The Sun.
London, England, 1840-08-17 00:00:00

UNION-HALL.

James Taylor and Janus Keene, two fashionably.
dressed young men, were summoned before Mr. Trail!,
for discharging fireworks at the Royal Brunswick Gar-
dens, during the concert.
Mr. King, the proprietor, stated that on a late gala

the defendants entered the Brunswick Gardens at an '
early period of the evening during the concert, and
while the audience were engaged in listening to the per-
formances, the letting off fireworks threw the whole
,rchestra, vocalists and all, into a state of con'usion.
On examining into the cause of the uproar that ensued,
it was discovered that some persons had obtained access
to that part of the gardens where the pyrotechnic exhi-
bition takes place, and, setting fire to some of the
rockets and other combustible materials, occasioned
such an interruption to the proceedings of the evening.
He (complainant) did not happen to witness the trans-
action, but there were persons in attendance who did,
and would also describe the interruption given to the
entertainments by such an act of wanton folly.
Mr. TRAILL said, that in granting the summonses
against the defendants, he imagined that the alleged
offence was for discharging fireworks in a public tho-
roughfare. Now, it was certain that the Brunswick
Gardens were inclosed, therefore he could not punish
the defendants under the Police Act. The Magistrate
added, that the complainant must proceed against them
' under the Wilful Damage Act, and it was necessary
that he should now state the amount of the damage he
sustained by the wilful act of the defendants.
Complainant—l cannot state the amount of the da-
mage, which could not be much, the most important
being that of letting off the fireworks, and disturbing
the concert.
Mr. TRAILL—Were the fire-works to have been dis-
charged on the night in question
Complainant—Certainly they were; but not until
an advanced period, and when the concert was over.
Such an act as that of discharging the fireworks in the
midst of the concert had a very ridiculous appearance,
and threw a good deal of odium on the performances
altogether.
Mr. TRAILL said that in his opinion there ought to
be a more sharp look nut kept in the firerork gallery,
to prevent such an accident. The Magistrate then said
that it was necessary that the complainant should state
the amount of his loss.

The complainant said that he had no means of deter-
mining that ; that as to the value of the fireworks dis-
charged, it was trifling in comparison to the interrup•
tion given to the concert.

Mr. TRAILL said that if the complainant could not
put a price on the damage he had sustained, the de.
fondants could not be punished.
The defendants declared that they were not the
parties who set light to the fireworks. They admitted
that they were in the gardens and not far from the fire-
work gallery, but again protested their innocence of
any participation in the act.
The complainant said that there were witnesses in
attendance who would clearly identify the defendants as
having committed the offence ; but as the complainant
did not feel inclined to fix the amount of damage he
sustained by the act, he should, therefore, decline pro-
ceeding any further in the affair, but would take
especial care in future, and prevent a similar interrup-
tion to the amusements of the Brunswick Gardens.

The Magistrate said that in this case he should dis-
charge the defendants, but if the complainant only
stated the extent of the damage, he should assuredly
have fined the defendants.

An Irishman, named Pat Dacey, with the top of his
head plastered all over, charged two men named Cr•aw-
ley (brothers), with haying wounded him with a poker
and a hatchet.

The complainant, a genuine specimen of the " Eme-
rald Isle," said that he and the two defendants were all
countrymen, and that a bit of a shindy having taken
place in the "court" where he lived, he (Dacey) went
out to see what was the matter, when Tim Crawley
hit him a crack on the skull with a poker, and his
brother Thady followed it up with another blow over
the same place. (Here Dacey tore the plasters off his
head, and exhibited two recent cuts, besides the marks
of at least a dozen others.)
Mr. TRAILL—HOW old are you ? Dacey—Faith,
I believe I'm about thirty.
Mr. TRILL—You appear to hive as many cuts on
your head as you are ye.trs old ; how did you get them
all ?—Dacey (petting his hand up to his head.) These
two last cuts I got from the Crawleys, bad luck to
them, but there ought to be another, for they het me
two or three cracks with the pocker and hatchet. As
to the other scars they are all healed up—l got them
in mild Ireland, where I hope to be soon by the ble►sin
of God.

Mr. TRAILL—Did the defendants strike you without
provocation ? Dacey—By my soul they they did that,
too, for there's not a quieter boy from here to Cork
than I am myself, and I'd scorn to strike a man with a
deadly weapon except he was murderin me. The
ould scars I got in Ireland I didn t think anything of.
Mr. TRAILL said that the defendants acted with
great brutality in striking a defenceless man with such
instruments.

Tim Crawley said it was not all gospel Dacey
preached, for he was known to be one of the biggest
liars that ever came from Paddy's land. Arrald
Dacey, now tell his worship what you did before you got
that crack of the crown, for if you don't, I will.
Dacey was silent.
_ _

Tim Crawley—Don't you know, Dacey, that you
called me v?ife a --, and that when I tould you she
was vartous, you gave me the lie, and struck me in the
bargain.
Dacey said that he hail no recollection of having used
such language.
Crawley—The drink was in you, I know that, but
you brought it all on yourself by your bad tongue.
Crawley then declared that he used no weapon but
his fist on the occasion, and his brother also denied
having used a pol%er or any other instrument, and that
that the hurts Dacey received were in falling, for they
had several rounds of boxing.
The police said that the court near Tooley.street was
full of Irish people, and that scarcely a night passed
that they were not breaking each other's heads, and the
next morning they were to be seen on the best terms
imaginable with each other.
Mr. TRAILL said that such riots were disgraceful ; it
was, no doubt, produced by liquor, and he should fine
the defendants 3/. each, or, in default of payment, com-
mit them for six weeks.
The defendants were committed.