The National Register.
London, England, 1808-03-20 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

A %elf for it SO. IS MI) l'S.—The Bill was then read a third time
and passed.
Mr. Alderman Combo moved the order of the day, for the
House taking into consideration the Petitions from London,
Liverpool, and Manchester, against the Orders in Council.—
Agreed to.
Mr. Broom, Counsel for the Petitioners, was called to the
Bar, who stated the object of his clients, in appearing before the
House was with a view of sheaving the operations of the Orders
in Council, as injurious to the trade between this Country and
America. Mr. Woods, Mr. .7. Phillips, and Mr. G. Palmer,
were teverally examined, relative to the Petition from Man-
chester, and Mr. A. Glennie, and Mr. Bell, in support of the
London Petition, w hen further proceedings on this business were
adjourned till Tuesday next, and the evidence was ordered to be
printed.—Adjoareed.

PROV I. CIA LS.

MAIDSTONE ASSISES, MARCH 10.
SHERWOOD P. HOMPESCH.

Mr. Espinasse stated, that this wa- An action against Charles
Antnaie Ilomnesch, for libel ot the plaintiff and his wife.
111 r. Serje tin Snenpard ruse to address the Jury, and in one of
the most ilea:int speeches we ever remember •!, have heard in a
Court of JuAire, stated the nature and olLieet of the action.
He observed, that, from the circumstance of all female auditors
being desired to leave the Court, the Jury would nwarally in-
fer that the libel complained of was t* a );-t that should not he
suffered to reach a delicate mind; indeed he wished he could
spare than and the Court the pain of hearing read ore of the
most abominable and-filthy compositions w hich ever poluted
paper, or stained the records of a Court of Justice. The ca:e
in every (11W of libel, would involve three eonsideratiens : tie t,
whether the paper Si 3 tell 1% a. a libel; secandlv , whether the de-
fendant was the author and publisher of it ; and thirdly, if these
two points were established, R hat ought to be the measure of
damages which the plaintiff was entitled !O receive: As to the
first pond. whether the paper was a libel or not, it would he
merely nevec! ;Iry to read it to the Juts, and the character of
would directly be manifest ; secondly, that the defendant tvaS
the author of it, tie shoold prove by es idenre, which, in his nn
was w itolly conclusive 1 fur he should rail a series of witnesses,
who, if his instructions did not deceive him, would prove that
it was the studied composition of the Defend:tut, ti whom it was
imputed.---The Learned f4erjeant then deserilied the libel.
It wa- proved that the plaintiff married his wife in 1195. Se-
veral witnesses were then called, who proved the follow facts:
that the plaintiff Shen, ood was in the heat of going to the Pa-
ron's house, and one Sunday in October he sat with him drinking
and playing cards all the Sunday., and all the night until five
o'clock in the morning ; then his wife came and fetched him
home. The next day the Baron sent him a broil.• of wine to
refresh his spirits, as he said, and afterwards a pl.!ister to cure
the bruises which, he said, his wile might have given hint, and
an ornamented home-whip to correct h:s wife. Ile afterwards
f•rt about In compose a song, called. " The Termag:a:t. or
flireful Kentish Talc," whit h was proved to have been given
y. him to one Goodwin to be circulated. 'Phis was the libel
complained of, ;IA was an obscene doggerel poem on Sher-
!wood's wife fetching him home : it contained neither wit,
poetry, nor humour. but vulgar obscenity. These facts being
vrovid, Mr. Serjeant Best, for the defendant, made an able
speech in mitigation of damages.—The Lord Chief Baron
summed up the evidence.—The Jury withdrew fur I,:ve minutes,
stud then returned with a verdict for the plaiutill, damages

At the Chelmsford nssizes, nn articu was tried, Newman
esq. r. Morgan, for not taking away the tithe of
grass after it was set out, but sutiering it to remain and incum-
ber the plaintiff's land. The plitintiff, however was non-
suited. The farmer, (the Judge observed,) by common law,
was obliged to ted the grass for the parson, and not put it in
a green state into the cock ; and the parson was not obliged to
take it away, before it was turned into swarth.
THE FOREST 110Htir.R.—John Pitt, aged 27, who so long
Infested the Forest of Here, and robbed almost every person
travelßug that way, was indicted at the Winchester assizes
for feloniously assaulting John Brent, and robbing him, on
the 24th of November last, on the King's high-way, in the
parish of Warblim,ton. William Coldson, Esq. Nlagistrate, of
Portsmoqth, deposed, that the prisoner made a full confession
of tin fact of having robbed Mr. Brent ; that he bed out nut

MARCH 20.

any hopes of pardon to him, so far from it, that he told him
to consider well before he made the comfe,sion, as his crimes
were of such magnitude, that he ought not to expert any mercy.
The prisoner did not make any defence. The Jury, ithoet
any hesitation, returned their verdict—Guilty—Death.

A dreadful instance of ferocity occurred. ahnut tt week
since, at Stapleton prison. near Bristol. Two Frenchmen
having quarrelled, late in the evening were locked up pi es inns
to the settlement of the dispute; but in the niritt one or the
parties, with his friend, insisted np.i-) his antagonist's getting
out of bed and tightlifg him ; thr latter agsented.
It was determined that they should $.711t with the two of a
pair of compasses, which was :riik•ri to half, and the points
sharpened for the purpose. 'lltpy upon cat+ other, mu-
tually stabbing, until the aggre9tor fell lifeless on the gloom),
having been pierced through the lie.irt and Ilia ft -end
immediately seized the weapon from the hanri of the corpse,
in,isting that the fight should he renewed with ;ilia; it c as
agreed, and after a horrible reneontre, lie sitvie4 the same
fate as the first. The survivor (who is much wounded. bur nut
very dan.,erously) was secured as some as the circumstance was
known to the guard, and a Coroner's Inquest 8:4 t 4111 hadies.
As it appeared that the t o deceased persons were tileaggre,,sors
in the affair. the Jury brought in a verdict of Manslaughter
against the survivor.

TUESDAY S LONDON GAZETTE.

BANT:.RIJIITZ7 IES ENLARGED.

Nathani••l N ottingitam, brickmaker, from March?,
to March at es, at the Vant Inn, Nottingham.
Ralph Wa.idilove, Ainsworth Mill, Lancaster, calico-printer%
from Marcl. 19 to April 9, at ten, at the Bridgwater Arta4,
Mancheitcr.