The National Register.
London, England, 1820-01-24 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

A Correspondent desires s* to pout....
singular species of fraud :—Familtes residing in lilt
%irons of London are cautioned atoinst the abrooinable
pracdces 01 a set of miscreants, whose object to extult
money is of minor esti, compared with tile mean' they
use to carry into effect their villainous schemes. These
swindling wretches watch the heads of families lion*
their homes in the morning,follow theft to their others,
by which they obtain their names, then return and in-
form the wile that her husband wet with an accident,
by a coach running over him near Ills office, and was
taken with Inuits broken into all adjoining house, and
toe bearer was despatched by a surgeon to procure the
inedlcal advice of some eminent practitioner, then in
the neithbutultood in attendance upon wine faintly. A
accompanies the message, as from the surgeon.
requesting Ulat the bearer nitwit be given cleat) Clothes,
anti a couple of guineas; the latter to ensure the Mime•
diate attendance of tt:e noted practitioner. A large
family to N.ite Elms-lane, Vauxhall, was on Thursday
thrown into tile greatest temporary distress of 1111 l
such a diabolical scheme.

the I.(illowin,

A paper of Friday, complains that Mr. NI. A. Tay-
lor's act did not provide for cleatisiog the footway, at
this season of the ytar Our attention has been dliityli
to the 63,1 sectial of the act, by the Ilan. Member
hinisel, which runs as follows:--.• Footwa)s during
the COIIIIIIUJIICC of frost, or after, or dining snow, to Le
swept by the occupier of the house, once every day, ex•
ceps Sunday, all along the front, side, or back walls—
Penalty oil neglect len siiillings cacti day." lit the 114
I'ollo, men welt employed fur this purpt•se by th
.tgt-arates, and desired to elfsrge each Ivaise one pe •
iiv, which being refused, the housekeepers were but--
lilt/lied, and lined Lell 611111111 p cacti.
SHOCKING ATTAMPT AT SVICIDE.—AbOut one
o'Jitick nit TilllfSlldy 11101nitig, the crew of the 11,-e, a
Scots trading smack, lying 41 Downe-'s Wharf, in the
Thames, were alarmed lay the repor. of a pistol flied tit
the cabin ; some of them went to tile door, whith tieing
fastened on the tibiae, dild rtreiving no answer, they
„ioroetl it open, soil diseotered Mr. Ci.uti,tite owner anti
Captain, lying.on Ule fluor, WI:hit:1'111g 111 his Mood; au
tiiirti razor was I) lug near lima, also covered wild' blood,
and the shattered remains of a l/lblol, aIIpCJIVII
1%1 ire just discharged, at a snort Instance front hint. Alt.
Grim was gate speechless ; his right hand
was shat-
tered, and his breast dreadfully lacerated front tne burst-
ing of the pistol, and itierc were two large incisions
across hit throat, which appea)ed to he cooe witd tile
razor. NI r. Price of Lower East Smithfield, was !oldie.
-dl4lely stmt tor, ivllll, :Met dicasiat4 his %%numb, nail
boat re •ed to Cite Cock clad Lon, Laver Last Sunni-
' field, where he was 111.1 to bed. Ye►terday the insforto-
tiate gentleman under went ain puts (ion of his r.gm
itainl ; the wound w the breast does not appear to he
mortal, and the arteries of the neck are not cut, but
the windpipe is partly cut across, mud there is but little
nope of his- actis try.
Last week a woman with her infant child was found
dead in a field, neer Rushton, Snropshire. It is coojec-
hired that the unfortunate mintier, in getting over the
title, near which she was found, tell day is and fractured
her leg. itsilig.iitsable In mose, and without assistance,
the set eriq 01 the weather froze her and her infant to
death ! - -

FlRE.—Thursday night, a fire broke broke out in
the sugar-house of Mr. Gerkins, Ikll lane, W hue-
chapel, which, we regret to say, totally consumed
the house, but without doing any further damage.
Owing to the very active exertions of the firemen,
an adjoining malt store-house of Messrs. Hatibury
and Co.was ti rtunately provented from catchingfire.
arrkenmell Sessons .—A measure was adopted on
Monday last, at the proclamation for the discharge
of those prisoners against whom no prosecutor ap-
peared or the bills had been thrown out by the
Grand Jury, wind' is not only calculated to miti-
gate uistress, but to produce moral benefit to the
community. The Keeper of the New Prison stated,
that he had an order to give to those prisoners who
would accept it, a shilling each, that, tiir want ut
means to procure food or nightly shelter, they might
have no temptation Or excuse for conunitting fresh
deprentions, on the plea of immediate distress.
The thankfulness with which the prisoners received
this donation, proves its benclicial tendency. Many
of them declared, that without such relief; they
might have been tempted to resort to a new crime,
merely to return the same day to the prison fur
nightly shelter, but that this pecuniary assistance
would induce them to look immediately around for
honest emp.opncut. We have beard that the wor-
thy chairman suggested the propriety of rendering
this temporary aid an established custom on similar
oceesions.

Robbery.—Yesterady morning the house of Mr
Bourne, boot and shoemaker, New Kent Road, tuns
broke open, and robbed of boots and shots, and
other property. Mr. Bourne is a constable of the
district, and has been very active amongst the
thieves, who ,hreatened to " serve hint oat."
Several of tite daily papers having stated, that
" the tantily from the West Indies, who lug ;ell in
Mr.Keres house, have recovered the trunk coat:lin-
ing the diamonds and other valuable property sup-
posed to have been destroyed in toe lire ; clear-
ing away the talus, the trunk was tbund in the
rubbish, scorched on the outside, but the con-
tents were nut minted," We have authority fur
saying, that Mr. TULL, the gentleman mluitcd to,
has nut regained any part ut his property, excepting
an old writ tog desk, which only contained family
'letters, of nu value whatever.

A kw days ago, at Lewisham, while a baker,-
' whose horse and cart, containing bread, was at a
door, and the baker was being paid his
!rentlernati...
bili in the, hetlic, a t,...Ff took the opportunity to
mount upon the box or the cart, is. d drive off with'.
it Upon the baker discovering his loss, Jo= pro-
cured a horse, and rode after the thief, and he was
apprehended ut Deptford gate ; he was iunnediatt•ly
taken before Mr. Mason, the magistrate, and fully
committed to take his trial for the felony.
It has been correctly ascertainetl; that there are
in lacemuking counties upwards of tloo,ooo pour
women and children entirely dependent fur support
on making pillow lace; which is now so reduced in
price through the introduction of cotton lace,
manufactured by machinery, that their car::l744,
will not on an average amount to (id. per day, and
thousands of them arc at this moment in a state of
starvation. They trust that the benevolent dispo-
sitions of the ladies will prompt them to introduce,
as much as possible, the use of pillow lace in their-
various art.cles, which will be the means of rescuing.
thou•ands from the deplorable state oftlistretis an&
'misery to which they are now reduced.
Mimi!, JAN. 19.—Either owing to a barge
striking against it, or to the sudden breaking up of
the frost, or perhaps to both, one of the iron ribs of
Harlan's-bridge, leadin,, to Totterdown, gave way
this mornimg about eight, and carried with it the
foot pavement, iron-railing, gas pipes, &e. on the
eastern side. The crash was tremendous; a matt
and woman were passing at the time ; both escaped
without injury, but of course extremely frightened.
The morning coaches from Bath to Londo.i were
obstructed in their passage, and obliged to turn
through a new and unfinished road which leads
over Bedminster Bridge ; here Fromont's Express
coital), outwards, from the unevenness of the read,
and the obstinacy of a waggon-driver, upset on the
river side, and two outside passengers and the coach-
man were thrown down oat the step-bank, and would
probably have perished in the river, which was
retuning with increased velocity from the thaw, if
a sack of oats, also thrown from the top of the
coach, and which was impeded in its progress by a
stone, had not providentially formed an obstruction
within two feet of the water. No material injury
was, however, done ; the crowds that were looking
at the bridge immediately run to their assistance,
and the coach was raised and proceeded on its.
journey. On Saturday the 15th inst., and Sun*,
a novel sight drew additional thousands. A large
West India vessel, the Stedflist, belonging to Al-
derman Daniel, was released from her confinement`
by cutting a canal in the ice; the process was per-
pertbrined by making sections of 16sor 1a teat.
square, cad drawing them underneath the main,
body, which was done by men standing on tilt's.
detached piece, and by the help of-levers forcing it
it below the level of the surrounding ice. The-
Jane and Barbara, another %Vest India vessel, was
also cut out, and taken through Bathurst Basin;
but the passage for the Stedtltst was cut all the way
to the Dock at the Hotwells. "Itis an ill-wind
that blows no one good," and by the above contri.
vance a number of men were employed who other-
wise would have had no means of obtaining Ly
labour their requisite food.
ATTACK ON TUE MAIL.—Cork, Jail. 15.-I'he
co e n !ruin Didditi to this city was attaelicd last night
by a number of a:nied men, at a place called Five Milt-
idge, I,etween 12 and I o'clock. A barrier of cars
ILO been placed across the road for the purpose of stop.
,ping the coach, and on its arrival at this impediment, a-
fire
commenced front heitnid the ditches Egaitist t a
wail. Otte of the goartti named Mg.:x(lwatt, shot
ire the sun in the act of raising his blunderliiiss, to disz
charge it, but the other maintained a rapid Lire mn :ha
robin.' 6, end iii the Illeatl flint, the cuacluuan, P Ilf kit
%.% ith great dexterity and resolution, avitipired nn
the I:44rses; .and by the iiiipettis of the coach, au,led by
the slippery nature ()I' tile roads, socceciiitd it bursiiii6.
tittougli ;he ea'', and d:ove oil' with ,iit fartli,r
gentleman ol the name ol Nip,v•iit is, however, 1101...
Sul t ; lie wars all inside p.uswngt , but been ial,err•
ill at New ..111e-stolie, about Iriar nnitcs Irmo the vlace
of attack, suit aild us the enitimeneement nf.
the lir •hg, jusioveti oil' the coach, and Tres tot been bend
of. Toe giia:d was left at ~c
(oilers':tad Its arm iiiti,t he The pace
where the attack liap,:iied Was .n.e antis • to the sihnit
of Colonel , and the ‘'ate' ford eo..icit nail bet it attack, kl •
near ilis same spot, a fox hours betoe, hitt eseard
injury. We hate not heard whether any tits aS•al.
ants were

A poor woman outside pas.enger on one of the-
witches front London to Exeter, dieil oa .1".:urs41:111
morning, front the ineleiiielicy of the weather, to
which she hid bevit exposed diiriag the
On the coachintin perceiving th.tt sit.: was nlhiL
ht
by the on the of Cite
stage below Salishary, he Ltd her ciiiivyycil
Miors, and taken rare of; but assistance wds too-
late to prolong her exii.teme more than has ail.
hour, Two chillien precee..itig on Thurs.lay wear
front I:mg-port to 13risiol, oil a baggage tt'•t for
were fount!, on its aim i.t ian on the
;.)