The National Register.
London, England, 1809-08-27 00:00:00

PROV'IN'CIALS.

SIMPKINS V.

HUNT, ESQ.

The plaintiff, John Simpkins, is the tenant of Francis Dugdale
Astley, Esq. of Everly, in the county of Wilts; the defendant
Henry Hunt, Esq. of Sans Soitci Cbttage, in the same county, is
the near neighbour of Mr. Astley: These gentlemen unfortu-
nately entertain very different sentiments on politics. Mr. Heat
received a formal notice, requiring him to abstain from sport-
ing on the lands of Mr. Astley's tenant, John Simpkins. Heed-
less of this, Mr. Hunt was caught in the fact of having strayed
upon the open down land of the plaintiff. For this trespass,
John Simpkins brought his 'action; to which Mr. Hunt not
duly pleading. interlocutory judgment was signed ; and on the
Sth inst. twelve respectable inhabitants were summoned on is
Writ of Inquiry, to say what damage the plaintiff had sustain-
ed. A witness was produced who proved the trespass.
On the cross-examination of this witness by Mr. Hunt, who
acted as his own advocate, he swore thatthe defendant " had not
done a farthing of damage, as he only walked about six yards
out of the high road on the plaintiff's open down land." The
damages were laid at 100/.

The Jury, after consulting together a short time, said, that
they felt it inconsistent with the oath they had taken, to give
one farthing damages, when not one farthing of damage appear-
ed to have been committed; and notwithstanding the remon-
strances of the Under-Sheriff, persisted in refusing.
Cuatous SWINDI•ING.—A. B. a native of the vicinity of
Bolton, and of indigent parents, by trade a weaver, and of
dissolute manners, while sitting in company at a public-house,
fell into conversation with two strangers, who told him, that a
certain Gentleman, a supposed native of Bolton, had lately died
in their neighbourhood, to whose estate no heir could be found,
and which, if not claimed in six months, would devolve to an
old servant, according to the will of the deceased. " Perhaps,"
says B. " it Is illy old uncle Mather ?"—" Right," replied the
two Gentlemen, "By G—d you are the heir to all ;' the spe.
dons appearance of the strangerkgnined full credit w the tale;
and nunihers of the inhabitants, thinking it a good speculation,
contributed towards the equipment of the indubitable heir, with
decent clothes, and a sufficient sum of money, in order that he
might undertake a journey to Gloucester, near which city the
patrimony was said to lie. Accordingly he went the journey,
and soon after returned, giving a splendid account of the hall and
furniture, its vast hop-yards, and also the sum ofl2o,oool.lodged
in the Hank at Gloucester. The news spread; B. was dubbed
Esq. his children were sent to a boarding school, and numbers
who would have disdained to have noticed an honest weavers
went to worship the newly erected g?lden calf; in short Mr. D.
was invited to dinners, and he also, in return, had his feastS and
his friends. After B. had thus rioted on the credulity of hint
townsmen, they became impatient for the pay-day, The Imhof
last May was the time at which he was to enter upon his estate,
and he commenced his journey for that purpose. After long and
anxious expectation of his return, it was suspected that be had
taken a final farewel of Bolton. The conjecture proved true;
for two Gentlemen going in quest of the new Squire, found him a
few days ago at work in a coal mine.—The two impostors with
whom the plot was concerted have not been discovered. The
sums swindled from various persons are
osupipirorseeudeetolanomkournitatcoe
60001. in one year, 6001. in millinery alone WAS contracted.
On Friday se'nnight a most distressing ce
a t Greystock, near Penrith. A woman of tkat place, whose
:lashand k a shoemaker, in a most deliberate manner eat the
hrnat of her only child, not a old, is so shocking a mut-
t
:.Ft• as to preclude all hopes of its recovery. She afterwards
' her own throat in a dreadful manner, nearly from ear to ear.
Althbugh sc:•gical assistnnce was procured as soon as possible*
we understand there are no hopes of her getting better.-mrfai
about two weeks before this dr.-tdful catastrophe she appolued
to be much dejected and ertrelew.:.

POLICE.
JUSTICII•1100M, GUILD!! A Lt., TVESDAT itioslrr St
AR= IMPOSTOR,
A ioi-disant woman of family, calling herself Harriet lava.
was brought up for her second "stropluation, *pun the charge
of having endeavoured, to inculcate a belief of her bean
abandoned by most respectable family, to sshom she alleged
herself to be closely connected,and that she was thensfore drives
by despair, to attempt her own destructism by oplaat.
It appeared, by the statement of a Mr. Kirby, that ea the
n'i;ht of Sunday, the 6th init. Ile was informed by the he:ad-
beadle of Isis parish, that a lady is Mums hail Who dairy, and