The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-12-10 00:00:00

WINTER HOME CIRCUIT.

ESSEX ASSIZES.
Cuzzarszozu, Dic. B.
The Winter Assizes for this county commenced here yesterday.
before the lion. Dlr. Junket Bunsouou and the Hon. 3lr. Baron
GAIIIIIOIII.

Edward Finn, James Bars, and Patrick Caitiffs, were Indicted
for a burglary in the dwelling-house of James Crossley, Esq., at
West 11am, in the night of the 20th of September last, and steal-
ing therein a clock, a musket, a fowling piece, seven silteespoons,
and several articles of wearing appateL
Mr. Crossley, the utor, who is a merchant, residing in
Broad-street, city, had his country-house at West Ham broken
open in the night of the 20th of September, and robbed of the
articles above-mentioned. The house was then in the care of an
upper servant, the family being in London. Suspicion fell upon a
coatermonger, named Edward Allen, whose cart was found by a
constable standing at the el oor of a public-house in Whitechapel,
about five o'clock on die drilling of the fist. The constable
entered the house, and found the prisoners and Allen in company
drinking.
The principal witness for the prosecution was Allen, the accom-
flice, who swore that he had been engaged by the other prisoners to
sasiat them with his cart in carrying off the property stolen from
the prosecutor's house. He was cortobonted in several material
circumstances of his evidence.

The Jury, under Mr. Justice Bwastotron's directions, found
the prisoners Guilty, and judgtuent of Death was recorded pursusat
to the Statute.

C. Clarke was indicted for feloniously killing and slaying T.
Young, at Great l'hishall, on the 10th of October last; and Jolts
Burrows and Jesse Funks, were indicted as accesseries to the same
felony and manslaughter.
Mr. BRODItICE conducted the prosecution.
It appeared in evidence that the prisoners, the deceased, and se-
veval other men, labourers in husbandry, had met on the night of
the 10th of October, at a public-house in Great Chishall, to spend
their harvest money. Itetwecn one and two in the morning they
left the house in a state of intoxication, for the purpose of returning
to their respective homes. In their way home some of the party
began to play rough tricks upon each other, such as jostling and
slapping one anther's faces. The deceased did not appear to have
taken any part in this sport, but the prisoner Clarke challenged him
to light, and pushed him into a ditch. Goaded by this act of ag-
gression, he was prevailed upon to tight. Clarke and he stripped, and
the other prisoners immediately became seconds. About eight or
nine rounds took place, and in the last the deceased fell insensible
on the ground. lie was taken home in that state, and died next day
Upon opening the head and examining the body, it appeared that
a blood-vessel had been ruptured, in the former, and that in the
latter one of the shoulder-bones had been broken. and on the back
were marks apparently proceeding from kicks, which he was sup..
posed to have received whilst on the ground. The prisoner Ilur-
rows, who was the deceased's second, had endeavoured to prevail
upon the latter not to light. An excellent charactet was also given
to him by the parish officers, as a sober, industrious, sod well-con-
ducted man.

hlr. Justice Br 'nor zt, in summing up the case to the Jury,
paid it appeared to hint that the affray which terminated so fatally
was what is called a lair light. At all events, it en.s not like any
of those cases which had of late disgraced the country—he meant
prize fights ; in which he wza sorry to observe men were pitted
against each other to fight for a purse, in the presence of thousands
of spectators, amongst whom were persona whose stations, fortunes,
and education, he would have supposed would incline them to more
honourable and gentlemanly amusements. For his own part, he
heartily wished that some example would be made of persons actively
engaged in. or by their countenance encouraging such disgraceful
contras. Should a case ever come under his judicial notice when
death was the result, he thought it his duty to declare, that he
should carry the law to its utmost extent. By a late Act of
Parliament (3d Geo. IV. e. 33.) Judges were empowered to men.
tence offenders guilty of manslaughter to transportation for life.
The degrading practice which had now become so preys.
lent, renders it necessary to make a severe example, for the purpose
of checking it; and his Lordship had come to the resolution, in
common with the other Judges, to inflict the severest penalties
upon offenders of this description. Ile was happy, however, to
say, that it was very much owing to the good minuet of the magic.
tract in most counties of England, that this barbarous species of
exhibition had been considerably abated. There were, however, be
lamented, certain exceptions which had a contrary tendency. In
his opinion, any magistrate who, by his open countenance or pas-
sire tolerance, in any respect contributed to the encouragement of
such scenes, was unht for his station in the Commission. The less
magistrates exerted themselves to put a stop to such practices, they
might expect serious notice to be taken of their remissness from the
highest quarter of the State.
The Jury found the prisoners Guilty.
The beamed Junta: sentenced Clarke and Fowler to twelve
months' imprisonment aed Lard labour, and Burrows so six months
imprisonment awl hard Lbour, in the house of correction.

POLICE.

NAX'

Yesterday, a young titan of gentlemanly appearance and address,
named James .4reloieaocu Itidaardsoos, appeared before the Lotto
MayOß, upon a summits, to account foe the possession Dia bill
of exchange for 601. which had been stolen.
Mr. Dent (the owner of the bill) stated that on the night of the
13th of November last, as lie was passing down Ludgate-bill, at
the time the premises of Messrs. Wilkinson were burning, his
pocket was picked of his pocket-hook, enistalhing the bill in ques-
tion, which was drawn by a 3lr. Taylor, and accepted by a Mr.
Sprigg. There were also other ttecunttes in the pocket.book, of
those lie had some time since teceived information, bnt he learned
nothing about the bill of exchange until within a few days, when
lie was told titan it was in the possession of the defendant.
The d2fendant upon being called upon to account for the pos-
session of the bill, stated that lie was informed on the 16th of Nov.
by Messrs. Fascit, of St. Swithierlane, that a gentleman had
called at their office with a bill, for which he wished to get Poysis
Stock; that he afterwards received an anonymous note, on which he
declined treating; that he then received a second note, with the
name of Brantley on it, and enclosing the bill, in return for which
he enclosed 2,300 f. in bonds, or twenty-ihre lUUI. Poyais bonds.
The Loan Morena asked what wu the market price of those
lOilf. Puyais bonds.
The defendant replied, that they were at the time of the sale of
them for the 501. bill at 21. each.

The LORD MAYO a—" And did you take no numbers down, nor
make any memoranda by which you could, if it were necessary,
identity them ?"
The defendant replied, that he did not ; that they were bonds of
his own • that he was Lot a contractor for the l'oyais loan but an
agent, ar:d that it was not the practice to bold the numbers of the
bonds which were sold.

A letter was here handed in to the Lord Mayor from the rim-
plmnant it Wat natal the 7th of November, and we believe was a
notice given to the parties ou the ball that the defendant had nego-
tiated it.

The LORD MAYOR asked whether this note was written after
notice had been rect iced that the Dill had been stolen ?

_ .
The defendant replied in the affirmative, but he said that the
date was minifeitly -by mistake—November instead of December.
ifs added, that he had received no specific notice not to otgociate
the bill.

The LORD MAYOR—No specific notice ! Why, sir, had you
not been intsormcd that it was stolen.--and would it not have been
the duty of any honest man, under those circumstances at least, to
wait until he saw what steps the party had taken ?
The defendant replied, that lie had given his property for the
bill, and certainly, as no positive notice had been given him nut
to part with it. he thought himself entitled to negnciate it.
The Loan 31 Avon, atter having consulted with Mr. nobler,
said, he felt it his duty to order the defendant to find two bail for
1001., awl to cuter into his own ncognisances fur the sum of
another Ito!. to appear and answer any charge that might be made
against hire on the subject.
Defendant—What, my Lord, have I not a right to negociate a
bill for which I have given value?
The Loan filAYolll—Certainly not, under such circumstances.
The deft:Amnt said he might have acted erroneously. The tact
was, he wu nut a commercial man. lie was an officer in the
army, and, like many others, he dealt occasionally in the stocks.
The complainant said that perhaps the defendant would be wil-
ling to give up the bill.
The defendant slid he was, but not on condition of a compromise
of his character. If it were publicly stated that the defendant did
not consider that he came by the bill improperly, he would consent
to lose his bond soil glee it op.
The Lotto I.ve u I advise you to do so as the most honour.
able course.

Tne complainant nmseated to say the wool.
The Lotto 31aYon ssitl, the least that could be said was, that
3lr. Itichardson had acted most incautiously.
The defendant complained that the Lord Mayor had used some
strong terms towards :tau which he felt severely.
Tile bill was then put into the hands of Mr. /fabler, where it is
to lie until the day bt mre it becomes due.
slr. Ilicharclatit said I e would do all he could to trace the thieves.
Ile had, he said, titre l'Oy:.i% Bonds, and he hoped he should get
rid of them, and he never would take one again.
The Limit 3I•It out, of cotase, required co sureties, and the
parties left the 01.4 L.

BOW—STREET.
Yesterday a respectable looking man, who fermented himself to
be an assistant at a private madhouse in the vicinity of %Vindsor.
came to this office, accompanied by a lady, and the proprietor of
Knight's Hotel, in ihiver.strcet, Piccadilly, and sought the advice
and assistance of air RICIIAIiD 1111LX1E, under the following cir-
cumstanms _ _ .

lie said that the name of the lady now before his ‘Voraltip was
Blenkinsopp, and that she hail been fur a considerable time an in.
mete of the asylum to which he belonged, and that on iVethicsdav
she made her escape front the house, and came to Londom lfe
followed and found her, and his request was, that Sir 11. Bantle
would empower him, h' his authority or warrant, to convey her
back, she having refused to pi, and placed herself undar the
protection of the proprietor of the howl. The Illagistrate would
perceive, by the document which he produced, that every thing
was quite correct, and that he (the applicant) was property
authorised.
The applicant pre:lured a paper, which he said was a certificate
of the insanity of the lady.
(Vie had not 3! 1 epportimity of perusing this document, but we
saw that it was written in a miserable hand, and was headed " Me-
morandum," and 59pled by " 14. Engstrom")
:ir H. plarsz sit he did not know of any law which audio-

rind him to interfere. If the lady were a lunatic, the Lord Chan.
celiac was her proper guardian, and application might be made to
him upon the subject. He very much doubted the power of the
applicant to touch the lady, upon the document which he bad pro-
duced. He thought, that where the liberty of a British subject was
at stake, some more formal document than the one befote him
should be famished. It oughtnt least to have two signatures in-
stead of only one. He certainly should not. even if be had the
power, interfere upon such a certificate, or rather memorandum, as
that.

The applicant--Rut you may rely upon its being perfectly cor-
rect. Our establishment is well known, and is visited and 'lnc.
tioned by the . Sir John Chapman (the late Mayor of
Windsor) often visits us and (we understood the applicant to say)
is acquainted with the present ease.
Sir It. Dia w ts:—That may be; but you cannot, in my opinion,
have any power to act here; you are in another county.
Applicant—Yes, Sir ; but you know she escaped from us, and
we could but follow her wherever she went. . .

Ihe proprietor of the hotel here addressed Sir It. Birnie, and
said the lady was extremely anxious to solicit the protection of the
magistrates against the exercise of any such power as that claimed
by the applicant.
Miss Blenkinsopp, who appeared to be abort thirty years of age,
and whose deportment was that of a perfectly Al-bred woman,
said, in an earnest tone, and with considerable agitedon, that ►he
hoped Sir Richard 'Wine would protect her, and not sulfa her to
be taken back to the asylum of wretchedness and misery which she
had just quitted. She could assure the magistrate that she was
perfectly in her senses, and she hoped that now she should, by the
shield of the law, be protected from a repetition of the sufferings
which she had endured from her earliest youth, and the detail of
which would excite the compassion of the most obdurate heart.
There was no pretence whatever for keeping ber in confinement
now, and she had every reason to believe that the document pro-
duced was not a genuine certificate.
The proprietor of the hotel said, that the lady came to his house
in a poet.chaise on Wednesday evening. lie was absent at the
tints, but his waiters accommodated her with apartments and every-
thing she wanted ; and when he came borne she sent for hint, and
communicated to him exactly the nature of tier situation. He
gathered from her that she was a sister to Lady Newbold, and that
she was connected with families of the first respectability ; and by
enquiry he had satisfied himself that this part of her catement was
true. She had, from the moment she entered his house, conducted
herself ins perfectly rational manner, and no one who had attended
upon her could discover the slightest indication of insanity, in word
or deed.

Sir IL Brawls asked Miss Blntkinsopp if she had any relations
in London? . _ .

Miss I.llenkinaopp said there were two gentlemen, her cousins,
of the name of IVensuudey, who resided at 2.3, bevonshire.street,
l'utland.place, and were there still, unleas they had died, or were
gone abroad, within the last twelve 111011(1116 This she could not
tell, for any letters addmaed to her where she had been were inter.
cepted. One of them held a situation in the Audit Office.
bit R. 61 tz—At all events, I shall not interfere in this
matter. There is nothing at all in the manner of this lady to in.
duce in my mind the slightest suspicion that she is insane, or any
thing like it, but quit the contrary. You are at liberty, Madam,
to go where yod please. as far u I am concerned.
The applicant asked if he could not take her away without a
warrant ? _ _

Sir B. 8111):12-1 shall answer no questions; hot I will say
thus much, that if you meddle with the liberty G.t. a British subject
it is entirely at your own peril: you must take all the consequences
upon youmlf.
31iss ►lienkinsopp said she wished to remain under the protection
of the hotel proprietor, until she could have communication with
some friends.

The proprietor said he was quite willing to take charge of the
lady, and that every kindness and attention should be snown her.
The applicant scented displeased with the result of the inquiry.
Sliss Illenkinsopp retired, leaning on the arm of the hotel keeper.
Sir It. Maxis: afterwards looked at the list of physicians is the
Colin Calendar, and said he could find no •• Dr. k'ergussou."