The National Register.
London, England, 1817-04-21 00:00:00

COURT OF CHANCERY.

Tuesday, in the Court of Chancery, the Lord Chancellor
heard Counsel in a private room in the case of a marriage of
a ward in Chancery. It was in the form of a Petition front
the father of Maria Hookham, an infant, and a ward of the
Court, who, on coming to the ace of 21, is entitled to the sum
of 20001.; praying, that a person of the name of Charles
Town!'bend, a journeyman silversmith, who had carried oil'
the infant, Maria Hookham, and married her, might he com-
mitted to the custody of the Warden of the Fleet Prison, for
a contempt of Court. The clergyman who had married the
parties, attended; and, after several questions from the Lord
Chancellor, his Lordship observed, that it would be a great
happinessfor the country, that all eentlemen in orders were ac-
quainted with the provisions ofthe Marriage Act. There appear-
ed nothing improper in the conduct of the father; and tinder all
the circumstances of the case, his Lordship thought it to be
his duty to commit 'Fownsliend to the Fleet Prison, until an
arrangement took place with respect to the property in ques-
tion. Townahend was accordingly taken away, in the custody
of the officer, and lodged the Fleet.

OLD BAILEY.
Wednesday the Sessions commenced at the Old Binley, be-
fore the Lord Mayor, Barim Wood, Mr. Justice Dallas, the
Recorder, &c. &e.
G. AVelela was indicted for stealing a large quantity of bed
and (rode linen. and other articles. the property of Anne M.
Thomson; and a lar2e qnantity of wearing apparel and a
...atilt, the property of W. Gunn, in the dwelling house of the
said Anne M. Thomson, who kzepa a loslging-house in Suffolk-
sheet, rbfiritvz cross, and the prisonzi• lodged in it. Guilty
—Tlea"..
vines„ I. Grev, and 11. Ronse, for a burglary in the
hoe Want, and stealing a watch, five 101. Bank notes,
tee. hi. prmierix. were also capitally convicted.
When the verdict was pt onnunce4i. 71Ir. Want pepped For-
ward. ;id felt it dm, to the pristmers to state, that whilst in
hi. house on the night of the robbery. they did not attempt
any personal aljnry on his family, which they might have
(1' ne (burins, the hones of sleep.
Mr Justice Da!!as observed, that he would take a note of
Mr. Want's oliservatioti.
J. Jones was 41(1,r-fed for robbing D. Jones on the highway
of a watch, 1.'1'1(.301. hi. property.
Mr. Jones, the prosecutor, deposed, that be is a clerk in the
House of C mmons. On the evening of the 20th of February,
he had been dining in the city, and nut his return about eleven
c'r'ock at night, two men ran against him near Round-court,
in the Su rand, and brought him to the crown!. He pat his
hand to his pocket. and found his geld chroonnieter hart been
taken away. lie then seized the prisoner, but his companion
excelled. Witness had never recovered his watch since.
W. Nettleton was constable of the night at St. Martin's
wateh.honse, when Mr. Jones brought the prisoner there.—
Mr. Jones appeared a little elevated, but perfectly collected.
Witness said to the prisoner, the watch was a valuable one.
and he might as well tell where it was, that the Gentleman
might get it again. The Prisoner hesitated a minute or two,
and then said, " No ; that will never do."—Verdict—Not
Guilty.
CHARGE OF MURDER.
On Friday, Jane Wild was capitally indicted for the
murder of her infant child.
Mary Walsingliarn lodged in the same house with her. On
Friday, '2lst of February, Elizabeth White came to fetch her
to go to the prisoner's apartment. Witness put her hand on
the prisoner's shoulder, and said, "Jane, you were in a fa-
mily way ?" She said, " Yes." Witness asked, " Are you
so now?" The prisoner answered, "No." She next asked
her where she child was, and the prisoner said she had got
it. The prisoner then went into her own bed-room, went
round the bed, turned hack the pillow and bolster, and took
the child np in her own arms. It was naked, excepting a
piece of flannel on its body, a cap en its head, and a hand-
kerchief across the month. Upon seeing this, witness said,
" Hussey, you have murdered the child.". The prisoner said,
" No, I have not," and appeared much agitated. Witness
asked for what the handkerchief was tied oil the mouth in
that manner, and she said it was to keep the jaw from fald
ing. Witness said, that was not the way to tie it, and the
prisoner sat down and took the handkerchief off. The cloth
came up a little above the mouth, and was tied several times
rotund the head. It was a silk handkerchief, it was not in
the least net. Witness left the room to get an officer, and
the prisoner sat down in the chair. The child at the time
witness saw it (about 3 o'clock in the (Ely) was quite warm.
The prisoner passed as a single woman, under the name of
Jane Wild. Witness saw no marks of violence on the child,
she knew it to be a custom, after a child is dead, to tie the
under jaw up.
Elizabeth White corroborated the last witness's statement,
%slims-. saw no marks of violence on the child.
The countenance of the child was perfectly calm and pla-
cid; it seemed as if it were
John Porch, an Os( vseer of the parish of St. Andrew,
lhalhorn, was bound ()see to prosecute. On taking the pri-
soner to the worklmese, witness risked her why she tied the
handkerchief roti;:d the chilli's head, and she said " I did It
to prevent its jow from dropping." PPOli asbsing her what
these she war delirrred, sille said, " Between :, and tt o'clock."
Ile asked her if. when the child was delivered, it cried; she
said, " No, it did mt."
Jatnes Taslor, surgeon, examined the child carefully, the
and lu.ad kerchief having hi en removed. Their were
no marks of violence apart the child. Ile e.taitiii..retl, apart
one tin, the child, that it sever could have h4tethed, as the
lung acre collared.

John Peter Vincent perfectly concurred in the opinion of
the lan witness. The functions of respiration bad never
been duly performed.
'the prisoner said nothing in bee defence, and so witnesses
were called by her Counsel.
Mr. Baron Wood, in slimming up to the Joey, remedied.
that in order to convict the Prisoner of murdering the inten kt
the jury must be satisfied of two things: Ist, that the child
Wrl% horn alive, and if this be distinctly proved, then, Silly,
whether, after it was se born alive, she. wilfully sturderedlt.
After a abort consideration, the Jury sequined the priso-
ner of the whole charge.

Saturday, Richard Gatlmrne Batt. who Is now eenfintid in
Isiewgate, having been committed for publishing a certain
wicked and malicious libel. imputing to Edward Lord El.
lenborongli the crime of r ; and another libel,impnting
to Robt. Hen. Lord Castlereagh, that he 'had stated a gross
falsehood in the House of Commons to answer his own per.
poses; and a third, charging the said Lord Ellenborough.
that he had unjustly convicted him, the said R. G. Butt, to
make money of him—was put to the bar.
Mr. Walford. on the part of the prosecution, moved, that
the prisoner might be detained in custody, notwithstanding
the discharge of the Grand Jury, and the circumstance of
a bill of indictment not having been preferred against hint.
He made the present motion upon an affidavit of Mr. }lab-
house the solicitor for the prosecution; in which it was
stated, that a criminal Information against the prisoner wax
prepared, and only required the signature of the Attorney-
Generul, and that the said information would be filed on the
first day of next term. He farther moved, that the prisoner
might not be admitted to bail, unless on 48 hours' notice•
thereof to the solicitor for the prosecution. The object of
the motion, the learned counsel said, was to prevent the poi-
soner from being discharged by proclamation on the last day
of the sessions, u hich would be the case in consequence of no
indictment being preferred, if this motion were not complied
with.

Mr. Justice Dallas asked Mr. Shelton, clerk of the arraigns,
whether he had ever known of such au application being
made or granted.
Mr. Shelton answered that he never had beard of web an
application before.
Mr. Hobliouse, the solicitor, observed, that a similar amp&
cation had been made m the case of a prisoner committed by
the Duke of Newcastle, on the charge of publishing a libel.
There the Court had ordered that the prisoner should be
detained until he foetid security for his appearance he the
Court of King's Bench on the first day of term, and that be
should give 3 days' notice of his bail.
Mr. /Limn Wood thought the application a novel one, and
desired that the matter might stand over until Monday tsext,
in order to give time to search fur precedents; and also or,
dered that the prisoner should have due notice of the iatendsa
motion.

The prisoner was then removed from the bar.

LONDON SESSIONS.
Clare, who had been convicted at She Nit Sagas
of keeping a disorderly house, in Black Horse-alley, Fleet—
street, and whose sentence had been respited, in order to
give him an opportunity of abating the °nuance, by giving
up the key to the landlord, was brought sip for jodgnumet
appeared by the evidence of the Ward Beadle and the neigh-
bours, that the house had been conducted by his son eves
worse than it was before ; and that the defendant was sup.
ported in gaol out of the profits of the concern. The Cosset,
taking all the circumstances into consideration, and finding
they had been grossly trifled with, when so fair an opportu-
nity had been ()tiered of escaping the punishment dote to such
a violation of public decency, sentenced him to six months
imprisonment in the House of Correction. The COllllOlOl3
Serjeant also inforined the prisoner, Ins son would be indicillid
for continuing the house in the sante disorderly conduct.

WESTMINSTER SESSIONS.
Saturday, Wconnt Chetwynd took the oaths in the anal
form before the Chairman of the Westminster Sessions, to
qualify him as a Magistrate. -- Burroughs, Esq. who
was lately appointed one of the Police Magistrates at litarC•
borough street, went through the same ceremony.
H. Williams, a man of creditable appearance, was ea
‘iatarday put to the bar, and the Jury were sworn to try
whether he was of sane mind or not. It appeared, from the
testimony of Mr. Nodder, the Governor of Totbill-Schis
Bridewell, in whose custody the prisoner bad been, that be
was committed on the 14th of February, charged with having
assaulted a person of the name of Noble, who bas not since
appeared to prefer a bill of indictment before the Grand
Jury. Soon after hh arrival in the Prison, he exhibited evi-
dent masks of a deseased mind. He refused to tell who he
was, or from whence he came, railed loudly, and in most
indecent language, against the Prince Regent; and on bciug
asked how lie obtained a living, he said, "he was a manufac-
turer of ornaments for Pagoda bridges." Mr. N. having
furnished him with paper, and a pen and ink, to write to his
friends, he wrote a letter in broken and unintelligible French, ,
and addressed it to " Maximilian Habeas Corpus, .1/4c."
When broaglit into Court, and liumanelyqnterrogatrd by Me.
Watson, the Chairman, as to his wishes, ee said 'be did not
want much, and only desired a eOaeh to the coast." lie de-
clined giving any explanati,ns as to his mode of life, said ha
had nothing to offer in the enquiry which was going forward*
and desired the Court to manage it as they liked.
Under all the circumstances, and in the absence of all in•
formation as to his chat arter, situation in life,or connections.
the Jury found that he was " nut of sane mind ;" anii
was remanded to Prison, till means can Lou found of disposing
of chin in some other way.
Tint Sessions then ended, and 10 prisoners were dischar-
ged by proclamation.