls he did ma expect to get one farthing. *aced in this. I Ile said, with great vehemence, that the whole was a Mr. SCAR LITT. for the defendant, admitted the trial:, contrived by this visaing woman's father, to take Ilailsehood of the libel, but put it to the Jury " a case; hint in. The father would be up to-morrow, and he for nominal disinages only. As soon as the defendants, , should oppose him. sebo had copied the libel from another Paper, were! Th e s. .i 'ourt desired that the prisoner might be aware of its falsehood, they imnsediately itiscrted in brought up again the neat day with her father. their Journal a contradiction of it, thereby doing' _ every thing in their poster to repair the inittry of POUCH. "Mich the plaintiff complainer!. The Jury well k! aloo _ c ,.. ~ lake into their coisideVation, that the ONO/Melt ~,_ A . 441.""'". r .e— j - KO II LI C Ili PIM WO IV-IrfaK IT - .--. err ay, -.oh._ already received fall. from a respectable daily partial, I Rake) the fumy-woman who was apprehended by fur inadvertently publishing the same libel, and no ; . .' - • I,ay..nder, the Bow-street officer, encamped with other less than SOL from a respectable Sunday paper, for fr o m between Wendor and Cliesbam, was conveyed the same cause of aetion. The plaintiff ; tiserefoie, ~.. " . from Maidstone prison to Tunbridge Wells, to be exa could be entitled to no wore than net:final damages. ! . . mined before the Magistrates, the witnesses being The Cuter Justice, in summing up the cane, called there; when she was identifies! by a female servant, the attention of the Jury to the topics addressed to who waft corroborated by another witness, as being then. Ity the defendant's Counsel in mitigation of 1 the *Man who applied to her to,Yrrite the direction damages. and left it to them to discharge their duty ' n w the basket which contained the poisoned plum with temper and moderation. ! pudding, and which purported to be sent from Row- The Jury found a terdict for the plainti&-llainages land Castle. Another woman (a gipsey), previously 211 There was no other case of general interest to-day. ' 01. lin cestodY was proved to have purchased the articles at Tnishrltlge Wells, which the haslet contained.— t Roth these women were committed foi trial, on a !charge of having murdered the two men in Maidstone John Roberts, who hob been before the Court on a ipti:on. former day, anti opposed on the ground of conced6og i Proudly alias Pears', who resisted so desperately property by delivering over some to his brotheeird : Lavender, when he apprehended hint; was committed some to his son, was brought up, and underwent a for horse-stealing. very severe examination by Mr. Heath, as Counsel for Manisoaoccu-SYsteer.—This office was crowded the opposing creditor. The brother, Joseph Roberts, yeeterday, when the seven desperadoes were ve-exa to'whom it was allageol he made the fraudulent eon- I mined, on the charge of rescuing the Ire burglars, veyance, was first examined. He said tie was . a our- and wounding Marsden, the gaoler. neyusan weaver, and that on the Ith of Febraa in Sheirell, the brother of the lano-lighter, who was the year 151$, when his brother was in a sla t of knocked down by the gang In the Temple; related the distress, and unable to carry on his business, he lent ontrageous conrind of the tam% which is already before the-public ; but like the other persons who him lift/. but he could not produce any security or voucher to show that he had advanced that saw:-he were brutally used there, the stela was so sudden, said he merely made an entry of it in his own book. that lee was unable to identify either of the prisoners: When asked how he, who was a journeyman welter, The two Harris's, alias Kaylocic Jones and Jobs became possessed of so large a snots be antwared, that Watts, were pat to the bar to be identified. After he got it by his business , . Ile had gut furniture from giVing a variety of contradictory statements, Jones his brother, which be had paid for with his . ono was desired to pull offhis great-coat and put his hat on, money, baying lent his brother the money to buy the and be was identified by William Jones, who belittle! furniture, and never having gut that money bark. him to be the turn who struck him in Bell-vard, as the The Chief Commissioner." The furniture is evi. gang was proceeding' along there into Fleet-street. gently the property of else Znaolwent. and must be Lawson, alias Hawkins, had said its his !brute, ex !brough t into his s(•liedule." aminiTion, that lie ital . Main/ witb'a person of the Mr. flasin now proceeded to examine the lased. name of Mears at a public-house in Monntouth-street. vent, who stated that he had been a bankrupt assnae. on the evening of the rescue, and blears proved suds time in or abaut the year ISI7, and that he oil Ma to be false. certificate in January ISIS. In the February If that John Harris changed hie name to Kavloek, because year, lie received 1401. from his brother. Tiwre wa s his brother was so often id trouble; anti Oiorge Har p memorandum made of this in his book ; but he did rig, the said brother, was stated to be one of the masts 'taut knew if the entry bad been made at the Hop ; it daring thieves In London. In answer to interroga- Hs, however, made soon after. In lieu of the money twit., by Messrs. Conant and retreat, the prisoner re st) lent to him, he gave goods to his brother to the membered being in custody foe robbing Mr. Scotti 'amount of IP/. in the month of March last. - Mr. house, at Witehledon, also for table-clothe, a l so f oe Meath produced a list of articles of stock pet dula by lobbing Mr. Chase's bouae at Kensington, and for so the Insolvent in March last, amounting to 5U1i1., and many ether things, that he could not remember !b ens , caked him what became of that sleek ? He said that Its once changed his name to King, to get work at ahne-making, as his other names had be en s o o ft en several debts were put down in the list.. He canesi wdrertieed in the newspapers that be L a d no Ch aste , his creditors together on the sth of March, and it was ea that day he transferred 1701. worth of colt to his He katraow been nine weeks out of gaol. brother. On the 11. th he transferred SOL jecirit .of Watts said, 'flint he was at ho m e ill the Tb are d ay eteck to his son ; bat be said he had been obliged to afternoon, as he bad taken physic i butt the landlady do so, in order to raise money to pay his workmen. of the Coach and Horses, in Charles-street, proved Mr. POLLOCK , the itseolvent's Counsel , sow gun. that be left Per house about four o'clock, just before stoned him respecting the disposal of his good & li e the resew. said that, just before the meeting of his creditors, he xkerrow, Cope and Stanley were nest brought up. bad been in such dietetic, that he borrowed money Skerrew said he resided inTheitreet, Cbaados-street, from his brother, and gave him up the in Ike and he of lle , like the rest,was said that he W of the debt. When the creditors met, peelsM t o ld them at hotie all the afternoon of Thursday, but the laad m this, and they arced to what b e b o d t d oso. H owe lady Mitts. Comb and Horses also proved Houle was I • of the goods were returned by his loitiflifg„ l and b e In company With others at herbals' WI between three sold theta. . and four o'clock on the Th*nday (scareelY ha-bour INSOLVENT DEBMRS' COCRT. Dee. 1. THE STATESMAN., hir.pleaTot said the insolvent's books had been al tered ; sad contended there was a concealment of pro• perty to a gross amount. Mr. POLLOCK replied, that there was but one erasure in the books, which might be accounted for if the books were carefully examined ; and be recommended that an investigation should take place fellettisf that fact. The Chief Commissioner said, be never wit nessed a cause, wherein a debtor appeared to have attempted more deliberately to deceive the Court, that; this man had done. On a former day, he had made statements different from the story he now told respect ing furniture which he first said was the property et his brother, and afterwards his own property. Thee he swore to his) having borrowed from hie brother • large sum, of which he kept no other account than what appeared in an erased part of one of his books ; of hfs giving a quantity of goods to his brother iu payment for this loan, and getting the goods back aEain. The whole appeared to be a complete juggle between the prisoner and the brother, carried on fur the purpose of keeping back property, which should be given up to the just cre di ors If an insolvent made false statemen•s in his schedule, he was not only liable to he indicted for per jury, but ought to be remanded to prison. The judg ment of the Court was, that the order for bearing his petition be discharged. The prisoner, therefore, was remanded. Frances Sbeldrake, a young woman of respectable and intrreming appearance, was opposed by a man named Perrrira, a cabinet-maker, who said, about four years ago, he supplied her with furniture for her house before the rescue,) when he took a dog away In a string. Cope said he was at home between three and four o'clock on the Thursday, and his father swore to it, and that he did not go out again, but had his tea at ovate. But the father and the son's story differed widely, and to prove how much they ,idhered to facts, Miss Seale, of the Marlborough Inn, proved that Cope and fire others were waiting about the heel of the lock-up house in Blenheim-mews, until& sborttinie before the time that the prisoners were taken away, and at four o'clock, when he was said to be at htwe at Hampden-court, Somer's-town, he was drinking at this public-house 1-..ith five others. Stanley, the resurrection-man, continued is tie same story that he was hot near the spot. Magistrate—What had you for dinner) Answer (after lesitation)—%Viy, it was a fi s h d ay. Ilagistrate--Recollecqyourself; your's are allfi rds days. An mer.—No, not all of them. • The whole of the prisoners were remanded till nut Friday. :I • .IUI'ICdL INTEL LICE NC E. The Yobs Villa da Conde, —, from Flavin ter Rio Janeiro, has been c p itred by an insurgent iri ratrer on the Coast of I r The Lady Wellington packet, arrives' at Falmouth, sailed from Gibraltar, I3th alt. in company with nearl► 100 wail of vessels, which had been detained there hie or ►ix weeks by contrary winds. Tne John and James, Richards of and fmm Bristol to Waterro:il, struck on a reef of rocks off Oreenure Point, on Saturday night, and was abandoned by the crew ; but was got off by assistance from the shore, and carried into tt e • xh:rrt the fidlowing day. The Rotimlowt. Henderson, from Sr. Petersburgh, in entering Leith Ilarhour, ?.:011 ult. struck, carried away her miller, and ran on shore; but did not sustain any material damage. The Alontagu packet. hound to the Brazils, put ioto Gibraltar. I I:h alt. leaky. HAAN int. Nov. 311.-11. M. Revenue ('utter, Lent. Solidly commander. arrived las , evening from a (list, having captured a very fine cutter, laden with 71.11/ tubs of spirits, besid..s dry gouda. Veswizza aro AEX Ullll.—Mars of Looe, 2fttli Or•. sir ('ape de Gat, bound to Genoa ; on the 7th Ni,v. Aurora, from Smyrna for Boston ; and un the 14di Now. off Cape St. Vincent, the schooner Netley, of Dartmouth, from Liverpool ; by the Juno, arrived at Plvniouth. Valiant, of Hull, on the 7th ult. in the 31eiliterrartran, from Cephalonia, by the Amy, arrived at Plymouth. APPOINTMENT OF lIIM MAJESTT'S ATTORNEt;fin• • N Eli.% I. rum ImEt.sxu,—We believe we may announce with certainty, that Mr. O'Connell will be appointed :Attorney-General to the Queen, for Ireland; if that appuitrtnent has not already taken place. We under• stand that Mr. Brougham has received her Majesty's commands to tn:ke the necessary arranremeats for expediting the appointment of Mr. O'Connell, aid that Mr. Brongbatn has undertaken it with alacrity. The next post may bring intelligence of its compk tion. There is no legal obstacle to this Office bring filled by a Catholic Lawyer.—(Carrief's Jlors ag Part.) Mr. Jut( Kemal., and Mr. Cll/.11,111 Restme.—. We took a paragraph from a Morning- Paper Ti.:, kg, i importing that Mr. Kemble had assigned all his prt,- party in Covent Darden Theatre to his brother. The fact is tree, bet the amount, viz. 50,000/. is mulch exaggerated. Mr. Kends!. gave *2,000'. fur his share of that Theatre, and its value is not likely to have been increased. The circumstances attending this instance of fraternal affection deserves to be re- corded. It appears that Mr. Kemble bad always sic- , nified, that he intended to bequeath this property, in case of his deaths, to Isis brother Charles, bust his health not admitting of any active exertion in such a concern, be determined to anticipate his will, anti have the pleasure of bestowing it in person. •Mr. Charles lietable bad some intimation that his hro:brr intended to show a proof of his affection. but had no conception of the intended amount. When the in strument was read, Mr. C. Kemble was so affected, that he was absolutely deprived of utterance, and the brothers then fell into each other's arias, presemnig a scene of the must gratifying nature, and i ?Feet nt upon the persons present, more interesting im pressive than perhaps bad ever *leaded the e . tions.. of their great tateats on the stage. It will be grati fying to the public to learn, that Mr. John hembie has retained what Thomson styles, " an elegant suf ficiency," which we earnestly hope he will long enjoy, as it is the result of Genius, under the regulatioa of Prudence, and will be emplogeti in acts of hospitality and benevolence. On Sunday last, the body of a lad, who had for some time travelled the eonntry as a chapman or pd. lac, was found near Kttriek-pen, parish of Eskilsk. weir, and county of Dumfries. Front the aprar awe of the body, little doubt can be entectnined that the deceased had perished by a violent death, se/ suspicion attaches to an Irishman who had been seta its eumpstay with bias abemt a week before. 'Tb nue is something extremely barbarous in this ainruler and we sincerely trust the perpetrator (Wit will yet be di.- covered. The deceased, while going his accustomed rounds in a thinly-peopled - district, and earryin-• 11,e , news and necessaries ottbe town to the solitnies of the country, is beset fry a ruffian, and at once de;wir.t! of Ids property aid his life. In 6041 a situatisn it was in vain that lie struggled hard for existence, and loudly called on human aid ; his cries were soils het amidst the solitudes of a country so lonely and es eluded, that even a week had elapsed before set' human being had been made aware of his fate. • MARRIED. At IP. Mary-le-been diereh, London. Chaste' Owlet.. Iraq., of Hopewell, see of theta* bit Lndovics Ursa. ttf Delve . Bart., to Miss Kerridge, daughter of the late " 111 - . F.sq. 011 the nth alt.. at Brigid**, by the tar. IR. J. 'NY!' r. W. Day Beard, E sq .of Dulteueemet, to Miss hard, of or''' imampkeee. ess. - 0. • o *Sts• Ma dim Re Rev. Joh. Mot. A. M. Recife WoWaret. Oloneostershire, sal Chaplain to the Right Ws. Lord Ink worth. nisei St • Oa Thaesslay motning, Mr. Robert Webster, of 1 ilfloe a lew days' !Ibsen. lassmise : 1144 "Mut ITATI /wry ?4*. R. WAS Realiatheas, - "Me. el.: Jr.. LL.B.: M dew ell ait• regessm* tip W &Myna 4 I a I i r I