The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-02-03 00:00:00

ADMIRALTY SESSIONS, WEDNZIDAY, Frs. 2.

This morning a Sessions of Oyer and Terminer, co. General Gaol
Delivery, for of committed on the High Seas, was held at the
Old Bailey. Lord Stowell, accompanied by the various °dicers of
the Admiralty Court, attended at an early hour, but ueither of the
Learned Common Law Judges were present.
The reading the several Commissions, and the other usual forma-
lities, occupied the Court for a considerable time, after which the
names of the Grand Jury were called over, and being severally
Lord Stowel addressed them as follows :
"GENTLEMEN OF THE GRAND Jr ar—The forms Of OUT
laws call upon me to address you, and 1 find great satisfaction in
hav:ng e, inform you, that but little will be brought before you that
will requite of me much instruction or admonition. Your functions
will be precisely the same in this Court as in a Court of General
Jurisdiction ; and, from your habits of attendance in those Courts,
you have that experience which renders unnecessary any particalar
notice from me as to your dude*. There was in this Court, for
a law which made a distir.etion between the crime of mur-
der, from what was the common law of the land in that respect.
The common law established a distinction between the modes of
persons being killed by another. To constitute murder, the com-
mon law required proof of previous tnalite, existing in the mind
of the party charged against the party killed : end where no
each proof existed, the eeath was considered as having been casual,
Ned the party causing it was deemed guilty of the tumor off:nce of
manslaughter. In regard of offences committed on the high seas,
nu such distinction as that to which I have just alluded existed, but
tite.ultiinate verdict of a jury in the case of a permit being killed
by &nether, was compelled to be either a conviction for the capital'
ieence. or a total acquittal, the crime of manslaughter not exist..
rig. R 7 a late statute, the law in this Court has been made similar
to the common law, end your duties will be consequently the same
as in other Courts. I mention these circumstances because I un..
ucratand that two, if not three bills fur murder, will be &Omitted
to your consideration. If such should be the case, you will adopt
the line of conduct which I loom suggested to you. There is, 1
ut.!erstatid, also another offence of high marignity, which will also
000:0 before you : it is a case of mutiny on boanl a merchant vessel,
a crime wholt, by the law, is termed piracy. I need not comm.:An
upon the dreadful consequences likely to result from such a crime.,
in r. great commercial country like England ; but this crime, great
as it is, is generally connected with others of a still more malignant
nature, for it often happens that it is committed for the purpose of
tarning the ship into a pirate vessel, for the object of plundering
others, and is frequently attended by the murdering the captain and
nieces, officers on board, and carrying the property of the onr.crs to
places widely different to where they destined it Mr. If zilch case
sleuth conic before you, you will give it your careful attention. 1
hare now only to inform you, that the attendance of the Learned
Judges who were to have assisted me here to-day, has been meta.
:wry to meet their brethren in another place, in order to consider a
yuestlon of very great importance. I therefore have thought it ne-
i.eyswiry to tidiest's the Court after you shall have considered your
las, until Tuesday, on which day I hope you will all of you give.
yeur,mtendance • most probably it will be Inc the mere purpose
being aiseliarged.. But as it is possible that circumstances may
rend q it nunassary that you should on that day. resume your duties,
la order to prevent a very long, delay adiumisteriug Justice to
party:ashamed with offences, I trust you will not think much of
tai, trifling trouble. I now recommend to pad the Immediate
din-
e of your duties."
(hand Jury then withdrew.

CONSISTORT COURT, WEDIMIDAY, Ftn. 2.

MONT•OUT r. MONTAGUE.
Dr. ADDAMS said, that in this MC a libel had been brought In
by Mrs. Montague, praying for a separation from her husband,
George Conway Montague. It was pleaded that the parties were
married at Gretna-peen, aid afterwards cohabited as man and
wife ; but the libel had omitted to state two facts that, for the put-
pose of identity, were necessari to be mentiored, viz —that on the
marriage of the parties they resided together at Edinburgh, and
passed by the name of Mor.taine, and subsequently by the name
of Thompson. The Learned Counsel prayed that these additions,
together with a copy of a certificate from the officer, or assumed
minister, at Gretna-green. might be added to the libel.
Dr. JE s(NER, on behslf of the other party, rot °inning any op.
position to the motion, it was granted.
lIMITM I:. swirls.
In this cause (one of separation, by reason of cruelty, promoted
by the wife a)piroit the hosband)the husband had several times ap-
peared personally to the decrees of the Court. On a former court-
day he complained of the conduct of a proctor whom he had em-
ployed in the time part of the cause, put In a petition. stating the
nature of hit complaint, and pitying to be dismissed from the
suit. The Jut'ge then requited time to examine the contents
of the petition, and the cause was assigned for hearing this
morning.
Sir C. RonTXSOX read the petition, which charged Mr. Blake
(of the firm of Crickets, Blake, and Cricked.) his proctor, with
negligence of hisinterests, collusion with the adverse party, etc.;
after which the Learned Judge said the complaint formed a very
novel feature, suctraa he never recollected to hate occurred before
but upon *review of the circumstances stated by Mr. Smith, and
contrasting them with the history of the ease, he did not see the
least grounds for the complaint. As to the charge of collusion, it
was one of the moat unfounded, misconceived charges ever made
by one individual on the other. He ( Sir C. Rubinson) :mild speak
to Mr. filLke's conduct, as alwa7s most proper ter the Interest of
his client. For the vorpose tit encouraging any just complaint
which might be well founded egainst proctors, he would say nothing
about costs, and indeed, he was sure Mr. Blake would give him
credit for Lot ordering ros:s under such circumstance:,
Mr. BLasir CfiltC.l to the Court, that he certainly did not intend
to accept costs under any consideration.
Mr. Smith's petition was of course dismissed.

WINNIWGTON V. WINNINGTO)r.
This was a suit for a divorce by reason of adultery, promoted by
Mrs. Winningtch against her husband. Mr. \Virningwn has pre-
ferred appearing personally throughout the cause.
Sir C. It oui 24 sow said, that from what he had read of the cause,
he was satisfied it was very capable of being argued, and he could
only repeat his advice to Mr. Winnington to employ Counsel to
defend him. It could not be supposel that Mr. Winnington could
know the nature of the rations harms of the Court, so as to enable
him to defend himself so ttfcctual:y as if he was defended by the
Advocates cf the Court. That was the heat mode of obtaining
justice. and the appearance of the state of the suit required it.
Mr. Winn'ngton said, hefted considered the suggestions of the
Learned Judge, but he had determined on defending himself pee-
s( nallv, confident that, from the description of the defence he could
offer, he should be-able to show that the suit was a speculative one,
anti instituted only for the parrose of extent ins money.
Sit C. Rom ItsOrt strongly urged the adoption of his advice, and
postponed the cause until a future day, in order that Mr. Winning-
ton might give it full consideration.
Sir. C. RODIXSOX said, the 31st Canon prohibited proctors
from prosecuting ',suit, unless signed by Counsel but he did not
know how far that might refer to persons appeseing on their own
behalf ; he therefore directed the Registrar of this Court to confer
with the Registrars of the other Eerf"siaatical Courts, in order that
they might ascertain whether persons were at liberty to conduct
their own cases in these courts.

POLICE.

MANSION-1101:SE.

A man, named West, who drives one of the Blackwall stage-
coaches, was brought betbre the Lorin Halton, charged with
having furiously driven over a poor man, who is not expected to
survive the dreadful injury he has sustained.
A watchman stated, that at a little before nine o'clock, on the
previous evening, as lie s:as on his beat at Aldgate, he saw two
stage coaches running a race. 'file defendant was the driver of one
of them, and he lashed his horses, which were going at a rapid rate,
in order to outstrip his competitor. Both of the drivers appeared
to be quite careless of the consequences of their rivalry, which soon
proved to be most dangerous. The pole of the defendant's coach
struck a poor old man, who instantly fell senseless to the ground,
front which he was raised covered with blood, and apparently
without life. He was taken to the watchhouse. where it was as-
certained by a surgeon that several of his bones were broken. The
witness was not sure that the wheel of the coach passed over the
old man. He took care to have the defendant in custody.

A surgeon who attends the injured persons, sent a certificate to
the Lord Mayor, stating that his patient, whose name is Cu., was
dreadfully hurt ; that htg collar-bone and several of his ribs were
broken, and that there was no probability of his recovery.
The LORD MAYOR told the defendant he should take. up his
abode in prison until the poor man's case wos decided. It was
more than probable, his Lordship said, that the defendant would
hove to answer in another place for the injury he had inflicted, and
as Manslaughter cnuld sow be visited with penalties proportioned
to the several degrees of the offence, a coachman convicted of it
would be sure to taste of the greatest severities of the law.
A ballad-singer was brought before the Lord Illsvor, charged
with having assaulted another of the profession, while they were both
pursuing their tern, ctive calling..
The detendant (a man about ?I) years cf age) had, within a few
days, got possession of a song, in which the deeds of the Drury-
lane hero-ace recorded, anti he never failed to gather about hint a
crowd of both sears in the wires to the annoyance of the busy
part of the puldie. He was engaged in singing the song of which
the following was the beautiful burthcn :
" For the world may be d—d, so we're only let to see,
Our gallant Kean of Drury-lane, so bright and tight is he."
The effect of the poem upon the minds of the auditors was
heightened by the appearance of the bard, who canied a paper
lantern, with a candle in it, before hint, and cut two or three
ludicrous capers at the conclusion of each verse. He was
not, however, to have the field to himself. A rival appeared, and
soon divided the attention of the tastefuLpeople, and his song was
even in a more sublime strain than the defendant's, " Fore li it
was better than the last," and each verse ended thus:—
" And why should you blame hint for doing it so clean,
If you want it to be done yourself, why send for Mister Kean."
The defendant's jealous/ was moved to desperation when he heard
this inimitable couplet, and he emptied the phials of his Irrath upon
his opponent. The altars of Justice were obliged to interfere,
and they introduced him to a place where he had the opportunity
of amusing that respectable and poetical bed/ of men—the nightly
watch. _ .

The other poor son of Apollo was unable to attend, for after the
removal of his rival he met with more dangerous competition. He
got into a row, for be was rather of " the fancy," and had a leg
broken.
The defendant cried bitterly. He was, he raid, a respectable
man, although he was in that line, and got his living by his voice
in the streets. The only offence he had committed was that of
having refused to move eway when he was desired to do so ; but
he vowed that if the land Mayor would forgive him he would
follow his profession with as little noise as possible, and never
strike wotady.
The LORD MAYOR consented to discharge the defendant, upon
this assurance, but advised him to change his vocal profession fur
some other which had no taint upon it.