The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1804-12-13 00:00:00

CO Nt XON PLEAS.

A few Jays ago, an issue was tried at N:i P-ies,
in the Court of Common Plea>, wherein 013 Nits
was the Plaintiff, and Kr toms the Defendant.

This was an aelion brought bythePlainTiYur the
work And labour. core and diligence, of his wise,
in nursing the reputed infant child of the Defendant.
Mr. M•Masi.r stated the :Asc for the Plaintiff, in
a style impressive AIM pathetic. He descrihed the
Defendant as opulent, sc:th a disposition prone to the
indulgence of secisual pleasure, and a purse er.abling
him to satisfy his appetites and propensities :0 any
extent. By the usi.al wiles to seduaion, afEeted
generosity. which in truth was bribery, and pretence
of love, which was the treachery of lust. he h 7,1 pre-
on the daug:.:er of the Plairahrs wife by a

forret husband, to break the bends of filial duty
'and affeSion, to elope frnm the habitation of her
Iperoteklori, to embitter their old age with grief and
•shame, to withdraw from them the assistance of her
industry, to resign her chastity, the only portion
she inherited, to false oaths and treacherobs pro-
mises, to throw herself upon the generosity of her
destroyer, and to live with him in a state of incon-
tinence. Satiated with posseuioa, avarice, the most
corroding and implacable of all vices, chilled the
heart of the seducer. The victim to his passion be-
came with child, and she was delivered of a hoy ;
but, with unrelenting apathy, he abandoned the
child and its mother; at first he agreed, however,
to a wretched pittance. The unfortunate I
and Ishmael were not sent into the forest to perish.
There was an agreement made with the grandmo-
ther of the infant, to support it for six shillings per
week ; it was but an agreement, for the promised
wages were soon with-held, and the a&ion was now
brought for the recovery. Mr. M•NA 1.1.1. then
touched on the moral obligation which bound every
man to provide for his offspring ; it was the only
recompense he could make the mother for her dis-
advantages and disabilities, which attended an ille-
gitimate birth, and to the great Creator fur the sin
committed.

The contra& to pay the sum promised was
clearly proved by two witnesses.
Mr. GREEN, for the Defendant, attempted to non-
suit the Plaintiff, on misnomer of the child's name,
in the declaration.

He was answered by the Plaintiff's Counsel, that,
in legal parlance and contemplation, an illegitimate
child had no mum:, till he gained it by reputation ;
or, suppose the child had never been christened,
would that vitiate the contra&

Mr. Gates then stated the Defendant's tase, in
which he reprobated the aaion, as tending to en-
courage immorality. It was an allion rather to
create costs than to establish wages for the Defend.
ant. It was founded in the fraud of the woman,
who, by prostituting herself, had forfeited all credit,
and would now extort money—and the Plaintiff,
whose name had been used, he had been instrutied,
had disavowed the action.

Witnesses were then produced of two classes, first
to prove payments, in which they tailed—one of
them, a female, appearing to be a convenient gen-
tlewoman, in whose apartment the intrigue was car-
ried on, and who proved payments only to herself ;
the others, two men, dearly employed to entrap
the Plaintiff to sign a paper of disavowal, which he
refuwd.

Lord NORIWILY supported the propriety of the
adion. He considered every man hound by a na-
tural and moral obligation us sustain his offspring
during a state of infancy, and to supply them with
means of earning bread v.lren they became adults.
His Lordship mentioned the parish laws of England
on this subject, which compelled the reputed tither
to maintain his child, and observed that the aban-
doning of deluded women and the fruit of illicit
amours to indigence and shame had often been the
cal'se even of murder.

The Jury gave a verdiet for 301 I Is. with costs.

Last ii•eq a dreadful murder was committed in
the county of Waterford, on a farm lyinr, between
I)ungarvan and Youghall. A gang of ruffians fe-
loninii,lv broke• into the dwelling-house of a poor
man, one DANICL Atruts, and cruelly murdered
him and his son; they also threatened the rest of the
family with the same fate, if they did not within
three days remove from the land. AHERN'S having
ely taken tit: farm is the supposed cause of this
horrid transaSion. We ys.terday evening received
a letter from Youghal, mentioning a report that six
men, strongly suspaed of the murder, had been
app; dreaded .-s-( irford Cirea.)

The lion. Mr. Leslie, alias Pratt, ali.ts Johnson,
has made has appearance in Otford. Ile was de-
teaed on Wednesday last in fingering some articles
of jewellery in a jeweller's shop an that city, and he
is committed for trial. A person was in company
with him at Oxford who has mulch the appearance
of i Gentleman. On searching Prates portmanteau
at an inn where he pat tip, several articles of jew-
ellery were found. The above offender is well known
on the pew of London.

Tuesday, about eleven o'clock in the forenoon,
the Powbeiess ,lOM ANNA SOVT/.O•Tt, whn has de-
luded nuny p. nple to her persuasion, both in town
and coun,ry, to hear her new-fangled dnarine, that
by a sealed letter, given to the faithful (who are not
to open it, on any pretence whatever, under pain of
future torments), they are invincible to the attacks
of the Devil and all his agents, preached to a field
congregation of about 500 persons, in Neckerchief
Fields, Bermondsey, where her devotees formed a
lane, to hear her preach, saying, " that she and her
followers were enabled to restore race to tiv suf-
fering wart 3 by their extraordinaty gift from Hea-
ven.' A German, who had been fisquenzly taken
to Whitechapel Office for being an unlicensed
Preacher, and brotching abominable donr:nes, made
responses to the Lady Prophetess, saying that
it was oat of the power of the mn-t 1‘.17 men
to butt the least hair of toe head b. Cr.is evra-
ordinary woman. The Peace Officers ws -t to the
spot. Isla they were observed by some ri the con-
gregation, when they dispersed, but took care to
convey her Ladyship to a place of safety before the
Officers could procure warrants to secure her and
her attendants, who say, that they are the only
pers(iss able to oppose Emperor Bo by the
gift of their prophecy. It is extraordinary that those
illiterate persons have gained many converts to their
per uasion.

On Tuesday se'nnight, a gentleman, who lay at
the Fleece Inn, Cirencester, got up in his sleep, about
tao o'clock in the morning, and after putting on his
breeches anO stockings, went out at the chamber-
window, which was two pair of stairs high, and got
safe down into eie street ! He thence walked a
considerable way on the Fairford road, till he came
to the turnpike gate, which being shut, he went up
against i: with such violence, that he was thrown
down backwards ; when, awaked by the shock, he
discovered his deplorable situation. Aithough he
was much braised by the fall, he was enabled to
alarm the inhabitants of a small house adjoining,
who readily administered every comfort in their
power ; and, we are happy to add, that the effects
of this strange adventure, are not likely to prove of
any carious consegaence.

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 11.

This afternoon the Lropard, of 50 inns, having
been re-fitted, ►ailed vsth Rear Admiral Louis, to
take the command of the squadron aaing off Bou-
logne.
Also sailed the Herm, sloop, Capt. Davie, to join
the Havre squadron ; and the Sperriu,ll brig, Lieu-
tenant Robertson, on a cruise off St. Catherine's
Point.

Arrived the A:seneer sloop, C tpt. White, from
convoyilg, to a certain distance, several vessels for
Newfoundland and Halifax.

The Russian squadron are now completely ready
to proceed to their destitution, which they will sail
for, on the a:rival of their Commodore, Greig,
from London.

The Thir6e, armed en
.fiq'r, Capt. Shepard, has
g made the signal for a otivoy for Guerrhey and
Jersey.
_ _

Sailed the Sir Tames Saurnarez cutter, with dis-
patches for the Orficer commanding off Ferrol.
Remain at St. Helen's the Chichester, Captain
Spear; and the Melampur frigate, Capt. Poynta.
PLYMOLTH, DEC. 10.
Arrived the Nizir frigate from the Mediterranean.
Sailed the Racer sloop of war, on a cruise. Wind
S.S.W.

BRIXHANI, DEC. 10.
Arrived this day, I lis Majesty's ship At/a,, of 74
guns, having been of Brest, to join Admiral Corn-
wallis, and not finding him there, came here in
quest of him.

DEAL, DEC. 11.
Arrived the Orpheus frigate, from Quebec, with
a convoy, which are sailed for the River. The
Orpheas remains. _ _ _

Arrived the Sulphur bomb from Dungeness.
Came down from Sheerness the Jiiihutea frigate,
and the Cognrl sloop of war; and remain in the
Downs with the ships as per last.