The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-09-29 00:00:00

17184TRES.

COVENT• GARDEN.
'l'he School for Scandal Wls performed at this
Theatre last night. The part of Sir (Niter Snr•
face, in tile absence of Mr. TERRY, was read by Mr.
CONNOR. Dlr. FARREN played Sir Peter l'ea:te
in his usual style of excellence. The other parts
were rendered very effective, and the house displayed
a full and fashionable attendance.

ENGLISH OPERA-11011SE.

The performance of the opera of Artaxerxes last
night, for the henetit of that sweet warbler, 51161,
CAREW, attracted an over flowilig and elegant home,
which must have proved as g►atifying to her feel-
ings as it was to those of her friends. She sang
her songs with infinite sweetness and delicate ex-
pression, and in several was rapturously encored.
The part of Artaltones was most successfully sus-
tained by Mr. HIGMAN, and for depth of tone he
strongly reminds us of our old favourite, BAN.
NISTER ; he niust prove a valuable acquisition to
any operatic theatre, when he has obtained that
full confidence necessary to do justice to his talents.

SCENE AT ABERYSTIVITH.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE GLOUCESTER JOURNAL

St's—An erroneous account of an event which lately took
place ■t Aberystwith, in Cardiganshire, between Messrs.
Peace and Gifting, and Miss Edwards, all of Tewkesbury,
appearing iu your lout-nal of Monday last, and having been
from thence copied into sonic of the London and Provincial
Papers, I am induced to Ore the following statement of the
transaction alluded to, and of the circumstances preceding
it, which the public may rely upon are founded in troth.
Mr. James Peace. an attorney residing in the town of
Tewkesbury, bad formed an acquaintance with :Oka
Edwards, who Is a young lady possessed of vary superior
persoual accomplishments, and who will, on the decease of
her mother. become entitled to at ample fortune. This ac-
quaintance bad continued for a conviderahle length of time.
and was • few mouths ago broken off, in consequence. at I
have been informed, of some improper conduct on the part
of Mr. P. towards Miss E. After Mr. P. had been in due
form discarded as a lover, he still persisted in annoying the
lady, and mule every possible effort to renew the acquaiut-
ance, which Miss E. would not permit.
Mr. P. conceiving that the mother of Miss E. was the
canoe of the daughter's conduct towards him, actually threat-
coed to shoot the former with a pistol. Fur this offence he
was apprehended and taken before the County Magistrates
I at Tewkesbury, who committed him to the prison at Glou-
cester for want of hail : a few days after he had been coo-
ltimed, two gentlemen of Tewkesbury became bound in re-
cognisauces for his appearance at the then uext General
Quarter Sessions for the county of Gloucester, and in the
mean time to keep the peace, &c. At those Sessions, held
in the mouth of July last, Mrs. and Miss E. appeared, and
prayed that the sureties of the peace might be continued till
I the Michaelmas Sessions, which was ordered by the Magi-
strates.

^F
For a considerable time after this, Mr. P. behaved ex-
tremely well, and his friends hoped that his pas. • for Miss
E. hail completely subsided ; but in this, as will appear by
the sequel, they were deceived. About a month ago Mrs.
and Miss E. went to Aberystwith for the purpose of sea-
bathing ; Mr. P. by some means obtained information of
their going there, and immediately set out in pursuit of them.
Mr. Richard Gittins. of Tewkesbury (between wlwm and
Mrs. E. some degree of intimacy subsisted, in consequence of
his being a tenant of her's of a malthouse ant premises in
Tewkesbury, but who 1 am confident was not a suitor of Miss
E.'s) had about the same lime gone to Shrewsbury. on a visit
to some friends of his, resident at that place. Mr. G cer-
tainly knew that Mrs. and Miss E. were at Aherystwith, but
he had not made any previous engagement to meet them there.
Some of the friends of Mr. G. at Shrewsbury, having signi-
fied their intention of paying a visit to Aherystwith, Mr. G.
engaged to accompany them to that place; and on his ar.
rival at the Talbot Inn there, the first person he saw was
Mr. James Peace. On calling at the lodgings of Mrs. and
Miss E. for the purpose of paying his respects to them,
Mr. G. learnt that Mr. P. had arrived there the preceding
day ; and both Mrs. and Miss E. were apprehensive that he
was come there for the purpose of annoying them, as he had
previously done at Tewkesbury. Mr. G. then determined on
continuing for a few days at Aherystwith, that be might
have an opportunity of affording Mrs. and Miss E. that pro-
tection which he consderell them entitled to.

In the morning of Friday the 10th iwilant, Mr. G. was
walking on the Terrace at Aberystwith, in company with
Miss E. and a Lady of her acquaintance, of the name of
Hatch; Mr. P. (who had before made several attempts to
join Miss E. in the course of her walks, awl to hold conver-
sation with her, and also to obtain an interview with her mo-
ther), made his appearance, and attempted to join the party,
which Mr. G. endeavoured to prevent. Mr. P. at length came
near to Miss E. and after looking her in the face, he said,
" She laughs! she laughs!" Ile then dropped behind the
party; and, in a few moments afterwards, Mr. G. saw
Mr. P. in the act of pointing a pistol at Miss E. the muzzle
of which touched her back. At this instant, Miss E turned
her head and elm Mr. P. with a pistol in his hauil,wherenpon
she ran away, accompanied by Miss 11. and took refuge in
an adjoining house. Mr. G. when be saw Mr. P. present
the pistol at Miss E. endeavoured to wrest it from him;
but Mr. P. prevented this by stepping back a few pacer, '
and discharging the pistol at Mr. G. the ball from which
passed very near his head. Mr. P. instantly took from his
pocket anuther loaded pistol, cud pointed it at Mr. G.; but
two gentlemen of Mr. G.'s acquaintance, who had heard the
report of the first pistol, ran up and secured Mr. P. who up-
peered frantic with rage, and cried out, " Shoot me ! shout
me !"
As rightly stated in your last Journal, Mr. P. was tried at
the Cardigan Assizes, fur the otfeuce of shooting at Mr. G.
with an intent to kill, and acquitted, on the ground, as I
am informed, that the Judge who presided on the occasion
was of opinion, that, under the circumstances of the case, if
Mr. P. had actually killed Mr. G. the offence would have
been only manslaughter. Ou this opinion of the Judge 1
shall make no comments whatever.
At the same Assize; a bill of indictment was preferred
against Mr. P. fur assaulting Miss E. by presenting the
pistol at her, as before stated, which bill was found true, and
Mr. P. entered into the usual recognizance for trying his tra-
verse thereto at the next Assizes. He is also, as I said before,
under a recognizance to appear at the sleet Sessions at Glou-
cester, where I have tin doubt evidence will be produced
before the Magistrates of his recent conduct towards Miss
E. at Aberystwith, and that they will on that occasion act
according to law. I am, Sir, 'oar., &c.
JOHN STEPH ENS.
Tewkesbury, Sept. 25, 1819.