The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-02-15 00:00:00

*WEN-SQUARE.

On Saturday Robert Matthew: was brought be-
fore Heifry James Pye, Eq. and charged on the
oath of Mr. Thomas Kcuts, a livery stable keeper,
at Moorgate, 'of hiring a mare of him, on Tuesday
last, and which the prisoner had not returned ac-
cording to their agreement. John Godley, an ost-
ler, deposed, that the same day the prisoner came
to his master's stables, and sold him the mare in,
question for six pounds ; the prisoner immedi-
ately went away ; and some circumstance causing
the ostler to suspect the mare might not be properly
come by, he would not let the person have it for
whom he bought it. On the Friday following the
prisoner came again, and offered hini another horse,
much under the value, which adding to his suspicion,
he immediately informed Mr. Bly, who contrived
to be present at the interview of the proposed 'pay-
ment of the seiond horse, and saw the prisoner
write a receipt fcr the same, which he secured, and
immediately took the prisoner into custody, who at
first went very quiet, but after walking a short way,
insisted on going no farther; he being a powerful
man; a conflict ensued, but by proper assistance he
was forced into a coach, and taken to the office, and
committed to prison till the next morning. The
prisoner was further charged on the oath of Mr.
John Blyton, a livery-stable keeper, in Brick-lane,
Spitalfields, of hiring a horse of him on the 10th of
January last, and not returning it according to the
agreement. The prisoner was fully committed for
the first offence, and detained on the second for fur-
ther examination to-morrow, at twelve o'clock, when
the owner of the second horse, now in'the possession
of the ostler, will attend to prosecute.

On Friday as the Court of King's Bench was rising,
it being then within a few minutes of five, Mr. Chf-
ford moved fork rule to shew cause why a criminal in-
formation should not be filed against John Barber, the
messenger of the Great Seal, and Colonel Wood, the
member for Gatton. By the 7th and Bth of Wm. 111.
when any vacancy happened in parliammt, on Mr.
Speaker's order, a writ should be issued out with all
expedition, and delivered to the proper officer to
whom the execution of it belonged, and to no other
person. The proper officer was to indorse the day
when received, and to make out the precept, which
was to be delivered in three days after the receipt
of the writ.

The Learned Counsel said, Ilk affidavit stated, that
Mr. Speaker's order WAS dated on the 27th of De-
cember, and on the 28th, the following day, Mr.
Barber, instead of delivering it to the proper, offi-
cer, the sheriff of Surrey, delivered it into the hands
of Colonel Wood. It was not thought decorous to
make thii application till the time of petitioning had
expired. Coslonel Wood had kept it twenty-one days,
instead of three days, as the Act directed. This,
therePme, was a violation of the Act of Palliarnent. •
Lord ELLENBOROUGII asked, if any improper mo-
eves were ascribed to this gentlergan for so doing?
The Learned Counsel replied, no; but he stated,
that the borough was
-his own, and on that ground
he had kept it twenty-tee days, contrary to the act
of Parliament.

Lord ELLENBOROLIdR.--4 Nor lire, but that
Cdlonel Wood might have delivered it into some
hand or other, in proper time, and that that person
had neglected his duty. They might, go before a •
Grand JurY."--4tule refused.
Some curious Galvanic experiments were made
on Friday last by Professor ALnINI, in Dr. PEAR-
SON'S Lecture Rooms. They were instituted in the
presence of his Excellency the Ambassador of
presence of his Excellency the Ambassador of
iirance, General Assn 'moss!, Lord PELHAM, the .
Duke of Roxamtots, Lord CASTLEREAGH Lord
HERVEY, the Hon. Mr. UPTTON, &c. The head
of an ox, recently decapitated, exhibited astonishing
effects.: for the tongue being drawn out by a hook
fired into it, on -applying the exciters, in spite of
the strength of the assistant, the tongue was re-
traaee, so as to detach itself, by tearing itselt kom
the hook ; at the same time a loud noise issued •
from the mouth by the absorption of ait, attended
by violent contortions of the whole head and eyes.
The Literary and Philosophical Society LW New- .
castle have,'very much to their credit, passed a re-
solution, to institute A Ledureship on Natural Phi-
losophy. Such an institution, liberally supported,
might be very advantaleatis to the rising generation,
if established in most' of the capital towns through-
out the British empire. Classical knowledge is
taught to boys, rather than natural and scientific
truth. The former -may qualify them to be critics,
and is a proper ornam;n:al knowledge for people of
fortune ; but Natural Philosophy affords useful prac-
tical truths, calculated for the general body of the
people, and the interest of the State. •