The Sun.
London, England, 1844-06-14 00:00:00

CLERKENWELL.

Thomas FitzgerYd,anlrrsii labourer, and Catherine,
his wife, were charged with it series of assaults of a vio-
lent character oa the person of George Moody, a broker,
and his assistants.

The prisoners live in Clarke's-buildings, St. Giles's,
which are being pulled down, under the direction of the
Commissioners of Woods and Forests, in order to carry
out the extensive plan of improvement so much wanted
in that neighbourhood. Not long since legal proceedings
were instituted against the prisoners and many others of
their class, residing in the same neighbourhood, in order
to compel them to leave, but they were abandoned upon
their solemn promise to give possession peaceably at a
certain period, and a large sum of rent due by them was
humanely remitted. Fitzgerald, however, broke his
promise, and obstinately persevered in keeping possession.
Police-constable Bryson. 76 E, deposed, that in order
to serve the warrant on Fitzgerald he was obliged to
break open his door, and when he did so he saw the pri-
soner standing in a recess behind, with a long-handed
shovel raised in his hand,And ready to fell him to the
ground. He, however, succeeded in wresting the shovel
from his hand and effectiug the service of the warrant.
Edward Shea, in the service of Moody, the broker,
deposed, that having a warrant of distraint for 51. 6s. Bd.
rent, due by Fitzgerald, he went to his dwelling on
Thursday last. The door was, however, closed, and he
was obliged to enter the house through the window. The
female prisoner was sitting in the middle of the floor,
and declared she would never leave unless she were
permitted to remove some wearing apparel. Leave was
given her to do so, but when they removed the goods she
became more violent than ever, and they were obliged to
use force in ejecting her. She returned in two hours after
and whilst witness was unheedingly standing in the
street, she attacked him in the most furious manner,
flinging a brick at his abdomen, and kicked him so that
there were several swellings and contusions on his legs
and body. She was, however, torn away from him, and
the door of the house was locked and fastened, so that
they might not again enter.
George Moody, the broker, deposed that he went to
the house the same evening, at nine o'clock, and was
surprised at finding the prisoners and their children in it.
They had crept into it through the window. He knocked
at the door ; it was at once opened ; but he had not ad-
vanced beyond the threshold, when he received a tre-
mendous blow on the head, which felled him to the
grouad. The blow was struck by the prisoner, with a
piece of timber five feet long, and as thick as a man's
leg ; it was struck with such violence that the stave was
broken on his head. He still felt great pain and giddi-
ness from the blow, and was not at all well. He re-
treated as soon as he could, but a hatchet was flung at
him in departing, which, had it struck him on the head,
would have killed him. (The hatchet and pieces of
timber were produced.)
Mr. GREENWOOD said that the conduct of the pri-
soners resembled that of savages more than civilized
beings. He was sorry to observed that persons in the
prisoners' condition looked upon their landlord as their
greatest enemy, and the broker as a fit object to wreak
their vengeance upon. They bad been treated with
great clemency, and they had shown themselves utterly
unworthy of it. If the law of landlord and tenant was
to be upheld any longer such conduct must be
punished. He would fine the prisoners IL each, or a
month's imprisonment.—They were committed.
John O'Brien, a dweller in the same place, was held
to bail, for threatening to stab Moody, the broker, with
a knife, when he exhibited his warrant of distress.

LLOYD'S SHIPPING'.
CAUTION TO MARINERS.
SUNKEN ROCK BETWEEN CAPITI AND PORT
NICHOLSON.
The following is an extraet of a letter received at Devon-
port, from an officer on board her Majesty's ship North Star,
and transmitted to Lloyd's :
( Extract.)
" Her Majesty's ship North Star, Port Nicholson,
New Zealand, Feb. 18 1844.
" We have been knocked about shockingly on this boister-
ous coast—nothing but gales of wind. We had a very narrow
escape last Wednesday, on our passage from Capiti to this
place, with his Excellency, having nearly run on a rock that
has been improperly laid down in the charts; we were within
sixty yards of it, gang nine knots in a gale ; had we struck,
nothing would have saved us but the interposition of Divine
Providence. The following are the bearings as taken the
moment we passed; we could not see it (although every one
at his station, and in mid-day) owing to the sea being one
sheet of foam. Our log says—' Passed close to a sunken rock
two feet under water, with the white rocks S.W. by S., outer
island of the Brothers, S.E. by S. ; see chart of Cook's Straits.'
It does not appear that the actual existence of this rock is
known, though since our escape it is said that it has several
times been reported to have been seen. Sir Edward intends,
if possible, to survey the rock when we leave, which we do
in a few days, fur Stuart's Island, Hobart Town, and Sydney,"

SUICIDE THROUGH THE PITMEN'S STRIKE.—A pit-
man, named Hartley (we believe), prior to the strike
employed at Sacristan Colliery, committed suicide, by
hanging himself, on the night of Sunday last. He had
undergone considerable privation, and having in vain
applied for relief from the Union Fund, and seeing no
better prospect before him, be became a prey to despon-
dency, under the influence of which he became his own
destroyer. He left his home on the Sunday evening,
and was found suspended from a tree in a plantation near
to Findon Hill, on the following afternoon.—Durham
Chronicle.

MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT OFF SUNDERLAND.-011
Thursday morning, between three and four o'clock, two
brothers. named Bell, the sons of Mrs. Bell, spirit and
porter merchant, Sunderland-street, Bishopwearmouth,
went out into the Sunderland roads, in a coble, to amuse
themselves with shooting sea-fowl. They were about a
mile and a.half from shore, when a bird suddenly neared
them ; on which John, the elder, a young man in his
twenty-second year, whose gun, loaded and cocked, was
lying on the thwarts of the boat, laid hold of the
muzzle to draw it towards him ; when, melancholy to
relate, the trigger caught, and the pieoe went of, lodging
the whole charge in the upper part of his right arm,
which was shattered to pieces. His distracted brother
bound up the bicycling limb, as well as he was able, with
tivo handkerchiefs, and then rowed towards shore, liter-
°MY for life.'' On reaching the harbour, the wounded
man was immediately conveyed to the house of Mr,
Ward, surgeon, 4nd received every possible attention
that skill anci humanity could render ; but nature was
too mach e4hausted, and the unfortunate young man
09033 sank WV:, the eleev of death.—Durham Chronicle.