The National Register.
London, England, 1811-03-31 00:00:00

40 • ifi•i:;

wi‘o bes!, a man in custody on a charge of
felopy ; and he also wished that witness would exeenine Best,
as he (Jenner) had no doubt but that Best knew who the wri-
ter was, and that witness could get it out of him. There was no
doubt but it was written by one of the foresters. They were
a people who had clandestinely taken posbession of part of the
forest ; they lived upon plunder.. Mr. Jenner added. there was
one hlrcunistance which proved Best knew about it • for his old
father, a few days ago, had said : " Now my son Will is in pri-
son, it will come out about the letter." 'Witness said he won-
dered, thsy did not root out thisse foresters. Jenner replied, he
had done all he could ; brit there was a gentleman who did not
do ,his deity,
or they would soon be obliged to turn out :—He ap-
rieherd,d himself in danger from these forresters ; but 'Was de-
terminsd to withstand them.
- Lord Sheffield was convinced Mr. Bingham had incurred
ranco it by doing his duty in repressing the disorders of the
lire teas. He had a very good opinion of Mr. Bingham.
Mr. Archdeacon Doyley, I. W. Cripps, Esq. and other highly
ie4pectable friends of the prisoner, were also tailed to his cha-
racter ; and attested his honour, integrity, and high excellence
agea'gentleman and clergyman.
The Loan Cuter BARON in summing up, observed, that
there was no motive, in evidence, to induce the prisoner to send
Otis letter.—T he Jusy, after considerable deliberation, found the
prisoner—Not Guilty.
The same. prisoner was then indicted for settlnr fire to his
house with a view to defraud its owner, the Rev. Mr. Rivctt,
his rector, and the Union Fire 021ce, in which he had insured
furniture,' &c. to the amount of 5001. The t I idence on this
trial was lung and complicated; but the only circumstances
which appeared to make against the prisoner were, that he had
the day before the fire busied himself in causing to be removed
from one outhouse to a nearer, the stacks of wood with which
the house was fired (as the prisoner stated his supposition at the
time maliciously) his depositing of a few private papers and
quills over the privy, and of his burying a quantity of copy-
bnoki of no great value in his garden, planting over them a
flower for better coecealment. It was proved, however, that
the prisoner's plate and watch, which might have teen more
Profitably removed, were burnt' and that he had actually sent
for the latter on the evening of the fis e to the house of a neigh-
bour where hr had been Visiting, and where he had .forgetfulle
left it. The prisoner had immediately before the fire been in
town to transfer an insuraree of 501. upon a cottage to a further
security of his furniture ; but that cottie•.e it was proved he had
before sold. He then stated to his friend, the Secretary to the
Insurance Office, that be was fraid his house would be burnt,
in corsevence of the incelubary spirit of the neiebbourhood,
and always stated to those whom he told the story of the fire, a
resentintent which possessed him on the evening of the fire, that
the casualty would happen. It *as proved by the prisoner's
brothers, tee Rev. Richard Bingham, Incumbent of -Gosport
Chapt 1, and' Magistrate for the county of Hants; and . Captain
40seph Bingham, It. N. that the prisutier's botAs and furniture
Were worth Item 9COI. to 10001. and that he was in far from tn.:-
Vs:reed circutnettsnces, otterwise• he. would haVe applied to the
Viriner brother as he had before dime, turd always been relieved ;
• and thLit the latter brother !lad lately lain down a lirge sum to
flee the prisoner from his embarrassments, upon the poitive
*entrance that*the prisoner bad told his brother the ettent of his
*tit% .and was made a free and happy man. Many of the pri-
arintr's neighbours. and Servant& alsts spoke to the value of his
furniture, litter., &c. •
The piisoner, o'n this occasion, also read a written defence,
and the Learned Ohief Baron recapitulated and commented on
the whole of the evidence, adopting the prisoner's expesr,sion
that he 'must have been mad t., have committed tf,e crime of
4a•Lich he was charged, if the testimony of his honourable bro-
thers were to be at all credited.
The Jury found the prisoner Not Guilty.
_,The trial ()fete se indictments lasted from eight in the morn-
ing till near nine at night.

At the Hereford Anises, Mary and Thomas WaV• ins (mo-
ther and s-o) were eonirlcted of the 'murder ()I Mrs. Gwillirn,
et Cloddoer., and received sentence f death. On Saturday,
Thounis Watkins was cxecut,:d oo the platform over the door
of the County Gaol. Mary Watkins respited till the 15th
of April, in consequence of her sun having repeatedly. declared
innOcence.
Inger:sole, Cole, and Bottle, left for execution at the Essex
Assizes, are respited,dnriog pleasure. - •

A mad uog, after biting about thirty dogs in his progress
through frig t. and a poor working mah severely in the leg,
found his way a few days ago, into the midst of a flock of sheep
belonging to'Messrs. Vailance, near Wicke, but where, ere he
bad an 00gortunity of (.1.;;:g mud' mischief, he was resolutely
ig,totked down and destroyed by the attendant shepherd.