The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-07-14 00:00:00

TREAD MILL

This was expected to have formed the most interesting topic of
disenmaion during the dee, but owing to the course the discussion
took, we arc prevented loom laying the details of the proceedings
fully before our readers.
Mr. Bit I scow. who brought thesubject before the Court, entered
into a detail of cruelties which he alleged acre practised on several
persons condenined to work at the tread-mill. Many of the persons,
as he stated, died of the trestnient they received. The Learned
Gentleman read an elaborate speech from a manuscript, which con.
blood many cases (if true) Of Mats aggravated outrage. %Ve forbear
from mentioning them, however, as a Committee of Magistrates
has been appointed to inquire into their accuracy. The Magis-
trates appointed for this interesting ocemestion a-e Mr. Denison,
M.P. Mr. G. Bennett, M.l'. Mr. IL Sumner, M.P. the Bev. Dr.
fiourtesay, Mr. Drummond, Mr. liltioce, and Mr. Palmer.
Mr. Su "I N En observed, that the proposition oldie lion. Gentle-
men contained two propositions ; first, as related to the nature of
the punishment by the tread-mill generally : and seerndly,as to
the particular cases of utiu.:: cited by the Honourable Gentleman.
rhe first part of the proposition he would wholly entertain, but
'that was not of much importance ; but he would enter into the se-
cond part of the proposition, and was free to any, that if Mr.
Green. the stwerinte.miant of the Brixton tread-mill, was disco-
vered in throwing water on one of the women in his establishment,
in handcuffing them unnecessarily, and in the other cruelties des-
cribed, he was unquestionably an unfit person for the place he occu-
pied, and ought to be dismissed. Ile owned, however, he had a
great distrust in the accusation, from a recolicetiow of an Investiga-
tion having been instituted into charges of the vary same nature, on
a representation coming from the very same source, very little of
which was proved by the evidence. Not one single ease that
he brought forward was supported, and it appeared that soma of
those i.veseltli whom he stated to have died front the labour of
the tread-mill, had never bees eves emee upon it, or even ems.
donned to it. lie had an apprehension that a similar fate
awaited his present nukes* of charges. However. he was not
indisposed to inquiry; but he could not, wader any circumstances,
assent to an investigation into the nature of the punishment. as
it bad obtained the full end entire approbation of the Secretary of
State, and of the magistrates, trot only of this, but of most coun-
The Rev. Mr. Cconvetwar entered into a statement of the
charges of abuse of the tread-mill, preferred by Mr. Briscoe, which
he satisfactorily disproved.
- - - • • •••

Mr. firren, the superintrndant of the Brixton tread-mill waa
firearm. and asked • few question%; but the inquiry sill. we un.
derstand, he conducted for the present, or secret, into the several
caws submitted by Mr. Briscoe.

The Court did not break up until a quarter put eight o'clock
last evering.

The elm trees in St. James's and Hyde Parks, are ra-
pidly destroying, by a species of beetle ; a similar disease
is now devastating the arsenals of France.
CAPTAIN ha AI 1.11:•S MAU' et/ea.—The find match was to trot
■ horse in 'lames% seven milk. in half an boor. for one hundred
aovereigns ; and secondly. to ride the same horse ten miles in half
an hour, and the whole 111 be done within two hours. The matches
too:: place at day.brcak yestin(lnc, co the noniron! road (the
harness match). over three miles and shalt of ground, with a good
circle to WM. The trot was won by a minute and fourteen ICCUI:4I3
and the gallop with two unnuaa to spare.