The Sun.
London, England, 1808-02-22 00:00:00

Z,2IP .47E401.11'.

COUR.T.OF KiNG's Vsa. 214.

Tiff KING V. WILLIA.M -PEIRSLEY,

This was 'an indifelthott for:an assault- upan-Sh
nobert Peat, at Drury-lane Theatre, on the 14 of
06tober last.

Mr. GAnaow, for the prosecution, solicited the
peculiar attention of the Jury to this case, that they:
migbtlbe able to form a just estimate "of the mag-
nitude of the offence, and by finding the Defendant
guilty, exhibit tb others the'serious consequencei
Of the breach of 'the laws. The Prosecutor was a
'Clergyman of high respe6.lability, pne of the Chap-
lains of the Prince of Wales, and on the t 2th of
U3oher visited Drery-lane Theatre. At first, he
placed' himself on the. King's-side of the house; but •
observing some friends in an opposite box, he went
,out with the intention of joining them. In the
'lobby,
,however, he saw.the Delendaet and another
Gentleman, Whotb..he afterwards understood to be
Mr. Mellish, .conversing with one of those unfor-
tunate females by whom public places, of amuse-
ment are so much' infested. As there was room
to pass between the two Gentlemen, the ho-
sseutor inadvertently was about to proceed in that,
dire&ion, When he was stopped by the fist ,of the
Defendant upon his breast,who exclaimed "-bs, G---d,,
you shall nut pass this, way, who ere your" The
Prosecutor inquired to which of the persons he was
le address himself, as:both of them were violent,
when the Defendant vociferated, " To me, Sir.".:
Sir Robert Peat then inquired 'who the Defendant
was, and was answered, " I am, Sir, what perhaps,
you are not, a Gentle Man." nwilling to create a
disturbance in the Theatre, the Prosecutor proposed ,
an adjournment to the Bedford Coffee-house, To
this suggestion the Defendant consented, and taking
Sir Robert by the arm, dragged him along the lobby,
as it be were a culprit in his custody:- Instead of
going :out of the Theatre by the Russell-street door, ;
where the Prosecutor had left his gre.it ,coat, they
left, the Thetfre:at the door leadiog into Brydees-
'street, and proceeded, by mistake, for• Seine
down Catherine-street, before Sir Robert Peat sound
that he was going from the Bedford coffee-kitose.,
When he discovered his error,' he communicated it
to the Defendant; who immediately fell into a Vio-
lent passion, and with a large stick struck the, Pro- ,
SeCtitor a heavy, blow on the -head; but fortunately
his hat guarded it so ell-ea:Ally, that no material
injury was Teeelited. Observing that the Prosecutor
'did not fall, the Definition( began with the greatest .
brutality to kick Sir Robert Peat in various parts of .
his body, aiiJ aiming his blty,vS‘instic,l,l,,it diNO.Oll
that it'was obviiins he intended to i,94ia a. lasting
injury The Prosecutor then called the.warch,'froru
whom the „Dqtendant., rescued himself, and it \vas
nut until alsittanee was inkicurcd that the Defendant,
wm.lodged in Si. Mary's NVatch-hQuje.
struggle it was in vain fnr Sir Robert to resist, the:
Defendant.being au extremely powerful man, and.
so well skilled in die pugiii.-;tie art, that the Learned
Counsel believed he divided time principally be- '
tween the stages of the prize-fighters, and the Lob-
hies of the Theatres.

Sir rObert Peat was then called, and detailed the
circu►nstance of the assqult. stated, ,in the opening of
Mr. GAO ROW. On his eross-;examination by Air.
JERVIS, for the Delendan4 he said he had I ovi.ived
a foreign Order
_of Knighthood, which had been
confiraic by the King uf Glee Britain. . Mr.'
JERVIS' then objeaed, that in the itidi6tment the
Prosecutor wax called " Sir Robert Peat, Knight,"
whereas it appeared he was not a Knight of nay of
the Orders of this Country.
' The CHIEF; JUSTICE said lie would reserve the
point ; but enquired if there were any,evidence to
contradid the fat, of, the ashault ; and 1)64 answei-,
cd in the negative, his Lordship observed, that, no
other testimony could atreet The verdict; and that
the Defendant %maid well,.before he was brought
up for judgment, to apologize to. the PrOseCut4r,
who seemed to be a man of mild, gentlemanly, and
inoffensive manners.. If the Defundart did nut
_think it right to humble himself before the person
he had so grossly-offended, it would be the duty of
the Court; by their sentence, to make him humble.
--:Verdict Guilty.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, SATURDAY, F:u. zo.

MIDDLESEX ELECTIONS.

JOHN FAUST V. SIR F. BURDVIT, DART.

This action was brought to recover, -a balance, of
:.2,1001. end upwards, ;charged by;Mr.-Joha Frost
work and labour, and tor money paid on Sir
Francis,Burdetes account, during his ditferenrcon-
tests for the county of Middlesex, between the years
1 803 and t 806. This only a balance 91 an ac-
count,. the' Plaintiff admitting payments to. a con-
siderable amount ; which the. Defendant, on the
other hand, contended were greatly more,than suf.-
ticient. to satisfy every legal.ur fair demand which
the Plaintiff could have. Thellaintiff's claims, so
far as they consisted of rentutieration for personal
services, were of charges from 3 to 5 guineas a day,
according to the nature of the business in' which he
was employed, during
,almost the whole.pariod of
time from the commencement .61 the, scrutiny
ariling out of the elections. 1802 down to March
1006, when the Baronet's connection with the Mid-
dlesex contests was wound up. They even em-
braced the period of the prosecutions a perjury,
bribery, 84.:. and it appeared that Sir "Vrmieis di-
rected Mr. Frost to defend the parties prßsecutetl,
which time a bill was feuati against,the Plaintiff
, but which was not tried, general rti-
mission having, taken place.', 1101 money licivant*
consisted of payments to persons emploj(cd,,,b
himself. -

Mr. Bonney, who had been elealott-agent for Sir
Francis; was the first witness called, and proved the
fal,:t of Mr. Frost having been a strenuous friend to
Sir. Francis during the different con tsts, and, thongh
he could no; Altogether stater. that he was regulayly
eiigaged as his agent, he did not think the (literati;
charge exp:b4{lot.
Sovralletters were J.e4il ,from INcfr. Bonney and
Sir Friltwis, prossiog•Mr. Zrost to .copae to town
froth his retreat at East cixiu4eart,
,a rid 'give :-bis
asiis99cc, as he loved the cause,' and it would tie
lost wulit,ut
Mr. Warren, wl4. w Ape of the .Counsqd em-
ployed 01l the scrutiny, spoke; to Ate 'exertions o: