The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-08-23 00:00:00

•
wham the passengers were invited to partake of grateful and whole-
some fruit, which otherwise would not be an easily got at a cheap
mt. hundreds—he might say timustods--of poor women. were
iristivalned by its sale, and thereby kept from being burdensome
to Asir parishes. This was the ea%e with the poor woman now
• before his Lordship. She had been sat up by the parish-officers, at
a tvw shillings' expense, cud had, since that time, ceased to be a

burden.
31r. Rent rte, of Fleetanarket. a Common Councilman of the
same Ward, attended with several of the inhabitants, and some
other officers of the same tarnish, to support the defendant.
Mr. Roberta said the officer; were in this case placed in a miss
the. Himself and a number of the inhabi•ants were eternally at
• them for notaloing their duty by clearing the footpath' of these
women? viillst Mr. Taller and one or two others, from modal-4 of
homanity, were • always at them fur meddling with them. In
Fleet-market they Wronged the footways so as to render them
almost imparaable. The language of these women, and of slime
who associated ore* then, was often such as to render the hist
hisses uninhabitable by respectable females. When any one of the
uffeedera was pursued she took refuge among the butchers in the
market, who were sure to take part with her against the officers.
For his part, and those of his fellow-inhabitants, he was of opinion
that they ought to be. entirely removed.
Mr. Taylor questioned one of the complainants, who appeared
with Mr. Roberts, whether his allow-board dot not pr03..al some
distance over the footpath ? He reluctantly admittol that it
Mr. Taylor begged to inform him that it yea equally illegal with
the act of standing upon the pavement. There were several of the
uffieers who kept pigs, and illegally suffered them to run about the
emote. fle thought a pig a far greater noise= in the streets than
-sr woman with a basket of fruit. He inertly mentioned these things
to show that the poor women were not the only offiadsra against
the Act, and that they were as well deaerviug of lane:icy as any
others.
The LORD 11 A VOR said, that these fruit-women were cettsinly
in some instances P.O numerous as to become nuisances On re-
. femme to the Act, it would be seen that it was illegal to stand in
any part of the streets. In some instances poor woman were kept
*an the parishes; in others the wives ofjounteynien were to :en away
• from the care of their children, by the hope,' of getting a few %tid-
bits% mare, which did not, In his opinion, et,mpensate lot the mis-
chief done to their families by their absence. They might, in
some cases, be tolerated where they did not stand over the foot-path„
or in any way impede the public thoroughfare. The course he hail
pursued was to check the evil by ordering that no new-crances
should, in war instance, under any pretence, be allowed, end that no
no one should have baskets standing on treetles. Ile suggested to
Mr. Roberts that he should select those who used bad language, and
have them removed.
Mr. Roberts—l'll take up the whole of them. We might en-
dure half a dozzn of them, but four score is a nuisance.
• The Loan ATor—Vou nave no power to take them tip.
Sir alerts I meant was, that I should carom,: the law
by the officers.
Mr. Taylor begged to recall his Lordship's attention to the great
point on wl:ich he came forward, namely, whether throe poor wo-
men should be placed under a sore of martial law, and the officers
be allowed to seize their fruit and =Haute it without the cogni-
zance of a Magistrate
The LORD Mal-on—Certainly not ; the officers are bond
to
bring the parties regularly before the Magistratas.
Mr. Ilushoa said that was a more severe course, and the Ma-
gistrates could not convict them in a less penalty titan 401., which
of mine was WOW titan the HIM seizure of the fruit.
Mr. Taylor said he had no doubt that the proceedings before a
31agistrate would be, under all the circumstance*, far the mat
desirable. They would exercise the powers of the Act. with more
leniency and discretion. He was averse to intrust such power to
the beadles and officers ; he always came forward to encourage
them when they did their duty, but discretionary power over the
resat and et:protected was, in their hands, extremely liable to
:rhino.. The use was then dismissed, Hr. Taylor being satisfied
with the declaration of his Lordship. Mr. Roberts went away, de-
claring that he would abate the nuisance it. nis neighbourhood.

AN UNGALLANT TAR.
BOle-ATIREET.—AN exeuisite of the first order, deemed in a full
naval uniform, giving his name Giles Scroggiss, was yesterday
brought before Sir RICHAN D BIRN IE, the sitting Magistrate,
charged with assaulting a respectable young woman, named Jane
StoekwelL
It appeared that on the preceding night, about half-past nine
enelock, the complainant, in company with a female friend, was
proceeding along Newcastle-street, when they were accosted by the
fiefendant, who came up to them, and desired them to " heave to."
They. immediately stopped, when the defendant, without any pro-
vocation, struck her a severe blow in the face,-tore her cap, broke
her Leghorn bonnet, and otherwise much damaged her dress. Iler
companion ran off and procured a constable, into whose charge she
gave this eon of Neptune.
Her companion confirmed her statement.
The constable then stepped (nitrate% and stated that he had ascer-
tained that the defendant's real name was George Owen, and not
Giles Sewn:gine, as lie had desired him to eater it in the charge.
book, lie also added, that while he was taking the Midshipman
to doraisce, his conduct was most " uprorious " and not at all like
rhai of a gentleman. The defendant, while in the watch-house,
rferestened that if Sir Richard Bionic took cegilizance of the charge,
he would represent that elagistrateet condocuto the Lord Mayor.
Nor empty threat ! paltry trash ! exclaimed Sir Kit HARD, and
regueeted Mr. Sereggies. alias Owen, to state what dere nee lie had
to offer to the charge of assaulting a female
i which conduct was un-
becoming in any man, but mare especially n one whose duty it was
to protect all his Majesty's lieges.
The defendant, who treated the whole of the proceedings with
the greatest 'meg filed, declared that he knew nothing of the as-
sault complained of, or the threats which he was said by the corn-
plainant to have made use of ageinit his Worship ; and had he not
been what is termed " sprung," lie certainly would not have acted
Al lie had done. Ile conceived that the ladies, seeing that he was
oe compete mesas; preferred this charge against him solely for the
purpose of extorting money.
Atter a severe reprimand from the Magistrate for his unmaely
conduct and illiberal suppositions, he was ordered to find bail,
which not being at hand, Ferd, the gaoler, was desired to lock him
up till it should be forthcoming.
?MR BLIND BEGOAR-WO3IAN OF SAVILLE-
PASSAGE.
M ARLBOROUGU-ST Thursday, the little old blind
woman, who for years has stood as a mendicant in Saville-passage,
Seville-row. was apprehended by the dicers of the Mendicity Sa-
tiety. and committed by Mr. Box, the Magistrate of this office, to
Kiel foe ten days as a common beggar. She has never been known
to ask alms; she stands with her back against the blank wall, with
• a link bask •t of cakes and laces, does not speak, but holds out tier
hand, either to receive the donations of the affluent, or the coin of
the lament:ter. About a fortnight ago, this old a tarten, E. Goodhall,
whoa residence is in St. 0 lee's. was brought to the office by the
Ilketlicity Society's officers for beggingin Saville-passage, but the
Magistrate discharged her then. that the person who led her to the
spot, she being shone blind, mighZ be apprehended wills her, as the
prawn who more immediately committed the nuiaante by fleeing
her there, ash was known she did not find her way from St. Giles's
by Leckie. This paean is her husband, or rather. a man with
whores site has lived two-and-twenty year.. The officers have
Inie instructions to take him if they 'naafi him in the set of placing
noel illy in Saville-pis/age, which lie partly does, and fetches her
away en the evening.
Yesterday Lord elarybornugh made an application to Mr.
c(PtiANT, on behalf of the old woman, to have her discharged.
hits Lordship expressed himself very warmly aed firmly, as to the
a punster yof the officers taking her. Ile Reid he had known her
twenty years ; that she was as harmless and inoffensive a creature
so• to the world. She stood silently against the wall, and never
wee known to ask alms of any one. Lady Illaryboringh when-
etre the woman had been taken up, had made application,
end always obtainee her discharge. His Itertlehip did not know
toe fact of himself, but his Lady had told him so two or theta
tenon When the woreen wee taken the family were mit of town.
lilt Lady had given her trailing sums to replenish her basket, and
given bar a gown and other apparel when she appeard to want.
taco. She was seventy years old, and could not be classed with
remit impottenate beggars who follow and molest every respectable
pc:wager. It could not be in the spirit of the law and censtitution
ea tee country to injure a poor creature like her. •
liteceland. the constable of St. Jetnesen said their instructions
were to remove all beggars from the streets ; she was a well-known
bugle, whose parish was Marylebone ; lived ie St. Hiles's, and beg-
ged unlit. James's. Sometimes she was placed against the wall, an.:
sometimes against the doer of Mr. I) i wenn, the solicitor. Her hue.
band regularly every day led her to the gin-shop in Vign-lane; there
they parted, site turned into Saville-row, and pupate her way to
Saville-pannee, and at night he fetched her home. On the week
it she stood with a basket before her with a few cakes and held
oat her hand ; but on Sundays she came, not with the basket, but
weih a little cap, which she held out, poeitively for the purpose of
Laed elaryborough said if holding out the cap was rhieVioflable,
that should he eieenntinuete Ile had begun the business, sod would
sate the end of i , cost what it would.
Lordship desired to see the terme of the commitment. The
book was handed to him. The entry was " idle and disorderly."
His Lordship remarked that the charge wat}lot for begging, and
how could a poor old woman who never spoke be charged as disor-
der), ?
Fagan, an officer of the Society, said her garish would rot relieve
I•er, because see had acknowledged himself Met she was net mar.
rral, and that she bad lived with the man who passed as her hus-
bead twenty-two years, and model not be separated from
Lord Maryborough—Da you call that improper connexion ? She
as WI or 70, and he 110.
4gepin—Soinetimes she gives he: name Goolludl; and se metianes
Wetwter. the man's name.
Lord Msryhorough—l suppora she would Rey anything to get
()item ecrapo. it she is discharged., I von take care that she is
not vain in the place. if I cannot get her away today, I shall
ally somewhere else,
r. CONANT said the woman having been committed, he did not
arse ]how she could he discharged till the term expired. lie was not
thenummitting Magistrate, and could not take upon himself to die-
olteege her. AL'hy did she not go into Lee own parish, Meryle.
hone ?
Signe little cementation took place *between his Lordship and
Mr: Conant, which, we believe, ended in a premise of what might
Iniedose, and his Lordship left the office.
EXTRAORDINARY AFFAIR.
A watchman of St. James's produced to Mr. Conant a geld
watch and chain, which lie obtained, he said, in the following
manner :
eigeet one O'clock tbat morning three persons came dawn h.icg.