The Sun.
London, England, 1821-08-08 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

LIBEL.—PRIVILEGE OF A WELCH JUDGE.
GUILDHALL.--A question of rather a singular nature came
under the consideration of the sitting Magistrate, Mr. Alder-
man VENABLE s, at this justice-room, yesterday.
Mr. Maberly, the Solicitor to Christ's Hospital, had, in the
course of his professional duty, directed a circular relative to
certain dues appertaining to the Hospital; among others, to
William Kenrick, Esq. one of the Justices of the great Ses-
sions for Cheshire and Wales, which the Learned Judge, mis-
taking it as particularly personal to him, had felt offence at,
and had replied in a letter to Mr. Maberly m such strong and
irritating language as had induced the latter, in justice to his
own character, to prefer an indictment against Mr. Kenrick for
libel. The Grand Jury at the last Sessions found the Bill,-
and upon a certificate of that fact by Mr. Shelton, Clerk of the
Peace for the City of London, application was made at this
Office for a warrant to bring the Learned Judge in to give bail
to the indictment ; and the execution of the warrant was in-
trusted to Harrison, the Marshalman, who immediately went
off with the same to Mr. Kenrick's present residence, near Rye-
gate. Harrison returned Without his prisoner, and attended
yesterday before the Magistrate to report his proceedings. He
stated, that he was attended to Ryegate by one of Mr. Maher-
ly's Clerks, who pointed out to him the person of-Mr. Kenrick ;
and on stating to the Learned Judge the nature of his visit, he
replied, that he was ready to attend him, but he must take
him at his-peril, as he claimed his privilege, being a Welch
Judge. He at first proposed giving him (Harrison) an under-
taking for his appearance ; he, however, subsequently changed
his mind, and furnished him with a letter to Messrs. Wimburn
and Collett, his solicitors, directing them to put in the neces-
sary bail to the indictment.
Messrs. Wimburn and Collett accordingly attended at the
Justice-room yesterday, and offered themselves as bail for Mr.
Kenrick's appearance. A question, however, arose how far it
might be proper to take bail to an indictment, without the de-
fendant being present to enter into his own recognizance at the
same time. Mr. Maberly's clerk, who was also in attendance,
said that there was no objection on the part of Mr. Maberly,
and it was suggested that Mr. Kenrick might enter into his own
recognizance before any Magistrate in the neighbourhood where

he was.
Mr. Alderman VENABLES said, " But I object. Here is a
gentleman claims the privilege of not attending to the warrant
of the magistrate. Has he such u privilege ? If not,
.I see no
reason why he should not be obliged to'subrnit to the law, as well
as persons in a lower station of life."
Mr. WI MBURN said, certainly,' under the present circum-
stances, Mr. Kenrick could claim no privilege. He was a Welch
Judge, and had he been going on his circuit, nothing could
stop him ; but the circuit did not commence till the 17th of this
month.
Mr. Alderman VENABLES.—Then I see no reason why Mr.
Kenrick should not attend the warrant of the magistrate. Mr.
Kennck must attend.

Mr. NV MBU RN submitted that as the prosecutor consented
that bail should be given for his appearance, there could be no
objection. It would be putting Mr. Kenrick to much incon-
venience to come up on purpose.
Mr. Alderman VENABLES said, in this case there were three
parties—the prosecutor, the defendant, and the magistrate who
granted the warrant ; and however the former two might agree, '
some respect was due to them strate. It was due indeed to
the proceedings of the law. Tue warrant of the law must be
obeyed : Mr. Kenrick must appear Personally, and he as a ma-
gistrate should feel it as his duty not to take bail to the indict-
ment unless he was present.
Mr. WIMBURN said Mr. Kenrick would be in town to go his
circuit on the 16th, and he should then. appear and enter into his
recognizance.
The Magistrate replied he saw no reason for that :Mr. Ken-
rick had refused obedience to the warrant on the supposition of
a privilege which he had not. He had no wish to put Mr. Ken-
rick to inconvenience, still less to do any thing to hurt his feel-
ings ; but he saw no reason why the warrant should not be exe-
cuted in the usual way.
Harrison was accordingly ordered to go down again-with the
warrant, with directions from the magistrate to pay every per-
' sonal respect to the learned judge ; but at the same time to re-
quire his appearance to give bail to the indictment.

MA-ssiox-Ifouse.—Several fishennen were brought up be-
fore the Lord Mayor by Mr, I-lovt'el, the Water Bailiff', on
charges of having used unlawful . nets in the river, near Black-
wall. The nets, it was stated, had been extensively used in
catching spawn or white bait, and in the destruction of the
smaller breeds of fish, for the purpose of scaling.them—a de-
testable practice, which has of late become common, of depriv-
ing fish of their scales for the purpose of selling them to the
manufacturers of mock pearls. The fish, after being scaled,
are often thrown again into the water, as they are too much
mutilated in the process to be saleable.
The LORD MAYOR condeinned the nets, but remitted the
penalties, in consideration of the extreme poverty of the parties.
A waterman was charged by Mr. Nelson, the Deputy Water.
Bailiff, with having used unlawful engines for taking, or more
properly for stealing fish, in the river.
Mr. Nelson stated, that in consequefice of numerous com.
plaints made to him by the fishermen below Greenwich
that the watermen were in the habit of robbing their nets,
he went down the river to inquire into the fact ; as soon as
he appeared below Greenwich a great number of water-
men that were collected together in their boats rowed off in
all directions ; he made after some of them and came up with
several, when lie found in all their boats long poles with sharp
barbed hooks fixed in one end. The bar of the Justice room
was crowded with fishermen, who all appeared anxious to de-
, scribe and detail the various robberies that had been committed
on them by the watermen, by means of these engines. From
the account given by all of them it appeared, that the watermen
made a practice of rowing over the nets laid by the fishermen,
and whenever they discovered that there were fish in them, they
contrived, by means of those poles, to take them out and carry
them off. It was stated that they sometimes even took up the
nets and took out the fish before the fishermen's faces, which
the superior swiftness of their boats enabled them to make off
with, and also to be the first in the market, and undersell the
fishermen with the fish they had so obtained. It was also stated
that a great number of fish were destroyed by the practice,
being wounded, though not taken, but left to die without bene-
fit to any one. _
The LORD MAYOR declared his determination to put a stop
to a practice so iniquitous, but as there did not appear sufficient
evidence against the party, who was then present, lie was dis-
charged with an admonition ; and his Lordship desired that
some others who could be identified as having been guilty of
the practice, should be brought before him, and that the Water
Bailiffs should keep a strict look-out for all who should here-
after offend.

The Burgate, or St. Michael's-gate, at Can-
terbury, now pulling down, was rebuilt on the
site of the previous one in the year 1475. The
centre of this gate was taken down in 1781, and
subsequently the southern tower.