The Sun.
London, England, 1830-01-15 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS, JAN. 14.

BURNHAM PARISH APPELLANT MARYLEBONE RE-
SPONDENT.

This was an appeal from au order of Justices made
upon the appellant parish for the maintenance of an
illegitimate child. The circumstances under which
the case was contested were lather singular. The
mother of the child, a single woman, had been located
for some time at Haddington, in this county, but was
compelled to remove by the parish-officers, who,
with their usual lynx-eyed caution, perceived some
symptoms which threatened to make her a bttrden to
the parish. She had obtained settlement in the
respondent parish; and, in obedience to the injunc-
tions of the beadle of Haddington, prepared to bend
her steps that way, in order to saddle it also with
the support of her child. She walked a short way
upon the road, but feeling fatigued, she was helped
into a waggon, and, being seized with illness, even-
inally gave birth to a child there. This circumstance,
which had already had its inception in Haddington,
was completed in Burnham, with all the circum-
stances which were necessary in the eye of the law
to give the mother a claim upon the parish where it
took place. The question was then, upon what
parish the child was chargeable, the mother being
only on her way to a parish where she bad un-
doubted settlement, when the birth took place by
the ways The Magistrate thought that the parish
of Burnham was responsible, and made the order
accordingly.

The Coutrr, taking all the circumstances of the
case into consideration, affirmed the order of the Ma-
gistrate, thus making the parish of Burnham where
the birth actually took place, chargeable.

Tht Commissioners of' Woods and Forests
Lave announced, in the usual manner, by affixing a notice
In the County Hail of Middlesex, their intention of ap-
plying to Parliament; in the course of the ensuing Session,
foe a Bill abolishing the present market for the sale of hay,
straw, Ste., which is held twice a week in that well--known
street the Haymarket, and substituting, instead, markets
in one or all of the undermentioned open pieces of
ground, or squares, situate in the parish of St. Pancras—
viz. Yoik, Cumberland, and Clarence-squares: the new
market or markets to he for the sale of hay and straw,
butchers' meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables. It is pro-
posed that power shall be given to the trustees under
the Act to erect the necessary buildings, and levy
tolls on the goods brought into the market for sale. Notice
has been given of an intended application to Parlia-
ment foe a Bill for making and maintaining an .aqueduct,
with feeders, tunnels, pipes, reservoirs, sluices, bridges,
eftgines, &c., for the conveyance of pure water to or near
the metropolis, from divers springs situate in the parishes
of Wimbledon, Kingston, Roehampton, Richmond, Mort-
lake, East Sheen, Barnes, Putney, Wandsworth, Clapham,
Battersea, and Lambeth, upon or near to the line of the
said acreduct.

The French newspapers continue to exhibit
various statements of the intensity of the cold, particularly
in the southern part of the kingdom. At Bordeaux con-
siderable damage has been done to the shipping, the float-
ing blocks of ire in the Garonne having cut the cables of
several vessels, which were afterwards driven by the tide
against the arches of the magnificent bridge, lately erected
over that river. The canal of Languedoc, or, as it is
commonly called in France, la Canal des Deux Mers, is
frozen over ; while in ail directions stage-coaches and con-
tient are delayed by the frost and snow. At Avignon, in
former times the residence of the Papal Court, and of
which the summer temperature is almost as warm as that
of Rome, the cold after Christmas-day became very in-
tense ; more to, it is said, than in almost any winter
during the last 40 years. The Rhone, the Durance, and
other rivers, arc frozen, and apprehensions are entertained
lest the olive-trees should perish from cold as they did in
the severe winter of 11319-20.

Since Christmas-day last, we are informed, the
house of Ole Mendicity Society, ie Red Lion-square, has
been literally besieged by distressed, and in most instances
wretchedly miserable objects, soliciting assistance. Nearly
1,200 perscns, exclusive of their families, have presented
themselves, to whom nearly 3,000 meals have been given,
each meal consisting of a pint of soup, and the sixth of a
41h. loaf, bes:des to ♦ery many clothing, blankets, and
money. We hope that the charitable and humane will
enable the Society to continue its benevolent exertions
(luring this inclement season. The funds, we understand,
are rather low, and their stock of clothing nearly exhausted.

An astonishing proof of the extreme depression
r f agriculture occurred at a sale near Boston, last week.
Seven tens of bay, to be consumed en the premises, sold
for IL 15s. ; and, stranger still, three tons sold for one
shilling ! Nine acres of wheat sold for 3/. 55., and nine
acres of oats for five ! It is proper to remark,
however, that the latter were exceedingly damaged by tile
dreadful storm of July last.

By a statistical table of the amount of crime
brought to trial in Austria during the years 1819, 20,
21, 22, and 23, we ►earn that in some of the provinces
great offences were on the increase, but that in most of
them they had diminished, and that, as compared with
the population, the proportion was extremely different in
different districts. The number of homicides enumerated
in the table stands as follows :—For Lower Austria, in
1819, 12 ; in 1823, 56 ; out of a population of
1,963,000. For the Governments of Gratz, Laybach,
and Trieste, in 1819, 91 ; in 182:3, 37 ; cut of a pupa-
Winn of 1,960,000. For Bohemia, in 1819, 74 ; in
1523, 63; out of a population of 3,387,000. For Mo-
ravia and Silesia, in 1819, 63; in 1823, 26 ; out of a
population of 1,907,000. For Gallieia, in 1819, 160 ;
in 1829, 121 ; out of a population of 4,140,000. For
the Tyrol, in 1819, 37 ; in 1823, 21 ; out of a popula-
tion of 751,000. For Dalmatia, in 1319, 92 ; in 1823,
179; out of a population of 313,000. The diminution
has taken place in the list of other crimes. In all cases
the barbarous province of Dalmatia stands pre-eminent in
all kinds Of crime proportionally to its population. Its
trials for robbery were 489, for burning 260, and for
wounding and maiming 304, in the year 1823.
POISONOUS PROPERTIES OF THE NIGHT-
SHADE.-Every part of the Atropa Belladona, or Deadly
Nightshade, has proved a malignant poison. Some one
or other of our senses is in general, most providentially
for us, made the herald of approaching danger ; hut with
the poisonous fruit of this plant it is not so. The berries
bear an attractive appearance, and to the smell and taste
they are in no degree repugnant. In consequence of these
• circumstances, children have very frequently fallen ♦ictims
to their deleterious effects, and the plant should be known,
that it may he wholly eradicated from exposed situations.
The Belladona is supposed to have been the plant which
the Roman soldiers, urged by hunger, ate in the Parthian
war. PLUTARCH tells us, that on this occasion it pro-
duced loss of the memory and senses ; and that the unfor-
tunate victims to it were prone to move every stone that
they met with, as though in some important pursuit : till
ultimately the poison subdued their -strength, and they
died. Bucarmr_al: also relates, that the Scots mixed the
juice of this plant with the food which they supplied to
• the Danes, their invaders. It had an intoxicating effect,
and the Scots became their destroyers.—Maund's Bo-
tanic Garden.

In a late number of the French Moniteur we
find the following curious details relative to the Post-office
in Paris

" The Director-Gener,ll of the Post-office has favoured
us with the following particulars on the distribution of
letters in Paris during the year 1829:--
" Number of letters received at Paris limn
the departments
" Number of letters for Paris thrown into the

Paris boxes (answering to the London Two-
penny-post)
" Number of printed papers of all kinds dis-
tributed in Paris
" Number of letters charged 54,340
" Number of letters recommended
" Number of letters addressed to Paris by mis-
take and which have been forwarded to the
departments
" Number of unsealed letters arrived at Peri*,
of which 481 contained bills of exchange or
bank-notes, to the amount of 1,330,216 f. 70c.
" Number of letters arrived at Paris, not hay-

ing any address on them at all, which have
been opened to be returned to the persons
who sent them, and of which several con-
tained bills of exchange and bank-notes to
the amount of 205,806 f. 75c

gg This statement shows that the Post—office business
has been particularly active during the last year. It is im-
possible not to feel surprise at the singular negligence of
those those who have transmitted same to so large an amount in
unsealed letters, but particularly of those who have
sent their letters with enclosures of mon .y with iut any
a !dress upon them whatever