The National Register.
London, England, 1823-03-23 00:00:00

SEIZURE OF TWO;ILLICIT STILLS,
AND EXTRAORDINARY PURSUIT OF THE SMUGGLER.

....
About twelve o'clock yesterday morning, two of the
principal officers of the Eseise, Fitcliew,sen. and lii nett,
repaired to 150. 5, Sweedlantt court, ktishopsgate-streer,
near Widegate-alley, where an extensive private still has
berm for Souse time in work. niches, fist entered, and
was followed by Duren. All was now In the greatest
emission. The officers ran up stairs, and found the
anniggler, whose name Is Thus. Jackson, escaping through
the trap-dour by means of a tope ladder. Fitchew was
gala at his heels, and chased hint over the wet* of seve-
ral homes; unfortunately Jackson evaded the officer.
Drum searched the premises for the object of their visit,
1110 d found a large cellar, fitted tip in the most convenient
hsanner, for the purpose of distillation. 'the still was
then at work, running. strong spirits from low wines—
there was also a number of wash•back•,. containing seve-
MI hundred gallons of illbOillale6 in fermentation; a quantity
of„spirits full proof, low wines, the. Leaving an officer in
custudy of the illicit apparatus, the still, ere. they repaired
to an ' habiled house in Devonshile-conn, Hounds-
ditch, on a similar errand. The officers,- unable to gain
admittance by knocking, procured a ladder, and-entering
at the window, found two or theee men sad women
smukietg and dunking i they then proceeded to search, •
and, on going down stairs, found that the bark of the
adjoining house (untenanted) communicated with the,yard
of else one they first entered, and on getting out at the
back kitchen window of the one, nerd in at that of the
other, they found a well fitted ap distillery. The still was. •
at work, and contained Omit eighty gallons of low
wines, &c. &c. all of *bleb they seized. It is beyond
a doubt that the persons -who were seen drinking by the
officers rem the proprietors of the still, bat ne they were
not actually on the premises where It was foetid the
offieers would not have been authorised in taking them
Into custudy.—'These active officers have seised, within •
a short space of time, about 10 private stills.
The late insurgents in Spain begin .0) repent, in •
various dlistricts—they are giving their - arms and
accoutrements to the Constitutionalists, and have.
offered to join in repelling the foreign enemy. The
thrtifibetionst of Letida are preparing, and are re-
ceiving previsions for a year. Preparations for de•
fence are incessantly carrying on at Carthagena,
Saragossa, Seville, Badajox, Valladolid, Malaga,
Corunna, Cadiz, Valencia, and
.in short at every ,
point that is capable of resistance to the invaders...-.
New corps of armed awn are every where organi-
xinge.tlamelselves. The Political Chief of. Gerona'
alleges that the army now consists of 120,000 men'
—that theroareboades 97,000 active militia—and
200,000 volunteers, all armed and well, equipped,.
and ready to. spill their blood in defence of their
country. With this force, and the snpport of Por-
tugal in their rear, it is calculated that Spain has
nothing to dread from the French army, though it i
should amount to double the number which is an.•
flounced for the invasion • ' '
' fly a person whq left Madrid on 'the- 2d instant,
we keen that 100;000 French troops are in barracks •
on onetideof the Bidessoa, and the Spanish army
on the other. • The roads in France, leading to the
frontiers, are covered with troops .fer upwards of
300 miles, and carriages, with flat-lxittonsotHmts,
pontoons, cannon, and ammunition of all descrip-
tions. Fle was robbed on the 7th instant...by the
troops of the Army of the :dial, as was evetyether
person travelling the road the same day. He met .
12 carriages and 24 saddle horses with the• baggage
of the Doc.d'Anggsaleme. He left Madtid on the
2d ; the King was then preparing-for his departure.
It is the c?inion that the Spaniards" will not give
battle, but eed.evour to cu: ::f: the French army;
when they Pave entered the country; by a sort of
guerilla warfare, &c. - The Portuguese are advanc-
ing to join the Spaniards. All the military have
marched from Calais tinware the frontiers of .Spain:
• • !)iteao-ut. Flas.--Yetaciday morning about wets
o'clock, a dread I ttl fire broke out in a carp..nter's shop its
Whetstone Park, which colonial:icy ins wilh.she houses
it Gate-street, Lincoln's lon-lielda, threatened to open
Al liemmtutication frown Holborn to that fine aware.—
'l7te fatties first co tttttttttt 'mated to the hoiree, No. 2,
Gate-sneer, the town maid( tie,: of J. Massey, E. the
chief clerk to the Court for goiter of I ustsbrerts•htebt.
ins, Who, having occasimi to rise early on prniestioual
larsinese, was the first • to• give the alarm., So violent,
Istre•ecer, were t'le flames,. tha' it was with the greatest
,difficulty Mts. h!asacy, (who is in a t cry advanced state
.of pregnancy), together with I.e; three daughters, could,
'be extricated from their perilous situation, w hick. how-
geer, ass effected by prompt exertion, and the! were
eativeyed, almost in a state of nudity to sir StAnngale'i,
;one nment builder, who lives opposite; where every at.
atslicisnwwaist.ra:fidetior c"olenteUnntrrhil:laetebelfinereentst:„elSy7C4let
ed; and at nine o'cloolc the times comintimossed
wish the rear of the livery-stables of that ancient iint the•
Bull and Gate, Holborn, which, it was feared, would
be involved in the conflagration, but a projecting wall
from the chapel of Mr. Williams so greatly arrested the•
progress of the armies, slut at 11 o'clock all apprehen.
stun ceased of further Jo astation. It was reported that
documents of an important• nature had been destroyed,
andtarticidarly Rorliamentary papers connected with
i
the ',solvent Court; hut we can state from unquestion-
able authority that Well is not the fact. The itunute
t.ooks and motion (tapers, which were bwanghwfrous the
Court at Westminster no Friday, were, however, de.
stroyed, with 'very article of furniture, plate, etc. &c.
excepting a few of trifling value. A crowd elf thieve.'
were on the &lett ; but too much raise cannot be
bestowed on the police fur their activity to: protectpro.
perty, andon the exertions of the firemen to ?Mil lire
progress of the coultigration.