The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-01-20 00:00:00

pastor, by *hole this city has been too long infest.
cal, to the disgrace of its inhabitants, and to the
manifest injury of the deserving poor.
" The circumstances attending one of the cases
which will be laid before you, compel us to advert
to an offence of serious importance, and to which
w,e. feel oureel Tea hound to call your particular
attention—[ mean the keeping of disorderly houses,'
Site irregularities of which greatly tend to the en-
tinaragement of crimes offensive to morality, and
most destructive to good order. To root out this
Weil, and to ensure at least the appearmice of deco-
ton). the Magistrates entreat the exertion of all
of the well-disposed. The most positive
Directions • regiven to the officers of police to use
tbekt utmost endeavours to purge the tily of such
nuisances ; but it is only by the general co-opera-
tion of the inhabitants at large, and by a general
determination to present every place which is openly
used as a resort for the profligate and abandoned,
that this evil can be extirpated. If any houses of
such • description should br found within the
neighbourhood of any of you, Gentlemen, I trust
Not/ will feel that you owe it to the public, and to
the solemn oath under which you are now calk('
upon to act, to make the keepers of such houses
the objects of your presentovent.
" The improvement of the City Prison has
ulready been the subject of public consideration.
The necessity of large additions has been admitted
liy all ; and the Magistrates have received 'roofers
for the execution of a considerable part of the
•ork, upon terms withi.i the estimates. Altlmugh
the sum to he provided for will be heavy, they
trust that it will not be more than cuo be home
without serious inconvenience to the inhabitants.
..17lie very crowded state of the prism, at this juin,
t,ire renders it indispensably iircessary that 11i-se
sidriiiimis shall be completed with ull practicable
dispatch ; and the Magistrates will lose no time in
entering tutu the requisite contracts for that pur-
liu•e.

" To preserve the peace of tl:e country from the
nye ievons designs of artful demagogues, and to
went the torrents of sedition and blasphemy, which
Piave lately deluged various parts of the kingdom,
from a licentious press, the Legislature has re-
cently thought fit to pass several Acts, the last of
which has been communicated to the Nbigistrates,
by (me of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of
State, in order to its being ins►antly carried into
effect. To promote a due observance of the laws is
tie bounden duty of all good subjects—to enforce
that oherlienre to the fullest extent is the peculiar
i.rovince of those to whom the execution of those
laws is confided ; and I treat that the Magistrates
of this city will never he found wanting iii the di.-
charge of such duties as may be imposed upon
them by the Legislature, however unpleasant such
duties may be.

" But it is a matter of real gratification to us to
find that, however the recent Acts may appear to in.
liiirge on sou►e of those liberties which are the
pi ide and boast of Britons, the enactments will, in
this neighboui hood ut least, i.rove altogether harm-
Tess and inoffensive ; as we ore happily free from
even the shadow of tumult or disorder, end as the
highly respectable co►nluct of the press precludes
all fear of improper publications in this city, we
need not entertain the silkiest apprehension of
being compelled to resort to any of the novel pro-
lions of these Acts, or to ex.frt acv oilier uutho-
►itc than that with which the aocir►,t laws of the
land have invested u:=.

" Gentlemen, I will not detain you longer from
the immediate duties of the presto. occasion ; but
should any suggestions occur to you, tending to the
improvement and good gorier ttttt rot of this city, I
trust that you will have the goodness to cummuui-
e ste them in your presentment. Be assured, Gen-
tlemen, that they will meet with every Nitration on
th:r part of my brethren and myself, and that we
5'.1311 feel most desirous to give elr,ct to any rhea.
sines by which the regulation of the police can be
improved, or which can tend to ihcrease the com-
fort or promote the good older of the inhabitants of
this City."
After the decision of an spneal case, and some

c•Ler routine bulimic.% the Court proceeded to the
trill of the Prisoners, and no less thsn live re-
ceived sentence of transportation. viz.—
Robert Sher old, found guilty Of stealing seventeen pigs

- - .
f,um Staunton St. Bernard, iV.lts, the properly of S. P.
11.tciactiek; Thoins• Cupner, for stealing from a trow iu the
P ‘er Severn at this city, one lump of sugar, value SOs. the
-prrty of Owner Hutton ; Charles Merrell, for stealing
oar pair of boots and one pair of gaiters, from the Upper
George Coffee-house ; James Mayo, fur stealing two cheeses
from the shop of Jos. Ford, of \i',stgate-street ; and Eli:.
Ilayling, for stealing from the person of John Ireland, a
rue,* containing Bank notes and other money, of the value
of 34/. and upwards, his properly, to be severally tram.
sPorted for seven years.
James Sheigold, the accomplice of his father, in stealing
reseuteen pigs, was senten. ed to be imprisoned twelve
rtunths —Leonard llnke, for knowingly receiving the sugar
s:olen by Cupner, siz months' imptisunment.—Edward
Young, John Kendall, and Wow. Evans (boys from twelve
t.. fourteen years of age, severally pleaded guilty, the first
stealing a pair of shoes from the shop of H. Hulford, and
the two last of stealing from a butcher's stall in the market
a Si. packet of copper-money, to be insprisoned one month
suit whipped, Young piivately, and Kendall and Evans
publicly, in front of the market.—George Hayward and
William Baylis, charged with knocking down and robbing
Workman of 13s. in money, and other articles ; and
Joseph Harper, indicted fur obtaining goods under false
pretences from Thomas Perkins were acquitted.—Against
tkorge Kern (aged fourteen). accused of stealing butter in
toe market, no bill was found; and John Aylin was ordered
to be discharged.
The salutary effect of the punishment awarded
:against the offenders sentenced to transportation
Will readily be anticipated, after their peculiar cases
Pare briefly stated. Shergold and Merrett hove
, .
each, under former convictions, experienced the
'clemency of their Sovereign, in the commutation
of the sentence of death tutu a short imprisonment.
Mayo. though only i 2 I. has long been at the head of
si gang of juvenile depredators iu this city, mid had
• thy been discharged from prison two days when
I lie committed his last offence.—Coptier's crime
iii one which is carried on to an alarming extent
"iiiunne the craft on the Severn, in some degree
" With impunity, because difficult of detection, and
igeiefore demanding exemplary punishment. And
the dffence of which flayling was found guilty, pro-
" cleTini its own enormity ; besides, it was committed
isi silrouse of ill fame, kept by herself; and she was
on this 'occasion assisted by her abandoned pam-
"iiiiiOr; Who attacked the Prosecutor with violence,
atiffbiss stibieilwently abseofilicd with the plunder
"olitiined from their easy dupe, Who, we lament to