The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-04-09 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS, APRIL 8.

EXTRAORDINARY CASE.
Mr. ALLEY applied on behalf of Mr. Ilarris, an optician, re-
siding in Holborn, to exhibit articles of the peace against a person
calling himself Hayward, and styling himself a watchmaker, re-
siding at Kensington.
• It appeared from the affidavit of Mr. Harris, that Hayward had
repeatedly written to him for some property bequeathed to him by
his grandfather, and which he charged Mr. Harris with unjustly
withholding from him. Ile went so tar I t ..I to threaten that unless
this property were without delay restorer(, he would shoot 3lr.
Harris. It was farther charged against the defendant, that on the
21ith day of March last he came to the shop of Mr. Harris, and
its
again insisted on restoration of his property. In vain did Mr.
Harris protesta the justness of the demand ; in vain did he
m w ore him that e ncvee knew any such person as his grandfather;
that he nerer had in his custody or possession any property of his.
The defendant still persevered wed his dematul, and again
threatened to shoot him, unless he aiii on the instant paid the sum
of WI.
Mr. Harris, naturally apprehensive that his life was in dan-
ger front the violence of the defendant, had him apprehended and
conveyed to klatton-garden police-otfice. At the office and in the
presence of the 31agirtrate, Mr. Laing. the defendant openly
avowed his determination to shoat Mr. Harris, and actually pro-'
duced from his aide pocket a pistol, which be said was for that
purpose. The pistol was taken front him, and on examination it
was found to be loaded.
The CHAIR rise asked the defendant whether he had any thing
Oe put forward in answer to the charge made against him.
The defendant answered nearly to the following elect :—" Mr.
Chairman and Gentlemen, I have written several letters to the
Lord Chancellor ; in these letters I put in a claim for the Crown
of these realms; that Nobleman took no notice of this to me very
important application ; finding, therefore, nothing but neglect in
that quarter, I had recourse to Mr. Hams, from a conviction of
my right to the property In his hands. This property I claimed on
the same principles that I before demanded the Crown of the Lord
Chancellor, and whin I found Harris also neglected my letters, I
felt that I had an undoubted right to shoot him without ceremony."
(This extraordinary declaration, and the disordered manner of
the defendant during its delivery, having excited considerable sur-
prise in the Court, the defendant, staring wildly around him, ex-
claimed)—
" Yes, I repeat it, a most unquestionable right to shoot him.
I had already made great sacrifices in not pushing to extremities
my claim to sovereignty; but was I to sit tamely idle whilst 3lr.
Harris was ousting me of my property—the only means of my
subsistence? all laws, both human and divine, justified the course.
The CHAIRMAN here interrupted him, to inquire if he had any
friends? .
The defendant answered in the negative, and went on to say that,
as originally, he was in his opinion entitled to the Crown ; by a
parity of reasoning he came to the conclusion that he had a right to
the property of Harris.
The Cnalastax again inquired if he had any friends or relations
residing in or near London ?
The defendant replied, that his only friend was his father, and
that he was at present at Boulogne.
Mr. Harris—l wrote to his father, and am daily expecting an
answer.

The CHAIRMAN mid, that from the singular conduct of the de-
fendant it was necessary that he be detained in custody: he there-
fore directed that he be remanded until the day of the adjournment
of the Sessions ; in the interim some measure may be adopted with
respect to him.
The unfortunate young man was then removed from the dock, at
the front of which he had been standing during the melancholy in.
vestigation.
He appeared to be about twenty-four or twenty-five years old.
II e was dressed It black, and altogether his appearance and address
were those of • gentleman. Whilst in Court he appeared to labour
under considerable mental aberration. His disordered manner—the
writhings of his countenance—and, above all, the phrenzied roll
of his eye—were enough to convince all present of the melancholy
nature of his malady.
STAGE-COACHES.

Mr. ANDRE ws apitiiidair;iii-siiie;nviettoo of Mr. Griffiths,
in fining Dlr. bongdale, the proprietor of a Hadley stage, the sum
of ten pounds, for carrying a greater number of passengers than
the Act allows.

It appeared that the coach was driving in Tottenham Court.rood
with only two horses. On arriving in town, the coachman took off
the leaders, as he could manage two horses better than four. While
thus driving towards the City, Byers, the informer, saw it, and
lodged an information against the proprietor of the coach, on which
the Magistrate tined him in the penalty of ten pounds. The driver
was not known.
MT. ANDREWS took several objections to the conviction; first,
that due diligence had not been need to find out the coachman, and
that therefore the proprietor could not be considered liable ; nest,
that the allegation in the conviction was not right, inasmuch as it
stated that the coach was a Barnet coach, whereas it was a Hadley
stage • further, that the coach was represented as driving towards
LendOn, whereas it was, in fact, in London at the time.
The COURT overruled all these objections, but said that it was
certainly a hard ease, as it appeared that the coachman had only
taken off the leaden for the public safety, while he went to deliver
his fare in various parts of the terra.
Mr. ADOLPHUS, in support of the conviction, said, that one
part of Mr. Andrews's observations in recommending the I.ms to
be taken off, would be, no doubt, very acceptable to many gentle.
men in Court, who would like to me many " leaders taken off."
(Muds laughter.)
Conviction affirmed.

An extensive forgery on the Bsnk of Ireland has lately
been discovered, but the offendsr is not yet in custody.
PlODEar.—Yesterday morning, at ten o'clock, Probert
was visited by his wife, Mr. Noyes (her brother), and the
prisoner's mother. This was the first interview Mrs. Pro-
bert has had with her unhappy husband, and the meeting
between them was truly affecting. On entering his apart-
ment she approached him in a flood of tears to embrace
him ; Probert coolly desired her not to fret, and to bear
herself up under her afflictions with fortitude. Mr. Noyes
way also very much affected. The prisoner's mother, his
wife, and brother-in-law remained, by the permission of
the Sheriff's, some time longer than usual with the priso-
ner. He is p'rfrctly composed, and converses with those
about him very cheerfully. lie, from his observations, an-
ticipates a mitigation of the punishment his crime has sub-
jected him to, and frequently says he shall be heartily
thankful to leave the country for ever—it would be the
happiest moment, should it arrive, he had seen for many
years.

At the meeting of the Common Council, held yesterday,
it was determined to relinquish for the present the clause
in the new Bill for a permanent Coroner. It was ordered
also, that there should be a very handsome painted window
over the chancel in the Corporation church of St. George,
which will he an additional ornament to that beautiful
edifice. We are happy aiso to hear that the Inspector-
General of Fortifications has orders from Government (in
conjunction with the Corporation) to erect immediately a
fort and light-house on the Cheshire shore, near the rock
perch. The salary of Mr. Hartley, as surveyor of the
docks, is increased from 600/. to 1,0001. per annum.—
Liverpool Advertiser of Thursday.
Count NATIONS.—We understand that the unfortunate
man, whose body was taken out of the Canal, near Mount-
street, and who was decapitated during the night of the
28th March, as noticed in our paper of the 30th, was a
blackamith, residing at Rings-end, who, it is supposed,
fell a victim to the savage fury of sonic of his brethren. A
young man, a carpenter, has been missing for some days
baa, and it is feared that he also has been sacrificed by
" The Union of Trades."—We are credibly informed that
a general turn-out is to take place amongst the oombinators
this week, and that, preparatory to the step, they have in-
duced numbers of the young tradesmen to go to England,
by giving them two pounds each ; the joiners and ca-
binet-matters have already commenced operations.—Dublen
Paper.
A few days since, a fire broke out at Waterford, Ilerts,
which detroycd four cottages, the property of Mr. Samuel
Andrews, of Hertford.
We regret to state, that as Mr. Pitcher, of Blackwall,
v:as crossing the river on Thursday, the twat in which be
was was run down by a steam-boat, and Mr. P. was
drowned.

Hazard and Co. are selling for the Four Twenty Thou-
sands, All in One Day, Nett Tuesday. Every Number
entitled to 5/. Shares in proportion.—Lotteries must entirely
finish in this country in a few months,—Hazard and Co.
solicit Public Patronage at their Old Established Offices,
Real Exchange Gate; 28, Cornhill ; and 324, Oxford-
street, end of Regent-street, London; where for a century,
they have been successful in Selling Capital Prizes, and
where, in the last ycar's Lotteries alone, they Sold Five
Prizt.s of 30,0001. and 20,0001. Hazard and Co. have
Agents in all the principal Country Towns.
rim DLTONATING Gun.--Svveral months since, W.
Lsfley, Esa. of Dublin, soddenly perished in consequence of the
going off of Me detonating fowling-piece, which hitched in the step
of the jsunting car, on which he was proceeding from town on a
shooting excursion, and deprived him of life in a few momenta.
This gun was subsequently sold by a relative to a gentleman, who
lent it to Mr. Delany, attic county of Cork, who was possasied of
• pretty estate in that county. On Monday be was out on a shoot.
ing excursion, and having gat over a ditch, passed this very gun
(unluckily, as when in Mr. Liffey% hand, the caps were ot)through.
• bush, and baring reached the other side, grasped the barrel,
which w , then towards him, and
ing pulled it_the lock - detained
• the . .
G
his

THE BRITISH PRESS.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

NEWMARKET CRAVEN MEETING.

zneasnax.
The very favourable state of the weather, and the pro-
mise of a great day's sport, drew together a great concourse
of visitors, most of whom, however, were sporting men,
and including, amongst many fresh arrivals, a vast number
of Legs.
The day's races most agreeably realized our most san-
guine expectations. The first race, though not so well
contested as the others, was, upon the whole, a pretty one;
it certainly was an interesting one to betting men, as it was
contested by three favourite fillies for the Oaks ; the other
races were also very fine ones, but the leading one of the
day was that between Rufus and the Phantom filly, but
it did not produce the sport expected. The events of those
races, in which Rufus and Aline have been respectively
engaged, have confirmed them in their stations as first
favourites, but have not made that alteration in the odds
which generally ensues ; indeed, the betting men are cau-
tious as to Rufus, and consider him as rather an uncer-
tain, though a good one ; he is lasy, and requires plenty of
digging and flanking ; they are also timid about Aline,
she having tender feet.
Ilia Royal Highness again honoured the Heath with his
presence, as did the Duke of Richmond (who left the Course
for town, after the fifth race, on a visit to the Duke of
Argyll) ; Duke of Portland, Duke of Rutland, Mar-
quissea of Graham and Titchfield, Lords Sefton, Strad-
brooke, Jersey, Orford, and most of the Noblemen and
Gentlemen mentioned in our previous reports.
Mr. Douglas has a select dinner party this evening, in-
eluding his Royal Highness the Duke of York, Duke of
Rutland, &c.
Earl Sefton also gave a grand dinner to several Noble-
men and Gentlemen. . _ .

The Jockey Club dinner was atter.ded by—Tbe Data of
Grafton and Portland ; Earls Lowther and Jersey ; Lords Anson,
Kensington, and )ltsroy ; Sir J. Shelly ; Hon. Mr. Irby, Hon.
Powleet, Bon. Mr. De Roos ; Colonels Aubrey and Russell ;
Lambton, E 9. M.P. ; 31 curs. Prendergast, hlilnes, Mills,
Green, Holyoske, Stonehewer, &c. &c.
In our Paper of yesterday we gave an Express of part of
Thursday's races. The following is a detailed account of
those which then appeared, with those which followed after
our Express left the Heath.