The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-04-17 00:00:00

THAMES OFFICE.

I MrOIITANT Qu EST Intr.—Richard Iliklitch. of Wappin,
victualler, appeared at this one, before I'. R tuts C L, Esq. the
"weakling Magistrate, to an information tiled against bins, in
March lost, charging him with engaging and employing a uusaber
of eualmieters' men, contrary to the statute, the defendant not
being a licensed coal-undertaker.
After hearing evidence to prove the charge, the 31agistrate ,
adjudged the defendant to pay a line of 101., which. iii cases like the
present. the informer is entitled to.
Mr. A writ:Rani'. the defendant's Solicitor, then gave notice cf '
appeal, and put in bail accordingly.

11ORRIBLE DEATH FROM IN7OXICATION.-TIMMIEr
evening, about eight o'clock, a moat horrible occurrence took pineal
in Tin 71-street, Clerkenwell.green. An elderly ‘01114"• named
Elir.heth Holthurst, about fifty-five rears of age, was .itting by
the tire-side reading, when becoming drowsy, it Is sup; used, from
the heat, and overcome by die liquor she had taken, she fill literally
upon the tire, her stomach resting upon the top bar; in which state
she was found by an acquaintance completely dead, whit her
ci-
trails nearly calcined, and the upper part of her frsnie in a 'tan: too
horrible to describe. The unfortunate cr....•ur.i how the cliaraet:r
of a harmless inotensive woman. An ln.itirst will be 'add on the
body this day.

ORIC.IN" 'OF CHESg.
I From the Mirror.]
The following account of the origin of chess Is given by
the Arabian writers. At the coinmeneement of the fifth
century of the Christian era,
India was governed by a
young and powerful Monarch, of an excellent disposition,'
but who was greatly corrupted by his flatterers. This young
Prince soon forgot that monarchs ought to be the fathers of
their people; that the love of the people for their king is
the only solid support of the throne ; and that they con-
stitute all his strength and power. It was in vain that the
Braining and the Rajahs repeated to him these im-
portant maxims. Intoxicated by his greatness, which he
imagined to be unalterable, he despised their wise remon-
strances. Then a Bramin, named Sissa, undertook, in an
ittill=.ts manner, to open the eves of she Prince. With
this vie*, he invented the game of chess, in which the
king, though the most important of the pieces, is powerless
to attack, and even to defend himself against his enemies,
without the assistance of his subjects.
The new game speedily became celebrated; the King of
' India heard talk of it, and wished to learn it; Sissa, while
explaining the rules of it, gave him a taste of those mo-
mentous truths, to which till this moment be had refused
to listen. _ .

The Prince, who possessed both feeling and gratitude,
changed his conduct, and gave the Bramin the choice of
his recompense. Sissa required to be delivered to him the
number of grains of wheat which would be produced by
all the squares of the chess-board, one bring given for the
first square, two for the second, four for the third, and so
on, still doubling the amount till the sixty-fourth square.
The King, without hesitation, acceded to a request of
such apparent moderation; but when his treasurers bad
calculated the quantity, they found that the King had en-
gaged to perform a thing to which not all his riches, nor '
his vast states, would suffice. They found in reality, that
the amount of these grains of wheat would be equal to
16,384 cities, each containing 1,024 granaries, each grt-
nary containing 174,762 measures, each measure consisting,
of 32,768 grains. 1/1 this circumstance the Bramin availech
himself, to make the King sensible hew much sovereign
ought to be on their guard against those who surround
them, and how much they ought to fear, lest even their!
best intentions should be perverted to sinister ends.