The National Register.
London, England, 1817-04-14 00:00:00

i'ITLAIPTED ESCAPE OF C XPITAL CONVICTS
FltOM NE% GATE.

Yesterday afternoon three of &he men who received sen•
tenec of death last Sessions, MAO an attempt to escape. Their
mimes are George Handley, Thomas Hallard, anti Patrick
By own, alias Ryan. The two former were convicted capitally
of burglary at Rattle Bridge, under circumstances very ag
gravated, as Ballard entered the house miller pretence of
taking lodgings, accompanied by a female, whilst I fandley, in
waitiog, succeeded in getting in, and intimidated the servant
of the house. with a loaded pistol, and the robbea y was cent •
mitred. Brown, alias fty an, Was capitally convicted of a
daring highway robbery at Finehley.
Sie.pirion arose from the conduct Of Brown's wife, who
was detected with shoot 20 yards of rope concealed on her
heck, and she was stopped by the woman in waiting. Sus-
picion having been escated, the turnkeys were on the alert,
and at half-past 3 o'clock Mr. Da% is, the principal turnkey,
receked inb,rmation that the plan of escape was ripe within,
although Brown's wife was sent to the Compter. No notice
was taken of the knowledge the turnkey possessed of what
was ..:ning on, and they went to what is termed lockings-up,
when they foam' the three convicts with their irons ready to
lie taken off, and :mother rope prepared for scape.
Experiments haul been tried with packthread, which deve-
loped tin inge 4444 ity for the premeditated escape. Thus dc •
tected, the couvieni frankly acknowledged their intentions to
Mr. Das is,and altho' their lions appeared perfect, they pulled
them off as an luirleinin would change his dress. The prb
songs prainced the saw with which they cut off their irons,
and acknowledged that limit intended escape was to have
taken place on Saturday, but their operations were incomplete
without the assistance of Brown's wife. This hazardous en-
deavour must have caused much bloodshed, as the top of the
prison is well watched, and it would have been next to im-
possible for the escape to have been carried iutu execution.

Br express command of the Queen, the exotic garden
at Kcw is ordered to be submitted to the daily inspec-
tion of the Public after the holid..ys.
___ _ _

AFRICAN SL.%VI TRADE.--..Mr. Ellis, Surgeon of
one of his Majesty's late cruisers on the coast of Africa,
has lately published a letter, in the first volume of the
Medico-Chirurgical Jou mai in which be draws the fol..
lowing heart-rending picture of this inhuman traffic,
after all our parliamentary dints for its total abolition !
" The condition (says he) in which we frequently found
these unhappy wretches, was often deplorable, and de•
grading to humanity! On taking possession of a vessel,
most of the male prisoners were observed to be in irons
between decks. In the morning, indeed the women and
children were dragged upon deck front their human, or
rather inhuman, stew-holes. These poor creatures would
huddle themselves together, like a parcel of monkies,
or frightened fowls, and remain squatted in the same
position till ordered back again to their dbmal abode !
Among such desponding wretches, scurvy made rapid
strides ; indeed, we frequently flmnd them so overrun
with this loathsome disease, that the whole of their
teeth might be picked front their gums tvithout causing
the 6111a1101
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THE MA IiCiiiSTER CO NSPIn.INTORA.—The trial of these
men, nine in number, called " The Illanketeers," stands over
until the next assizes. The prisoners are at liberty to find
good and sufficient bail. The sin Mies required are lint two of
201. each (the individuals thenisel‘ es in 401.1; not willistand.ng
which, to prove the poverty of their friends and connexions,
not an individual of the nine bad been bailed as late as Thurs-
day last.
SP)! iso GuNs. —Among the causes tried at Warwick
Assizes was our to recover a compensation it. damage• for
injury sustained by a little boy, named Jay, who was in
August last, severely wounded by the discharge of a spi ing
gun set in a garden. near Birmingham, belonging to a Mr.
Whitfield. The facts, as they appeared in eviiicime, were
briefly these:—On the 7th Aligns', between six and seven
in the evening. the boy in question, who is about 13 yturs of
age, acrompanied by a younger brother, went into a field ad-
joining the garden of the defendant, in search of a stick, for
the purpose of making a standard to a kite. With t:, is in•
tention they went to the edge which skirted the defendant's
garden, and u bile one of the lads was in the act of cutting a
stick, be received flee contents of a spring gun in the lower
part of his body. He was taken to the hospital. where he re-
rosined for mane weeks in a must datum sous state, but after_
wards reco% (Teti. The gun had been loaded with small peb
buss, 17 of which had been extracted, and 'even yet remain-
ed within him. The lent nett Judge, in addi essing the Jury,
observed, that the right to defend property Millis way was
questioned by the most eminent lawyers of the present day..
Ile was, however, of opinion it: this ease, that the plaintiff
had a right to recover; and l'arther, that it' the plaintiff had
even broken into the dermidatit's garden, the action would
lie. " ely," said the Judge," the law ne.er intended to
cite any man the right of shooting another for so trivial a tres.
pa.* as that to have been committed by the poor Illl•
1.01.(1111:Ite peat itiif its tills case."—Verdict fun the plaintiff,
damages, 112.11. costs 46,1.
'the mother of Daniel Diggle, the Luddite, who was r. -
...Not:. esteemed at Nottingham, died of excessive grief on
Friday meek.
Fonnenv.—A forgery-to a considerable amount has been com-
mitted within these few days upon the banking-house of Messrs.
liodsoll and Co. in the Strand, which has been discovered by the fol-
lowing ineans:—East Monday, the clerk of Mr. Wetherell, the
lairristue, who is of a repectable family and connexions, athemulial
taan his employ. (hi Tinartay Mr. W. sent to his residence
to inquire the nose, supposing him to be ill; but 110 tidings
could be heard of him there, except that he had left hi. home.
and haul not been at home an night. 31r. Wetherell sent for
his brother, who holds a Amnion in the city; andodter some
conversation wit's him, Mr. W. biviroe suspicioas that some-
thing was wrong. and said lie would send for his banker's
buiok : the livelier endeavoured to dissuade hint friar that ; and at
length acknowledged that he knew that his brothe. !eel abscomled,
he havieg received a letter from him to that et feet, but denied know-
hig where he was gone to: la• was fearful his brother had committed
a tiwgcry. On NI r. SVetherell sending to .Mesers. Hotbed! and Co.
the haiik,as, for his bait, he discoverad that a draft for minl. had
boas paid. which he did not write, and it was aveertained that it had
been paid olds clerk. On view of the draft, it moved tobe such a
close and eseellent imitation of Mr. Vi'ethi-ell'ss;gnature, that there
was scare dy any (lift:Term: perceptible. The draft aas paid in large
Bank notes, winch were in a short time after paid in the Bank of
England, and small notes received for them No tote hzs been
di--curens! of thc cktk.