The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-10-26 00:00:00

A AVIENT CUM'S.

Last week there was discovered in this town, an earthen
jar, containing a great number of coins, in a high slate of
preservation. This jar was found at a depth of about a
foot from the surface of the ground, dose by the Grey
Friars' Church-yard. A well-grounded apprehension that
the Exchequer, or the " Lord of the Manor" on which the
coins were discovered, would lay claim to the treasure, had
well nigh deprived the world of the knowledge of the use-
ful discovery altogether. The Lord of the Namur, how- i
ever, is quite insliffl rent whether they go to the crucible or
to the cabinet of the antiquarian. We cannot venture to
say so much for the Exehequer—that is, if they can lay
their hands upon them. But this will be no easy matter,
for wham found boys in the street disposing of awn; fur
so much (Sul. we believe) per coin. A gentleman of our
acquaintance has, however, with the most laudable anxiety
fur their preservation, contrived to secure a cons:derable
number of these coins. These we have seen. By far the
greater number belong to the reign of the Edwarda, and
have hewn coined in London, Lincoln, Canterbury, Bristol,
Catubridge, Durham, York, &e. There are none yet dis-
covered of a later Ii:To than an Elward'y ; and from the cir-
cumstance of a few Scotch co:tis of Alexander, David, and
Robert, among the number, we have reason to believe that
these coins must be of the reigns of Edward 1., 11., and
111., who were the contemporaries of Seottish Kings of the
former names. Pinkerton tells us, that there is no cer-
tainty of there being an older Scottish Over penny
(anti these arc all silver pennies) than of Alexander 11.
who began his reign in 1114 ; and the reigns of Alexander
11. David 11. and Robert 111. with those of their
contemporaries Edward 1. 11. and 111. extruded from
that date down till about the year 1400. This tire ttttt -
stance leads us to suppose that these coins are from 4520 to
611) )eau old. There is a great number of them still to
brush up awl examine, which, when dove, may euatble the I
intelligent possessor of them still further to clear up their
coinage anal antiquity. It is supposed that the jar con-
mined upwards of 3,000 of these silver pennies ; but from
the breaking of the vessel before they were observed,
and carting away the mould in which they were funnel,
many of them must have been lust. This discovery is
highly useful in many respeets ; and we will endeavour
to illustrate their value and antiquity to the bust of
our ability, when more of them are found and pruperly ar-
ranged.
We may hem again recur to the claims of the
Exchequer soul the Lords of the manor, and mention that
these claims have quashed for ever the knowledge of many
similar discoveries made of late years in this quarter. We
know that a few months ago. an old woman found a largy
horn in the hollow trunk of a tree in the remote district of
Arisaig, fillesl with ancient coins—hut from the fear of Ise.
ing deprived of 'bon, slue dulled them out at a trifle each.
and thus have they been lost. Some years ago, a like
treasure, to an unknown amount, was diseuveled in the
old Castle of Urquhart, and were instantly sent to the cru-
cible, or otherwise disputed of, for the Wile reason. We
cannot help regretting this. Wc may mention, at the same
time, that the Exchequer very liberally returned to Mr.
' Naughtuni the gold rod fodnd Wile months ago near the
Druid's temple at Leys.—ltterrness Courier.

A: the ensuing Old Maley S.itiot;thert are VI !al-
so& rs for trial. viz. :—Forgcry, I ; Burglary, 4; l'irat y,
Fran& V; Bigamy. 1 ; Lar.rnirs, Itt ; !louse-break-
ing, I ; Highway Robbery, 9 ; Stealing in the Ihrelling-
liimve, 10; Horse Stealing. 1 ; Embezzling, 4; Man-
slang liter, 1 ; Stealing from the person, t Itt•ceiving
stolen geeds, 3; Attempting to p'ck pockets,

LAW INTELUGNCE.

COURT OF RING'S BENCH, Moxaat. 0it.21.

Westminster Adjumrned Sittingelkybre Mich. rem.
In panto.
The four Judges came intoCourta few minutes after ten.

bAVir V. i toy's.

This was a question arising uponii policy of insurance upon the
ship from lJtverlinol to Jamaica, in Iffla. The cargo was
insured at Isloyd's ; but a part of that cargo consisted of three
horses. The ship arrived safely at her destination, and the cargo
MIS safely delivered with the exception of .the three horses, who
died in course nt the voyage. The plaintiff-gave due nodes to the
defendant, and cltimed the value of the horses. The defendant
refused, alleging shut he had not insured against general mortality.
The Jury returned a special verdict, finding that the pulley was
effected Nam the hones as part of the cargo, that the horses dial
in consequence of their breaking down the partitions, and kicking
one another when the stste of the weather did not permit their
being separated and replaced in security, but that there was an
usage at Lloyd's, that insurances by death, otherwise than from
perils of the sea, must be particularly specified, and paid fur at
higher rate of premiiiiii.
Mr. PADS argued that the plaintiff was entitled to recover unon
this special vertlftt. There were but two points in issue, Vl7.—.
I. Whether upon the policy of insurance, Independently of ar.y
custom nr wise. at Lloyd's, the plaintif could recover. The affir.
melee of this question, he contended, was clearly established by
the case of I.riatistire and A litTlltil:, Where " morality " was con.
stetted to lie natural death by disease, anti it was therefore ruled,
that the exceinion of t• mortality " in the policy did nut except
death. at lose by violence, 'rising from the perils of the sea. The
2d Point was, whether this usage at Lloyd s deprived the plaintiff
of his right to recover. To this usage the plaintiff was no party,
and he could not therrioro be bound by it. liut, independently cf
that cinaunstance, the neatens only excepted mortality, that is
death by disease, or naturally arising from the mare charge of
situraiiiii at sea.

.....
C•strat.t,r., on the par of 1 defilidant. envied the two
',flints at c 0.... at,le length. TLia claim had ACITT NIA thought
of until their liorttslii,e, tihree of the Judgea, Mr. Justice Littk-
dale not hosing been tutu, on the Bench) had given the juttginent
referred to in the te.e of " Lowrence and Aherdein." This was
one of litany faaituot brought in coesattenre of that judgnicat, and
as this case, n't.iteier lie the decision of the Court, would
Le hniuglif tinder tile ITVltstf Of a 'mill of Error. be would respect-
fully argue that the judgment of the('curt in Lawrence Lail Aber.
dein would not be field a good one. " Alortnlity," he contended,
signified death to an animal, in contradiction to ,he lour of inar,i -
netted gutots by perils of the sea. Mortality was, in fact, the pc.
t ohar ca .salty to vitality. To illustrate the meaning and catgut
of I:ngl.sh words, no authority (-fluid be better than tihalsapeare's.
Shak.ueare lists! the word more than once in this prorSse riscsinans
us in Abarur, .114.111,e, in the first trent, where the Dul.c said
to Angelu—
" Mortality and mercy in Vienna
Lite in thy tongue mut heart."
Again, in Harry 17. where Tot/iv:implored death of his father,
awl laid open his breast fur the saind__
" Ilere on my knee I leg mortality.
Bather than life pmserred with infamy."
To the same if-s-t lie referred to an Act Parliatuent, where rho
words " nioralil by natural death" proved that ••naottality."
unqui,:ified„ meant sheath in the largest sense.
111 r. Justice Ilari.Er remarked, that it had been urged in
Lawrence and Aberdein, that wh re 10,0•10 men wets killed in
bat.le, it cot•hl not be said that there had been a great " mortality."
Air. ea write:Lt. submitted that the reference% he had snada
pros ed, notwithstandiog. that the word " mortality" without any
qualification, ascent death from any cause. Ile therefore con-
tended thut the exception of mortality in the policy of insurance
completely covered this particular kind of death. On the point of
usage. he would argue that the Getting of the Jury amounted to is
good defence in this
Mt. Justice liar t.► v pointed nut flat the special verdict oily
found the usage Al Lloyd's; anti remarked, that though tiny
knuw that that was the usage of London, they could not judicially
know that fact.

Consith.rable discussion and consultation arose upon this point,
and at !truth the l'ourt utreeted the (Age to stand over for .nisto
days, to give 111 r. an opportunity of ascertaining whether
lie usage was universal in Landon. Since the question was to go
before a su:.erior COllll, it was therefore desirable that the cast
should be hetore the Court in Or wort perfect form.