The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-12-17 00:00:00

Christ mas limo, in commemoration of the birth ofour Saviour,
and afterwards to collect of the inhabitants subscriptions for
,lbei said minstrelsy that the said Thomas Clay; king de-
ceased, he (Monro,yun.) was appointed his successor to the
said privileges of" Wait and Minstrel" to the City of West-
minster, der. Mr. Monro_produred a warrant, on which were
emblazoned the arms of Westminster, in which be was ap-
pointed to the said office, and this document was granted,
upon petition, to Mr. Monro, by a Court of Burgesses, or
Court Lee*, annually sitting in Westminster, who have
granted. such privilege time •ut of mind—in fact, since
the reign of Henry IV. Mr. Monro requested the Magistrate
to allow an officer to accompany him to apprehend the band
of" rival musicians" if they should again interfere with his
privileges, and the consequence was the arrest that took
place yesterday morning.
Bond, the officer, arranged the prisoners at the front aline
bar, and they gave their names Charles Clapp, the leader,
Benjamin :Jackson, Thos. Jackson, Daniel Jelpa, and Robert
Virecesit.

Bond being sworn, staled that be assisted in apprehending
lbe prisoners; he asked them if they had any warrant or
badge, to allow that they were authorised to go about play-
ing at that time in the morning, and they said "No."
Mr. HAW, the Magistrate, said that be bad no doubt of
the validity of the appointment of Mr. MOM but tho
question was, bad the parties before him an equal right lo go
about playing? If they had not, they certainly had no right to
say that they were "the Waits ;" and they would be liable to
an indictment for obtaining money wrier false pretences,
if they collected money from the inhabitants by representing
that they were " the Wails."
Charles Clapp, We leader of the obnoxious band,lsairi that
be was regularly apprenticed to Mr. Clayton, 31, Villiers-
street, Strand, musician; and Mr. Clayton was formerly
partner with Mr. Thos. Clay, deceased, and went about,
during the Christmas revelry, with him, as one of the
" waits."
Mr. Clayton came forward, and confirmed Clapp's state-
ment; bet he admitted that he never know that Clay was ap-
pointed by a Court of Burgesses.
Mr. Monro, Jun., produced a silver badge, wbicb be was
appnMied by the Court of Burgesses to wear as an emblem
of his office.
Mr. Clayton said that be was the leader of a band of waits,
for many years in St. Martin's parish, and never was inter-
rupted by any one. It was at the request of the inhabitants
that ho went about playing during the night, as they said they
would rather encourage him, who had been so yeara an inha-
bitant or the parish, than a stranger.
Mr. Hasa said that it must be proved to him that the ise-
rused had taken money, representing themselves as " waits,"
before he could proceed against them.
Mr. Moons said they bail represented themselves as the
waits.

Mr. HALLS said if he could bring evidence of their receiving
money as " tbe waits appointed by the Court of Burgesses of
the City of Westminster," be should then proceed.
Mr. Moore could not at present produce such proof.
Mr. Haw dismissed the parties, by cautioning them not
to represent themselves as waits" in future ; and told them,
if they received money under such false pretence, they would
be liable to a prosecution.

. * The Chairman of the Court of Burgesses is Lord Sid-
Booth. by right of his office of Lord High Steward of
Westminster.

A VALET.

A spruce dapper younk fellow, togged in a cut off suit of
superfine blue, not much worse for wear, with a light or sky-
bine stock, commonly called "the King's shape." and a stiff-
starched stand up cellar round bis neck, the points parallel
with the fundamental feature" of his face, whose hair was,
frizzed a le Petersham oo each side of bis curiously eat cranium
and projected just above his organs of hearing horizontally
sixinches, with a demi-frenchißcd appearance, whose tort en
usable to a common observer, would have excited doubts in the
mind of the spectator, whether he was of gentk blood, or •
plebeian; or ufwbat particular genus be could be. When be
laughed, and be ?reticently did, be was decidedly Frewca,
and when serious and thoughtful, which he seldom was, there
was something A asilasized about him. We shall give his story
in his own words :

" Bair I was de valet, and de footman and de livery, engage
by de pompom, de property, at Brighton; my wage vas
twenty guinea in de year. De gcnitilman, Bair, vas Maitre
Barren, a grande esquire, at Brighton ; 1 engage for displace
of de rakt, and sot to do work for de scullion. Men maitre
do say to me, 'I mus go and fetch de bucket de slater from
de ri.er." Nowise's, men maitre !' I did say, will dress
your hair, wait at de table, walk out wad %ista whew you shall
bare de pleasure ; hut I cannot condescend to fetch de bucket
de water!' Well, Sair, won maitre do take me by do collar,
push me to de door, turn me out, and say, ' go to and
he sever pay my make, which was Sic de guinea—fur he did
'say at mon engagement, that it was a mood notice er de
mosey."
Magistrate—Yon should hare gone to the Magistrate at
Brighton, and not bare come to London.
Valet-1 was recommend to come to Bow.street, I did go
to Saie Richard Scott, de justice, at Brighton, and Ito no good
to me.

The Magistrate referred him to an attorney, to bring an
action to recover the wages due to him.
The Valet before he left theiollice said that his aware was
Aaginis, and his fakeer Frenetos, and tbat accounted foe his
mongrel appearance.