The National Register.
London, England, 1815-07-23 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

Mr. Ward, block and mast-maker; Mr. Stedman, coal-111W
chant, who, in the terror and confusion of his flight, left
even his pocket-book, containing nearly SOW. in hank-1)01m
Mr. Welch, a linen-draper, not insured, whose lose is estimated at
from 6to 70001. Mr. Knight, a cooper; Mr. Hill, a baker, not
insured, who is bereft by this calamity of all his property The
proprietor of the King of Prussia public-horse, and several others,
.beside the destruction of six or eight private houses in Bell Wharf
street, in the rear of these buildings. The population of this
quarter, and the extreme closeness of the situation rendered the
scene awful and terrifying ; nothing but the most di.tressingscre.,n4s
and exclamations were heard for a considerable time ; little or no
property was saved in the general wreck ; and it is painful to reflect,
that many of the sufferers were not insured. The Are was trot
under before eight o'clock, but the scene which ;ts ravages present
arc truly shocking.
MELANCHOLY MISTAKE.—A Coroner's Inquest was held before
George Hodgson, Esq. at the Prince .of Wales, Exeter-street, Chel
sea, on the body of William Hewetson, formerly an officer in the
Bombay Marines, who died during the night of Wednesday under very
distressing circumstances, in consequence of poison. It appeared
from the evidence of M. Bartollacct, brother-in-law of the deceased,
and Dr. Wink of Sloane-street, that Mr. Hewetson, had long been in
a very infirm state of health, being much troubled with pains in his
limb, &c. and the latter having long attended him as his medical ad-
viser. A few days before his death, Mr. H. stated to his brother-in-
law, that the many medicines which he had taken to give him relief
from his pains, had effected no good, but that he now had obtained a
recipe for an embrocation, from a person in the city, trom which he
was led to expcct great, if not immediate relief. On Wednesday he
was very ill, having taken this embrocation inwardly instead of apply.
ing it externally, as niescribed ; and on hearing that he had poisoned
himself, the embrocation consisting of sugar of lead and vinegar, he
replied, that he had taken it inwardly, thinking it made no difference,
that if it di I no good, it could do no harm ! Caster oil and other
things were applied, but in vain ; he survived the fatal error but a
few hours. Although he swallowed a large draught of this embroca-
tion from so extraordinary or thoughtless a motive, nothing appeared
before the Inquest to call into ques:ion the state of the intellects of the
deceased. Verdict—Ca t.tally poisoned by taking wrong medicine.
One of the Greenwich Stages was yesterday upset in Parliament-
street, by which accident a poor Pensioner had his thigh broke.

SMITHFIET ID BA no A IN.—One of thosescenes which occasionally dig-
tK race even Smithfield, was exhibited there air ut five o'clock oft Friday
evening seo'night. A man exposed his wife for sale. Hitherto we have
seen only those moving in the lowest classes of society thus degrading
themselves, but the present parties, buyer and seller, were persons of
property—the Lady, the object of sale, young, beautiful, and elegantly
dressed, was brought to the market in a coach, and exposed to the view
of her purchaser with a silk halter round her shoulders, which were
covered witli„ a rich white lace veil. The price edemanded for her in
the first instance was eighty guineas,. bwt the price finally agreed eft,
Was fifty guineas and a valuable horse upon which the purchaser wis
mounted. The sale and delivery being complete, the Lady, with her
new lord and muster, mounted a handsome curricle, which was in
waiting for them, and drove off. seemingly nothing loath to go. The
purchaser, in the present case, is a celebrated horse dealer in t 'wn; and
the seller a grazier of cattle, residing about six miles from Lunduu, on
the Essex road.

POLICE..

MANSION HOUSE.

J. F. A. Mevbecke was yesterday brought up on a &we of de-
frauding an elderly man, named Mayhew, of valionssums, under
pretence of providing him with a place in the Cn•toek. The pro-
secutor, it appeared, met the prisoner at the public house which he
fiequented, and in the course of coevet sation told him he would
not mind eiving a premium to get a tide-waiter's. place. The pri-
soner said it was a most fortmate thing that he had mentioned'his
%%Ash, as he was a person authorized by the Commissioners of Cus-
toms to find persons to fill such (aces. He then produced a written
paper, which he said was his authority or licence to act. The pro-
secntor having no suspicion of deceit, paid him severPl sums as fees
or office, but finding his appointment was not quite so quick as he
was taught to expect, he told a friend what he had done This led
to a discovery of the fraud which had been practised upon Mina, and
the pri•oner was apprehended. The Solicitor of the Customs at-
tended to undertake the prosecution, and ti.e prioontr was fully
committed for trial.

UNION HALL.
BATTLE EXTRAORDINARY.—In comciptence of a variety of corn.
plaiutb from a number of gentlemen residing at and mar Norwood,

r 79-

respecting the assenibliee of Gepeies in that nefelthotirlietul Play
and Golf, at -Ote head of sevetal eteistahlesc air rieeeried on Smiday
last to reconnoitre the encampment there formed -in Biel the!
skirts of the word. At that place there hackney coaches were CP..
gaged to attend the expedition ; three being placed at a emir enierit
distance, not within sight of the gypsies depot, the of e' to pro-
ceeded With great circumspection towards the scene of ar;tion,cand
approached very near before they were discovered hy the scoots or
the enemy.. The alarm, hoWever, was eiyen when with n &Tug
fifty yards of the tents, and a general dispersion immediately took
place of the wanderiug tribe, all eiteleavuurine tO provide. !or +cif-
safety by flight. The officer's then made a dish aniongst" Or tn. am!
by great cxettien secured about three times their own number. mot
and women, and conveyed tits in to the coaches, which were com-
pletely loaded with the prisoners, inside and out. 'the carrictes
had not proceeded above half a mile towards town, when the gyp-
sies, who [led in the first installer escaped, rallied and made a des.
pet ate attack upon them, to resenetheir companions, among w:iesse
were several pretty brunettes. The attack was toilet/ -hy the
courage of the otlicere, -and the assailants defeated. Not (flacon-
raged, they aeaiii rallied, following the catriagee for a censideralie
• distance, and made repeated 'attacks at Coneenient opt ortimitite.
The officers judged it pendent, front the number of the assailing
party, about forty, to continue the progress if the cretin**, and
to make the best defence t hey could retreating. They Winn tick*
arrived in town in safety, .arid consigned tic it sovii•burnt prie -s to
the lock•np house: In the morning they were examined barite e
Magistrate, and the principal part of them coMmitted to the h in e
of correction as vagrants.
MARLBOROUGH STREET.
Bryan Lacy, a Mary-le-bone watchman, was charged at this office,
on Wednesday, with robbing James MeCardy, a groom, of his watch,
chain, and seals, in Bond-street, on Tuesday night, the former being
in the execution of his-duty. The prosecutor, as it appeared, had
been drinking freely, and he fell down. The prisoner was very ready
in his assistance to help him up, bueon the prosecutor getting home
he missed his watch. A friend accompanied him back to the guar-
dian of the night, and the stolen property was found upon trim,—He
was fully committed for trial.
SHADATEEL.
T. Mitchell, and Sarah, his wife, were charced on Wednesday
with attempting to drown -their infant Child. The female. prisoner
had sworn the child to the mate ofa vessel, who paid a slim of mo-
ney to indemnify the parish, and al rowed tits. prisoner three' eltillnge•
per week for its maintenance. Shortly aftee'the'keseel had left the
elver, she cohabited with Mitchell, and peestlasfed him the child was
his : but on the Bth inst. it being repored that the vessel to which eke
mate belonged• waa arrived in the /leer, the prisoner* then rock the •
child in a few, and when they came to a certain par t. of the river, the
child, as they pretended, slipped into the water, but prnlidentially it
floated, and' was taken up he some wine:men, when the prisoners
pulled awsy from it ; the wateren, however, pursued 'them, and
took them before- m
the magistrate, and on being searched, :the child's
cloaths were found in Mitchell's hat. The magistrate signified that
the female prisoner' should be prosecue d for perjury in awearing.ihe
child in the first place, and committed both on the present charge.
HATTON GARDEN.—Wednesday% eight *omen Were brought he-
fore the Magistrate at this Office, ler examinet viz, Mary Trek),
Charlotte Cooke, Eiiiabeth,Neil, Sarah Dunning, Ann• Eestward,
Elizabeth Houton, Catherine Nicolls, and Mary Ann Ball, on tvso
separate cherges ; the four first mentioned were charged are
tempting to take away the lite of a young man, nareod William Bur-
rage, by strangling him and there throwing him into a pond of stag-
gent water.. Tnereomplainant made a most d plorable fieeire, beieg
coveredall aver. :with blood and the green shine of the pend, both his
eves black, his nose beaten fiat and much swnlia the marks of stran-
guhtion round is neck, and his sides and shoulder bearing the marks
of the kicks and bl ws lie received from the prisoners, all his clothes
were torteeff with tl.e exceation of his breeches aid stnekings. E-!
•statcd,that two hours before going across Cletkenwell-fi •Ide, he ;
as—
scd a diteli where several women were sitting drinking and smaiakey,
and appeared to he in a state of intoxication ; that he was% seized
'without any prover:looe, by Mary Teller', the other worren insist.
ing, and used in the outrageous manner above describer!. Be the as-
sistance of some humane persons and constables, he was rescued fr
his perilous situation, being for scmc time atter in a senseless state.
He could not speak positively to the persons of any of the prisoners
except Telley and Cooke. There were many more, hut he could only
identify them. Several witnesses corroborated this statement. Entre.
rick, the officer, had one of his fingers nearly hit off by one of tie
prisoners, and 1 din Hutt, the officer, had his wrist nearly bit through
in striving to secure them. The charge being clearly provel t
Teller/ and Cooke, they were both coteamitted for trial. 'the 4311-e s
were reprimanded and discharged, with the reception of Mary A • it
Ball, a girl of fifteen ) cal:. of age, who was sent to the !Lust; of C,,,t-
-rection.