The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-01-19 00:00:00

THAMES-OFFICE.

SEIZURE OP TUE HOPE Or 10"1 TEIIDAM.—Jacob Vander
Bent, Captain of the Hope, of Rotterdam ; Martin Vander Bent,
Cornelius Vander Bent, and Cornelius Spandament, the vessel's
crew, were put to the bar, before W. J. BRODER IP, Es q.,
charged with clandestinely running into this, country a valuable
quantity of contraband goods.
Thomas Savin, a Custrm.house officer, being sworn, deposed as
follows :—I am Commar.der of the New Charter revenue cutter ;
on the 11th instant, about seven in the morning. I perceived a sus-
picious vessel, appearing to be a Dutchman, at anchor, near to
the Black Tail and the Spit Buoy, about a mile and a half from
the coast of Essex ; I took possession of her ; she was laden with
tobacco and snuff ; the prisoners were on board ; I took the pri•
soners and the vessel to Deptford.
The ;Magistrate said, that a more glaring smuggling case had
never appeared before him, and adjudged each of the prisoners to
ray t penalty of 1001.. and in default to be committed to Maidstone
gaol, until such penalty shall be paid. The property and vessel
to be forfeited.
UNION HALL.
- • - -

Yesterday, a young man, named Lack, was brought up for re-
examinatinn, charged with having committed a most violent assault
upon Mr. Hall, landlord of the Bedford Arms public-house, Clap-
ham-rise. The prisoner bad been remanded until yesterday, it being
stated to the Magistrate, on a former examination, that the life of
Mr. Hall was despaired of, in consequence of the serious nature of
the injuries he had received.
From the statement of Mr. Ball's son, it appeared that the de.
fendaut entered the parlour of the house one day last week, in
which a gentleman was taking a glass of rum and water. After the
gentleman had emptied the glass, the prisoner took the opportunity
of snatching it ()lithe table' and ran out of the house with it in Ins
possesion. Mr. Ball, sin being informed of the fact, pursued the
prisoner, whom he overtook, accused him of the theft, and in-
sisted that the glass should he immediately restored. During the
interval, Mr. Hall's stn having been apprised of the circumstance,
followed his father, and on seeing the prisoner, he also joined
with his father in dim inding the restoration of the glass, al this
was all they wanted, having no wish to charge the young man with
the theft. He had scarcely spoken when the prisoner rushed on
him, and gave him a blow which sent him to the ground ; and
while he was down, Lack attacked Mr. Ball, sen. a man upwards
of seventy years of age, whom he struck in the face; the violence
with which the blow was given, knocked the old man down, and
falling upon the edge of some stone steps, his thigh-bone was
fractured. Mr. Hall, sen., was conveyed to his house in a state of
insensibility, and from the nature of the fracture, and his advanced
age, his life was fur the first two or three days despaired of. Mr.
} ranks, the Vestry-clerk of Clapham, however, attended yesterday,
and produced the following certificate from the surgeon who has
been attending Mr. Hall :—•• Mr. hall has a fracture of the neck
of the thigh-bone—going on as well as can be expected, considering
the nature of the injury. It is probable, from his advanced age, it
will render him a cripple as long as be lives, but his life is in no
danger."
The Magistrate said that under these circumstances. he would
accept of good bail for the prisoner's appearance at the Sessions.