The Sun.
London, England, 1834-12-26 00:00:00

UNION-HALL.

On Wednesday an interesOsig-looking young female,
named Bridgman, accompani,la by a young tradesman, to
whom she was to be married on Christmas-day, applied for
a warrant against a Mr. Jones, a coal merchant, under the
following circumstances

The applicant stated that she was forcibly shut up in a
room by the coal merchant, who wanted to extort a pro-
mise from her that she would not marry the young man
who had accompanied her that day to the office. She re-
fused to comply with any such terms, and then he
threatened her by declaring that she should never live to
be another's ; in fact, he became so excited that, to pre-
vent worse consequences, she threw up the window, and
jumped •ut of a one-pair room, and it was only by a mira-
cle that she had not broken some bf her bones in her
attempt to escape. She added that while in the room with
the coal merchant he frequently laid his hand upon some-
thing that projected from underneath his waistcoat, saying
that he had something there that would soon silence all
complaints.

Mr. WEDGWOOD asked her what she supposed he meant
by the expression used on the occasion ? Applicant—l
am sure he had either a pistol or a blunderbuss concealed
in his breast, and I was afraid that he would have used
tkem.

The young man who accompanied the applicant said
that the coal merchant threatened to shoot him because be
was fond of Miss Bridgman, and was about to make her his
wife ; he had also written letters to the young lady, although
he was aware she was on the point of matrimony, conjuring
her to give him a stolen interview before the change in her
condition took place, in order to apprise her, as he de-
scribed, of something important to her future welfare. The
young man added that he was convinced the coal mer-
chant's object was either to intimidate Miss Bridgman and
prevent her from entering into the holy bonds of matrimony,
or to prejudice him (the young man) ire the estimation of
the object of his affections. _

The young man, as well as Miss 'Bridgman, having stated
on oath that he was apprehensi•.,e of personal violence from
the defendant, a warrant ww!. accordingly issued against the
coal merchant.

A man named -13,:;Iger was charged with endeavouring
to obtain charitabl.e contributions by a fictitious tale of dis.
tress.

The Rffv, Mr. Raine, minister of Christchurch, stated
that the defendant called at his house, and said that he
lived at, Broadwall, and that he had a wife and four chil-
drer in great distress, and that she was near the time of
lying-in of her fifth child. Mr. Rain. took down the ad-
dress the defendant had given, with a view to make inqui-
ries into the case, and sent Mrs. Raine to the house to
relieve the family if it was found they were in the condition
described. On inquiry, however, no such person was
known there, and it was subsequently ascertained that the
whole of the defendant's statement relative to his distresses
and the condition of his wife and family was untrue from
beginning to end. The Rev. Gentleman said that imposi-
tions of this kind were frequently practised, and, meeting
with the defendant again, he gave him into custody.
The defendant was committed for a montls to the tread-
mill.

FlRE.—About nine o'clock cin Wednesday night
an alarm of fire was given in Cavendish-mews, North-street.
Portland-street, where flames w are found bursting out from
the stables of W. Townsend, -Esq., 78, Groat Portland-street,
and rapidly spreading thelice to the small attached residence
occupied by a servant of the family. Three engines belonging
to the London Fire Establishment were promptly brought to
the spot, and the fire was in about an hour got under, but not
until it had done considerable damage. It is attributed to the
carelessness of the stable-boy in leaving a candle near a quan-
tity of hay, which was thus accidently set fire to. The pre.
mises are insured.

THE TABERNACLE AND TOTTENHAM-COURT
ROAD CHAPEL.—A meeting of the Trustees was held on Tues-
day, when it was agreed, in obedience to the recommendation
of the Vice-Chancellor, to re-admit the Rev. John Campbell to
officiate as minister at the Tabernacle and Tottenham-court-
toad Chapel.

PICTURE OF SLAVERY.—In every house which
I visited in Maranham (and I had an extensive acquaintance,)
I was shocked at tbr; indecent exposure of their persons ; the
little pot-bellied urchins were running about naked, and the
shameless nr.iiity of the adults, mingling intimately with the
sons and e.taughters of the household, must inevitably impair
that (I,?:icacy of sentiment which is the chief ornament of the
female sex. But the general tendency of slavery in the
negro is to harden the heart, to extinguish all sense of justice,
and to encourage the most unbounded licentiousness.— Voy.,
age of the Chanticleer.
APPROACH OF HALLEY'S COMET„—Professor
Littrow, the astronomer, of Vienna, has just published a pam-
phlet on Halley's comet, entitled " Beytrap,'e zu einer Mono..
graphic des Halley'schen Cometen," (Materials for a Mono-
graphy of Halley's Comet,) which is Mustrated by two maps.
• The calculations of Professor Littrtm are founded en the ele-
ments given by M. de Pontecmilant, and determine the 7th of
November as the day on which the comet will reach its peri-
helion; at this point it will be 12,069,000 German miles, or
55,516,400 English miles, distant from the sun. On the Bth
of October, of the same year, the comet will approach nearest
to the earth, when it will be only 3,719,000 German miles, or
17,107,400 English miles, distant from it. It will be first
visible in the month of April next, as a morning star in Taurus ;
but its light will be very feeble, as the rays will have to tra-
verse 185 millions of miles in reaching us. Its motion will
then be in the plane of the earth's orbit, and, therefore, its
progress will be hardly perceptible. From Taurus it will pass
into the constellation Gemini, and its rising will precede the
dawn by an interval progressively increasing. It will be best
seen during the month of October, and, if its constitution has
not been modified since its last revolution, it will be accom-
panied by a tail of considerable length. The comet, after
passing its perihelion, will again approach the etiY.th at the
commencement of the year 1836. In the month et, March, of
that year, it will be at a distance of upwards of ;19 millions of
miles from the earth, and will re-appear in tae constellations
Corvus and Cratur, after which it will disawear, and will not
be again seen until February, 1912.

THE LADIES OF THE AZOWES.—The ladies, with
the exception of music, (which, being a national accomplish-
ment, is frequently executed with AA) possess few acquire..
!Dents. They are usually awkward and uncouth in their man.
ners, without the slightest conversation in socieq,•and lead a
life of supine indolence and seclusion. The; are never seen
out of doors, excepting at church, or occasimally at some even-
ing festivity. Their sole occupation. is eating, drinking,
sleeping tremendously, (query, How is that ?) and gazing
out of the latticed windows of their verandahs, where they
squat, like Indians, cross-legged on their haunches, their
heads just peeping from urader a falling lattice made for the
purpose ; here they som-Ames pass half the day. 'Their asso-
ciates are their femalo servants, whom they employ as emissa-
ries to collect sucA news about their neighbours and acquain-
tance as is zees* suited to their trivial occupations and more
trivial dads. In addition to music, they are passionatelo fond:
of 'Unclog and dress ; but, although supplied with materia'As
for the latter f: bin England and France, they display in the
makiro; up and adjustment of them a singular absence of taste
and neatness. The walking costume common to the feznales
of the whole islands is a blue cloth coak, or a black silk one,
with a stiff-peaked hood, so much closed in front as 'to leave
little more than the upper part of the fate visible., These
women possess an amiability and sweetness of • disposition,
which, aided by education, might render them most agreeable
companions of social and domestic lifev—Boid's Description
of the Azores.

lIIN