The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-01-26 00:00:00

°CURDY V. SHAW.

111 r. Sergeant PELt, moved for a rule to *hew cause why the exe-
cution issued in this ease should no; be set aside with co ns, on the ,
ground of the want afraid faith, and why the sum of 3111. now in
the hands of the Sheriff; should not he retained by him until the
rule was determined; and why, in the mean time, all further pro-
ceedin'. should not be stayed. This was an action brought against
'the defendant,* schoolmaster in Yorkshire, toe negligence ; and in
'a cause of the same nature, tried on the day before that on which
the present was called on, the July having given:hall. damages, he,
Mr. Sergeant Yell, had offered the None verdict in this cause.
That utter was accepts', but as the defendant had been very much
pressed by the expense of the cause, which bad preceded it, end by
the costs of this cause, the plaintiff very liberally consented to give
hint time to pay the dr.mages. It was therefore agreed between the
parties that the defendant should pay the sum of 3ipoi. by three in-
' stalnients, of six, twelve, and eighteen months ; but at that time
nothing was said about interest, nor was any security for the pay-
ment demanded. The defendant proposed to pay this sum by three
bills or exchange, drawn by him on end accepted by a gentleman of
property, named Seaton ; but the plainviffdeclined accepting those
bills as the only security, and the plaintiff's attorney then prepared
a bond by which Mr. Seaton and the defendant became bound
under the penalty of MPI. to pay the three several instalments as
they became due. This bond having been submitted to the in.
tended obligors, they merely struck out of it a stipulation concern.
tog the payment of interest, and then returned it to the plaintiff's
attorney, as having been approved of by them. The costs of this
action, aatountine to about Pia had been yzeviottsly paid, and

, every thing might therefore have been arranged, but that it ap-
paired the plaintiff was determined to be paid intercm, s hicti tue
defendant objecting to comply with, the plamtiff had issued execu-
tion, and had levied the whole SUM. l niter these circumstances,
the Learned Sergeant contended there had been a breach of good
faith, as the defendant denied ever haring made any stipulation for
the payment of interest.
The Court grouted the rule.
At one o'clock the Chief Justice sat at Nisi Prius.
Louts PrPELL V. PEXIIEITOX.
_

Mr. Sergeant VACOHAN Mated that this was an action to rr
cover a sum of money due to the plaintiff for wages as a courier
and valet, in which capacity the defendant had engaged hin., for ;
the journey from Trieste to London. The Learned Sergeant
proved that the sum usually paid was from 101. to 13 guineas per
month, during the journey, besides the expense of the courier's re-
turn to his native country. if he should be dismissed at any foreign
place. A certificate, which the defendant had signed and sealed,
was also put in, which was in the following terms:—" Louis Pu-
p& has accompanied me as valet, and I have found him very good
tempered, and willing to make himself useful."
Mr. Sergeant BOSANQUET, for the defendant, ;Idled a witness
to prove that the plaintiff had been hired for the express purpose of
serving as a courier through Germany, for which, however, he
proved to be totally unlit, being quite unacquainted with the Ger-
man language; that, at the time of hiring, it was expressly ur.der-
stood that the defendant was not to pay the plaintiff's return ex-
panses; and that finally a settlement had taken place between the
parties with which the plaintiff-expressed himself satisfied.
Mr. Serigeent V.AUrillaS replied. and contended that the expres-
sion of vatisfacticas must have been ironical, and that if the plaintiff
had bean totally useless, the defendant would have discharged him
in ‘ierrnany, and would not have brought him to England, and then
have given him a character.
The Louts t Er JVSTICE
verdict for the

charged the Jury, who returned a
cs 20i.

HEAPIIY.

.. ...
Mr. ROLL two opened the pleadings.—
Mr. Sergeant Vaticinate stated the case. The presen action
was brought by the plaintiff, to recover front the defend:sit a com-
pensation for the damage which he had sustained by the negligence
of the slefendant in printing a large plate, representing-- The
Duke of Wellington in the act of giving orders to his staff previous
to a general action." The plaintiff was a man of wealth and emi-
nence in his profession ofportrait-psinting, and had by his acquain-
tance with the Duke of iVellington obtained some situation in the
continental army of 1814, which lie followed through its various
campaigns and movements. By his personal acquaintance with the
Duke and the Officers of his stair, he had been able to procure
correct likenesses of upwards of fifty of them. These he had
grouped, and front the grouped picture had caused a splendid plate
to be engraved, and it was for alleged negligence on the part of
the defendant in printing this plate that the action was brought.
To prove the plaintiff's case, Miss Ileaphy, the daughter of the
plaintif was called.—lxamined by Mr. Bo L L•ND.—She proved',
the hand-writin of the defendant to an agreement between him'
and the plaintiff, specifying the prices to be c urged foe the printing.
She stated she was a pnebsit painter, and occasionally engraved
That a -great many impressions were taken from the plate; al-
together 1,000 of which BVLS were proofs, and the remainder plain
impressions. That of the proofs 38 were spoiled, and of the prints
or plain impressions IR. That they were spotted in the printing ;
and the Indiariper open which they were thrown off was torn up
from the backing paper, and wee net in such a state as that her
father could deliver theta to subscribers. That to subscriben they
were 101. 10a., but that some had sold at 25 guineas.
Cross-examined by Mr. Sergeant PEI. z..—Does not profession-
ally follow engraving. Thought the plates rendered useless. Did
not think herself a competent judge of the merits and imperfections
of the prints before the Court. (The prints were lying on the table
of the Coon.) The plate being new, the first impressions would of
course not he so good as those which were made afterwards. Was
not aware of any rule in the trade to allow for a certain number
being spoiled. Pointed out four of the prints which she considered
spoiled. Her .*lntended the engraving.
Mr. Coln put-street, print-seller, examined by Mr.
Sergeant Vadillmasi,—Considered himself capable of deciding on
the merits of the lutists before him. I see some faults in the print-
ing. (Here the witness described some defects appearing on the
race of one of the four prints selected by 31irs nearby.) Did not
think the print irremediably spoiled. (Was shown another.)
There was some little trite in it. Sometimes the ink would run,
and the printer could not help it. NVould not deliver such a one
to a subscriber if he could get a better. It might be made perfect
for a shilling:
Cross-examhied by Mt. Sergeant ?ELL.—.In striking off 600
proofs, he should not mien such a one, nor tall a pnnter who
print.W such a one unskilful. Shodld not call a printer who brought
hies home 88 Spoiled out of I/00, if he had torn up none, unskilful.
Ifs printer prints a very bad oae.he tears it up and throws it behind
the fire. If a printer *polled 22 prints in a day, he would turn
him off. Did not think the number spoiled an extraordinary
number to be spoiled in printing front such a plate, for so long a
time, and after sp many impressions. An allowance is made for
spoiled prints. If a printer has spoiled 38 out of 1110, he should
not expect him to make him any remuneration. If the prints ha
fore him were in skilful hands, they might be remedied, and ren-
dered fit for sale. When impressions beanie rare, they mould
fetch as good a price as the others.
The LORD MKT JUSTICE here suggested to Mr. Sergeant
Vaughan, when?, under the evidence given by the last (his own)
witness, he should not be nonsuited
Mr. Sergeant PILL stated, that he had a host of witnesses, who
would give similar evidence to that df 31r. Colnaghi, and that all
the
_prints however bad, were deliveeed in to Mr. neaphy.
mr. Sergeant VAUGHAN beped to CAR one more witness first.
Mr. Clay, examined by 3 r. Sergeant ac-
quainted with the an of printing. - Had seen: about 100 of the
prints; some of them were spott • and, to use the professional
term, mis-wipel.
Cross-examined by Mr. JOYES.—This is a very large plate, and
the difficulty of printing must necessarily have been much in-
creased from this circumstance.
Mr. Scales, an artist, who restores prints in a damaged way,
could not say whetherthey were unskilfully done; was no judge.
The plaintiff's ease having closed,
The Loan Cum. JUSTICE again said he did not think there
was evidence for the Jury. If, however, his Brother Vaughan
thought differently, he had no wish to stop the cause, though if
it went to the Jury it would be accompanied with strong observa-
tions from him.

Mr. Sergeant VAI:GRAN consented to a nonsuit, and the plain-
tiff was accordingly called.

OLD BAILEY SESSIONS,
SATURDAY, JAW. 24.

The trials of all the prisoners having been concluded last night,
the COMMON SCROEAWT (in the absence of the Recorder, who is
conSned to his house with a lit of the gout), at half-past nine this
morning proceeded to pass sentence on the several prisoners who
have been convicted at the last Sessions. The Learned Gentle-
' man. with great dignity and feeling. pronounced sentence of death
on Wm. Henry Reynolds, Samuel Rayns, Wm. Elliott, and John
Austin Wren, for maliciously shooting; the former at General
Burton, and the three latter at a young tnan named Collins, in the
N'auxball-road upon Edmund Burton and John Hutchinson, for
atealing in dwelling.housea ; upon James Walker. Wm. Hunter,
Robert Smith, James Hodge, Isaac Cannon, and George Owes,
for burglaries; and upon Maria Williams, for passing forged notes. I
Four prisoners were sentenced to be transported for their natural I
Brea, one for 11 years, and 67 for seven years. Sixty-seven were
sentenced to various terms of imprisonment in the House of Gor-
rection • 15 to imprisonment for different periods, and to be each I
on wCtipped during their confinement; three were ordered to be
whipped and discharged; and the sentences of two were respited.
In passing sentence on the prisoners who were capitally convict-
ed,
the COMMON SE nn AA T observed, that it had been painful I
to the Court to perceive the grief that had been expressed by many
of their associates in crime, when it had pronounced sentence of
transportation on them, which would separate them from their con-
nexions for a certain time. But if the Court felt pain then, how
much more severely must it feel the awful duty that it bad now to
perform, in passing a sentence on those which might separate all.
would certainly separate some, from their friends for ever ! and
many of those friends probably had formed very different expecta-
tions of them, and hopes for their future prospects.
In addressing Reynolds, he said that he could have little hopes
that mercy would be held out to him, for he had maliciously shot
at Genera/ Burton, from whom it appeared he had received nothing
but kindness. He urged Reyna, %Vren, and Elliott, to make good
use of their time, by attending to the spiritual instructions of the
Reverend Gentlemen placed with them for the purpose of affording
them consolation, es probably they would's* tomtit undergo the
awful sentence of the law; for they had not only shot at a fellow.
subject, but were in the prosecution of another crime at the time,
viz. highway robbery.
The Learned Gentleman then eamestlr entreated Maria Wil.
li:ms to prepare for the worst, as the puni,fment of her crime had
been but rarely commuted.

POLICE.

BOW-STREET--S•r I'ILDAT.

RMIBERY AT Ma. MACQVEEN'S.—Joseph and William
Th.imaie, the two brothers, artists, charged on Wednesday last
with having been concerned, with another brother of theirs named
in stealing upwards of 10001.'6 worth of jewels, ike. from
the dr citing-house of 'F. P. 31acqueen, Esq. of Fark-buse, 31. P.,
eitgagett in decorating some rooms there, were again placed
at the bar, together with their brother James, who voluntarily gave
himseit up at this Mites on Friday evening, end the following eel-
dealer was given against them:
Richard Penchant. shopman to Messrs. Ncate, pawnhmkers, of
Dyke-street, Manchester.square, produced twelve hoe shifts, which
were pledged at their shop, on the 19th and 20th December, last,
by Mary Thomson, whom he had known some time.
nne Smith sworn—l ant lady's maid to 31rs. hlacqueen. The
shifts produced are the property of my mistress. They were de-
posited in one of the sardrobes at my master's house in Park-lane,
in a room in which the prisoners were at weak. I left them here
when I went out of town on the 13th December, and missed them,
with many other things, on Sunday last.
Mary Thomson sworn-1 am sister to the prisoners, and live
with my father, at No. 11, Avery-row, Bond-street. On the 10th
of December, my brother Joseph brought these shifts to me, and
asked me to pawn them for him. He said they belonged to a young
woman with whom he kept company, and he wanted to raise biome
I money upon them. I pawned them at Mr. Neate's, tor two guineas, 11
and gave the money to him.
Avis, a patrol, deposed that he searched the lodgings of Sarah
Ricketts, a young woman with whom the prisoner James whit-
liked, at N 0.14, Park-street, New-road. I told her my business,
and asked her where her husband was. She replied that he was
gone to a job in the country, and had taken all his things with hint.

In searching I found two pair of new French kid gloves, which 1
now produce. '
These gloves could not be identified, either by Mr. Macqueen
or the lady's maid, but they both stated that gloves exactly similar,
were stolen with the other property.
sarah Iticketts, a very diminutive young woman, with an infant
in her arms, deposed that she lived with the prisoner James as his
trite. The gloves now produced he brought to her nearly two
months ago. On Wednesday (the day his brothers were appre-
hended) he came home and desired me to send away all his things.
Ile said it did not matter where, so they were out of the house.—
I put them from his boxes into a large shawl, sod my sister took
them away. I did not notice what they were particularly; but they
appeared to me to be chiefly trowsers and waistcoats. Illy sister
took them to a tin.shop over the way, and the prisoner James
brought them back again next day.
Elizabeth Ricketts, slater to the last witness, corroborated this
statement.

Another pawnbroker produced a large quantity of coats, trow-
sera, waistcoats, silk handkerchiefs, &c., pledged with him by the
prisoner James, on Thursday and Friday last; but none of them
were identified ea the property of the prosecutor:—Among the pro-
perty stolen was • Highland dirk, with a caimgoeum hilt and it
wan deposed at the last examination that the prisoner, William,
had pledged, and afterwards redeemed, a similar dirk at the shop
of Mr. Harrison, hi Wardour-atreet. Mr. Macqueen now produced
a tartan doublet,with cairngorum buttons, to match the stolen dirk:
and Mr. Harrison's nephew deposed, that to the best of his recol-
lection, they matched exactly with the dirk pledged by 'William.
Several other witnesses were examined in explanation of their
evidence at the first examination, and the prisoners were then asked
whether they wished to say any thing?
William said the dirk he had pledged was his own, but he could
not produce it, because he had since sold it to • Jew whom he did
I not know.

James said there was no evidence to affect him, and he trusted
he should be set at liberty.
Antl what hare you to say about the shifts that hare been
traced zo you ?" said the 3lagistrate to the prisoner Joseph. To
which lie replied, laughing—`• I shall say nothing at present; for,
in nit opinion, tic less said the sooner mended !"
They were all three committed for further examination, till Sa-
turday next.
UNION-HALL.

. -
William Edward Larkin, a porter to Win. Stafford, a fruit
salesman in the Burough.mahet,was charged by his master, with
having robbed his till. Two persons, who were standing oppoidte
%Ir. Staflbrd's office, deposed, that they saw the prisoner open
.he till .ith a key and take something out. Tiber immediately
went in, and, seizing the prisoner, found Ma. Gd. in one of his
hands, and the key with which he had opened the drawer in the
other. _ _

Mr. Stafford stated, that he reser allowed the prisoner to open
his money drawer, nor gave him the key ; the key found on the
priscuer, although it opened the lock, was not the key belonging
to it, which was in Bk. 64affortro office at the time.
The prisoner said nothing in his defence, and was fully com-
mitted.

SUPPOSED 3f UDDER of a MOTHER and CHILD.

(From the Lrrds Merniry.)

KKATIESAGROPCM, MONDAY. JAN. 19.

An investigation into a most mysterious occurrence bat wormed
the attention of the neighbouring magistrw for the last ten days.
A young woman of the name of MaqAill and her child, have
suddenlv disappeared from this elaa, aid' under circumstances
which hive excited a strong suspicion that they have been moat
foully murdered. These circumstances appearing to criminate Mr.
Henry Calverley, a substantial tamer, residing at Belmont Farm,
about a mile from Knaresborough, he was apprehended about ten
days ago. and has undergone three several examinations. These
examinations have been private, the magistrates having excluded
all persona whatever, but the parties immediately concerned—an
exclusion which was extended to a professional gentleman who
wished to attend on behalf of the prisoner. As it was understood
that the final examination would take plate this day, our Reporter
attended fur the purpose of taking notes of the proceedings : but
alter a conference with Sir William Ingilby, which led to a discus-
sion among the magistrates, he was imenned that they had deter-
mined that the examination should be private, and that as all ap.
plications for adtuitumee on the previous examinations had been
refused, it was determined that the same rule should be observed
on the 'agent occasion. Tim magistrates present at the examina-
tion to-day were Sir Wm. Ingilby, Hart. ; W. F. L. Scott, and
John Willhunson, Esqrs. Having been prevented by this decision
of the inagistratea from availing ourselves of the best source of in-
formation--the hearing with our own ears the depositioua of the
different witnesses—we have endeavoured to supply this defect by
diligent and impartial inquiry upon the spot, to we present the
following outline of this most stripier case as the substance of the
information we have collected :
Mr. Henry Calverley, the person against whom thin serious
charge is made, is near -fifty years of age, a married man, the father
of a large family, and is said to be of rather penurious habits. ochry
Gill, a young unmarried woman, about 27 years of age, lived as
a domestic servant in the prisoner's family in the year 1822. She
quitted his service in the month of September, in the same year,
being thee in an advanced state of pregnancy • and at the close of
that a the beginning of the following year, she was delivered of a
daughter. ?so order of filiation was sought for by Mary Gill, and
the prisoner disclaims having had any connexion whatever with
her, but evidence was given to show, that he had from time to time
paid her money for the maintenance of the child. and it was sur-
mised that her applications fur money had latterly become importu-
nate. The child remained with her mother, who seemed much at-
tached to it., in lodgings at Knarestioreugh, until Saturday, the 4th
of October last, in the afternoon of which day Mary Gill returned
to her lodgings without the child, which she was known 46 have
taken with her, apparently it the greatest distress of mind. On
being questioned as to the cause of bee distress, she stated that she
had met Mr. Calverley (the prisoner) in Belmont ii'ood, by ap.
poinunent, who told her that he would provide a nurse for her
child, and would hare it well taken care of, and that upon these
assurances she had delivered the child to him, but that as soon as
he had received it, he had folded it in his great coat and run off;
leaving her in the middle of the wood ; she also stated that she gave
him a bundle of child's clothes. The persons to whom Mary Gill
made this disclosure blamed her fur her conduct, and advised her
to go to him, and insist upon having the child delivered to her.
She complied, or professed to comply with this advice, and on her
return said she had seen Calverley, who told her that lie had sent
the child to Leeds, but that in order to satisfy her anxiety Oa the
subject, she should go and see it.
It will be obvious to our tenders that this part of the case rests
on the declarations of Mary Gill, which, upon trial, could not be
given in evidence against the prisoner, but it was proved by other
evidence' that she bad applied to a person to take her to Leeds on
the Bth of October in his waggon, and that she had subsequeady
called upon hint, end told hull that she would not go in his wag-
gon, as the father of the child would take her himself. In the ai..
ternom of the Bth of October, this ill-fated young woman left her
lodgings for the purpose, as was supposed, of going to Leeds, but
she never returned. She was seen, however, towards evening of the
following day, at the edge of Belmont Wood, in company with the
prisoner, and this was the last time that she was ever seen; but
other witnesses speak to the hearing of her voice in the wood and I
also the voice of the prisoner. A few days after the supposed de-
parture of Mary Gill for Leeds, a letter was received hearing the 1
mark of the Leeds post office, purporting to be written by her,
which stated that she had got a good plaat at Leeds, that ha child I
was well taken care of, and that she would come over to see them
at i'litistuitis. This letter put to rest all further inquiry with re-
spect to her • and it was not until Christmas had passed without
the promised visit being paid, that any suspicions were entertained
on the subject. This letter, there is now every reason to believe,
was mitten by the prisoner at his own house, taken to Leeds, and
put into the Post-oliice there by himself. Re was proved to have
been at Leeds on the day the letter was put into the Post-office ; it
MIS written upon a sheet of paper precisely similar to some that
was found in the prisoner's house, and the hand-writing was sworn
to be the prisoners.' This seems a proper plate for stating that on
the 9th of October a bundle of child's clothes was found by a boy,
near a hay-stack, at the edge of Belmont-wood, and which ap-
peared to have been originally thrust into the hay, and to have been
rooted out by the swine, which have been sworn to as the very
clothes taken away by the mother before she left her lodgings with
the child. A carving-knife was also found in Belmont-wood a few
days after, but it has not yet been identified as having belonged to
the prisoner.
The prisoner said very little during the examination, and merely
denied having any connexion with Vary Gill, or knowirg what
had become of lam Two witnesses wave eitamined on behalf of
the prisoner. The first was a person of the name of Tealc,
who had been ninny years husbandry servant to hint. He stated
on his examination, that he had seen Mary Gill in Harrow-
gate-lane, about a fortnight before 31aninnuu., which would be a
month after site was missing ; but there was such evident marks of
prevarication in the manner in which he gave his testimony, that
the magistrates threatened to commit him for perjury ; upon which
he distinctly stated that what be bed before stated was false, that
he had not seen Mary Gill, and had been induced by the promises
of his master to swear that he had.—Faith Stephenson was called to
corroborate the evidence of the last witness, but she fainted during
the examination. IVhen she recovered, she said she was not sure
that the person she had seen was Mary Gill; but that she had been
sent for by Calverley to swear it was her.
I This is tli substaree of the evidence laid before the magistrates,
who hate been indefatigable in their exertions to arrive at the
truth • and although much doubt and obscurity still test upon the
cas, ;hey have judged the evidence sufficiently strong to justify
them In sending the case foe investigation before another tribunal.
The prisoner is committed to York Castle on a charge of being
vehemently suspected of the wilful merrier of Mary Gill, end of
Sarah Gill her daughter. The most active search still continues tot
be made for the discovery of the bodies of the mother and infant,
and which will not be gas en up so long as the slightest probability
lof success remains. _ _ .

The prisoner was removed to the county gaol on Tuesday morn-
ing butt, amidst the murmurings of a very large multitude as.
sembled on this melancholy occasion.

A letter from our t'orrespondent, dated Thursday. states that no
traces of the bodies had been di‘covered, though the search had
been continued with unabated activity.

MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT..—We regret to state, that
three Frenchmen belonging to a fishing vessel in our made, were
unfortunately drowned as Saturday evening, about xis o'clock.
They had been partaking rather freely of Ste John Barleycorn, at
a public-house at lichen, and were returning to their vessel, when
one of them tumbled overboard, and the others, in endeavouring
to save hint, upset the boat, and all were last. Their 'Joshes have
not yet beeo timad.--So..thumpton C74ronecs.

THE ARMY.
--..__

The head-quarters of the 75th regiment of& wiled
on Friday at Portsmouth, on board the W k,, )
transport, from Gibraltar.
The 4th and last division of the 211 d (Royal Ilhiakirk., I
sneers) sailed from Cork, on the 14th instant,* lord
'the Prince of Orange transport, for Gibraltar.
-.. _

The Ist division of the i3d (Royal Welsh Fusiletts)lhar.
arrived at Gibraltar from Cork.
The Ist division of the Tith regiment of foot ogle_
from Cork, on the 19th inst. on board the Beaufort trails-.
port, for Jamaica.
The 2d and 3d divisions of the same corps sailed frost;
Cork, on the 20th inst. on board the Dorothy Forster, ar4
Palamban transports, for the same destination.
It is understood that another regiment of foot will be
raised forthwith, to be named the 96th, and that three
more regiments of infantry will be raised in March —lt is
said that most of the °them of the 96th regiment hr -e
been ahead), named.—Ministerial Paper.

MR. PIERCE, OF BRISTOL.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE BRITISH PRES.S.

SI Pt ,—ln conuquenec of the various, unfounded, sad cunflictin7
reports which have appeared in the newspapers, relative to the my,.
tertous disappearance of Mr. harks Pierce, of Bristol, I have
been advised to address you, with a view of removing the money...,
impressions which those statements, so severely wounding to
already lacerated feelings of his family and frient6, are calculated
to disseminate.

beg to state that I am the son of Mr. Arthur Palmer, of Blis.
tot, with whom Mr. Pierce had been in partnership for five 'ear,
past, and that being engaged as a pupil tq the oases of Messrs.
Clarke, Richards, and 3leticalf, of Chancel-lane, at the time 11r.
Pierce's disappearance took place, I immediately wan to Bristol
for the purpose of rendering every assistance in my power to my
father and the other friends of his unfortunate partner, in their at.
tempts to develope the Mae of his disappearance. Having re.
mained then for the past fortnight, and having during the whole of
that time been anxiously engaged, in conjunction with his other
friends, I am of course acquainted with all that has transpired.
and I have to enure you most positively, that up to the period of
my leaving Bristol, which I did by the mail last night, nothing
had occurred tending so throw any light on this mysterious, and, as
is much feared, most calamitous aftair. The public will therefore
see, that the various reports which have wept into the public pa.
pas, inducing a belief that the cease of 31r Pierces absence Las
been ascertained, and particularly that which represents his body
to have been found In the park between Bristol and Clifton, arc:
wholly withort forirdation.
Ica:mot omit particularly alluding to a letter which appeared in
the Horning Herald of 'I hursday last, and subsequently trans-
cribed into other papers, purporting to be written by a Bristol cot.
respondent, and dated ". Bristol, Jahuary 20." That letter, lam
authorised as say, contains a tissue of misrepresentations, most of
I which wererefuted, lir a correct article in the British Traveller of
the 22d instant—and I should not now advert to it were it not to
state that at the moment of my leaving Bristol I was particularly
desired to do so by the friends of 3lr. Pierce, who were then urge.
then, and who, after reading the letter alluded to, one and
all expressed their abhorrence of the feeling which could lead
any . fellow-citizen of theirs coolly to give publicity to false.
hoods conveying the mos: unjust reflections upon the memory or
Mr. Pierce.

As I was stepping into the mail last evening at Bristol, I was
hastily informed that a statement in one of the papers had gone so
far as to represent that there was a defalcation in Mr. Pierce's
pariseielrip accounts. I trust I have been misinformed in this re.
"poet, but having no time to refer to the several papers to lIICCT.
tain the fact ; as I mot immediately transmit this to you, I can
only say, that such a report (tor such there must have been, though
not inserted In any paper) is as unfounded as it is calumnious;
and that my father distinctly stated yesterday, to Ali. Pierre's
friends, that in all hie business and pecuniary transactions, Mr. P.
was perfectly Carnet. And here I would beg to add, that there is
no one circumstance whielt can lead to the belief that Mr. Pierce
ham voluntarily absented himself from Bristol ; on the contrary,
no doubt whatever is entertained by his friends or the public of
Bristol, that Mr. Pierce has met with a disastrous end, though the
precise means stillSernain involved in obscurity.
I have to apologise for troubling you at such length, but trust
you will emuuder the occasion a sullicient excuse.
I ant, bir, your obedient humble servant,
HENRI' A. PALMER.
102, Chancery-lane, Saturday noon, Jan. 24, 1024.