The National Register.
London, England, 1820-01-23 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

A Correspondent desires us to publish the hallowing
singular species of fraud :—Families residing in the en-
virons of London are cautioned against the abominable
prac.ices 01 a set of miscreants, whose object to extort
money is of minor esti, compared with the they
use to carry into effect their villainous schemes. Tiirse
swindling wretches watch the heads of families Isom
their homes in the morning, follow theirs to their others,
by which they obtain their names, then return and in-
form the wile that her husband met with an accident,
by a coach running over him near his office, and was
taken with limbs broken into an adjoining house, and
toe bearer was despatched by a surgeon to procure the
attedie.,l advice of some eminent practitioner, then in
the neit,libon r hood in attendance upon sonic family. A
note accompanies the message, as from the surgeon,
requesting that the bearer might be given clean clothes,
and a couple of guineas; the latter to ensure the ttttt e•
thine attendance of tire noted practitioner. A large
family in Nine Ehns-lane, Vauxhall, was on Thursday
thrown into the greatest tempuraiy distress of Wind b)
such a diabolical scheme.

A paper of Friday, complains that Mr. M. A. Tay-
lor's act did not provide for cleansing the footway, at
this season of the year Our attention has been dr..wil
to the Gad section of the act, by the lion. Member
himself, which runs as follows :—" Footwa)s during
the continuance of Lost, or after, or timing snow, to be
swept by the occupier of the house, once every day, ex-
cept Sunday, all along the front, side, or back walls—
Penalty ou neglect ten shillings each the flu.
rough, turn were employed for this visions:. by the
M tgi,trafee, and desired to charge each pause one pen
ny, which being refused, the housekeepers were stini-
mooed, and tined ten shillings each.
SHOCK ING• ATIaMPT AT SUICIDE.—About one
o'akack• on Thursday morning, the crew to the Bee, a
Scots trailing smack, lying off Downes's Wharf, iii the
Thames; were alarmed by the report of a pistol fired in
the cabin ; some of them went to the door, which being
t:istened on the in,ihe, and receiving no answer, they
forced it open, and discovered Mr. G.un, the owner and
Captain, lying on the floor, weltering iu his blood; an
open razor was I) tug near inni, also covered with Idowl,
and the shattered remains of a pistol, which appeaied
to be just discharged, at a short Instance from hint. Mr.
Grin, was mute speechless; his right hand was shat-
tered, and his breast dreadfully lacerated from the burst-
ing of the pitted, and there were two large incisions
across his tnroat, which appeayed to he Gone with the
razor. Mr. Price of Lower East Smithfield, was imme-
diately stilt tor, who, after dressing his wounds, had
bim fel tttttttt to the Cock and Lion, Lower East Smith-
field, where lie was put to bed. Yesterday the unfortu-
nate gentleman. underwent ampittaiion of his right
hand ; the wound in the breast dots not appear to be
mortal, and the art: riles of the neck are not cut, bin
the witulppe is partly cut across, and there is but little
hope of his recovery.
Last week a woman with her infant child was found
dead in a field, ile?f Itosltton, Shropshire. It is conjec-
tured that the unfortunate mother, in getting over the
stile, near which she was found, fell down and fractured
her kg. B..ing finable to mote, and without assiAarice,
• the set einy.of the weather Iroze her and her infant to
death

nac.—Thursday night, a fire broke broke out in
the sugar-house of Mr. Gerkins, 13ell.lane, W h tie
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. Elanbuty
and Co.was liniunately prevented from cataingfire.
Clerken well Stssions.—A measure was adopted on
Monday last, at the proclamation for the discharge
of those pristmers apinst whom no prosecutor ap-
p,,,r,d or the bills had been thrown out by the
Grand Jury, which is not only calculated to miti-
gate tostress, but to produce moral benefit to the
%.utionunity. The Keeper of the New Prison stated,
that he had an order to give to thwe prisoners who
would accept a, a sharing each, that, fur want of
means to procure food or ;tightly shelter, they might
have no temptation or excuic for committing fresh
depredations, on the plea of immediate • distress.
The thankluinLss with wsich the prisoners received
this donation, proves its hene:icial 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 for
nightly shelter, but that this pecuniary ussistanc‘
would induce them to look imme.butely around fur
honest emp oyment. We have heard that the vor.
thy chairman suggested the propriety of rendering
this temporary aid an established custom on similar
occesions. .

RoMery.—Yesterady morning the house of Mr.
Bourne, boot and shoemaker, New Kent amid, was
broke open, and rubbed of boots and shoes, and
other property. Mr. Bourne is a constable of the
district, and has been very active amongst the
thieves, who threatened to " serve him out."
Several of the daili papers having stated, that
" the Emily from the West Inai,s, who ludgid in
Mr. Kerr's house, have recovered the trunk contain-
ing the dianhaids and otto.r valual.le property sup-
posed to have been desiroyed in the tire ; n clear-
ing sway the ruins, the trunk was liquid in the
rubbish, much scorched on hie outside, but the eon.
tents were not iunmsl," We have suilioitiy fbr
saying, that. Mr. Thu., the getitl,rtuiii ailailcd to,
has not regaiued any part of his property, excepting
nn old writtng desk, widen only contained family
'Jotters, of no value whatever.

Sr

A tew days ago, at Lewisham, while a baker,
whose horse anti cart, containing bread, was at a
gentleman's door, and the baker was being paid his
bill in the house, a thief' took the opportunity to
mount upon the box of the ctrt, and drive off with
it Upon the baker discovering his lass, he pro.
cured a horse, and rode after the thief, and he was
apprehended at Deptfonl gate ; he was immediately
taken before Mr. Mason, the magistrate, and fully
committed to take his trial fir the Molly.
It has been correctly ascertained, that there aro•
in laccmaking counties upwards of 200,000 poker
women and children entirely dependent fir support
on making pillow lace; which is now so reduced in
price through the introduction or cotton lace,
manufactured by machinery, that their earnings
will not on an average amount to (id. per day, and
thousands of them are at this moment in a state of
starvation. They trust that the benevolent dispo-
sitions of the ladies will prompt them to introduce.
us much as possible, the use of pillow inee in their
various alt cles, which will be the means of-rescuing
thousands from the deplorable state of distress and
misery to which they are now reduced.
Bayern, 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
Hurford's-bridge, leading to Totterdown, gave way
this mornimg about eight, and carried with it the
feat pavement, iron-railing, gas pipes, 87e. on the
eastern side. The crush was tremendous; a man
and woman were passing at the time; both escaped
without injury, but of course extremely frightened.
The morning coaches from Bath to London were
obstructed in their passage, and obliged to turn
through a new and unhnished road which leads
overßedesinster -Bridge ; •here Fiomont's Express
coach, outwards, from the unevenness of the road,
and the obstinacy of a waggon-driver, upset on the
river side, and two outside passengers and the coach-
man were thrown down on the step-bank, anti would
probably have perished in the river, which was
running with increased velocity from the thaw, if.
a sack of oats, also thrown from the top of the
couch, 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 werelooking-.
at the bridge immediately run to their assistance,. .
and the coach was raised and proceeded on its
joarne3. On Saturday the 15th inst., and Sunday,
a novel sight drew additional thousands.• A 'largo
West India vessel, the Stedfast, belonging to 111-
dermal' Daniel, was released from her confinement
by cutting a canal in the ice ; the process avas per.
perfiormed by making sections of 16 or 18 test
square, aad drawing them underneath the main,
body, which was done by men standing on tho
detached piece, and by the help of levers forcing, it-
it below the level of the surrounding. ice. The
Jane and Barbara, another West India vessel, was
also cut out, and taken through Batbarst Basin ; .
but the pao;age fir the Stedlitst was cut all the way
to the Duck at the Howells. "Itis an ill-wind
that blows no one good," and by the above contris
vauLa: a number of men were employed who other. •
wise would have had no means of obtaining by
labour their requisite food.

Arr VCK nti TI4N, MAIL.—Cork,
CO,C I crow I)touliii to this ell ors attacked last night
by a numbeo of armed men, at a place called Fite Mile-
b.idge, between 1 and 1 o'clock. A harrier of cars
had been placed across the road for the purpose of stop-
ping the coach, and on its arrival et•thie impediment, a
tire co 1111 l rimed from behind the &reties t gallon t..e
mail. Doe of the guards named M•Goivaii, was shot
in the arm in the act at raising Isis blunderbuss, to dis-
charge it, but the other maintained a rapid lire on the •
midway, and in the lIICJII time, the coachman, Patrick •
Daly, with great dexterity and resolution, whipped on
the horses, and by • the i•topeous of the coach, aided by
the slippery liaittre of the riorzts, succeeded in bursting •
through the cats, and drove off withian farther injure.
A gentleman (A' the name of Nogeitt is, however, •
; he was an inside passenger, but hating been taken
ill at New Mile-stone, about titer miles from the place
of get ick, mein outside, and Oil the e ))))) mencetnent of
time firing, junked off the coach, and has toree•been Iterid
of. The yroonded guaid left rt C otnucl, and tie
understand his arm must be amputated. I.llo' place
where the attack happeiteil was fire 111.4.1, to the south
of C OiluSCl, and the Wr tefford coach mod heels ottacktil •
near the saute spot, a few 110111 s 61:(01e, but t,cdpetl
injury. ‘Ve hate not heard is nether any of the assail-
anis were hurt.

A poor woman outside passenger on one of the
coaches from London to Exeter, t!ied uu Thunsdaf
morning, front the inclemency o► the weather, to
which she had been sxposc•d during the night
On the rcntelonnit perceiving that she was bentnnbcd
by the frost, on the artival of the couch the nit
stage below :4alistittry, he had her conveyed in
doors, um' taken care of; but assistance was too
late to prolong her existence more th►ni half an
hour, Two children proceeling on Thursday week
from Langport to Bristol, on a baggage wa;,:gett,
were found, on its artivil :it an i.►n on the
frozen to