The Sun.
London, England, 1823-05-20 00:00:00

DAMAGES COMMITTED BY A MOB.

By a recent Act (3 Geo. IV. c. 33) it is en-
acted, that in all cases of damage committed by a mob, where.
the amount shall not exceed 301., the party aggrieved, instead
of resorting to his action against the hundred may apply to
the Magistrates assembled in Petty Sessions, who are thereby
authorised to award damages, and order payment of the same
out of the county rates. The following case, which has recent-
ly occurred at Hull, is, we believe, the first instance in which
the Act has been brought into operation.
(Piton A BULL PAPER.)
A Special Petty Session, which was very numerously at-
tended by the Magistrates of this town and county, was held
at our Mansion-House on Tuesday last, to hear the complaint
of John Ridgway, Esq. Whose property in the lordship of My-
ton had received considerable injury on Easter Monday and
Tuesday last, from the mob collected at a boll-baiting.
Mr. CHARLES FROST, on behalf of Mr. Ridgway, stated'
that the present aPplication was made under the authority of
an Act ofParliament, passed in the last Session (3 Cie°. IV.
c. 83.), which 'tleprivedr.the party aggrieved of his remedy by
action against the hundred,_ where the amount claimed for
damages done to property by persons unlawfully, riotously,
an tumultuously assembled, did not exceed 301. • and gave in
lieu thereof a more summary remedy by application to the
MaOstrates assembled in Petty Sessions.
The circumstances under which the injury to Mr. Ridgway's
property was committed, having been stated, Mr: Fauhank,
clerk to-Meisrs. T. and C. Frost, was called to prove the ser-
vice of the notice on the Mayor to summon a Petty Session,
and the affixing, on two successive Sundays, on the door of
the church of the Holy Trinity, within which parish the pro-
perty is situated, of a notice of the time when the Session
would be held, and of the nature of the intended application.
The Tows CLERK then took an objection to the ferthe,
hearing of the application, on the ground that Mr. Ridgwayr
the owner of the property, was not present in person to make
his complaint, and to be examined by the Magistrates, which
examination, he said, was required by the Act.
Mr. C. FROST contended, that the direction in the Act,
that " It shall and may be lawful for the Justices to hear and
examine the parties aggrieved," was introduced for the benefit
of the party himself :—that the present proceedings were in
the nature of an action for recovery of damages, and that this
clause, in effect, enabled him to he heard in his own cause,
which, without the -authority of the Act, could not, by the
rules of evidence, be allowed and further, that these words in
the Act were explained by the subsequent part of the same'
Section, which made it lawful for the Justices to hear and exa-
mine" the churchwardens oroverseers, or inhabitants of the
parish ;" which could not have been done without such special
authority. Besides, he observed, that if it had been intended
to make it imperative on the,
.party to he examined, the Act
would have stood thus, " that it shall and may be lawful for
the Justices, and they are hereby required," to hear and exa-
mine the party aggrieved. The Court was then cleared, and
after the Magistrates bad remained in deliberation nearly half
an hour, the parties were called in anti directed to premed with
the complaint.
Thomas Mann, who had been employed to look after the
premises, and Daniel M‘Berin, were then called. They proved
the damage done, and that it was occasioned by 40 or 50 per-
Bona at least getting upon and over the walls of the premises,
andteating down the railings, pulling down stairtases, doors,
windows, bricks, and tiles • and they likewise proved that the
mob was riotous and tumultuous, and of such a description as
to produce terror and alarm.
Air. Win. Hutchinson was called to prove that the damages
done by the mob had been pointed out to him by Mann, and
that he had made an estimate thereof, the amount of which was
2111.

The Magistrates, after consulting together for a short time,
pronounced their decision in favour of Mr. Ridgway's claim
fur 291. 1 Is. and directed the same to be paid out of the country
rate, with reasonable costs and charges pursuant to the direc-
tions of the Act.

On the mast-head of a small sloop at the
Broomielaw, lately arrived from Sligo, there is a
sparrow's nest with five eggs.

LAMENTABLE SuiciDE.--On Monday last (1 t2th
inst.) a respectable youth of 19, named Simpson,
of the armourer's department in the gun-wharf
here, having on the previous evening had a dis-
pute with a female to whom he was attached,
resolved upon self-destruction, which he accom-
plished by placing a loaded musket against his
breast, and discharging its contents by touching
the trigger with a ramrod. The ball passed
through the heart, thus producing instantaneous
death. The Coroner's Jury returned their
verdict—" Temporary iosanity."--(Plymouth
Gazette.)