The Sun.
London, England, 1822-10-04 00:00:00

LONDON SESSIONS.

Yesterday Richard Clark, a fish salesman in Billingsgate-
market, and William Perry, his servant, were indicted for hav-
ing assaulted an old Scotchman named Furzon.
The complainant, it appeared, is an exciseman ; and on the
day mentioned in the indictment had gone to Billingsgate-mar-
ket for the purpose of buying some fish, but he found that it
Was too high in price, and was making the best of his way out
the market, determined not to make a purchase; when the
two defendants seized him with their filthy hands and dragged ,
him towards their baskets "to buy." From the violence they
had used towards him, he thought himself ' in the hands of
thieves, and instinctively secured his pockets by clapping his
hands upon them—an action at which the gentry of the market set
up a shout, and the poor exciseman was at once marked out as a
fit subject for a "spree," which wailmmediately commenced, to
the delight of the whole market. Finding that he was likely
to suffer in the midst of the delicate fun of the fish dealers, he
remonstrated with the defendants, and suddenly received what
he called " a dab of a figh-gill" on the cheek, and the whole
place was in a roar.at his confusion. He then endeavoured to
get away, but the defendants and a number of other fellows
of the market hustled him from one to another, pulled his hat
Over his eyes, and one of them wished to possess-himself of
some documents, the value of which was, in the estimation of
the exciseman, upwards of 4,0001., which the poor man had
sticking_ out of his bosom. After having undergone a com-
plete Billingsgate reception, in language and treatment, in his
person, he escaped in a melancholy plight.
Mr. ADOLPHUS, for the defendants, contended that there
had not been at' any rate a malicious attack upon the prosecu-
tor. That gentleman seemed to be rather qualified, from his
appearance and profession and temper, to give a little innocent
amusement to the hard-working people of the market, who
were glad to meet with a little occasional recreation at the same
time that they had their eye to business. The seizure of the
person of the prosecutor, and the dragging of him to their
baskets, nolens volens, to induce him to buy, was only the rug-
ged manner of enforcing the claim of a tradesman. If the jury_
wished to know how their ancestors used to solicit custom, they'
should go to Billingsgate-market, where they would find the
only remains of those manners which were described in the novel
of the " Fortunes of Nigel" as the peculiar characteristic of the
city tradesmen of the reign of James I. On that account they
ought to be respected, and should not be subject to punishment
in these degenerate days.
The Jury found the defendants Guilty. •
The RECORDER addressed them on the folly of their con-
duct, which was calculated to prevent respectable persons from
going amongst them: When would the ignorant of this coun-
try see the policy of using courtesy to induce persons,of respec-
tability to approach them without fear or disgust, and when
would that market make an effort to cast aside the obloquy
thrown upon it—an obloquy which the name of it sufficiently
attested ? The Court viewed the conduct of the defendants as a
part of the system of filthy riot so frequently practised, and
tined Clark N., and Perry-, his servant, 40s.