The Sun.
London, England, 1847-12-07 00:00:00

AUTOBIOGRAPHY of a POACHER

The following narrative is given in the chaplain's
report of the Preston House of Correction for the
present year. It was written at the dictation of the
poacher himself :
" When I first began poaching I lived with my
father, and we had a dog that was much given to
catching game; and sometimes when I was out he
killed me a hare. One time a man saw him kill one ;
this man kept a beer-shop. He said he would pay
me well if 1 would let him have it. I was to go to
his house at night ; he gave me a glass of rum and
ls. Gd., and he wanted me to bring him another hare.
I stopped drinking till I had spent the money. He
told me that I should get some snares, and he brought
me some to look at and showed me how to set them.
I caught a hare that night, and took it to him ;
and I had it all in drink but 6d., and that I bought
some wire with to make snares ; and then I got
going to this house constantly, and taking hares
there, and drinking ale and spirits of all kinds ;
and I think that beer-shop was the ruin of me; for
there I met with some: young men that were follow-
ing the same game, and we got to shooting pheasants.
That night we shot 25 pheasants, and we sold them
to a gentleman, and he was a —, and we got 6s. a
couple for them (before the sale of game was le-
galised). I was caught taking up snares, and got
sent for three months to the Preston House of Correc-
tion. The gentleman that sent me to prison wanted
my father to turn me out of the house when I came
home again; and because he would not, the gentleman
went to the landlord, and the landlord doubled the
rent that year, and gave him notice to leave ; he,
however, got it for another year, but he died
before the year was up. • Our goods werc
sold off, and we were obliged to leave
home and get work where we could. I got
a job at a farm, and sent his keeper to the far-
mer, and told him that he was to turn me away; so
he paid me my money, and told me he must not em-
ploy me. I had not been poaching then for more
than twelve months, for I thought about giving it
up, till this gentleman sent word to all the farmers
not to employ me ; and then I was so angry that I
thought I would have some of his game if he would
not let me get my living by working. I bought a
dog and a gun, and got a lot of snares and nets, and
I followed poaching all that winter. All the gen-
tlemen were against me, and would not let their
tenants employ me, and I did not care what became
of me. I got to drinking, and got along with more
poachers in other parts of the country. Once we
went to —, in Yorkshire, and we stopped two
days and two nights, and had: nothing to eat ; we
slept in a barn in the day time, and at night we
went out poaching. We got as much game as we
could carry away, and we brought it into Lancashire,
to a man that we had sold game to before. He paid
us for it, and then we went to a public-house, and
stayed there till we had spent all the money. The
other man fetched his clothes from home and pawned
them, and we spent that; then we pawned one of our
guns, and then we asked for trust ; but he pushed us
out of the. house, and said, You drunken black
guards, get off home—what do you want here with-
out money ?' I went part of the way home, and lay
down on the road and slept till morning, and was
almost starved to death. The next night I bor-
rowed 705., and the other man fetched his cloak
out of the house ; and we got our gun again. We
went out that night and got eight pheasants. We
got 20s. for them from the same man ; and then we
went to the same public-house, and we were wel-
come when he saw we had money ;. and when it was
all gone, he said we might go to bed for a few hours;
and we got up at three o'clock in the morning,
and we shot fourteen pheasants by six o'clock, and
we sold them for 1/. 155., and we went to the public-
house again, and stopped there till we spent it; and
my wife came after me, and the landlord put me into
a back place, and told her I was not there. We
drank all that week till all my money was gone ;
and, as I was sitting by the fire, the landlord said,
'What dost thou do here without any money ? Be
off home to thy wife ! thou hast had no ale since
dinner time.' Then I thought, this is the way that
poachers' money goes. So I thought I would-leave
it off, and try to get some work. So I went to a
farmer that had some draining to let, and he said
he must not let me have it, unless I got a note in
writing from the steward, fur he haul orders not to
employ me. I went to the steward, and he told
me to go to the squire ; and he said I should have no
work on his ground, and he bade me be gone. I was
very badly off, and I began poaching aguin, and in
about a month I was caught, and 1 went away, and
was away from my wife and family three years.
Then I came home, and got work at some water-
works, and was home nearly two years, and did not
go poaching at all; but the squire accused me all the
time, and I was as innocent as a child ; and he would
not allow any of his farmers to give me work, and I
began poaching again. should have given it up
many a time, if the gentlemen had allowed the
farmers to give me work. I carried on poach-
ing all that season. When the game was out
of season the man would not buy any more
dead game, but said he had a large order come
in for live hares, and he would take as many
as we could get alive. And this employed
the man at the game shop to get men to go into other
people's preserves. We werein a preserve one morn-
ing catching live pheasants, and one man said, There
is a deal more pheasants this morning than ever there
was;' and I looked back, and said, There is a deal
more keepers.' Three of us got away, and one got
taken, and sent to Wakefield House of Correction
for six months. That season we caught about 200
live hares, besides live pheasants and partridges, and
lots of pheasants' eggs; and there was another
we caught a deal of live game for,
and we took them to him ourselves, and he
paid us for them, and made us as drunk as pigs ;
and at the time we were getting some hares for
some gentleman near —, that kept a lot of grey-
hounds. They came to my house for the hares once
a week, and we kept them in a room till they came for
them. We caught them about GO ; and I think that
money did me more good than any that I ever got for
poaching, for they always paid me at home. I have
caught hundreds of live hares and pheasants, and sold
them to -- ; and now they have turned their backs
upon me, and cast me into prison. But for the time
to come I mean to give it up, and not go poaching any
more, for I think the three months will do me a deal
of good."

REVIEW OF THE BRITISH CORN

TRADE.

The step taken by the Bank directors on Thurs•
day in reducing the minimum rate of interest from
7 to 6 per cent. has not as yet tended to render dis-
count of the usual run of mercantile bills much more
easy, and affairs still wear rather a gloomy appear-
ance. The rates which continue to be demanded for
money are far too high to admit of parties availing
themselves of the accommodation for general business
purposes, and this is more particularly the case as
regards the corn trade. There has consequently been
no improvement in the demand for Wheat; indeed
buyers have, if anything, displayed increased caution
in their operations, and the amount of business done
since our last has been unimportant. Owing,
however, to the very scanty manner in which far-
mers have brought forward supplies, and to the pre-
vailing belief that no further arrivals of consequence can
take place from abroad, more firmness has been ma-
nifested by holders than might, under existing cir-
cumstances, have been expected. The growers have
shown a decided unwillingness to part with their
produce at present prices, which is probably in a
great measure owing to the fact that they hold little
or no Wheat of previous years' growth, and that
they do not wish to hurry their new wheat to market
before its condition shall have been improved by an
interval of frost; at all events, the deliveries have not
increased, and so little has been brought forward at
several of the principal markets in the agricultural
districts, held during the week, that needyo buyers
have had to pay an advance of ls. to -s. per qr.
ing entirely on the farmers for
where
there are stocks of foreign. At
Whilst this has been the case in tshucrespelideiss,ttribcetst,ednedpeennedy-
t:
of prices has been rather downwards
Larsiyaetrtpoheopor
l,
o
'Tues-
day, the trade was decidedly (lull; and tolerably
good supplies of new Irish wheat and flour having
come to hand, the former article was quoted 3d. to
4d. per 701b5., and the latter 2s. per sack, lower than
on that day se'nnight. Fine wheat, whether of
home or foreign growth, was not cheaper ; and for
7Folrbicsla o
csr:
the best American flour 30s. per barrel ha-Icon-
tinued to be asked. Later in the week the unwil-
lingnesstbe best tos brtusy
ofr reheatatheriner:,aersee 2d. per
on
whilst oats, oatmeal, Indian corn, and Indian
even
corn
meal, were all cheaper than on the preceding market
day. At the leading towns in Yorkshire the supplies
of wheat have scarcely kept ") acewith the demand,
restricted as has been the latter. At Hull, on Tues-
day, the finest qualities were quoted is. to 2s. per qr.
higher than on that day week ; and though no ad-
vance could 'be established at Leeds, previous prices
were very firmly maintained. The reports from
Wakefield of Friday describe the trade as quiet, with
the turn in favour of the buyer. By our advices
from Scotland we learn that fully as much grain had
appeared at the leading markets as had been required,
and that the value of post articles had receded. At 1

Edinburgh, on Wednesday, wheat, barley, and oats
were Is. to Is. Gd. per quarter lower than on that
day week ; and at Glasgow the downward movement
was quite as decided. The accounts from Ireland
are of precisely the same character as those before
received. The mass of the people appear to be suf-
fering from poverty and want, owing to the scarcity
and high value of potatoes; meanwhile tolerably fair
supplies of corn were coming forward, and shipments
of provisions were being made to England.—Marls•
lane Express.

FASHIONS FOR DECEMBER.
(From the London and Paris Lc.dies' liagazinc of
Fashion.)
The colours most in favour this winter in woollen
materials for dresses are monstre vert, dark gray,
garnet and muraille ; stripes and checks continue
fashionable ; the richer materials of dress are gene-
rally in running satin patterns, on reps ground,
hether of different shades of the same colour or
contrasting ones. The new materials are so rich in
pattern as not to admit of trimming with the same.
Woollen materials are principally used for redingotes,
made quite high, ornamented with brandenbourgs ; in
galons, silk nceuds of satin and velvet ribbon,
and large nceuds in gimp; embroidery in satin
stitch, mixed with thick cord, which has
quite replaced braid ; narrow velvet is also
very fashionable for trimmings. Carriage dresses
are generally quite high and tight, with long sleeves
closing at the wrist ; those open at the bottom are
still fashionable, but principally for dinner dresses.
For evening wear, rich satins with velvet patterns
will be the great novelty of the season. Bouillons
of tulle and pretty trimmings of coloured blond
have a good effect. On taffetas ball dresses, pink
and citron velours epingl6 are frequently seen,
with blond flounces of the same colour. Berthes
of lace, velvet, and old point, are still worn, but
rather less deep. Taffetas dresses of pink, blue,
and white are often nearly covered by pinked
ruches. Narrow velvet ribbons, both plain and
4ingle, are very much used. Bonnets and caps
are covered with them ; the narrower the more ap-
proved. Fancy buttons are also much used. Bishops'
purple and vanille colour are favourites for redin-
gotes; they are often trimmed with stamped velvets,
Fur is now a favourite ornament. Satin skirts for
morning wear have several rows ' • the corsages being
high, with small fixed pelerise of fur, diminishing to
a point at the waist; sometimes two bands of fur are
placed en tablier ; fur cuffs are much deeper than they
were last year. The newest style of pardessus is the
manteau Armenien, partaking of the paletot and man-
telet ; it is open at the sides the whole length, and falls
straight behind, without marking the waist, trimmed
with a broad band of gimp or lace laid on. The
same style, of ,reduced size, is also made in cloth
and merino, trimmed with gimp or stamped velvet.
One of the novelties of the season is a plaid velvet
cloak, with deep fringe. Many pardessus form large
rounded shawl behind, and mantelet in front : it is
not unusual for the pardessus to match in colour
with the dress, as one of dark blue velvet with dress
of dark blue gros de Naples. The form of bonnets,
though rather similar to those worn last year, is,
however, rounder and more open, and there is a
roundness in the crowns. Carriage bonnets are of
royal or plain velvet, with feathers, and many with
ornaments of satin ribbon; the inside finished with
four rows of pipings of two colours alternating. fain
capotes are ornamented by demi-guirlandes of the same
colour, intermixed with black lace ; some black velvet
bonnets are lined with pink or mais, a very favourite
colour.