The Sun.
London, England, 1801-02-19 00:00:00

LAW REPORT.

COURT OF KING's BENCH, FLII. 17.

SIZELAND V. WATSON:"

This was an Aaion for an Assault. The
Plaintiff is a reipedable Tradesman in one of the
principal streets near Oxford road ; the Defendant,
a Constable of the Night of a Watch-house belong-
ing to the Parish of St. George, Hanover-square.
Some time about Christmas last, between mid-
night and one o'clock, the Plaintiff going home,
saw a Watchman dragging a poor unfortunate
girl to the watch-house. He went up to him;
and said it would be better that the watchman
went his round, to see that the houses and shops
were not broken open in the neighbourhood,
than that he should be dragging a poor prostitute
to the watch-house. The watchman asked him
if he was one who was going to break.them
open ? He said, No ; and repeated his advice to
the watchman. Upon which an altercation en.
sued, and the watchman sprung his rattle, and
gave the Plaintiff in charge of two 'Wier watch-
man who came up, and who took him to the
watch-house, Two Gentlemen it ho had no-
thing, at first, to do with any par £f the trans-
aaion, but who were men of charaner, and who
had been spending the evening at a toffee-house,
happening to come by, saw the whole of it.—
They went to the watch-house, where .they said
the Plaintiff was roughly kindled ; that the com-
plaint, and the only► one they heard, was, that of
the watchman saying " that the Plaintiff had
accused him of breaking open and robbing houses
and shops in his rounds." . The Plaintiff was
then put down in what is called the Hole, and
kept there until these Gentlemen wept away,
they not being allowed so much as to know his
address, to go and inform his family where he
was. The next day, these Gentlemen gppeared
before the Magistrates, but, there the watchman
did not support any charge against the Plaintiff.
On the part of the Defendant it was contended,
that he was not only justified, but bound to take
the charge of the watchman as he gave it ; and
the charge was, " That John Finey, watchman,
complained that . Robert Sizeland struck him
while he was on duty."
A Beadle and another Watchman swore that
Finey, who is now gone to sea, made,this charge
in the watch-house.

Lord KENYON took occasion to observe, .that
the Defendant was justified in what he did in this
case by the,Statute ; that if any complaint was at'
all founded, it was. against this Watchman, and
not the Constable of the Night, and that even
then twenty days .notice ought to have been
given to the Vestry before this Ation was
brought, to afford them an opportunity of tender-
ing amends, if any one of their Officers had coat-
!flitted excess. Ilis Lordship took occasion to
expatiate on the necessity of taking up disorder-
ly persons in the street, as one of the regula.
tions that were absolutely essential to the Police
of this unwieldy Metropolis, and chat the abodes
of these unhappy women of the town were too
often (though perhaps their poverty, and not
their will, consented,) the haunts of the highway-
man anti house-breaker.—Plaintiff nonsnited.

The recent event of the change in His Ma.
jesty's Councils continues to fill the mind of
every true friend to the Country with the deepest
anxiety and concern. The difference of opinion
between His MAJESTY and his late Ministers
upon, a most important point, had, before any ex-
planation had taken place, been too far ailed upon
lky both, to render it possible for either to *yield
with honour. If the question was hurried to
this extremity by any of the Parties concerned,
chose who took that line acted neither as friends,
to their King or to the Country. We lament
most sincerely the length to which this disagree-
ment has been carried, but we will venture to
-assert, that no man ever took a part upon any
similar occasion, so honourable to himself, or so
conducive to the general interests of the Country
as Mr. N T'l'. Instead of that common and mi-
serable policy which has induced many of his.
predecessors, in similar situations, to endeavour to
thwart the views of His Sovereign, and to throw
the Country into confusion, he has at least re-
spelled the conscientious feelings of the KING,
and though he could not agree in his 'sentiment),
!le has endeavoured that a-difference of opinion
upon one point, however important, should not
embarrass His Majesty's Government. Differing
upon a question which he thought essential to
the welfare of the Empire, he has thought fit to
sacrifice his office rather than his opinion, and in
doing so, he seems to have considered the point
of diarcnce as one, upon which -men might
honourably entertain opposite sentiments ; and
he has therefore, without any hostile feeling, lent
his assistance to the formation of an Administra-
tion, which he considered as most likely to attend
to the real interests of the Country. The men
whom the KING has chosen, and whom Mr.
NTT supports at this conjunfture, are, we will
venture to assert, those in whom, next to him-
self, the Country will have the greatest con-
fidence. Did ever any person fill any difficult
and important public station more to his own
credit, or more to the satisfadion of the Nation
than Mr. ADDINGTON did that of Speaker of the
House of Commons ? Is there a man either in
public or in private charafter more irreproachable ?
Or is there any person whom Firs MAJESTY
could have selected, .whose known talents and
integrity could have afforded a more satisfactory
test of his future conduit ? If in addition to these
we contemplate the eharaders of the persons
who are to compose the New Ministry, we can
only say, that, lamenting as we sincerely do, the
loss of Mr. PITT and his friends, we must at the
same time (*fess that we derive some consoll-
don under this misfortune, in the consideration of
those who are to be his successors ; and even in
the midst of dangers and difficulties our hopes
are revived, and we bid every true loVer of his
Country not to despair. ,