The Sun. — London, England, 1830-10-01 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF Tut PUBLIC JOURNALS. We have collected, under the proper head, from public papers and private letters, all the information which We could yesterday obtain respecting the state of . the Netherlands, and the district which now may Unfortunately be called " the seat of war" in Bra s bent. The retreat of Prince Frederick to Vilvorde, with all its disastrous results, is confirmed. It is not likely that his retrograde' movement can stop here, for if the population of Mechlin show the same disposition which appears spreadin► in other quarters, he will probably find the walls of Antwerp _lds best security. The situation of his Royal High nets, and of his troops must indeed be deplorable, in having sustained such a signal defeat in circum stances where victory would have been a calamity, anti a triumph would have conferred no honour. .--- Vinci miserum, emulsions vicisse domino." We yesterday expressed an apprehension that from the success of the insurgents at Brussels, the insurrection would extend itself into ether districts which bad hitherto remained faithful to the King's Government; and the worst fears of those who are desirous of maintaining the general tranquillity have been realized. From all sides volunteers are hasten ing to the assistance of their brethren in the capital. The fortress of Mons is said to be in the hands of the insurgents. The strong place of Ath has like• ! wise fallen ; at Ostend the troops have been dis armed, and their Dutch officers obliged to .embark hastily to avoid massacre, while even the fidelity of Ghent is said to be wavering. The impulse given by this first victory of the Brussels populace over the national forces, with the King's son leading the attack, must be incalculable. It will teach the people every where the secret of their own power. Being represented as a victory gained by the Belgians over, the Dutch, it will make the contest national. Patriotism will thus join with provincial antipathies in exciting the lower orders against the Govern ment, and augmenting► the ranks of disaffection. Those who are sensible of the benefits conferred upon the nation by the existing dynasty, and who! wished to enjoy them in tranquillity, will be obliged: to adopt the passions, or to incur the vengeance, of the misguided mass. Foreign adventurers, and Bel gians desirous of a foreign connexion, will exaspe r►te the evil, in order to render the return of the people to their former allegiance impossible; and already even the throne of the Monarch may be considered as in danger,--a danger which probably can be averted only by such concessions as would render it ever afterwards insecure. It is not, how ever, our intention at present to enter into any spe culations on the consequences of the existing state of things. We have only room to methodize a few of the facts contained in our more extended state ments. Its the first place, then, it is evident that the chief assailants of the military consisted of the lower classes and workmen out of employ, whose antipathies against the Dutch are strongest, and who might gain something but could lose nothing by a change. The Burgomaster and the Regency, who had con tinued in command of the city us long as there was a hope of an accommodation with the Government, had resigned on Monday, the 20th. The Com mittee of Public Safety having been dissolved, its members had fled, and the Provisional Government appointtd by the mob bad not met. Many of the Burgher Guard bad been disarmed, and had prayed protection from the Prince. Without any Govern ment, or the shadow of authority, civil or military, the most frightful anarchy prevailed, before the ar rival of the troops gave the insurgents an object and point of united action. This is admitted by the revolutionary journals themselves, anti is proved by the appointment of a foreigner to the command of the city, no Belgian of any mine or importance being able or ready to lead the citizens. Since the victory, a provisional Government has beets formed, and the upper classes will pro bably !mitten to place themselves at the head of a movement which they did not originate, and which they trembled at first to accompany, 2. It is evident that many of the respectable citizens who entered into the Burgher Guard to repress the original riots, and who subsequently retained their arms to treat on better terms with the Government, had become before the late contest as much sus pected by the populace as the troops themselves. Many of them in different (porters are said to have been disarmed, and even the majority of whole sec tions refused to act. The populace had thus an arsenal at their command in the houses or at the posts of the inhabitants who bad armed and organized themselves to repress the first excesses of the insur rection. 3. It appears that from this cause the power must fall into the hands of the most violent faction. When de Potter, a man who had been imprisoned for eighteen months, and had been con demned to eight years of exile s —who suffered what we have always allowed to have been harsh and cruel treatment from the Dutch Ministry--sreturns frown his asylum in France and becomes the chief of a provisional government, with such a long list of persecutions to avenge on the Dutch, and with such strong obligation to repay to the ruling French party, it is easy to see that a compromise or an accommodation with those whom lie deems the oppressors of his country must become a mutter of great difficulty. In the last place, it must occur to every one who allows their proper weight to recent events, that little good effect can be hoped for from the prudent counsels or energetic declarations of the States-General. The Belgic Deputies who remain at the Hague will be suspected by their country men, and the acts of the Legislature will be treated no better than the commands of the King. It would be needless in this case to allude to the ques tion of the fortresses on the French frontier, the difficulties of which will occur to every body much sooner than its solution.--Times. A question, undoubtedly one of the most inte resting of all which now agitate the minds of French politicians, iv," what shall be done with the clubs?" The Paris papers teem with articles on the subject, some condemning these societies as disturbers of the public peace; others defending them as salutary and indispeneeble organs of . public opinion. We have ineerted, in another part of our paper, several of these articles, as specimens of the kind of discus sion employed on this subject. M. Guizot, Minister of the tumor, seems to have irritated some advo cates of the club system, not so much by the mea sures which he proposed against them, at by those immitestatione of contempt and dislike with which his discourse in the Chamber of Deputies abounded. The Tribune des Derartentem of Monday lust Makes a violent attack on the Minister for his lan guage with regard to these assemblies, and, amongst other topics of remonstrance, urges, that " the article 291" of the laws (against numerous meet ings) existed slitting Poligiuse's time, and with much greater force than at present; " because Mince had not then got rid of despotism ; and the gene d'aernes and M. Mangin were ready to prevent the meeting of more than 200 persons." Now this argument, fortiori, is utterly fake as a ground for supporting political clubs under a free constitution, rather than under a despotism. Where free institu tions do not exist, or are not, as wider Charles X., administered in an upright spirit, and therefore where the political organization of the state presents nC itself no means of redress for the people, a vos luntary union of citizens, forming a power indepen dent of the state, becomes their only hope of amendment, Where freedom is established by law, find strengthened and animated by the known Rine eiple of the Government, a political meeting called oeeavionelly for some determinate and specific end, is perfectly in character with the genius and welfare of the commonwealth. But an isolated meeting' and an incorporated club, with successive a f requent reunions of the same members . rn ' its effort* to 4 single object, but em l hr: em any, "ling aiming at 4 systematic and extensive el 7 span the stational mind, with a v i ew to eoe o d ,er a atlon ling the legitimate power of the state, l e n iirl or tl imPel. in directly over-ruling the established Oovenimer'iuts are things of a widely riiirerent nature. A dub seines tia„f wasting its lime in the discussion of prin. eiples—it grows impatient, and busies itself with measures. It does not continue long to deal bi words; but aspires to actions—strives to make proselytes among the nation to its purposes, and to force them on the executive and legislative power. If it fails to bear down the organized and ostensible Ipowers of the state, it enlists licentiousness:and:d►s. turbance among its means; and what, under a de. spotism (if it remains undetected, aiid tolerated), we must all admit to be a great instrument for the recovery of freedom, is, when placed alongside a free ,Government, a fomenter of alarm, turbulence, and trouble—an imperium in imperio, and a danger to society. Without needlessly reverting to the France of 1793 for proofs of what the club-system in its perversion or degeneracy may arrive at, look merely to Ireland 'for illustrations of its wonderful poWer ; and that without referring, except as an incident, to the good or evil spirit of its conductors. The Club or Society of United Irishmen produced the rebellion of 179 g. The club denominated the " Catholic Association,"—it is useless to blink the recorded fact—that society, with other concurrent, though secondary causes, accomplished the Catholic Relief Bill. Had the Catholic Association pro posed to itself a doubtful or mischievous object, ►n stead of one which most honest men applauded, we do not say that it would have had the same success as it procured for the measure of emancipation, but unquestionably it might have succeeded in greatly embarrassing the Government of the country, and in destroying the public peace. The French are a people as susceptible, possibly, as the Irish. Like the Irish, they are, though less so, we acknowledge, than they were ten years ago, creatures of volition, —prompt to act without reflecting deeply. We cannot conceive a country (save, once more, Ireland) where the passions of men would be more liable to a perilous influence from the club system than Fiance appears at:this moment. The project of affiliation throughout the provinces is avowed by some of the societies, and goes to the direct creation of power, with which no Government in _a free community can exist but from day to day. It is from a zealous advocate of the " Friends of the People" we learn that 1,200 of its members assembled at Paris a few days since. If the argument be addressed to the fears of the King and Ministers, it may be judiciensly employed. As au argument to the common sense of men, it means nothing but that the " Friends of the People" ought to be suppressed in The whole of Belgium appears to be now in open revolt. Our readers will find under the head Netherlands, ample accounts of the failure of the Dutch troops in their attempt on BrunOs, and their retreat. The consequences of the attempt have been precisely what we anticipated. The King of the Netherlands was in a false position. Success would have been as ruinous to his interests as failure. All the accounts, except those published at the Hague, occur in representing the Dutch troops to have been guilty of great excesses. The English in Brussels have been great sufferers. The follow ing letter is written under strong excitement, caused by witnessing outrages at which humanity revolts : " TO TI.IICSDITOI6:OF Tiflt HORNING CHRONICLII. " Bruxelles, Sept. 28, 1880. " SlR,—The details of the military proceedings oi Prince Frederick against the inhabitants of this town, who, after five days of unparalleled exertion and heroism, have driven the Dutch invaders front their walls, and have thus saved the Belgic territory from all fear, in future, of Dutch oppression, will no doubt come to you through the ordinary channels; but I conceive it my duty to inform the public of England by your columns, how shamefully, how brutally the Dutch troops have treated the English here, in their assault upon the town. Even the Dutch officers themselves have made a point of pillaging the English (whose names, and the circumstances, you shall have in full detail . by the next post); they have plundered and violated, and then slaughtered two very young English ladies ! Everywhere they have hunted out the English to abuse and murder them : and in one instance, they, after killing the mother, bore the infant of an Englishwoman on a bayonet through their ranks ! Such enormities as these should be made known throughout Europe. They have killed Lord Blan tyre in his house. Such is the conduct of the brigands sent by his Dutch Majesty here to ensure the slavery of the Belgians, and whom, in his Proclamation to the people of Bruxelles, the Prince Frederick—who, coward like, has slunk in the rear of his troops, and has never appeared at their head—aeseribed as the friends and the 6r - others' al the Belgians ! Such are the favour, the friendship, the benignity of the Sovereign power imposed on a free people by an assemblage of diplo►natists. But the Dutch w►ll quit the Belgic soil, never to return as masters ! Another lesson, this, for Sovereigns I " Your obedient servant, " WM. KINSEY, " Author of Portugal illustrated." The revolt 'is now general throughout the whole of Belgium. The troops of the King amounted only to 4 , 1,000 at the beginning, and of these the far greater pint must be Belgians. But were the army thricewhat it is, it is quite impossible for it .to make head against a whole population in a state of revolt. According to the accounts from Rotterdam, received last night, the troops retiring from Brussels on Ant werp, for reinforcements, had been fallen upon by the people, who massacred the advanced guard. Antwerp is stated to have risen, and Ghent is pro bably by this time in the possession of the Belgian forces. The King can have nothing . to oppose to this torrent. If he succeed in getting the Dutch portion of hie troops safe back to. Holland, ho may esteem himself so far fortunate. As for the 'Bel- gins, they will, unquestionably, join the 'national standard. Brussels being now freed from the pre. sepee of the Dutch troops, the Provisional Govern ment will instantly organise a national force; and this arming, according to the accounts from Rotter dam, is proceeding with great rapidity. The first stage of the Belgian insurrection being now over, we may expect the Belgians to be henceforward treated with the respect that success usually in spires. We shall hear less of populace now, and ratire of people. In truth, there has been, we believe, little diversity of opinion among the Belgians. All travellers, before the breaking out of the disturbances, concur in representing the Belgians as disgusted with the Government.' The petition, signed by 300,000 of the most respect able inhabitants, the votes of the Belgian Deputies in the States-General, the tone of the Journals, all bear testimony to this effect. It is absurd, there fore, to talk of populace only being concerned in this resistance to tite Government, though, for very ob viOns reasons, the persons possessed of property have hesitated in the outset to commit themselves, any' might afterwards have In some cases become alarmed on account of the excesses of the populace. But when a revolt is so far successful that the authority against . which it is directed becomes paralysed, the middle clauses dare not separate themselves from the lower. The same instinct of self-preservation which led them to hesitate in the outset will lead them to • I support the authority which has taken the place of the former Government 4 Were they to act otherwise they would only bring down ruin on them selves. It is ridiculous, therefore, to suppose that a successful revolt can only count on the populace. Some surprise has been expressed that avowed in• fidels like De Potter, and most of the leading men in Belgium, should be on such good terms with the Priesthood, But rival hems of Christians always hate each other more than they hate infidels. The reason of this is well stated by Count Le Maitre, the celebrated champion of the Catholic Church, when he justifies Louis iIV, for withdrawing his refusal to appoint u supposed Jansenist to a place on learning that he was merely an Atheist. Count Le Maitre observes that the infidel is not intolerant and not persecuting, except from accidental circum, stances, whereas the Sectarian if sincere, must be in tolerant. 1 1 he Catholic Clergy know that the Bel gien infidels have no wish to convert them, or to hamper them in their religious worship, it being a matter of indifference to the infidel whether a man dies a Catholic, Protestant, Pagan, or Mahometan. Such, probably, is the view which the parties take of the matter. The Belgian Pricks are, we believe, sincerely religious. We are not a fraid of the speedy settlement of Bel gium, if foreigners do not interfere. It is to be , borne in mind that Belgium, like France, is with" out a rich Aristocracy and servile dependents, the great cause of disorder in troubled times. When property is much divided in a country, a peace is easily preserved. The first Revolution found France a country of a proud Aristocracy and a needy mob. But France and Belgium have undergone the purifi cation of just laws of succession. On this subject there are some excellent remarks in the able article on the present state of the Netherlands, in the 10th Number of the Foreign Quarterly Review : " If we have spoken (says the writer) without scruple of the blemishes which disfigure the political face of the Na. therlands, it is the greater reason why we should allude to the main advantage it enjoys over this and other countries, in the more equal distribution of the national wealth. Great Britain is remarkable for having carried production to the greatest extent, but is certainly not distinguished for the excellence of the manner in which her riches are dif fused among her, people. The immense wealth and in fluence of our Aristocracy, are, we fear, but a poor com pensation for the wretchedness and degradation of our paupers. There is a tendency to the accumulation of pro perty which becomes stronger and stronger among us, and would finally become really dangerous were it not checked by counteracting causes. Our merchants and manufac• turers aim at becoming eventually landed proprietors, and take the places of those decayed branches of the Aristo cracy, who in effect fall back into the ranks of the Com monalty. A succession to the powerful class is thus, by means of our active production, constantly kept up, and the large share of •the legislation possessed by that class has unfortunately been too often the means of making the interest of their order the first consideration, and that of the community the second. In the Netherlands, as in France, there is no Aristocracy of this description ; the equal partition of landed property gees on with as little tendency to pauperism as injury to agriculture; and the parity of fortune binds together in social intimacy a large, respectable, and enlightened middle class, whose views are all necessarily directed to the promotion of the common benefit." But what is the happiness of twenty millions of people to the glory of an Order of 10,000 families at most ?—Morning Clgronicle. Mr. Brougham's plan of Parliamentary Reform seems to be satisfactory enough, as far as it goes; and there are persons who go the length of suppos ing that it differs but little from what . the Duke of Wellington himself has made up his mind to accede to. This, however, must be mere conjecture. It has been alleged of his Grace, that he has been known to say that, were even the hair on his head capable of knowing his intentions, he would cut it off; so essential is secresy, in his Grace's estimation, to political as well us military plans and manoeuvres. Secresy may have its virtues, but they bear no com parison to those which attach to candour and open ness, or to the advantage which results from the previous sifting and canvassing of measures which require no concealment, and which often are found to fail for want of those previous discussions, which would have dovetailed and secured their success.— Mr. Brougham's plan is simply this, as far as Eng land is concerned, to give representatives to the four large unrepresented towns of Leeds, Birmingham, Sheflield, and Manchester, and to shorten the pe riod and expence of county elections, by taking the poll on one and the same day at different places in the county; and in Scotland, where the terms re presentation and election mean any thing but what they express, to assimilate the elective franchise there to that of counties in England. In this plan it cannot fur a moment escape observation that one great defect in our representation, the nomination or rotten boroughs, is altogether overlooked. It is cu rious also to remark that Lord Morpeth, in his speech upon the very stone occasion, %vent much further than Mr. Brougham, setting his face decidedly against these mockeries and scandal of our system. It will occur to some, too, as not a little singular, that the commoner should blink that part of the question which a member of the Aristocracy so readily and unequivocally meets. We do not, how ever, quarrel with Mr. Brougham's plan, nor would we have the country reject it as not going far enough. Mr. Brougham probably, if he were asked why it goes no further, would unhesitatingly reply, because a larger experiment would risk the success of the smaller one. We admit the force of this. We admit, too, that reform, to be successful and sa tisfactory, must be a work of degrees; and that, in repairing the edifice, it is not wise or prudent to pull down as much as may endanger the foundation, but to do the work by degrees, so that the whole may be reinstated as the workmen proceed. As the numbers of the House of Commons are, how ever, quite large enough, if not too large, for a de liberative body, we see no reesen why, in carrying into effect Mr. Brougham's plan, their number should be increased, or why the intended Members for the four places named should not be the substi tutes for four of the most rotten boroughs. This would, to a certain extent, be getting rid of two evils at once, and paving the way to a gradual ex tinction of these vile sinks of political depravity. This might have been already accomplished had past Parliaments possessed the honesty and the cou rage necessary for the purpose; but Parliaments, like individuals, too often shrink from reforms at home, and public opinion is no.' left to wring from their fears whet ought to have been yielded by their sense of justice. The subject is one to which, we have no doubt, we shall have frequent occasion to recur; for, whether taken up by the Duke of Wel lington or Mr. Brougham, it is one which can be no longer avoided or evaded.—Morning Herald. A great defect in the administration of justice in England is the want of a Court of Criminal Ap peal, In this respect the rights of property are more strictly guarded against the consequences of ignorance, passion, or inadvertence, in the tribunals that decide upon cases in the first instance, than life itself. This ought not to be so, The life of the poor man ought, at least, to be as sacred in the eyes of the law as the property of the rich. There is no appeal from the tribunals of criminal justice, by which the doom of a convict is first pronounced, to any superior Court ; while there is more than one appeal in cases of property, of which he who has the pecuniary means to enable him to protract litigation may avail himself; as, for instance, from the inferior Courts in Equity to the Court of Chancery, and from the latter to the House of Lords. Likewise from the Courts of King's Bench, Common Pleas, and Exchequer, to the Court of Exchequer Chamber, and from that to the House of Lords, which is, in questions of property, ,th e Court of Appeal in the last resort. New trials are also granted, sometimes as many as two or three, before a claim of property is finally decided—so tender is the law of every valuable possession of the subject, with the exception of liberty and life! It is true that in cases of misdemeanour, where the punishment is less penal than in cases of. felony, a new trial is occasionally granted, but in c a pi ta l charges a now trial is never beard of. In such cases, indeed, a point of law may, if the Judge pleases, be reserved for the consideration of the twelve Judges, before whom it receives the most considerate attention : but it forms no part of the duty of this tribunal to go into the merits of the rase; so that if the technical point, upon being nicely scrutinised and examined by the as sembled judges, be not in favour of the convict, any thing that in the eye of reason throws sus picion on the evidence, or tends to impeach the ac curacy of the verdict, cannot avail him, because the twelve Judges can Only determine p o i nts o f (rum and questions of law, but must tak e t h e f acts according to the evidence anti the finding of th e J ury. Fre quently has it happened that the lives of poor and friendless men have been sacrificed by perjured wit nesse* for tine mike of the rewarti„ or what is vul garly culled the bloodlooney ; and a memorable in stance occurred a few years ago in the City of London, when four men, who were convicted on such evidence, would have been executed but for the praiseworthy exertions of one individual, who brought the conspiracy to light, Others haVe been executed under similar circumstances, and the foul contrivance to perpetrate judicial murder for the sake of gain only discovered when it was too late to repair the dreadful consequences. Of this w e cou ld give a re makable, case from the books, if sp ace wou ld a ll ow . lint it may be asked hiss not the Secretary of State for the Home Department the power to investigate every capital case regularly brought under his cogni zance ; and, if he finds cause, can he not recom mend the convict to his Majesty's mercy ? Un doubtedly he has this power; but, instead of this being an argument against establishing a Court of Criminal Appeal, it only proves the necessity of it. We have the twelve Judges to examine points of law reserved at the trial ; and we have one of the Ministers of the Crown, who, as constituting a part of the Executive Government, ought not to have any right of interference in judicial matters, to exa mine into matters of fact ; or, in other worth, to in vestigate the merits of the case, when it is the opi nion of the Judge who tried it that it requires revi sion. If this be not a second trial of the case it is nothing; and, if it be a second trial, it ought not to be heard in secret and upon irresponsible evidence by a Minister of the Crown; but it ought to be re gularly tried in open Court, as is the case in the French Courts of Criminal Appeal, by competent Judges, that the confirmation of the guilt or the vin dication of the innocence of the party who is the subject of the appeal might clearly appear. If the administration of justice is to be reformed, this anomalous power of the Secretary of State ought to be superseded by a responsible and competent judi cial authority.—Morning herald. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. GUILDHALL Thomas Houghton and Elizabeth Houghton, his wife, were charged with uttering a fictitious cheque for 60/. 10s., at Messrs. Esdaile's. It appeared that the cheque was signed William Lindley, no person of that name having an account at the above banker's, and that the date had been altered from the 28th September, 1801, to 1830. The wife said she received the cheque from her husband, and attempted to get cash for it, supposing it had been paid to him, though he was not in the habit of receiving such sums. The husband said he found it in St. Martin's court, and had no idea of converting the proceeds to his own use. He only wished to know whether it was of any use. Mr. Alderman ANSLIY said if his intentions were honest, he would have inquired at the banker's for the drawer's address. The cheque was mere waste paper. The prisoners were admonished and discharged. BOW.STREET. On Wednesday a gentleman appeared before Mr. HALLS in order to ask his advice, and seek some re dress under the following circumstances : He stated that on Friday night last he arrived with his wife from a distant part of the country, at the Gloucester Coffee-house, in Piccadilly. Being strangers in London, and not knowing of any lodg ings to which they could at once go, they resolved to remain at the hotel till the following morning. They had a slight supper, his wife partaking be sides of a glass of porter, and he of a small glass of brandy. In the morning, after they had had break fast, they inquired for the bill, which was,after some delay brought ,up to them. The applicant then handed the document to the Magistrate, of which the following is a copy : 1830, Sept. 25. 1 Tied, waiter, eliarnhermaid, and porter... 6s. 01 2 Suppers Stout Brandy and water 2 4 Apartments 7 6 Wax-lights 2 6 2 Breakfasts 4 0 Liam 2 0 LI 10 4 This charge, the most exorbitant that I ever heard of, quite astonished me, continued the gentleman. With respect to the wax-lights, I absolutely ob jected to having them; but the waiter said that it would be all the same, and they were accordingly brought. On receiving the bill, I refused to pay it; but I found that in that they were a match for me, tut they kept my luggage, and refused to restore it, unless I paid the b►lt. _ _ Mr. anus laughed at this recital, and admitted that the charge was exorbitant. It was not, how ever, in his power to afford him any redress. The best way would be to pay the bill, obtain the lug gage, and console himself by thinking that he had gained some experience. The applicant, who looked rather blue at this, then retired. Yesterday Patrick M' Cabe, who was remanded 011'a charge of feloniously uttering a forged bill of exchange for 504, purporting to be the acceptance of William Quinn, was brought forward in order to be re•examined, when Mr. Henry Platte, the solici• tor, of Crescent, Jewin-street, Aldersgate, appeared to defend him. The evidence of Mr. Clifford, of No. 22, John street, Adelphi, was read over, from which it ap peared that the prisoner brought him the bill in question on the 17th inst., stating that he wished to have it culled. Witness desired him to leave the bill, and it was handed to Mr. Flight, who was to advance the cash upon it. Mr. Flight gave it to Messrs. Papp, the coal-merchants ' who , upon ap plying to Mr. Wood, of Northum berland-wharf,C whose employment Quinn, the supposed acceptor, lived us furrier, that gentleman denied that the ac ceptance was that of Quinn, who, in fact, could neither read nor write. Mr. Wood corroborated this evidence, and said he asked Quinn whether he had suffered his name to be put to the bill, and he denied it. William Quinn was then examined, and in an swer to a question by the Magistrate declared posi tively that he never put his hand to the bill, nor suffered it to be guided. The prisoner's solicitor put some questions to the witness, with a view to show that he had lent his name to the prisoner, and that he afterwards de nied it for fear he should lose his situation. The witness denied that such was the fact, but acknow ledged that he was with the prisoner in a public house, near . Northumberland-wharf, on the 10 t h instant, the day prior to the date of the bill. Sir It. BIRNIR observed that there was quite enough to send the prisoner for trial as the evidence stood, but at the request of his solicitor he was re manded for a week. Richard Phillips, a grocer, residing at No. 8, Pickett-buildings, Strand, was charged with having committed an assault upon Mr. Flintan, of the firm of Flintan and (Abe, provision -merchants, of Ber wiek-strcet, Soho. The case was rendered curious from the circumstance of•the alleged assault having caused a charge of a much more serious description to be preferred against the defendant, for which he was ultimately committed. Mr. Flintan stated, that in the afternoon of Tues day, the 27th ult., the prisoner came to his house to purchase some hams, of which he selected three se parate parcels, and ultimately agreed to give 345. per hundred weight for them. tie then requested that one of the parcels, containing 34 hams, should be sent to his house on the following day, and was told that the amount of that parcel would be 51. os. 6d., and the prisoner promised to send witness 51. of the money, and undertook to pay the balance when the parcel should be delivered. Witness left his house the next day without giving any directions with respect to the hams, and meeting the prisoner in Lombard-street, said " Mr. Phillip., have you sent 51, for the hams ?" To which he replied, " I have not; but I am now with a gentleman who will let me have the money." About two hours after t his witness was informed that a parcel of hums had been delivered to the prisoner, and he (witness) im mediately went to his (the prisoner's) house t o in quire whether the 51. had been paid, The prisoner r eplied, " I have paid your man th e Cs. 6d., and 1 will send you the 51. in less than an hour." Wit ness then went home, and asked his man bow he m id have been so stupid as to deliver the h am without the money, to w hi c h t h e man rep lied, that Mr. Phillips told him that h e h ad paid the 54 to' master. Mr. Flintan added, that up on Is • this he Las he ordered hie man t o get the tru ck reedy fat the . , purpose of carrying away his goods from the house of - the prisoner. On arriving there, he was in formed that Mr. Phillips was out, and after waiting for him a considerable time, witness took 17 of his hams from a shelf in the shop, for the purpose of re moving them, when a police serjeant, No. 3, of the I? division, eame in, and told•him be must not take away the goods, although he (witness) offered him his card, and declared that the hams were his pro perty, and had been fraudulently obtained. The serjeant, however, was obstinate, and finding that there was no use in waiting, he (Mr. Flintan) went away, and called the next day upon the prisoner, who immediately challenged him with having called him a mindler, and finally committed an assault by striking him in the face. Sir R. BIRNIE observed, that the case appeared to involve a charge of fraud as well as assault, and asked the prisoner what explanation he had to offer. The prisoner said he had the best possible de fence to the charge of fraud, for he had paid Mr. Flintan the amount of the turns, and was ready to produce a receipt to that effect. He then drew forth a slip of paper, which he handed to the ma gistrate. Sir R. BIRNIE-Why this purports to be a re ceipt for 5/. 6s. 6d., signed by Samuel Stone for Messrs. Flintan and O'Hea. Mr. Flintan—That receipt is a forgery. Our man was paid only Gs. 6d. As to the sum of 51., it was never paid. _ • . The prisoner vehemently declared that he paid Sl. to Mr. Flintan himself, and that when the hams were delivered he , paid the man the balance of 61. 6d., and obtained his receipt for the entire sum. Mr. HALLS—Ie the man here to whom the money is alleged to have been paid P—Mr. Flintan then called forward Samuel Stone, who having been sworn, stated that he was in the service of the prosecutors as porter. On the 28th ult. he left thirty-four hams at the shop of Mr. Phillips, who observed, " It's all right; you are to receive 6s. Gd., and I will send your master the 51. 'Witness then wrote a receipt for 6s. Gd., and leaving the hams with the prisoner, went away. Mr. HALLS here called for the receipt, upon ex amining which, he observed that the figure 5, with an 1. over it, was not written with the same pen, or by the same hand, as the 61. 6d. The receipt was then shown to the witness Stone, who declared that neither the figure 5, nor the L. S. D. placed over the figures 5 6 6 were written by him, and that they must have been in troduced after be had given the receipt for 6s. 6d. The prisoner declared, in the most positive terms,' that he had paid Mr. Flintan 51. on the day when the goods were delivered. • Sir R. BIRNIE—On your oath, Mr. Flintan, is that true or false ? Mr. Flintan—Upon my oath, Sir Richard, I never saw the colour of his money, with the exception of the 6s. 6J. Mr. HALLS—If the witnesses are entitled to belief the charge is one of forgery. Mr. Flintan—Here is another gentleman whom the prisoner has also defrauded of goods. Mr. Carr, a respectable grocer, residing on Hol born-hill, then came forward and stated that the pri soner sent him an order for some candles and some loaf sugar. From former dealings with the prisoner, witness expressly stipulated that the candles and sugar should be paid for on delivery. His servant, however, notwithstanding a caution to the contrary, left the candles at the shop of the prisoner, who told him that when the sugar came he would pay for both. Witnessaccordinglysent the sugar b and told the porter on no account to deliver it without receiving payment for both it and the candles. The prisoner on receiving the sugar said there was a mistake of 2s. per cwt., and that he would see him (witness) upon the subject before he paid the money. He then came back with the porter, who left the sugar behind him, and spoke to hint (witness) about being overcharged, and after blustering about the place, he said he'd be -- if he'd pay a single farthing for the goods. Mr. Carr added, that from that time be had never been able to obtain the slightest satis faction from the prisoner. Sir R. BIRNIE observed that the prisoner was evidently a systematic swindler. The case of Mr. Carr, however, was not sufficiently strong to ground a criminal charge upon it. The prisoner declaied that there was a combina tion to ruin him,• because he had been successful in trade. With respect to Mr. Caw, he bad had deal ings with him to the amount of 501., and had always paid him honourably. Mr. Flintan—l have reason to believe, and I think I shall be enabled to show, that the prisoner is connected with a very extensive gang of swindlers, who have been carrying on their nefarious dealings to a considerable extent amongst respectable trades men in the metropolis. _ _ Sir R. BIRN1F: said he should remand the pri soner till Monday next, on the charge of forgery ; in the mean time he might give bail for the assault. Prisoner—Can I not be allowed professional assistance ? Sir It. BIRNIE—There is no doubt but you will be ably assisted. The prisoner was then removed in custody. MARLBOROUGILSTREET. Yesterday a young man of very fashionable ap pearance, dressed in a splendid m►litary cloak, &c., named Fennel.? Schnell, was brought before Mr. lion, the Sitting Magistrate, in custody of one of the police constables, charged with defrauding Messrs. liatcherd, the booksellers, in Piccadilly, of books of various sorts to the value of 1801. The prisoner was taken into custody at Richmond, where he resides, as well as occasionally at the Gloucester Cof f ee-house, in Piccadilly ; and it ap peared that he is the nephew of a lady of large for tune, who is supplied by the Messrs. Hatchard with books, and that by sending written orders in the name of this lady, he from time to time succeeded in obtaining from Messrs. Kitchen's, books to the above amount, without any authority whatever from his aunt, who entirely sanctions the present pro ceedings against him. The prisoner, who alleges as his excuse for his conduct a want of sufficient means to live on, and being refused a supply of money by his aunt, was,nr the request of Mr. Hatchard, remanded for a week to afford time for the production of some necessary witnesses. Lawrence .Powell, who has been in custody some days on the capital charge of cutting and maiming a man named William WDonough, with intent to kill or do him some grievous bodily harm, was placed at the bar for final examination. It appeared that the complainant, who is employed as a private watchman by some gentlemen in the neighbourhood of this office, had on one occasion, by his evidence, been the means of convicting the prisoner of having had a quantity of lead unlawfully in his possession ; and that, arising out of a grudge on this account, the prisoner on Saturday last, without the slightest pro vocation, on meeting the prosecutor in the Street, struck him two desperate blows on the bead, with an iron bar he carried in his band, which inflicted such dreadful wounds, that the prosecutor's life was for some days in danger, so that he could not be brought forward to give his evidence until yesterday. The evidence of the prosecutor, who still appeared in a very feeble state, us to the wantonness and vio lence of the prisoner's attack, was clearly corrobo rated by two other witnesses, who were accidentally present on the occasion, and the prisoner was fully committed to take his trial for the capital charge. QUEEN-SQUARE. Yesterday a young female of rather respectable appearance was brought before Mr. ORRGORIE, un der the following circumstances : On being placed at the bar, she gave her name Eliza Locke. A police constable of the A division, No. 40, stated, that he was on duty in Canno n - tow , West minster-bridge, a b out f our. o clock in the moming, when he saw the prisoner and a young man near the water-side. The prisoner appeared to be very much agitated, and, the man told him that be had caught hold of her just as she was about to plunge, into the river. The prisoner said that shitivtlde termined to destroy herself the very first opportuaity. Mr. GREGORIE put several questions to thspn soner, who replied that her friends lived at Illai.. head, in Berkshire. Mr. Forbes, the Inspector, said that the prisoner lodged in Stangate-street, and be had sent theil4 but the people of the house refused to have any thing to do with her. _. In answer to further questions, she said thatithe was indebted about 255. for rent, and having tt4l - of her own, her landlord had threatened,totis• train upon her for the amount. She ' wits -ill able to pay the sum, and that circumstance hid preyed upon her mind. She wished to go home to her friends. . . Handley, the officer, said that he believed she bid lived in the household of her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent. Mr. GREGORIE directed her to be detained totals present, and desired Handley to make some inquiries about her. WORSHIP-STREST. Yesterday two common informers, named soap l'urton and ?Unica Vickers, were charged before Mr. TwYFORD, with having extorted 12s,fid, freP a publican under the following circumstances. William Vernon, landlord of the Robin 800 lin, Little John, at Hoxton, stated thst on itfOrailf "It be was summoned by Brooks, se informer,. to ,ap pear at this office on Wednesday, for s uffetln V game of bagatelle to be played ,in hie •house, ~" attended accordingly, and remained till the' c in _l B ,, " closed, but his name was not called, sod lvi.w away. He saw the prisoners about the office. Abed eight o'clock on Wednesday evening '4l thskris°92l4,..., 1 cone to his house and had a glass of 0 0 011 ' then went into the tap-room and called for it pint porter. The prisoner Purton said he bad allad:re'' specting the summons. Witness asked wkstb!' meant. Purton replied, aWe never t a ke less Witnesstrr a sovereign of any one." said he wi s e aware of having to pay any thing, and (*lad 1144 afford a sovereign. Purton said if a soveroign:_ u v.m . paid, witness would hear no more of it. It Willi agreed fret it tak fo iu r g l2 t s h . e ad ; w ea h u i ti ch on se of itne ,, si to '; 4 i 1 , 1 the money, which was four salt-crown ',.; i the ling., and a sixpence. They were stew Wh en presence of a police-sergeant and a friend. • "`: witness had paid the money, he called in the sell" and gave the prisoners into custody.: „,,,, jii t i a o, Mr. Arnett, collector to Messrs. mew ,b e ale-brewers, said he saw the last witness rY,,ir ~.r, .. .. 4 marked money to Purton. Pi" Serjeant Waller, of the N division,. toolt,00:, 010101 soners into custody, and found the Insr.--7 kart . 10 upon Purton. 's -brigs• sl i ' A poor man stepped into the witnee, img said he had been confined in the hoepiralL °r o ;., time through an accident, and .durlng hi' cam „,,,,ti, ment the prisoner Vickers nffered. , P Ri s i ..l.' - n op petition to obtain some relief, Vieker, 11 ,,, 4 7,; - n o. ; obtained several sums of money kern nt" .. ,t - „,,`lii,' sons upon the petition, and appropristeu *er.'""' t, vit his own use. 0 1454% Mr. TWYFORD said he was sorry, for ..... a man, and advised Vickers to refund !ISlLriti.: which he had received by means of the petiP_lnwk for the cu m ge of extortion, it was of a grossai it was high time such abominable practices:`, a stop to; but he was sorry •to say, in ltroot. instance, he thought the prisoners twine.. • ki. law, the money had been giVem, not to nrestt..i, summons being heard before this M a gistrate4P,'„ a gratuity to the informer for not pretteingiteN#., ..1 vi 1.1 4 1) UNION.IIALL Yesterday two boys, named Narks 1 - . : Charles Sanders, were brought up to thiv „,... .0 ' , L.. charged with the following outrage.. -;: 8 ,0, Edward Watben, a lad of. tend er age, 1t0nt„,,,, epectable parents, stated • that •on the-prfm n ir i r evening, as he was proceeding along Wal - ...-.4 .ofea two defendants whom be bad frequently sires „, k ,!, larell'' " I " that neighbourhood , but never woe ..,... he ld seized him as he passed along. One Of r,„ ni t o rth him tightly by the arms, While tbit,orhef 1r „ ri of a small phial from his pocket, anti ir rt i linfir', ll 4. its contents over his (coispiSMl 6el)l r t i i ore; 111 then rubbed the hand containing ths 1iqu;,..,, , -, t o Or mouth. The liquid was no soone r sp..P oid Mm'o t i t o. mouth than he felt a burning sensettoProf r o m th e diately attempted to extricate him o, g al 00 14 grasp of his assailants, but they stili, L . h" a f t ' st e' although lie cried out with pain, Wt.,' .- 44°' applied the phial to his mouth, and enu"'" • orpar• pour the remainder of its contents downltis.. t h i s They would have e ff ected this, bad he . rtl*kfP • d An t t 9 mouth closed, and the liquid, which turn ed l be vitriol, ran down his chin and on the foil : shirt. shirt. His cries from pain now brought SO 5 1 1 sons to the spot, but the defendants ran trr . t„ A s p he was conveyed to a chemist's shop, 0n.9 . _,:; 0 rs application put to his mouth and hand, w hit:. mil very much burnt by the liquid the defog's"' attempted to make him swallow. The complainant's father stated tha t h i,hbour• fendants were both well known in to i rv r ri e eta hood as of very bad character. Very 'su ° i n , hid the outrage had been committed on his 011 Alb seen him, at which time he was suffering 117: o l io from the effects of the burning liq uid V u , him by his assailants. k ni i id Of A fo er' _,,, hv Mr. CHAMBERS said, that he into ..-v d ,.Aaew .-, a more wanton act of cruelty than Mit t Vied do the defendants, who must inevitabil o noc h. child, had the vitriol passed into tits s t° , loo. did !Mt The defendants both protested thet t ' ad ' ioc ked it know what the phial contained; they ' I ha rd poured, up in the kennel the carne afternoon, en. for s , bit In some of its contents on the compillins ni Hier* fun, but with no intention of doing him 59.., him IO t T pha h eiTny e , y hmte a hu d el‘sy d ti e adi d gle:isysi t t ser h taek a td t lei.o w s,av h il d e s when they found i! Pu .__ ev ident offeosive liquid from the t v ht e ei r l y atb c °i i tt r t c l u vea m i s tqa:c.e : - :i d eri i i °l: having poured it, in the first instance, 0 0 ,, i 'l ch i t wit. hand, and then rubbed the hand upon which vire applied up to his mouth. They took elc` i. _ yti g e sh • that none of the liquid should touch thelr e l n o ee The defendants' hands were here exon o ing be en marks whatsoever indicative of vitriol on the en' applied to them were apparent ; while. his lito '''' trail, the complainant's left hand, en. to t o or chin, were very much excoriated, owing plielaltiieonniafglihsetrabtuernoinrdgeriiegdnidthiteo d th er e c l o n d * 10710 eliti fi r ;:: . bail, two sureties in 50 1 . each, • to answer in 0011. at of t p h r e oc S u e ri s t s ig iot t r i s i , e a sa nd ine tl . ley were locked ctin u t P illig°( their at s E he lll tb T ar f a lS L . na,e, os od or y .. 0 , 1 j • .4. On the 23 the 30th ult., at St. --...... '''' ......... AI WO, ' l • ' ~....."."......" On Dorant, Esq. of a son. i ilsl►ii 6 thil , I ult. lad!, of J. W. Face, Esq. of a son. D ,r, , ,hivoi the e u tv nl e he 29th tilt. at Rockingliani.ball, "'ltiree''' if of T. S. Lea, E•a•. f d e ter. ~,,, On the 28th - s -*- " a AU, t / aiielilltr,ii, _ , at S a li s bury-square, of a daughter. MARRIED. te of On the 29th ult. at Fulham, Lieut. N. S. Ma l ' ii tothe 18th Royal I r i s h, e ldest son of Colonel Dull, of 1104;1 H Mary Si - 'Phil, youngest daughter of John Tato . inumerstnith, Esq . On the 30th ult. St. Nave's • II t•OWN Rlr. , in sr • ...i .... do' , " Davis, •of S ll• lk II 0 ...place, Islington, to Magasx.--0 of 1. Mole, Di., of C ro tcheil.friar s. I Le- On the 30th ult. at St. Pancras I'leAe Churelli '. d vi4i Esq., of Eildclitie, near Sheffield, in the e'ir tY :,f York, to Helen, daughter of A. Pigkerr f'4l' Langley, near Slitificlil. DIED. On the 26 th tilt. Mr. Joahua i' r Rol O il, Col l a, o Surrey. On the 30th ult. ink Wateiloo-place, PAlrittall' 1411i°' wife of P. CAloper, Es in her 6t3th MG I On the 29th ult. at Upper Claptort-street, Garolinr, t 'e wife of the Rev. J. B. Deane, aged 27. • II '4% • Vine On the 29th ult. at Ilat:iptotti Mia'''''' ' all Harriet Gaillard, yousgest tlaughWr of the late 100 1 i Gaillard, E.q. PIR;711) .Al/11) PRULkitiRD RY 111VBDO Your\e'' Tug Sum Orricic, I /RA LONI3°S.