The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-08-20 00:00:00

This kind of erdluesaminatiOn Wu continued for Some time,
without eliciting anything, awl such answers did Mr. Selcock think
it necessary to give, that the Court interposed, and threatened to
commit him if he did not desist.
The Learned JUDGE said he believed the present defendant had
a family of prize-fighters.
Mr. FLANNAGLN replied to the evidence for the defence, and
lamented that the high and distinguished profession of physic
Ishould have one of its members capable of such debasement of
conduct as to condescend to associate with such a rabble as attended
the movements of the ruffians of the prize-ring.
The Learned JUDGE summed up, and expressed his indignation
at the proceedings altogether, and lamented the time of the Court
should have been occupied by so profligate a host of persons. He
gave it as his opinion decidedly, that in point of law the plaintiff'
was entitled to a verdict, as the evidence for the defence rested
mainly upon the testimony of the one witness, who appeared to
know little or nothing about it, and by no means rebutted the evi-
dence given by the plaintiff's witnesses.
The Jury immediately found for the plaintiff—lhmagee J. with
costs.

BRADFORD COMBERS AND WEAVERS.
iFrom the Leeds Intelligenter.l
As the worsted spinners and manufacturers of Brad-
ford gave notice on Saturday of a meeting on Monday
last, " to take into consideration the propriety of the mas-
ters proposing to their respective workmen a personal dis-
cussion of the differences between them," we are unwilling
to offer any remarks which might tend to thwart even the
slender hopes of a reconciliation suggested by this announce-
ment. We must say, however, that in the vindication
which the manufacturers have published of themselves, in
reply to Mr. Fawcett's letter, they have avowed principles
it would have been more creditable to them never to have
entertained. As no proof of Mr. Fawcett's having violated
the spirit of the rule, " to buy tops only from one another,"
by his purchasing tops made at 150 miles distant, they
broadly state that their object and intention in resorting to
that regulation was to prevent their workmen from getting
employment elsewhere, and thus insure a triumph over the
Union. Whether the extent to which combination has
reached may have provoked or rendered necessary such a
resolution, we shall not deckle ; but it certainly strikes us
as fully as culpable for employers, who refuse to give the
wages demanded of them, to prevent workmen from ob-
taining employment in other places, u for a Union, or the
members of a Union, to prevent persons who arc not of
that association from selling their labour for whatever price
they please. With respect to the refusal of the masters to
submit the disputes with the men to the arbitration of the
Leeds merchants, who offered to mediate between them,
we can easily understand, that besides the reasons alleged
by the spinners and manufacturers for declining to accept
of the mediation, they naturally felt reluctant that their
workmen should look up to third and indifferent parties as
the friends who had at length effected an arrangement and
restored them to employment. Of the comparative advan-
tages of hand and power weaving, asset forth by the mas-
ters, we cannot, for the life of us, perceive what it has to
do with the question now at issue. If power weaving be
so much more preferable and cheap as it is described, in
Heaven's name let those who choose resort to it; bat while
they employ men instead of steam-engines to weave, they
must deal with the former independently of all considera-
tions of the latter. Late last night, and after the forego.
ing was put in type, we received the following letter from
our correspondent at Bradford:—
" BRADFORD, Auo. 17.

"Matters, as to the differences between the masters and
workmen here, are apparently drawing to a close. The
men have professed a willingness to meet and discuss
their differences with the. masters; but the latter have,
until Monday last, resolutely refused to attempt any com-
promise. On Monday, however, a resolution was passed
by them, that esch master might endeavour to settle his
disputes with his own men : and accordingly they have
most, if not all, had communications with their men, but
without coming to any settlement. The men refuse to re-
turn to their work under the price demanded, on the ground
that it is evident, from the conduct of Messrs. Garnett, who
have been giving the advanced wages for a fortnight, and
Mr. Firth, who agreed to give them on Monday morning
last, that the required advance can be afforded. It is
now generally expected that all the masters will yield
this long-contested point ; and, in resentment at the con-
duct of the manufacturers of Halifax, Keighley, Bingley,
and other neighbouring places, who have held aloof from
the battle, and continued to employ the Union there during
the strike here, will also offer such other wages as will
produce a strike in those places, and place the masters in
this dilemma—either to give higher wages than the trade
there will afford, and so to manufacture at a loss, or
otherwise to give up manufacturing.
Mr. Fawcett has gotten between two fires, the masters
on one hand, and the men on the other : they both charge
him with duplicity. His answer to the charges made by
the former is before the public ; and, in reply to what has
been published by the men, as to his offering work to the
men in the Union, on condition of their withdrawing for a
short time from the Union, a declaration has been signed
by Hayley, Mr. Fawcett's foreman, who went to the Com-
mittee of the Union at the Roebuck, in the name of Mr.
Fawcett, that his communication with the Committee was
an act of his own, and entirely unknown to, and un-
authorised by Mr. Fawcett. This, and the fact that
Haley had been discharged by Mr. Fawcett, for treating
with the Union in his name, will be estimated by spectators
of the passing events in diffaent lights.
" The men had their usual meeting at Fairweather-
green on Monday last, but no resolution here passed.
Their funds increase with the duration of.:.‘ . contest, and
were never in so good a state as at the pre-,. it. They re-
ceived nearly 200/. this morning, in bills, notes, and sove.
reigns, from differestt quarters."

SHIPWRIGHTS' COMDINA7IONS.-lt has been under-
stood by the shipwrights of this yard, that their services will
not now be required in the Thames, the unfortunate mis-
understanding which has 89 long existed there between the
masters and the men having been at length amicably ad-
justed. About 60 of the artisans of this yard have signed
11 a paper, offering their temporary aid to the London ship-
-11 builders, should the men in their employ not abide by their
I late agreement. It is also rumoured, that those who have
volunteered from this yard will be recommended to the
Board tc be placed at the head of those who are to have
apprentices.—Plymouth Journal.
Doos.—Through the praiseworthy exertions of Mr.
Foote, the Surveyor of Taxes at Salisbury, it has been
discovered that upwards of 200 dogs have never been re-
turned, and consequently no tax has been paid for them.
The plan now pursuing will in time rid the city of those
useless and dangerous animals.—Dorset Chronicle.

YOVTIIFUL DEPRAVITY.—A shop-boy, in the employ
of Mr. John Alford, draper, of Bradford, having been
corrected for some offence, attempted, on Friday last, to
seek his revenge by poisoning his master. For this pur-
pose he went into a druggist's shop, and actually stole a
parcel marked "poison." This he put into a bucket of
water, from which the kettle was filled for tea ; and on
the family (consisting of five persons) partaking of it, they I
all became sick. Mr. Adyc, a respectable surgeon,lwas sent
for, who administered some medicine, and very fortunately'
removed the cause. On analyzing the water, poison was
clearly discernable. Suspicion at once fell on the boy,
who has since confessed, and is now in prison.—Desirrs
Gazette.

A most daring forgery has been attempted at Lloyd's
Coffee-house. Mr. Bennett, the Secretary, received a com-
munication, purporting to be from the Russian Consul,
stating that after the Ist of September all British vessels
would be admitted into the Russian Ports on the same
terms as ships under the Russian I.ag. The letter turns
out to be a forgery. The most active measures are taken
to discover the writer.

In the thunder storm of Wednesday, some persons em-
ployed in reaping, in Ilcene Field, near Worthing, took
shelter in the mill, one of whom, a boy, was struck with
lightning, but fortunately did not teceive any material
injury ; the hair on one side of his head was singed ; and
his dress, from head to foot, participated in the shock,
being rent asunder, and a part of his boot torn off:—
Dorset Chronicle.

CORONEIefI Iwiaverr.—Yesterday evening an inquiai.
don was held before T. Moos, Esq, at the Stag, Utistle.jane,
James-street, Buckingham Gate, on the body of Elizabeth Harris.
22 years of age, who, it appeared, had returned home in Ship-yard,
l'eter.street, on Monday night, In a state of intoxication, and fell
asleep. Unfortunately her cloihes caught fire from a candle, and
she awoke enveloped in flames, in which condition she ran into the
s reet, screaming dreadfully. A man passing by at the time in.
stantly took of his coat, and wrapped it about her, anti afterwards
threw several pails of water upon her, which extinguished the
flames. She was conveyed to the Westminster Infirmary without
the slightest hopes of recovery, where she died in excrutiating
torture. The Jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death."