The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1821-06-12 00:00:00

POLICE.

MANSION Romps.
INTERESTING TO LONDON.
THE Tn*ua Ftadaww.—A fisherman was brought be.
fore the Lord Mayor, on a diorite of working wills as on•
lawful net, by Mr. Nelson. lb. Water Bailiff.

. .
The fact was proved by Rough, the Deputy Water Bailiff,
wbo seized the net from the Prisoner.

The fishermen, in his detrncr, complained, that the water
in the Thames had been rendered so unwholesome by the
routine.' discharge of the poisonous gross matter into it,
t►at but few fish could live in it, and the fishing hail Mee
so unprofitable fur some time past as to compel the fisher-
men to have recourse to unlawful nets, to avoid utter starva-
tion. The fish In the river bad been gradually decreasind
fur some time; bet now the increased discharge of gas
water in the river, promises to drive the Ash out of it en-
tirely.
The Lord Mayor expressed his astonishment at this state-
ment, as the Gas Company had been indicted al the Sea.
lions, and the nuisance had been promised to be abated ;
bat he doubted whether the poisonous water discharged
from the gasometer could couthenivate the whole river.
Mr. Nelson assured his Lordship, that the anises( e was..
tatulerable and more extensive than ever, and that the water
was its an increased decree unwholesome. The baneful
effects of the poisonous water were felt as fir as Brenttord
up the river, and beyond Rotherhithe down it; but the ex-
tent of the evil was incalculable, as the fish that entered
the coothrninated water were destroyed often by whole
shoals. It was well knows, fur instance, that there was •
long bank of mud, which extended for a censiderable dis-
tance, before the Temple, on which the red worm was bred is
great quantities, sad so this bank the smaller fiat fish had,
before the introduction of gas reservoirs resorted in
abundance, but now that the gas water was discharged
immediately into it, the numerods broods of fish that fed
there, and helped to support the fishermen, were destroyed or
driven away. The Water Bailiff mentioned the recent cir.
conistauce of a horse having drank at the wate►•side by
Westminster, and died immedistely after, when, on its being
opened, it was declared that its death was caused by the
poisonous quality of the water which it had drank, and which
was saturated with the residue from the gasometer.

The fisherman declared to the Lord Mayor, that in conse-
quence of the injury that had been dune to the river by
the contaminated water that had been discharged in it,
he did nut now earn four pounds where he had formerly
been In the habit of earning folly, and that this was the
case with ■ll his bietbren. The docks had dune them
sufficieut injury before, for these were bodies of stagnant
water saturated with copper, and other ingredients, to
such a degree, that if a Irian slink in it, death was as
certain, and all attempts to restore animation equally
as ineffectual, as if be had fallen into a brewer's vat.—
The water of this description which was emptied into the
river from the docks, bad driven away many species of fish
that formerly •isited the river periodically. The salmon
was some time since caught in abundance, but scarcely any
now came up the river, ant during the last year only out
salmon had been caught. The shad and smelt, which were
but • short time since the mimeo( great profit,..had almost
entirely departed, and many fishermen, who formerly sup-
ported themselves and. families un the river, were driven
away to seek their livelihood elsewhere, or to ewer into
other occupations. But if the Gas Companies were suf-
fered to go on as they bad done fur some time back, the
fishing would be almost entirely destroyed. The fisherman
prayed that his Lordship would take these circumstances in
miligstion of hi, offence.
The Lord Mayor expressed his regret at the distress to
which fishermen were reduced, and dad there was ao
available remedy. He thought, however,ffiat the use of such
nets as that found upun the Prisoner would only tend to in-
crease the evil. The Act was imperative upon him, and he
bad no alternative. His Lordship condemned the net, but
ordered its appendages to be restored, and mitigated the
penalty.
It has been given in evidence before the House of Com-
mons that the widening of the water-way at Londun.bridge, by
its removal or otherwise, will Cause an increased body of
water to flow higher up the river, and will feud materially
to correct the evil complained of.

SOW-STREET.

Tester Jay an unfortunate girl, apparently about 1a ;eon
of age, and of the most interesting and handsome person,
but shove attire indicated exit-cute poverty and distress, ap.
plied to the sitting Magistrate, Richard Birnie, Esq. fur re-
dress under the fullowiug circumstances :
It appeared from her statement that she had fur the last
three weeks been living at a house of ill-fame in Exeter-
street, Strand. The wretch who kept the Mimic had exact-
ed the enormous sum of three guineas per week for her board
and lodging, and in consequence of her not being able to pay
She sum due fur the last week, he threatened to strip her of her
clothe. and tura her naked into the street, this thte.it be
deferred executing until yesterday morning (having in the
mean time kept her lucked up in a dark room, without any
covering whatever), when in lieu of her clothes be gave her
the tattered and loathsome garments she then appeared in,
which were barely sufficient to preserve common decency,
stud then brutally turned her into the, street, plunged tutu
the must abject wretchedness. Being thus without usii-
ney or friends to whom she could apply in her
present situation, her bodily strength exhausted by the
dissipated life she had led, and rendered enure so by a
lung abstinence from food; her spirits broken and overcome
by the bitter aid humiliating reflection, that her own guilty
conduct debarred her from flying to the fostering mitts of

affectionate rterals, whom also she had !resoled nith des.
genre and wisely, sod the too. inevitable capture of bee
infamy, that it was some time ere her waudeoing senses
were sufficieetly composed to determine what course she
should pur.ue tit the preneet emerges' y, whea she tho•elit
she could not du better than In have recourse to the ju.tore
of her country againat the consist who had so basely toe.te4
her, and after extreme pain and difficulty she succeeded He
&atria; her ',feeblerf limbs to the office.
Daring the detail of the faregoiag particulars she seemed
overwhelmed with shame and remorse, and at times sobbed
so winked, as to render her voice ioartieulate.
Her pitiesus nee excited the atteatioa and sympathy of
all present, end it was much to the general satisfaction that
Mr. Simi, ordered Humphreys, one of the conductors of
patrol, to fetch the accused to the office. the his being
brought there the necessary proceedings were gone inters
fur the purpose of indicting the house as • common brothel,
M'e afterwards learned that this unhappy girl is of the
must respectable parents, and for the last six year• had been
residing with her noon. About three months ago some dif-
ference having arose between them, she abecondeel, 'skim
with her wily n few shillings and the clothes which she thew
wore. The Ant might of her rtmansing from home ale
weal to Druty-lane Theatre, and was there picked op
a genteel woman dressed in black, who hint"( learned
her etiolation, enticed her le a bons. in Hatt-sine% rie.
vent garden, where the ruin of the poor girl was boally
eiteeted. It wss nut until she had inimenwd Wesel
iie tire and folly that she reelected on her situation, and it
was then too lite to I.trail, and after suffering unheard-of
miseries was in the short space of three months reduced to
her present state of wseiclitdotess.
The worthy Magistrate ordered that proper rare shoal/
be takes, of the girl, which was readily undertook on dee
petit of the parish.
The Prisoner, in his defence, raid, that a friend of Ile
gill's owed hint lel and that he detained ler clothes for
it, but was etoppei by Mr. Benoit. He at brat treated
the matter very lightly, but on perceiving the determination
on the part of the parish to proceed en the Inesteess, he
offered to give op the things. This, however, Le was sot
allowed to du. •

The toformatious received at this Offiee of robberies ass 4
other offeuces committed daring the rare+ at Epsom, •oml
of *hick one very darting and atrocious, are partieulady
111111M1911111.