The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-08-05 00:00:00

MELANCHOLY ATTEMPT AT SUICIDE.

We have received intelligence from a Gentleman at
Brighton, who was an eye-witness to most of the facts he de-
tails, of a most melancholy attempt b 7 a young female of
great personal beauty to commit suicide. The circum-
stances under which she was instigated to this act of des-
peration are peculiarly distressing, and the apprehension
for her safety is the more alarming, from a second, but
unavailing, repetition of the attempt. It apneas that this
beautiful young woman maintained an unbh inished cha-
t racier until a few days previous to the firbt attempt she
made to destroy herself. She had been sonic time past
under an engagement to a wretch, to whom she yielded
under a promise of immediate marriage. With a brutal
disregard to her feelings, and base abandonment of his own
plighted faith, and after a sacrifice, in which he at least
ought to see nothing but what was /table and disinterested
on her part, be flung his victim " like a loathsome weed
away"--denerted her, and left Brighton. Stung with dis-
appointment and despair, and feeling that it is not life, but
the condition of living, that makes human existence sup-
portable, she resolved not to survive the ruin of her re-
putation. She determined on self-destruction ; and ac-
cordingly on the night of the cad of August, at ll o'clock,
she plunged from a retired part of the West Cliff at
Brighton. It was a clear moonlight night, and it providen-
tially happened, that one of the preventive pinta was near
the spot. lie saw a female form plunge into the waters, and
with that generous and noble intrepidity which has ever
distinguished the naval cliaracter of this countri, he plunged
after her. With considerabledifficulty he succeeded in seizing
her before she was drowned, and " buftleing the billows to,
her rescue," be bore her in his arms to the temporary bar- •
rack, situated on the West (lilt close to the artillery fort.
The officer in charge of the party gave immediate attention
to the unfortunate unknown, and the sailors' wives were
aatirluous in administering every assistance in their power.
Mr. Pitt, a surgeon, residing in the neighbourhood, was in
instant attendance, and with a promptitude and anxiety
that reflect much credit upon him, pursued those means
for restoring suspended animation that have been so suc-
cessfully pursued by the Humane Society. After several
hours of anxious vigilance he bad time satisfaction to ob-
serve his exertions were crowned with success, and that
the liepless female was restored to life. The prais:worthy
and hitherto successful exertions of Vector Pitt to preserve
her life had, however, well nigh proved unavailing, from
a circumstance which occurred the following morning, and
1 which we would term an accident, did we not feel it to be a
highly reprehensible neglect on the part of those who per-
-1 witted it. The attendant, most unthinkingly (not to use
I a harsher and more appropriate word), left the room. The
I poor injured surf ter immediately bethought herself that
this was a fitting opportunity for putting her fatal design
into execution. Finding herself alone, she immediately
hung herself to a staple in the wall, and would inevit-
ably have perished but for the timely arrival of some
persons in her apartment.
I A gentleman high in the naval profession, who has take
las indeed all persons must, an intent.' in the fate of this
unfortunate female, correctly and humanely conceiving
that it was not medical advice she needed now, but that it
was morn requisite " to administer to a mind diseased,"
acquainted the Curate of Brighton of her deplorable situ-
. ation. 11-e arc happy to learn that she has been benefited
• by the ii.struction and consolation &Worded her by that Rev.
• t ientlanan, and gradually becomes more calm and collected.
iVe at present forbear horn mentioning name*, until the •
• particulars of the case are more fully investigated; for we
apprehend her friends have not yst been informed of the!
catastrophe by which she had determined to tear herself
from their society and the world. The wretch who has !
wrought this ruin has not since been heard of ; the seduc-
tion is one of peculiarly aggravated atrocity, loaded and
d —d by every circumstance of guilt—without one re-
deeming palliative to retrieve It from the most condign 1
abhorrence.

The Master's Mate or the port, and men in charge of
the preventive service, desetve the highest commendation
fur th,. active sad available assistance which they rendered
on this distressing occasion.

COMMISSIONERS OP EDUCATION.—!t is, wig hare rea-
son to btclit.se, the intention of the individualreomposing
this Hoard, to leavc Dublin shoot the 1.41, or August,
and make a circuit of the entire country, for the purpose
of determining, by personal inspection and examination,
the Ects which are to fonn the basis of their report to the
Le:,;is'ature.—Cork SoteMern Rportry.

Arthur O'Conner, who married the daughter of Con-,
floral, has a letter in thy Paris journals denying the mu-
sticitv of the work published under the title of Me-
moirs ae etniih,rect Slir literoliitiou. lie states, that he
has examined the inamityripts from which the pretended
Memoirs are said to he extracted, that he found them to con-1
sist of twenty-nine notes or letters, scarcely sufficient to
afford thirty-four pages of printed text, and yet out of
these scanty materials, two volumes, containing 729 pages
hare been manutlictured.

11031 R CIRMIT.

ESSEX SUM3IER ASSIZES, WEDSZSDAT, Aro. 4.

CIVIL SIDE.
plefore 4fr..lostict Krnaorau.)

EttfitiN V. iTRINGFELLOW ♦XD WI/T.
This was a• action in case, against the defendant, for maliciously
injuring • picture, tile property of the plaintiff Plea, Not
Guilty.
. . _

ADOtPINT-11 WWI Mr. BRODrItICIL conducted the plain-
tiff's case, acd Mr. I.; t: ant t and Mr. Sergeant TARDY the de-
fendant's.

The plaintiff ts an attorney, and the defendant a teadesman, both
residing at Southend. The picture, which was the subject of the
action, was an old painting of a home, upon which the plaintiff
set great value. It appeared that the plaintif having in his che.
racier of attorney sued the defendant upon • bill of exchange, a
day was appointed for use latter to meet at the office of the fotmer
to pay the money. The defendant deputed his wife to pay the mo-
ney, and she went in company with a Mt. Cobbold to the plain.
tirs house far that purpose. M'hen she r. at there, she found the
, plaintiff input home. she seemed angry at the breach of the
plaintiff's apimintment, and broke sat into some passionate capers.
pion*. A female servant who attended the door inrited, her to sit
down in the parlour. aid told her that the plaintiff was In the
neighbourhood, mentioned where lie was, and said he should
be sent for. Mr. Cobbold then went to look for the plain- I
tiff. In the interval defendant's wife renlincel in the pm-
lour, and, as was alleged, maliciously injured the picture
in question, which hung up in the room. The principal wit.
nem to support the case wes the plaintiff's female servant,
who deposed that whilst Mrs. Stringfellow was in the parlour she
heard her walk about die room, go to a table drawer ih which was
a knife-steel, and then make a rumbling noise, as if a picture was
moving on its peg ftgainst the wainscot. Before Mrs. Stringfellow
came to the house witness was quire sure her master's picture was
uninjured, but as soon as Mrs. Stringfellow went away she ob-
served the horse's eye.; had been poked nit with some such instru.
ment as a wee!, there being two small holes punctured in the can.
i TIM Mrs. Suingfelluw was altogether in the room for ibOut ten
minutes.

On her crosti-examinatian she had admitted that she had been a
witness on two former occasions fur her master; once in London,
and another time at the ftatiutes. There ♦as a peep-hole in the
wainscot of the room, but sha did not look through it. Was quite
certain that the picture was sate before 3lrs. Stringfellow went into
the room, and that it was injured When she left.
The picture was exhibited in Uo,trt, but it was any thing but a
master.piece. The utmost value set upon it was 61. but it was
obviously worth no such money.
No objection was taken to the form of the action. but
Mr. Otto NEY went to the Jury upon the uedit due to the plain.
tiff's servant, contending that the story she told was utterly impro-
bable. No motive could be assigned for the conduct imputed to
Mrs. Stringfellow; there had been no expression of ill.will on her
part towan a the plaintiff; and it was hedly to be believed that a
woman of her years and respectable character could be guilty of
the wanton act of mischief complained of. Under these eircum-
stances he claimed a verdict in the defendant's favour. _

Mr. Justice BE:ascot:Gil, in summing up the case for the Jury,
said he saw no rea.on for doubting the story told by the plaintiff's
servant, but it was their province to did lc upon her credit. It sp.
peered to him that the plaintiff was entitled to a verdict if they be.
loved her evidence.
The Jury fou-.d their verdict for the defendant.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL a. RYMER.

This was an information filed against the defendant. to recover
penalties under the Hawkers' and Pedlers' Act, far hawking and
selling goods without a licence.
Mr. Sergeant OssLow, Mr. M , Mr. Grimly, Mr.
NOLAN, and Mr. POLL. AND, conducted the case for the Crown.
and Mr. Sergeant SPANK 1E and Mr. Comes the defence.
It appeared that the defendant, Lyon Symes, was an auctioneer,
and had, at Hochfort and Witham respectively, hired a room, and
published handbills announcing that the goods of certain manu.
facturers had been consigned to him for sale by auction, and that
he meant to sell them accordingly at the time therein.mentioned.,
It was proved that he had sold various goods in this mannrr, not
being licensed under the Hawkers' Au; and that he was nut an
inhabitant of Witham or Itochford, roe the nianufecturer of the'
goods. Under these circumstances this proceeding was instituted,
to repress a practict so dam:mire to the trade of small shopkeepers
in country towns.
Mr. Sergeant SP ANNIE wade two points; first, that the de-
fendant was not identified ; and second, that being an auctioneer,
and not a trader. he was not liable to the penalties of the Act.
The Learned JI'DGE charged the Jury, first, that if they be.
limed the witnesses, there was abundant proof of the defendant's
identity : and secondly, that the defendant was clearly a trader
within the meaning of the very comprehensive words of the Act.
The Jury immediately found their verdict tbr the Crown tar two
penalties of 61/1. each.

MIDLAND CIRCCIT.
—....m.--
HUNTINGDON ASSIZES. Acaust 2.

A ItSON.

T. Savnze, the younger, was indicted for setting fire to a Dann—
wilfully.. and afterwards to a house, at Somertham, on the mantle.'
of the 26th of flay.
Mr. Dovrit. in stating the care fir the prosecution, said, the
prisoner's nme had been attended with immense damage In a pe-
cuniary point of view (near '2l) houses were burned down or mate-
rially injured) besides the dreadful danger to which the sufkrtts
front it were personally exposed.
Twn approvers, and other witnesses, made out the case against
the prisoner, and
The Jury, without retiring, returned a verdict of Guilty.
The bolus Cults Itsaow, in pmaing sentence of dea.h upon
the prisoner, raid, that Mr crime was of such a n nitre ■s to pre-
clude an hope of mercy.