The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-01-27 00:00:00

UNION HALL.

Yesterday a long exanTinationtOoictiaTe at this office berme the
sitting Magistrates. 111. SWAREY and J. S. CALDWELL. Est's.,
respecting some daring burglaries and robberies committed in the
county of Surrey; within a short distance of the metropolis.
From the testimony of the Rev. Doctor Bennet, residing at
Welton-on-the-llill, in the above county, it appeared that on the
13th inst. a cottage occupied by ;No respectable indiritluals in
the village was broken into by live ruffians, who, having threatened
the lives of the inmates, proceeded to ransack the apartments of
every thing, and escaped with the property, having secured the
owners by fastening them into a room. l'he robbery was exten-
sive, and the persons who inhabited the cottage have in conse-
quence severely felt the loss ; however, from the sympathy excited
in their behalf, the resident gentry in the neighbourhood have ren-
dered that assistance which their unfortunate situation required.
Subsequent to the above robbery, the house or the Rev. Doctor
Bennet was attemptol to he entered by a gang on the 16th instant,
hut were disturbed during their progress and escaped. On the
18:11 at night the house was again attempted to be entered by a
man whorl:teed a ladder against the bed room window sill, the
family hearing the noise, one of Mr. Bennet's suns, on looking
out or the window, saw two men running across the snrubbery,
.upon whom he Cred, and it is conjectpred wounded one or them.
I%otwithstincllng these two dating attempts on the house, a third
attack was made upon it on the night of the 20th instant.
when a gang of thieves endeavoured to break into the lower
apartments, hut were foiled in their attempts by the barking
of the house tog. that alarmed the family. I pon this occasion the
housebreakers mere pupated, in the course of which a fellow, in the
garb Ma tramper, was taken into custody within a short distance of
the house. When interrogated, he preterded dinifness, but upon
being pressed, admiued that he had seen two men loitering about
under the windows of the house that had been jtuu attempted.
On inspecting tl:e contents of a bag which he carried, and in
which •he said clothes-pegs were deposited, no such articles
were found, but the apparatus for instantaneous light was discovered,
together with a trowel, which has since been identified as the pro-
perty of a Mrs. Daily, front whom it was stolen a few days pre-
vious. Suspicions were entertained that the man in custody was
In some way or other connected with the gang, and he was ac.
con:tingly secured, and brought to this office, when, after a very
strict investigation into the circumstances, the Magistrate coin.
mitted the prisoner for trial to the next Sessions, for stealing the
article above-mentioned. . . . .

Me. Bennet addressed the Magistrates, observing that in conse-
quence of the panic produced in his family, by so many daring at.
tempts to break into his house. none considered themselves sate to
remain there without the presence of a police officer. Under these
circumstances, be hoped a police officer would be allowed to take
up his abode there moil the alarm subsided.
The Magis:rste regretted that lie could not consent to the eppli.
cation, as the officers of this establishment had ditties to perform
which rendered ttleir presence in town indispensable.
Mr. CALM IV ELL, the Mattstrate, said that similar applications
had been made at the of ice afew days ago, by individuals residing
in Camberwell, whose houses had been broken into and robbed;
the applicrtions were of course rejected. He observed that it was
really alarming to hear of the nuinesous burglaries and robberies
lately commuted : tite numbers of the 'tight patrol should be very
considerably augmented, which he had no doubt would tend to
stop the progress of such offences.
Mr. Bennet, on, leaving the office, said that on account of the
audacity of the thieves that infested his premises, he should he
obliged to have persons resident there, in order to defend the lives
of his lanai)), and secure his property from pillage.

PEOBI TV.-1.11 Nil, Mr. Ca. Ford, of Con Teton, was
.under the necessity of making an assignment of his.effects,
on which a dividend was declared of Bs. in the pound,
with which all his creditors were perfectly satisfied. Re-
cently a property fell to Mr. F. when he called his credi-
tors togth:r at the Min's Head, and paid them the full
Merci:ry.

EX TRAORDINA Ye r OUTRAGE, AND RESIST4NCE

OF LEGAL PRGCESS.

For some days past Brown's-lane, SpitaMelds, has been kept in
a state of tumult and confusion, in consequence of a currier, named
Edward Lawson, having armed between tinny and forty men tri his
Nonni, and put the whole of Ids catenates pianism in a state of
complete fortification against all officers who might attempt ea one.
elite legal process. The tint person who enured was the King's
Tax-gathercrt he and lies attendants were very roughly usadv and
speedily ejected. Fur this revietanee a warrant for an asses& was'
immediately granted lit this Office, and one of the police officers was
directed to execute it. In the mean time the Bachman obtairtid
entrance for the iteeharge of-his duty, but "moot with one of their
weapons, and Instantly turned into the sheet. Yesterday, about
nin o o'clock in the morning, alriseard,.addressed to the weavers of
SpitallieMs and Bethnal-green, sraestnek on I piece of mahogany,
and Insilstl to the shatters of Inweion's shop. It was of a most ear-
tioui and inflonutatury nature, calling upon the weavers to use
force of arms V* the redreasof their grievances, and representing
that he was then showing them an example of resistance.
In the course ofyeetevday it was shun appointed that the warrants
• of the Commissioners of Bankrupts should be executed foe the put-
pose of gaintcg pnwetodm of Lawson's premises, and it wall by the
order of tine alagistrates that the assault warrant should also be exe-
cuted.' blvesten and his adherents havini gained intelligence of
these proceedings, redoubled their effort* In strongly fortifying the i
house, and furnishing themaelres with an additional number-of
deadly weapons. All the police officer, of this establishment were
despatched to Brown'. lore in the early part of the dap, but not
Peeing Lawson in the hong': tkey returned. About two o'cloek.they
visited the house Re tin, which at that time wu surrounded by a
great multitude: • One of Lawson's men appeared on a wall from
the back ptends.2s. The officers desired him to come down, and be
I would see it was only an assault warrant. The man descended and '
read the warrant, aml the officers requested him to return and inform
! Ins master. Presently the man appeared again, and said his master
; wanted time to consider, and wished to postpone it till seven
o'clock: The °Sheets having seen from an adjoining hayloft that
Lawson was on the premises. and observing that the multitude was
increasing, and that liven might he loot if they waited till it was
dark, they commenced their work of breaking into the premix', By
means of crow-bars and other instruments they succeeded in pall-
ing down a [ugh wall between the street atnt the buck yard, but
1111 behind was a lnrmidabie harrier of immense pieces of wood and
Stone. Armstrong mantled a ladder and looked over. He was
iinceediately attacked by Lawson with a long pike, which he thrust
several times., anti at length wntinded that officer in the hand. Vann
seeing the blood flow, called out to Armstrong to shaft him. flan.
Icy immediately handed a pistol, and Armstrong fired Lawson
called out that he was shot. end retreated into a door-way, from
whenre he still kept his pike presented.
Armstrong being on the top of the ladder with fire-arms, kept
Atwsen and his men at bay, till the wall gave way, when Arm-
strong and l'imn entered, followed by tie other officers. On
coming up to Lawson. he said he surrenderel, andviropped his pike
into his brother's hand.. The officers searched the place, the men
had fled, but they found near thirty pikes, which consisted of a
long pole, with a knife about eight inches long stuck to the end of
it. Some of the knives were ground on the back, imitating a
cut.and.thrust sword. They found also the front part of the
premises strongly harricAled with large planks of mahogany, and
with hogsheads fuil of brick-tints, and the whole of the pre-
mises in a state of defencescalculatcd to resist military power, and
Lawson, his brother, and a man were brought in the office, and on
examination before Samuel Twyfottl. Lawson and his brother
were committed to the /louse of' Correction for further examina-
tion. Lawson is slightly wounded in the thigh.
It appears that the multitude collected in the street on this oc-
casion, amounting to upwards of a thousand people, behaved whir
a propriety that reflects the highest credit on their judgment and
disposition, particularly at u time when en many thousands in the
immediate vicinity arc in want nf employment. It was noticed,
that when the officers were making the hrt.ath. Lawson's sister ad-
dressed the multitude front the front window, calling upon them to
fight in their torn cause, and not let her brother be taken. The
multitude answered her byllissea slid groans, at the same time en-
couraging the officers to do their duty.

EXLISTL\'G.

• CURIOUS EXAMINATION AT CHESTER.
A character of the name of Seri:oral rice, in Farquhar 's admi-
rable comedy of the Recruiang Officer, is perhaps not unknown to
some of our readers. We have this week to detail the exploits of
a reel Sergeant Kite, Corporal Royale-doe, or a " full private,"
whichever he may bea for, as he appeared before the Bench in the
undress of a gentleman's servant our of place, he did not of course
bear about him, likeatie sergeant in the play. those outward and
visible signs of lois military grade that would have enabled us to
determine with certainty in what rank, actual or brevet, he has the
honour to serve his Majesty King George the Four.h; so that which
of the three rail he has the honour to be, if either, we cannot say.
The feet.; however are these :—Soce after the mayor had taken his
seat upon the beech this morning, a line carroty.polled young
countryman, and who, though apparently not more than eighteen
years of age, might have aspired to the ranks of the Life Guarde, or
even to thou of the far.famed Prussian giants, was brought up by
a soldier belonging to the party of the Royal Artillery now itatiotted
here, for the purpose of being situated. Hodge persisted that "it
watent all fair;" that the soldier was in coloured clothes in the
public house called the Liverpool Arms, in Northgate-street, where
he tendered him the shilling, which he (Hodge)took merely in jest.,
and threw down agent on tne table, saying, " he wouldn't be taken
in PO neither." •
The Mayor having ascertained that the soldier did not declare
himself to be a military man in giving the shilling, told him he did
not consider the young man to have been fairly enlisted, and or:
dered Hodge to go about his business.
Before' the Bench rose the officer of the party advanced towards
the table, when the following colloquy ensued :
Officer--I understand you refused to allow a recruit to be attested
that was brought up by ore of my men this morning.
The Mayor—Certainly we did. It appeared to us, under all the
eircunietances, that the young man had not been fairly enlisted, and
MA not aware of what he was about ; and we therefore set him at
liberty.
Officer—But he took the shilling in the King's name, and is, to
all intents and purposes, our recruit. We eulist men by every
means in our power.
The MAYOII--.Blit here your soldier was in coloured clothes, and
not in regimentals; he had nothing shout him to indicate that he
was a military man, and he tendered the 'Milling in the usual way,
without declaring that he was himself a soldier. We therefore
think the enlistment not a valid one.
Officer—Oh, yes, such enlistments are of every-day occurrence;
our men often dress in coloured clothes on purpose to enlist re-
can ite.
The Mewoa—Then I must say it is very disgraceful to your
carps to do so. Enlistments should be done openly and fairly;
men should know what they are about, and not be trepanned into
the service. There are many joker; pass between people at public.
houses on the subject of enlisting, teed a man should know that he
has to do with a soldier when a shilling is tendered to him. I have
myself. Sir, worn a coat like your's before now ; I have been sn
officer of artillery, and therefore know Some little of military mat.
tees. As the pieties are here, if you wish to go oser the facts of
the case, we will hear it again.
The soldier in coloured clothe!' again stepped forward, and very
glibly told how he had asked Hodge " whether he was free, able,
and willing to serve het Majesty King George the Fouith," at the
same time taking his Majesty's picture (long life to hint) 'twixt lois
finger and thumb, and depositing it somewhere about the centre of
the " line of life" in the palm of poor Hedge's hand, which the
latter received without distrust or scruple, but subsequently threw
on the table again. When close pressed by the Mayor as to whe.
ther he had declared himself to be a soldier when lie tendered the
" splendid shilling," or at any period during his stay at the public-
house, he admitted, after much equivocation, that he had not.
After some consultation on the Bench, and the perusal of the
clause in the ltlutiny Act, " for the relief of persons hastily en-
listing,"
The Mayon—Young man, are you prepared to pay the smart ?
llodge—Yee, if you say as Oi is to pay it ; if I taunt get off no
other way, I suppose I noun pay ; but Oi ant listed tho' for aw
that.
The officer now took up a new position, threw up a redoubt,
and entrenched himself behind a technicality, which Its made quits
sure would compel the enemy to hey down his arms, and surrender
at discretion. lie said, the time for paying the smart had already
expired ! That poor fledge must endure all the dentin,: of stand.
ing to be shot at, like a kite on a btern.door—to be pelted with can-
non balls, like a Shrovetide cock—and think himself' well °it'll his
head was not carried away by a 24-pounder—and ell this, too, for
about a shilling a day, now appeared inevitable; whir". luckily
for his carroty poll, in the latter ems, it was discovered that he
was " just in time." The officer, therefore, was forced to aban.
don his position. and beat a retreat. Hodge paid the smart tend
departed, much to the satisfaction of himself and the parties who
participated in it. Indeed, no one seemed dissatisfied but the
aforesaid officer, who regretted the once of " such a fine fellow,"
who would certainly have been an ornament to any corps.
[We cannot understand upon what principle the Mayor thought
proper to depart from his original decision In this case. which ap-
pears to us to have been an extremely proper one. It is highly ne-
emery that persons should be made, by smartiv, for it, to under-
stand that they are not to trifle vide soldiers engaged in the recruit.
ing service with impunity. But tide man never declared himself I
to be a soldier; and poor Hodge although he took the shilling
when tendered to him in the King's name, did not scent to be at
all aware that he was dealing with a soldier in disguke. The first
question usually put by a Magistrate, when a recruit is brought
before him for doe purpose of paying the smart, is, to know '• it
he had been fairly enlisted ;" ' and if it should appear that lie w.ts
intoxicated to such a degree as not to be conscious of what he was
about, or that any unfair advantage had been taken of him, the
Magistrate immediately discharges him without the payment of the
smart. We cannot help thinking that the above was a case in
which the Magistrates might with propriety have exercised this
discretionsry power ; but upon reviewine the cue, they seem to
have construed the 90th sec. of the alutiny Act literaih., which
says, that any person " who Shall receire enlietment ney froin nr y
person engaged in the recruiting service, shall be deemed to be
enlisted," &c.—atesfer Courant.

In consequence of the continued spolications for relief
by the unemployed weavers, &c., of Norwich, the Court
of Guardians of the Poor hate been under the necessity
of increasing the mulct for the next quarter 30001. which
will make au addition to' he rate of 25. .in the round.

INQUKST AT TAR CIENKBAL AINITENTI lIIY
MILBANK.

Value* aftersoon an ioquisiden was taken at the Oetent
Penitentiary. at Idilbeak, on the body of a young inan flank
William Hodges, a movie coedited in that prison.
An the Arty being empanelled and sworn, they ahemild
ee
Comm ter the purpose of vletehig the body of the deceased, in tit
dead home, wetly to the centre of the building. The corpse
is *very meiosephs 11141401111 d to, being in a eery cleanly s4:_:,
novend ova. w show.

—At the tolidtatfon of Mr. Chapman, the Governor, the Coeort.
and Jury moompanled him round the charms wards nut cei:t
thepthinnets, as dm to the various departments of the pion, e ,;
all of which the gentlemen pretest were highly caddied. The cei
are small room:, about 32 feet square and about nine feet
The bed of the convict is slung to the ceiling? and swine,
like • seaman's hammock. This occupies a third or so of the
A loom is affixed, on one side of which the occupier of the apz;,
mane performs hi. labour; the reassining space is al:mioo 4
sitting.
The Jury, after expressing their entire approbation of on th,,
had witnessed, returned to the jury-room, w en the following e
de.ice was heard :

Captain Benjamin Chapman. the Governor of the prism, statal
that the deceased was tried at the Old Bailey Sapiens on toe
July, 1824. for steeling a quantity of woollen cloth, art cons!citi
of the offence, for wh he was sentenced to seven years trinspori.
lion, which, however, was ultimately commuted to five sea,
pritunment in the Penit.ntiary. The deceased continued it go,l
health till the 24th July last, when he was sent to the Inlirmar.
Mr. James Wade, the surgeon to the prison, rated that 're
deceased became an inmate of the infirmaty on the 210 of
last ; he was afflicted with violent pins in the side, as alai AM!'::.
lots in the glands of the neck. Witness attended him dai,
aThe pluricy it the side got well, but the swelled glands turned
semtula, which Increased, notwithanding all hisefforta, auto..
the 21st inst. be was seized with cryseplas about the tote and head,
which terminated in his death on Friday last.
The Governor was questioned as to whether any of the de-
cra,eti's friends visited him during his illness, when itapperel
that on aunt that had brought him up from a child frequently cam,
to s,e him, upon which the Jury exptemed a wish, if she eat .c
atendanee, to have her brought before them. Having made he:
appear ante she gave her name—
Mary Davis—nhe stated that the deceased vas her nephe.w thr.
during his illness she bad been in the habit of earning to see him
wi news was perfectly satisfied with the conduct of Captain Chap.
man, the Governor, the chaplain, as also the medical gentltion
attached to the establishment, and is convmce,t that he ass se.;
treeed during his illness, and, indeed, at all times ; witnett
certain that tltetleeessed died a natural death.

The Jury said they had heard enough to convince them the tit.
ceased had, durirg his dines+, been treated ,ith the grece,t
Bidet a ion and attention, and returned a vertliet-i-" 'I he demsta
died by the visitation of Ood, from natural cause..."