The Sun.
London, England, 1826-08-23 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

The Colonial Times is a newspaper printed at Hobart-
town, ii' Van Diemen's Land, andlike other newspapers
deals in public diScussion. But men of place and office,
no matter where they may be stationed, have a sort of
instinctive antipathy to the press. The fact is, we are
apprehensive, that authority always feels jealous of opi,
mom. It exercises and leans upon a species ofipower, to
w!iich reason- is net amenable, and by which it will ,not
be directed. Functionaries of all nations are incensed at
this ; they art by will, and are importuned by argument.
If their mere volition be from certain phySical metes more
formidable than that of other men, and less liable to be
resisted or traversed, blleh is not invariably the case with
the intellecteel faculties of our official gentlemen. Hence
are the whole rabble of Governors, secretaries, clerks,
down to constables and bailiff's followers, rendered pecu-
liarly sore and snappish by the movements of an engine
in the' presence of which their adventitious superiority de-,
serts them. they call the press the " common enemy,"
but the hostile spirit which it excites in them has nothing
of chivalry or generosity to exalt it. They seldom fight
a literary assailant on equal terms—man to mate or para-
graph to paragraph. They manoeuvre to keep the
weather-gage of him ; and strike, whethrr fair or foul,
from the vantage-ground of their position, by silencing,
banishing, or prosecuting ex-officio, for a libel. The Colo-
nial Times has suffered through Mr. Bent, its editor, from
the last-mentioned mode of animosity. Early, as we find,
in the year 1825, he gave some offence to the nerves of
people in power by the, pungency of his observations as
a journalist, In September folloWing he was found guilty
of a libel ; and on the 20th of March last-sis months
afterwards---he was brought up to receive the sentence of
the Court, .viz.—to be imprisoned three mrinths (after
being for the six preceding months in custody, or subject
to bail), to pay a tine of 2001., and to give heavy security
for future peaceable-s-that is, servile-reonduct. To the
grounds of the verdict we say but little. One of the
counts on which Mu. Bent was prosecuted, laid against
him the very heinous charge of designating a certain en-
lonia] uppoilainerit by the title of a " non-deeeript job,"
and this at Van Dieinen's Land in a lihcl! In noticing
this part of the case, the Chief, Justice took ' care to
" saddle the right horse" with its highly honourable
burden. His Lordship, or Worship, or whatever he
might be, observed, that with " regard to the .sth
count, the libellous nature thereof was not so ap-
parent—l admit (quoth he), that it is by no means plain ;
but it went to the Jury." "The words were, speaking
et a public appointment as a nondescript job, and the Jury
found that this was libellous." A worthy verdict from the
precincts of Botany-bay, and a Jury well illustrating the
spirit of colonial justice ! Nor was the proceeding of the
Government, which pressed for judgment after a verdict
had been hanging, for six months over the head of the ac-
eusecl, inconsistent with the constitutional feeling- by
which these precious jurors had been animated. A judg-
.ment so delayed could answer no useful end. The lapse
of time; and intervention of other Occurrences, had broken
the identity of the ease, and separated the transgression
from the sentences -No striking example, 'therefore, could
in all human probability be made by such a punishment,
or salutary influence be exercised over the pUblie.
None but feelings unworthy of a legal tribunal, or of a
self-approvin,g Government, could be indulged by a visi-
tatiou.so tardy as to amount to torture, and so irregular
and unfrequent as almost to assume the character of out-
rage.—lf in India, inhabited by 80 millions of foreign
slaves, where fear alone maintains the Government, and
where the growth of a political mind, or of a popular sym-
pathy, might he fatal to it—if, we say, in such a country
the question of a free press be one upon which men of
enlightened views may conscientiously differ, it is not so
in colonies altogether titional, where the institutions and
habits of Englishmen ought to be cherished, if we would
extend and perpetuate throughout the globe the name and
greetnetis of
,our country: Colonists will yeas' to be Eng
h4citizens, if the enjoyment', of free thought and Wl-
guege are thus systematically curtiiiled. The Capeis just
recovering from the effects of this iniquitous policy. The
Westindiati colonies have not yet been afflicted by it, nor
what remains of our North American possessions. Let
the whole empire then unite in upholding the freedom of
dismission in a iparter, where, from the history and eh-
meter of the population, it is essential 'that the steps of
office should be watched, and its encroachments wisely
anticipated. The polder of oppression is strongest at the
extremities;., that. of resistance at the centre of a free
state ; Inn this truth ought to be founded the spirit of our
colonial policy. The Goverment at home must naturally
desire to see the people contented with their local rulers;
and to draw from the activity and jealousy of the press
the most effectual means of observing or controlling their
malpractires. All authority will he despotic if it
and in stub an enterprise the most distant from the pa-
rent state is likely to be most successful.—nines.

The situation of Europe at the present moment is, per-
haps, without a parallel in history. It can only be eorre.
pared to the period of the early_ legislators in Greece,
when the different States began almost contemporaueously
toimitate the example of Sparta, in establishing their se-
parate ysorerns of' organised liberty. Like Sparta in
Greece, this country in Europe set the example of popular
leg4,l,ition, and showed, by the 'stability. of her Goveni-
testa the incalculable advantages of free institutions. The
only tenet of differeoce in the two CasCs is, that the imper-
fect form of the Republic in the former, has given place in
the latter to the limited Moitarchy—a form the best adapt-
ed of any for securing the liberty and tranquillity of a
country. A. Republic may exist in the midst of Republics,
or at a distance from other Powers, like the United States
of America ; but the inaptitude of the form of Govern-
meta for attack or defence must render it quite impracti-
cable in the larger States of Europe. To tumulte, our
rallel of Greece, going back a little to our school-boy lore,
we Shall find that the liberal feelings in many of the States
took their first rise in the breasts of Monarchs or of Royal
personages. It is needless to mention the various legisla-
tors of Sparta, Athens, &e. who all appear to have exerted
themselves for the promOtion of their country's freedom
with a degree of enthusiasm which, a hundred yeafs ago,
would have seemed to the greater part of the world abso-
lutely incomprehensible, but of which, in our own dayi
we "Uric 'Wen many illustrious examples,. some of them
not iviferim. to those of antiquity." The object of these re-
merits is to show that the efforts of all the friends of liberal
pcirmiples ought. nosv.to In direeteit to the propagation of
those principles, with a view to their effect upon the minds
of the Sovereigns thernseives, instead of turning their .at-
tendon to the derk treheirto of designing conspirators or
to toeless and unauttesmanlike projects of carrying points,
by force which could be carried much more easily and
effectually by mere address, An itielination to allow cer,
twin name,, assn forms, for wine].) politicians struggle much
more frequently and bitterly than for any thing real and.
substantial,would probably enable the friends of political
freedom to effect most of their really beneficial objects
with the consent and concurrence 'of theSe whom they
now consider as irreclaimably opposed to *melt improve-
ments. Such a disposition would at least remove one
great obstacle to success ; and we have no doubt that in
the end every thing desirable will he aeromplished by the
regular authorities, as at present constituted, Tim prism,
eipies now at work throughout Europe are of an
into
perishable and growing nature; and a government, which
should 'set in opposition to them would be as sure to re-
pent its conduct, as one which, like our own, eankmpg
itself to the course of the stream, is sure to promote_ its
own interests in promoting those of the nations around. 7
It becomes the Ministers of Engiand to avow the prima-
Plea of Englishmen ; arid Mr. Caroling would have been
unworthy of the distinguished situation which he holds if
he had acted with less spirit than he leas done upon all
occasions where it was necessary to express his sentiments
tilion such 611-jects;J but no one has any right to expect
that he should w
,f/me forand avow himself the framer
of Tie*
,CtinggeWilWßlE -Allies. The Portuguese
Consticit*tit4 myidenee that it WAS not framed
. •
_
„ ,

underhis direction ; tor it has evidently been formed merely
by introducing such alterations in the Brazilian form of
government as were rendered necessary by the diversities
in the circumstances of the two countries. As ourancient
and faithful Ally, Portugal has a claim on every English
Minister, Mr. Canning had an undoubted right to inter-
est himself in the settlement of her affairs; and who dare
say that England has net a right to protect freedom in one
country, if France has a right to destroy it in another ?
With the particidar
the
have been male
y Don Pedro, as the legitimate. .and undisputed Sove-
e ign of Portugal, England has nothing to 'do. It was
kw The King of ~Portugal to settle the affairs of his king-
(l4 as he thought proper, by virtue of the powers vested
in him by the laws of the realm, as existing at his acces-
sion. If any foreign Power were to interfere in such a
case, it' would commit an outrage against legitimacy in
the person of Don Pedro, and an insult to England in the
person of her Ally. England did not dictate the Portu,
guese Charter to Don Pedro; it was neither her duty nor
her wish to do so • but she will support the dispositions
of Don Pedro with all her might, ,unless he shall himself
cease to enforce them. It is true, as some of our contem-
poraries have lately asserted, that no sudden transforma
non will take place‘in the state of a nation in consequence
of a Constitution; and, no doubt, in many cases disap-
pointments may take place similar to those mentioned in
the article from Darmstadt,- whidi we have given else-
where; but, whatever may be. supposed to be the,cool-
'less Of many foreign nations on this subject, it is still a
design worthy of England, and honourable to an English
Statesman, to promote the cause of civil liberty through-
out the world.---Nritish Press.

It is not often that we are tempted to explore the mys-
teries of our Police-offices for subjects of grave and ela-
borate discussion. Our worthy contemporary,: the Chro.
nide, has a sort. of monopoly of these topics, and from a
county magistrate, down to a night constable, not a man
who has any thing to do with rogues and vagabonds but
should have before his eyes a proper and laudable fear of
this unrelenting and indefatigable Paul Pr y. , A case oc-
curred, however, yesterday, at Marlborough-street; some
of the actors, in which deserve to be held .up to publiC
animadversion. It was that of a poor old blind woman,
turned seventy, who took her daily stand in Saville-
! passage, to receive the unsolicited donations of charitable
passers by. It was not pretended that this forlorn and
afflicted creature, on the very threshold of the grave, im-
portuned any one : there she stood, a silent suppliant for-
alms—feeling, doubtless, that her aged aspect, and the
sad visitation which bad fallen upon her, were claims
strong enough to awaken pity without one word of solici-
tation. It is with sentiments of deep abhorrence we add,
that some officious guardian of the streets—one of those
gentry who: leave the grossest nuisances untouched—
dragged this miserable being before the magistrate, and
had her sent to .prison for begging! But her pitiable
state, it seems, had long since excited the sympathy of
Lord Maryborough and hiS amiable Lady; and his Lord-
ship, hearing of her being committed, attended at the
Police-office yesterday to obtain her liberation.. The-be-
uevolent zeal with which he exerted himself in her he-
half was highly creditable to his humanity.--Nei' Time,.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOTNE.—Turnpanny, the police officer, ap-
peared botbre the tOan Ma OR, to answer a charge of misconduct
preferred againat him'hy Mr. R. Taylor, the printer and Common
Councilman, of Shoe-lane.

The evidence in support of the charge was that of a poor Irish
woman, who stated, that Turnpenny had seized her basket of fruit
which was the only stock she had in the world, and had taken it
to the Workhouse. • The was at. the lime selling, her fruit st a
place quite out of the way of passengers, where she had been per-
mitted by the parish olCirerr to sell it.
Mr. Taylor said, that, he brought this ease forward with the
view of getting the piMter. of the police-officers, beadles, and others,
in such catiest,'delinell'or had to. complain that•thess
men were often guilty of the most brutal violence in their mock, of •
proceeding' against• these poor women. They seized' capriciously
the goods of particular women ; they took them to the work-
house, where they were confiscated and divided without further
procesa by the Master and mistress of the workhouse, and not un-
frequently, he was assured, the heatlles, or other officers, con-
damned the hpplca or other fruit, aa aJawful prize to themselves,
and divided it, as a dessert, with their children, while the poor
Women, whose property it was, went weeping borne to their chil-
dren, who were that deprived of their bread, or their means of
getting any.' He thought these women ought not to be disturbed
or hunted out of the streets, so long as they did not obstruct the
footpaths. lie thought it well to have the gifts of Pomona dis-
played throughout our streets ; for, whilst the pilasengers were in.
sited to partake of grateful and Wliolesoine fruit, which otherwise
would pot be so easily got at a cheap rate, hundreds, he might say
thousands, of poor women were maintained by its aide, and there-
by kept from being buidentantie. to their parishes. This was the
ease. with the poor woinan now before his Lordship. She had been
set up by the parish officers at a few shillings' expence, and • had
since that time ceased to he a burden.

Mr. Roberts, of Fleet-market, a Common Councilman of the
/lame ward, attended with several of the inhabitants, and some
other officers of the same parish, to support the defendant. Mr.
Roberts said, the officer, were in this ease placed in a cross tire.
[liras& and a number of the inhabitants were eternally at them
for not doing their duty by clearing the footpaths of these women,
whilst lir. Taylor and one or two others, from motives of hu-
manity, were always at them for meddling with them. In Fleet-
market they thronged the footways so as to render them almost
impassable. The language of these women, and of those who
associated with them, was often such as to render the first floors
uninhabitable by respectable females. When any one of the of-
fenders was pursued she took refuge amongst the butchers in the
market, who were cure to take part with her against the officers.
For his part, and tho,.e of his fellow inhabitants, he was of opi-
nion that they ought to he entirely removed.
Mr. Taylor (petitioned one of the complainants who appeared
with Mr. Roberts, whether his show-board did not project some
distance over the footpath ; hr. iehictantly admitted that it did.
Mr. Taylor begged to inform him, that it was equally illegal.
'with the act of standing upon the pavement. There were *eve-.
ral officers who kept pigs, and illegally sidered them to run about
the streets. He thought a pig a far greater nuisance in the streets
than a woman with a basket of fruit. Ile merely mentioned
these things to show that the poor women were not the only of-
fenders against the act, and that they were as well deserving of
lenience as others.

The Loan MAYOR said, that these fi:uit-wornen were certainly
in some instances so numerous as to become nuisances. On re-
ference to the act, it would be seen that it was illegal to stand in
any part of the streets. In some instances poor women were
kept from their parishes ; in ethers, , the wives ,of journeymen
were taken away from the care of their children, by the hopes of
getting is few shillings more, which did riot, in his opinion, coin-
petutte for the mischief done to their families by their abilence.
They might in some cases be tolerated, where they did not stand
over the foot-path, or in any way impede the public thorough-
fare. The course he had pursued was, to check the evil, by or-
dering that no new corners should, in any instance, under any
pretence, he allowed to have,baskets standing on tremolo. Ile
suggested to Mr. Roberts that he should select those who used
had lattguagei ,and have them removed.
Mr. Roberts—lll take up the whole of them. We might en-
dure half-a-dozen of thew, but four-score is a nuisance.
The Loan Maion:-.-You have no power to take them up.
Mr. Itoherts--What, I meant way, that I would enforeir the
law by the officers. -
Mr. Taylor begged to recall his his Lordship's attention to the
great point on which he came forward—namely, whether these
poor women should be placed under a sort of martial law, and
the officers he allowed to stilts their fruit, and confiscate it with
! out the cognizance of a Magistrate.
1 Loin ktAmt—Certainly not : the officers are hound to
briny; the parties' regularly before the Magistrates.
g ta•lll.oar.tti.,:T
alii°ltdr!hoernhvaiiireadtwtl° them ma severe
doubt
ekss e nalt:toyu thanre "4„o:::,bvehl:carh:
2!-' Was worsts' than the mere seizure of the fruit
the Atioatra.o w that the immix
eirahle. IVe.hr, under all eireimstatiees, far the moat de-
lenienct curl
dizetitotnexereige the powers of the set with snore
the beedlea and offieere;. He was averse to intrust such: power to
them when they did theithaalways
"Ineforward
to encourage
duty hu
poor and unprott,a4 , t discretionary power over the,
abuse. "", to their hands, extremely liable to

The CAW was then disinissed, Mr. Taylor being satisfied with
the declaration of his Lordship. Mr. Roberto went away, do-
datiog that he would abate the imitative in his neighbourhood.
A very tespectable looking elderly nun was fully committed

for stealing two pieces of bbon from the shop of Mr. Tickle, of
Aldttate. ' ' '
The prisoner went into the shop under pretenee of purchasing a
'quantity of ribbon, and took the opportunity of secreting the two
pieces in question.
The Loan Maxpa, regretted exceedingly to, see a man of the
prispner's appearance, who was evidently respectably connected,
plaued in so disgraceful a situation : from,; the prisoner's own evi-
dence, he had friends able to relieve him, and he ought to have
applied to them. His Lordship was compelled to perform his ditty.
The prisoner appeared to labour under great distress of mind.
6UILDUALL.--Among the evil doers brought before Mr.
Aldisman WAITHMAN yesterday morning; was one Mrs. Jane
Iftivitt, a matron on the wrong side of forty, rather dumpy, and
very brown. She had been handed over to the custody of the
watch by Mr. William Hewitt, a tall and comely, though rather
elderly, purveyor of beef and. mutton to the lieges in and about
Crown-street, Dorset-street, Salisbury-square; and he now ap-
peared in the witness-box to chew cause why he had handed her
over as aforesaid.
'I This lady at the bar," said he, came •to my house at three
o'clOck this morning, and disturbed a lady in labour, and what's
more, she called me every thing—but a gentleman ; so I gave her
in charge to the watch, and here she is." And there he stopped,
for he was a man of few words.

'0 Why should she come to your house? What provocation had
you given her?" asked the Alderman.
" None in the world," replied the tall and taciturn butcher.
" Please your Worhip, I'm his wife I" said the lady at the bar.
Is that true," asked his Worship ; and the tall butcher, lay-
ing:aside his taciturnity, replied as follows :-
9 In the year one thousand eight hundred and seven, I had the
misfortune to marry this lady at Stepney church, and after it was
over, I said to her, Well, now,. Jane, love, we'll go home and
get -a bit of dinner comfortable to ourselves.' No,' says she, ' I'd
rather go to a public-house, If it's all the same to you ;' and accord-
ingly we did go to a public-house, and there we had a pint of ale;
for I thought it best, you know, to let her have her own way on
the fiat day of our marriage."
" Well, never mind what you had, or where you went," said
the Alderman, " that is nothing at all to us, you know."
‘ Very true," your Worship," xejoined the butcher—" that's all
my own.husiness certainly, and a bad busine3s it was, for she was
nothing .else but a conanion p— then, and she's been nothing
else since."

" And what of that ?" exclaimed hie eara sposa, interrupting
him ; " did'nt you drive rne out, pray ?"
" Drive you out !" replied he ; " it was you who drove me out,
I think. • I)id'nt I go to the East Indies and to the West Indies
on purpose to get out of your way ?" •
" Yes, you did, and was turned out of the ship for laying an in-
formation against your Captain for carrying counterband goods!"
replied bin amiable spouse.
" Ab, you arc a bitter hussy," rejoined the butcher ; and there
the connubial colloquy was cut short by the Alderman asking him
how long he and his wife had been living apart.
" Till thin blessed morning at three o'clock," replied he " I
have never seen her these eleven years past."
" Why then you have had a long repose," said the Alderman,
" and ought to consider yourself a very happy man. One visit
from your wife in eleven years is surely not much."- -
The lady now said that she didn't want to go near bin, at nll,
if he would allow her a maintenance. "He ran keep another
lady," said she, " and afford to have children, and I'll make him
keep me, or I'll know what it stick% at !"

the other lady, it appeared, was the " lady in labour," of whom
the unfortunate butcher had spoken in opening his case ; and the
Alderman dismissed the case, upon the lady at the bar promising
not to go near her husband's house again, but to seek redress by.
applying to the parish officers► who would compel him to allow
her a reasonable maintenance..

BOW-STREET.—Joseph Honwn, a man nearly six feet in
height, and strong in proportion, who keeps a carpet warehouse
in the Strand, was charged by John Johns, a worknvin in hii
employ, with an absault of an aggravated and unmanly descrip-
tion.

John Johns, an emaciated sickly-looking young man, with a
desperate black eye, stated that on the evening of Saturday last
he was in the shop of the defendant, by whom he was employed as
a weaver. He asked for a little money on account of his wages,
which was denied him, and on remonstrating with Mr. Homan,
he struck him a blow on the eye, the effect of which was visible to
all. He (the witness) endeavoured to retaliate, but being consti-
tutionally weak, the superior strength of Mr. Homan was ton
notch fur hint, and he was beaten by lain in CIL cruel manner, not
only with his fist*, but with a *tick also.
Here the complainant offered to show the. magistrate the marks
which he bore on his body ; but Sir•lt. Hiatus said, that see-
ing the state of his eye was sufficient to assure him of the had
nine be had met with, and he called upon Mr.. Homan to ex-
plain, if he could, why he had beaten the young man in such a
savage manner.
- • '

Mr. Yomen then began. to accuse the complainant with inat,
teotion to his , business and general ►misconduct. Last week, he
said, when be ought to have been at work, he found him asleep
in his loom. -

The complainant amwered, that at the time he was asleep tL. re
was no work to do.

Mr. Hon►an---You can urn Us. a-week, if you will; but you
are tau indolent to work.

ComPittium4-4 know 1 can tarn as lunch ; but you know also
that we have pad no work to do these many moralist.
lair R. 13tatits,4 cannot listen to your disputes. A distinct
charge of assault has been sworn against you, Mr. Homan, for
which 1 Khan require you to find bail.

Mr. Homan was then locked up, in default of bail, but pro-
cured it in the course of the day.
Johnson, who has made himself so obnoxious to a variety of
tradespeople in and about the metropolis, by lodging informations
against them for short weights, irregularity-, Ste., appeared in
company with a respectable-looking woman, to prefer two indict-
ments again►t William Fitchew, pawnbroker, of Nu. 1, Church-
way, New-road, St. poem.

The first indictment charging Mr. Fitchew with taking more
interest on a pledge than the act allows, being read, Mr. Fitchew
.pleaded «Not Guilty."
Mrs. Ann Smith, of Ilighgate-hill, the principal witness, de..,
pow', that on the 26th of May lest, she went to the, shop ofJllr.
Fitchew, and there pledged two pieces of linen foi: Si. She got
separate duplicates for each piece. She was told that she must
pay three-pence for each duplicate, and ►►nt having the change
about her, sixpence, in addition to , the sum lent, was marked
on one of the duplicates. On the 16th of August - she went
with this ticket to redee►n one, of the pieces 01
and was charged J/. 12s. lid., being 6.1. a month for the use of
the money, fid. for the ticket, and .1 id. as interest for that tid. 'Ur
three 'months-

Johnson here produced the pawnbroker's Act, by which it ap-
peared that the pawnbroker should have charged only 24. for each
ticket, awl that the charge of as interest on the 6d. was quite
illegal.

. Mr. Fitchew endeavoured to explain, that in charging 6d. for
the tickets he included a charge of 2d, for the use of a wrapper
which, at the request of Mrs. Smith, he put round the linen.
James Sayer, his clerk, swore to the same effect, but Mrs. Smith
positively and distinctly denied that such ►was the fact.
.Mr. Fitchew was then convicted in the stun of 40a,, with the
usual costs.

In the hecond 'case, a MD, named Aaron Rawlins, wits employed
by Johnson, to whom Mrs. Smith had related the facts detailed
above, to go to the shop of Mr. Fitchew with the same piece of
linen, the day after it was redeemed from pledge. The same de-
mand of Bd. was made for the ticket, and the same defence set up
—,namely, that the additional penny was for the use ofa wrapper.
Fitchew was afoin convicted in the sum of 40s, and costs,
We hope that the publication of this me will have the effect of
checking the extortion,of,pawnbcokers, who ton often escape con-
victian'and exposure, owing chiefly to the poverty and ignorance
of those on whom theiimpoae. It may not be *mime to add, that
a hint was was dropped to the writer of this report, not to give
it publicity, and it was istiplitst that a bribe should reward his
silence.

MARLBOROUGII-STREET.—Lord Maryborough made au
application at an 'early hour yesterday to Mr. CottatsT, on behalf
of n.poor old blind woman of the name of Eleanor. Goodall, aged
'7O, who was committed to the House, of Correction for begging,
on Thursday last, by Mr. Roe, one of the Magistrates of this
office. His. Lordship on entering the office, handed his
card to Mr. Conant, the Sitting Magistrate,
and stated
that the pour old woman occasionally received relief from
him and, Lady •Itiaryhorough for the last twenty years, both in
food and clothes. The poor woman's husband was eighty years
Old, and a more harnileia, old couple could not possibly be, How
she could have been char* with begging his Lordship could not
imagine, for she stood during the day in a passage convenient to
his Lordship's house, with a small basket of cakes, covered with
a net, eePosed for sale, anti she held out her hand to receive pay-
ment for what the passengers might wish to buy. The money
which she received she put into a cap which was suspended to
the basket. What was „lied begging, appeared to hie Lordship
to be quite different. The poor creature did not ask for alms ;
she did riot annoy the public in any manner, by importuning'
or otherwise, and .what the .committing .I%lagiatrate might have
construed into an offence against the laws his Lordship could not
divine.
Mr. Cot said that the case was heard heron bilr• Roo mid

not before him, so that he could not inform his Lordship upon
what evidence Mr. Roe acted.

. „
Lord Maryborough requested to see the commitment book, to
ascertain the precise nature of the offence.
Mr. CONANT sent for the , book, by Which it appeared that
Eleanor Goodall was committed to the Hansa of CorrectiOn for
bein " idle and disorderly:"
Lord Maryborough appeared astonished at such a commitment.
His Lordship was informed that the offence was begging; but
now it apeared on the face of a public record, that it was for being.
" idle and disorderly." An accusation against a poor old blind
woman of 70, for being ." idle and disorderly," should not have
been listened to by any Magistrate.
Mr. CONANT said, if the beadles or constables had given im-
proper evidence in the case, they 'should he po.nished.
Lord Maryborough was aware that those people were unneces-
sarily officious in most instances, and inefficient when their ser-
vices were required by. the public. They made themselves very
active.by annoying such poor helpless creatures as Goodall. Hie
Lordship should spare no expense or trouble in having justice done,
to this old woman.

Bucklin, the constable of St. James's, said, that he had taken
Eleanor Goodall into custody frequently for a similar offence, and
the Magistrates cautioned het' against appearing in the streets
any more. Mr. Dawson, living in the neighbourhood of St.
James's, complained of the annoyance of the old woman before
his house.

Lord Maryborough asked if Mr. Dawson the barrister was
alluded to ; and wss answered in the affirmative. He did not
know but she might have been placed before Mr. Dawion's door
intentionally, to have some cause of complaint against her.
Jackson, a beadle, said that he found her in Series passage,
near St. James's, one Sunday, without her basket of cakes.
Lord Alaryborough said, if the poor creature had the basket on
that day, he had no doubt but that the beadle would take her into
custody for a violation of the Sabbath. It was in such pursuits
that those people fitted away their time, without any benefit to
the public.
Fagan, a clerk in the employment of the Mendicity Society,
said that Goodall was a person of vile character. He knew that
she lived with an old fellow, whom she called her husband, and
that She sometimes called herself Webiter.

Lnrd Maryborough said he never heard of such Wretches in all
hit life. His Lordship knew the • old couple for 20 years, and
never before heard the least imputation against their characters.
Had he not known them so long, he could not even imagine that
two such creatures, one seventy and the other eighty, would have
been guilty of impropriety like that. His Lordship did not believe
a word, of it.

Mr. CONANT said that there was no accounting for tastes.—(A
laugh.)
Fagan said that she refused to go into the house though re-
quested several time..
Lord Maryborough thought that if those people were really
anxious to relieve the wants of the poor, they could find a suffi-
cient number on whom to bestow their charity, and who often
sought in vain; but this poor woman was annoyed by them be-
cause they knew that she did not want their assistance. It was
disgracefid, and contrary to the spirit, as well as the laws of the
British Constitution, to oblige any person to go into the work-
house against their will.
Mr. CONANT said the only thing that he could do for the pre-
sent, would be to have the old woman brought up again.
Lord Maryborough said that the committal appeared illegal on
the face of it. She was charged (in his Lordship's opinion with-
out sufficient evidence) with begging, and was committed for being
"idle and disorderly." His Lordship concluded by saying, that
unless the old woman was immediately discharged, he should make
an application in another quarter, and he would have justice done
to her at any expence.
in
dignant.
Thomas office
Hie Lordship then left the quite
Thomas Annis, who was in custody upon a charge of forgery,
by altering the date of a bill of exchange, accepted by a man named
Finch, was brought up for re-examination.
A Solicitor attended on 14 behalf, and contended that the act
imputed to the prisoner was no forgery at all, and that if it even
were a crime, it was done With the concurrence of the acceptor
himself, which took the 'sting out of ' it. On referring to the Act j
of Parliament on the subject, the Magistrate found, that although
the altering the date of a bill of exchange, with a view to acce-
lerate the payment of it, was a forgery, yet that an alteration,
with a view to retard the payment, was not declared to be so ;
and the prisoner was therefore discharged.
The solicitor on the other side declared, that he would now
proceed against the prisoner for obtaining the bills from Mr.
Finch under false pretences,
HATTON-OAItDEN.-7-Anne Ransom, a respectable
looking girl, fifteen years of age, was charged with the
following robbery
It appeared from the evidence of Mr. Joseph Lee, a
linen-draper residing in Upper-street, Islington, that for a
considerable time past he had occasionally missed various
articles from his shop, and among the rest several whole
piece's of printed cottony, but could in no way account for
their disappearance. During the whole of this time the
prisoner at the bar was a daily customer for some trifle or
other. On Friday last she came as usual, and, on leaving
his shop, was observed by a lad in his employ to abstract
a piece of printed cotton, worth about 41. from a low shelf
,near the counter, and before he (witness) could he •in-
'formed of it she had vanished. She came again yesterday
afternoon, and was identified by the boy, in consequence
of which an officer was seat for, and she was given in
custody. On his road to the lice this morning, accom-
panied by his lad, the latter had suddenly ran from him,
and did not appear to be at present forthcoming.
Mr. Sergeant SIMIAN said thateircumstunce, he thought,
seemed rather suspicious. He must have the boy's evi-
dence, and if any means had been used to keep him away,
he ,would issue a warrant to force his attendance. He
then inquired if the property had been traced ?
Mr. Lee said it had been pledged close to his house ;
and at several other pawnbrokers he had found property
of his. The time had been too short to bring them all
forward, but he had one in attendance, and he thought he
Could bring others who would identify the prisoner who
had pledged. the different articles.
Mr. Sergeant SELLON said it was a most atrocious ease
in one of her tender years, and to afford every opportu-
nity of a full investigation, ha would remand her for a
weeLALMBETII-STREET.—Yesterday, Thomas Kinger was
brought up for final examination,
ofo Sira charge
eurr.e j of having forged
the name of William Cotton, Esq., of Laytonsycoofintreiiisrto,.aßnaieinio)c.ahmec.iku
forhe
,12161eLpIrtans.noniri, tlwiehlons nhkfaiingthnousien
eaowntinntilier 17th of last month presented a check purporting
CttohoeltitCeoand:: yoally.firn.gWthialltiahem Chaoltitnono,t ttohel:lr,timLiensetoll,gaogmfocreriatnted
draper at Layton, who cashed it for him at hie request, he at
London himself.

On the '7th inst., Mr. Cope, one of the city tnarshala, in
consequence of private information he had received, appreheruled
the prisoner at his lodgings,
and nnrieerching his apartments, found a pocket-book sealed up,
among the contents of which were three blank cheeks, of a form
No.. 2, Towler-street, Blackfriars,
similar to that passed to Mr. Linsell, together with a printed
card, bearing the•name of George Term, floor-cloth and car-
pet manufacturer in the Borough, to whose order the check was
made payable. .The check was subsequently passed by. Mr., Lin-
sell to Mr. Strange, a cheesemonger, in Bishopsgate-street, whose
clerk. being in attendance, deposed as follows :
The check now produced was handed to won the 25th of July,
by the son of Mr. Linsell, to be placed to his father's account.
I kept it in my desk until the following day, when I paid it
into our bankers' hands, the Messrs. Hanker.. On the 27th it
was returned to us from that firm, with an intimation of its being
a forgery. lin consequence wrote to Mr. • Linsell, and apprised
at the next
him of the circumstance.
totakehisr trial
in William. -street, Blackfriars,
Mr. Hoppe, coal-merchant,
stated that the prisoner lived in his service as footman for about a
seven sovereigns) which had been
year. He hail seen 'bins write, and thought the check hie hand_
writing.
Chelmsford Assizes.
his
solicitor
requested that a
portion of .
The prisoier was fully commbiatrted,
should be restored to him to •
found upon him, _
the Magistrate
defray the ex-
pellees of his defence, and the was about giving an
P.revioint,itiie, hmisoilireayvi(otghitrhtya.
order that act much
when Mr. as exceeded the amount of Mr. Linsell's check
should he. given hint;Gates, for the printeention, in-
terposed, and observed, that there was another charge against him
for obtaining 941. on a forged cheek from thellank of Sir William
Curtis and Co.

tiNION-HALL. —James Barnett, the owner and driver of
a horse and cart, appeared to answer. an information charging
him with conveying contraband silks, to a large amount, in his
cart.
Samuel Morrey, the enstom-houae officer who made the seizure,
stated that he stopped the defendant a few days ago driving' e.eart
along the Borough, in which with a case similar to those in which
eggs are ttenitl4 packed. He asked what it contained, and the

defendant said "Eggs, to be sure," and added tha't he Was taking
them into the city for a Frenchman, who had just conic over from
Dieppe with a cargo; whoin lie *as td meet at the'fbot of London ••
bridge. The informant not crediting the story, jut xoped into the •
cart, desiring to see the owner of the eggs. Having te sited a con
siderable time at the appointed place, and nd foreigm makinghis
appearance to claim the case, 14Iorrey proceeded to °lash it, and In-
stead of eggs discovered that it contained 1,820 ells of 'foreign Bilk;
48 silk gauze shawls, and several pieces of Bandana hat td kerchiefs:
the value of the whole amounting to upwards of 500/. The 'se
ing officer conveyed the silks to the Custom-house, and! 40Poited
them in the King's warehouse. The horse and cart w rrr, e subse-
quently taken to the' green-yard.
The defendant hav;ug persisted in the same story as to Iris . ign°"
ranee of the description of property the case contained, bele.," it
was opened by the officer;, the Magistrate condemned the hr. I"
and cart and ordered it to b..' sold.
A drover, named Elcock, w.'e charged by a patrol with crui4t
to a lamb that he was driving alorif the street.
The complainant stated, that on the preceding day he observed
the defendant beating a lamb in a most unmerciful manner. and
when he was expostulated with for his barbarity, be becinna."l"
tremely insolent, and ultimately assaulted the patrol.
The defendant was fined !Os. and held to bait for the assault.

AN EXTRAORDINARY FEMALE: ,--MARGARET
CARRUTMERS.-..—This extraordinary wt
roman has been
employed annually by Richard Breeks,
Esq., and 'his
ancestors, at Warcop, in Westmorland, as a reaper,
from the year of the Rebellion, 1745, until
the present
season of 1826, without one single. intermi. Ision ; and
such has been her athletic powers, that she you'd
.ex.
ceed in reaping (nearly the whole of the perk ''(1),
performance of any male labourer in the count, v• r=dl
e
is now bordering on ninety years of age, yet-, Messed
with all her intellectual as well as physical powers '' - and
is to be seen regularly, every week,. travelling on foot,
backwards and forwards to Appleby market, a dist awe
of ten miles, for the purpose of vending a quantit y of
wicker baskets and chairs (which she straps to • tier
back), the product of her. industry during the r tst
week. A gentleman, now. in London, who has kno nn
her from his infancy, saw her very lately immerse( Ito
the waist in asmall stream, leading into the river Ed' en,
enjoying the sport of fishing for trout, and actur
alp
partook of a part of the fish the old lady had decoy, •tid
Into her net.