The Sun. — London, England, 1829-04-23 00:00:00

SPIRIT OP THE LONDON JOURNALS. We have received many letters on the subject of Mr. Peel's Police Bill, but they are so voluminous, and some of them so intemperate, that insertion cannot be given to them. A case is reported from Lambeth-street, as having happened yesterday, which proves—if any proof had been necessary — the absolute want of a central and controlling power in the metropolitan police. Here were a gang of robbers pursued by one set of watchmen, and actu ally suffered to escape by another set, who would not stir a foot beyond their own boundary line, to cross and turn the flying villains. It is impossible, without a spirited and cordial co-operation thsrough out the police in all its departments, to afford pro tection to property, or to punish crime. There is another report, and from a different office,—namely, Bow-street,—which will tell its own story, and place in a proper point of liew the lamentations of those wiseacres who are so extremely apprehensive touching the military principles of Mr. Peel's new bill. The ruffian Beazeley—the keeper of a brothel —the tyrannical persecutor of unhappy women who failed, or were unable to bribe him—and the brutal assailant of a peaceful passenger whom he " sus pected of ringing" a door bell in St. Martin's court,—this vagabond, who had on a former oc eision been suspended by Mr. Halls for general bad character, or specific transgression, was restored, it seems, by the precious parish authorities to his forfeit ed post of watchman,and again commissioned to insult and knock down all such of the liege subjects of his Majesty as might be deemed fit matter for experi ment on their purses to the profit of this worshipful peace-officer. The advocates for parish patronage in the nomination of watchmen, can scarcely be i3no rant of the peculiar talents for which these ancient, reverend, and most " constitutional" guardians of life and property had been celebrated. From Shakspeare down to Fielding and Sheridan, your watchman was the standing jest. Night-constable Dogberry might be famed for his wisdom, but of Fielding's watchmen, drowsiness seems to have been the characteristic. In his description of the hour which precedes the dawn, he describes it as the period when highwaymen are awake, and " honest watchmen fast asleep." So when pi e . is asked whether certain of his dramatis persona' were supposed "to be asleep all this time ?" the answer supplied by Sheridan is " fast as watchmen !" So ipuch for the protectors fdrnished to us by the " ancient Constitution of England !"—more ancient, confessedly, than that of eight3neight. Alas ! that the Duke of Wellington's Ministry should make such deadly war on Constitutions ! - One of our letters, signed" A Constant Reader," suggests some con siderations worthy of notice towards the security of the subject, under the ceming Bill, from partial or incapable Magistrates. It certainly has often ap-, peered to us, that from the Country Magistracj being composed of gentlemen who are not obliged to adduce any testimony of their fitness for the office previously to their assuming it, the greater and more anxious are the indirect precautions which ought to be taken for the sake of public justice, against the consequences of their unlearned education, and against the risks of their being really unqualified, since they cannot be proved so a priori. if Justices of the Peace were all professional men, there might be little reason to guard against unskilfulness in the dis charge of their duty: but being, as they are, no more than country gentlemen, some strong measures might be fairly had recourse to for the purpose of com pelling them to acquire the requisite know ledge. We do not, therefore, quite disagree with our correspondent, who complains of the un bounded levity with which the ignorance and in capacity of magistrates, however ruinous to the parties seeking justice at their hands, are treated by the usage, at least, of the Courts of Westminster, if not by the letter of the law ; nor should we be sorry to find in the new Bill some provision upon this interesting subject. Another correspondent, under the signature of " Civis," animadverts most justly upon the slack attendance which is given by the paid magistrates of police at the different offices of this great city. It is beyond endurance that five hours out of four-and-twenty should be the whole amount of their attendance, while such multitudes of cases arise which press for magisterial interfe rence from morning to night amongst more than a million of people. Here, then, is another topic which we trust wilibe glanced at by the forth coming Bill of the Home Secretary. We must add, that if all the provisions of that measure be not equally well cornidered, the Committee of the House of Commons will afford an opportunity for amending them, but that to the principle of a cen tral, superintending, and responsible power, every man who reflects at all must yield his hearty con currence.—Times. The recent Elections of Parochial Authorities in the Metropolis afford abundant proof, if proof were wanting, that the only security against malversa tion in office is popular suffrage. Wherever pa rishes have been placed at the mercy of a body of the inhabitants, acting as Select Vestrymen, they have uniformly been plundered, and that often in almost every possible way—it sounds so well to have the management of a parish placed in the hands of a number of individuals of rank and respectability, generally above all suspicion of jobbing A mo• ment's resection, however, would enable any man to see that these respectable personages are merely named for effect, and to give a more ample scope to the jobbers who really manage the parish business. Lord Tenterden, Lord Chief Justice Best, Mr. Jus tice Bayley, and Mr. Justice Parke are, for instance, members of the Select Vestry of St. Giles-in.the- Fields. These distinguished individuals are, no doubt, more usefully employed for their country, than in ascertaining whether this or that functionary has been cheating the parish,by one of the innumerable tricks, in which the tradesmen and middle classes in general of this most moral and religious country are such proficients. In some of the recent purifications innumerable swindling§ have already come to light. A tradesman, for instance, supplies the parish with certain articles ; his paymaster is also a tradesman ; and he knows that, to have the parish custom, it is necessary he should take payment in goods from the tradesman in question. Having to dispose of these goods at a loss of 40 or .50 per cent., perhaps, he charges the parish accordingly on what he furnishes. So long as the parish authorities appear firmly seated, he will not be such a fool as to give any in timation of this collusion, because he would there by deprive himself, in time to come, of the privi lege of supplying the parish. But when there is what is called a sweeping out, there is no use in any longer being discreet ; or rather, perhaps, the best way of recommending himself to the new autho rities is to reveal the tricks of the old. A. tho rough sweeping out of the functionaries of a parish is advisable occasionally, even when nothing positive in the way of malversation is known, as a means of bringing to light confederacies against the public, not to be otherwise discovered. The author of the article on the " State and Prospects of the Coun try," in the Quarterly Review, to which we yester day alluded, observes truly, that the strides we made during the last thirty years, have greatly corrupted us ; that " not only certain classes, but the whole of our community in their several stations and de grees, departed from the simplicity, foresight, and frugality of their forefathers; and indulged in notions with respect to dress, houses, furniture, living, edu cation, and establishments, which no wealth could support ;" and further, that- people must " bring down their ideas to the level of their fortune," in order to be able, " in Paley's sarcastic, but signifi cant phrase, to keep a conscience.' " The truth is, the people of this country have slid imperceptibly into a degree of laxity of principle unexampled, we believe, at present in the world. The speculations of 1825 tore aside the veil which concealed the de formity ; for they exhibited the first names in the metropolis, including numerous members of both Houses of Parliament, as parties to obvious frauds for robbing the unwary. These speculations origi nated in an unwillingness to abandon the expensive modes of living which were no longer compatible with the existing state of profits. So far have the 1 disreputable modes of conducting business been carried in this metropolis, by commercial men of the first name, that an English merchant, we are sorry to say, has by no means the credit abroad which he used to have. Many of the disreput able modes have been so blown upon, that they can hardly be longer practised. A house, for in stance, in Canada, the United States, or Jamaica, give an order to their correspondent in London—the London correspondent executes the order, and is furnished by the houses whence the parts of the or der which he cannot supply himself is obtained, with double invoices, one for the correspondent's own private use, and the other for the use of the house abroad, charged ten per cent. higher. Ibis practice has not been confined to one or two houses, but (and we speak on the best authority) has been resorted to by the first houses. The recent im proved communications by steam, &c., have taught foreigners a useful lesson. A merchant from one of our Colonies or the United States takei a trip to London, and purchases for himself; he returns with his cargo, which he can afford to sell so much cheaper than the merchant who relied on the ho nesty of his correspondent. The latter becomes distrustful, and visits in turn this country, and dis covers the fraud, for we cannot call it by any other name. Thus a large and most important branch of trade has been • cut up by the inordinate avarice of the London merchants. The same want of good faith prevails in the disposal of consignments; and bills of charges are made up on an extravagant plan, which cannot, however, be legally excepted against. Thus, for instance, it is a well-known device to charge the whole, or the greatest part of the car riage, of a number of packages of goods on each separate package. The clerks and shopmen, in their turn, are not behind their employers ; and hence a man who employs others under him, who would not be ruined, must have recourse to a system of espionage of the most disagreeable description. The Bankers, for instance, knowing that the information respecting coach parcels, which enables the thieves to obtain them, is generally de rived from clerks in their establishment, with whom the head of the thieves is in an ❑nderstanding, are obliged to examine into the private habits of the clerks. The thief again—we mean the capitalist of 60 or 100,0001., who plans the attacks on property, keeping himself always safe—has also his spies on an establishment. He inquires whether any of these dress remarkably well—are seen with fine women, keep expensive establishments, horses, &c.—fre quent gaming-houses ?—and according to his infer ences as to the resources of the individuals, as com pared with their expenditure, he makes his approach. Occasionally a banker lays a trap for these knowing gentry, and a sham negociation with a leading capi talist, of a very amusing nature, was communicated to us by a banker some years ago. There are, no doubt, still many worthy people among us; but the bad habits to which we allude have become much too general. They must bring about their own cure; for the idea of a nation, of which each individual lives beyond his income for any length of time, is out of the question. We pique ourselves on being a moral and religious na tion, but we have never been able to discover the process by which people in this country are made moral and religious. Morality and religion can only be inculcated under the parental roof by pa rental care. But the English are too intent on bu siness to trouble themselves with the superintendance of their children, and the mothers do not like to have the neatness and order of their houses discomposed by boys. Hence they are driven from home as sown as possible to boarding-schools, where they may acquire education strictly so called ; but where they never can acquire what is of far more conse quence—the improvement of the disposition, and habits of prudential restraint. " One of the singulari ties of the time (says the Quarterly Reviewer alluded to) is an unwillingness to tell the truth, even where there is no ground for suppressing or perverting it." Hence, amidst our notorious laxity of principle, the cant about our morality and religion. The people of this country have, generally speaking, not even an idea:of what morality is. When an Englishman hears of immorality he always associates with it something respecting the relations between the sexes. When ever any man happens, at any parish election, to be accused by Mr. Hunt of fraud or malversation, he answers—Do not I live with my wife, while you do not live with yours? Obviously imagining that dis honesty is quite venial, compared with family dis agreements; and that, without knowing anything of such disagreements, or being authorised to inter fere in them, any man is at full liberty to sit in judgment on them: It would be well if Englishmen would take it into their heads to enlarge their notions of morality so far, at all events, as to include fair dealing among them, and to look with mere seve rity on the various modes of fraudulently acquiring the property of others, by contracting debts without ability to pay, or without the intention to pay.— Morning Chronicle. One of the most obvious features of a true Colo• nial policy r should be the peopling of its foreign pos sessions from the surplus population of the mother country ; and when we are told, on the one hand, that a large mass of the population of England, Scot- land, and Ireland, are starting for want of employ ment, and, on the other, that in one of the most promising colonies in the world (that of New South Wales) " all that is wanted is a sufficiency of indus trious inhabitants to cultivate its soil," it seems ex traordinary that so little encouragement is held out to persons who are inclined to better their condition in a new hemisphere. A forced emigration is %?hat we would on no account advocate. It would savour, far too much to our taste, of that journey which cri minals take under another designation. At the same time it cannot, we believe, be denied, that much of the species of forced emigration to which such persons are condemned, would be avoided, if the means of voluntary emigration existed be fore want had driven them to commit the of fences which subject them to the former. But not only is any thing like encouragement to emigra tion withheld from forming part of our Colonial system, but an actual prohibition of it exists to a great extent. Though masters of the great Conti nent of India, its whole surface is sealed from so much as a visit from a British traveller, unless he possesses a passport under the hands and seals of the Lords of Leadenhall•street. Now India, like Ca nada and New South Wales, is virtually a posses sion of the British Crown; and to tell a British sub- ject that he may not set foot on any territory the sovereignty of which belongs to his country, is alike impolitic and unjust. We mention this but inci dentally, as it was not to the case of British India that we meant our present remarks to be directed, but rather to the impolicy of allowing our unpeopled colonies to be made the source of mere personal gain to a few favoured individuals, instead of being ren dered, as they ought to be, subservient to the inte rests of the Empire generally. At any rate, the two objects, we should think, might be combined ; and if grants of land are to be made to such persons, they should, at least, he under a condition, that a certain number of free settlers, of both sexes, should be located upon them in proportion to their value and extent.—Morning Herald. Mr. Peel has taken so much the start, not only of all his contemporaries, but of all his predecessors in ' office, in the very laudable task of improving the civil and criminal law of the country,—in devising the best modes of apportioning punishment, as well as of preventing crime, that we cannot but express our surprise that in the extensive range of his in quiries, it should never have occurred to him to put down, by the strong arm of the law, those pests of society, the common informers. There is not a greater blot oil our statute-book than the existence of such creatures, nor a greater disgrace on the country than their encouragement. Were things called by their right names, those Acts of Parliament which authorise informations to be received from those, who are w illing to make a trade of doing as much injury to their neighbours as they can, ought to commence in somewhat the following style and man ner :—" Whereas it is deemed expedient for the more effectual harassing and annoyance of his Ma jesty's subjects, and more especially for the encou ragement of perjury, the gratification of malice, and the growth of cunning, &c., that a species of animal, known in the human genus as a common informer, should not be deprived of the means of living, but on the contrary duly fed, clothed and lodged at the public expence, be it therefore enacted, Szc." Such a preamble would be in perfect keep ing both with the existing laws, and with the exist ing practices of common informers ; and what, per haps, would furnish an additional recommendation, the law would be duly kept, at least by the in formers. Scarcely a day passes, which does not furnish some gross instance either of perjury or subornation of perjury; and yet the parties are not brought to ju,tice—and yet every one is alarmed at the increase of crime—and wonders from what cause the increase can possibly proceed! We say look at the law which sanctions such practices, and part at least of the cause will be apparent—amend the lair, and much, though not all of it, will disappear; for it is not to be denied, that however wicked men may be, the inventions of men have made their kind much worse.—Morning Advertiser. I took him into custody, and with the assistance of ano- ther watchman conveyed him to St. Martin's,Watch-house. Mr. HALLS asked Beazley if he were quite certain that he saw the young man ring the bell ? " I ask the question," observed Mr. Halls, " because I do not see any such charge entered in the watch-book." Beazley replied, that he certainly did not see the de fendant ring the bell; but finding him near the bell he suspected that he had been ringing it. Mr. HALLS—And pray, Mr. Watchman, is it your habit to to take persons into custody, and lodge them in the watch-house, on mere suspicion ? Mundy, the constable of the night, said, that scarcely a night passed that Beazley did not take some person into cus tody upon the most frivolous charges, for which, no doubt, he had his own views. Mr. HALLS-If I do not very much mistake, I have had this fellow before me on another occasion for mis conduct. Mundy said that the conduct of Beazley on the pre vious night was of the most brutal and savage description. After he had made his charge against the young man, and when it was entered in the book, he refused to suffer any one to lock up the prisoner, and in taking that office upon him self be struck the defendant a terrible blow on the back of the head, which precipitated him from the top to the bottom of the steps;leading to the place where prisoners were usually confined. The young man was so severely injured by the blow, that be lay for more than half an hour in a state of insensibility, bleeding profusely from the wound he had received. When he revived, which was not for some time, the young man appeared to be bewildered, and neither knew where he was, nor what had happened. He raved in the most frightful manner, and required the attention of the watch-house-keeper and those who were present, to prevent him from injuring himself and others. In the course of an hour, however, he became tranquil. Mr. HALLS—This is really most . seandalous conduct on the part of a watchman. Ford, the gaoler, observed, that Beazley was long ago unfit for the situation which he held; but what could be expected from a fellow who was the keeper of a common brothel? Beazley—lt is false to say so ; I keep no such house. Ford—Don't tell me that, Mr. Beasley ; I know better ; you keep a house in Eagle-court, White Horse-yard. Mr. HALLS—I now perfectly recollect, that on a former occasion I suspended this same fellow, upon the statement of an unfortunate woman, whom he charged before me with disorderly conduct. I also remember it was stated at the time that he kept a house of reception for men and women, and that he was in the habit of taking to the watch-house those unfortunate females who refused or ne glected to pay him the usual contribution. Although no charge could then be brought home to him, I deemed it my duty to suspend him, leaving the watch committee to exa mine into the charges preferred against him. I stated to the committee what any impression was, and expressed an opinion that if the charges made by the female could be borne out by facts, that a watchman keeping an improper house was an unfit person to be trusted. I understood (continued the Magistrate) that Beasley was not to be re stored unless the charges preferred against him were proved to be unfounded. Ford—l knew then that Beasley kept a house of ill fame, and so I stated to your Worship, and I repeat the same thing now. Mr. HALLS—AII that I can say is, that the fault os his being continued a watchman after such a charge doet does not rest with a Magistrate of this office, as we wen as far as our power extended. I shill now act as I did before, namely, suspend the watchman, and recommend his discharge. - " Now, young man," turning to the de fendant, " the bread of this watchman may depend upon your answer. Speak truly, did you, or did you not, ring the bell ?" Leonard—l declare Sir, I did not. In fact, a female stood between me and the bell, when this man came up and ordered me to move on. Before I threatened to take his number and have him reported, he seized me by the collar, and dragged me to the watch-house. Mr. HALLS asked if the watchman were present who assisted in taking the defendant to the watch-house. The other watchman then stood' forward, and said, that on hearing the rattle sprung, he hastened to the spot, and found Beasley holding the young man by the collar with one hand, while the other was thrust into his fare. Mr. HALLS-Did you hear Beasley say any thing ? Watchman—l heard him -say he would knock the de fendant's head off. Mr. HALLS then ordered the evidence of all the wit nesses to be reduced to writing for the purpose of having it transmitted to the Watch Committee, which was done ac- , cordingly. The Magistrate thee called upon 'Beasley to find bail for his appearance at the Sessions to answer to the charge of assault; adding th:.t he Would take care that an indictment should' be preferred. Soon after Sir . R. Nutria entered the office, and having heard of the facts of the case, cordially concurred in the view taken of it by Mr. Halls, and without hesitation joined in the_suspension of Beasley. [We are requested by Sir R. BIRNIE to acknowledge the receipt of 21. to be appropriated to the office poor-box,. being the seventh contribution to the same amount of a benevolent individual signing herself (for the handwriting appears to be that of a lady) "A friend to the unfortunate." 3 MARLBOROUGH-STREET. Yesterday John Willis, a labourer, residing in Queen street, Seven Dials, appeared before the sitting Magistrate, Mr. DYER, and stated the folloWing circumstances : About four o'clock that morning, he was passing through Long-acre, and close to Newport-market picked up a paper resembling a bank-note. Whether it really was such or not, he was unable to say, having never learned to read, but anxious to satisfy his mind, (and, perhaps, his appetite too,) lie went into a ham and beef shop, kept by a person of the name of Allen, in Vigo-street, Regent street, and showing Allen the paper, requested him to tell him what it was. Allen having looked at the paper, asked him how he came by it, and being informed, he at first offered him 51. for it, which he refused; but enlarging his offers till he came to 201., when he (Willis) rejected all composition, Allen kept the paper, and turned him out of his shop. Mr. DYER thought the matter required explanation, and ordered an officer to bring Allen before him. In a short time Allen was in attendance, and producing a 51. country note of the Newmarket Bank said, that that was the psper which the complainant put into his hands, and of which he requested the change. He denied having offered him any sum whatever for it; but being a country note, he refused to change it; and as the Complainant was insolent on the occasion, and he (Allen) suspecting that there was something not strictly honest in the matter, he detained the note, and put him out. Willis having looked-at the note, insisted that that was not the paper he gave to Allen. The one now produced was whole, but the other (that which he picked up) was nearly rent in two. He persisted in saying that Allen had offered him the several sums above stated, and added that he never asked far the change of the note. Mr. DYER observed, that if this were true, the note which was found must be to_ a much larger amount than Si., and asked Allen why he had not himself come for Ward before and given information of the matter at this office. Allen hoped that no blame or suspicion would attach to him. He had been a great number of years in business in the neighbourhood, and always bore a respeetable character. Mr. DYER said, that all he required was an explanation, and, handing the note over to the chief clerk, desired that the circumstance might get all the publicity that was possible. The parties then retired, poor Willis evidently much chagrined at the disappointment. LAMBETH-STREET. Yesterday, Mr. Newton, a gentleman residing in Mile end Old Town, waited On the sitting Magistrates, Messrs. WYATT and J. HARDWICK, to inform them of an occur rence that took place on that morning. Mr. Newton stated, that on that morning his house had been broken into, by the removal of a panel with centre bits, from the door leading into his back-premises. The thieves having killed the watch-dog, traversed the house from top to bottom, and among other articles which they stole took from the bed's head of his daughter's apartment, without' disturbing her, a watch and its appendages. Hear ing unusual noises in the house, he gave the alarm ; and three of the watchmen of the hamlet immediately ran to his assistance, but their exertions to apprehend the burglars were defeated by the conduct of those of the Commercial road trust ; who; though they 'could hive easily intercepted them (they . ; in their escape, passing near their beat),refused to remove a step from their boundary-line, or render the slightest aid. Mr. Newton concluded by saying that he troubled their Worships with this statement in order to the correction of an abuse of a very enormous character ; and could assure them that, were it not for the jealousy that e xisted between the watchmen of adjoining districts, not only would the burglars of his premises have been appre hended, but offenders generally would not so frequently eva de justice. _ . POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MANSION-HOUSE. A Jew, named Jacobs, was brought before the LORD MAYOR, charged with having violated Michael Angelo Taylor's Act, by selling old clothes in the streets, to the obstruction of, the passengers. One of the officers employed in the almost desperate office of keeping Cutler -street, near the East India Com pany's warehouses, clear, stited that he found the de fendant, who looked so like a monkey that some people were actually afraid to approach him, selling clothes in the middle of the street. When any body whom the Jew con sidered to have no friendly design towards him made his appearance, he moved his features about with such amazing quickness, and cut such fantastic and extraordinary tricks, that a person who did not see him in the act of dealing would swear that in his case no penalty could be inflicted, ,15 the Act was made for human, and not for brute, beings. He, however, gave undeniable proof of his superiority by receiving fur the article disposed of much more money than it was worth. The officer immediately gave him the hint to•depart, but he continued the trade, and was therefuie charged. The Loan Alxvoa, looked at the man for some time, as if in doubt whether he really was, or ought to be consi dered, a responsible being. At last his Lordship said, " What has the defendant (he could cot say man) to plead in his defence?" The defendant made two or three simultaneous move ments of his jaws, eyes, and hands, cf the most extraordi nary kind, and said, " Please your worship, I vas just a valking that ere place vere those here people sells the tog gery, and I had a vaistcoat vat I bought in the 'tither end of the town. Vell, your Lordship, this here man (the officer) came to me, and says, I'll buy that ere vaistcoat.' No,' says for it a'nt lawful (your Vorship, I know'd it warn't the law) for to sell this Lere waistcoat in this here place.' With that, your Vorship, he says to me, ' I'll pull you afore tie Lord Mayor,' and so I coned for to tell your • Lordship the rights on it, s'elp me God."—(Laughter.) The LORD MAYOR asked the officer whether he wanted to be a customer of the defendant's, and whether there was truth in the defence ? The officer declared that there was not a syllable of the truth in the speech. The Jew had been openly sitting in the street, and carried half-a-dozen waistcoats on his arm. The Loan Mawoa—l must put a stop to this most in tolerable nuisance. The public are constantly annoyed, and complaining.. I shall fine you 10s., and if you come here again for a similar offence I shall double the fine. The defendant said he had not a half a farthing, and that he had a wife and children. ' The officer assured the Lord Mayor that the 10s. would be soon forthcoming. His Lordship was inexorable in demanding the penalty. The defendant then said, darting a terrific look at the officer, " If I don't carve you out, strike me lucky, my big un."—(Laughter.) The Loan MAYOR—I'II fine you five pounds for that instead of I Os. Defendant—For what, my Lord? I said nothink, s'elp me God.—(Loud laughter.) The LORD MAYOR—For threatening to serve out the officer. You shan't stir until you pay the 51. Here the Jew's teeth chattered, and lie put on such a woful countenance, while with both hands he scratched his head with such amazing rapidity, that there was a general burst of laughter. The Lord Mayor found it im possible to resist the general contagion, and joined most heartily. Such an appeal was too strong not to meet with a mitigation of the last penalty, and the Jew retired apparently as grateful as he had been frightened. GUILDHALL. OWEN 17. HOLLAND.—Yesterday, Mr. Holland, a " commercial traveller," appeared upon summons before Sir PETER LAURIE to answer the complaint of Mr. Owen, a warehousemadin Wood-street. Mr. Owen's cause of complaint was thus :—As he was standing at his door in Wood-street, on a certain day named, he saw Mr. Holland coming towards him; and, Mr. Holland being in his debt, he said to him, jocosely— " How do you do, Mr. Holland ; I hope you are come to pay me that trifle of money ?"—To which Mr. Holland replied—" No, I am not ; but I am come to pay you something else which I owe you !"—and without more ado he began paying away, right and left, thump after thump, upon Mr. Owen's own proper person, until be was out of breath ; and then he went away ;—leaving Mr. Owen (as may well be supposed) pretty considerably die guntled by the operation. Nevertheless, Mr. Owen, be having that Mr. Holland was under the united influence of wine and misconception--:-some " good natured friend . ' having told him (Mr. IL) that he (Mr. 0.) had spoken slightii gly of his (Mr. H.'s) wife;—would willingly have overlooked the violence done to his person by the operation aforesaid; but Mr. Holland thought proper to return and repeat the operation more vigorously than in the first instance, and that, too, after he bad been away long enough to cool; and therefore Mr. Owen felt himself bound to see whether the law would not compel Mr. Hol land to keep his fists to himself in future, and give some satisfaction for the unwarrantable use be had made of them already. Mr. Holland, in reply, said—" I have been credibly in formed that Mr. 0. had traduced my wife; and, on the day in question—being full of wine, and seeing Mr. 0. standing at his deor, my indignation rushed into my arms, and my reason gave way to my passion, and, I believe, I seized him, and shook him; but I do not recollect that I. struck him. It is true that I returned a second time, but not before I had had time to cool, as Mr. 0. has alleged— for I was not away more than seven or eight minutes ; and I positively deny that I struck him in the second in stance. However, I repeat that I had been drinking with a friend ; I am very sorry for what I have done to Mr. Owen; and I hope this acknowledgment will satisfy hint.' , Sir PETER LAURIE enquired of Mr. Holland whether he had ever felt his indignation rush into his knuckles on any former occasion P—Mr. Holland replied that he did not recollect that he had ; and he added, that in all proba bility it would not have done so in this instance, had not his system been somewhat inflamed by the wine he had just then been taking. • " That is to say, you were drunk," rejoined Sir PETER LAURIE, " and I am astonished to hear a person of your gentlemanly appearance make such an acknowledgment; for drunkenness is now generally looked upan as a disgrace ; or, at all events, it is confined to the lowest of the low." " To err, is human," responded Mr. Holland, with a low bow and a graceful wafture of his band ; anti then, turning to Mr. Owen, he added—" to forgive, divine." But Mr. Owen refused to be pacified. It was utterly untrue (he said) that he had traduced Mrs. Holland • his feelings and his person had been grossly outraged ; and he must have more ample redress than a mere apology de corated with scraps of poetry. Sir P. LAURIE took much pains is reconcile matters between the parties, and, finding he could not succeed, lie allowed Mr. Holland to depart on his word of honour to appear on the morrow with sureties to answer Mr. Owen's complaint at the Sessions—unless he should happen to make his peace with him in the interim. BOW-STREET. The following case, which was heard before Mr. HALLS yesterday, furnishes a strong proof of the necessity of re formation in the system of nightly watch. Nicholas Leonard, a young man in the garb of a me chanic, was charged by John Beazley, a watchman of St. Martin's parish, with riotous and disorderly conduct. Beazley having been sworn, deposed, that b etween one Mr. Wyarr believed such to be the fact : the evil, how and two o'clock that morning he found the defendant ever, was in the course of being remedied, and those clash ringing a bell :at one of the doors in St. Martin's-court, ing jurisdictions, which w e re s o d e trimental to the interests and creating a great noise by shouting. He desired the of the community, shortly about being removed. defendant to move on, but he refused to comply, declaring Mr. HisinwicK said that the new Bill would place those that lie would take his (Be'zleY's) number, and have him men wider a proper controlling power, and give an unifor reported for his interference. Upon which, said Beaaley, mity of practice which could not possibly exist when so many various and discrepant local interests as those which, under the present system, prevailed, were to be consulted. A representation of the misconduct of these watchmen would be made to the trust, and, in the meantime, he would advise Mr. Newton to find out their names. Mr. Newton feared that the trust could not effectually interfere, for the watchman, when he close, would at once turn round on it and say, " We have no right to go into any other district : if we do, you blame us." Mr. HARDWICK—Ay ! such is the plea they will, in all probability, advance ; but we will, however, try how the trustees will deal with it. UNION-HALL. Yesterday William Grisdale, foreman to Mr. Waude, the coach-maker, in the Kent-road, was charged with having committed a violent assault on his wife, whereby her life is endangered. Mr. Waude was present during the latter part of the violence complained of, and he described the conduct of the defendant towards his unfortunate wife as of the most brutal description. The defendant and hii wife, it seems, had some angry words together, and although she is near her accouchement, he struck and kicked her on the body in such a savage manner, that little hope is entertained of her recovery from an act of so ferocious a character. The poor woman being unable to attend, a medical certificate of her dangerous and alarming state was produced. The defendant did not utter a word in extenuation of the outrage, and he was remanded until the event of his treat ment towards the poor woman is ascertained. ANECDOTES IN WAR. I remember at Corunua, when we were very young soldiers, we could not be satisfied with out making riflemen creep along the banks and hedges and shoot the helpless single cavalry videttes of the enemy. At the time I thought this very fine and praiseworthy, but since, " being wiser grown," have considered an officer approving of such acts as little better than giving countenance to assassination. Friendly inter course_ may, however, be carried to a too great length. The 21st Chasseurs and ourselves, after having been all this winter opposite each other, • have become rather too intimate. One of our subalterns, who speaks French and German fluently, knows several of their officers ; and on my visiting a distant picket, which he command ed under my orders, some days since, on inquir ing for him, was told, he was over at the enemy's picket. I have known several instances of right feeling evinced by the enemy worthy of gentle men who are above turning into individual strife the quarrels of the two countries. While the light division was at Gallegos, some greyhounds belonging to an officer strayed into the enemy's lines, and an opportunity was found, by means of the first flag of truce, to request their being returned. The answer was favourable, stating that they should be sent in on the first oppor tunity. A day or two after, the enemy made a reconnoissance, and, when their skirmishers were thrown out, the greyhounds were seen in couples in the rear, and on the first carbine being fired, they were let slip, (the dogs of war ?) and came curveting through the whistling balls to their old masters. These recollections bring up others, and since you despise more serious strains, I cannot do better than give you my whole stock of military tittle-tattle and camp gossip. On the day the French retired from Fuentes de Honor, the last troops they withdrew from our front were some . squadrons of cavalry. Accompanied by a friend of mine, we quietly followed their retrogrademovement, and, secure in the speed of our horses, ,and the open plain, gradually neared the,rear-guard. When we came within a few yards, an officer rode out, and *begged than we would not encroach so much, or otherwise he should be obliged, but with regret afaire charger les tirailleurs ; 'it is needless to tell you, that we did not further intrude upon hii good nature or civility. I have witnessed some remarkable instances on a Momentary suspension of arms,- even during a general, action,. of alino,st a mixture of the armies. At Talavera, a brook of muddy, and even of 'bloody water, not ran, but stagnated, in the ravine between our position and that of the enemy. During* the mid-day heat, before Joseph Bonaparte and his Marshals made up their minds to the general attack, which ended in their disComfiture, the firing on both sides ceased, and the hostile, soldiers came to assuage their thirst from the same water. This led, through the intervention of the Spanish lan guage, to remarks'. on what had, and what was likely to occur, and the potent contents of can teens and calibashes were exchanged in token of good fellowship. This amiable intercourse was only broken off by the renewal of the gigantic contest. Again at Busaco, when the baggage of General St. Simon, who had been left in the midst of our ranks on the repulse and overthrow of the enemy's attack was sent for, the light division and the enemy's . troops opposed to them fairly mingled in plundering the dead, and Lord Wel lington became desirous of checking it, as some of their soldiery had strolled up (I spoke to several of them) to the very summit of the hill, even beyond where their advance had penetrated in their previous attack. A similar occurrence took place in front of our lines that covered Lis bon. Before we fell back upon our redoubts, we held the ground near the village of Santa Quintina, opposite our centre for several days. The 71st under Colonel Cadogan, were here poSted behind a little bank they had thrown up, and were only divided from the enemy, equally covered by a wall, by a small field, about one hundred yards across. Under Loisson's direction, the enemy stormed our post, and were beat back by Colonels Cadogan and: Reynell, at the head of two companies, literally with the bayonet, as one of their men 'was stabbed as lie was crossing the parapet of the breast-work. The whole skirmish and the repulse were speedily over, and when all firing had ceased, they called across for permission to carry off their killed and wounded men who were strewed over the little field in front. To this we assented, and they sent a party, accompanied by an officer, who commenced their removal. Whilst they were so employed, the officer came up to Reynell,' and, with some flippancy , mingled with mortification, said; " Apres Pcfaire nous somnies des boas amis." Colonel Reynell replied with great quickness, pointing to a . shot.lie had just received through his blue cloth light infantry cap— , " Sans doute, cependant je,vous rernercie pour cette marque de votre bonte,"—Naval and Military Magazine. We learn from an Irish gentleman, lately come from the South of Ireland, that the lower classes of the Catholics are impressed with a belief that the Relief Rill will in some way—they scarcely know how— materially improve their condition. They are no doubt right in their general expectations, but some of them have curious notions of the way in which Emancipation will operate. An amusing instance of this was related to us by our friend, as follows :—A labourer in Cork got drunk, and sallied out into the streets in a very pugna cious humour. One of the city magistrates, who was on the spot, seeing that the man wanted some one to fight him, and that a crowd was gathering, went up to him and advised him to go home, saying that if lie did not lie would be doing something that he would regret after wards, or something would be done to him that he would regret. " Oeb," said Paddy, "what is there that I can regret now ? sure and we'r emancipated." " Well, my good fel!ow," s.tid the magistrate," and what do you mean to do now that you are emancipated? " Och," replied the man, " sure and I'll 444 my son to,a judge !" .L—Liverpool Paper. INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT, APRIL 9' Xavier Chabert, a foreigner,. who deicribt., self in his schedule as a resident of DUblin, .gor/ , . burgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, and Liincleo i _ l 4,o 9 - 11 fessor of chemistry and pyrotechny, a genot.com_, mission-merchant was opposed by Mr. Nicholls, on ,behalf , and an exhibitor of cUritisti"!° ; of . Messrs. Preston, of Edinburgh, haberdashers, fro* whom he received muslins to the value of neerlt 4001.—1 n answer to questions put to him by CoPt.'ir set, he stated that he. was in the habit of ,puto 4s '. fire and molten lead into his mouth; he professe4r."' swallow them, but he only put them into. his mouj i !''' and took them out again in a sly manner, fer„l.l . were too hot to eat.—(Much laughter .)-s e copii swallow prussic acid without experiencing . an effects from it ;—that's what he called pyroteeiAll'i He had - five partners in the beginning, but 110 1, I l d! were not thriving he latterly acted alone. a counting-hOuse in Dunster-hill, but he had nO.Pr i .' perty except a wife and child.—(Latighter.) -- "P'" received goods from his opponents thiough yeller, and he sold them in a week after to $• Christoph, who never paid him , and who cOul4 1 : 1 ° - ' now be found any where. When the_iime for go ing his opponents had arrived, apprehensive of, ing arrested, he put all the goods which he had to the counting-house into a coach to carry them and when he came to the place where he was to 'l°: posit them; he met an officer who was going. to iirq s ,; l him, he ran off, left his books, &c., in the caach`,#P,ti I could never find them since. Mr. NICHOLLS said, that theounds on opposed him were the non-produ ction of his books; he looked on the insolvent's . stateine4 ll,'o,, ! . lame story: as there was no evidence to ate; ' l6f r i trary the Court discharged him. ~eci SOUTHWARK SESSIONS, APRIL Sg• The Court was unable, either yesterday or te-o,_l to proceed to business until near 12 o'clock, in, lion-attendance sequence of the on-attendance of an - Alcleort This morning Sir John Perring, though not on sr rota, left the Justice-room to preside. It is di to the Recorder to say that he was punctual. Pl . ; VW convenience and expense occasioned to the are loudly complained of. Alexander liflntosh and George Lewis were_l:l dicted for stealing from Eliza Brent, on the 4f 11 , 1 March, a purse, containing half-a-sovereign al l " shilling. The prisoners are well known thieves, end Wer e found Guilty.—Transported for life. • SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE. LIVERPOOL. 04 TUESDAY, APRIL .21.—High water 31 min. E- 40 : o'clock.—Wind S.S.E.—Arrived the Benkal, " j !150, from Bombay; Thomas Naylor, Trimmonsi-fron: 3 4. vannah ; Lady Elizabeth, , from the'SOuth .1764 Alert, Croker, from Sligo ; Mars, Clapperton, Orleans ; Commerce, Bates, from Coleraine ; Fb l ' u from Dublin. for CLEARED OUTWARDS.—The Flora, Rooderp.iiW Rotterd ; Champion, , for New Orlear!s; lypso, Lowther, for Prince Edward's Island; • Nowell, for Boston ; Thomas, Coffey, 'Newfoun d . P 4 Marshall, ---; for Elsinore ; Seaforth; Demerara; Gleaner, Ball, and Maalaull, White, 0 1 7' fourulland. sof Holyhead—Passed inward-bound the Ceres, from' Orleans, and Mara, not certain. frO s Point Lynas—Passed inward the Lady Canning , ' • Jamaica. Fe On Tuesday night the chambers of Mr. D° A , of Harcourt-buildings, in the Temple, were broker' ° l — i 3 l by some thieves, during his absence in the coun tr Y!C. robbed of a considerdble quantity of property of every " scription. The villains gained an entrance by bC O4° F. C . hole through the door with a centre bit, and then Wait" ti e lock back. OB S ERVANCE OF TIIE S ABBATH IN SCOT LA N D .—In Sir Humett REY DAVY'S Salmonia, th ere is the , following anecdote Once I was walking on Arthur Seat, with some of the most distinguished professors 0 1 Edinburgh attached to the geological opinions of thelate Dr' HUTTON, when a discussion took place upon the phenomena presented by the rocks under our feet, and to exentrliff principle, Professor PLAYFAI a broke some stones, I assisted the venerable and amiable philosopher. Vi e LI hardly examined the fragments, when a man from s' cr° ; who bad been assisting at a field preachitg, came " tip o t and warned us ofT, saying, ye think ye are only stsrje, breakers ; but I ken ye are Sabbath breakers , mad ye dear!' to be stoned with your ain statics.' " SERIOUS FRACAS AT W ES TMINSTI ScitooG.—A most lamentable instance of the hostile fe et ing in great schools has occurred within these few dal . ! Westminster School, in the melancholy fate of 14411-4 Ammo:4, a youth of considerable attainment' ;4„b 6', War' years of age, the son of an eminent tradesin o iw 'dour -street, Soho, and whs hoarded at C o c k ' s ' t° Dean's-yard. About a fortnight since, according' to e cj best information, two of the King's scholars, ClthOK and Alwasu, having cherished some gru el b ra d, wards poor HARRISON, threw a large stone at his "ei".tit whilst he was going to the school, which struck big' great violence upon the back of his skull, and sent barn„ - bleeding to Mr. PRESTON, the second master, w ho tioned the circumstance immediately to Mr. WILLIAIS:s: the head-master, then too much engaged to notice tag tentively. By the direction of Mr. PRESTON, w h° indignant at such outrageous cow - filet, medical assidts,°o was immediately obtained, and young H.aaalsot( t he superintendence of his own brother, who removed to St. George's Hospital,' in order to be u nder r .t R are s present walking that hospital.. HARRISON , t'l say, became %TITS, ' and he was renioved to his father t at No. 05, Wordotir-street, Soho, where he at preen% remains, but is considered in great danger. Cll.OO ,g MARSH, his assailants, who are about 17 years of are still at liberty, and do not appear to be inapressed rtt i t the mischief they have maliciously done. 11.saalso i(t is stated, had got into the Little Dean's-yard, where , 1 :: 0 cording to an understanding, or some custom, the boys have no right to intrude. is a surgeors_. BIRTHS. On the 20th inst. at Pantbourn, Berke, the 1 0 1° , 1. jamin Williams, Esq. Taristock-square, of is•Th o o, On the 19th inst. at his house in York-place , 'Pia man-square, the lady of Henry Charles Hoare, FA. daughter. On the 19th inst. in Kent, the lady of-Robert lo°' Esq. of a daughter. of In Rutland-square, Dublin, the Countess Annesw4 ,,, 1 ' a still-born son. MARRIED. b Fi On the 21st inst. by the Rev. W. B. Ba rter, at te Clore, by special licence, the Rev. J. C. Stapleton Wild Lady Harriott Elizabeth Herbert, daughter to the gsr' Carnarvon. On the 20th inst. at Holton-Beckering, Line q. by the Rev. John Middleton, 13. D. James L. Rao 4ell n of Clapham, Surrey, to Mary Ann, eldest daughter °' Rev. John Hale, of the former place. On the 21st inst. at Chalk, Kent, by the Ilenlir; Joynes, Captain Henry Charles Fraser, of th e '''.'h t sf e( Royal) Regiment,. to Emma Charlotte, youngest dob of W. . Doreill, sq. of the sam plac. On the 21at 1 inst. E the Hon. and Rev. e Charles , 6e , ° ,,, r • g f Perceval, third son of Lord Arden, and rector of 1 -' 3 ',ltt ton, Bucks, to Mary, only daughter of the Rev. rr!- - Knapp, rector of Sheialey, in the same county. 1 4 ° . On the 22d inst. at Little Bromley, Essex, by th •tO Thomas Newman, M.A. J. Porter Humphreys, Ittis Mary, only daughter of B. Carrington, Esq. of tb lo-- place. DIED. &Of . On the 21st inst. at Argyll-house, Lady Alice Cor eldest diughtur of the Earl of Aberdeen. On the 19th inst. at Thornlby, near Leyburn , the Right •Oftr Hon. Morris Lord llokeby, of Armagh, and a 114 , f fhio aged 71. He is succeeded in his titles and estates 1!7 brother, Matthew Montagu, Esq. of Portman-sque re '.4o , On the 19th inst. Mrs. Mary Carpue, at Knight,l4 , o l ' On the 21st inst. in Albemarle-street, Sir Brool' Bridges, Bart. of Goodnestone-park, Kent, in thy.. year of his age. be tbr On the 19th inst. at Clifton, near Bristol, O E4 relict of N. B. French, jun. Esq. ifs o f On the 21st inst. at Hastings, Elizabeth, the cr Thomas Mills, EN. „e, V' On the 21st inst. William, the eldest ion of 114. ' the Crafter, auctioneer, Stamford-street. Blackfriare, 313 • 14th year of his age. .41:e ---- PRINTED and PUBLISHED by IMMO° YOUNG, . 1 : OrFICE, 112, STRAND, LOXDON.