The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-10-19 00:00:00

EMANCIPATION OF SLAVES.

A few days ago a case, the imperfect intelligence as to the merits
of which prevented us from publishing any of the paniculars before
this day, occurred at the Alansion-house, before the Lord Mayor.
The public are ma gerter:tliy informed of the fact, that the
emancipation of a slave in the West Indies is a process of a very
expensive nature; the slave-owner, however anxious he may. be
to give freedom to those who have served hint faithfully, not hartng
the power to resign his authority nt an expense less considerable
than a sum amounting to from [Dii!. to 1301. for the emancipation
of each slave. The slave-owner is obliged to deposit this large
sum, in order to indemnify the parish in the event of the former
beenining chargeable. The Colonial Ouvernmeat have long esta-
blished this deptatit, as a Slue opts 11011 in the Aix of Manumission.
The Act is besides clogged with a varicy of expensive provisions
and forms, which present in many cases an insurmountable bar-
rier against the acquisition of liberty by a shire.
Some time since, a 31r. Halstead addressed a letter to Mr. Hob
let, stating, that he had lately returned front the West Indies, and
had received a power of attorney from two soldiers of the Ist %Vest
India Regiment, stntioned at Ilarbadoes, to manumit two of their
children, born in sfsscry. Mr. Halstead wished to be informed
how he rhnuld proceed to procure the freedom of the children.
Mr. Habler, jun. wrote an stsswer, stating, that the object of
Mr. Halstead could not he of .•,1 by transmitting the power of
attorney: that the manumissin on •be performed personally by
the applicant (in whom the ch, s •re assigned as slaves), and
that an oath toilet be made I.ee•r. Lord Mayor, by a person
who witnessed the ceremony. 'rho expense of the manumission
by this process, it was also stated, would not amount to more than
W. for each shore.

As Alr. Halstead hal received no more than td., the expense of
the manumission presi:nted an impediment, hut Mr. Ilanbury, the
Seevetary to the Anti.rilavery Society, promised to obviate that
difficulty, by appropriating the funds of the Society to the further-
ance of the (*.Art. ,`bane correspondence has taken place gu,the
subject, and the result is that the slaves will be assigned to Mr.
Ilanhury himself, who will manumit them, and send the deed of
manumission to the Society's Agent at Itarbadeas, where it will be
duly registered, and the process will be complete.
It wan stated to the Lord Mayor, who had taken aatrong Interest
in the measure, that the two slaves will be thus inanundued at
little or no expense, and that the facility of this mode of manumis-
sion will enable a great multitude of persons to become free, who
would not have it in their power to attain their freedom on the spot
where they are subject to such unnatural control. The proms is
extremely simple. The slaves must be assigned, according to cer-
tain forme of law, to some one coming over to, or actually in, this
country. That person may manumit them before the Lord Mayor,
according to law, and all the impediments thrown in the way of ac-
complishing so paramount a labour of humanity by the Audio.
rides in the West Indira, will be effectually removed. The ex-
pense of this course can never exceed 7t., whilst in our colonies
it would in some cases amount to 1601. in conformity with the
regulations established by them.
Mr. Nobler, jun. has just manumitted several slaves acanding to
the principle described, upon deeds of assignment.
The manumission of a slave in this country is decidedly valid,
and the colonial government cannot exact a deposit or security from
a person made free under these circumstances, and has no powei of
preventing the necessary forms from being administered here.
ATTEMPTED ESCAPE PROM PRISON.

Monday last, Telford. who is now confined in Appleby gaol on
a charge of forgery, and Charles O'Neil, convietiAl at the lam
Westmorland Assizes for robbing a spirit cellar, attempted to
escape, and also to murder a fellow.prisoner, an old man, who had
been convicted of petty larceny. I. or many days previous, the
governor, Mr. Thwaites, had been upon the 100k-out, suspecting
something wrong. Monday seemed favourable to the projects of
the prisoners, being a stormy day. On letting the prisoners out of''
their Mill/ in the morning, they observed to the governor that it
was an uncommonly bad day. " said the latter. " and
although it is so bad, I shall have to go as far as }trough." This
was said to throw the prisoners off their guard, thinking they would
immediately commence operations upon the supposition that he I
had left home. The result justified his opinion. Mr. Thwaites
continued to watch for several hours, exposed to the storm. Mr.
Towers posted himself on the chapel steps, from whence he could
see any person ascend the walls of the prison. Others were sta-
tioned on the outside of the gaol. About two in the afternoon, an
outcry was heard from the felons' yard, and the governor burst in
upon them. The old man was calling for assistance. He informed
Mr. Thwattes of what had passed. The other two prisoners had
carried on their o;,erations, as they thought, unknown to ..he old
man, who had over heard the following conversation between them :
Telford said, " I am afear'd, Charley, the old man will raise the
alarm." O'Neil—" Oh, d—n the old hlarkguanl, a single blow
will do for him ; but how shall we do when we get to the other
side? the alarm may be given by some person, and we may be
taken again." 'felfoni—" The devil o' bit o' that. Charley ; if
we were once fairly on the other side, they might whistle for us."
The old man was sitting near to the fire, his head resting upon
one of his hands, the other covering an eye which he had recently
lost the use of. Ile fancied he saw the prisoners creeping be.
hind him upon their hands and knees; and being terrified, jumped
upon his feet, and perceived Charley close upon him, whit his Bat
uplifted in order to strike him, when he called out, " Surely,
Charles, you will not murder me." The prisoners then said, that
if he made the least noise they would do for him ; but watching
hit opportunity, he made a spring into the yard, and called out, as
already stated. Mr. Thwaites searched the prisoners, and found
twined about Charley's body a rope ladder of exquisite workman.
ship, manufactured out of a piece of linen cloth, which had been
purchased for Telford fur a shirt. It was about seven yards long,
and at the extremity was fixed, in the most secure manner, an iron
crook, made from two clog-caulkers. The steps were about two
feet asunder, and made from the wood of a pair of bellows which
they had cut up for the purpose, and the feet of a wooden stooL
The spikes which surmount the walls ernes each other at right
angles, and were therefore well calculated fur retaining a firm hold
of the crook, and thereby facilitating their escape. The old man
had been put into a rlace of safety, and the offending parties se-
curely ironed. Telford observes great taciturnity. On the failure
of their plan all that he said was, "U
—n the old blackguard." He
Is thirty-six years of age; about five feet tett inches high; but a
most powerful and athletic man.

COMBINATION.—Between seven and eight o'clock on
Thursday evening, a party of men attacked the house of a
nailor named Pritchard, situate in Brunswick-street,
Dublin. They beat Pritchard in a severe manner, and also
'resulted his wife and daughters. They likewise inquired
for his son, who escaped. Mr. Beatty, of Richmond Hos-
pital, iittended subsequently, and dressed the wounds of
Pritchard. The peace-officers succeeded in apprehending
a man named T. Aungier, on suspicion of being concerned
in the above outrage. Between six and seven o'clock on
the same evening, about one hundred men attacked the
house of Mr. Ilarling, in New-street, Dublin, the door
and windows of which they broke. One of the party threw
some vitriol into the face of a nailor in the employment of
Mr. Harding, of the name of Hackett, which burned, and
nearly blinded him. It is supposed that this outrage arose
from the system of combination unfortunately so prevalent
in that city.
DESTRUCTIVE Fier IN CORIC.—OR Tuesday night, be-
tween the hours of seven and eight o'clock, an awful and
destructive fire broke out in the Pawnbroking Establish-
ment of Mr. George Burd, in the North Abbey ; which
consumed the entire building, with the greater part of the
property deposited therein.
On Wednesday a pitman of the name of Joseph Low.
ton, residing at Newbottle, in this county, in a fit of jea-
lousy, threw a sharp-pointed poker at the head of his wife,
Jane Lowton, which entered her left temple. The unfor-
tunate woman received the wound about noon, and lingered
until one o'clock the following morning, when she expired.
An inquest was held on the body of the deceased on Thurs-
day, before Peter liowlby, Esq. Coroner for Easington
Ward, when the Jury found a verdict of " Wilful Mur-
der" against the husband, who has been committed to our
gaol fur trial at the ensuing assizes.—Durham Cie
On Sunday, Denis O'Brien, guard of the Waterfotd
Mail, was unfortunately killed by the wheel rolling over
his neck, near Pallis-Green ; he lived half an hour. lie,
after letting out a gentleman, hail his foot on the wheel in
order to ascend, when the coach moved on and threw him
under.—Dublin Paper.
Mr. Sparrow, near IVexford, was attempted to be assas-
sinated on Wednesday. the Gth inst.—Limerick Munich..
On Monday sc'nnight, by the Rev. Mr. Manning, 11.
Drane was committed to the House of Correction, at
Ipswich, for refusing to pay the penalty of 2!. 7s. Gd. for
destroying a quantity of cabbage and cauliflower plants, in
the garden of Sarah wife of Benjamin Harper, of Wey-
bread, labourer. It is a singular circumstance, that this
man is the identical Harper, who, more than :in years ago,
was condemned for shooting at, and killing Brigs, at La-
kenheatli, at the instigation of Betistead, his master; his
sentence was reversal, lie received his Majesty's pardon,
and was admitted evidence against Bensteail, who was
hanged in chains, on Lakenheath Common. After hang-
ing a few years, through the intercession of his family, who
lived near the place, the gibbet was taken down.—Ce/ebe3-
ler Gazelle.

On Wednesday a Wm-stn.-et officer, accompanied by a
lad, arrived at Aylesbury, and was admitted to the prison
to see %Veaver and Jordan, the two men committed on
suspicion of a burglary in the house of J. H. Pomeroy
Mason, Esq. His object was to ascertain if they we.e of
the party concerned in the robbery of Earl Cowper 's
steward. Having seen the prisoners, he recognised
Weaver as a desperate character, well known in Loudon by
the name of Nicholls, and expressed his conviction that he
should be able to prove that he was present at the robbery.
—Bucks CA ro i..te.

THE ARMY.

On Friday, a company of the 15th foot, *ader the own-
maw of Brevet Lieut.-Colonel And Captain Lord Forb, a,
marched into (7avau, on their rotate from Fielfast ; and on
Saturday moved forward for Longford. w?: re they are to
be stationed; the head-quarters of the regiment is, we
understand, to be at Parsonstown, though the public paper
state that Cork is to be their final destination.

EDINBURGH, OCT. 19.—The 72111 regiment, row etntion-
ed here, under the cowman/I of G.meral S.r John Hope,
are about to assume the Tartan, and become a Highland
regiment. A very splendid set of dirks has been prepared
for the officers by our ingenious townsman, Mr. Sanderson.
They are ornamented with Scotieh stones; the finest co.
loured Calengurums have been collected, and are get in
gold mounted in silver—the most sumptuous article of
uniform, perhaps, at present used by any regiment in his
Majesty's service.