The Sun. — London, England, 1829-04-17 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE LONDON JOURNALS. It would be an easy matter to heap either praise or blame upon Mr. Peel's new Bill for the improvement Of the Metropolitan Police ; but it would be rash to pass a hasty opinion of either kind upon a measure which has long occupied the attention of so cautious a man ; we cannot comprehend and judge that in a few hours, which, it has, or .ought to have, cost him the utmost stretch of anxious thought, during many months, to project, order, and arrange. Be will at least, however, have deserved the appro batiwn of his country for having conscien tiously endeavoured to correct that which all must acknowledge to be a crying evil, or rather a system of crying evils—the existing police in the metropolis and its environs. And his plan has this merit, that commencing with a partial application, it may be corrected or modified as it goes on and is brought into general execution. There may begreat merit " in unity ofdesign" in the arrangement of the police ; but unity of design ought likewise to produce a simplification of accounts, and consequently a diminution of ex penses ; and it would at least be with great regret that we should find the new Board, with all its appendages, more costly to the public than the ancient watch-tax. he Right Hon. Gentle man thinks that one certain effect of the new measure will be to diminish the number of pro secutions in Middlesex and London ;—" and thus, while the inhabitants will be relieved from the watch-tax, they will also be relieved from other parochial rates, which have been materially increased by the expense and number of those prosecutions." For our own parts, we arc some what inclined to dread summary jurisdictions: however, there will no doubt be an appeal to the established Courts. And we do hope,—though we do not see that it makes any part of the pro ject as at present sketched,—that time expense of prosecutions, when they are necessary, will he diminished, and the attainment of justice facilitated : above all, that there will not be that d►aught upon the time of the prosecutor, which to an industrious tradesman is more cruel than the first loss of his property ; that he will not be obliged - to attend, day after day, to the neglect of his business, at the Sessions-house or Old Bailey, and then, perhaps on a moment's casual absence, have the mortification to find that his case has been called the criminal acquitted, the stolen property carried off by him, and the recognizances of the prosecutor entreated. The increase of Govern ment patronage is likewise an evil consequent upon the new plan ; and we do not know that it is any abatement of that evil to be told that Government has also (and that unavoidably) the selection of persons for the army and navy." Our civil polity has always been in our own hands ; our military and naval force in those of the Crown. Might not some choice or re commendation be exercised by the parishes, of the agents to be employed under the new system This would be consonant to the principle of the old laws, and agreeable to the ancient method of watch and ward. It would bg.: a division of powers if the parish elected, anti Government cashiered for incompetency or neglect. In any ease, all persons employed in the new office should lose the power of voting for Members of parliament.— Times. We cannot from Mr. Peel's speech judge how far his plan is calculated to improve the Police of the Metropolis. He dwelt chiefly on -the defectiveness . of one, branch of Police — watching, and left us very much in the dark as to the functions of his new Court. There can be no doubt that, with a view to efficiency, watching ought to be general and systematic ; 'and it ought not to be left to the discretion of districts, whether they will or will not be at the expence of an efficient watch. But watching is only one branch of Police, and badly as it is conducted at present, we fearthat it still is the only part of our Police which is worth anything. Differing as we do from a contemporary (the Standard), as to the necessity of a change in our system of Po-I lice, we must own that there is some foun dation for the following strictures :—" It is scarcely fair in Mr. Peel, who has al ready the command of eight Police Establish ments, entertained at an expence of somewhere about 70,000/. per annum to the public, to cast all the blame of the imperfect protection of pro perty in the metropolis upon the inefficiency of the nightly watch alone, they, the nightly watch, being questionless the only protection that the metropolis possesses ; and Mr. Peel's eight Police Offices being positively useless .for every purpose but to provide slang Reports for the ewspapers," &c. The present Police Offices are, unquestionably, of great benefit to the coin. Triunity, in as far as relates to the dispensing of sunnnary justice to the community, in a variety of cases assigned by law to Justices of the Peace. But in as far as relates to Police, in the true sense of the word, they are worse than use less. It has been proved that the Magistrates are kept in the dark by the officers respecting a variety of transactions, and that the offi cers have a direct interest in the encou ragement of crime ; their rewards rising with the increase of depredation. It may, there fore, be truly said, that inefficient as the watch is, it is still best part of the existing sys tem. The watchmen sometimes connive at crime, but, generally speaking, they are only inefficient to prevent it from their age, the ex tent of their rounds, &c. The Police, on the contrary, are in an understanding with the lead ing criminals, with whom they negotiate for the restoration of stolen property. We do not mean to say that the watching is not susceptible of immense improvement, but the chief im provement must be in the Police, properly so called. An interest must be given to the per sons employed as Police to diminish crime, in stead of encouraging it. However, every thing must have a beginning ; and though com plaints of the defectiveness of the present sys tem are to be heard every where, yet, even the present faint attempt at change will, no doubt, have to encounter nut a little opposition.— Morning Chronicle. During the recent discussions of the Catholic Question both the Duke of Wellington and Mr. Peel intimated pretty plainly that they were com pelled to it by motives the whole of which they could not prudently divulge. Some of those reasons, it would seem, are now divulging them selves : and, if persons who move in well informed political circles are to be credited, the Duke means to be no longer an idle spectator of events going on both in the East of Europe and in Portugal ; but that—haviog quieted Ireland, as he hopes, by the concessions which have been made to her—he will he able to employ a consi derable part of the forces which have hitherto formed its garrison, in giving to this country that attitude to the affairs of Europe which the ticklish state of Ireland had heretofore prevented her taking. That Great Britain should always be able to ass ume that attitude is most desirable. - None bu t those whO would " counsel dis honour" to her can think otherwise. But • though the " giant's strength" be excellent, it is not always necessary that it should be put forth. Besides, it does not follow, we imagine, that because the Government may have got rid of one incubus, there is, therefore, none remaining which " speaks peace" as an almost necessary consequence of its " dead weight." That second incubus, unfortunately, exists in the debt with which former wars have encumbered us, and which must and will, to a certain degree, aweigh down and paralyse our energies till some great effort shall be made, consistent with justice, to shake off from the lion's mane some of its heavy appendages. One part of the question we would dispose of in an instant, and that is by saying that with Portugal we ought to have nothing to do. Whether Don Miguel or his niece possess the Crown of that country is nothing to us.— Already, by the absurd policy of Mr. Canning, . has this country been once involved in this use less question, in which we have acquired neither fame nor gratitude ; and it would be the height of folly, with such recent experience befbre, our eyes, were we to embark afresh in a matter in which we are sure to acquire enemies, and al e , but little likely to conciliate friends. Such I Quixotism would do but little credit to a country revelling in wealth, and grown wanton for want of blood-letting ; but for this country, which possesses no such signs of repletion, and who is ' bound above all others to husband her resources till a case of real necessity arises, would be a step of such a character as we should be slow to suspect the Duke of Wellington of tak ing. On the necessity or not of our interfering in what is going on in the East of Europe, we are not prepared to pass so decisive a judgment. The policy and encroachments of Russia are too gigantic and appalling to be viewed with apathy by any British Statesman.—Morning Herald. It is impossible for us not to concur in Mr. Peel's view of the inefficiency of the Police of the Metropolis, as we have long been endea vowing to bring that subject under the notice of Government, with a view to some practical re form. The state of the nightly watch is quite disgraceful to a civilised people. It is, as at present constituted, a mockery of protection, and an additional nuisance to many others in this great city which ought to be abated. Nor is there, as experience shows, any reasonable hope of its improvement while under parochial con troul. We do not like to see popular rights abridged, or popular privileges seized into the hands of the Crown ; but if' popular bodies will be so imbecile and corrupt as to make their va• luahle privileges only subservient to mismanage ment and jobbing, the sooner they are deprived of them the better. Aoy change in the Police of the Metropolis must be au improvement, for it is impossible for it to be worse. It is an in sult to common sense to suppose that the infirm, decrepit, ill-paid persons, who are generally se lected by the parish authorities to form the nightly watch could be effective guardians of our lives and property against nocturnal out rage, or capable of resisting the temptation of a paltry bribe to connive at the offences which they are appointed to prevent. When we hear of nine pence a -night being paid by parishes to individuals for the performance of 4 duty which, if done well, must be one . of the most harassing and laborious that a man can un dertake, we are not surprised that so many houses are broken into, and rob bed at night, but are only astonished that there are not more. Such miserable pay ment must make the watchmen, of necessity, endeavour to eke out a subsistence by the guilty produce of their violated trust. But, while the parish police are so poorly paid, are the inhabi tants of the parishes lightly taxed to maintain them ? Is it from an extreme sense of economy that the parochial authorities are so sparing of the public money to _useful purposes? For an swers to these questious we refer to the history of parish jobbing, feasting, and peculation, in all parts of London and Westminster, which we have for some years exposed. " These men have abused their stewardship, therefore let them be no longer stewards." A Government Board will, at all events, have more unity of action than the scattered and unconnected bodies into which the metropolitan Police is, at present, broken. Such 4 Board will, on that ground alone, be capable of acting more effectivey than the parish juntas, and its members will be more immediately under the observation of the Legis lature, and the eye of public opinion. As to the increase of crime in the metropolis of late years, on which Mr. Peel dwelt so much iii his speech on this subject, we admit it in principle, but not in the degree, for a considerable propor tion of it is certainly more apparent than real, and arises from the temptation held out by one of Mr. Peel's Bills to the instituting of frivolous prosecutions, by allowing the prosecutor in such cases his expellees. As an illustration, our Old Bailey report of Thursday contained an account of a trial of two of the lowest order of unfortu nate women on the charge of robbing a man of a toothpick, a button value Id., and three half pence farthing. It appeared in evidence that the prosecutor and the prisoners had beets iriuk ing together for two whole days, and on the second night the abase valuable property got into the hands of the prissiness. Now it is our opinion that the three actors in this scene of drunken depravity ought, upon going before a Magistrate, to have been all packed off to the tread-mill for a nice;tb, where the prose cutor might have an opportunity of ppoling down into sober habits, and reflecting upon the in convenience of keeping bad company. But, no ; a charge of highway robbery is trumped up out of this affair—no less then three Bow-street officers appear as witnesses in Contt—one car rying into Court the button, value one penny .! —the second producing the three halfpence far thing, of whicit he had taken charge, and the third exhibiting the tooth-pick, the value of which we are not informed, but suppose that it must be beneath that of any coin isnown to the reales! This is what, we believe, political C'e.c s nomists cell a " division of labour," and it is accounted for on this plain principle, that under Mr. Peel's Bill the prosecutor and his witnesses were allowed their expellees, or else it is not likely that this case would ever have been heard of in Court, Now can we be astonished at the increase of frivolous prosecutions when this but ton, tooth-pick, &c., cost the country 151., and will ultimately cost the country considerably more, Still we admit that serious crimes have, in a certain degree, increased of late years ; all we contend for on this point is, that many charges which now come into our criminal Courts would not be prosecuted except for the premium afforded by the Bill in question. Before we quit the subject of the state of the Police, for the present, we would recommend Mr. Peel to try if he cannot extend the provisions of his in- tended measure to the parishes within the pre cincts of the city, as well as to every other part of the metropolis. The jobbing of the " civic patriots" calls as loudly for reform as that of the " unchartered" vestries. A uniform principle ought to be acted upon, which, while it re organizes the parishes without the walls, will take their abused power out of the hands of the Corporation.—lbid. LENT ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE. CHESTER, APRIL 13. Stephen Shand, aged 31, was indicted for the wilful murder of John Baddely, at Hyde, in this county, on the 12th of October last, and-in other counts with manslaughter. James Dalton examined by Mr. WALKER. —I live at Manchester. On the 1 lib of October I lived at Hyde, and knew the deceased. I also know the prisoner. On that night I had occasion to go out on the highway about twelve o'clock. It was rather a dark night. About a quarter of .a mile from my house I saw the deceased and a num ber of persons following him. He told me they had been calling him a fournart. The prisoner came up to the deceased, and took hold of the skirt of his coat, and said—" Foumart, foumart, how art thee!" Deceased said Stephen (the prisoner) wanted to murder him ; the prisoner replied he did not, and while the prisoner had hold of his coat, the de ceased struck him on the forehead with a stick that he had in his hand, and he went down upon his hands and knees. By Mr. WALKER—The deceased ran away, and the prisoner ran after him. 'the deceased was an old man, upwards of 60 years of age. The prisoner overtook him, and struck him somewhere behind, and knocked him down; he then kicked him•twice on the head, and once on the side. The prisoner was in liquor. The deceased shrieked " murder," and said, " Stephen, that is thee, and I'll swear my life against thee." The prisoner replied, " I'll give thee something to swear away my life for." I got hold of the prisoner, and begged of him to give over; he said he had not hurt the deceased, neither should he be hurt. A man named Turner came up and lifted the deceased from the ground, and he again ran off. I followed him and begged him to go home as soon as he could. The prisoner again followed ; the deceased had not then got a quarter of a mile. I recollect coming up to a house at Clough-gate. The prisoner was then close to as. The; e were a number of people encouraging the pri soner to come up. The deceased tried to get into the house, perceiving that he was followed, but he could nut. The prisoner came up and struck him, and he fell near to the steps of the door. The pri oner then tumbled twice upon him, with his knees on belly—l cannot say whether purposely or nat. The people of the house opened the door, and the populace pelted them with dirt and made them shut it. The prisoner had gone a little distance, and the deceased was sitting on the steps when the crowd called out, " Now Stephen ! now Stephen!" Upon which he returned and kicked the, deceased twice on the side. The prisoner was then very tipsy,—he could hardly stand. I got him away, and left the deceased sitting on the steps. Cross-examined by Mr. LLOYD.—There.had been a cruel sport at Hyde of hunting this poor old man. The prisoner did not hunt the deceased that night. tie was in a great passion when the prisoner first came up. The deceased was usually called foumart (pole-cat.) There were a number of persons there. 1 cannot say whether the prisoner kicked violently. I did not hear the prisoner remonstrate with the persons there, for hunting the deceased. By the COURT—They had been hunting the de ceased before the prisoner came up and laid hold of his coat : that detained him two or three minutes, and he then ran about 50 yards. The people that had been hunting the deceased did not follow him. They were persons that af►erwards came up that encouraged the prisoner. The Jury prounced a verdict of Guilty of man sla►►;hter, and the Court sentenced him to be im prisoned for the space of two years, and to be kept to hard labour. PARISH OF ST. ANDREW, HOLBORN. MR. PEEL'S PROPOSED POLICE BILL. Yesterday a meeting of the inhabitant house holders of the Lower Liberty of this parish was held in the workhouse, Little Saffron-hill, to take into consideration several important measures, and to represent to the Secretary of State for the Home Department the inefficient state of the Police and Watch of the Liberty of Saffron-hill and Ely Rents. Mr. OLIVER, the churchwarden, in addressing the meeting on the present inefficient state of the nightly watch of the Lower Liberty of the parish, said that nearly one-half of the thieves and depraved characters of the metropolis were collected in that district, and that it was one of the most wretched description. The Local Act authorises the parish officers to collect a rate, of not more than sixpence in the pound, and that rate afforded the small sum of ls. B}d. a night for twelve watchmen. Their number was not sufficient for the parish, nor could it be expected that for so small a sum able men would be procured or efficient duty performed. Indeed, it could not be wondered at if they joined the thieves —(hear) ; the continued depredations and violence in street robberies rendering property and person alike insecure. —(Hear.)—Mr, Oliver, after remark ing on the speech of Mr. Peel the prcceedirig even ing, from which an extract was read, moved that a memorial, setting forth the dangerous and alarming state of the Lower District, should be presented to the Right Hon. Home Secretary, praying that he would include such district in the provisions of the New Police Act.--(Hear, bear, and laughter.) Mr. TERRY, in seconding the motion, contrasted the payment of the Upper Liberty watchmen with that of the Lower,--the former receiving double the sum allowed the latter, and being only six hours on duty. It was from the bad state of the watch, that desPerate and depraved characters, when ejected from other parishes, were allowed to settle in that. —(Hear.)—The insecure state of property com pelled many persons who bad valuable or extensive premises, to guard them at a heavy expense. In the House of Correction there were then sixteen 'aban doned characters, who had all lived in one small street in the district.—(Hear.)—There were only three watchmen to guar4 the whole length of Hat ton-garden and the cross streets; 40 the burglaries that had been committed in those streets were alone proof of the present inadequate system. A Yung 4iscussion then ensued, in which several parishioners stated various facts of robbery and vio lence; and but one sentiment prevailed as to the urgent necessity of adopting some means to reform the present dreadful situation of the neighbourhood. Mr, PpwER said he had been attacked the pre vious evening, and ::necked down. The motion was then put, and unanimously agreed to, and a Committee of seven Gentlemen appointed to present the memorial. The next subject for consideration was an Ad , dr= to Parliament, praying fora Repeal of the Assessed at.d Window Tax; but it was withdrawn, it being remarked that, trot the present state of the Revenue, it would be useless to troubte the Go : , . - vernment. Thanks were then voted to the Chairman, and the Meeting adjour n ed. The successful growth of wheat in sore of our colonies has been manifested during the late scarcity in very remarkable manner. An arrival of it, for ex ample, born the Care of Good Hope, has just taken place, which is of so fine a quality, that 300 quarters were sold on the Corn Exchange on Monday last at gOs., being 10 , . higher than the market price of the best English wheat. Several thousand quarters were shipped for England in January last, and more were to follow. This importation has attracted so much notice, that it will probably direct a portion of spare British capital to that fine colony, to which some addition would undoubtedly be attended with great advantages, POLICE INTELLIGENCE. BOW.STREET. RE-EICAMINATION OF YOUNG, THE WHITTON BUR GLAR.—Yesterday William Young, the man charged with being the leader of the notorious Whitton and Peter sham gang of burglars, and whose first examination we reported in our Paper of Tuesday last, was again brought up, and the office was much crowded in consequence. Since the last examination Sir R. BIRNIE has received several letters on the subject of the great number of bur glaries committed in the neighbourhoods of Ham, Peter sham, Brent ford, and the surrounding villages, and some circumstances have reached his knowledge, which we un derstand have induced him and other gentlemen to make a representation to the Seer; tary of State for the Home De partment, on the cases of the three unfortunate persons now under sentence of death in Horsemonger-lane, and who are ordered for execution on Monday next, and it is not improbable that their lives may yet he spared. The following, witnesses were now examined:— Harriet Dolby stated that she was housekeeper to the man Kite, now under sentence of death, and they lived on Ham Common. On the '7th of December last, about five o'clock in the morning, the prisoner, William Young, and George King, a man now under sentence of death, came to Kite's hours, and brought some property there. Amongst the articles were a piece of red cloth and two saws. I have no doubt that the saw now produced is one of the two ; but at that time there were the initials, "J. P." on the brass plate on the handle. [This plate had been rubbed with a file.] There was also a pair of men's drawers, with "J. Parker" written upon them. The drawers now produced were the same. Witness cut the name out. There were also two legs of pork, and a ham, anti other eatables. Witness cannot say whether the property was divided or not. Young also produced a quantity of raisins, currants, and sugar. Sir R. BIRNIE asked Mr. Parker if he bad lost any thing of this kind ; and he said he had, a stock having been sent home the day before the burglary. Witness added that Young said they got the things from Mr. Parker's, on Ham Common. She was frightened and went away, and did not return until eleven at night. She heard Young say, that as they were leaving Mr. Par ker's house they met a man, and being afraid of his see ing any thing wrong about them, he threw a potato hook 1 which he had in his hand over into a farm yard. _ _ Mr. Parker said that such an instrument was found in the farm yard the same morning. The witness Dolby stated she saw a round towel and other household articles in Young's possession, marked J. P. This was the whole of the evidence at present, and the prisoner was remanded for a week, Sir R. IIIRNIE oh serving that lie should leave no means untried to obtain evidence of other offences, Meanwhile the inhabitants of the neighbourhoods which have been so lung infested may congratulate themselves on the worst of the gang being broken up. _ _ . William Long, a fine looking man, about thirty years of age, was charged with returning from transportation without having received a pardon- George Goff, late an officer of Union Hall, deposed that In. was present at the Kingston Assizes in March, 1820, and saw the prisoner tried before the then Chief Baron Richards, and capitally convicted of burglary. His sen tence was afterwards commuted to transportation for life. Vann, a patrol of this office, stated that the prisoner was apprehended once before on this charge, but the con stable who captured him on the original charge was dead, and he could not then be identified. The prisoner denied that he had ever been convicted. le was remanded. MARLBOROUGH-STREET. An Mali " forty-shillinger," named Michael Hogan, was charged with the following rather eccentric robbery : Clements, the officer, stated, that about seven o'clock in the evening, he was standing at the street-door of the office, when the prisoner came up to him in a very pe remptory s,:rt of manner, and said, " Can I have a lodg ing here?" No, my good man, replied the officer, you cannot, and if you could the lodgings that we provide here are not of the most agreeable sort. " By J-," said the prisoner, " I must have 0. lodg ing here." The officer again assured him that that was not a lodging-house, in which he could be accommodated with any comfort, and requested that he might go about his business, which for some time he refused to do, but at last he exclaimed, " Then, by I'll go and rob the first house I meet," and he went away. He crossed the street in full view of the officer, and entered the ham and beef shop of a Mr. Bousfield, exactly opposite to the office, and while Mr. Bousfield was engagad with a cus tomer, the prisoner contrived to carry off a fine ham, with which he walked out of the shop, and went his way quietly along towards Carnaby Market ; but Clements having observed the whole proceedings, followed him, and brought him back, and ultimately placed him before the Magistrate. Clements, however, said that he bad no doubt but the prisoner was rather intoxicated at the time. The prisoner in answer to questions from the Magis trate said, that he was a thief, and lie would rather be where he then stood than any where else. He was for that night locked up, and when the nest day again placed at the bar his tone was greatly altered ; but as he could not get over the fact of his having stolen the ham he was fully committed for trial. UNION.HALL, A man, named Hose, was charged with having se creted himself in one of the upper rooms of the Bricklayers' Arms, in the Kent-road, for the purpose of committing felony. The prisoner, when taken into custody, pretended to be insane. He rolled his eyes about, and looked wildly; began to pray with a loud voice, and when asked what business he had there, he replied, that the Lord had sent him, that be had executed his commission, and that if be was permitted to walk down stairs, he would depart in peace. He declared that he was inspired, 'that his name was " Holy," that he bad just lunched with Jesus Christ, and had been in company with the Virgin Mary. The fellow, however, exhibited great consistency in his pre tended paroxysm of insanity; for while Crow was pre paring to convey him away to the lock-up-place, Mr. }lase availed himself of an opportunity, and struck the constable a severe blow on the head, and then ran away ; he was, however, secured. The Magistrate ordered his head to be shaved and blistered, to allay the irritation of his mind, and to be brought up again in a few days. WORSHIP-STREET. CHARGE OF ARSON.—Yesterday Josiah Tozer was charged before Sautigt. TWYFORD, Esq., with having wilfully set fire to a house belonging to a person named Hill. James Brown, an officer at this office, stated about one o'clock yesterday morning, he was alarmed by the spring ing of rattles, and a cry of " Fire," near York-place, Kingsland-road, he immediately proceeded to some new houses that were uninhabited, one of which he discovered to be on fire, he went into the house, and found in one of the rooms a quantity of wood piled up and burning ; he was informed that the prisoner was in the employment of a person mooed Hill, the owner of the house, and had the care of it ; he asked the prisoner how the fire happened ; he replied, he could not tell, and that he did not get a light from any person that night. Evan Jones, a watchman, stated about a quarter before one this morning the prisoner came to me and said there were thieves in the house, and asked me for a light, and I gave him one ; and about a quarter of an hour after wards the prisoner came running to me, and said the house was on fire ; I went with him and helped to extinguish the fire ; it is the second time it has been on fire. The vrisoner was remanded. A Correspondent, who dates fionl Hackney tells us, that about five o'clock on Tuesday, p. in., after several hours of hard rain, he observed from eastward to NAY., eland., passing with the most astonishing rapidity. In a few seconds be observed bebiml him, at S.W., an a wfully black cloud, such as precedes a tremendous thum r d e r-storm, going N. or N. E. Looking N., the clouds p e epled to increase in their pace, and going at different di.. rectiono, ascending azjd descending, and separating, as if with force. The scene then became lama awful ? the Clouds met from all direction s with the greatest agitation ; they then seemed to rebound, as the waves from a rock in a gale of wind. This grand scene lasted about five minutes, when the sky became calm and clear, almost without a cloud.— Tin. TIIE MARCH OF INTELLECT.—At Bristol assizes a man named BLOCK was examined as a witness in a case of arson, whose evidence afforded a fine display of the rapid strides which intellect and science have made in these dzys of enlightenment. In answer to a question flout Counsel, relative to the marks made on the boards by the smoke of a candle, the witness said lie had observed " marks of the traits or rays of the concentrated colloric." This singularly scientific answer convulsed the Court with langhter. The witness could not be prevailed upon to explain the meaning of the term to the Learned Conn, sel, but on the Recorder confessing that he himself was ignorant of the precise meaning of the term, the man of science and member of Mechanics' Institutes condescended to state that the " rays of concentrated colloric," meant " the flame of the candle or torcb.".►Bath Chronicle. THE MAGISTRACY. We are extremely glad to find that Mr. Peel is proceeding with his useful labours in the sim plification and amendment of our heterogeneous system of Statute Law—by bringing in a Bill for the better execution of the office of .Justice of the Peace ; the object of which measure is, not only to collect together in one Act all the provi sions relating to Justices of the Peace—at least all that are worth preserving, and which are now scattered through more than twenty Acts of Par liament—but also to make two or three important alterations in the law, which are, in our opinion, calculated to prevent jobbing, and to improve the administration of justice. Of course our opinions on the present system of Magistracy are no secret to our readers. We consider it decidedly and radically vicious, and think that it calls for some alteration far more extensive than those which the Right Flon. Se cretary proposes to make by this Bill; but it is consolatory to find that the subject is attracting observation. One amendment, however trivial, leads to another ; and we hope the time is not far distant when the system will undergo a more thorough and searching revision than that which it now seems likely to experience. The most important provisions of the Bill are, perhaps, those by which the holding of the Petty Sessions of the Peace, and the powers of Justices assembled in such Sessions, are defined aad regulated. To these Sessions, and to them only, Mr. Peel proposes to entrust the adminis tration of some branches of the law previously exercised by individual Magistrates, or by any two or more who might happen to meet in their own parlours or stables (the latter being a place where a Magistrate in this neighbourhood not unfrequently dispenses justice), or in any other private and secluded place. Amongst the powers thus required to be exercised only at the Petty sessions are two, with regard to which there has been an immense amount of injustice committed in this country—namely, the stopping up of highways, • and the execution of the laws relating to the preservation of game. When Mr. Peel first brought the measure before the House of Commons, he is reported to have said with reference to these Petty Sessions, that " he thought an open Court a much better security for the due administration of justice, than any other which it was possible to devise." In the truth of this observation we must fully concur, both as regards Petty Sessions of the Peace, and some other proceedings ; and we looked with some anxiety to the Bill to see how this security was to be applied. To our surprise we do not find a syllable on the subject ; and we can only infer that Mr. Peel imagines that Petty Sessions of the Peace are now, in all cases, open Courts. That that is generally the case, wa have no doubt, but we happen to know, that there aro many parts of the country where the Magistrates in Petty Sessions sit with closed doors, and refuse admission to all persons whose presence is not acceptable to them, Indeed, if we mis take not, there was an action very recently tried, against some Magistrates at Bristol, for excluding a Reporter from a Petty Session ; w herein the Judge decided that the Magistrates had a per fect right to act as they did. Unless Mr. Peel should introduce a clause, declaring the Petty Sessions to be open Courts, in the same manner as the Assizes and the Courts at Westminster, the profligate and corrupt part of the Magi strates will laugh at him and his Act. They will hold Private Sessions, at which they will job for themselves and friends, as they have been heretofore accustomed to do. If he will render it imperative on the Magistrates to hold these Sessions in public, and, at the same time, ex tend their exclusive jurisdiction to a few more objects, we have no doubt he will effect a very extensive and substantial good. Another very important provision in the Bill is that which requires Magistrates to make a re turn to the clerk of the peace of all pecuniary penalties levied before them. We believe the public generally have not the slightest idea of the extent of the malversations at present carried on in different parts of the country. It is well known that portions of some penalties inflicted belong to the King—of others to the poor of the parish, the surveyors of highways, or com missioners of turnpike-roads ; but it is, perhaps, not so well known that his Majesty and the other parties mentioned, in a very great num ber of cases, are somehow deprived of their portions. For instance, within the last few years, some thousands of pounds have been levied in this neighbourhood for offences com mitted against the Highway Act—and one-half of each penalty should go, either to the surveyors of highways, or, which is more frequently the case, to the commissioners of the roads on which the offences are committed. We have reason to believe, however, that a very small portion of the money reaches its proper destination. We happen to know of one road, on which a very large number of convictions have taken place, but where there has never been one farthing of the penalties paid over to the Commissioners. What becomes of the money we have never been able to learn, and can only suppose that the informers are improperly allowed by the Magistrates to retain, not only the share to which-they are entitled, but that which be-• longs to the public. There are several other points in the Bill which are well deserving of notice, but we must postpone them until next week.—Manchester Guardian. The high winds of Wednesday morning pre vented nearly all traffic on the river, except with large barges. The effects were very conspicuous above West minster-bridge. The vessels were beaten in upon the shore by Lambeth Palace, many were swamped or much injured, in spite of the efforts of the men, and many barges were obliged to be put further out into the river, to pre vent their being dashed against one another or on the shore walls. This fresh-water storm was quite pic turesque, and drew many to Militia* to witness the p ff e 0. The sprays frequently dashed completely over large barges. A DAMP SWEAT.—Hovr, the officer of Chorlton-row, during his perambulations on Friday last, net a lad who appeared to have a copious perspiration trickling down his face, and anxious to know what had brought it on, he stopped him, and taking off his hat, found contained in it a woman's gown, wringing wet, the dew from which had caused the appearances which HotT had imagined was the effect of sonic powerful sudorific.— The gown had been abstracted a few minutes before from the washing mug of a woman in the neighbourhood, for which the Magistrates on S4tuyday committed the lad to the Sessions.—Manchester Mercury! In digging the foundation of the King's Bridge, on the vest side of the road, about six or eight feet from the surface, a large quantity of bones have been observed. They ale principally , if not entirely, of oxen and sheep. Under these a bed of stiff solid clay occurs, which ie qughout extremely impregnated with the blue puled! ulent phosphite of iron, derived no doubt from the decomposition of the hones, which lay on or near its sur face. This fact was first observed by HENRY WITHAM, Esq., a scientific gentleman from Yorkshire, who has been amusing himself with the study of mineralogy in Edinburgh for some time past,— Caledonian Mercury. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. PLYMOUTH, APRIL 16.—His Majesty's sh i P Warspite, 76, Rear-Admiral T. Baker, C.8.,9 t ,' Shirreff, was towed out of Harnotize into the Sound on Friday, by the Meteor steam- vessel. The Bramble cutter, Lieutenant Haswell, sailed for Falmouth on Thursday, from whence she sailed on the following day with the Lisbon mail. His Majesty's packet-brig Emulous', Lieutenant W. P. Croke, came up from 'Falmouth on riiday, to be (locked and copperedi having been five years with scarcely any repairs. The Pallas, 42, Captain Fitzclarence, with Lo d Dalhousie on board, will proceed to Calcutta 1° June.• The Echo steam-vessel, Lieutenant BulloCk; a r " rived on Monday from Woolwich and Spithod,W ith supernumerary seamen and treasure, to be put on board the Zebra and Cordelia, for conveyance £0 Cadiz, Malta, and Australia respectively. His Majesty's sloop Clio, 18, Commander R. Deans, arrived, here on Saturday last' from Cork; to be paid off for re-commissioning. She left' Cove on Wednesday. The Hotspur, a new 46-gun frigate, arrived on Saturday from Milford. It is believed that the Cordelia will convey P r '' vate treasure to Cadiz, on account of Messrs. Roths child. The following Mithhipmen passed for Lients. ►►t the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth, last week:--- the Honourable George Robert Anson Cletnents, William Rule Brooman, Alfred Cranky, Jam Chas. Man Touzeau, Frederick Blair, and Churl° John Bosanquet. PROMOTIONS.—Commander Astley, of the Herold yacht, to the rank of Captain, and Lieutenant Cotesworth, of the same ship, to the rank of Com mander. APPOINTBIRNTS.—• Commander George Berkehi Maxwell, and Lieut. S. H. Ilemmans, are appoint, ed to the Herald ; Lieutenants W. E. Amiel, Morris (b), J. Bramwell, G. Howes, John Prat tent, G. F. Fabian, J. G. Raymond, L. John O'Reilly, to the Hyperion. J. Hancock, Archibald Nagle, K. Johnson, T. Coswell, C. K. Scott, and T. A. Gilson, to the Ramillies. Mr. S. J. Tracels to be Purser of the North Star; Mr. John M'Donald to be Master ; Mr. Alexander Baird, Surgeon, to the Procris; ;the Rev. W. A. Row to the Shannon. Mr. D. G. Miller and Mr. E. H. Field, Supernum e rary Assistant-Surgeons to th e B r i tann i a . Mr. J- Robertson, Assistant-Surgeon to the Semiramis, lit Cork suction. Lieuts. Chas. Webbe is appointed to comman d the Lord Melville packet. ROYAL MARINES.—Brevet Major William Corr nolly, to be Major, vice Nicolls, appointed Governor of Fernando Po; Capt. C. Gray, from the unattachel. half-pay, to be Captain, vice Connolly. His Majesty's ship Eclipse, from Falmouth, 01. " . rived at Bahia 23d Jan., and Rio de Janeiro 30t11 ditto. The Cygnet arrived ut Barbadees from Fe l ' mouth Feb. 13. The Lapwing sailed from Madei° for Teneriffe and Rio de Janeiro Feb. 22. The Pe ll ' can, from Zante ; Brisk, from Naples; Riflerlie ll j . from Candia; and Ferret, from Portsmouth, arrive at Malta March 10. The Madagascar, for Corfu; Blonde, for Candia ; Racer and Philomel, for NaPle s; Alacrity, for Marseilles; and Meteor, for -- -- r; sailed from Malta prevous to M arc h 20. 'I . " - Shannon and Grasshopper sailed from Burbadoes fo r Trinidad March 10. - The Royal Sovereign yacht is to be fitted to supply the place of the Wiliam and Mary, the latter being so old as to be unfit f or serv i ce . Anne,ichßa Michael's Rowe, of pr this h 7 i s : ptohret,arri Saucy Jack, a arrived from St. m arrived at Buenos Ayres, from this port Jan. 14 ; the Richard Batley, Bulley, arrived at Rio de Ja ' neiro from this port Jan. 29; the Ellice, Whitmore, from this port, arrived ut Tobago previous to March 1; the Christian, Ham, of and from t his port, arrived at Figueira March 1 8 ; the Ne w Times, Fox, from this po r t, ar rived at Corfu Feb . 28 ; the Creole, Bendixest, from this port arriv ed at Cuxi4aven April 8; the F ame , D av i s , o f t his ports arrived at Lisbon from St. Michael' s M arc h 15; the Maria, Cunning, of and f r om thi s p ort , a rrived a 1 Lisbon March 25. tß lC. ri e 9 r t i P The t i , The equinoctial gales appear to commence nearly a mouth after their time; during Tuesday 14 14 and Wednesday mottling the wind blew a hurricane. The Assize for this county did not finis!! t ill Thursday evening, at nine o'clock. LANE, the 101 gen ' d ; tenced to death for highway robbery, has b e en reP" ee the but BAILEY, found guilty of u tt er i ng f orge d notes Devises Bank, was left for execution on the Gth of g a) ; t The number of prisoners originally for trial amounte d I , about two hundred ; and it is a remarkable fact that V e was the rapid increase of commitments, even during the Assize, that, after Mr. Justice LITTLEDALE had been d ii ii ; posing of prisoners fur three days, th ere were as n i , a ; for trial on the fourth day as when he began.—Bath (/`—. A meeting of Middlesex Magistrates " 1 5 held yesterday at the Sessions House, Cletkenwell, a which Mr. VICKEKY applied for permission to retire,foal the Governorship of the House of Correction. 'His r nation was accepted, but a motion was made by HALLS and carried, to the effect that Mr. VICKERY be r!• quested to retain his situation till a new Governor shouiLt be appointed : also that a day be appointed to ttt,te 010 consideration whether any, and what, remuneration shout'. be given to Mr. Vtexzuv. FEMA LE nIio.6, the PO propertyA C H ER 0 f . Ya Noblemanosterti POACHER.—Yesterday w e morning' ll_(3o two fine in Essex, being out with a groom, made a grand and sin3al_ taneous rush on an old woman, carrying a basket, in 11119- sell-square, which, in her fright, she let fall, and sereatniags ran away. The surprise of the groom was extreme; ba on his reaching the spot where the old woman had bee,' attacked, he discovered that the basket in question cow' tained no less than six hares, which, very naturally , ba t attracted the scent of the hounds. The woman, who it supposed to be connected with poachers, did not return i° claim the property. BIRTHS. On the 12th inst., at the Priory-lodge, Hereford, the lady of W. H. Bellamy, Esq., of a son. On the 15th inst., at Norwood, Surrey, the wife of Lea Wilson, E , q., of a daughter. On the 11th inst., at Hendon, Middlesex, the la- A Y of E. W. B. Webster, Esq., of a son. On the 14th inst., the lady of die Rev. F. Laurent) °f Alford, Lincolnshire, of son. f On the 12th inst., the lady of C. R. Cockwell, Esq . ) - o a son, at Westhourn Manor House. MARRIED. On the 16th inst., J. G. Tweed, Esq., of Lincoln's -Inn' Barrister-at-Law, to Elizabeth, daughter of J. R. Park er, Esq., of Upper Harley-street. • tho On the 15th inst., at the Friends' Meetin,g,hogoo, town and county of Poole, Morris, secopd son of R. Esq., of the above place. IT '11 0 " On the 9th inst., at Halton, near Lancaster, o f Stolterfoht, Esq., Liverpool, t o El eanor , thi r d daughte r the late T. Robinson, Esq. of th e form er place. Were, DIED. On the 14th inst., at Laleham, Martha, widow of Wi liam Arnold, Esq., late of Slatwoods, Isle of Wight. On the 12th inst., Mrs. J. Hollingworth, of Qtle" ' squ ire, Westminster. On the 15th inst., at his house in Bernard-street, W ig ' sell-square, Adam Martin, Esq., aged 67. Or On the 14th inst., at Fletching, in Sussex, age. IA Frederick, youngest son of Charles Bayley, Esq., ti Hon. Eat India Company's Civil Service, on the fif f) p - Establishment, On the 16th inst., in London, Alfred, youngest s o° of W. Fowler, Esq., Bristol. On the 14th„ikst., at the house of Mr. Jaques, John's-terrace, cknev-road, after a long and sevsre ness, Mrs. Berger, aged 32. p. On the 13th inst., at Bruges, aged 22, R. S. A rr • nyngbame, Esq., second son of Sir D. Cunyngluau e i Miln-Craig, Baronet. ~1 at On the 12th Mat., J, Webber, Esq., of Balham an advanced age. of On the 14th inst., at Brighton, William, second son S:r T. W. Bloomfield, Bart., aged seven years. 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