The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-03-08 00:00:00

.

tip•ln tie oi•tasir,n ;StJ tUPg t ..z. -•• ••
his study to continue to megit the g:/J., opinion of
the country.
The usual thanks were then' given tri- •!)-',ler;ons
present for their.rcady attendance ; after the
comany retired.
The Meet?ng was extremely well regulated, and
attended tiy the principal Noblemen in the-cotmtry.
In addition to those already ment?oael, we oSser-.
ved Lord CRANLEY, Lord Etiixos, Lord KING,'
the Magistrates of the County, Sec.

ATTEMPT
•
TO on TILE SOUTH-CAROLINA BANK.

A plan, of a most daring nature, to rob th 6
vaults of the South Carolina Bank, was lately dis-
covered.—A corporal of the guard informed the
porter of the Bank, that while standing at the cor-
ner of the Bask lie heard a noise, like some pers, n
working under the ground, of in the Bank. Mr.
Harvey, the Deputy Sheriff, having heard the same
noise, gave the like information ; an examination,
in consequence, took place, but nothing was dis-
covered, and the affair was thought no more of.
On the 7th of January, however, about eleveir
o'clock in the evening, Mr. M'Neil and his clerks,
who live opposite the Bank, observed a man lurking
about the pavement, next to the Bank wall, who fre-
quently stooped down to the pavement, as if in the
at of listening to some cue under ground. They
were struck with the man's behaviour, and upon
their going into the street, the man made off. On
examining the pavement, they found a brick loose,
and out of its place. Supposing this to be the be-
ginning of an attempt, they gave no alarm that
night, and in the morning they found the brick re-
placed, and some fresh earth spread over it. On
taking up this brick, they discovered that the earth
below had been taken away ; sand on di.a,gina, a little
further, a large cavity was discovered, and some
provisions and tools were observed at the bottom.
Soon after, the legs of a man were seen, who ap-
peared to be endeavouring to retreat towards the
drain in the street, but w:is prevented by the earth
having fallen in. Perceiving that he could not
escape, he called out to the people above, that if
they would unearth him, he would surrender. Ile
was accordingly apprehended, and committed to
goal. Upon his examination, it appeared, that his
name is William Withers; that he went to Charles-
tewn from Kentucky ; that he had begun this under-
ground attack on the 10th of UEtober, and had re-
mained underground from that time till his &tees
tion, a period of nearly three months. He had
worked through a pallisado wall, and through the
foundation of the Bank, which is three feet and a
half thick, when he met a wood cellar, where a
considerable quantity of wood prevented his pro-
gress to the vaults ; but it is believed, that had he
not been discovered, he would have found means to
remove this obstruaion. He confessed that he had
some accomplices ; and two men, named Abner
Robinson and William Butner, were in consequence
apprehended. The latter was the mall observed in
the street, listening to the ground. On the 19th of
January these men were brought to trial, when Wil-
liam Withers was found guilty, and the others
were acquitted.
This trausaCtion has interested the public atten-
tion in America in a great degree. Extraordinary
as it appears, there seems no doubt of the fact,
that this man remained under ground ditriog a pe-
riod of three months, without seeing the light of
day, or holding communication with any human
being, except being nightly supplied with provisions
by his accomplices.—New roil Daly Advertiser.